HELD:

A Retreat for Those Who Hold Others

September 24–28, 2026 · Kawoq Forest, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

HELD is a 4-night retreat created for retreat leaders, facilitators, healers, and space holders who need to rest, receive, and recharge before the season ahead.

A space where you don’t have to lead.

Where you are not holding anyone.

Where you are finally… held.

At Kawoq Forest, you are invited into a nurturing container where everything is taken care of for you. You do not need to guide. You do not need to perform. You do not need to be “on.” You simply arrive, soften, and let yourself be cared for.

This is a retreat designed to help you turn off, be pampered, and reconnect with your own energy so you can return to your work feeling clear, grounded, restored, and deeply supported.

❋ Hold your Spot

Private Room: $1,850
Shared Bungalow: $1,700

❋ Early Bird until July 15

Private Room: $1,650
Shared Bungalow: $1,500

❋ Limited availability:

5 private room spots and 4 shared bungalow spots.

RESERVE YOUR SPOT
APPLY NOW

WHY HELD

You are often the one creating safety for others.

You are the one tending the room, reading the energy, guiding transformation, holding presence, and making sure everyone else feels seen.

But before your next season begins, you deserve a space where you are the one receiving.

HELD was created for those who spend so much of their lives supporting others that rest can start to feel unfamiliar.

This retreat is an invitation to step out of your role for a few days and remember what it feels like to be nourished, supported, and cared for in return.

Set in the forest above Lake Atitlán, Kawoq becomes your container for deep rest, gentle ritual, meaningful care, and nervous system renewal.

What This Retreat Includes

Everything is included so you can simply arrive and receive.

Your stay includes:

  • 4 nights of accommodation at Kawoq Forest

  • Roundtrip group transportation from Guatemala City

  • Daily nourishing meals

  • Tea all day

  • Breathwork, meditation, and gentle movement

  • Candlelit sound healing

  • Fire circle with a warm healing drink

  • Cave meditation and nature listening practice

  • TUJ / Temazcal ceremony

  • Visit to the Natural Reserve in San Marcos La Laguna

  • 1 jade facial

  • 1 energy cleansing massage

  • Yoga Nidra

  • Spacious time to rest, integrate, and simply be

A Taste of the Experience

Day 1 — EXHALE

You arrive… and finally let go.

A warm drink. The forest. No expectations. A soft welcome, a nourishing meal, and a candlelit sound journey to help you land gently in your body.

Day 2 — RECEIVE No one needs you today. You move, breathe, and then… you receive.

Hands on your body. Energy cleared. Space held for you. Firelight. Warm tea. Nothing to prove.

Day 4 — SOFT JOY Something has shifted. Water. Sun. Beauty.

You return to the forest for more care, more softness. The day ends in deep rest.

Day 5 — RETURN

You wake up different. Clearer. Fuller. Reconnected.

And from here… you go back to holding others without losing yourself.

Accommodation & Investment

  • Early Bird: $1,650 until July 15
    Availability: 5 spots

    Ideal for those who want more solitude, privacy, and space to fully retreat inward.

  • Early Bird: $1,500 until July 15
    Availability: 4 spots

    A beautiful option for those who enjoy a more communal experience while still receiving all retreat inclusions.

Book Your Stay

Register

WHO IS THIS FOR

HELD is for you if:

  • You are a retreat leader, facilitator, healer, guide, or space holder

  • You feel tired from always being the one supporting others

  • You want to enter your next season from a place of fullness rather than depletion

  • You long for a retreat where you do not need to lead anything

  • You want deep care, meaningful ritual, and real rest in a beautiful setting

WHAT TO BRING

  • A heart and soul that wants to be held

  • Comfortable clothing

  • Rain jacket

  • Light sweater

  • Backpack or small luggage

  • Head lamp

  • Hiking shoes

  • Bathing suit

  • A cover-up for the temazcal

  • Insect repellent

ABOUT KAWOQ FOREST

Kawoq Forest is a sanctuary in the mountains above Lake Atitlán, Guatemala.

Surrounded by nature, silence, and ancestral presence, it offers a space to slow down, reconnect, and remember what truly nourishes you.

Here, the forest becomes part of the experience. The air, the stillness, the fire, the trees, and the mountain all support the work of softening.

For a few days, you get to set everything down.

Meet YOUR RETREAT LEADER

Madel Méndez is the steward of Kawoq Forest, a sanctuary in Lake Atitlán where retreat leaders from around the world come to host and quietly unravel.

For over three years, she has worked behind the scenes of dozens of retreats, supporting facilitators at every level and witnessing what most people never see: the energetic, emotional, and physical demand of holding space for others.

She is a certified breathwork facilitator, holistic aesthetician, and trained integrative nutrition health coach. Her work is rooted in the body where breath, touch, and presence create real restoration, not just temporary relief.

Her approach is precise, intuitive, and deeply attuned allowing people to soften in ways they often cannot access on their own.

Living on this land, her work has been shaped by an ongoing relationship with the Mayan cosmovision informing the depth, intention, and respect behind every space she creates.

She understands retreat leaders not as clients, but from the inside.

HELD is her response to what she has seen again and again:
those who hold everything… rarely have a place to fully let go.

This is not a retreat you attend.
It’s a space you enter and are fully held.

Get Started

Payment Terms & Cancellation Policy

    • All prices are per person

    • Payments are processed securely via Retreat Guru through our website

    • A 5.6% transaction fee is applied at checkout by the platform

    • You may choose to pay via wire transfer to avoid processing fees

    • Instructions will be shared via email upon request

  • We recommend securing your place with full payment at the time of booking, as spaces are limited and filled on a first-come basis.

    If preferred, you may reserve your spot with a $650 deposit:

    • This deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable

    • The remaining balance is due 30 days prior to the retreat start date

    Once your payment or deposit is received, we will confirm your reservation and accommodation selection.

  • We understand that plans can change. At the same time, this retreat is intentionally small and requires advance planning and commitment.

    • If you cancel 90 days or more before the retreat start date, you will receive a refund of any payments made, minus a $500 non-refundable deposit

    We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect your investment in case of unforeseen circumstances.

    • Cancellations made within 90 days of the retreat start date are non-refundable and non-transferable

    Due to the intimate nature of this experience and the level of preparation involved, we are unable to offer refunds, credits, or transfers within this window.

  • Each place in HELD is intentionally limited and carefully prepared for.

    Your commitment allows us to create a space that is deeply held, resourced, and ready to receive you.

    We appreciate your understanding and respect for the energy, care, and coordination that goes into bringing this experience to life.