5 Reasons Why Delta Groove Yoga Mexico Retreat is for You

The first time I went to the Mexican Jungle was 20 years ago. At the time, I stood at a big crossroads, knowing I didn’t want to continue the academic career I’d been pursuing for the last ten years, but with no clear idea of what was next—or how. 

The primal forest has been the backdrop of most of my childhood dreams. At age 5, my best friend Pedro and I took turns impersonating Mowgli, monkeys, leopards, and lions who grunted while hanging from my bunk bed in the elegant setting of my family’s Paris apartment. 

At 30, my grown up dream of Philosophy was no longer potent enough to carry me forth, so reverting to more primal archetypes seemed a propos. I searched online for “Mexican jungle” and found a yoga and creative writing retreat without walls or electricity tucked between the Sierra Madre and the pristine Pacific coast of Jalisco, Mexico. Perfect. It gave me everything I’d hoped for: rejuvenation, adventure, new perspective, community—and more: a Dharma, a mission, a life purpose. 

Since then I have become a creative writing instructor, published a novel, and become a yoga instructor. I am the co-owner Delta Groove Yoga studio, and I co-lead DGY Kundalini Yoga Training School in Memphis, TN. I’ve led 17 international Yoga & Writing retreats in Mexico, France, and Costa-Rica.

In the past couple of years I've stepped back from international retreats. It takes a lot of passion to make these happen, and my passion had fizzled out. Then, last Fall I really needed a change of scenery so I decided to go check out this place I’d been following on social media because some of my favorite teachers regularly posted gorgeous pictures from there. 

It was everything I’d hoped for—and more.

As a very busy 52 year-old, I am still a sucker for a good adventure, and nothing energizes me more than lush, vibrant greenery bustling with birds and friendly critters. I also long for a comfortable bed, an elegant decor, effortless access to warm Caribbean waters, and a general atmosphere of EASE. Wearing very little clothes, bare feet in soft white sand, daily yoga, and mindful, sustainable beauty everywhere are a pretty flawless recipe to achieve just that. Sprinkle some gorgeous ancient culture on top, and I'm in heaven.

Ikal Tulum Hotel ranks five shining stars on all counts. After 5 days there I felt 10 years younger; happier; more hopeful, whole, healthy—and sexy, too! It became obvious that I couldn’t pass sharing all this love with my yoga fam and community. 

5 Reasons Why Delta Groove Yoga Mexico Retreat in Tulum is for You:

1. PAUSE. Say good-bye to your mental load. Your mind can finally rest! There’s an itinerary, there are experienced teachers, and there’s delicious fresh food that you don’t have to prep or clean afterwards. Nothing to figure out, no problems to solve. Just be. 

2. RELAX. Your nervous system can finally regulate. Your body will soften, surrounded by natural beauty, soft white sand, warm turquoise water, impeccable room service, lush bedding, empowering yoga, and non-violent vibes all around. 

3. CONNECT. Enjoy being around people who only want what you want: Peace and Harmony. 

4. EXPAND. Experience a renewed sense of what’s possible—balance, beauty and bliss in the palm of your hand. Our sacred ceremonies will provide a safe container for your inner and outer exploration. 

5. RE-ENCHANT. Acquire simple tools and practices to bring the magic back home with you. 

Ikal Tulum Hotel is an Oasis inside Tulum’s protected & pristine National park, also known for housing Tulum's Mayan Ruins. It’s very easy to access. All you need to do is book your plane ticket. We'll put you in touch with a trusted shuttle service who will pick you up at the Tulum airport and drop you off at the hotel. You can have breakfast in Memphis, and lunch on the beach! I cannot wait to go back. I look forward to sharing all this love with you.

Ready to sign up or learn more? Click here!

Delta Groove Yoga School is bringing Kundalini Yoga Training to Chattanooga

Delta Groove Yoga in the heart of Midtown Memphis held its first Kundalini Yoga training in 2013. The studio marked a major milestone in 2016 with the formation of the Delta Groove Yoga School. In 2023, DGYS began their first virtual training. And now 2025 will mark another milestone, as Delta Groove Yoga School takes their transformative training program on the road to Chattanooga this fall. 

