Reclaiming my radiance, honoring my body.

A while ago, for a New Year's celebration, I decided to do a ten-day Vipassana retreat. Besides the willpower and discipline I learned in the process (because it truly was one of the hardest things I've ever done), I discovered something very interesting: I had no sensation in my abdominal area, and it was very difficult for me to relax and feel that part of my body.

It made perfect sense... For years, since childhood, I had kept my stomach tucked in and tense. It was very hard for me to relax and let go and I lived with chronic constipation. Years of extreme diets, purging, exercises I didn't enjoy—all to stay thin. Years and years of looking at my reflection in the mirror and, even though I was perfect, I was keeping an internal subconscious narrative of rejection, disdain, and even hatred. I had spent decades not feeling good enough, incapable of accepting my body and listening to its needs, and trying to fit into learned social standards.

Over time, on my spiritual journey, I intuitively recognized that something was out of alignment, but I only started replacing those diets and purges with "fasting," "detoxes," and "parasite cleanses." I had such an unconscious inner narrative that I didn't even notice these negative patterns. Until my stomach went from feeling nothing... to excruciating pain in my lower abdomen. It was a sharp, burning pain. I went to all the doctors, had endoscopies, colonoscopies, abdominal massages done, as well as a thousand other things.

Everything seemed "normal" and every medical exam came back without explanation. I felt immense pain and frustration, and I wanted to get to the root of the problem. It got to the point where I couldn't wear tight pants or suck in my stomach anymore. I tried everything to heal myself, but I always ended up resorting to the "solution" of doing more anti-inflammatory diets or taking natural pills and supplements. Until, thanks to a friend, I heard about Giglia Canessa, and somatic quantum biodecoding... I had no idea what this therapy was but the recommendation resonated with me.

I went to her clinic and from the very beginning I felt something very special. She listened to me, and just by her presence, I could perceive my inner narrative. During each session, Giglia showed me the path to my own inner wisdom, and with very specific exercises, I began to change the programming I had regarding my body. Little by little, I began to see my reflection in the mirror more clearly. Now, I'm not saying it's been an easy path to align myself with my inner truth, and, as with any path, the twists, turns, and spirals are where we learn the most, but also where we find deeper layers of love. Because for me, beauty and expansion reside in mystery. It is definitely a path of loving integration, where perhaps the most complex part has been learning to truly love and fully accept this sacred vessel that contains me. It has taken me thirty-nine years to be able to look at myself in the mirror and admire my body as I admire a sunset on the beach. With gratitude and wonder… blessing the new horizons it leads me to with each deep breath.

UNTAMED is a retreat born from this learning and awareness, woven together with synchronicities....

That same year, I had the opportunity to visit my friend Angélica Araúz in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. She asked me to help her take photos of Tumbo Resort, a beautiful place where she lives and works. Upon arriving, I was deeply moved by the frequency of the land, which is vibrant life in all its forms: creative, destructive, furious and gentle, loving and ruthless. Truly untamed in its essence. Beautiful and chaotic within the perfect order of creation.

As I sank my toes into the sand, walked on those beaches filled with the intoxicating smell of ylang-ylang flowers, and watched two scarlet macaws fly overhead... swam in the sea alongside a sea turtle, I woke up by the howl of a howler monkey at dawn, plunged into the refreshing waterfall after hiking through a primal forest of towering trees... and experienced a wild nighttime storm... I inevitably entered an indescribable presence and a profound understanding that I AM NATURE, and that the same energy of creation that made something as perfect as that also made me. I felt tiny and immense at the same time. And that finally reminded me of my power, my radiance, and my purity.

And on this journey where everything intertwines in the most beautiful ways, Angélica and I talked a lot during those days about our relationship with our bodies. She, a true goddess of beauty and pleasure, has also traveled a path of profound transformation (you can read her blog post here), and suddenly we found ourselves imagining the retreat of our dreams.

The retreat we wished we had found years ago to connect with this untamed and wild essence, and where we could find a community of women ready to reconnect with their inner light. And from that desire and deep healing, UNTAMED Retreat was created.

During UNTAMED we will be cradled by Mother Earth in this spectacular place, sharing our journeys, practicing somatic healing, alongside the wonderful Giglia, who will guide us back to the wisdom of the elements and our own bodies. Gently encountering the essence of who we are. We will end with a photo session that I will take of each woman in her untamed essence, which excites me so much! This invitation arises from our experience, our embodiment, and our hearts, and I genuinely can't wait for the day we can all be there together.