Whole Healing Retreats: Costa Rica Healing Immersion

Whole Healing Retreats' Costa Rica Healing Immersion is a week-long healing retreat at Casas Kismet in Nosara, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. It is led by Angela Melzer and Cristen Malia and built around yoga, meditation, somatic practices and nervous system restoration. It suits anyone who wants to slow down, reconnect with themselves and spend time in nature among a supportive community, whether they are new to healing work or already well into it.

What to Expect

The week favors depth over surface-level wellness. Each day offers a steady foundation of practices for body and mind:

- Daily yoga classes, including ocean-view sessions
- Guided meditation and breath awareness
- Somatic movement practices and nervous system regulation techniques
- Journaling and self-reflection
- Community circles
- Time set aside for integration and rest

Yoga happens in an open-air shala overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a setting made for slowing down. Between sessions there is room for quiet, surrounded by the natural beauty of Costa Rica's Blue Zone. The hosts describe the retreat as a safe, nurturing space to release what no longer serves you and return home grounded and renewed.

Optional plant medicine experience

Guests who feel called to it may choose a plant medicine experience, which is not part of the retreat and is arranged directly with Shiva Shambho Retreats, an independent center in Nosara. Ron Nikel, Paul Jarreau and their team specialize in meditation, sound, ceremony and personal transformation. They handle all preparation, screening, participant assessments, ceremony facilitation and aftercare themselves, and they determine whether participation is appropriate for each person. Angela and Cristen will gladly introduce interested guests to the team so the conversation can begin directly with them.

About Angela Melzer

Angela is passionate about creating healing experiences that help people reconnect with themselves through mindfulness, embodied practices and compassionate guidance.

About Cristen Malia

Cristen brings a heart-centered approach to personal change, blending somatic awareness, meditation and nervous system regulation to create spaces where lasting healing can unfold. Together with Angela, she designed the retreat to honor each participant's own path.

The Setting

Casas Kismet is a private, intimate retreat center in Nosara, on Costa Rica's Guanacaste coast. The open-air yoga shala looks out over the Pacific. Meals are prepared by a chef from fresh local ingredients, and dietary preferences and food sensitivities are accommodated so every guest feels looked after.

Before You Go

All levels are welcome. The hosts invite people just beginning to explore healing practices as well as those continuing work they have already started, and the practices are offered with attention to each person's pace.

Included in the retreat are daily yoga classes, ocean-view yoga sessions, guided meditation, somatic movement, nervous system regulation techniques, breath awareness, journaling and self-reflection, community circles and chef-prepared meals. The optional plant medicine experience with Shiva Shambho Retreats is not included and is arranged separately.