Delta Groove Yoga School’s Kundalini Yoga Training has been transforming lives and training teachers for over a decade. More than 150 yogis have graduated from the program, using it as a jumping off point for personal, professional, and spiritual growth. This fall, Olivia Rokotnitz & Dr. Valentine Leonard will offer the DGYS 200-hour and advanced 300-hour Yoga Alliance-registered Kundalini Yoga Training at the Yoga Landing studio in Downtown Chattanooga. 

There are only a handful of Kundalini-specific yoga teacher training programs in the United States. In this blog post, we’ll explore what Kundalini is, who this training is for, and what you can expect to get out of it. Then, I’ll give you my impressions as a current student of the Delta Groove Yoga School. 

Meditation and mudra are two big components of Kundalini Yoga.

What is Kundalini Yoga?

Kundalini is your creative potential, your muse, your vital impulse. It is the common denominator for all forms of self-healing, inspiration, and evolution. The yoga traditions say Kundalini is coiled like a snake at the base of your spine. 

Also known as the yoga of awareness, Kundalini Yoga is a technology to unleash that creative potential through the use of specific combinations of breath, movement, meditation, chanting, and hand positions that are meant to cause specific reactions in the body. Using kriyas (the science of sequence), meditations, pranayama (breathwork), mantras, bandhas (energetic body locks), and mudras, Kundalini Yoga provides a systematic approach to generate, capture, and direct energy from within to empower ourselves, and in the process, empower the world as a whole.

Delta Groove Yoga is known as the home for Kundalini Yoga in Memphis. This spring, we also started offering online Kundalini classes at Yoga Landing. 

What is Kundalini Yoga Training? 

All yoga aims at developing self-mastery through the union of self to Self or finite to Infinite; however, this training focuses on the specific branch of the yogic tree known as Kundalini Yoga. The training includes a well-rounded education in the history, philosophy, and science of all yoga, and physical practice is centered around Kundalini Yoga specifically. 

Kundalini Yoga is a powerful tool to enhance personal freedom, self discovery, and soulful living. Through this training, you initiate yourself and unlock your inner talents, learning how to “Tune In, Tune Up, and Transform” in order to fully embody your most radiant Self. 

In addition to providing the grounds for personal transformation, graduates of Kundalini Yoga Training are also eligible to become Yoga Alliance-certified yoga teachers. Although not all people who participate in the training do so with the intent of teaching, the training provides you with the knowledge, tools, and experience to begin guiding your own Kundalini Yoga practices for others. 

How is the training structured? 

Yoga philosophy tells us that the body has five layers, or sheaths, called the koshas. The koshas are the layers of our being. They start at the outside with the densest layer, and they go inward as they become more subtle. Only the densest layer, the physical body, is made of matter as we know it. The other four layers are energy states invisible to the physical eye, though we can easily sense their presence inside us when we pay close attention. They are energy, e-motions, ego/intellect, and soul. 

The Delta Groove Yoga School Kundalini Training modules are structured around the koshas, beginning with the physical body and moving inward. By the final modules, trainees focus on how they will take their expanded knowledge and creativity out into the world. 

And of course, at Delta Groove Yoga School, our signature soulful groove is always accompanied by music and fun. We have a unique rhythm and structure for the Kundalini kriyas, and we incorporate the growing knowledge of modern neuroscience and philosophy into all of our teaching.

Modules and dates for the Chattanooga training are as follows:

Module 1 - Awakening Through the Physical Body: Tuning into Truth

Sept. 26-28, 2025

Module 2 - Identifying & Developing Spiritual Discipline with Yogic Numerology

Nov. 7-9, 2025

Module 3 - Inner Alchemy: Feel to Heal

Dec. 12-14, 2025

Module 4 - Adventures in Consciousness: Living on the Edge of Grace

Jan. 23-25, 2025

Module 5 - The Radiant Body: Self as Soul

March 6-8, 2025

Module 6 - Evolution Through Yoga

April 17-19, 2025

Module 7 - Embodying Your Truth

May 15-17, 2025

Who is Kundalini Yoga Training for?

