Path of Insight

8-Week Online Program & 1-Week In-Person Retreat with Eli Rechtschaffen, Rick William, John Freddy Cepeda, Sathyanarayani at Blue Spirit, Costa Rica

December 13 – 20, 2025

RETREATS + FACILITATORS FEATURED IN
path of insight

What Others Are Saying

All Details at a Glance

Join us for a transformational 8-week online journey and a powerful 7-day retreat in Costa Rica.

This immersive experience combines the best of ancient Amazonian healing, Buddhist practices, and Western psychology to support deep transformation from the inside out.

The first 4 weeks are designed to prepare your mind, body, and spirit for the retreat. Through weekly calls, embodiment practices, and intentional community connection, you’ll build the inner foundation to go deeper. You’ll also get to meet your full support team and fellow travelers before arriving in Costa Rica.

The retreat itself is a week of sacred ceremony, deep rest, and nervous system renewal. Set in the lush jungle near the Pacific, we’ll engage in guided Ambiwaska ceremonies and integrative practices—held in a safe, nurturing environment designed for release, revelation, and healing.

After returning home, the next 4 weeks of integration coaching ensure your insights become embodied changes. With continued support, you’ll have the tools and community to anchor your transformation and carry it into every area of life

Path of Insight

The 8-Week Transformational Journey

Week 0
The Opening Portal
(Half-Day Online Retreat)
"Set the Sacred Intention"
We open the space with presence. Meet your guides and community, align your journey with intention and purpose, and together we will begin preparing your mind, body, and heart for the journey ahead.
00
Week 0
The Opening Portal
(Half-Day Online Retreat)
Week 1
Grounding And Practice
"Safety, Stillness, and Nervous System Restoration"
Lay the foundation for deep transformation through breath, somatic tools, and regulation practices to build internal safety.
01
Week 1
Grounding And Practice
Week 2
Reclaiming the Inner Child & Core Wounds
"Healing the Roots"
Explore the origins of your limiting patterns, attachment styles, core wounds, and protective strategies—with compassion and clarity.
02
Week 2
Reclaiming the Inner Child & Core Wounds
Week 3
Strengthening the Witness & Rewiring Belief
"Freeing the Mind"
Integrate Western parts work and Buddhist awareness practices to observe, unblend, and rewire the narratives that shape your reality.
03
Week 3
Strengthening the Witness & Rewiring Belief
Week 4
Sacred Preparation
"Preparing the Vessel"
Learn how to navigate ceremony with presence. Receive ritual tools, energetic protocols, and journaling practices to align your inner compass before entering sacred space.
04
Week 4
Sacred Preparation
Week 5
The Costa Rica Retreat
(7-Day In-Person Immersion)
"Release, Receive, Remember"
A week of guided ceremony, somatic integration, and nature-based healing. Let go of what no longer serves and reconnect with your essential self in the sacred land of Costa Rica.
05
Week 5
The Costa Rica Retreat
(7-Day In-Person Immersion)
Week 6
Integration Begins
"Anchoring the Insights"
Return with reverence. Integrate your experience through gentle movement, mindful reflection, and support to stabilize your nervous system.
06
Week 6
Integration Begins
Week 7
Embodying a New Identity
"Living the Transformation"
Step into a new version of self. Define your values, vision, and relational agreements as a grounded leader in your life.
07
Week 7
Embodying a New Identity
Week 8
Completion & Continuation
"Closing the Circle, Opening the Path"
Celebrate, reflect, and set intentions for what comes next. Leave with clarity, confidence, and a community to walk beside you.
08
Week 8
Completion & Continuation
Our Community

What People Say

Where will the retreat take place?

Beautiful Costa Rica

Costa Rica, spanning 20,000 square miles in southern Central America, holds nearly 5% of the world’s biodiversity, protected within National Parks and nature reserves. Known for its ecological tourism and peaceful values, it boasts the longest democracy in Central America, no standing army for over 50 years, and a 95% literacy rate.
As a leader in environmental stewardship, Costa Rica is committed to sustainability and reducing its ecological footprint. With successful forestation efforts and progress in lowering CO2 emissions, the country aims to become the first carbon-neutral developing nation.

