The Joyful Shaman
Talking About Practical Shamanism For Everyday Life! Sharing Stories Of Hope, Transformation, Meditation & Spiritual Connection With Laughter..And A Little Bit Of Cussin'. Hey Y'all! I'm The Joyful Shaman.
The Joyful Shaman
Journey to Yelapa: Shamanic Healing in Mexico
From the heart of an indigenous Mexican village accessible only by boat, I'm sharing my raw, unfiltered experience facilitating shamanic healing ceremonies at the Journey Back to You retreat in Yelapa. What began as an exciting opportunity quickly became a profound test of my own medicine when I found myself facing unexpected physical limitations—130 uneven stone steps that my damaged knee protested with each climb—and primal fears in my open-air jungle room where spiders, geckos, and the unknown lurked beyond my mosquito netting.
Throughout the week, I guided participants through chakra healing, shamanic breathwork, and ocean cord-cutting ceremonies while simultaneously navigating my own journey of surrender. The universe delivered humbling lessons when I fell into the Pacific Ocean—twice!—during boat transfers, reminding me that sometimes laughter is the best medicine when ego takes a hit. The most profound healing came unexpectedly through a gifted Watsu water massage, where a local healer intuitively connected my knee pain to unresolved forgiveness issues with my grandmother and maternal lineage, triggering deep emotional release.
Participating in the Temazcal (Toltec sweat lodge) as a medicine woman in the inner circle reinforced what I've always known about healing—it happens at the edge of comfort, where surrender becomes necessary. As I prepare to lead final ceremonies focusing on throat and third-eye chakras, I'm filled with gratitude for this sacred space where women from different backgrounds came together to do the difficult, beautiful work of spiritual growth and self-discovery.
The medicine has been everywhere—in the challenging terrain, the beautiful connections formed, and the moments of vulnerability that reminded me that even shamans need healing. If you're feeling called to step into your own transformative journey but fear what might be revealed, remember that wholeness often begins where comfort ends. The path to our most authentic selves rarely follows even steps, but the view from each new elevation makes every difficult climb worthwhile.
I'd Love To Connect With You..Send Me A Message!
To Connect With Me, Visit Me At: www.joyfulshaman.com
Follow Me On Instagram: @joyfulshaman
Have Questions Or Episode Ideas?? Email Me!
Naomi@joyfulshaman.com
Thank You So Much For Supporting Me & Energetically…The Collective
Welcome back to another episode of the Joyful Shaman. I am Naomi, your host with the most, and I am back. I'm actually live recording this episode from Yalapa, mexico. I am currently finishing up facilitating Journey Back to you, a retreat that is run and hosted by my friend, jenny Carmel, a phenomenal chef, who graciously asked me to come and lead a lot of the healing ceremonies and bring in the shamanic element to this retreat, and it has been unreal. So I'm going to just kind of give you the lay down of things that have been happening, my insights, the shit I fucked up, the shit I was having to deal with internally and some crazy things that have happened, but in all fairness, crazy things that have happened, but in all fairness, I'm just really grateful for the opportunity. So let's get into it, okay.
Speaker 1:So I actually flew into San Diego, california, last Friday and I had not been to San Diego only in connection to the airport, in relation to going down to Tijuana many years ago to take my mom and my sister for some medical treatments. So this was my first time of actually going to see some things, and actually I spent time in La Jolla, where Jenny lives, and I spent the night there and I was able to go to La Jolla Cove and I could see the seals, but I didn't get close. Um had some amazing sushi, um stayed um and just rested, you know, because I had to cross the border at Tijuana, uh to catch a flight from Tijuana to Puerto Vallarta. So I did the CBX border crossing. I had to like go and print documents and stuff from a local FedEx, that Grace. I was so grateful that it was right around the corner from Jenny's house, but that was such a smooth and easy transition of being dropped off. It's almost like a terminal.