Whether you are a therapist, an artist, an accountant, a yoga teacher, and/or at a crossroads in your personal or professional life, this training can give you the tools you need to reset your body, strengthen your nervous system, awaken your creativity, deepen your awareness, amplify your clarity, and activate your most radiant self.

Teaching is not necessarily for everyone, and many people have gone and continue to go through this training primarily for their personal development! Through the training, you develop a yogic toolkit to establish your own daily sadhana (committed personal practice) and take these sacred teachings out into the world as a teacher, healer, and radiant being. Through honest participation, you'll cultivate personal greatness and meet other great yogis who share a vision to heal, uplift, and inspire each other and the world. 

There are two options for the training: 

• 200-hour training is much like a B.A: You get acquainted with the many layers of yoga philosophy and practice. You learn the basic discipline and the tools you need to develop a personal practice, embrace your destiny, and begin to share it with the world. 

• Advanced 300-hour training is much like an M.A: You must have completed a 200-hour yoga teacher certification in order to qualify. You will go deeper into the philosophy and practice of Kundalini Yoga. You will apprentice with your lead teachers and refine your teaching skills. You will grow in your understanding, discipline and embodiment of Kundalini Yoga in order to consistently heal, uplift, and inspire.

What will I get out of Kundalini Yoga Training? 

I’m currently enrolled in the Kundalini Yoga Training as a 300-hour student, set to finish in June. As of writing this, I’ve finished five of the seven modules and the word I feel most sums up this experience is “transformative.” 

I was coming out of a months-long depression last fall, unsure of what my next move was. I’ve always been more of a Hatha-style yogi, and although I dabbled in Kundalini at Delta Groove, my home studio, the idea of doing my 300-hour training in Kundalini wasn’t something I’d really considered. And then the universe just kept nudging me. I started attending meditation circles and engaging in sadhana groups with Olivia. I began attending Valentine’s Kundalini Yoga classes and workshops. And I undeniably felt the stirrings of the shakti force within me, calling me forward into the training. 

Circumstances continued to align, and the next thing I knew, I was at my first Kundalini Yoga Training intensive in mid January. And “intense” it was, but I threw myself in full force. Now just two modules before finishing the training, here’s what stands out the most to me among the many blessings that are emerging.

Community through Sangha

I fell in love with the other members of my cohort, some of them relatively new to yoga, some of them lifelong practitioners, some of them with the intention to teach, others with the intention of self-growth. Having a group of like-minded people to talk with about spiritual growth, yoga, and the subtle workings of the universe is something I’ve always longed for and value so much from this training.

Resilience through Kriya

The kriyas work, y’all! The first requirement I fulfilled as a student of the training was 40 days of a physical kriya followed by an 11-minute meditation. I chose a kriya that worked on strengthening the aura by working on the nervous system. Every day, I could feel my sense of self being strengthened and my window of tolerance being widened. The emotional ebbs and flows of everyday life just feel more manageable now. 

Physical Fitness through Sadhana

It’s not an exaggeration to say that at 43, I’m in the best shape of my life … and I’m including my teenage years here! The physical body is only one layer of the entire body, according to yogic philosophy, but having it in control sure does make the other layers cooperate better. I’m stronger, more flexible, and fitter than I’ve ever been. I credit this not only to the physical practice building muscle but also to the meditation practice lowering my stress levels. 

Mental Dexterity through Meditation

Speaking of the meditation practice, I never thought I’d be someone who could meditate for an hour every morning, but that’s just what I’m doing right now four months into my training. I can tell a difference in my ability to be present, in the quality of my focus during meditation, and even in my interactions with others as I tap deeper into my intuition. 

