Art Therapy, Nature & Yoga Retreat — Ella Dufrene Art Therapy

Welcome to Earth Wisdom Retreat

There are seasons in life when the pace we've learned to live by no longer serves us. We continue to meet responsibilities, care for others, and move from one commitment to the next, yet somewhere along the way we begin to feel disconnected from ourselves and our spirit. The body grows tired, the mind becomes noisy, creativity fades, and the quiet wisdom that once guided us becomes harder to hear.

The Earth Wisdom Retreat is an invitation to step away from the demands of everyday life and return to something far more ancient and enduring, your own true nature.

Nestled within the cloud forests of Costa Rica's San Gerardo Mountains, this five-day immersion blends yoga, expressive arts, somatic movement, creative play, mindfulness, and meaningful time in nature to gently restore the nervous system,awaken creativity, and cultivate a deeper relationship with yourself, the earth, and a supportive community.

Rather than simply spending time in nature, we will allow nature to become our teacher.

Throughout our days together, the forests, rivers, mountains, and changing landscapes become mirrors, offering insight into balance, resilience, reciprocity, and the rhythms that sustain all life.

Through yoga, guided meditation, expressive arts, nature-based creative practices, and reflective experiences inspired by the natural world, you will explore simple rituals that cultivate presence, reconnect you with your intuition, and continue to nourish you long after you return home.

Together we will explore the breathtaking landscapes surrounding Rio Chirripó Eco Lodge, including a guided hike through the cloud forest to one of the region's spectacular waterfalls and a mountain trail leading to a secluded casita overlooking the valley, with opportunities to pause beside crystal-clear swimming holes along the way.

These shared adventures become opportunities to slow down, reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world, and experience firsthand the healing relationship between people and place.

The Venue

Nestled in the lush mountains of Costa Rica, Río Chirripó Retreat Center is a peaceful sanctuary surrounded by tropical forests, vibrant gardens, and the majestic Chirripó River, creating the perfect setting to reconnect with nature and yourself.

The Yoga Shala
Casa Cafe
Entrance
Deluxe Accommodation
Dining Room
Hot Tub
Cozy Fireplace
Swimming Pool

The Gastronomy

Every meal is an invitation to slow down and savor the present moment. Enjoy fresh, seasonal cuisine crafted from local ingredients and shared in the beauty of Costa Rica's lush mountain landscape.

Secure my spot! schedule an intro call

The Experience

Guided by Joan Varini, each day begins with practices that invite you back into relationship with yourself.

Through yoga, meditation, breathwork, yogic philosophy, mindfulness, and thoughtful self-inquiry, Joan creates experiences that gently regulate the nervous system while cultivating greater presence, self-awareness, and connection to your own inner wisdom. Rather than offering techniques to simply manage stress, her approach helps you remember the innate intelligence already within you, drawing upon both ancient yogic traditions and contemporary understandings of embodiment, nervous system health, and holistic well-being.

Art therapist Ella Dufrene invites you into the language of creativity as a pathway for healing, self-discovery and deepening connections with Mother Earth.

Through eco-therapeutic arts and thoughtfully guided creative experiences, you'll explore the wisdom that emerges when words are no longer enough. Sometimes insight arrives in stillness. Sometimes it reveals itself through movement. Sometimes our deepest truths surface through color, texture, image, or the quiet act of creating with our hands. Ella's work is not about artistic ability, but about curiosity, authentic expression, and reconnecting with the parts of ourselves that are often overlooked in everyday life.

Earth Mandalas
Working with clay from the earth in Costa Rica

Our days unfold slowly and intentionally, weaving together:

Morning meditation, breathwork, and yoga overlooking the mountains
Yogic philosophy, reflection, and mindful conversation
Expressive and therapeutic arts experiences
Nature-inspired creative practices and mindful exploration
Somatic movement to deepen embodiment and nervous system regulation
Restorative practices designed to cultivate resilience, presence, and inner balance
Opportunities for silence, laughter, play, and genuine community
Nourishing meals prepared with fresh, local ingredients
Evening bonfires featuring guided reflection, somatic movement, and ecstatic dance beneath the stars

Whether you are navigating burnout, standing at a crossroads, longing to reconnect with your creativity, your inner wisdom and spirit, or simply feeling called to spend meaningful time immersed in nature, this retreat offers space to soften, breathe, create, and listen deeply to what is ready to emerge.

