I was in Peru for two weeks on a spiritual retreat with Ashera Sefarty of Luminosity Healing Arts, Daina Puodziunas of Awakened Potentials for Women, and a small group of awesome women. Our “home base” for that time was Sach’a Munay Retreat and Yoga Center in Arin. Sach’a Munay is translated as “love in the forest.”
The center is nestled between two mountains and is nourished by a waterfall. The grounds are meticulously maintained with raised beds of flowering plants and a generous compost system.
Paths are made of stone, as are most of the raised beds and retaining walls. There’s a fire pit and sweat lodge ready for guests, too. We used the fire pit several times for roaring bonfires under the twinkling stars.
Every day I’d wake up with the sun, get a hot cup of tea, and sit on the couch in the main room watching clouds tickle a mountaintop in the distance.
Then there was an hour and a half of yoga, meditation, and free-style dance, followed by a freshly prepared gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, fresh fruit, and juice. Coca tea was always available, too.
Some days we stayed on site and gathered in the maloka – a circular building that reminded me of the yurts at Omega. The floor is wood, sides of the building glass, and there is a glass ‘insert’ into the top of the building to allow light to pour through.
We kept an alter in the maloka during the entire retreat.
One day we hiked up the river to a secluded spot for meditation. Another day, we hiked to the waterfall; I swear it was one of the hardest climbs for me. I huffed and puffed and fought off the urge to sit down and give up.
But the views from the waterfall and the experience at the waterfall were totally worth all my internal whining.
Other days, we’d pile into a van and be off for an adventure. Sach’a Munay’s chief chef, Martin, had boxed lunches prepared.
And when we returned from the day trip? Dinner was ready and waiting.
The bath and bedrooms were cleaned and straightened daily by two women who had several dogs ‘assisting.’ Dogs are very prevalent in Peru, and there were two or three who seemed to live at the center. There was even one resident cat that seemed to spend a lot of time lounging in the sun.
The same ladies even took care of our laundry. The cost? Well, with an exchange rate hovering around $3 US for $1 Peru Neuvo Sole, I think the 5 soles was a deal and a half.
I would love to return to Sach’a Munay and stay even longer. I might even hike up to the waterfall again.
My Peru journey was organized and facilitated by Ashera Sefarty of Luminosity Healing Arts. The retreat was co-led by Daina Puodziunas Awakened Potentials for Woman. I’m only getting started with telling you about the amazing spiritual journey to the Sacred Valley of Peru.
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