Speaker 1:And a gentleman helped me to get my bags checked in, print my boarding pass, go through 10,000 securities. A girl made me open up my travel backpack because I have like a big, hard case Samsonite, because I had to bring so many things for ceremony and literally brought over 200 crystals with me for all the chakra ceremonies and plus my instruments, plus the blanket, plus the projector, plus my tools, so many things. So my shit was heavy and it was well over 60 pounds, that suitcase plus my travel backpack, which was like 30 pounds strapped to my back, so I had to put my tongue drum in there. And a young lady in the Tijuana airport at security, was like what is this? And I was like, well, it's a form of steel drum, it's a musical instrument. There's a giant hole in it. No, there's no drugs, um, but I was able to board just fine, got to Puerto Vallarta, met up with a couple of the other ladies that, um, you know, one of them is my friend and client that came to this retreat.
Speaker 1:And then actually I had met in San Diego, um, a penthouse, uh, called Vallarta Shores. We were actually in the gay zone and it was bear week in Puerto Vallarta. So Lady Gaga everywhere, which I love, and, yes, honey, yes, queen dance, girl dance. And let me tell you, these men that were there were very handsome men of all ages, um, and they were, there was drag, there was all of it, and I loved it, I felt safe. But anyways, we were in this amazing penthouse that was graciously and kindly rented by Jenny for us to stay, so that we could all meet up as a group, because we had to take a water taxi to Yalapa, as it's only accessible by boat. It's not an island, it's like a little indigenous village that's owned by the indigenous people and you can only access it by a water taxi and it takes about an hour from Puerto Vallarta, Maine, to get to Yalapa. So we enjoyed the penthouse. I had this big beautiful bed. We had fresh margaritas when we arrived, fresh guac you can never have too much guacamole and then we had a beautiful dinner at the very famous Lapa Lapa restaurant and let me tell you that was the best motherfucking meal I have had in a long time, literally on the beach. It was pure heaven. I would totally go back to Puerto Vallarta and explore more.
Speaker 1:Absolutely loved it, did some shopping the next morning before we caught our taxi and I bought a whole bunch of cool shit and then, yeah, you know, we grabbed a little taxi. We all met up. We met most of the group the night before at our meet and greet dinner at Lapa Lapa, but then we walked on the little mini pier and we got on this boat where all of our luggage that they carried into the boat made it. And, um, yeah, we had this big bouncy boat ride and it was very meditative for me. I really enjoyed being on the boat on the water on the Pacific it. It was like just super calming for me.
Speaker 1:So we get to Yelapa and we get off on the little pier there. I did not fall on my ass this time on this boat, thank God. But in Yelapa roads are not allowed. Like, paths are there and you can ride, like by mule, atv, motorbikes, bicycles or walking. So we had a little tour from where we were dropped off at the pier to the Pura Vida Wellness Retreat Center and let me tell you I am not the best at walking on like very rocky terrain, uneven terrain.
Speaker 1:I was not wearing the appropriate shoes and I had not been wearing them since I got to Puerto Vallarta. I was just wearing my sandals that I need to replace because they have no arch support in them anymore. And, my God, my knee was starting to hurt so bad. My right knee and my right knee. I've had problems with it like since 10 years ago when I used to do competitive bodybuilding. I tore it up. You know it was fine and no, I did not keep up with competitive bodybuilding and you know I've gained some weight and it's just very unstable muscles and probably some degenerative bone issues. And so my knee started to flare up and I know this sensation, because the muscles in the back of my knee flare up, my thighs flare up, my calves were already burning, like shin splinting down the side of my leg started happening since I got to Puerto Vallarta. So I was like, oh my God, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1:But it was, um, I walked, you know, we walked as a group to the center and then I read on the website that there are 130 stone steps that are incredibly uneven, at different depths and lengths, from the very base of the retreat center to the very top where the food hall kitchen is. And let me tell you, holy fuck, I thought I was going to fucking die, like. I started climbing the stairs because I was room number 13. I was halfway between the food hall and downstairs. I was close enough to the meditation room and the yoga shala and I wanted to cry.