What’s Included?

4 nights in a luxury boutique hotel accommodation

Airport pickup and drop off from Juan SantaMaria International Airport (SJO) to the retreat center.

3delectable healthy meals per day prepared with local organic ingredients

Drinking water, fresh exotic nectars and juices.
Expressive & therapeutic art playshops guided by a professional art therapist
Daily sunrise yoga, rejuvenating ecstatic dance, & meditation practices to ease your mind.
Guided hike through the cloud forest and one of the region's spectacular waterfalls
On-site river, pool, hot tubs, hidden trails, mountain views and lush jungle surroundings.

This retreat is not about becoming someone new. It is about remembering who you are beneath the noise.

You will return home rested, inspired, and grounded, with practical rituals, creative practices, and embodied tools that support greater balance, resilience, and joy, along with a renewed connection to yourself, your community, and the living world that sustains us all.

Meet Your Guides

Ella Dufrene, MPS, ATR
Registered Art Therapist | Therapeutic Arts Educator | Retreat Leader

Ella is registered art therapist, and retreat leader with over 10 years of experience creating transformational experiences that weave together expressive arts, movement, mindfulness, and connection with the natural world.
She earned her Master's degree in Art Therapy & Creativity Development from Pratt Institute in New York and has spent the past 15 years helping people reconnect with themselves through creativity. Her work is grounded in both clinical training and the timeless understanding that art has always been one of humanity's most powerful tools for self-expression, reflection, and transformation.
Since leading her first expressive arts, nature, and yoga retreat in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Colombia in 2016, Ella has facilitated over 15 retreats throughout Colombia, the United States, and Costa Rica. Each retreat is thoughtfully designed to help participants slow down, awaken their creativity, reconnect with their bodies, and experience a deeper relationship with themselves and the Earth.
In addition to leading retreats, Ella has worked with diverse populations in hospitals, schools, community mental health programs, and private practice, supporting individuals navigating anxiety, grief, trauma, life transitions, eating disorders, addiction recovery, and neurodiversity. Today, she also trains therapists, coaches, educators, and wellness professionals through her signature program, *Fundamentals of Therapeutic Art Making*.
Participants often describe Ella's facilitation style as grounded, playful, intuitive, and deeply welcoming. She creates spaces where people feel safe enough to be curious, let go of perfectionism, and rediscover the creativity that has always lived within them.
When she's not leading retreats or working with clients, you'll likely find her dancing bachata, making art, exploring wild places, or finding inspiration in the rhythms of the natural world.

Learn more about Ella

Joan Varini
Yoga Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Writer

I believe the natural world is one of our greatest teachers and healers in helping us remember who we are, our connection to source and collective conciseness. For nearly two decades, I have been guiding individuals and groups through experiences that weave together yoga, meditation, breathwork, yogic philosophy, mindfulness, somatic awareness, and spiritual inquiry, creating spaces where people can slow down, reconnect with themselves, and remember what truly sustains them.
My own path has been shaped by both deep personal exploration and lived experience. Having experienced years in the corporate world, graduate studies in the arts, and mentorship with Lakota Elder Tate Mahinto Wi, I’ve devoted my life to understanding the relationship between body, mind, spirit, and the natural world. Along the way, I became a 500-hour E-RYT yoga teacher, certified spiritual, life, and wellness coach, Reiki practitioner, regression therapy facilitator and Akashic Record reader in the Linda Howe lineage. Since 2008, I have had the privilege of leading yoga teacher trainings, workshops, and transformational retreats throughout North America and internationally.
Whether I am guiding movement, facilitating meditation, sharing yogic philosophy or holding space for meaningful conversation and healing my intention is always the same: to create experiences that gently regulate the nervous system, cultivate presence, awaken self-trust, and reconnect us with the quiet wisdom that already lives within.
I believe healing is not about becoming someone new. It is about remembering our true nature and allowing that remembrance to guide the way we live, love, and move through the world.

Early Bird Prices

Make your deposit before November 1st, 2026 and save $500!!!

