Return to Radiance Retreat
A Yogic Journey to Self — Power Vinyasa + Restorative Yoga Retreat in the Coastal Redwoods
May 13-17, 2026 | Weekday Retreat | 5 Days | Wednesday to Sunday
Reclaim your innate radiance through athletic Power Vinyasa Yoga woven with ancient wisdom and epic storytelling. Led by E-RYT500 Kristi Bettencourt with Esalen-trained practitioners, this five-day Mendocino immersion blends dynamic practice with Breathwork, Forest Bathing, and optional Esalen Massage near the Pacific coast. For people running on empty or in transition and ready for a reset that actually works.
Retreat Modalities Included
Power Vinyasa
Restorative Yoga
Optional Posture Clinic (Arm Balances, Inversions)
Forest Bathing
Transformational Breathwork
Meditation
Esalen Therapeutic Massage (optional)
Sauna + Cold Plunge (optional)
About This Retreat
This retreat is independently organized by Grace Law at GoShine Today. Spirit Camp provides
the venue, accommodations, and retreat setting. For registration, pricing, program details, meal
info, and lodging options, please contact the retreat organizer directly using the button below.
Who This Retreat Is For
This retreat is for people who know a normal weekend away is not enough. You may be holding
a lot, running on empty, moving through a life transition, or simply aware that something in you
needs more space to breathe. You may love strong practice but also know your body needs
restoration, not just intensity. Or maybe you are looking for something deeper than a typical
getaway: meaningful practice, real rest, and an experience that stays with you after you return
home.
All levels of yoga experience are welcome. Kristi brings more than 15 years of teaching
alongside a physical therapy background, so each practice is precise, safe, and designed to
help your body feel better, not just work harder. Optional Esalen massage is available
throughout the retreat to support your journey back to yourself.
Retreat Description
Five Days to Come Back to Yourself
Somewhere between the deadlines, responsibilities, and constant input, it becomes easy to lose
touch with yourself: your clarity, your energy, your sense of what actually matters. This retreat is
a deliberate interruption to that pace. Five days between old-growth redwoods and the Pacific
coast, held by a team with roots in Esalen's healing traditions. A wood-stove-warmed yoga
studio. A private forest reserve. Sauna and cold plunge. Transformational breathwork. Gourmet
organic meals. Enough beauty, movement, and quiet to remember what it feels like when your
life has room again.
Strong Practice, Real Rest
Each day is shaped to be both grounding and spacious. Mornings begin with strong, purposeful
practice in the studio, with optional silent sits for those who want stillness first. Before dinner,
there is a second session: restorative yoga, posture clinics, or a practice shaped around what
the group most needs. Kristi’s background in physical therapy and kinesiology means every
adjustment has a reason behind it. Athletes often find the mobility they have been missing.
Longtime yogis find new strength and refinement. And her teaching brings something more than
technique. She has a rare way of making yoga philosophy land in real life, with insight, warmth,
and humor.
A Feel for the Daily Rhythm
You arrive Wednesday afternoon and feel your week begin to loosen its grip. Over five days in
Mendocino, the rhythm is both grounding and spacious: strong morning yoga, optional silent
sits, guided forest bathing, transformational breathwork, sauna and cold plunge, nourishing
meals, and afternoons with restorative yoga, posture clinics, or time to rest, wander, or book an
Esalen massage. Evenings stay open on purpose, with room for connection or quiet. By
Sunday, most people feel clearer, more open, and more like themselves again than they have in
a long time.
Breathwork and Transformation
Breathwork is woven into the retreat as one of its deepest portals. Sessions are designed to
quiet the overthinking mind, loosen held patterns, and create space for clarity, release, and
insight. What unfolds is different for everyone, but for many guests this becomes one of the
most meaningful parts of the week.
Exceptional Support
Chef Alex Shepherd, formerly Executive Chef at Esalen Institute, prepares organic vegetarian
meals that do more than feed you well. They help set the tone of the retreat: thoughtful,
grounding, generous, and deeply nourishing. Optional Esalen massage sessions are also
available throughout the week for those wanting even more support in unwinding, restoring, and
listening more deeply to themselves.
What People Say
“I came home feeling clearer, lighter, and more like myself again. The balance of strong practice
and deep rest was exactly what I needed.” — Ben T.
