EMBODIED
AFRICA
Yoga Retreat on Safari
in the Epic Landscapes of Mpumalanga & Kruger National Park
March 18th -25th 2025
TAKE THE SACRED JOURNEY FROM YOUR HEAD TO YOUR HEART
YOGA ON SAFARI
IN THE HEALING LANDS OF MOTHER AFRICA!
Join us for this Once in a Lifetime Experience, a yoga retreat like no other!
Nourish your Body with Deeply Healing Daily Yoga Journeys in stunning natural locations, with a live DJ playing soulful african inspired rhythms & healing frequencies
Nourish your Soul exploring Indigenous African Culture with Drum & Song Ceremonies, Ancient Purification Rituals & Sweat Lodges & personal sessions with a Traditional African Healer.
Nourish your Spirit learning of Ancient Kingdoms & Bantu Cosmology, discovering Sacred Relationship with Earth & Nature from an African lens.
All on Safari with Leopards, Zebra, Giraffes, Elephants, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, & even Lions!
Join us on this epic & entirely unique yoga experience
Immersed in the heartbeat of the motherland!
Are you Ready to Come to your Senses ?!
Programme Overview
We are so excited to invite you on this potent & entirely unique journey immersing in Ancient African Culture
The retreat will take place in the phenomenal Kruger National Park of Southern Africa. Where we will have the incredible opportunity to go on Safari with Leopards, Zebra, Giraffes, Elephants, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Buffalo & even Lions !
We will be practicing yoga together in the mornings & evenings in panoramic locations, including at the centre of a stone circle on an ancient African Sacred Site.
And we will have the profound privilege of exploring Indigenous African Culture directly with our guides Gogo Thato & Gogo Khanya, who are both ordained Sangoma ( Traditional African Healers ) We will be guided and supported through ancient sound healing sessions, african drum & song ceremonies, ancient waterfall purification rituals & even an african sweat lodge.
We will immerse in the sacred teachings of Ntu Consciousness and Bantu Cosmology. Anchored in rituals rooted in ukuthwasa (initiation) process, as well as the principles of ngoma/khomba/koma (rites of passage) practices. In ubungoma, drum and song (sonic healing/therapy) is a core modality in which song is exemplified as an embodiment of our axiology and a form of oral history and wisdom archiving.
The ceremonies and rituals are centred around the natural elements as an expression of healing, becoming and transformation. Therefore, we will utilise the sacred spaces and natural bodies of waterfalls, rivers, mountains & sacred sites in the area as the containers of the divine work that we co-create.
The retreat aims to offer an authentic experience in semi-rural Entokozweni where Gogo Thato’s homestead is located and is the centre at which all of us will gather for ceremony and healing, and be held in love and community by a collective of local healers.
All of this paired with deeply healing yoga journeys, where you will be invited out of your head & into your body in a daily practice on the healing soil of Africa. Designed to nourish your nervous system, ignite your spirit & feed your soul!
And each yoga journey will be paired with soundscapes curated by Tulani Ngxoweni ( Tulzy ), who will be dj-ing live! Marinating our daily practices with soulful african inspired rhythms & healing frequencies. And all on a brand new next level sound system of unprecedented accelerated technology, creating a profound sonic experience.
Re-connect, Re-member, Re-Empower !
Join us on this unique yoga experience to nourish your body, ignite your spirit & feed your soul!
Embodiment Practices
Embodiment Practices :
Interoceptive Yoga :
We need to FEEL to HEAL.
Interoceptive Yoga is the birthplace of embodiment & takes us on the sacred journey from our heads to our bodies where profound healing & revelation takes form.
We will practice 2 forms of Interoceptive Yoga together on the Retreat :
1. AfroSoul YogaFlow - an Embodiment Journey of Yang to Yin, where SlowFlow Yoga nourishes our bodies & spirits, Yin Yoga soothes us with mindfulness & Yoga Nidra drops us into deep rejuvenation & repair, all marinated in Soulful Afro Inspired Beats with our Live DJ - Tulzy
2. Nervous System Flow - A deeply nourishing slow flow yoga practice paired with breath, brain training & neuro-resilience tools to tone our vagus nerve & soothe, ground & reset our nervous systems. Marinated with D.J Tulzy's rich soundscape of spacious healing frequencies Live.
Our practice will not only create the space for us to connect with & release the built up tension held in our bodies, refreshing & revitalising the system, but also serves to invoke access to the deep wisdom & inherent knowing that lies within each & every one of us, within the intelligence of our embodied presence .
Nervous System Rewire :
An essential component to Embodiment is cultivating the capacity for authentic embodied relaxation & nervous system regulation.
This practice is designed to empower students with tools to regulate their bodies stress responses by rebuilding a robust & adaptable nervous system.
