New Year’s Yoga Vacation in Mexico

Puerto Morelos with Tara Sherman & Mary Bue
December 27th 2024 - January 3rd 2026

Join us.

Sun. Warmth. Yoga. Ring in the New Year like never before with a yoga vacation that welcomes you and your loved ones to the sleepy village of Puerto Morelos in sunny Mexico!

Enjoy gentle and soulful yoga practices, a private concert, and a New Year's day ritual to set your intentions in motion. Everything is optional and rest and rejuvenation supported and encouraged on this yoga vacation experience. Leisurely walks on the beach, dips in the private pool, and delicious cuisine catered by Dora, owner of John Gray’s Kitchen. You may also enjoy snorkeling or scuba diving in the world's 2nd longest reef just 200 yards offshore which has recently been made into a national park reserve, adding on an adventure to a cenote, or luxuriating in bodywork to ring in 2025 refreshed.

Puerto Morelos is located just 20 minutes south (and a world away) from Cancun as it has avoided most of the expansion that's happened in the area in the last 20 years. Our vacation location Villas Shanti has long been home to yoga retreats and is located just 1 block from the beach.

Your guides Tara Cindy Sherman and Mary Bue are seasoned retreat hosts and spiritual aspirants, and bring peace, love, and a little rock and roll. Expect deep conversations and a lot of laughter.

Yoga, Ceremony & Rejuvenation

Our utmost intention for this week is rejuvenation, relaxation, and fun! Everything is optional, with many opportunities built in for sacred rest and reflection. You are most welcome to opt out of any excursion or practice to sit by the pool, stare at the sea, take a walk, or choose your own adventure.

Our yoga vacation will include

  • 2 Yoga Classes Daily except on free day

  • Yoga Nidra (“Sleep of the Yogi”)

  • Mantra / Chanting / Sacred Sound practices

  • Meditation techniques

  • 3 Dinners & 5 Brunches catered by Dora from John Gray's Kitchen

  • Opening & Closing Ceremonies

  • Mini Concert by Mary Bue

  • Ocean 1 block away

  • Wonderful restaurants within walking distance

  • Charming town square with festivities walking distance away

Retreat Details

Learn more about registering, your lodging, your hosts, and what’s included

  • Villas Shanti has long been home to yoga retreats and is located just 1 block from the beach.

    Accommodations include comfortable sleeping and living space, tiled floors, modern bath with shower, kitchenette, ceiling fans, AC and drinking water with rooms that overlook a beautiful courtyard and private pool.

    There is a yoga studio for our practices complete with props.

  • Retreat package includes

    Rooms with a small kitchen and outdoor space to sit

    Purified Water Jugs in each room

    AC room

    3 Dinners & 5 Brunches catered by Dora from John Gray's Kitchen

    2 Yoga Classes Daily except on free day

    Prop Rental

    Opening & Closing Ceremonies

    Mini Concert by Mary Bue

    Ocean 1 block away

    Wonderful restaurants walking distance away

    Charming town square with festivities walking distance away

    Other Options at an extra fee:

    Eco friendly and culturally enriching excursions with Eric

    Snorkeling by boat (it's easy to snorkel on your own too ;)

    Bodywork by Martina (there are other options to get massage on the beach as well)

  • Flights

    Transportation to Villas Shanti from Cancun international airport. We can help arrange for a reasonable fee.

    Meals outside of the villa. 3 dinners and 5 brunches are included in our package. There are many beautiful restaurants within walking distance and grocery stores. Your room provides full kitchen and refrigerator should you choose to cook.

    Travel insurance (Mary highly recommends AIG Travel Guard)

    Medical care

    international phone / internet fees your provider may have

    Passport or visa fees if you plan to stay longer

  • TARA CINDY SHERMAN

    My first introduction to the yogic path was in 1970 when at the age of 13 I read Siddartha by Hermann Hesse. The wisdom in that book made such an impression on me that I taught myself to meditate by gazing into the flame of a candle, many years later I learned that this technique is called trataka and is a valid tantric technique for meditation. Though I didn’t continue to practice for very long, being exposed to Eastern teachings at such a young age made a lasting impression on me. The inner knowing that there is more to life than the “seen” world is what drew me to, and keeps me on a yogic path, and is what I strive to bring to all of my classes.

    In 1987 I returned to a regular practice of meditation and soon discovered the joy of hatha yoga. In 1993 I received my first 200 Yoga Teacher Certification at Expanding Light in Grass Valley, CA and have been teaching yoga ever since. That same year I was initiated into the tantric form of meditation known as Kriya Yoga as taught by Paramahansa Yogananda.

