AWAKENING THE
HEART OF THE WOMB
A Sacred Return to Mayan Wisdom for Modern Women
May 17th through May 25th, 2026
This journey is for every woman who feels the pull to come home to herself. Whether you're just beginning to explore womb wisdom or you've been walking this path for a while, you’re welcome here. If you’re navigating pain, irregular cycles, PCOS, endometriosis, fertility struggles, loss, or trauma—or if you simply crave a deeper connection to your feminine center—this is a space to remember, reclaim, and soften. Even without a physical womb, your body still holds the imprint of that sacred space. Throughout our time together, from the cobbled streets of Antigua to the healing waters of Lake Atitlán, you’ll be held as you unravel, remember, and reconnect with the truth of who you are.
In the mountains of Guatemala, where ancient ways are still alive, you're invited into a raw and powerful homecoming. This isn’t just a retreat, it’s a return to the wisdom your body remembers. With Mayan elders and traditional midwives guiding the way, you’ll experience womb-healing practices passed down through generations. These women carry medicine that speaks straight to the soul—honoring the womb as more than physical, but as the heart of your power and knowing. Through ceremony, healing, and connection, you’ll clear what’s been carried too long and root back into yourself.
WHO THIS JOURNEY CALLS
This journey is for every woman feeling the call to reconnect with her body and feminine center. Whether you’re just beginning to explore womb wisdom or have been on this path for years, you’re welcome here. If you’ve been feeling disconnected from yourself, holding unspoken grief, or craving a deeper sense of belonging in your own body, this space will meet you there. The wisdom of the womb is not limited to the physical—it lives in your bones, your breath, your knowing.
Your journey includes:
This journey blends sacred healing with spaciousness and connection. You’ll experience traditional Mayan ceremonies, womb healing practices, breathwork, and guided meditations led by wisdom keepers and comadronas. We’ll explore the land, swim in sacred waters, visit local markets, and gather in daily circles. Nourishment is part of the medicine too—enjoy delicious, locally-sourced meals prepared by our on-site chef. There’s plenty of space to rest, reflect, and reconnect—with nature, with others, and with yourself.
Your Hosts
About Carlene
At the heart of this transformative journey is Carlene Kanellis, a multifaceted healer whose work bridges ancient wisdom with modern healing practices. As the founder of Spira Breathwork and creator of Soulography®️, Carlene brings a unique blend of somatic healing, breathwork, and spiritual guidance to this sacred journey.
Drawing from her extensive experience as a medicine woman and somatic practitioner, Carlene creates safe and nurturing containers for deep transformation. Her approach weaves together traditional healing practices with breathwork and energy medicine, supporting women in accessing their innate wisdom and healing potential.
About Lu
Lucía Llanito is a holistic facilitator and project alchemist, a bridge between the ethereal and the Earth. She specializes in gridwork, the alignment of energetic networks to anchor higher frequencies in the physical realm and open portals for collective healing and expansion. With Mexican roots, she honors the path of her grandmother and blends it with new ways to hold space and accompany transformation processes.
With over eight years of experience, she works with Reiki, Heart Awakening Process, Access Bars Consciousness, quantum healing, and guided meditation to help individuals reconnect with their essence and purpose. She also applies the alchemy of projects, combining structure, energy, and inspiration to transform ideas and intentions into tangible realities. Through sessions, gatherings, and inspiring content, she supports those who wish to break free from autopilot and create the life they want to enjoy, reminding them that just as in nature, it is possible to bloom harmoniously and enjoy the processes like the seasons of the year.
Carlene and Lu's role as facilitators bridge these worlds, creating a harmonious space where ancient wisdom meets contemporary understanding, allowing each woman to receive these teachings in a way that resonates deeply with her own journey.
Your Guides
Traditional Wisdom Keepers: Throughout our journey, we'll be guided by respected Mayan elders and comadronas who carry generations of healing wisdom. These traditional healers will share their sacred practices and ancient knowledge, offering direct transmission of their medicine ways.
