This retreat offers an immersive journey into teachings that Indigenous Peoples have carried forward for generations: the interconnectedness of all beings, respect for the living world, responsibility toward community, and continuous learning from the land.
Over one week, participants will be invited to explore a different way of inhabiting the world—one grounded in listening, reciprocity, and relationship. Through dialogue, land-based activities, learning about medicinal plants, individual and collective reflection, and practices of conscious communication, this experience seeks to foster a deeper understanding of ourselves, one another, and the living world around us.
More than a training program, this retreat is an invitation to reconnect with the relational principles that have long supported balance between people, communities, and the land.
Meet your Guides
Tracy Emily Salzer
Tracy is a career educator with over twenty years of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults in public, private, and international schools. Her background in music and performing arts, outdoor education, yoga and meditation, and social-emotional learning allows her to bring a holistic and deeply relational approach to teaching. A lifelong connection to nature and cultural exploration informs both her personal life and pedagogy, including years of leading outdoor adventures, teen leadership programs, and cultural exchanges with communities in Fiji. Tracy holds a Master’s Degree in Education specializing in Social Emotional Learning, Yoga & Meditation, and Transformational Leadership, along with 500-hour and Kundalini Yoga Teacher certifications. As an action researcher, she explores stress reduction, concentration, and well-being through movement and connection to nature. Drawn to the beauty and Indigenous culture of Lake Atitlán since her first visit in 2021, Tracy creates patient, caring, and trauma-informed spaces that invite meaningful connection with self, others, and the world around us.
Marilène Blain-Sabourin
Marilène is a practicing architect, doctoral researcher, and yoga teacher whose work is rooted in the belief that meaningful transformation begins with listening, relationship, and respect. Through long-standing collaborations with Indigenous communities, notably the Innu Nation of Pessamit, her research and professional practice explore cultural heritage, cultural landscapes, and Indigenous tourism, as well as the integration of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into architectural and territorial planning. Her work brings together academic rigor, leadership and communication training, and nearly twenty years of personal practice in yoga and meditation. Drawing on these complementary paths, Marilène creates workshops that weave together scientific research, Indigenous perspectives, and embodied practices, offering participants meaningful insights and concrete tools to cultivate stronger relationships, collaboration, sustainability, and reconciliation.