Reune Pacuare
Costa Rica Retreat
2026 DATES COMING SOON!
Join for a week at Pacuare Reserve in Costa Rica!
Reconnect with body and nature through breathwork, movement, and conservation efforts with leatherback sea turtles. Let’s slow down and immerse ourselves in the rich ecosystem of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast!
During this week-long retreat, we’ll explore practices with breath and movement to help us settle into our bodies. We’ll immerse ourselves in this rich ecosystem and take part in the conservation efforts at the reserve, especially with the Leatherback sea turtles. And we’ll savor the slower pace of life together, unplugged, surrounded by waves and jungle.
Accessible only by boat, Pacuare Reserve is a secluded tropical paradise on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. It is home to thousands of species of plants and animals and a special site for ongoing conservation, research, and education.
reconnect with self
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Settle into your body and tone down your nervous system through breath. Explore different breathing techniques and how each influences your body.
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Explore the body through inclusive yoga and movement. Connect your body and breath. Tap into your strength and flexibility.
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Take time to reflect, time to just be. In this rich ecosystem, take inspiration from the waves, the jungle, and the people around you.
reconnect with nature
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Join research assistants in the nightly census on the beach monitoring for nesting Leatherback sea turtles. Help gather biometric data and relocate the eggs to the hatchery if needed. Connect deeply with place and give back through conservation work.
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Learn about the rich biodiversity of this ecosystem. Walk through the jungle and feel the vibrant energy of life in the rainforest as monkeys and birds move overhead. Catch a glimpse of the rare and beautiful Agami Heron in one of its most important nesting sites.
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Be awed by the beauty and ingenuity of Nature. Surrounded by jungle and ocean, immerse yourself in the rhythms and patterns of the natural world.
reconnect with community
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Play, work, live, and eat with a small group of like-minded individuals in a secluded nature reserve. Learn from one another and your experiences, both past and present.
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Reorient to your sense of place and purpose. In the community of a supportive group, imagine what is possible and develop tools/plans to carry home.
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Build bonds within the group that nourish and expand your sense of community. Carry these connections with you as you return home.
Who should join…
In a world that can often feel overwhelming and overstimulating, this retreat offers a chance to rediscover simplicity and purpose. At Costa Rica’s beautiful, remote Pacuare Reserve, we’ll slow down and reconnect with ourselves, nature, and community. This retreat is designed for people who:
Crave a meaningful escape: If you want a break from the pressures of the daily grind, this retreat offers an immersion into the beauty of a secluded coastal rainforest. You’ll work hands-on with Leatherback sea turtles, engaging in meaningful conservation and research projects and learning about the local ecosystem in a personal way.
Seek greater balance in body and mind: Through guided breathwork and yoga, you’ll be invited to playfully explore different techniques reconnecting you with your body, settling your nervous system, and building a greater sense of presence.
Desire to build genuine connections: As we play, work, live, and eat together this week, we’ll create a cohesive community that will support each of us as we reconnect to our sense of self, sense of place, and sense of purpose.
If you’re ready for an experience that blends restorative practices, playful exploration, and meaningful action in a stunning tropical setting, this retreat is for you. Whether you're new to or experienced in yoga, breathwork, and conservation, all are welcome!
Where we’ll be…
The Pacuare Reserve stewards 1700 acres of tropical forest along 6 kilometers of coastline on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. It is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, including 3 species of monkey, 253 species of birds, rarer species such as jaguar and ocelot, and each summer 3 species of sea turtles. The reserve is not only one of the few known nesting sites for the rare Agami Heron, but it is one of the most important nesting sites for the vulnerable Leatherback sea turtle. Four and half hours from San Jose, Pacuare Reserve is accessible only by boat, and with no electricity, it provides a wonderful sanctuary to unplug and connect with nature.
The Ecolodge is a lovely timber structure with a large balcony offering views of the lagoon and canals. With limited space in the Ecolodge, it is helpful if you are willing to share a room with another participant or two. If you are traveling with a companion, you could share a room with one queen bed.
Rooms and Rates:
$2800/person single occupancy (room as 1 person)
$1950/person double occupancy (shared room for 2 people)
$1650/person triple/quad occupancy (shared room for 3-4 people)
Cost includes lodging, food, and transport in country. Airfare is not included.
