MOVING THROUGH GRIEF RETREAT

Imiloa Institute, Dominical, Costa Rica

November 2024

Immersed in a jungle paradise, surrounded by the natural beauty of Costa Rica, the Moving Through Grief Retreat offered community, compassion, and a safe and supportive container for healing the heart.

In November 2024, a small community of seekers gathered at the Imiloa Institute in the lush jungles of Dominical, Costa Rica. This retreat was designed as a sacred container—a week where the heavy, often isolated experience of mourning could be transmuted through nature, community, and somatic practice.

The Power of Place: Why Costa Rica?

There is a specific reason TwoCan Retreats chose the Imiloa Institute for the 2024 experience. When we are in the depths of grief, our world often feels grey and stagnant. The Costa Rican rainforest is the antithesis of stagnation. It is a place of high-vibration life, where the air is thick with the scent of wet earth and the sound of howler monkeys serves as a primal reminder that we are part of a much larger ecosystem.

In 2024, the jungle didn't just provide a backdrop; it acted as a co-facilitator. Participants found that the humidity allowed for a physical "softening," making it easier to access the emotional layers that often remain frozen in colder, more rigid environments. The "Pura Vida" philosophy isn't just a slogan—it’s a commitment to being present with the "Pure Life" that remains, even after a profound ending.

Somatic Healing: Moving the "Issues in the Tissues"

One of the most profound elements of the 2024 retreat was our focus on somatic grief work. We often think of grief as a mental state, but it lives in the body—in the tightness of the chest, the clench of the jaw, and the heaviness of the limbs.

Led by Stacy McCrory, LMFT, the 2024 sessions integrated the work of Tara Brach, Francis Weller, Joanna Macy and several admired poets. This wasn't about traditional therapeutic process. Instead, it was about emodiment—opening up to presence and being with all that’s here. Participants engaged in somatic practices, dance, and breathwork that allowed the body to speak what the tongue could not. By moving the body, the stagnation of loss began to flow, much like the waterfalls that surrounded us.

The Role of Community and Connection

Grief is a lonely island, but at the 2024 retreat, we built a bridge. One of the most frequent reflections from our 2024 alumni was the power of "being seen." In our daily lives, we are often encouraged to "keep calm and carry on." At TwoCan, the mandate was different: Stay exactly where you are.

Whether it was through communal meals of locally sourced, organic ingredients or late-night conversations under the canopy, a "witnessing" occurred. When one person shared their story of loss, it gave permission for others to hold theirs with more grace. The 2024 cohort proved that while the path of grief is individual, we do not have to walk it alone.

Healing Through Sound and Song

The 2024 retreat was uniquely marked by the medicine of music. With the presence of gifted facilitators like Glen Phillips and Amber Deylon, the retreat utilized sound as a transformative tool. We explored how the human voice can vibrate through the "stuckness" of sorrow.

There is a specific kind of magic that happens when a group of people, all carrying different weights of loss, lift their voices together. It wasn't about performance; it was about resonance. Through song circles and sound healing, participants in 2024 reported a sense of “lightness” they hadn't felt in years.

Nature as the Ultimate Mirror

During the 2024 "Moving Through Grief" retreat, we spent significant time in eco-therapy. The retreat included mindful walks through the jungle and time spent swimming under waterfalls.

We learned from the jungle that loss is not the end of the story; it is the fuel for the next season. Seeing a fallen tree covered in new ferns and mosses provided a visual metaphor for our own lives. We aren't looking to "replace" what we lost, but to see how our lives can grow around the loss, eventually becoming a rich, complex landscape of both memory and new life.

The Legacy of the 2024 Experience

The 2024 retreat was a masterclass in the "Two Can" philosophy: the belief that we can hold deep sorrow and radical joy at the same time. We saw participants arrive with "the grief stare"—that look of being overwhelmed by the world—and leave with eyes that were bright, present, and clear.

The memories captured on this page—the smiles in the pool, the quiet moments of reflection on the yoga deck, and the shared laughter over fresh fruit—are a testament to the resilience of the human heart.

Why These Memories Matter

For those looking at these photos now, know that these images represent a doorway. The 2024 Moving Through Grief Retreat was more than a retreat; it was a reclamation. It was a week where people stopped running from their shadows and started dancing with them.

As we look back at our time in Dominical, we are reminded that the journey of healing is ongoing. The seeds planted in the Costa Rican soil during that week in 2024 continue to bloom in the lives of every participant who was there.