Speaker 1:I was so embarrassed of myself because of so how out of shape I am that I was like, oh my God, my knee is going to blow out here and what the fuck am I going to do? You know, like I was like really, really embarrassed and and I don't like stairs Um, I've had too many falls downstairs where I've like torn up my shoulders and my muscles and stuff like that, and so I'm like how am I going to do these steep ass chairs. You know, and I was just like you, just got to take it slow. You don't be in a rush, you know, give yourself extra time and take breathers because, yes, you're out of breath, you don't have the fucking stamina, um.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, um and uh, my room is open air, meaning I have, um, three walls and the rest is open, with no glass window or screen, like nature comes in. My bed is, um, surrounded by like mosquito netting that I super fucking tuck in because I'm terrified of goddamn bugs. Like, I don't mind certain bugs, but I don't like spiders, I don't like roaches and I don't like snakes, that is for sure. So, yeah, um. That being said, uh, this is the jungle and it's on the Pacific and it's absolutely beautiful, um, but the, the waters are rough, there's some big boulders, there's just a little beach and there was quite a bit of like jellyfish and stuff.
Speaker 1:So, you know, I was just like, well, I'm just going to go from my room to where I need to do the meditations or the yoga shala, or to food, like I was like I'm not going to go swimming, I'm not going to do anything, because I just can't walk up and down all day long these steps because literally, my knee hurts so bad Like it is like locked up, the bones are in pain, my muscles are in pain, like it is an avid workout for hours, plus you're sweating balls, plus you're getting sunburn and you're just trying to stay hydrated. So that was my initial thing when I got here was like how the fuck am I going to do this? And if you are listening to this podcast, you're probably going to hear the sound of the ocean and the little fan that could in my room as I am recording this while sitting inside of my netting on my bed through GarageBand where I record my podcast. So enjoy that sound If you can hear the ocean, plus my fan.
Speaker 1:But the retreat started off well. It goes from Sunday to Saturday. We had a beautiful opening ceremony. Everybody was just getting acclimated, they were getting excited, they were wanting to go down and swim in the saltwater pool and everything, and they were signing up, um, for their services. We, uh, there were two ladies that came um, one a massage therapist, the other an esthetician to provide their services. Um, you know, uh, because why not? Why not have massages and holistic facials? And all of that I didn't sign up for it.
Speaker 1:I just felt like I'm not an attendee. I'm here as a facilitator and also I'm not going to lie I'm short on cash right now. So I wanted to just be in my medicine and just be ready to hold space for these women and to channel the messages, the guidance, everything, because the people that came here most of them, I feel really are coming to do some kind of work. You know, do I feel that all the modalities were for them? No, um, but, and not even you know, maybe some of the ceremonies that I did may not be for them, and that's okay too. You know, I am not in charge of their life, I'm not in charge of their journey. I'm just here to provide some guidance and different perspective and just different experiences for people to figure out their own fucking shit. You know, that's all Um, and you know, try to enjoy the beauty of this place, um, but yeah, we had a wonderful opening ceremony, which was short.
Speaker 1:We had dinner and let me tell you, jenny's food is unreal. I met Jenny at the retreat that I went to, that I podcasted about um right before I went to New Mexico. Jenny was a chef there and let me tell you her food is absolutely medicine. It is her magic. It's totally channeled. It's so colorful, it's so nutrient dense. She is so mindful of dietary needs and preferences. Everything is so so good. Needs and preferences, like everything is so so good. Um, and you know she's like hey girl, you know we hit it off in New Mexico and she wanted me to come and do the retreat. I mean, we, yeah, we hit it off in New Mexico and she wanted me to come to Mexico to do this retreat, and so I was just really fucking excited for months about this Um, and so the first day we're focusing on, like, chakra healing.
