Radiant Renewal
The sacred tradition of women’s wisdom: a retreat to remember at the stunning Palmaïa – The House of Aïa resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
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Throughout history, women have gathered in sacred circles — to share, to listen, to heal. Midlife was once honoured as a profound transformation, a time when women stepped into their wisdom years, carrying the lessons and power of those before them. But today, that reverence has faded. We are taught to push forward, to keep going, ignoring the signals our bodies send us. Yet true wisdom includes knowing when to step away, turn inward, and honour the changes happening within. A retreat is not about escaping life but stepping fully into it with clarity and intention.
At Palmaïa – The House of Aïa in Playa del Carmen, in Mexico, a group of women chose to retreat together. Desi Bartlett and holistic skin care expert Dr. Natiya Guin led an immersive experience honouring body, mind, and heart during the transition of perimenopause into the wisdom years. Drawing from the elements — Earth, Fire, Water, and Air — the retreat provided a deeply nourishing journey of selfdiscovery, renewal and sacred sisterhood.
A retreat experience: the power of the elements
By drawing inspiration from nature’s elements — Earth, Fire, Water, and Air — this experience supported midlife transitions, allowing women to move through them with grace and empowerment. To enhance this transformation, attendees were given wellness visits in preparation for the retreat, and expanded visits during their stay, ensuring that each woman left with a personalised and actionable health and wellness plan for their hormones, skin and whole-person wellness.
Day One: Rooting into the earth
Midlife can feel unsteady, but grounding practices provide stability. The retreat’s warm Mayan shores offered deep connection, while grounding yoga practices helped attendees land — physically, emotionally and energetically. Vegan cuisine and deep meditation completed the arrival, allowing women to fully exhale for the first time in years.
Day Two: Stoking the inner fire
Midlife ignites urgency — dreams and passions demand attention. This day was about honouring that fire without letting it consume us. Dynamic yoga, breathwork and heart-openers helped channel energy, while Dr. Guin shared holistic ways to support skin renewal and radiance through the transformational years. The fire of change was lit — not as a force of destruction, but as a beacon of possibility.
To capture this powerful transformation, an empowerment photoshoot was also held, giving each woman the opportunity to see herself in a new light, reflecting the confidence and beauty cultivated during our time together.
Day Three: Surrendering to the waters
Water teaches us to release and trust. In the middle of morning practice, unexpected rain arrived — a gift, a sign. It mirrored the emotional release happening within. Women held hands, whispered words of encouragement, and let go of burdens they had carried alone for far too long. We emerged from this day refreshed, raw and deeply connected.
Day Four: Air and the power of voice
Midlife is not a time to shrink, it is a time to own our voice. The final day focused on breath, expansion and self-expression. In a sacred closing circle, each woman spoke affirmations aloud: • I am ready to trust myself. • I release fear and welcome possibility. • I am whole, I am wise, I am radiant. As if on cue, a seagull soared above, carried by the wind, a reminder that we, too, are lifted when we trust, when we let go, when we embrace our own wings.
Returning to the sacred, every day
This retreat is more than yoga, more than self-care, it is a return to the sacred. In a culture that often ignores the menopausal transition, it is a space to reclaim it as a rite of passage, a threshold into something greater. It is not a retreat from life, but a way to step fully into it, with clarity, grace, and sisterhood at your back.
To ensure participants continue integrating their learnings beyond the retreat, they are also provided with a comprehensive e-book, serving as a resource for ongoing reflection and application of the knowledge gained during time together. Because midlife is not an ending, it is a beautiful, radiant beginning.
Find out more about Radiant Renewal retreats with Desi Bartlett and Dr. Natiya Guinn at: desibartlett.com/radiant-renewal
Om Magazine
First published in November 2009, OM Yoga magazine has become the most popular yoga title in the UK. Available from all major supermarkets, independents and newsstands across the UK. Also available on all digital platforms.