Blue Spirit Retreat Center

Blue Spirit provides an exceptional setting for those dedicated to spiritual transformation, personal growth, and environmental sustainability. Nestled on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean and a protected three-mile white sand beach, Blue Spirit offers stunning natural beauty on one of Costa Rica’s most renowned beaches. During your stay, you’ll enjoy comfortable, elegant accommodations, gourmet vegetarian cuisine, a saltwater infinity pool, koi pond, café, gift shop, spa and wellness services, outdoor excursions, and complimentary Wi-Fi.

Meet our team

EQ Mastery Coach, Life / Business Strategist

Rick William

Rick is a purpose coach and somatic therapist who has trained in trauma-informed coaching, breathwork, and meditation. After exiting his tech business at 25, he spent years studying with leading spiritual teachers and therapists around the world. Today, he offers his own sessions that combine somatic work, shadow integration, and mindfulness, guiding high-performing leaders to connect with deeper purpose and inner freedom. His approach is grounded, experiential, and designed to support lasting transformation from within.

Medicine-man

Eli Rechtschaffen

Eli was born in upstate New York and since a young age he has felt a strong connection with the spirits of nature. In his journey he found that the paths of meditation and shamanism have provided him the most supportive awakening tools.  Eli is a long-time practitioner of meditation where he has studied in many lineages and spent intensive time in retreats and in silence. He also has frequented the Amazon jungle and there he studied the medical plant medicines through the tutelage of the Ingano tribe. Eli is the founder of The Nature Within and leads medicine retreats in Costa Rica with the Taita Chindoy family. His life intention is to bring these sacred healing tools to all beings in order to support the collective awakening. 

Medicine-man

John Freddy Cepeda

John Freddy Cepeda is a practitioner of the sacred medicine path from the Sikuani tribe and is a brilliant medicine man, healer, and botanist. With over two decades of walking in the footsteps of his ancestors, John Freddy has devoted his life to working in harmony with nature and the plants of healing. Known for his powerful yet open-hearted presence, his work supports others in returning to their essence and remembering that all is spirit, energy, and connection.

Nature Mystic & Ritualist

Sathya Riveros

Sathya is a breathwork facilitator, she has trained in transformational breathwork and has guided sessions with over a hundred people over the last 3 years. Nowadays she offers her own sessions which have a combination of active breath, bodywork, somatic exercise, and meditation, to make a complete journey. These practices have a profound impact as a direct way to connect to one’s body-mind and spirit. As she has worked alongside the medicine her sessions have evolved with the intention of having a tool for preparation and integration in Ancestral Plant Medicine retreats.

Yoga teacher & medicine-woman

Mishy Matthews

medicine musician

Nicolás Garreta

8Weeks Preparation Coaching

Pre + Post Integration

To enhance your integration post retreat and prepare both mind and body for your sacred medicine experience, we have created a bespoke 8-week preparation program with your growth and journey in mind:

Welcome to

The Nature Within

Safe space, deep healing

what people say

Testimonials

Program Pricing

Total Investment

Room Rate + Program Fee

Program Fee
$1,950

+

Room Rate
($990 - $3,250)

FAQS

Read through some of the commonly asked questions below. If you still have a question, feel free to email the team for support at [email protected]

Read through some of the commonly asked questions below. If you still have a question, feel free to email the team for support at connect@
thenaturewithinus.com

Our retreats prioritize safety and care. Unlike some medicine retreats, ours are guided by a highly experienced team with decades of dedication to this path.

The ceremonies are led by Eli Rechtschaffen and John Freddy Cepeda, who together bring over 30 years of combined experience in the sacred medicine traditions. Eli has spent over 15 years devoted to meditation, intensive retreats, and training in the Amazon with the Ingano people, integrating self-practice modalities such as breathwork, Internal Family Systems, and silent practice. His intention is to share these sacred tools in support of collective awakening.

John Freddy Cepeda is a practitioner of the sacred medicine path from the Sikuani tribe, and is a brilliant healer, medicine man, and botanist. With more than two decades of walking in the footsteps of his ancestors, he has devoted his life to working in harmony with nature and the healing plants. Known for his powerful yet open-hearted presence, he supports others in remembering that all is spirit, energy, and connection.

Our team also ensures quality at every level. We carefully monitor the origin and preparation of the medicine, including where the plants are harvested, who prepares them, and the prayers infused into the sacred brew.

