Montezuma waterfall pouring into a turquoise pool surrounded by jungle
Montezuma, Costa Rica  ·  October 24 to 30

AuthenticallyGrounded

An intensive, experiential retreat for your body, mind, heart and soul. One full week to release what no longer serves you, reconnect with your inner guidance, and step fully into the present moment.

Register Now Fully inclusive, per participant
Serenity Rooms: $6,000 single · $4,500 double occupancy
Bali Rooms: $5,500 single · $4,000 double occupancy
A Holistic Wellness Retreat

For your body, mind, heart and soul.

This retreat spans a full week and opens the door to new enriched relationships. Relationships with others, and more importantly, a relationship with yourself. You will have the opportunity to release yourself from your past, bring light to your grief, and step into the present moment.

Through self discovery and a newly established internal dialogue, you will unlock the tools necessary to sustain inner peace.

Learn paradigm shifting practices and techniques that you can bring home for walking an authentic path.

The great guanacaste tree rising over the pool and gardens at Aves Hotel and Resort
The gardens at Aves, Montezuma
When
October 24 to 30
Where
Montezuma, Costa Rica
The Setting
A privately reserved resort
Included
Lodging, meals, and transport
Why This Retreat

Setting & Purpose

Nestled in Montezuma, Costa Rica, Encompass Retreats will welcome you into a safe and soul nourishing environment, surrounded by lush jungle, beaches, and local culture.

This retreat will support emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual renewal. This intimate and immersive experience will inspire you to claim your authenticity and support transformative healing and growth.

Reclaim a sense of meaning in your work, life, and relationships.

Our approach draws on many modalities
  • Group Skill Development
  • Intentional Workshops
  • Inner Resourcing
  • Ecotherapy Experiences
  • Embodied Somatic Experiential Work
  • Ecstatic Dance
  • Sound Bath Ceremony
  • Earth Based Ceremonies
  • Meditation
  • Yoga
  • Transforming grief and loss into spiritual and emotional renewal
Light breaking on the horizon beneath a passing storm off the Montezuma coast
The Invitation

Some light can only be seen in the dark.

Storms pass over this coastline almost daily, and the light always returns. It is a living picture of what this week is about. What feels dark can still hold light, and what feels heavy can give way to wonder.

The Shape of Your Week

A rhythm, not a schedule

Each day is thoughtfully curated, and no two days are alike. Rather than a rigid agenda, the week follows a natural rhythm that balances guided work, rest, and the freedom to explore.

Mornings Awaken gently

Optional yoga and meditation as the jungle wakes up, followed by breakfast together.

Midday Go inward

Intentional workshops, group skill development, and embodied somatic experiential work with our facilitators.

Afternoons Rest or explore

Ample free time for the pool, sauna, a massage, a waterfall hike, or simply a hammock and a long exhale.

Evenings Gather in ceremony

Dinner as a community, followed by experiences like sound bath ceremony, ecstatic dance, and earth based ceremonies.

Arrival · October 24

Landing softly

Airport transportation brings you to Aves, where we settle in, share a first meal together, and open the week with intention.

Departure · October 30

Carrying it home

We close with integration, preparing you to bring what you have found back into your work, life, and relationships.

A detailed itinerary is shared with participants as the retreat approaches.

Your Guides

The Facilitators

Rev. Dr. Ted Wiard

Rev. Dr. Ted Wiard

EdD, LPCC, CGC · Grief Specialist

Ted Wiard is a grief specialist, counselor, and founder of Golden Willow Retreat in Taos, New Mexico, a sanctuary dedicated to helping individuals navigate loss, trauma, and life's most profound transitions. After beginning his career as a fifth grade teacher alongside his wife, Leslie, Ted's life was dramatically altered by a series of devastating losses, including the death of his brother, his wife after a battle with cancer, and later the tragic loss of both of his children. These experiences became the catalyst for a lifelong journey of healing, self discovery, and purpose.

Through years of deep personal work and professional training, Ted transformed his pain into a calling. After attending ministerial school and being ordained, he returned to Taos with his wife, Marcella, to create Golden Willow Retreat, an emotional sanctuary where people from around the world can heal from grief and rediscover their internal compass.

Ted holds a master's degree in counseling with an emphasis in grief, is a certified grief counselor, and earned a doctorate in organizational leadership focused on navigating change. He has founded and led a behavioral health organization, maintains a private psychotherapy practice, and has served as a director and professor in trauma, grief, and renewal studies. He is also a partial owner of a hospice organization, an author, and a ceremonialist serving across faiths and traditions.

At the heart of Ted's work is a holistic approach to healing that integrates the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, helping individuals, families, and communities move forward with authenticity, resilience, and purpose.

Grady Jaramillo

Grady Jaramillo

MA, LPCC · Clinical Counselor

Born and raised in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Taos, New Mexico, Grady Jaramillo carries the spirit of the Southwest into both his personal path and professional calling. He is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with a master's degree in counseling and a certified Sandplay therapist, grounded in Jungian depth psychology and symbolic transformation.

Grady supports individuals in discovering their authentic self through sandplay, creative expression, somatic awareness, and grief counseling. He views grief as a sacred threshold, an initiation into deeper meaning, integration, and self understanding. His work invites the unconscious to speak through symbol and image, while the body becomes an ally in healing and embodied awareness.

His facilitation is shaped not only by clinical training but by lived experience, formed by the high desert landscapes of New Mexico and the vibrant jungles of Costa Rica, where the rhythms of the natural world inform his understanding of resilience, renewal, and growth.

