Inside the Solar Self Retreat: All Your Questions on our Mexico Yoga Retreat Answered
- Stephanie Gonzalez
- Apr 22
- 6 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
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. <<
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.
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.