Speaker 1:So I've been going through every single chakra. First day I was teaching people muscle testing, chakra elimination, which is a Peruvian shamanic practice, and we have quite a few energy healers, people that work in the arena. So I was just trying to tap in and show them something a little bit different, some new tools that they could use, you know, and just work on themselves. Like, figure out, okay, what chakras am I here to work on? What does that mean? How does that translate to my emotions what I'm feeling, what's happening in my personal world, that kind of jam. So that went really well. And then, yeah, you know, I did an evening meditation with them and you know I just really wanted a nice gentle start to the week because Tuesday I did shamanic breath work in the style that I do it in and let me tell you, it blew the roof off the yoga show, and I know it because you guys know if you listen to my podcast, that breathwork is the number one way.
Speaker 1:I fucking changed my life, doing it for three fucking years, you know, and I was still continuing to do it. Because there's journey, there's power in the breath, there's connection in the breath. It's it's how I feel God, it's how I feel Jesus, it's it's how I feel connection to the, to the universe, the earth, everything, um. So I was really, really grateful to be able to share this powerful medicine and I really believed in impacting most of the people very strongly in ways that are still going to be revealing for them. So we did that work and then we just, you know, did a really nice gentle yoga, sound, healing journey practice in the evening.
Speaker 1:Most of the time I do my meditations or my experiences, like after breakfast, like mid morning, and then sometimes I do like a little thing in the evening, um, but that was Tuesday and let me tell you, my knee was still fucking hurting. I was like freaking out about bugs. The first night. I just could not fucking sleep, um, because, like, I've never been in a room like that before, like I'm not a camping person, I know I'm a shamanic killer, but and I love nature. I love nature at daytime Let me just say that daytime or at nighttime, with lots of lights and no freaking steps, um, so I, I've been panicking, I've not been resting well because I'm terrified about bugs crawling on me, biting me, um, flying in my face. You know that whole thing, um, and you know, so far it's just been like beetles and moths, but I did have like a big ass spider come in. Um, we all did on the same night which is very interesting, it was right after breath work.
Speaker 1:Um, that's the night where all these, uh, every, a lot of people had big spiders come into their rooms and it was humid and just the weather when was blowing a little bit different and I was like, oh man, so yeah, I had to battle a spider and I know spider medicine is really good, I love spider medicine. I just don't love spiders, I just don't, and I know I don't have to love something to appreciate the medicine. So spider medicine is co-creation with spirit spinning your web to create the reality that you want. Um, so yeah, I've had lots of little geckos I see one right up there and geckos are cute, they don't bother me, but they do chirp, um, and so they like to chirp a lot and, um, you know, just hide in random ass space and just like jump out at you if you're like too close to it or whatever. Um, but other than that, you know, I try to be try to handle it. Um, let's see.
Speaker 1:Wednesday Um, we did a solar plexus. Wednesday was our beach day. We actually took a boat out to a more remote beach about 20 minutes from the center. Um, getting on the boat, I was able to do that, not a problem. Getting off the boat, I was able to do that.
Speaker 1:Whenever the boat came back to pick us up, which I did, a really amazing ocean cord cutting and a stone harmony ceremony with the ladies, and I have some amazing pictures and videos that I'm going to put on my website about it. You know I really enjoyed it. It was the first time I had been in the Pacific Ocean since I used to live on Hawaii, on Oahu and North Shore, when I was going to college at Brigham Young University, hawaii campus when I was 21. That was the last time I'd ever been in the Pacific Ocean, so I gathered up the string and I got in the ocean and swam. Even if it was just five minutes, I dig it in the ocean and it was pretty damn cool. I really enjoyed it. The waters are unreal and beautiful.
Speaker 1:Um, and yeah, you know, we spent the like a couple hours at the beach and the ceremony boat came back. I couldn't like the waves were kind of choppy, so the boat had to keep, you know, bringing itself back in onto shore so we could, you know, get on. Well, I got on on the wrong side and I fucking fell in the ocean. Then boat almost dragged my ass out and I was just all I can do was just laugh. Um, because when I fall or do some embarrassing ass shit, all I do is laugh, because what's the point of being upset or getting humiliated? Like you know, it's just coyote medicine. Coyote, I learned, is one of my totem animals and that kind of random ass shit is just kind of like hey, you know you're not better than anybody. Learn from this. You know, like, be open to shit. You know, be open to people helping you and stuff, and sometimes you just got to fall on your ass in the water twice.
