In Nature as Nature
A Heart of Yoga Retreat
or
200 hr Yoga Teacher Training
Yasawa Islands
Nabukeru Village
October 30th - November 7th, 2026
Get in touch: marianaaliveaslife@gmail.com
Whatsapp +679 2751488
Retreat and/or Teacher Training
Join us in the Yasawa Islands for a deeply restorative and immersive Yoga experience, open to all.
This offering can be joined as a retreat or as a 200 Certified YTT teacher training for those who wish to deepen and share this work.
Receive authentic Yoga in the direct lineage of T. Krishnamacharya, T.K.V. Desikachar, and Mark Whitwell. This tradition is shared by teachers Litiana Lagibalavu and Mariana Garcia Flores, continuing a living, heart-centered transmission of Yoga.
Set in a remote ocean village, this retreat invites you into simplicity, nature, and a direct relationship with life. Days unfold organically with practice, rest, connection, and time in the ocean.
ABOUT THE HEART OF YOGA
This approach restores Yoga beyond fitness, honoring it as a spiritual, personal, adaptive, and life-integrated practice.
Key principles:
Yoga meets you where you are
Work without struggle, releasing habits of stress
Open to all bodies, ages, cultures, and beliefs
Breath is central to all practice
The practice extends beyond asana to include pranayama, meditation, and daily life
Teachings are experiential, relevant, and rooted in dialogue
Intelligent sequencing - Vinyasa Krama
Alignment comes from breath and inner awareness
Trauma-informed approach with no force and full respect for your pace
Teachings include chanting, mantra, mudra, philosophy, and the living tradition of Yoga in a way that is accessible and meaningful
You are invited to slow down, reconnect, and rediscover Yoga as a means of participation in life rather than something to achieve.
Whether you come to rest, or to learn how to share this work with others, this experience offers a return to the essence of Yoga in a supportive and beautiful environment.
Yoga as whole-body prayer
You will immerse in the breath principles largely lost from modern yoga, that make yoga effective, powerful, safe and devotional. The breath grounds your practice in interoception, feeling the body from the inside out, yoga as whole-body prayer to Life, yoga as spiritual practice, yoga as profound internal reverie. Not yoga as exercise.
Accreditation / Certification
These 7 days together can be combined with online teacher training materials to receive 200hr certification through Yoga Alliance.
200 hr certification comprised of the following:
these 7 days in person, with printed manual
a structured 2 months online programme following the retreat
in-depth recorded online teacher training materials
Weekly classes
Support while practicing teaching
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Asana, Pranayama, Meditation as a seemless process
History of yoga, and philosophy
Teaching Methodology
Intelligent sequencing or Vinyasa Krama
Alignment from the inside: using interoception (your own body intelligence) to find the adjustments that are right for you
Anatomy of the subtle body
Physiology
Trauma informed practice
Vedic chanting, Tantric mantra, Nyasa (‘placing’ mantra in the body), mudra
Yogic relationship — how to allow our practice to spill over into daily life
Practice teaching
Slow down, listen to your heart, and remember yourself as part of the earth.
This retreat is intentionally simple.
You’ll be living in a traditional Fijian village, staying in bure-style homes by the ocean, eating local food, and sharing in a way of life that’s deeply connected to the land, the sea, and the people.
You’ll be invited into everyday village life through experiences like lovo feasts, kava ceremonies, and weaving with local artisans, creating moments of connection and cultural exchange.
Participate in the warmth, generosity, and communal spirit of Fijian culture.
By being here, you directly support Fijian communities and help sustain a way of life that is grounded in connection, care, and reciprocity.
Rooted in the earth and the heart
Alive through breath, presence, and relationship
Guided by the simplicity and natural rhythms of life
This is an invitation to return to what is essential. To slow down, soften into your own rhythm, and rediscover the intelligence of living in relationship with the earth, your body, and one another.
Our days unfold with the rhythm of the sun, the tides, and the village. We practise yoga, swim in the ocean, walk barefoot, share meals, and spend time outdoors.
For a while, we leave behind screens, schedules, and the constant pull to do more, allowing ourselves to be fully present through our senses and our relationships.
We often speak of "going into nature," as though it exists somewhere outside of us.
Yet we are not separate from it. We are nature itself, breathing, changing, belonging.
Come and experience yourself in nature, as nature.