I’m eternally grateful that I decided to follow the cosmic breadcrumbs that led me to sign up for this training, and I know I’m only just at the beginning of witnessing the blessings further unfold. 

Tune In, Tune Up, Transform with DGYS Kundalini Yoga Training

If you’re ready to commit or have questions, please contact: Olivia or Valentine at dgys@deltagrooveyoga.com. Not sure yet if this is for you? Check out a class! You can find Kundalini Yoga classes live and online at both Yoga Landing in Chattanooga and Delta Groove Yoga in Memphis. Sat nam! 

Inside the Solar Self Retreat: All Your Questions on our Mexico Yoga Retreat Answered

Picture it: You leave Memphis in the morning, and are on the beach overlooking the aquamarine Caribbean Sea by lunch. You’re lulled to sleep for five restful nights by the hypnotic sound of waves gently lapping against the sand. Each day, you recharge your soul through yoga, meditation, sacred ceremony, and time spent in nature. You head home after six beautiful days feeling full of bliss and more deeply connected to your yoga community. This might sound like a dream, but it’ll be reality come this June, when Delta Groove heads to Mexico for the Solar Self Yoga Retreat. 

Delta Groove is hitting the road this summer, taking a small group of community members to Tulum, Mexico, for a week of sun, salt water, connection, embodiment, and bliss. In this blog post, we talk to Valentine about all things “yoga retreat” and answer any questions you might have. 

The details:

Solar Self Yoga Retreat

IKAL Tulum Hotel

Tulum, Mexico

June 24-29, 2025

>> Explore more. <<

Ready for six days of this view?

Valentine, you’ve been organizing yoga retreats for a while now! In your latest blog post, you mentioned that this will be the 18th yoga retreat you’ve led. What are you most excited about for this retreat? 

I’m looking forward to being immersed in pristine nature, barefoot, intentional rest and connection with like minded peeps. I mentioned in that blog post that after spending five days there when I went to check out the location, I felt 10 years younger. I felt happier, more hopeful, whole, healthy—and sexy, too! It became obvious that I couldn’t pass on sharing all this love with my yoga family and community. I can’t wait to experience all of that again with our community. 

You’ve led retreats in Mexico, France, and Costa Rica. Tell me a little about your favorite retreat experience from a past retreat. 

There are so many! One of my faves was my 2016 “Possible Woman” yoga and writing retreat on the French Riviera. So much laughter and connectedness. I’ll never forget the night of the super moon, when we danced on the hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean, then walked down to the beach and skinny dipped under the moonlight. 🤩

And so this time, Delta Groove will be in Tulum, on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Why did you choose Tulum? 

Tulum used to be known as the yoga capital of the world. In the 1960s, flower children from everywhere were drawn to its gentle waters and climate, lush biodiversity, and chill vibes. Since then Tulum has been developed to cater to more mainstream tourism, with hotels, beach clubs, etc. 

IKAL, where we will be staying, is known among the locals as a time warp, preserved from the tourist industry. It’s inside the Tulum National Park, which strictly regulates the number of people allowed, as well as the noise and consumerist pollution that comes with tourism. As a result, the area is very safe as well. Everyone who enters the national park has to pay a small fee and is controlled by the Guardia National! 

In addition to the relaxation you’ll find at IKAL, there are a number of activities worth exploring in the national park as well:

• Archaeological and historic sites

• Environmental education and interpretation

• Flora and fauna watching

• Hiking

• Landscape sighting

• Nature and outdoor photography

• Sea turtles nesting seasonally

• Sun and beach tourism

It sounds like paradise. Tell me more about IKAL.

IKAL Tulum Hotel is a “luxury barefoot hotel,” and that name describes it well. It’s luxurious in a very natural and elegant way. The beautiful bungalows and suites disappear into the landscape, and yet you enjoy super comfy beds and bedding, air conditioning, impeccable room service, and beautifully designed rooms and bathrooms with all natural elements. 