    Since that time here are some of the certifications and trainings that I have taken: DansKinetics from Kirpalu Center in 1999, Atma Yoga from Christopher Baxter in 2001, Ashtanga with Doug Swenson in 2002, Yoga of the Heart Cardiac & Cancer with Nischala Devi in 2004, JAI Prenatal with Jennifer Gray in 2006, Yin yoga with Paulie Zink in 2007, Yogic Mystery School and trip to India with Russill Paul studying Nada yoga in 2008, Vini Yoga with Gary Kraftsow in 2012, and goddess philosophy and meditation with Sally Kempton at Mt. Madonna in 2014.

    Over the years I’ve brought together all of my favorite teachings and experiences into what I’ve named Radiant Shakti Flow which incorporates the Hindu Goddesses, ritual, chanting, drumming yogic warms, creative movement and yoga nidra for a full experience of the sacred.

    I had the great pleasure to drum for Shakti Chant Band who preformed kirtans around town for 8 years, and now play in Shakti Bhava with my dear friend Coco.

    Teaching yoga has brought great blessings to my life. I taught workshops, immersions, and drop-in classes at Yoga Center of Minneapolis (YCM) from 2000-2018. I was also involved with YCM’s 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program and taught in the Advanced 500-hour training there. Currently, I teach at Minneapolis Yoga Training and Wellness. I feel it both an honor and blessing to help train teachers in this ancient art and science so that the full wisdom of yoga is passed on.

    MARY BUE

    Mary Bue is a registered yoga teacher (e-RYT 500), an indie musician, and a teacher in the Viniyoga tradition, a breath-centered, flowing practice that believes in adapting postures to fit the whole person (not forcing a person to fit into a posture!). Mary received her certification at Whole Life Yoga in Seattle, WA by Tracy Weber, (student of Gary Kraftsow, student of T.K.V. Desikachar) and her 300-hour from Yoga Center Retreat (formerly Yoga Center of Minneapolis). In 2020, Mary received an additional 200-hour certificate in Nada Yoga (the Yoga of Sound) from Nada Yoga School in Rishikesh India.

    Mary has pursued continuing yoga education in prenatal yoga, yoga for anxiety & depression, pranayama, and 30 hour-certification in Trauma-informed Yoga with Firefly Yoga International. Mary was a teaching assistant for Whole Life Yoga’s ten month long, 200-hour teacher training in 2010 and has also assisted in WLY’s “Yoga for Healthy Backs” Series. She has her bachelor’s degree in psychology, with an emphasis on Transpersonal Psychology from the University of Minnesota – Duluth. Mary has also received volunteer training in sexual assault victim advocacy from PAVSA and domestic violence victim support from DAIP. She founded and ran Imbue Yoga Studio in S. Mpls for nearly 3 years (closing Jan. 2019).

    As a wanderer-luster and experience junkie, she has worked in many types of jobs: as a clinical research assistant in a prison & hospital, an AIDS prevention outreach worker on the streets and harm reduction work in needle exchanges, as well as many hundreds of hours as a server, bartender and barista.

    In her life as a musician Mary has toured in 40+ states, released 7 albums, been awarded four artist grants, enjoyed three Artist in Residence awards, and has served on the board and steering committee of the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival.

    All of these experiences culminate in the guiding of Creativity and Yoga Retreats. Mary has led and co-led retreats in Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Bali, Malta, Ireland, and Italy.

    Mary is an avid runner (10 half marathons and two full marathons), nature lover and vegan. In her spare time, she enjoys playing music, cooking, writing blogs, poetry and in journals, painting cow portraits, reading non-fiction and traveling.

  • INVESTMENT:

    Single $2799  

    Double $2199 per person

    $1000 Deposit due by August 15, 2025

    Balance due by November 1, 2025

    Non-refundable $500 admin fee for cancellations

    Balance (after fee) fully refundable up to 8 weeks before retreat

    Balance (after fee) half refundable up to 4 weeks before retreat

    No refunds less than 4 weeks in advance of retreat unless you find a friend to take your spot and then fully refundable (after fee)

    To register send deposit to:

    treespirityoga@gmail.com on Zelle

    Cindy-Sherman-15on Venmo --NOTE--Please put an emoji in the subject line as we already pay taxes and fees for all monies received 

    or send a check to Cindy Sherman ~ kindly email her at treespirityoga@gmail.com for address

    REFUND POLICY:

    All money can be refunded up to 30 days prior to the retreat less the deposit. No refunds after that unless your spot can be filled.

    ** Foreign travel may require vaccinations for COVID-19. Please take into consideration before registering for this retreat that there will be no refunds for anyone who doesn’t get the potentially required vaccination for foreign air travel.

    *** In case of extreme personal circumstances, we will consider full refunds less small administration fee on a case by case basis if your spot can be filled. Retreat may be transferred to another guest with permission from host, however it is not the responsibility of the host to find a replacement.