Speaker 1:When we got back to Yalapa, we pulled up on this little beach that's right around the corner from the retreat center and I stepped up on the edge of the boat and jumped down into the ocean. I don't know what the fuck, what I was thinking, especially with my bad knee, um, and I slipped and fell again on my ass, and this time my arm, um, I'm wearing a chakra bracelet. It hit the edge of the boat and it sounded loud and everyone was like, oh my God, are you okay Once again? I just started laughing because I'm just like, okay, I don't know, my ass is in the ocean, I get it. I get it Like, let your fucking ego go, um, you know. So that was.
Speaker 1:You know, some lesson the spider thing was a lesson from coyote as well of, like you know, grow the fuck up. You know, be mature, um, appreciate what you have. And you know, be be in the medicine. You know, and listen to your own words. So that was yesterday. Today was heart chakra and I did a beautiful ritual this morning with rose petals, essential oils, of course, their crystals, which was the pink quartz, and we went around and we released something that's blocking us from loving ourself, blocking our heart, and then calling in our holy longing, calling in what is our most innermost desire, that we just have a hard time speaking but we want to bring into the physical. And um, it was a beautiful ceremony, um, afterwards we made these um rattles and smudge sticks with with fans and it was really sweet.
Speaker 1:And um, I was gifted a water massage, watsu water massage with Alejandro, who is a local healer that comes out every day on a water taxi from Puerto Vallarta to the retreat center to work in their heated whirlpool to do watsu. And at first I was just not in the energy this week. Like I said, I don't really have a lot of money at this time for extra massage and facial. Like, I brought enough pesos to like food, a little bit of gifts for specific people and myself, and then I got to cool it on that Um, and I have to save my money because after the retreat is done on Saturday I'm staying with Jenny at her house back in another part of Mexico for like two, three days and then I'm going back to Florida. So I just, you know, I got to cool it and you know I had to make sure all the bills and stuff for the end of April are paid, because I'm not working in Florida until the 10th. So, um, you know, I gotta be chill.
Speaker 1:So I was gifted by Jenny a Watsu session and at first I was like I don't know if I can handle a man touching me in a very, very intimate way in the water where I have to fully surrender and just flow. And this person moves my body and cradles me and, like you know, like you're almost like a fetus. You are a fetus again and I can honestly say it was one of the most beautiful aquatic experiences I've ever had in my life. Um, this man is a powerful healer, a powerful intuitive. I told him about my knee. He did so much work on my knee energetically, massage, wise water, exercise, wise. Um, it was unreal, like I think I fell asleep on him, not even playing, real, like I think I fell asleep on him, not even playing. And he let me record the whole thing.
Speaker 1:So I have like a one hour film session of this beautiful, beautiful aquatic experience. And you know he was telling me about my knee, about you know how the body knows, and telling me why I have my pain in my knee. And it's because I have a hard time forgiving my grandmother, because I have a hard time forgiving my grandmother, the lineages that came before with my grandmother's line, my mother, you know, and yeah, still finding ways of loving myself and looking for that internally instead of external validation through my work. And you know it definitely struck a chord and I said thank you and, like you know, picked myself up and found a way to climb back up to my room where I fucking cried for 30 minutes, you know, and just sat there, just integrating everything and just looking at the video and being like my God, you know, be proud of yourself that you chose this experience and that you were able to have this. And you know like this is incredible. I will never forget this. It just it truly touched me and I'm just so beyond grateful.
Speaker 1:After that I ate lunch and then tonight or later this afternoon, we had Temazcal, which is Toltec sweat lodge. And this is the second time I've done Temescal. The first time was last year in Tulum, at a retreat I was attending. That was absolutely amazing. And this time I'm coming as a medicine woman and they even asked me to sit in the inner circle to hold the space for the women to say prayers and blessings and sing songs for the four rounds of the sweat launch. It goes about two hours and, um, yeah, you are fucking drenched and, um, it will push you to your limits mentally, emotionally, physically and it was just super powerful, super beautiful. Um, I was so grateful to be part of it in that way and it was very healing for me. And then that leads us to here. So I just am grateful for the opportunity.