IKAL is located on the very aptly named Playa Paraiso, or Paradise Beach. And it truly feels like paradise. Noise pollution is very mindfully regulated (so no loud music anywhere on the beach or in the park), small fishing boats to take you to the coral reef for a small fee to swim with turtles, and this is all walking distance to the Tulum Mayan Ruins archeological site. 

The hotel itself also features a pool, beach volleyball court, comfortable hanging beds overlooking the sea, a lovely beach bar/restaurant, and access to amazing spa services. In fact, I had one of the best massages I’ve ever experienced there. 

The yoga shala at IKAL Tulum

Incredible! With so much to experience, what will a day’s agenda look like?

8:30 - 10: We’ll start the day with yoga in the IKAL yoga shala, which overlooks the Caribbean Sea.

10 - 11: We’ll enjoy delicious brunch at the beach café. The food is truly out of this world.

11 - 2: Each day, we’ll have one planned activity during this time. It could be a writing workshop, a visit to a cenote, a sound bath, swimming with turtles, or a temescal. 

2 - 4: This is reserved for free time for you to do something on your vacation bucket list or to simply rest and relax for your afternoon siesta.

4 - 5:30: This is a yoga retreat, so we’ll do more yoga! Again, overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Does it get any better?

5:30 - 7: Scrumptious dinner at the beach café.

7: Each night, we’ll have an evening activity planned, whether a  sacred ceremony, one of my DOSE dances, a concert, or you can enjoy some free time. Traveling musicians often stop by to offer unplugged concerts around the fire at night.

This might be the first yoga retreat for some attendees, which is probably exciting and maybe also a little intimidating. What can they expect from yoga twice a day? 

If you are an experienced yogi, this is an opportunity to deepen your practice and integrate it into your life. No prior yoga experience is necessary though. Just like with our yoga studio classes, we meet you where you are. We’ll offer a range of yoga styles that includes super relaxing yin yoga, gentle yoga, and more dynamic kundalini yoga. All are appropriate for brand new beginners and advanced yogis alike. For group cohesion and momentum, we ask that everyone participate in at least one yoga class a day, but you’re in charge and this is your trip, so give your body what it needs! 

True to the original intent of yoga, our approach to yoga engages the whole self and includes meditation and breathwork in every class. We see the physical body as only of the many dimensions of our being, and our offerings cater to all of these dimensions.

If you are an experienced yogi, this is an opportunity to deepen your practice and integrate it into your life. No prior yoga experience is necessary though. Just like with our studio classes, we meet you where you are.

What about the other activities? Dancing, writing, kundalini … It sounds like an opportunity to expand some horizons! 

I hope attendees will get a burst of creativity, a desire and energy to get out of whatever rut they’re in to expand into the truest and most beautiful version of themselves. And you don’t have to consider yourself a “dancer” or a “writer” to get something out of these activities.

When it comes to the creative writing workshops, I create a very safe space where I give prompts and timed exercises to help you get started; All you have to do is write what comes; you never have to read out loud your work if you don’t feel like it. In our feedback, we only talk about what we liked, and we treat everything as fiction so it’s not a therapy group.

It sounds like you’re really making this retreat a little something for everyone. 

Exactly. The Solar Self Yoga Retreat is for any adult who longs to hit PAUSE, relax into a safe space and a well-crafted itinerary without having to worry about ANYTHING. We have a spacious itinerary which grounds you with two yoga classes each day, lots of free time, and a few intentional group activities to discover some of the greatest things the area has to offer. Everything is taken care of, from meals to transportation, so all you have to do is allow and soften.

Our hope is to give people the opportunity to connect in a mindful way with themselves and others; to expand into a renewed sense of the peace, harmony and creativity that are their birthright; and to re-enchant their life by acquiring simple tools and practices to bring the magic back home with you.  

Ready to claim your bliss? Explore more info on the Solar Self Yoga Retreat this June in Tulum Mexico.