The Voice of the Inner Beloved: Awakening Saraswati Within

The Voice of the Inner Beloved is a seven-night yoga retreat at Haramara Retreat in Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico, led by sister-teachers Jeanie Manchester and Susan Manchester. It is built around Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom, creativity, sacred speech and awakened consciousness, and it suits anyone who wants to listen more closely to their own voice through movement, mantra, writing and ritual.

The week blends Hatha yoga with meditation, Qi Gong, reflective writing and sound healing, all in open-air spaces among the jungle and the ocean. This is the fifteenth year the Manchesters have returned to Haramara.

What to Expect

Each day follows a steady rhythm. It begins with an early morning meditation practice, followed by a 90-minute asana class in one of the open-air yoga shalas. Jeanie's classes are a Sacred Flow that weaves myth, mantra and mudra together. A daily writing session is paired with Qi Gong energetics, and Susan offers clearings during the afternoon class. Evenings close with a gong bath and a cacao ceremony.

Across the week the themes include wisdom teachings with Saraswati, subtle energy awakening, inner inquiry, and sacred elemental rituals that draw on the natural world around you. Susan also offers private clearings and cowrie shell divinations.

About Jeanie Manchester

Jeanie has 35 years of yoga experience. She is a senior certified Anusara instructor with a deep background in Ashtanga Vinyasa and Iyengar yoga. She is also an authorized acharya (teacher) of Neelakantha Meditation, and brings a rich understanding of mantra meditation and the inner sweetness it opens toward.

About Susan Manchester

Susan is a shamanic practitioner, energetic healer, master bodyworker, writer and artist. She has spent a lifetime listening to the rhythms of Nature. She brings knowledge of the dimensional body and the elemental world to the retreat, and approaches it with a sense of play.

The Setting

Haramara sits above the Pacific near Sayulita, with views over the ocean and the jungle canopy. Guests stay in open-air cabanas, each with a private bathroom and an outdoor shower. The yoga shalas are open to the jungle and look out toward the sea.

Several cabana arrangements are offered: a Women's Cabana that holds up to eight people, shared quad or triple cabanas, shared doubles, and a private single cabana available on request.

Meals are locally sourced and vegan or vegetarian, with locally caught fish as an option. Three meals are served each day.

Before You Go

The stay includes seven nights of accommodation, all meals, the early morning meditation, the daily asana class, the daily writing session with Qi Gong, the evening gong bath and cacao ceremony, and the full retreat program. The material lists no prerequisites, so ask the teachers directly if you have questions about experience or accessibility.