Join a beautiful
& exotic journey
04-10 October 2024
With a heartfelt welcome and great enthusiasm, we invite you to our Yin Song – Inner Connection Retreat, an unforgettable adventure in Brazil’s Caribbean of the Amazon this autumn.
Imagine yourself beside a mighty river surrounded by white beaches as far as the eye can see, embraced by the wonders of nature and the songs of monkeys and birds as you delve deep into self-discovery and renewal. This magical retreat venue is created, owned, and operated by the owners of Grateful Nature and is called Paraiso da Vida – Retreat & Community, perhaps you have already heard of the place?
Join us for a 6-day exotic retreat in Paradise for deeper inner connection. Our retreat brings you into a sacred space to awaken the connection between you and your inner universe.
We will spend the days together, immersed in nurturing practices and experiences, including yin yoga, meditation, cacao ceremonies, sound journeys, music, and nature experiences. You are invited to explore your inner self and discover your true essence and inner authenticity.
The retreat offers you a space for connection and renewal. A transformative experience you will remember for the rest of your life!
You will engage in tools and practices to cultivate presence, self-awareness, and harmony in body, soul, and mind.
On our schedule, you will find daily yoga and meditation practices. Each day will include various workshops and experiences, including sound healing, expressive workshops, music, breathing exercises, ceremonies, cacao, our own private concert with Chris, and more.
The program for our retreat is carefully crafted to offer both peace and rest, as well as a container where growth and healing can take place.
We are truly looking forward to sharing this experience with you and hope you will join us.
Our guides
Iselin Amanda Støylen
Born on Tromøya, an island south in Norway, Iselin spent her childhood years immersed in nature surrounded by animals. She grew up with the forests and fields as her playground, and in many ways feels she was raised by Mother Nature.
Today Iselin lives in the Byron hinterlands at the east coast of Australia. She is a passionate practitioner of herbal medicine and medical astrology. Drawing from her experience as a child, where nature always seemed like the best medicine, Iselin assists people in finding harmony and balance through connecting the mind-body-spirit relationship, and with Earth as the ultimate healer.
Iselin works with plants and people through a holistic approach, emphasising the understanding of both the physical and energetic makeup of humans and herbs, and how these interact with one another. She has spent the last decade immersed in studies of nutrition, yoga, meditation, herbal medicine, fertility awareness and medical astrology, and has an approach to health that is holistic, earth-based and attainable.
Iselin is an experienced yoga teacher, with almost a decade of teaching experience. Iselin offers gentle and grounded yoga classes, weaving both yin yoga and gentle flow.
Christopher Mapstone
Mapstone’s music is deeply rooted in conscious lyrics, thoughtful rhythms, and melodic, earthly melodies. He blends and bends medicine, reggae, folk music, and world music into a unique fusion and expression.
A song carrier, a musical mystic, a weaver of melody and rhythm. Chris Mapstone has spent a decade traveling in multi-dimensional musical realms. He has shared his heart and music around the world at festivals, events, retreats, teepees, fires, and ceremonies. His music continues to grow and flourish as he follows the music and inspiration where it is needed. Having shared stages and spaces with other visionary artists like Murray Kyle, Darpan, and Lulu and Mischka. Chris’s musical path is one of healing and service; it is a deep dive into the mystery, wrapped in a warm blanket of love and grace.
By combining voice, Yidaki (didgeridoo), percussion, guitar, and flutes, Mapstone weaves an uplifting and enchanting sound. The lyrics and music are transformative; they connect the body and spirit in a multi-dimensional sonic journey of the heart; for the heart and from the heart.
“For anyone listening… I can’t speak highly enough of these two loving souls. Beautiful hearts and genuine gifts with connection to others!”
Grant Johns, Brisbane, Australia
“Your music is true gift. Last night shifted me, something happened…peace presented itself. I started to tear up on many occasions, at first I didn’t know why, then I realized…it was gratitude. Thank you 🙏❤️”
Jess Caux, Parry Sound, Ontario
Cacao
a plant with many properties
Experience the power of cacao in our retreat. This amazing plant has been used for centuries to promote presence, harmony, and well-being.