The Blue Spirit Retreat Center provides an impeccably maintained environment with nourishing food, a longevity center, ocean views, massage offerings, and beautiful surroundings. All of this creates a safe haven for rest, healing, and deep transformation.

Through the integration of ceremonies with practices such as meditation and breathwork, we create a container that is not only safe, but also joyous and deeply supportive of your journey. Please feel free to reach out if you have any doubts or concerns.
Upon arrival, you will be welcomed into the ceremonial space and given time to settle. The atmosphere is imbued with the vibration of prayer, and one of the team members will provide a detailed introduction with practical and spiritual tips to support your journey. This includes breathwork to calm the nervous system, guidance on prayer, ways to connect with the Yagé, and an overview of the evening’s flow.

Before the ceremony begins, the Shaman leading the ceremony will offer ancestral words and prayers over the medicine together with the team. The journey begins around 9 p.m. and continues until sunrise. Throughout the night, participants will receive healing directly from the Shaman and the support team. Live musicians will play, a fire will be present, and there will be moments for dance and connection with nature.

In the morning, space is held for questions, sharing, and integration, followed by a talk from the Shaman on ancestral wisdom and a shared breakfast. We recommend resting during the day, as our lineage often holds two consecutive nights of ceremony for deeper healing.

The first night may bring up emotions, pains, or traumas as the medicine cleanses the system, while the second night typically offers a lighter, more open experience that allows for deeper connection and insight.

If you were preparing for heart surgery, you would want to ensure that the procedure is performed by the best specialists available. Going to drink plant medicine is like going for a spiritual surgery where we are healing old karmic wounds, clearing energy stagnation in your subtle body, and coming back to wholeness. Who knows if this will be your only time drinking the medicine or if you will come to drink again.

Either way our spiritual growth is the most important thing we can invest in our whole lives. A well-nurtured spiritual path can bring balance and harmony to all other aspects of your life.

At our retreats, we recognize that each individual comes from different backgrounds and requires a unique set of tools to find peace. We integrate a wide range of modalities from various traditions, ensuring you have the most supportive tools to leave empowered and continue your journey toward true freedom.

With The Nature Within team, you can expect excellence and dedicated support. We look forward to supporting you on this transformative journey.

The most important thing is to ask your heart. Inside all of us, there is a calling to live with more love and to uncover our innate freedom. It is our journey to find what tools can support us in this inner discovery and to find a community in that exact search so we can remind each other when we inevitably fall off the path.

If you have never tried the medicine before and something is drawing you towards it, then it’s worth a try. Ultimately, it may not be a path you continue to follow, but it could also bring a beautiful shift in your life. If there is hesitancy around joining, know you can go at your own pace.

For example, if you prefer to start with a small amount, you can share this with us during your consultation, and we will work with you accordingly. Our elders always explain that this is a path of patience, so that we can find an appropriate rhythm.

We cannot make any guarantees. In the end it takes a certain desire and openness from each participant to walk through the door and step into a better life. However, we can guarantee that you will feel loved and supported by a community who will walk you towards the door. We do have many participants that have resolved all sorts of traumas, physical illness and other ailments.

The medicine is a very powerful ally who can support us in this healing process. Sometimes we may leave a retreat with a trauma completely resolved or other times we may leave with new found strength to continue our healing journey.

Key Practical Information

Blue Spirit is located in Nosara, Guanacaste in the Nicoya Peninsula. It is about 2.5 hours from the Liberia airport and is located on the beach. It is approximately a 10 minute drive from the town of Nosara.

For more location details, visit this link.

The retreats at Blue Spirit are from Saturday to Saturday. The first retreat activity takes place on Saturday evening and the last one is Friday evening. Arrivals and departures are best on Saturdays.

Due to the nature of this retreat, we ask all the participants to stay for the whole week. The first days are designed to prepare you for the ceremonies and after the ceremonies, there are integration tools that will be shared. Everything is important. Please, if you need to leave, contact a team member.

CHECK IN & CHECK OUT TIMES

  • General Check In time for all rooms is 4:00 p.m.
  • General Check Out time for all rooms is 10:00 a.m.
  • Guests’ luggage can be stored at the Front Desk at no charge before or after the indicated hours on arrival and departure days.