Be nourished by a gentle heart & breath-centred practice
The practice of intimacy with your breath, body and life
RECEIVE YOURSELF AS NATURE, IN NATURE
A PRACTICE WHERE GENTLE MOVEMENT WITH THE BREATH BRINGS MEDITATION NATURALLY
*No previous Yoga or Meditation experience required
“If you can breathe you can do Yoga”
-TKV Desikachar
This practice is for everyone.
Yoga is suited to the individual and not the individual to Yoga.
Come as you are. No previous experience needed.
Yoga is Intimacy with life. No one can do Yoga better than you
YOUR TEACHERS
Liti is an Indigenous Fijian woman who studied Yoga in the lineage of Krishnamacharya.
The Yoga she teaches, facilitates the direct embrace of the innate intelligence of your mind , body and breath which puts you in a natural state of connection and wisdom.
“As you connect deeper with yourself, you connect deeper with the “Mana” (Spirit) of the “Vanua” (Land & Ocean) around you, helping you feel more at ease, and more at home.”
Litiana
Mariana is a Gestalt Psychotherapist and Yoga Teacher who accompanies people through life's challenges, transitions, and moments of uncertainty with warmth, presence, and compassion.
"Each of us carries an innate wisdom that can guide us, even through life's most difficult seasons."
By weaving together psychotherapy and yoga, Mariana supports people in grounding in the wisdom of their own hearts and trusting their true direction. Her intention is to help people experience a deeper sense of wholeness, clarity, and aliveness, so they can live with greater authenticity and ease.
Both of us are Heart of Yoga teachers and have taught, led, and co-facilitated retreats with our teacher, Mark Whitwell, across Fiji, Bali, Mexico, Spain, Italy, and New Zealand.
Rest - Receive - Detox - Nourish - Connect
Experience yourself in nature as nature itself
Immerse yourself in the paradise of Fiji and take with you your own Yoga practice and the understanding and lived experience that you are alive as life itself, as nature itself.
Sawa-i-Lau Caves
The heart of the Yasawa Islands
As part of the retreat we will visit the sacred Sawa-I-Lau caves.
This caves hold the mana, the living spirit of the Yasawa Islands and are home to Ulutini, the ancient ten-headed Fijian God.
Imagine swimming through the turquoise waters of the Sawa-i-Lau Caves, surrounded by towering limestone walls and a quiet sense of the sacred.
You’ll share an experience of wonder and deep connection with nature, with one another, and with yourself.
Accommodation
Surrounded by a garden of papaya, bananas, pineapples and palm trees, this cozy bure style home provides all the comforts for simple living.
Located right on the waters edge for you to enjoy a daily swim. Enjoy spectacular views, sunsets and the
sounds of the ocean and morning birdsong.
the veranda provides the perfect place to dine, take in the sunset, do your yoga or simply dive into your favourite book.
Retreat Costs
Includes
7 nights accommodation by the water
2x daily yoga classes looking over the ocean
Traditional Fijian meals
Visit to Sawa-I-Law caves
2x snorkeling trip
Kava ceremony, lovo feast
Cacao ceremony with Mariana, drawing on the cacao tradition of her native Mexico
Guided village walk through Nabukeru Village and the surrounding land
Weaving workshop with local artisans
Workshops:
The Five Principles of Yoga as taught by Krishnamacharya
Restorative night practice
Emotional regulation. Meeting difficult feelings with compassion
Building your own home practice
Local ferry from Kings Jetty (Lautoka) to Nabukeru Village and return
Return transfer between the guest's Nadi or Lautoka accommodation and Kings Jetty
Triple Room - $3,250 FJD
Quad Room - $2,950 FJD
Yoga Teacher Training Costs
Divided into 2 payments
1. Seven-day teacher training in Fiji (30 hrs)
Includes
All of the above plus:
Additional classes specific to Yoga Teacher instruction
Printed Teaching materials
One-on-one time with teachers
Triple Room - $4,450 FJD
Quad Room -$4,100 FJD
2. Online Teacher Training Component
A structured 2 months online course following the retreat with 2x weekly classes, recorded material and guided practices.
In-depth recorded online teacher training materials by Mark Whitwell (50 hrs)
Live classes with Mark Whitwell (20 hrs)
Key Yoga concepts with Rosalind Atkinson (20 hrs)
Practice Teahing (20 hrs)
Teaching Mentoring (20 hrs)
Self study and readings (40 hrs)
Yoga Alliance certification upon completion
$1,900 FJD
Your teachers for the online training component
In addition to Mariana, you will be guided by Mark Whitwell and Rosalind Atkinson, founders of The Heart of Yoga. Together, they bring decades of teaching, practice, and lived experience, carrying forward an authentic yoga tradition rooted in direct relationship with T. Krishnamacharya and T.K.V. Desikachar. Their work has influenced thousands of students and teachers around the world, and their guidance forms the foundation of this training.