A collection of breath & brain training self regulation practices to soothe & ground our nervous systems & restore vagal tone & equilibrium. Rebuilding our inner resilience & capacity to effectively metabolise & bounce back with ease after stress .
Yin Yoga :
In Yin Yoga we explore long held therapeutic asanas that generate the flow of chi through the fascia & the energy channels of the bodymind.
Releasing deep layers of contraction held in the connective tissue & influencing the 12 main meridians that feed into all of our primary organs.
We invite suppleness & flexibility into the physical body & restore harmony & balance to the mental & emotional bodies.
Whilst cultivating Mindfulness; the art of neither withdrawing from nor identifying with whatever arises, physically, psychologically & emotionally.
Thus allowing deep release on all level of our beings & inviting integration of Body, Mind & Spirit.
Daily Schedule
Daily Schedule :
Day 1 - March 18th Arrival @ Paradise Creek Lodge
Day 2 - March 19th
Morning AfroSoul YogaFlow practice under the vast African sky, with our live DJ -Tulzy
Kruger Safari Game Drive ; Where we will discover a symphony of life—majestic elephants, graceful giraffes, roaming zebra and prowling lions revealing themselves in the untamed beauty of the bush. Connecting to the raw, unfiltered heartbeat of the wild nature of Mother Africa !
Day 3 - March 20th
Guided Hike through Kruger National Park, where every step unveils nature's secrets. Feel the earth beneath your feet and the thrill of being immersed in the animal kingdom. From the delicate tracks of a leopard to the vibrancy of wild birds in flight, each moment brings you closer to the raw essence of the bush. An intimate hiking journey, where the untamed whispers of Africa come alive around you.
Evening Yin Yoga with Tulzy Sound Healing
Day 4 - March 21st : EQUINOX!
Morning Nervous System YogaFlow practice at Paradise Creek with our live DJ -Tulzy
Check out from Paradise Creek Lodge and move to View Inn Guest Lodge
Entokozweni Homestead Visit : The best way to experience African “Ubuntu” philosophy ( I am because you are ) is to live amongst those whose practical lived experience is a tangible embodiment of this philosophy. Teaching us the importance of collective economy and sustainability and the anchoring of ancestral ceremonies and rites of passages.
Healing Circle & Introduction to Bantu Cosmology : The foundation of the BaNtu mystery system, as well as its cosmologies, is “Ntu” the bridging “wire” between thinking- matter and the world of unthinking-matter (the world and source of “ungrasped” ideas and images) Everything in BaNtu society depends on Ntu & Elders used it as a key to understanding life on planet earth and the cosmos.
Sefutho (Sweat lodge) : Ancient Purification Fire Ceremony
Divinations/Readings ( Optional ) : A 'scan' of the individual's past life, current state of being, ancestral memory and future becoming guided through the invocation of the Ndau spirits
Evening: Sound Therapy: Drum & Song Ceremony : Drum and song (sonic healing) is a core modality in African culture through which song is an embodiment of our axiology and is a form of oral history and wisdom archiving.
- Drum and song (Nguni &Malopo) - Call and response as awakening cognitive and psycho spiritual presence.
- Ugugida - Movement medicine (carthasis, community, extraction of negativities).
Day 5 - March 22nd
Day trip to Inzalo Ye Langa : The oldest stone calendar in the world, estimated to be 75,000 to 100,000 years old. It is said to be where heaven mated with mother earth.
Nourishing Yoga practice in the middle of the Sacred Stones : The magnificent ancient calendar is aligned with the movements of the sun, solstices and equinoxes
Aligned with the rise of Orion’s Belt and is built along the same 31-degree longitudinal line as the Great Pyramid of Giza. In the centre are the initiation stones where shamans of old went through their rites of passage initiations.The sacred stones have a very specific crystalline structure that resonates and amplifies sound & emits sound frequencies. These vibrational frequencies are far too high-pitched for our ears to pick up (375 gigahertz) and are only found within this stone circle. They possess electromagnetic fields running both vertically and horizontally that measuring between 1700Mhz and1800Mhz!
Day 6 - March 23rd
Morning Purification Yoga at the Waterfall
Ngwenya River and Waterfall Ceremony :
Healing the Dark Waters within - A Cleansing purification ritual for our body, mind & soul
Day 7 - March 24th
Morning AfroSoul YogaFlow with our live DJ -Tulzy
Day trip to the Blyde River Canyon : The Blyde River Canyon is considered one of the largest canyons on Earth. Along the winding path, every turn offers more and more impressive views over sheer edges dropping 800m into the riverbed.
At the meeting point of the Blyde River (river of joy) and the Treur River (river of sorrow) water erosion has created one of the most phenomenal geological phenomena in South Africa.