As a Sundancer in the Lakota tradition, Grady approaches retreat and therapeutic space as sacred ground. He brings humility, courage, devotion, and integrity into every circle he holds. For Grady, healing is a return to wholeness, an alignment with one's values, spirit, and highest potential.

Drew Brown

Drew Brown

Retreat Coordinator

Drew spent years in the corporate world as a bank executive and entrepreneur, balancing the demands of professional success with life as a husband and father. From the outside, it looked like he had it all. Internally, he was struggling.

Raised to believe he always had to be The Man, Drew never realized it was okay to not be okay. Battling unresolved trauma, anxiety, shame, and depression, he turned to unhealthy coping mechanisms until he reached a breaking point that led him to a treatment program in rural Tennessee. What felt like the end became a new beginning.

That experience sparked a journey of healing, self discovery, and growth that has now spanned more than a decade. Drew has since traveled across the U.S., Mexico, and South America, learning from a wide range of spiritual teachers and traditions.

Today, he is passionate about helping others strip away labels, expectations, and conditioning so they can live authentically. His mission is simple: to help people remember who they were before the world told them who they should be.

Now grounded in purpose, Drew lives a life of adventure with his wife and their two daughters. In a world full of noise and distraction, he helps others reconnect, find balance, and rediscover who they truly are.

Clint Murphy

Clint Murphy

Certified Yoga Teacher

Clint Murphy has been teaching yoga since 2010, bringing years of experience, depth, and passion to his practice. A dedicated student of Anusara yoga, he has trained with renowned teachers including John Friend, Desiree Rumbaugh, Noah Maze, and others. His teaching is rooted in the principles of alignment as passed down through the lineage of B.K.S. Iyengar, combined with a heart centered, uplifting approach that invites both strength and openness.

Since 2023, Clint has led retreats alongside fellow teachers across Mexico, Italy, Ireland, and his home state of New Mexico, creating meaningful experiences that blend movement, connection, and exploration.

He believes yoga should be accessible to everyone, and that true wellness of body and mind is often found through joy, lightness, and the simple act of having fun.

The Stay

Aves Hotel & Resort

Aves Hotel & Resort is a boutique retreat nestled in the lush hills above Montezuma, Costa Rica, where nature, comfort, and thoughtful design come together. The resort is privately reserved for our group, with no outside guests. Two room options are available: Serenity Rooms or Bali Rooms.

Aerial view of Aves Hotel and Resort tucked into the jungle hills above Montezuma
Canopy king bed inside a Serenity Suite Outdoor sky shower surrounded by jungle plants Private pool shared by the Serenity Suites

Serenity Room

Max 2 guests · 1 king & queen sofa sleeper

Aves offers four Serenity Suites, each designed to provide space, comfort, and tranquility. This is a perfect space for couples. All suites feature a king bed, a queen sofa sleeper, kitchenette, WiFi, TV, air conditioning, a spacious private deck, and a large outdoor sky shower, creating a seamless connection with nature. Serenity suites share a private pool. Amenities at Aves include private massage or couples massage, hot sauna, cold plunge, and a workout facility.

Single Occupancy$6,000per participant
Double Occupancy$4,500per participant · ideal for couples or friends
Bali King Deluxe Room with loft Hammock on a private deck at Aves Interior of a Bali room

Bali Room

Max 2 guests · 1 king & 2 twins

Aves features 8 Bali King Deluxe Rooms, each thoughtfully designed for comfort and convenience. All rooms include a king bed, kitchenette, WiFi, TV, air conditioning, and a spacious private deck. Amenities at Aves include private massage or couples massage, hot sauna, cold plunge, and a workout facility.

Six of the rooms feature a loft with two twin beds, one room offers a loft with three twin beds, and one room is fully accessible.

Single Occupancy$5,500per participant
Double Occupancy$4,000per participant
Your Investment

A fully immersive, fully inclusive experience

  • Exclusive access to a privately reserved resort with no outside guests
  • Airport transportation to and from the resort
  • A full week of guided retreat experiences and workshops
  • World class facilitators
  • Daily breakfast and dinner
  • Curated experiences designed for transformation, connection, and restoration
What You Will Gain

What you carry home

  • Discover and embody your inner truth, allowing your intuition and heart to guide you in both your personal and professional life
  • Emotional and spiritual restoration
  • Rewrite the old stories that hold you back from accessing your full potential
  • Reconnection to your authentic self

Registration begins with your story, not a checkout page. Rooms are limited and reserved in the order registrations arrive.

Begin Your Journey
Questions first? Call or text Drew Brown, Retreat Coordinator · 601.596.4399 · encompassretreats@gmail.com
Beyond The Workshops

Experience Costa Rica

While the retreat includes thoughtfully guided workshops and experiences, you will also have ample free time to rest or explore and fully enjoy all that Costa Rica has to offer. A few local experiences include:

  • Ziplining
  • Surfing
  • Fishing
  • River Adventures
  • Hiking
  • Waterfalls
  • Horseback Riding
  • Pickleball

And of course, explore the local town and the authentic cuisine.

Rest. Play. Reset.
Palms leaning over the beach at Montezuma
A quiet dark sand cove along the Montezuma coastline
The Montezuma town sign
Montezuma waterfall dropping into a turquoise pool
Aerial view of the beach village at Montezuma
A jungle trail lit by morning sun
Sunset over the Pacific at Montezuma
See you soon

Let's shift the paradigm and embrace every day as a gift.

October 24 to 30 · Montezuma, Costa Rica. Registration is personal here. It begins with your story, and our team walks with you from there.

Begin Your Journey
Encompass Retreats logo Encompass Retreats
Montezuma, Costa Rica 601.596.4399 encompassretreats@gmail.com