(Accommodations not listed are sold out)‍ ‍

Single Deluxe (Mot Mot, River Cabin, Rio Vista, Guanacaste) $3,945 Per Person

Single Standard (Ceiba & Caraos) $3,645 Per Person

Double Deluxe (Mot Mot, River Cabin, Rio Vista, Guanacaste) $3,245 Per Person‍

Double Standard (Ceiba & Caraos) $2,945 Per Person‍ ‍

Triple (Mot Mot, River Cabin, Rio Vista, Guanacaste) $2,700 Per Person ‍ ‍

After November 1st

Single Deluxe (Mot Mot, River Cabin, Rio Vista, Guanacaste) $3,849 Per Person

Single Standard (Ceiba & Caraos) $3,649 Per Person

Double Deluxe (Mot Mot, River Cabin, Rio Vista, Guanacaste) $3,745 Per Person

Double Standard (Ceiba & Caraos) $3, 445 Per Person

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Triple (Mot Mot, River Cabin, Rio Vista, Guanacaste) $3,200 Per Person ‍ ‍

View rooms

How do I sign up?

Schedule a 15 minute introductory phone call with Ella or with Joan to meet & determine if this retreat is right for you!
Make a $500 deposit, please include the name of occupancy you would like and dietary restrictions in the notes. Deluxe accommodations will be first come, first serve basis.
Fill out a health questionnaire that will be sent to you upon receipt of deposit.
Pay the remaining balance on or before January 14th, 2027.

Cancellation Policy

$500 deposit refundable up to 48 hours after reserving your spot and is non-refundable thereafter. Cancellations made before January 14th, 2027 are fully refundable minus the $500 deposit. Any cancellations made after January 14th, 2027 are non-refundable.

In the event that we are unable to arrive in Costa Rica due to border closure or any other natural disaster sometime before April 1st, 2028, after one or more unsuccessful attempts to secure a change of date due to ongoing travel restrictions/border closure, all guests will receive a full refund of the monies paid to attend Earth Wisdom Retreat.

We (Ella Dufrene & Joan Varini) reserve the right to cancel the trip, if we need to cancel the trip for any reason, all monies paid, including the deposit are refunded in full. We reserve the right to determine if you are not a good fit for this trip (if so your deposit will be refunded in full). Should the exchange rate vary more than 5%, price is subject to change.

Trip cancellation insurance is always recommended whenever making travel plans.

Testimonials

Faye Ibars

“I have now been to 5 different Madre Tierra retreats and that's just the beginning. These experiences have been transformative for me, and I will continue to attend as many retreats as I can. I've benefitted immensely from the varied workshops and especially meeting from the fellow attendees. What a beautiful way to connect with like-minded people. Madre Tierra retreats combine nature and art with a focus on personal growth. It's spiritual summer camp! Personally, I was so inspired by the last retreat that I've continued to pursue art, painting, collage, and try all kinds forms of self-expression. Can't wait for the next time I can reconnect with myself and Mother Earth!"

Xochi

“I use my social media to focus in on and reinforce the idea of self-care, physically and mentally. I do not do this for others but as a consistent reminder to myself. I’ve been actively working for the last year towards acknowledging and confronting my demons such as anger, irrationality, self-pity, resentment, immaturity, etc… A few months ago at the Madre Tierra Retreat, I moved from acknowledgement to acceptance. Since then i have felt freed from the burden of these traits. I discovered that I am fully empowered and in control and I was taught some strategies to work on. It’s not easy for me to say I’m no angel, but at least now I no longer feel helpless towards.”

Steph Blanco

“Words can’t even begin to describe the beautiful experience I had at Madre Tierra retreat. During my time I had the chance to experience so many different things... I got to spend time with my friends on a deeper level, and also got to meet some extraordinary people that were new and amazing. The environment that was created was so unique and special that people including myself were able to release their inhibitions and truly be themselves. The tears, laughter, openness and appreciation that joined us all as one is something I’ll never forget. The Madre Tierra retreat came together in such a harmonious way that it left all of us who started as strangers - feeling connected, peaceful and as if we had known each other forever. I truly believe everyone found a little piece of themselves that they didn’t know they were searching for.”