Spring Awakening with Mela and Vanessa

VIVA´s first ever weekend retreat will blow away those cobwebs left over by winter and provide you with an opportunity to reset for spring and summer. Leave your routine behind, boost your creativity, reduce whatever stressors exist in your life, form new bonds with likeminded people and refill your cup. Sounds good, right? And because we are offering each segment individually or as a package, you decide how much time you want to take away from the daily grind to treat yourself. What are you waiting for? Sign up now!

Our program:Here´s what you get, at a glance:

 Friday Night             

18:00 – 21:00                       Opening Circle – Cacao, Intros, Chakra Journey

Saturday            

10:00 – 12:00                       Yoga + Meditation with Vanessa

12:00 – 13:30                       Lunch – Ayurveda themed – Spring Cleanse – herbal infusions

13:30 – 14:30                       Introduction to Breathwork with Mela

14:30 – 17:30                       Breathwork Immersion & Integration, including Sound                                              Bath, creative painting, sharing 

Sunday                      

10:00 – 12:00                       Yoga + Meditation with Vanessa

12:00 – 13:30                       Lunch – Ayurveda themed – Spring Cleanse

13:30 – 17:30                       Cacao-Mandala Breathwork –Sharing 

Your facilitators:

Mela Mariposa is a breathwork facilitator, spirit coach, and cacao mama. She loves sharing her passion in rituals and ceremonies. 

The main focus in Mela's work is to accompany her clients/groups into a state of presence and into their heart space, where transformation can take place. She loves working with people who want to develop their potential and fulfill their dreams, people who are ready to go deep and want to dissolve old patterns and habits.

Mela has worked for over 12 years as a nurse in psychiatric clinics. She was a holistic nutritionist and spent years studying the science and practice of traditional yoga. She has lived, trained, and taught in various communities in Asia and Europe. 

Nowadays she integrates shamanic work, western therapeutic elements, and elements from traditional Yoga & Tantra. Her Cacao Rituals and Breathwork Ceremonies are a blend of everything she does, focusing on the power of intention and connection. She has a deep passion for these sacred medicines and loves sharing it with joy, depth, playfulness, and meaning. She works intuitively with every group, which means no ritual/ceremony is ever the same.

Vanessa Muñoz-Pretzell is one of VIVA Studio´s co-founders.  She calls herself Desert Rose because her home is the High Desert of Texas and New Mexico where the Desert Rose, whose flowers she loves, is widespread. Like the Desert Rose, she feel most comfortable in nature where there are high temperatures and lots of sunshine. She has been a Nomad and a Free Spirit all her life. Her father, a Kundalini Teacher, introduced her to Yoga in her early Twenties, In October 2012 she decided to turn her passion into her profession and became an RYT 200 Yoga Alliance certified Yoga Teacher with Anamaya in Costa Rica, under the supervision of Paula Tursi from Reflections Yoga in New York. She then became an E-RYT 500 certified Teacher with School Yoga Institute (SIY) on Bali in 2019, a Kundalini (KRI 300) teacher in 2020 with Panch Nishan in Berlin, an Ayurveda Wellness Coach with Katie Silcox´s Shakti School and Yin Yoga Teacher (Soma Chandra, Persia Juliet) in 2021, a Crystal Bowl Facilitator with Irina Stern´s Sound Alchemy in 2022 as well as a Breathwork Facilitator in Portugal in 2023 (with the wonderful Mela Mariposa). She is also a Teacher Trainer with School Yoga Institute, with whom she facilitates teacher trainings around the world.

Weekend Retreat Highlights

Cacao Ceremony & Chakra Journey

Aside from being one of the most nutritious plants on the planet, Cacao also has a range of positive health benefits. It contains many antioxidants, minerals like magnesium and iron, as well as a range of healthy fats. 

And Cacao doesn´t just work on the nutritional level – it is also a real revelation when it comes to the human nervous system, through its influence on our neurotransmitters. High quality cacao not only increases the level of serotonin (the neurotransmitter responsible for us experiencing a state of happiness”), but also triggers the output of dopamine (“pleasure and motivation) as well as noradrenaline (“ our natural antidepressant“). And it contains Anandamide (“Ananda“ means “bliss”), a natural pleasure molecule, which is responsible for the effect of the so-called runner’s high. It also suppresses our perception of pain and regulates our mood.Historically, the indigenous cultures of central America understood the properties of raw cacao and utilized its qualities for religious ceremonies.

In today´s world, Cacao ceremonies are a wonderful way for us to connect – to connect with ourselves, with each other and with our earth, Pacha Mama. 

Mela and Vanessa will use the ancient wisdom of this ceremony to open the space for an immersive weekend retreat, to share their prayers and to move from the earth to the sky.

Under their guidance, you will then embark on a Chakra Journey, which will take you deep into your roots and will light your inner fire. You will all meet in the center of your heart, connecting with your source, letting your voices be heard and bringing your visions alive.

Are you ready to dance, express yourself, breathe, meet and explore?

Breathwork Immersion

Breath is the "gateway" to your inner world. And without it, we cannot exist. Yet, as is the case with the subconscious mind, we have forgotten how to tap into the secrets this simplest of muscle functions holds. Mela uses a simple technique called "conscious connected breath, a profound breathing method that will awaken all of your sense, clear away old energies and conditioning, thought patterns and emotions. " And E-motions" are nothing but energy in motion, as are thoughts and other mental projections. Your breath can move this energy at will when applied with a conscious intention and a clear focus. This way breathwork can open, connect or release anything that feels stuck or hidden in your system.

Kundalini Flow + Meditation

Kundalini is one of the oldest yoga practices known to mankind. The aim of Kundalini is to awaken and channel the energy within you along your chakras (energy centers) and to get it to rise through your body to the crown of your head, through a combination of techniques, including:

• deep breathing
• mudras (hand movements)
• mantras (phrases)
• physical movements

This release of energy promotes internal balance, awakening, and enlightenment.

Sound bath

A sound bath is a therapeutic and meditative experience whereby you “bathe” in the sounds and vibrations produced by different instruments such as gongs, tuning forks, and crystal bowls. Through these sounds and vibrations, your mind enters a meditative and relaxed state. This brings about healing at mental, emotional, and physical levels. During a sound bath, the brainwave state is altered from normal waking state (beta) to relaxed state (alpha), dreamlike state (theta), and even restorative state (delta). As the mind and body relax, the heart rate and blood pressure decrease and our breathing become deeper.  It is in this state that deep healing can occur.