Wild Heart Writing Retreat

with Mirabai Starr

Offer the lead of your story to the flames of creativity

Bacalar, Quintana Roo, Mexico
February 11-16, 2026

You are invited to the serene tropical paradise of magical Mexico for the Wild Heart Writing Retreat

"Our writing retreats have bloomed into a truly transformative experience, weaving abundant writing sessions with guided movement, chanting, exquisite food, intimacy with the natural world, and connection to local culture."

— A Grateful Participant, Wild Heart Writing Retreat

"Go! It will open your heart, heal your body, help you know yourself and give you hope for the new world that is emerging."

— Erin A., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"Come and discover who you really are and are called to be. Transformation happens gently upon your soul."

— Michelle H., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

— Gregory & Neil, Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

Find the freedom to speak your deepest truths

Join us for an intimate gathering in magical Mexico with six days of writing, practice, time in nature, delicious food and community connection.

We will visit a spectacular but little-known Mayan archeological site where we will write at the pyramids, followed by a traditional lunch served by our indigenous friends in a small village nearby. It promises to be a highlight of our time together.

And as long as you're coming all that way, we encourage you to build in extra days to explore some of the many special places in the Yucatan Peninsula or neighboring Belize. Beaches and bird sanctuaries! Mayan ruins and museums! Artisans and healers!

"It was a beautifully woven tapestry of loving support, inspiration, guidance and nurturing to open our hearts and let the words flow."

— Kathia L., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"Come, bring your walls and your soft heart to be nourished as story after story falls out of you."

— Andi C., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

Are you longing for creative tender space to write your story?

Would you like to generate a large quantity of writing over a short period?
Does the company of other people writing their story feel like refuge?
Is your wild heart ready to be revealed and witnessed?
Do you feel drawn to the magic of Mexico?

"If you need time away from the noisy world, go to Wild Heart. There, in the middle of a silent mind, the creative will accompany you."

— Pilar C., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"Writing as a spiritual practice honors our stories as holy and mysterious; sometimes beautiful, sometimes terrible. It is in the telling that they open us to a vast new inner landscape."

— Mirabai Starr

JOIN US IN BACALAR - APPLY NOW

What to expect during the retreat...

Join us for six days of guided writing exercises, deep dialog, and practice in a serene atmosphere.

Most of our activities will take place in a soaring, open-air palapa on the shore of the sacred Caribbean lagoon, surrounded by birdsong and tropical flowers, served by a world-class restaurant specializing in regional cuisine. Halfway through our time together, we will visit a nearby archaeological site, Chacchoben, where our friend Alma will guide us, introducing us to the prehistory, sacred architecture, and healing plants of the zone, followed by a traditional meal outdoors in Alma's village, cooked by her family on a comal over an open fire. Magic upon magic!

Writing

Each day we will dive into guided writing exercises and deep dialog with teachings from Mirabai about writing as a spiritual practice.

Dialogue

You will be able to share your work in small circles of soul companions and bear witness to the sacred creation of others.

Community

Take refuge in the company of other people on a path of radical transformation.

Movement

Each morning we will practice Body Temple yoga and dance with Adriana, accessible to all bodies and abilities, as a way to set our bodies free and allow our creativity to move through us.

Chanting

Steep in sacred song with guided chants from Willow. These will weave naturally into our practice of expression with an invitation to inhabit your beautiful voice as a prayer, exactly as it is.

Meditation

Grant access to your inner landscape with contemplative and embodied meditation practices.

A Pyramid Writing Excursion

Experience a captivating day at the pyramids, guided by a local expert, with a delightful lunch and a unique opportunity to engage in inspired writing amidst the ancient wonders.

"YES! Go—get there however you can! You will be held in love, nourished in community & supported in (re)connecting to your heart's song."

— Alexandra R., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"This retreat is pure medicine of the heart, the safest place on earth."

— Karen M., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"The friends you make will last a lifetime."

— Steve S., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"Be ready to be nourished in body, mind and spirit and to connect to your deeper desire to express yourself and be seen."

— Kathia L., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"The salon was holy space—so much holy space throughout the time together actually!"

— Heather N., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"Go, Girl, Go! And men too!"

— Dave C., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

JOIN US IN BACALAR

Ready to astonish yourself and nourish the world with your words?

We welcome you to six days of connection as Mirabai shares teachings on writing as a spiritual practice and offers a series of guided exercises to help you access your authentic voice and tell the truths you may not have even realized have ripened inside you. You will be able to share your work in small circles of soul companions and bear witness to the beauty and bravery of others who are navigating the terrain of the wild heart.

"To be in such an open-hearted community with no feelings of competition or hierarchy was life-changing. It was a safe space where all anxiety melted away like ice in the hot sun!"

— Jackie Kelly, Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"Don't miss it, whatever you do! If you're even the least bit curious or intrigued, sign up as soon as possible! It will change you forever in the best possible way! It will crack open your heart and introduce you to the world inside that's waiting!"