We will help coordinate transfer to/from airport in San Jose, depending on arrival time.
Room configurations:
- one queen bed with private bathroom
- one queen bed + one single bed with private bathroom
- one queen bed + one bunk bed with private bathroom
Multi-person occupancy rooms may be booked with accompanying guests. If you are looking to be paired with someone, enter their name at checkout or email info@reunemedicine.com
Registration:
$250 deposit is paid at registration. Link to pay remaining balance will be sent after registration is received. Remaining balance must be paid within 90 days of departure.
Who we are…
Thea Sittler
As an educator for nearly 15 years, Thea worked with a variety of schools in different parts of the world, in classrooms ranging from the traditional academic setting to full experiential immersion. She spent many years living and traveling through remote places with groups of students teaching everything from environmental science to leadership. Her students emerged with a greater sense of themselves, care for their interactions, and respect for and connection to the natural world. As an educator and facilitator, Thea’s goal was always to help her students recognize their impact on the world around them, both socially and ecologically, and strive to redefine those relationships to be as sustainable and generative as possible. In an effort to work ever more holistically and thoroughly, Thea returned to graduate school in 2016, earning a Masters in Acupuncture with a specialization in Chinese Herbal Medicine. Her training provided the groundwork for her to integrate a focus on our inner relationships – with mind, body, emotions. Now through Reune Medicine, Thea is creating spaces, whether one-on-one in the treatment room or as a group at a retreat or workshop, where we can experience and tend to our relationships with self, body, community, and nature to generate greater ease, balance, and harmony in our lives and in the world.
Chelle Salvucci
A biological sciences educator for nearly 30 years, Chelle earned a B.S. in Environmental Studies with a concentration in terrestrial ecosystems. She shared that knowledge with high school students for 25 years, helping them to understand their role as choice-makers and definers of the future. Chelle strongly believes in the words of Senegalese forest scientist Baba Dioum: “We will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” Chelle believes that if we want to save anything on this planet, including ourselves, we must leave our homes and comfort zones to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste what the planet holds. During her years of teaching Chelle noted the growing trend of anxiety and depression in her students and began to seek ways to help them learn the art of self-regulation. This journey brought her first to a Masters in Education in Teaching and Learning where she focused on social-emotional learning and then to her 200-hour yoga teacher certification with a certification in social-emotional learning facilitation. She currently serves as a learning specialist, yoga instructor, dormitory head, and choreographer at the same school where her teaching career began, and she starts each class and meeting with three collective breaths.
FAQ
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You should book your flight to Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, airport code SJO. [Be sure it is NOT San Jose, CA (SJC).]
Plan to arrive on June 7, 2025, ideally before 6pm.
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US Residents only need a valid passport for travel to Costa Rica. Make sure your passport does not expire before you return home.
Click here for info on traveling to Costa Rica
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We will be a small group of 8-12. Given the limited space in the Ecolodge, it is helpful if you are willing to share a room with another participant or two. If you are traveling with a companion, you could share a room with one queen bed
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You will be given a suggested packing list at least 3 months before your trip. It is a tropical climate, so it will be warm during the days.
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We will eat delicious, simple Costa Rican meals prepared by the wonderful staff at Pacuare Reserve. It will be a predominantly vegetarian diet with lots of rice, beans, and vegetables and occasional meat options. In San Jose, we will eat at local restaurants enjoying traditional Costa Rican dishes like ceviche and gallo pinto.
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The price includes lodging, food, and transport in country. It does not include airfare.
Rates are based on whether you share a room or not.
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A $250 deposit is paid at registration.
The remaining balance must be paid within 90 days of departure (March 6, 2025). You will be sent a link for the remaining balance shortly after you register. -
Withdrawal more than 60 days prior to a retreat start date: 100% refund minus transaction fees (approximately 3%).
Withdrawal less than 60 days prior to retreat start date: no refund, but full amount may be transferred to a future retreat.
Failure to pay remaining balance by due date will result in forfeit of deposit and loss of registration.
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We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance for your trip. Consider adding “Cancel for Any Reason” coverage.
Contact for more info…
