Tajae B.

First and foremost I am so grateful to have experienced such an amazing time and group of women. I have never felt so safe, listened to, protected and respected by a group of women as quickly and wholeheartedly as I was when I landed in Costa Rica. When I first found out about this retreat I felt called to book a ticket and I am glad I did so. My intention was to release the self doubt, procrastination, and self sabotaging behaviors that I felt like I couldn't escape from. I wanted to be surrounded in a place of love so that I could find and foster that in myself. I was not sure what I was getting myself into, but I knew that it was going to be transformational. On this trip I got to see myself in a whole new light. I reflected on what it means to fully love myself and how that may show up in life. I learned from all of the women what it meant to love and take up space to do so despite what may be going on. There was one activity in particular that made me cry and feel the energetic release I was looking for. I will always be grateful for Joa creating a safe space for me to express my trauma and a way to transform it into power. I always knew this, but was finally able to see the power of having a sister circle. Joa intitatied a circle whenever we needed it filled with kind words from the tribe. My circle in particular helped me release some attachments to an old version of me that was victimized and abused. Instead of letting me sit and sulk in the sadness, everyone shared words of encouragement and joy towards me that helped me reframe my sense of self into one that was more important, stronger, and capable than what I gave myself credit for. They saw something in me that I did not see in myself. Each day we burned what we wanted to release and made space for intestinal transformation. Through the EFT tapping, kinesiology, and other rituals we practiced during this trip, I found myself instilling the values for peace, expression, and transformation more and more here with the ability to take it home.