“The redwoods, sauna, cold plunge, and quiet gave me the kind of reset I had not been able to
get from a normal weekend away.” — Krista A.
“Kristi has a unique ability to teach all levels from very advanced to beginning. Her knowledge is
exceptional and she is a gifted instructor. I recommend her highly.” — Karen R.
“She thinks of everything and works to every skill level to make you feel welcomed and still
challenged. I cannot wait to attend the next one.” — Jessica R.
A Few Spots Remaining
This retreat is intentionally intimate, and several lodging tiers are already beginning to fill. If part
of you knows you need more than a quick break, this is your chance to give yourself the kind of
reset that can truly change how you feel when you go home. Early bird pricing ends April 20,
2026.
About The Retreat Facilitators: Kristi Bettencourt and Grace Law
Kristi Bettencourt is an E-RYT500 trained in Vinyasa style yoga as well as ashtanga-based yoga, bringing over 15 years of teaching experience to her powerful and purposeful instruction. With a background in body mechanics and kinesiology, Kristi believes in mindful movement and preventative medicine through body and nutrition. Her unique blend of strength and serenity creates a dynamic teaching style perfect for athletic yogis looking to strengthen their practice. Kristi's rare ability to weave together physical intelligence with mythic imagination and ancient yogic wisdom sets her retreats apart, creating transformative experiences that honor both the body's capabilities and the soul's yearning for meaning.
Grace Law serves as the retreat's Bodyworker, Breathwork Facilitator and Retreat Coordinator. Primary Contact for All Retreat Questions. Bringing a decade of dedication to the healing arts. Her path into holistic healing began with personal shifts, leading her to study yoga, massage, breathwork, and somatic practices in various traditions and at the esteemed Esalen Institute. Grace is passionate about helping people reconnect with their true selves, fostering health, love, joy, and peace. Whether you seek relief from discomfort or a reconnection with yourself, Grace offers optional massage sessions to amplify your self-renewal experience and serves as your primary contact for retreat questions.
Executive Chef Alex Shepherd rounds out the team, bringing celebrated culinary expertise honed at prestigious establishments before serving as Executive Chef at the Esalen Institute. At Esalen, Alex discovered a passion for health-focused cuisine, blending wellness with culinary artistry. Known for connecting people through food, laughter, and creativity, Alex crafts experiences that nourish both body and spirit with every thoughtfully prepared dish.
↓ Continue reading to learn about Spirit Camp Retreat Center and full retreat details
About Spirit Camp Retreat Center
Spirit Camp is a 27-acre retreat sanctuary nestled in the coastal redwoods of Mendocino County, Northern California. Located just minutes from the Pacific Ocean, this intimate venue offers a grounded, restorative setting for yoga retreats and transformational experiences.
Accommodations include comfortable shared and private rooms in beautifully restored buildings surrounded by towering redwoods and lush forest trails. Each space is thoughtfully prepared to support rest, reflection, and connection.
Meals are prepared fresh daily by Executive Chef Alex Shepherd using organic, locally sourced ingredients. Spirit Camp provides nourishing vegetarian cuisine that supports your retreat experience, with accommodations available for dietary restrictions and preferences.
Amenities include multiple indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, a yoga and movement studio, fire pit areas, forest trails for walking meditation and reflection, cold plunge facilities, and plenty of quiet spaces for solo contemplation. The property's natural beauty and intentional layout create an environment that supports both group connection and individual reflection.
What's Included: When you attend a retreat at Spirit Camp, your experience includes comfortable accommodations, all meals prepared by Executive Chef Alex Shepherd, access to all venue facilities and natural spaces, and the supportive container of the Mendocino coastal redwood setting.
Spirit Camp was created as a place where transformation-seekers can step away from daily demands and into experiences that matter—supported by the beauty of the redwood forest, the rhythm of the Pacific coast, and a community committed to authentic growth and meaningful connection.
Retreat Information
Organized by: Grace Law, GoShine Today
Venue provided by: Spirit Camp Retreat Center
Spirit Camp provides the retreat venue and accommodations. The retreat facilitator is responsible for all programming, meals, pricing, registration, and retreat content.
For all questions about:
Registration, pricing, and payment plans
Retreat schedule and programming
Accommodations and room assignments
Contact Grace Law at goshinetoday@gmail.com.
For venue questions (directions, property layout, amenities), visit our Guide Guide and FAQ page.