Prophecies tell us that cacao is one of the 7 sacred plants gifted to humanity as tools for awakening and enlightenment; to help restore harmony and balance on Earth.
Cacao is a plant with a long and rich history among the Maya culture in Central America, and we look forward to sharing more about cacao with you in the beautiful rainforest of Brazil!
Feel & enjoy
“It was the best experience ever, highly recommend going 😍”
Anja Do, Poland
“You are so FORTUNATE!! Such talent, love, and ceremonial leadership right in your midst! GO share time with these two! One of the best experiences ever!”
Holly Bright, BC, Canada
“Such an eye opener experience of the power of your senses (smell, touch, sound and sight)!”
Vikki tree wellness centre, Ontario, Canada
“Like nothing I have ever experienced before. Simply incredible!”
Rana, Ontario, Canada
Sound Healing
Discover the secrets of the universe through the power of vibration. Our sound journeys transport you into a realm of deep relaxation and peace, where every cell in your body is awakened to life through the resonance of healing sounds.
Through sound and vibration, we assist the body in finding its own natural resonance, creating deep relaxation and tranquility. We listen not only through the ears but through every single cell in the body.
Our sound baths are more than just music; they are a portal to inner well-being and transformation.
Let go, open your heart, and allow yourself to be carried away on a journey through the enchanting landscape of sound.
Chris has decades of experience in sound and music. He blends together both instruments and vocals, creating lush soundscapes that lead you into a transcendental or dreamlike state, where all you need to do is relax and receive.
Our goal is for you to leave us refreshed and renewed, filled with inspiration, joy, and peace. Let yourself be enveloped by a sonic interplay of improvised, looped soundscapes and a wide range of acoustic instruments such as didgeridoo, flutes, drums, jaw harp, resonance bowls, and chimes.
“I didn’t know I needed this incredible experience, but, now I know I did. What a life changing event!”
Michael Stringer, Toronto, Ontario
Yin Yoga &
calm «flow» yoga
We start each morning with a gentle yoga and meditation session. These sessions are suitable for all levels of experience and are exercises in presence and mindfulness, with the breath as an anchor. Iselin will guide us through gentle, flowing movements and relaxing yin yoga to promote well-being in body and mind.
Yin Song
Yin Song is an integrated journey through yoga, live music, cacao ceremony, and sound bath, weaving together restorative yoga poses and meditation with the healing vibrations of sound and music. This is a deeply relaxing and nourishing experience that enriches all your senses.
Yoga Nidra
Experience Yoga Nidra, also known as yogic sleep, a guided meditation practice that leads you into a state where the body sleeps while the mind remains awake and alert. An hour of Yoga Nidra is equivalent to four hours of deep sleep.
You don’t need any previous experience; all you need is to participate with an open heart and receive.
***** Eksklusive opplevelser
Magic
in the Amazon
Our retreat takes place in the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. This is easily one of the most beautiful places on the planet, also known as the Caribbean of the Amazon. Here you will find an exotic retreat with a 1.8 km long private white crystal sand beach on the Rio Arapiuns river. Here, we have created a place with an exotic and beautiful open yoga shala as the heart of the area, in addition to beautiful dining areas, cozy cabins and much more
The cabin park consists of 16 beautiful cabins, 10 of which are over 100 m2, 8-sided, 2-story exotic Molocas with palm roofs adorned with beautiful details. These cottages are a masterpiece in themselves- truly exotic accommodations.
There is internet via Starlink connected to the site, and the entire area is powered by solar energy with a backup generator, completely off the grid.
Annually, 6-10 different retreats are held on-site, ranging from pure yoga retreats to music experiences, culinary experiences, coaching, meditation and silent retreats, nature experiences, and more.
