A WEEK OF UNAPOLOGETIC QUEER JOY.

It’s a rough year to be queer.

Come release the stress, recoup and re-juice through play, relaxation, nature, Iyengar yoga, and somatic healing in community! Shift from fragmented survival into resourced DELIGHT.

Stretch out and breathe

for 7 days, 6 nights at Mixto, a gorgeous private retreat where a clear green river meets the warm, turquoise sea. Take a short boat ride south of lovely, gay Puerto Vallarta to our sunny secluded sanctuary.

Here, join celebrated space holders Avery Kalapa, Kiki Williams and G Tiarachristie and an amazing circle of QTs in intersectional paradise! We gather with intention. As part of creating a dynamic brave space of belonging, our QT retreats invite at least 50% BIPOC and 50% trans / non-binary participation. Come unfold alongside others who, like you, have been through a lot and are ready to give themselves permission to rest, expand, breathe, laugh and yes, receive. To lean into delight!

Dissolve away stress, replenish deeply. Both spiritually deep, emotionally transformative, and lighthearted and fun, be amazed how good you can feel. Practice affirming, trauma informed Iyengar yoga, meditation, and somatics in an open air studio surrounded by an oxygen-rich jungle and birdsong. Nature adventures, relaxation, laughter… oh, and the food is AMAZING. We dine family style, each meal is a delicious celebration. There’s time to journal, pull tarot, nap, swim in the ocean, river, or pool, get a massage, savor some alone time, or connect in community. Let your senses guide you…This is a space to honor your heart’s truest yes.

Let’s get weird and get free!

Discover what brings delight, here, now. Delight as a boundary against all that is trying to make us small and scared.

YOU ARE SO WORTHY OF EMBODIED DELIGHT!

healing and joy practices in nature with beloved community

HERE’S ALL THE JUICY DETAILS

lovenotes + logistics

Mixto is part of a larger nearby retreat center, Xinalani. They designed Mixto for private, more intimate retreats, like ours. Owned and built by a Mexican couple, Xinalani is an integrated part of the local community of Quimixto; they take the local kids to upper grade school in Puerto Vallarta on their boats, and provide the infrastrute for clean water. Many of the staff are locals who have been involved for decades. We were welcomed and cared for with such warmth and kindness.

Tourism is complex. It’s a wild time to be alive. Let’s explore together how to be in a mutually beneficial, respectful relationship with the places, plants, animals and people we visit. We are honored and excited to return to this special place.

You know self care and community care are interconnected, that you can’t pour from an empty cup. Allowing yourself to experience this in and of itself is a radical healing process.

Queer Joy Empowers Collective Change

This deep care, healing, play, and relaxation will have very real positive ripple effects – not only for you, but for all you’re connected to. 

Let’s explore living into the liberated future our radical imaginations dream of right here, right now.

This retreat is a uniquely inclusive, warm, luscious environment for 2SLGBTQIAA+ from diverse social locations to gather for yoga, healing pleasure, and rest as a sacred way to deeply replenish, connect us to our purpose, and through that, catalyze positive transformation in our collective world.

Incredible Meals Together

Delicious, fresh, healthy, creative – every meal here is a colorful feast.

Mixto’s food game is SO over the top!

Savor the incredible fresh flavors of this unique region. We’ll enjoy slow meals together, family style, in a beautiful setting, with gratitude. From fresh juices and salsas to plated desserts, meals at Mixto are a true celebration.

Room Options

Mixto’s features 5 stylish, comfortable ocean view rooms with AC.  Each room has a private bathroom, a kettle for tea, and clean drinking water. You’ll have your own bed, or share with your partner. Sorry – no single or double occupancy rooms are available. Each room will have 3 or 4 people – but we do a LOT to ensure you have the best roommates! With our equity pricing, each level provides an equally amazing room option.

Avery is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (L2), eRYT500, YACEP, BFA is an internationally celebrated trans yoga teacher with over 25 years of experience. Known for their heartfelt enthusiasm, devotion, and depth of technique, Avery’s teaching uplifts inner healing rooted in collective liberation.

They believe all people, especially folks who have been left out of or turned off by mainstream wellness, should have access to the power and revitalizing nourishment of deep, classical yoga without having to code switch or assimilate in order to practice.