Sacred Sites :
The Bourke's Luck Potholes : have taken thousands of years to form strange cylindrical sculptures carved by swirling water. The smooth red and yellow rocks contrast with the dark pools
The Three Rondawels : The Three Rondavels “The Three Sisters” are named after the legendary wives of Chief Maripe : Maseroto, Mogoladikwe, and Magabolle. Who were fierce women and although the Chief could handle wars, politics and leading a tribe, his wives were evidently the true power of the household.
The area surrounding Moholoholo, they canyon and are of great spiritual significance to the Mapulana people. Gogo Thato and Gogo Khanyakude are both descendents of Mapulana and Swati nations.
Day 8 : March 25th - Departure
“Where my spirit guides me, I will go, where my soul yearns for peace, I will be…..”
Accommodations & Catering
Paradise Creek Lodge
While on Safari we will spend our evenings at the tranquil Paradise Creek Lodge.
The lodge provides cozy, comfortable accommodation, nestled in nature, only 4.5 km from the Kruger National Park Malelane gate and 5.5 km from Malelane Town.
Their quaint chalets and rooms are set in beautiful indigenous gardens. Each chalet is tastefully decorated and have their own unique character as well as outdoor covered patios.
Accommodation :
All the rooms at Paradise Creek are comfortably air-conditioned & come with cable TV, a fridge & tea and coffee making facilities.
They all have either double or 2 single beds ( upon request ) & an en-suite bathroom. And come with an outside patio & braai area.
View Inn Guest Lodge
During our immersion into the richness of ancient african culture, ceremony & ritual, we will spend our evenings at the View Inn Guest Lodge.
The Lodge is a hidden gem nestled in the heart of Mpumalanga, South Africa. Located in Entokozweni, Mbombela, this lodge offers guests the unique experience of stunning views of the surrounding mountainous areas, where guests can relax and unwind in this peaceful and tranquil setting.
Accommodation :
The lodge offers comfortable rooms that are tastefully decorated and equipped with modern amenities such as wi-fi, air-conditioning and laundry service to ensure a comfortable stay. The lodge also features a swimming pool, a restaurant, and a bar making it the perfect place to unwind after a long day of exploring the surrounding area.
Situated 15km from Kruger International Airport, 22 km from Nelspruit/Mbombela City, 8km from Krokodil Nature Reserve and 60km from Kruger National Park.
Facilitators
Tina Nance
Retreat Fascillitator, E- RYT 500 Yoga & Embodiment Teacher Trainer
Tina Nance has been practicing Yoga for over 25 years and teaching Embodiment, Yoga, Somatic Inquiry & Women’s Work around the globe since 2001, in classes, workshops, retreats and yoga teacher trainings.
Tina is deeply passionate about creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds to connect directly and experientially with their body-mind and Spirit via the Embodied Arts.
Tina is the founder of HELD : School of Embodied Self Integration & the somatic practice of Embodied Unwinding.
HELD runs 100hr Yoga Teacher Trainings in Yoga Therapy, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga & Nervous System Regulation, Somatic Trauma Integration, Embodied Mindfulness & Embodied Feminine Arts.
Tina’s work centres within the understanding that many of the contractions of the body-mind are a manifestation of identifying with thoughts and behaviours that are misaligned with the truth of who we are.
All of Tina’s embodiment based programmes focus on consciously unravelling these holding patterns within our body-mind's, in a myriad of ways, with guided transformative loving awareness. In cultivating the art of heart-centred embodied listening : deep presence, curiosity, directed awareness, compassionate holding and conscious breath, embodying the integration of body, mind and spirit.
Tina is a long time resident yoga teacher & teacher trainer at The Yoga Barn in Bali, Indonesia, teaching regular Classes, Workshops & 6x 100hr HELD Embodied Arts Teacher Trainings & a 500hour HELD Advanced Yoga Teacher Training programme.
500hr E- RYT, Dip Ki Yoga Therapy, Dip Health Sciences, Dip Shiatsu, Dip Remedial Massage, Dip Vibrational Medicine.
Instagram : www.instagram.com/tinanance_held/
Youtube : www.youtube.com/@HELD.tinanance
Website : www.held.tinanance.com
Tulani Ngxoweni
Our very own D.J. for AfroSoul YogaFlow, Nervous System Flow & Yin Yoga Sessions
Tulani (Tulzy) born in his homeland South Africa, moved to London in 2001, bought his first set of turntables & began fusing eclectic African inspired beats of soul, funk, jazz, disco, latin & house to create his own unique style.
Tulzy has since played throughout South Africa & Europe with D.J. Residency’s in Mallorca, Ibiza, London & Berlin.
Tulzy currently lives & plays in Bali, Indonesia where he runs his infamous Afro inspired weekly event AFRITUDE !