About Mariu
Maria Eugenia Gobbato, or Mariu, born and raised in Guatemala, is a dedicated mother to three gorgeous humans, a well recommended midwife, a renowned massage therapist, seeked healer and an experienced teacher. She is passionate about sharing the gifts she has received in this life with others who cross paths with her. Teaching, healing, and working from personally embodied experiencial wisdom that is palpabable in her presence. She grew up in Quetzaltenango and moved to San Marcos La Laguna, Lake Atitlan, in the year 2010. After birthing her first two children in a beautiful birthing home in the mountains of Catalunya, Spain. This experience marked the trajectory of her life. Through birthing and becoming a mother, she discovered the loud and deep calling to be a midwife to support other women during their birth and create safe, respectful and dignified spaces for women to birth in. She started a deep self healing journey and discovered the innate wisdom of our bodies and their natural capacity to heal. This lead her to study Reflexology, and then several other healing modalities such as Maya abdominal massage, sports and deep tissue massage, swedish massage and acupressure, chi nei tsang, neuro muscular & neurolymphatic massage, tei shin therapy (needless acupuncture), reiki, energy medicine, and plant medicine. Mariu has also been apprenticing and working with local Maya midwives, herbalists, healers and ajq'ij for the past 13 years. During this time she has learned and integrated Ancestral Maya Medicine. As it used to be an integral part of community life. With the midwives being the carriers of this wisdom and respected leaders in their community. They were the counselors, wise women, village doctors and highly revered authority figures in their governance system. Mariu has had the honor of learning from many elder midwives in different parts of Guatemala. She trained in a midwifery school in Quetzaltenango, CODECOT, founded by indigenous midwives for indigenous midwives, and has been attending births in her community for the past 6 years. After years of working with the midwives on a personal level, Mariu founded The Midwife Project. A community based midwifery association that supports indigenous midwives by creating spaces where midwives can feel empowered, reconnecting to their roots and feeling resourced to be able to give high quality, evidence based and culturally appropriate health care to the women they attend in their communities. www.midwifeproject.net With this wealth of wisdom and experience, Mariu's offerings become a rich vibrational field of knowledge and lived embodied experiences. Where time slows down, and we feel more. We become more aware of our body and our surroundings. Our oneness and uniqueness. A space where deep healing and trasformation cristalize into our being. As we tap into our womb, the source of our inherent power to bring forth life. The source of our creative life force energy. Concepts that are basic and normal to Maya midwifery and Maya medicine. The womb is deeply and lovingly tended to.
Throughout our time together, you'll also have the honor of working with respected local comadronas and elders who have carried these healing traditions through generations. These wisdom keepers will share their knowledge of traditional practices, plant medicine, and ceremonial ways, offering authentic transmission of their ancestral wisdom.
YOUR SACRED SANCTUARY
Our journey takes place in San Marcos la Laguna, a mystical village on the shores of Lake Atitlán. You’ll stay in a beautiful private lakefront home with:
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Direct access to the sacred waters
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Stunning views of the lake and volcanoes
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Quiet spaces for reflection and healing
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Comfortable rooms and peaceful gardens
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Cozy common areas to gather
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Easy access to the village
This special place blends natural beauty with powerful spiritual energy, creating the perfect balance of comfort and connection to support your journey.
1 bedroom with king bed in main house with shared bathroom
1 bedroom with double bed in main house with shared bathroom
Private casita with 1 double bed, 1 sofa bed, shared bathroom with neighboring room
Private casita with 1 double bed, 1 sofa bed, shared bathroom with neighboring room
Private casita with 1 double bed, 1 sofa bed, en suite half-bathroom (toilet and sink), outdoor shower shared with Lakefront room
Private room with 1 single bed, private en suite half-bathroom (toilet and sink), outdoor shower shared with Sol
Private A-Frame with 1 double bed and private bathroom
Private A-Frame with 1 double bed and private bathroom
INVESTMENT IN YOUR JOURNEY
Your space for rest is as important as the healing work. Choose from carefully designed rooms, each offering a unique way to experience this sacred place.
SACRED LAND: LAKE ATITLAN & SAN MARCOS
Lake Atitlán, called "Atit" (Grandmother) by the Mayan people, is a powerful spiritual center where earth and sky meet. Surrounded by three volcanoes—Toliman, Atitlán, and San Pedro—this lake is seen as the womb of the world, a natural energy vortex perfect for healing and transformation.
Each volcano holds special meaning:
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Toliman: masculine wisdom
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Atitlán: feminine healing
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San Pedro: integration of spirit and matter
San Marcos la Laguna, our home for this journey, is a magical village blending traditional Mayan culture with a global healing community. It offers sacred sites, lush gardens, local markets, and a rich connection to ancestral wisdom.
Here, you’ll be held by the land’s ancient energy and invited to reconnect with your own deep knowing. Like the lake, your womb holds infinite potential and ancestral memory. In this sacred space, you’ll remember that your power flows from the heart of your womb.
JOURNEY DETAILS & TRAVEL INFORMATION
Your journey begins in Antigua, Guatemala. Flights are not included, but we’ll help you plan your arrival.
Key points:
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Fly into La Aurora International Airport (GUA)
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Recommended arrival 1-2 days before the retreat starts
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Airport pickup can be arranged (not included)
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Group transport between Antigua and Lake Atitlán is included
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Detailed travel info and meeting points will be provided after booking
We encourage arriving early to settle in, explore Antigua, and ease into the retreat energy. Full details will come in your welcome packet.
COMMUNITY & CONNECTION
To help you feel ready and connected, we’ll gather for a virtual group call a few weeks before the retreat. This is your chance to meet fellow travelers, get practical info, and ask questions.
After we return, we’ll come together again for an integration call to share experiences, support each other, and explore how to carry the journey forward.
Both calls are included with your retreat. Dates and details will be shared after you register.
YOUR JOURNEY AWAITS
Nestled between sacred waters and ancient volcanoes, this journey invites you to reconnect with your womb’s deep wisdom and come home to yourself.
Called here for a reason, whether for healing, release, or connection, you’ll be held by Lake Atitlán’s energy, guided by traditional wisdom keepers, and supported by a circle of sisters. This is your path back to the power within your own body.
The journey home begins now. Will you answer the call?