The Retreat · ten-day intensive

Ten days to
face yourself

Ten days of full digital detox on the edge of the jungle outside Tulum, in a small group of no more than six. No phone, no screens. A structured daily rhythm of meditation, movement, and stillness. A nourishing vegan diet, intermittent fasting, and a private session with Chi every single day. Most retreats are built to make you feel good. This one is built to make you face yourself. It's harder than comfortable, and more useful.

A group meditating cross-legged inside the shalaA man practicing a Qigong movement on a porch, arms raised, with another person beside himChi Om placing his hands over another person's during a group blessing indoorsA small group standing in a circle with arms extended outdoors among palm treesA man balancing in a yoga pose with one arm extended, inside the shala
The frame

A full reset,
top to bottom

Stillness, detox, and guidance, held in a fixed daily rhythm. Each one shifts something on its own. Ten days of all three at once is a different order of thing.

Stillness

After a few days without a screen to reach for, the mental noise settles on its own. You stop performing — no faces to keep up, no notifications to answer. The thoughts you've been outrunning start to surface, and there's nowhere to put them except here.

The quiet does the work.

Daily time with Chi

The detox brings things up. The daily session is where you work with them. Chi meets you where you actually are, not some ideal version of where you should be by now. Most of the real shifts happen here.

The spine of the whole thing.

Vegan meals + fasting

Everything you eat is plant-based, gluten-free, and low in sugar — designed to support the inner work, not distract from it. Nineteen hours of daily fasting from 2:30 PM to 9:30 AM gives the body space to rest and reset, and puts the mind face to face with one of its most ordinary patterns: the impulse to eat as escape.

Clean food. Clear head.

Digital detox

Devices go into a box upon arrival and stay there. No screens, no notifications, not even a clock. Attention span comes back. You remember what it's like to be in a room without also being somewhere else.

Off the grid. On purpose.

Our daily structure

  1. 06:00Stillness meditation
  2. 07:30Morning Teaching with Chi
  3. 08:00Awakened Body Movement
  4. 09:30Breakfast
  5. 10:00Personal space: rest and reflection
  6. 11:00One-on-one guidance session with Chi
  7. 12:30Healing Juice
  8. 14:00Nourishing vegan meal
  9. 14:45Personal space: rest and reflection
  10. 19:00Qigong Session
  11. 20:00Evening Teaching with Chi
Where you'll sleep · what it costs

A cabana
of your own

All accommodation is a private cabana with an en-suite bathroom — simple, your own door, your own space. One price covers the whole stay: the bed, the food, the teaching, all of it.

Private Cabaña with A/C

  • En-suite bathroom
  • Private front porch
  • AC + ceiling fan
SoloCouple
Mar — Nov$1,444$1,999
Dec — Feb$2,888$3,999
10 days / 9 nights

Private Cabaña with Fan

  • En-suite bathroom
  • Private front porch
  • Ceiling fan, jungle breeze
SoloCouple
Mar — Nov$1,333$1,888
Dec — Feb$2,666$3,777
10 days / 9 nights
What's covered
  • Vegan & gluten-free meals, salads + daily juice
  • Daily one-on-one guidance with Chi — sessions recorded
  • All practices: stillness meditation, Qigong, and movement
  • Complimentary 1-hour energy session with Chi
  • Personalized action plan built from your sessions
Dates & availability
Midsummer · 2026
July 18 — 27
— spots leftSat → Mon · 9 nights
Late summer · 2026
Aug 7 — 16
— spots leftFri → Sun · 9 nights
Early autumn · 2026
Sep 4 — 13
— spots leftFri → Sun · 9 nights
Autumn · 2026
Oct 19 — 28
— spots leftMon → Wed · 9 nights
Thanksgiving · 2026
Nov 20 — 29
— spots leftFri → Sun · 9 nights
Christmas · 2026
Dec 17 — 26
— spots leftThu → Sat · 9 nights
New Year · 2026
Dec 28 — Jan 6
— spots leftMon → Wed · 9 nights
January · 2027
Jan 15 — 24
— spots leftFri → Sun · 9 nights
Late winter · 2027
Feb 12 — 21
— spots leftFri → Sun · 9 nights
Early spring · 2027
Mar 6 — 15
— spots leftSat → Mon · 9 nights
No instant booking · we talk first

Tell us you're
thinking about it.

Ten days here is a real commitment, so we begin with a conversation: a few words from you, then a call. No deposit, no pressure. Write when you're ready.

connect@the-essence.orgwe reply within 24 hours
or just email us at connect@the-essence.org — whatever's easier
A look around

Before you come,
have a look

Rest and reflection

Plenty of time for rest and reflection

Questions, before you write

The things
people ask

Still unsure about something? That's normal — it's why we start with a conversation rather than a checkout.

Ask us anything →

Yes. Devices go into a box on day one and come back on day ten. We hold an emergency number for family, and someone checks it daily — so you can be reached if it truly matters. Everything else can wait.