The Rio Arapiuns river, which is older than the Amazon river, can easily be mistaken for an ocean. However, there is no saltwater here. The water is crystal clear, and so clean that it can be drunk and is safe to swim in. The river maintains a temperature of 24-26 degrees Celsius year-round, and both gray and pink dolphins swim in it. Sometimes, we also get to swim with them!
The beach is called Praia do Macaco due to its variety of monkeys; the monkeys jump around in the trees everywhere, and there are 8-15 different species of them. They are all peaceful and do not disturb the people on-site. The place is also safe for children, and there are hardly any mosquitoes during the time of the Yin Song – Inner Connection retreat, and the area is completely free of malaria. This is one of the purest remaining areas on our planet.
Paraíso da Vida is created for souls who want to come home to themselves and achieve true health and wellbeing. It is a place where you can find inner peace and tranquility, to recharge any depleted batteries.
Private and secluded from the stress and pollution of civilization, and light pollution, this is a unique place with endless opportunities to cleanse and connect deeper with body, mind, and soul, connect with nature, and other beautiful people.
During your stay, you will get to meet the local beach people, as they are called down here. The “river tribes” or river people, beautiful, peaceful people have embraced Paraíso da Vida as their own and they are an integral part of everything we do here. Our mission and one of the reasons we organize retreats is also to take care of this rich nature and the local river people.
In addition to being a retreat space, this is a paradise that is also possible to own a part of, with 20 different cabin owners on-site making their cabins available in connection with retreats. If you are interested in owning your own cabin in the area, you can contact us here.
See gallery images from the pace (click on any of the images for big format)
“This is a magical place where you can totally retreat from every day life. Surrounded by nature, wildlife, miles of beautiful white beaches and a river with temperatures close to 26 degrees gives the the most nourishing experience. Resting in hammocks supports deep rest perfectly too”
Ziva, Norway
One of the most special places I’ve ever been, for sure. A beautiful and pure connection with nature, super friendly and helpful people, comfortable accommodation, private beach and incredible tours. All of this contributed to the somewhat magical atmosphere of this piece of paradise. It was worth every second! I already want to go back!
Anna Cecilia, Brazil
“Peace, tranquility, natural beauty, clean air, clean drinking water, epic wildlife around, amazing beach! Could go on and on, but simply put – true paradise”
Steinar, Norway
It was an indescribable trip, almost a turning point for me! The experience of community-based tourism with the energy of the Amazon forest is something difficult to put into words. I think that getting to know the forest is essential to spark a genuine desire to protect it, not to mention the importance of getting to know other parts of Brazil with different experiences, accents and customs. Villa Arapiuns provided me with all of this!
Heloisa, Brazil
Join the journey
Let yourself be led to this beautiful paradise and be embraced and nurtured on a deep and profound level so that you can return to the world and civilization with fully charged batteries, with renewed vigor and joy for life, deep connection with yourself, and a new spark of life. Create new memories for life, memories and emotions that you will carry with you, for that is what you will experience in this paradisiacal place. What is life if not lived?
At Paraiso da Vida (paradise of life), cared for by the organizers Iselin and Chris, you are in the best hands and can trust that you will be held and nurtured every step of the way. Now it’s your turn to truly be pampered and participate in something so exotic and unique that you will feel uplifted with renewed inner peace and deeper soul connection when you leave us.
Your investment in yourself will ripple out to more than just yourself; everyone you encounter afterwards will be positively influenced by the fact that you have taken care of yourself and shown yourself this degree of self-love. This is our experience with everyone who has visited the place and participated in retreats there; they talk about it for years afterwards and mention it as one of the deepest transformative experiences they have had in life.
It’s an investment for life, and like other retreats, it’s something very different from what you experience in your daily life. Therefore, the value also lies in actually daring to take the step and join, even though the mind may try to persuade you to wait or create all sorts of other reasons not to participate. This may be one of those opportunities you only get ONCE in life, seize it and join us on this journey. You will never regret it; that is our promise to you.
We look forward to seeing you in Paradise in the Amazon in Brazil.
