"Transformative training: healing our bodyminds & world" Maria, Alan, and Kate were beautiful facilitators of our noticing, experiencing, and learning of the wisdom of our bodies and life around us. The small size of our cohort encouraged considerate support and meaningful connections among us as we engaged in the transformation of being that is the exemplary training offered by the teachers of KiekariTerra. Our accommodations were comfortable and practical, inviting students to reflect on what tools, habits, etc. are truly useful in caring for our uniquely 'healthy' bodyminds in a certain context or environment… and what each of us might recognize as something that no longer serves our individual well-being, present and perhaps future. This exploration is of course incredibly personal, wholly determined by the individual, and honored by our teachers as such; each of our decisions to learn and engage in whichever particular offering of the training was exactly that: an offering, an invitation, a choice; not an imposition or assumption. Additionally, as a perk of living in the Cloud Forest outside Veracruz - surrounded by a vivacious environment of beloved nonperson-beings, inviting rivers, and earthen paths to explore through sacred trees - an appreciation of the natural relationship between our internal experiencing (emotions, energy, etc.) and our manifest ‘external’ world, and the inherent potential for all to thrive… was and is evident, and abundantly so.

The 24 day soma yoga and movement teacher training for me was magical and at the same time so grounding. Really sinking into our bodies, by feeling it and moving it during the yoga classes by dawn, and exploring it through anatomy in the afternoon. Before sunset tuning in with nature, learning more about permaculture, theoretically and practically. Before I started I read in one of the reviews that it’s so much more than a yoga training. Though it was my first yoga training, I still really resonate with that sentence. María and Alan share their home with you, their books, which Alan beautifully said are doorways to other worlds. I’ve learned so much, and I’m so grateful for the life they choose live, the knowledge they’ve gained and are sharing with us. I loved sleeping in a tent (which was very specious) for more than 3 weeks, the absence of the sound of cars and the night sky full of shining stars. Feeling the different kinds of weather touching our skin, swimming in the cold river (or quickly dipping ;)), seeing fire flies playing above it when the daylight fades, and feeding our body with nourishing food. As far as I can tell this yoga training is unique and seems like a one of a kind. It feels like a fundament for all my further yoga practices, or better for life. I’m very thankful for this experience.

If you trynna have a life changing experience, THIS is it!" Two quick things before I get deep&sentimental in this review. 1)The instructors (Maria y Alan) were INCREDIBLE--they are so kind and loving and really make you feel at home. They are also BRILLIANT and I was constantly learning from them. 2) The food was also AH-MAZING, and my body and tastebuds were very happy 🙂 Okay, now the deep/sentimental reflection: This training has left me forever changed. Despite being off the grid for 24-days, this month-long training has helped me become MORE present in this world, and I specifically chose this YTT because Maria's pedagogy is one based in Somatics--centering the body as a wisdom source that integrates with mind and spirit to inform how we move in the world, both on and off the yoga mat. It's not about dissociating or escaping pain and discomfort, just like spending time at KiekariTerra is not about disconnecting or fleeing from the rest of the world. Instead, it's about the practice of embodying the present moment by acknowledging and honoring the body as an ever-present and sacred home, one to which we are forever returning to. Because of this training, whether I'm in a Cloud Forest or third-floor city apartment, my goal will always be to remain in my body--to be here now--and to practice making decisions that move me towards rather than away from my most whole&holy Self. If you want to read a more in-depth review, feel free to check out my blog reflection: https://purposefullynia.com/2022/04/01/returning-home/