If you would like to arrive early or stay extra, please see the answer to this question below.

WHAT-TO-BRING-LIST

  • Don’t forget to pack: Beach-towel, Camera/batteries/charger, alarm clock, sunscreen, sun hat, bathing suit, water bottle, natural bug repellent, your special medication, and hiking sandals. We also recommend bringing a flashlight if you are staying in an eco-cottage or a tent. Pack a light rain jacket as it does rain often here.
  • Costa Rica is warm but layers are helpful as the temperature can drop in the evenings and the medicine also can cause fluctuations in your body temperature.
  • Bring comfortable clothes, we traditionally use white during ceremonies, but any color is fine. the most important thing is to be comfortable.
  • You may want to bring some sacred objects: crystals, essentials oils and any other sacred objects. The Taita can bless these objects for you in the ceremonies.
  • You can bring a photo of a family member or friend that is suffering severely from a mental or physical illness and the Taita will offer healing to them from distance in the ceremony.
  • Bring a swimsuit and a travel towel or shawl for the steam baths we offer that help integrate your experience.
  • A water bottle
  • A flashlight
  • Socks

THE CLOSEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO BLUE SPIRIT IS LIBERIA INT’L AIRPORT (LIR)

Approximately a two-hour drive, Blue Spirit has multiple shuttles picking up guests at the Liberia Airport on Saturdays ONLY. 

Note: shuttle not included.

According to the arrival times of all major airlines, there are group shuttle pickup times ranging between 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. for all flights arriving from midday to early afternoon, and between 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. for all flights arriving in the evening.

You can book your shuttle to/from LIR airport here.

***IMPORTANT: Please reserve your shuttle on the Thursday prior to your arrival before 12pm CST at the latest. Transportation requests and/or changes after this deadline must be made directly via e-mail to [email protected] or via a phone call. If you are already in Costa Rica dial +506 2656-8300, otherwise please call our US number (845) 684-2007.

Shuttle reservations sent via this form later than Thursday prior your arrival 12pm CST are NOT processed, even though you may receive a confirmation e-mail.
If you are arriving out of schedule contact Blue Spirit for options at [email protected].

If flying through SJO airport (4 hours driving distance), we recommend this transportation company.

Upon request, booking a private taxi is possible but there is limited availability for this service.

If you would like to arrive early or stay extra nights, please contact Blue Spirit directly: [email protected]

The Nature Within reserves the right to cancel a program at any time. If The Nature Within cancels a program, you will receive a full refund. A refund, minus 3% stripe fee of your room cost and a $200 processing fee, will be offered for cancellations made on or before the close of business, 45 days before each program.

No refund or credit will be offered for cancellations made with less than 45 days notice; if you do not show up; or if you leave a program early.

We highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance, which insures you against unforeseen sickness, injury, job loss, inclement weather, and more.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

We understand that plans can change. Please get in touch with us immediately if you need to make adjustments or discuss your options. Your cooperation allows us to maintain the integrity of our retreats and provide the best experience for everyone involved.

To honor this beautiful commitment, we ask that you review and agree to the following terms:

  • Cancellations made 45 days or more before the retreat start date will be refunded minus a $200 processing fee. The $200 processing fee covers administrative costs associated with booking and cancellation. Additionally, the 5% credit card processing fee is non-refundable.
  • Cancellations made within 45 days of the retreat start date are not eligible for a refund.
  • Refunds or credits will not be issued if you are a ‘no-show’ or have an early departure.
  • In certain situations, we may offer a credit toward a future retreat.
  • Credits are valid 12 months from the issue date and can only be applied once.
  • If a credit is applied to a deposit and the participant does not attend, the credit will be forfeited.
  • An additional deposit will be required if a credit is applied to a future retreat.
  • If The Nature Within cancels a retreat for any reason, participants will receive a full refund of all payments made.

At The Nature Within, our retreats require thoughtful preparation and care to create a safe and nurturing environment.

We strongly encourage participants to purchase travel insurance to protect against unexpected events such as illness, travel disruptions, or unforeseen emergencies that may prevent attendance.

Thank you for understanding and helping us uphold the sacred space of our work together.

Embark on a Transformative Journey

Do you have any questions or concerns about joining a retreat? Schedule a free discovery call and let’s explore the possibilities together.