— Jackie K., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"If you're searching for your voice and want help expressing it, this retreat will open your heart and illuminate your interior life. You will be carefully and lovingly guided through a process of self-discovery and self-expression."

— Neil T., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"Don't miss this opportunity to have your heart set on fire, your joy elevated, and your essence to be truly seen and heard."

— Deb B., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"If you want to write about your spiritual journey—letting go and following your soul, this is the retreat for you."

— Anna Christine, Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"If you want to open to your authentic voice in an immersive environment, go to a retreat with Wild Heart. Though it is open, available and worthy of all spiritual warriors, those who are processing deep loss, this is the place for you."

— Maria M., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

Your Guide

Meet Mirabai

Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author, internationally acclaimed speaker, and interspiritual teacher. Drawing from 20 years of teaching Philosophy and World Religions and a lifetime of practice, Mirabai shares her wisdom worldwide on contemplative living, writing as a spiritual practice, and the transformational power of grief and loss.

She has authored over a dozen books including Wild Mercy, Caravan of No Despair, and renowned translations of sacred literature. Her most recent book, Ordinary Mysticism, has been praised by Anne Lamott as "a gorgeous, transformative, welcoming book is for anyone who longs to feel more present, more alive, more joyful and aware of the holiness of daily life". She lives with her extended family in the mountains of northern New Mexico.

"It's the perfect place to feel safe enough to write vulnerably."

— Caroline, Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

Our Retreat Team

Body Temple Movement with Adriana Rizzolo

Adriana will share her Body Temple Dance practices to help us integrate and celebrate. She will hold space for somatic healing, body tending and awakening our creativity. She has experience working with transforming trauma into purpose and has a strong space for both deep rest as well as energy activation. Through mantra, breath, movement and exploring the imagination, together we will deepen in soul love while embodying our humanness more fully. Adriana guides others in taking their role as leaders in the feminine healing arts, in which Mirabai has been a massive inspiration and teacher.

"Body Temple! Broke me open."

— Pat F., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"Let's get more guys to the dance floor so they can help their women change the world."

— Dave C., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"I really loved the soft approach. Body Temple was so awesome—did a good job easing us into our bodies. Same with the community aspect! Never felt forced."

— Kaitlin, Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

Sacred Song with Willow Brook

Willow will weave chanting and song from a multitude of sacred traditions into our retreat, offering a space of profound beauty. An earth loving educator, seeker, artist and friend on fire for love, truth and embodied liberation, Willow is the co-founder of Wild Heart and has led retreats with Mirabai since 2021. With a lifetime of experience on an interspiritual path and a decade of experience teaching in classrooms across the world, Willow brings devotional song and prayer into everything she does.

"There were a lot of layers cornering what I was hoping to write and there was never a push to get anywhere. Offers of song, dance, tea, rest, writing, community allowed the story to emerge when it was ready, when it felt safe."

— Anne Woods, Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"It's going to crack you open to a new way of being! Also boys, don't be shy, this work is needed and goes beyond gender. Take a walk on the wild (heart) side."

— Manny F., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

With support from Monika Denise Burkholder & Manny Fassihi

Access your authentic voice

"I feel softened, and I am ready to receive at a whole new level. I feel more alive in a different way."

— Heidi R., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"What has been significant for me in sharing this time with people is not only the information about the process of writing as a means of spiritual transformation, but also the beautiful people who come here to share their hearts."

— Tom C., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

"Writing without knowing what might lie ahead is positively stunning. To see what shows up each time, that in and of itself is life changing."

— Leslie C., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

— Karen, Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

APPLY NOW

Emerge with a revitalized connection to the core of your experience, and a fearless voice to tell about it.

By the end of our retreat, together we will have...

Created a body of writing you can shape into a finished piece
Generated a list of evocative prompts to be able to continue writing
Forged bonds of community connection
Laid down the burden of concealing and containing your real feelings
Learned songs, chants, meditations and body practices to integrate your life experience

"The retreat cracked me open to a deeper level of writing, one that reconnected me with the written word. It's like it unblocked all of these things that were getting in the way of my voice through a beautifully diverse set of practices."

— Manny F., Wild Heart Writing Retreat Participant

Where we will be...

Our Wild Heart Writing Retreat will be at the beautiful Rancho Encantado in Bacalar, Mexico. This is the eco-lodge Mirabai's family built in the jungle on the shores of the sacred Laguna Bacalar over 40 years ago and then sold around 15 years ago to a wonderful family who has grown it into a magical resort and retreat center, still deeply attuned to the land and people of this tropical lagoon, known as the "Lake of the Seven Blues."

"I have led workshops here for decades and written many of the pages you may have read in my books during solo retreats at my family's home adjoining Rancho Encantado. It is truly one of the most spiritually potent, culturally vibrant and physically beautiful places I know. I can't wait to share it with you."