Avery blends alignment and gender affirming spirituality in asana with somatic precision, reverence, and care. Both rigorous and accessible, Avery’s approach to will reorganize your energy, dissolve away old patterns, social conditioning, and dysphoria, and help you come home to a more loving, embodied connection within yourself. Their deeply inclusive Iyengar Yoga classes strengthen you as you regulate your nervous system. They weave in yoga philosophy, and a lot of JOY as a rebellion from the forces that are trying to keep us small and scared. Avery specializes in functional asana with an orientation towards stability, and offers a broad range of teachings, both therapeutic and advanced.

Avery’s work supports queers and other socially conscious yoga lovers to break the burn out cycle, be nourished, and spiritually powerful without bypassing the wisdom of their body and lived experience. Their upbeat, empowering approach to yoga helps people get real relief, and access tangible transformation in body mind and consciousness. 

Avery is a white, queer, trans, working class parent of 2. They have ADHD and are a survivor.  A wellness equity organizer, they steward Sadhana Support Collective, a rad online yoga community, and teach retreats, workshops, and private sessions. Avery is based in unceded Tiwa land, Albuquerque, New Mexico and is also an artist, cloud watcher, dancer, gardener, goofball, fabulous cook, and a writer. Learn more: yogawithavery.com.

FAQ

What are your Covid protocols?

What airport do we fly into? PVR. 

I have accessibility needs. Can I come?

We encourage you to reach out if you have specific accessibility needs or questions. Classes will be adaptive, and trauma informed; everything we offer is optional. But they will include physical movements such as getting up and down from the floor. Classes will be taught in English. Visiting Mixto requires riding a boat, walking up stairs, and walking on uneven ground. We will be in heat and humidity.

Are all the meals included?

Yes. Options for meat or plant based, gluten free. Dietary restrictions will be accommodated as much as possible. If you have strict dietary restrictions, please share that in your registration. 

Do I have to do everything the group does?

Nope! We are into consent, agency and listening to what you need. Everything we offer is optional, except opening and closing circles. For the best experience, we encourage you to attend all or most sessions, but of you need to sleep, take a walk, or have alone time instead, no problem. Just let us know so we know you’re OK. In class, there’s always alternative set ups, ways of working, and options available. 

What’s the scene with substances and alcohol on these retreats?

We are honored to have sober queers on retreat with us, and want this to be a space that feels good for people in recovery. However, it is a mixed space where many people do not drink, but some people have an alcoholic drink, here and there, usually with dinner. We also want it to be as much as possible, a shame-free space, where we trust people’s agency. We pull the visible alcohol from the on-sight bar to make it a more welcoming space for sober folks. In the past, people have self organized AA/ Universal Recovery meetings and those have been well attended and appreciated; we encourage these meetings if you’d like to create that space. If you have requests for how to support your attendance as a sober person, email us. Some people bring and quietly use medical marijuana; please note marijuana is NOT legal in Mexico. There is no smoking allowed at Mixto, indoors or outdoors. Generally we are focused on healing and health. We do not support participants using recreational drugs. Getting intoxicated on retreat is not allowed, and may lead to you having to leave the retreat early, without a refund. If you struggle with an addiction, or use a large amount of daily marijuana in order to cope, and are unsure if the space is right for you but want to attend, we invite you to share about your situation in the application. 

What’s your refund policy?

There are no refunds, transfers or discounts for cancellations, illness, arriving late, leaving early, or travel snafus. If you cancel your participation in the retreat for any reason, this cancellation policy applies. As soon as a deposit is made, these funds are used to secure your trip, and paid to the retreat center, which is what the majority of each ticket goes towards; these fees are due to retreat organizers many months in advance. Payments to retreat centers by organizers are nonrefundable, as the livelihood of the local staff relies on secure income. We are grateful to travel to special places and respect their policies. TRAVEL INSURANCE IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. In our current Covid era it should be considered a given for any international travel.
In the unlikely event that we must cancel due to natural disaster, illness, etc, we cannot guarantee a refund – however, we will reschedule the retreat! 

Do I need a passport? Yes. 

Am I queer enough? Yes.

Still have questions? Want to inquire about a scholarship or make a donation to support QTBIPOC access? We’d love to hear from you!