All I Want for Christmas
Two years ago, one of the students in my Cosmic Alchemy class gifted a Yinsa retreat to Italy to her daughter. I had never spoken to Zinniah, but her Mom insisted that "she deserved this."
When I met her the first day, I was enamored by all that she was. A very young entrepreneur who was wise well beyond her years. She had traveled the world as a celebrity hairdresser, had her own organic haircare line, and started a non-profit for girls. She connected with all of the guests who ranged in age from 26-66. No one will ever forget this girl.
Last night, she reached out to me to share that she would be mentioning the Italy retreat from 2024 in the first episode of her new podcast. She asked how I wanted her to name it, as it was the beginning of a transformational year for her. Two years later, and it's still on her mind. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for this acknowledgment.
You can learn more about Zinniah below...
Also last night, I was a guest on Punta Cana Hits, a radio station based in Dominican Republic. I was asked a seemingly easy question; "what types of transformations do people experience on your retreats?" I never really know how to answer that.
For most people , we can't name the specific moment or experience on a retreat that changes us. I know that people come to me with fears or limiting beliefs that tend to shift dramatically, but whenever I ask clients - "what was the moment?" - it's hard for them to name it. The experience is truly comprehensive. The yoga classes are geared toward the students in the room, the workshops are sometimes triggering, sometimes validating, but always memorable for people. The time we spend talking on the couch for hours, or during grueling hikes, or braiding each others hair - they're all a part of something bigger. These retreats are about leaving life as you know it for a week or 10 days, and returning a different person. How or why or when? I've come to believe only God knows.
I am reminded of this as the holidays often have a way of amplifying everything we need to shift.
Sometimes it's what we’re grateful for or tired of or what we’ve been carrying quietly all year. I remember my Mom saying EVERY YEAR - "I don't want to put a tree up this year." I was annoyed every time and I never understood why she was such a grinch, but now that I am older, I get it. There is so much pressure, especially on women, to do all the things.
Holiday season is meant to be about connection, but for many of us it has become about performance; how we are showing up, holding it together, making it look okay, and pushing our own needs to the side until January.
This is often where self-abandonment hides best.
Not in crisis or chaos, but in tradition or obligation.
In “I’ll deal with myself after the holidays.”
I know this pattern intimately.
There were years when my life looked stable and successful on paper, but every holiday season I felt a quiet grief I couldn’t name. A sense that I was living for everyone else’s expectations; my job, my role, my responsibilities - all while slowly leaving myself behind.
Leaving New York, my safety and stability and the life I was supposed to want didn’t come from recklessness.
It came from listening to what my body had been telling me for years.
Self-love isn’t something we add on once life is calm.
It’s something we choose in the middle of life, especially when it would be easier not to.
My Retreat in the Dominican Republic this February 13–18 is about choosing yourself, for once.
It's not meant to be an escape from your life, but a return to prioritizing yourself.
Slow mornings without alarms.
Practices that regulate the nervous system.
Honest conversations without fixing or performing.
Space to hear yourself again.
There are 3 spots left.
Here are the remaining options:
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$3,500 — shared room, no flights
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$4,000 — shared room, with flights
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$4,500 — single room, no flights
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$5,000 — single room, with flights (one left)
I’m sharing this because the holidays invite reflection. If something in you is whispering “I can’t keep doing it this way,” that voice deserves attention.
You don’t have to make a dramatic declaration.
You don’t have to burn anything down.
Sometimes self-love begins with a quiet decision to stop abandoning yourself.
If this retreat feels like part of that decision, you can find all the details below
If it's not for you, let this be your reminder anyway:
You are allowed to want more ease.
You are allowed to choose rest without earning it.
You are allowed to choose yourself, even during the holidays.
If you want to meet Zinniah, or learn more about what we do on retreat, you can watch a video from our retreat to Tuscany below:
I pray you navigate this holiday season with ease, and that you choose yourself as often as you can.
With Love,
Daniele
P.S. Most guests attend solo. This retreat is designed to be safe, supportive, and grounding, especially if you’re coming on your own.
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