Mark Whitwell
After wandering India in the 1970s and meeting many renowned and lesser-known spiritual teachers, Mark had the privilege of studying with T. Krishnamacharya, often referred to as the "teacher of teachers," and later with his son, T.K.V. Desikachar, whom he met in 1973. These lifelong friendships, together with his close association with U.G. Krishnamurti, inspired him to share the practical, breath-centered tantric yoga they embodied with anyone who could benefit from it. Since then, Mark has travelled the world for decades, teaching people from all walks of life. He is the author of Yoga of Heart, The Hridayayogasutra, The Promise, and God and Sex: Now We Get Both.
Rosalind Atkinson
Rosalind holds an MA in Mystic Poetry, specializing in the works of William Blake, and has a background in environmental activism, including serving aboard the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior. A longtime student of Mark Whitwell, she has been teaching alongside him for more than a decade. As co-founder of The Heart of Yoga, her passion is making these transformative teachings accessible through sound, creative language, publishing, and the art of communication.
Booking
Complete the registration form
50% deposit is needed to secure your spot.
Full payment is due before arrival.
What to bring
Togs/swimsuit
Sandals
Rock/reef shoes
Umbrella / raincoat
Comfy clothes for asana
Reef-safe sunscreen
Natural mosquito repellent
Notebook & pen
Snorkelling gear
Yoga mat
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This is not in any particular ‘style’ of Yoga. it is also not just exercise or stretches.
This is Yoga: The heart and breath-centred practice brought forth from the ancient traditions by Sri Krishnamacharya.
Yoga is the practice of intimacy with breath, body, and life. It is embracing reality itself.
The practice could be described as breath-centred tantra hatha yoga.
The practice of Yoga weaves together asana (body postures), pranayama (breathwork), mantras (chants), mudras (hand postures), and visualisations. During or after these, meditation may arise as a gift. Meditation does not imply a struggle with the mind or the body.
Fitness and flexibility are only a consequence of this spiritual practice, not the purpose of it.
HaTha yoga.
Ha means sun and Tha means moon. HaTha is therefore the union of opposites that arise and return to the heart. Above-below, left-right, front-back, within-without, strength-receptivity, inhale-exhale, sun-moon, masculine-feminine. HaTha yoga is the participation and union of these opposites.
Tantric philosophy is based on the principles of non-duality, meaning that in life there is no separation. Tantra recognises that we are an inseparable part of the universe. Therefore, tantra-based yoga focuses on using the body as a temple to worship the all-encompassing oneness of life as sacred.
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If you have any dietary requirements, we will cater for you.
Please specify in the registration form
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We suggest you arrive at least one day before to either Nadi or Lautoka
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Yasawa Islands
Nabukeru Village
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Getting There
If you are travelling from overseas, please book your flight to Nadi International Airport (NAN).Your retreat includes the local ferry from Kings Jetty in Lautoka to Nabukeru Village. The ferry departs at 7:00 am, with check-in at 6:00 am.
If you are staying in Nadi or Lautoka, we can arrange a return transfer between your accommodation and Kings Jetty, which is included in the retreat price. As the ferry departs early in the morning, we recommend arriving in Nadi or Lautoka the day before the retreat begins.
Alternatively, guests may travel with South Sea Cruises, departing from Denarau Marina at approximately 9:00 am. The South Sea Cruises fare is not included in the retreat package. The ferry arrives at Blue Lagoon Resort, where we can arrange a boat transfer with the Nabukeru Village guides to collect you and bring you to the village. This transfer is available at an additional cost of approximately FJD 300 return.
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Wifi is available around the main building only.
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A 50% deposit is necessary to secure your spot through bank transfer to Fijian bank account.
The remaining 50% is due upon arrival and can be paid through bank transfer or in cash.
Invoice will be sent out through email upon registration.
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The organizer reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the event if the group is not full. In this case you will receive a full refund.
The deposit is non-refundable but you may give your spot to someone else. or use it towards another retreat.
FAQ’S
A person is already perfect and perfectly funcioning. Yoga is only participation in this, not manipulation in any way.
U.G Krisnamurti
marianaaliveaslife@gmail.com