Speaker 1:Tomorrow is our last day. After breakfast I'll be doing some work with the ladies on throat chakra, which I feel is one of the big ones, aside from heart and some of the lower chakras that a lot of people have blocked. So we're going to be doing some vocal toning and then we're going to be working with third eye. So I'm going to do some mediumship stuff with them and we're using some crystals, some stones, and it's going to be great. I'm going to maybe do some one-on-one sessions with people, which I'm really grateful for, and, um, tomorrow evening we walk to the village. We're gonna do our final meal in a restaurant and I'm really excited because I really want tamales. Those of you that love mexican food know tamales are bomb, so that's what I'm looking forward to. And then we might do like a drum circle fire ceremony. I'm not sure, but I don't know if I'll have the stamina for that and be able to walk back here in the dark, you know and then be ready Sunday morning to depart again and walk back to the pier as they take all of our luggage or whatever.
Speaker 1:So, that being said, I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I have really enjoyed meeting the ladies. There's a few that I really really resonate with. I'm glad that my client came out here. I know that it's just really changing her life and she's doing and pushing herself and doing some hard work. So I am just here to continue to hold space, to learn A couple lessons. That I've really learned is about just appreciating my body, honoring my body, knowing that, yeah, I need to take better care of my body.
Speaker 1:When I get back, I'm definitely going to keep eating in the same way that I've been eating here, which I've been making a valiant effort, mindset shift and you know, um not being afraid of just asking for help. If I need a little extra push um to begin the weight loss process, that I'd like to do, um so I can feel better in my body and not aggravate my knee more and, um, you know, just feel in my body, um. So I've enjoyed meeting the ladies, I've enjoyed the food. The nature is beautiful, um, the people in the retreat center are really nice. Um I I am grateful that I have a private room.
Speaker 1:Um, it's an interesting thing with the open concept. It's just not for me, um, but some of the other rooms here are enclosed, with AC and stuff like that. So if I ever do come back here, you know I'll I'll be requesting one of those rooms if possible. Um. But yeah, I'm just really grateful to Jenny and I'm excited to end the retreat on Saturday morning and then go have a few more adventures in Mexico and then see where further opportunities come for me to, you know, facilitate medicine. But I'm sure I will stay connected with a lot of these ladies.
Speaker 1:One of the ladies actually lives in Florida, aside from me and my client, and she's not that far from me, and I can't wait for her and I to keep in contact with one another. As she comes for breathwork, you know, in the healing house, or comes for services and, just you know, to stay friends with people. It's super important to build community and sisterhood, and this is a great way to do it. When you have a great group of people that are like-minded, that are here to really do some spiritual work but also have fun, it just creates this special magic, and so I'm just really grateful to be part of that. But that's what I've got so far, you know, while I'm still here in Yalapa, mexico, and yeah, let's see how the medicine ends this week.
Speaker 1:And it's time for me to wrap up so I can try to get some sleep, especially after the Temazcal today Whew, knocked me out.
Speaker 1:I didn't even go up for dinner because I went back out to the Watsu pool just to have more heat and relax my body, and so it's time for me to go to sleep. But I can't wait to be back in Florida and to keep up with the episodes in Florida. And to keep up with the episodes and, yes, I will put up the spring breathwork journey. I just needed a little bit of a mental break, but I'll put it up before I continue my travels, but know that you are an amazing soul and there is a plan and a purpose here for you and you can do anything. Anything that you set your mind to starts with healing your mind, starts with undoing the old things that block you from living in your purpose and having the life that you desire. And you can heal and you can find wholeness and acceptance. And you are perfectly imperfect and, believe me, the best is yet to come and you are not alone Until we meet again. Be well, bye, friend.
