Practical Magic NYC

January 15-17, 2027

 

A 3-Day Weekend Retreat in New York City
BOOK YOUR SPOT TODAY

Do you have a story that lives inside you — one you have never found the words for? Have you been carrying something you cannot quite name, feeling stuck or stagnant, longing to play and express and feel joy again?

Maybe all of those things?

If that sounds like you, join us for a 3-day weekend retreat in NYC — no passport required. Practical Magic NYC is a powerful experience built around the arc of narrative therapy, Katonah yoga, and the magic square framework. This includes the practice of separating who you are from the stories that have defined you, and using personal narrative writing as the primary healing practice.

If you have felt disconnected from your own voice, this is your invitation to find it again.

Over three days in NYC, facilitated by Felipe and Irene, we will move through somatic work, body biography, storytelling, and writing practices. Each day moves through a thematic stage — from curiosity to mapping to reauthoring — guided by the magic square and lived experience. Expect a weekend of depth, transformation, and community. Limited to 20 participants.

Meet Your Facilitators

Felipe brings the framework of Katonah yoga and the magic square — a geometric system for understanding the self, the body, and the patterns that shape our lives. His teaching weaves together somatic practice, movement, and body biography into a language of transformation that is both rigorous and deeply playful.

Irene is a narrative therapist who guides participants through the practice of separating themselves from the stories that have defined them, and reauthoring those stories with intention. Her work creates the conditions for people to find their voice and reclaim their own narrative.

Together, Felipe and Irene have created a retreat experience that holds both structure and spaciousness — designed for people who are ready to do real work in an intimate, supported community.

 

WHAT YOU'LL EXPERIENCE

 

Friday, January 15 · 6–8pm
  • Welcome dinner at the retreat venue
  • Introduction to the magic square framework
  • Breathwork with Felipe and Irene
Saturday, January 16 · 10am–6pm
  • Body biography — mapping your story through the body
  • Hexagon activity — exploring your narrative landscape
  • Storytelling and personal narrative writing
  • Somatic movement and Katonah yoga
Sunday, January 17 · 10am–6pm + Closing Dinner
  • Writing your new story — reauthoring session
  • Letter from home — somatic integration practice
  • Cultural iceberg and individual mapping
  • Closing celebration dinner with the group
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Meet Your Teachers

Daniele Gates

Founder and CEO - Yinsa 

 

With over 15 years of experience leading transformational travel around the world — from Costa Rica to Washington D.C., Bali, the Dominican Republic, and Italy — Daniele has cultivated brave, inclusive spaces for healing and self-discovery.

A Certified Educator and Yoga and Energy Medicine Practitioner, Daniele specializes in yoga, Ayurveda, somatic healing, and chakra-based work. Her deep understanding of teaching in inclusive spaces, along with these modalities, informs the full retreat experiences she designs. This includes curriculum creation, budgeting, venue scouting, marketing, and team leadership.

Daniele is deeply committed to ethically, intentionally, and sustainably hosting retreats that honor the land, respect local cultures, and serve participants with care and consciousness.

Irene Yannascoli

Teacher, writer, peer counselor, and mom

 

Irene Yannascoli is a teacher at Brooklyn Tech High School, writer, peer counselor and wife, and mom.

She began her teaching career as a writing and GED teacher working with incarcerated adults, and then shifted to high school as an English teacher in the NYC Public Schools.

Following a late term pregnancy loss in 2018, Irene began working as a peer counselor for individuals experiencing trauma related to pregnancy loss.

She writes about grief, teaching, motherhood and healing. On any given Saturday, she can be found sweating it out on her Peloton, or playing with her daughter at the local playground.

Felipe Gonzalez

RYT and Katonah Yoga® teacher

 


Felipe is a 500 hour ERYT and Katonah Yoga® teacher based in New York City teaching at Equinox. Drawn to the practices of Vinyasa Krama, Bhakti, and Katonah Yoga® his teachings are rooted in an integration of breath, body, and imagination. He has also spent the last 9 years learning, exploring, and holding conversations at the intersections of yoga and social justice.

Felipe has completed his Master's in Clinical Social Work at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. He leads classes, workshops, retreats, and trainings both locally and internationally. He guides his practices with an artist's soul and a healer's heart.

Who is this for?

 

Solo travelers, friends, and small groups who want meaningful travel, real depth, and genuine community. No writing experience necessary. No yoga experience necessary. Beginners are not just welcome, they are often the most courageous people in the room.

 

What's Included:

 

  • All programming across 3 days — Katonah yoga sessions, narrative therapy workshops, body biography practice, and facilitated writing sessions
  • Welcome dinner at the retreat venue
  • Daily yoga and movement with Felipe Gonzalez
  • All narrative writing workshops with Irene Yannascoli
  • On-site support from the Yinsa team
  • Welcome gift + retreat workbook and curated reading list
  • Private online community

Practical Magic NYC · January 15–17, 2027

NYC · Limited to 20 participants

FULL PAYMENT

$699 per person

-

3-day weekend retreat

All sessions, materials, and closing dinner included

PAYMENT PLAN

3 Ă— $250

-

Split into 3 payments

First payment due at registration

SINGLE ROOM DEPOSIT

$250

PER PERSON

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DOUBLE ROOM DEPOSIT

$250

PER PERSON

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Payment Plans Available

Testimonials from Our Portugal Retreat

This was my 4th retreat with Daniele.  She aways creates a space full of magic, love and healing. Thank you, thank you and thank you for helping me on my journey to self love and healing. 

Lisa B.

This group was so special. I felt like I have known them for years. Not once did I ever feel judged or left out. Everyone came willing to open up and do the work. Which I believe allowed each of us to accept one another and give our love back to one another ten fold. 

Lindsay R.

'I thought the workshops were great. You are a great leader, and I think our group was wonderful and very easy to open up and share with. They made me comfortable. 

L.M.

EXTENDED FINANCING OPTIONS

 

For those who prefer longer payment terms, you may also use Klarna, Affirm, or PayPal Credit to extend payments up to 36 months (approval required through the provider). This option allows you to customize your monthly budget while still securing your retreat now.

BOOK YOUR SPOT TODAY

 

Your Story is Waiting to be Rewritten

 

If you are ready to go deep, write honestly, move your body, and find community with people who are serious about their own becoming , join us in NYC for a transformative 3-day weekend of depth, connection, and

 

BOOK YOUR SPOT TODAY

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