For Raíces' spring retreat from April 30th-May 4th, 2020, our guests will be staying at a renovated home in the trendy Ocean Park neighborhood of San Juan. This gorgeous home is steps away from the beach, where we will begin our mornings with a yoga and meditation practice.  For information on the rooms and pricing, go to Reserve your Spot. 

Our days begin at 7:30am with a Wakeup Yoga class at the beach taught by Raíces Yoga founder and teacher Jendar Marie Morales. This early morning 1-hour practice consists of slow movements, breathing exercises, and meditation to warm up the body and awaken the mind.

At noon, students will participate of a more active yoga practice. Days will end with yoga nidra, also known as sleepy yoga, to prepare guests for a good night rest.

Raíces Yoga & Culture Retreat is partnering with Que Viva Foods, to provide our guests with two wonderful vegetarian, or vegan, friendly meals a day. Que Viva Foods is a Puerto Rican team of culinary professionals with a passion for preserving the nutritional integrity of their food. Melissa Montañez and Eloy Berlingeri, chefs for Que Viva Foods, will be preparing these meals on site using only locally grown and organic ingredients of the highest quality. Melissa and Eloy will also be teaching an interactive Puerto Rican cooking class. 

Old San Juan, a National Historic Landmark, is a fortified colonial city built by the Spanish in the 16th century. Known in Spanish as El Viejo San Juan, this charming city is known for its blue cobblestone streets, colorful centuries old buildings, and impressive fortifications. Old San Juan is considered the cultural capital of the island because of its museums, historic sites, restaurants, plazas and unique architecture. Afternoons will be open for guests to explore this beautiful part of the city. Our retreat includes transportation to Old San Juan.

Guests get to spend their early mornings doing yoga and meditating at Ocean Park Beach. The neighborhood of Ocean Park has Calle Loíza, a vibrant street with local restaurants, shops, food trucks, galleries and street art, only a block away from the beach house. In the adjacent neighborhood of Condado, our guests can find high end shopping, elegant restaurants and an active night life. 

Bomba is a traditional music and dance created by African slaves in Puerto Rico. Bomba spread throughout the island and different styles developed. As part of our retreat we offer an interactive workshop, taught by Taller Tambuyé, where our guests learn about the history of Bomba and get to dance to the music of live drums. Taller Tambuyé  provides our guests with skirts to wear while learning to dance Bomba. 

As part of our cultural activities we will be visiting The Museum of the Americas. This institution covers art from the pre-Columbian era to the present and a variety of artists from Latin America, the United States and Puerto Rico. The museum's building has historical value and many enjoy looking at the various aspects of its architecture. 

We will also have a picnic at the Castillo San Felipe also known as El Morro. This fort was built in the 16th century to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay and defend the city from enemies. El Morro was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1983. 

We want our guests to experience some of the best nature the island has to offer. Included in the retreat is a day trip to visit El Yunque National Rainforest, La Mina Falls and Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve. El Yunque National Forest is the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System. Located in Northeastern Puerto Rico, El Yunque encompasses 29,000 acres and is considered one of the most biologically diverse national forests due to its hundreds of animal and plant specials, some exclusive to this region. At El Yunque, we’ll hike La Mina Trail, which follows the course of La Mina River through lush tropical trees, shrubs, and flowers. This short hike ends at La Mina Falls, a gorgeous 35-feet high waterfall with a pool where our guests can swim or simply enjoy the view. We will be eating a lovely lunch here provided by our Que Viva Foods chefs.

Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve is located in the town of Fajardo, at the northeastern tip of Puerto Rico. This reserve has hundreds of acres made up of various ecosystems. Las Cabezas de San Juan is owned by Para La Naturaleza, an organization that protect lands of high ecological value and educates about the importance of taking responsibility for our natural resources. As part of our retreat activities we will participate of a service activity planting native trees and learning more about this important nature reserve.