Tulzy is passionate about creating unique spaces of Afro -Inclusivity where all people can feel safe to connect, celebrate together & express themselves, no matter their ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or social status. Everyone is invited to dance, to embrace and celebrate the soul of African inspired rhythms, to come together & lose themselves in the spirit and sensuality of the sound.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/afritude_official/
: www.instagram.com/tulzy_music/
Mixcloud : www.mixcloud.com/Tulzy_Music/
Thato Tshukudu
(Nehuru/Mkhulu Manzini) is a sangoma, diviner and nature therapist
Thato has been a practicing as a traditional healer for 15 years. She is an avid advocate & promoter of the celebration and preservation of African culture and indigenous practice, heritage and spirituality. She is passionate about spiritual/cultural tourism, land access, ancestral dna activation and restoration, alchemy and nature conservation.
Thato guides specially curated spiritual retreats to sacred sites and natural spaces nationwide for spiritual immersion experiences using the divine healing power of Mother nature.
She provides input into policies and laws affecting traditional healing and indigenous knowledge systems for organisations, government institutions and NGOs.
Gogo Thato also works as an Operations Manager at SANParks (South African National Parks) and was part of the team that pioneered the introduction of Cultural and Spiritual experiences at the organisation such as the Weekend of African Spirituality (Golden Gate Highlands National Park) in 2016 and the annual Mapungubwe Lecture series.
She was an Executive Producer for SANParks’s first reality show ‘Away for Repair’ which was set in 7 National Parks focused on how nature can be a great tool to for healing and repairing broken bonds between people.
And Thato is the initiator of the Heal the Healer movement which seeks to create a safe space for healers and spiritual seekers. She hosts healing circles every quarter and a healer’s fair in which practitioners offer each other healing services and products, a true example that Healers can truly Heal Healers.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/nehuru_the_oracle/
Blog: nehuru1111.wixsite.com/theoracle
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086271851188
Tiisetso Ntuthuko Makhubedu
(Gogo Khanyakude) a Queer Two-Spirited soul & the custodian of the sacred Sangoma lineage.
Rooted in the ancient and vibrant practice of uBungoma, Tiisetso’s work is a living, somatic tradition passed down through generations, anchored in oral histories and guided by the profound principles of Ubuntu—the philosophy of shared humanity and interconnection. This is a lineage that honors Isintu, the deep well of indigenous wisdom that nurtures and sustains the earth and its people.
As a Mindfulness Coach, trained at the University of Stellenbosch and Imisa, and a certified RYT200 Yoga Teacher, Tiisetso’s journey is a deeply spiritual one, where the body becomes the vessel for transformation and healing.
Called to advocate for the ethical archiving & promotion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Tiisetso stands as a thought leader in the movement of embodied decolonization. With a fierce commitment to co-creating inclusive, just societies, Tiisetso uses their voice to challenge the way we name, frame, and structure our world, recognizing that how we think and speak about concepts, ideologies, and systems shapes the future of our shared existence.
Through Ukudloza Indigenous Knowledge Consultancy, Tiisetso offers transformative insights and practical solutions for individuals, organizations, communities, NGOs, government bodies, institutions of higher learning, and wellness spaces. The consultancy is dedicated to finding innovative ways to address contemporary challenges by re-engaging with indigenous practices and wisdom in both local and global contexts.
From rural villages and townships across South Africa to urban centers, and stretching to Europe, North America, Asia, and South America, Tiisetso’s work reaches the hearts and minds of those seeking healing, knowledge, and unity in a fractured world. This is the work of an ancient soul walking in the present, bridging the old and new to create a more sustainable, equitable future for all beings.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/gogo_khanyakude/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gogo_khanyakude
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@gogokhanyakude2657
FAQs
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The O.R. Tambo (JHB) airport is an international airport in Johannesburg that receives direct flights from worldwide destinations.
From O.R. Tambo (JHB) book a connecting flight to Mbombela airport (Mpumalanga - Kruger National Park ) * Please note there are only up to 3 flights per day.
We will have our welcome dinner at Paradise Creek Lodge at 6.30pm.
Please arrange to arrive at the lodge by 5pm at the latest, to allow time to settle into your room and be ready for a delicious sunset meal together.
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Paradise Creek Lodge is a 45min-1hour drive from Mbombela Airport
For extra convenience, Paradise Creek Lodge offer airport shuttle pick ups, to bring you to & from the airport upon your arrival & departure fora reasonable additional cost.
ZAR 950 (approx $53.20 USD) for one person
ZAR 1700(approx $95.20 USD) for 2 people.
ZAR 2250(approx $126 USD) for 3 people.
ZAR 2600(approx $145.61 USD) for 4 people.
ZAR 2750(approx $154.00 USD) for 5 people.
ZAR 2900 (approx $163 USD) for max 7 people.
To book an airport shuttle please contact Paradise Creek Lodge directly on :
+27 (0)63 619 6861
+27 (0)82 824 5506
Alternatively other options are airport taxis, Uber or Bolt .
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To see if your passport requires a tourist visa for South Africa, please check :
https://www.vfsglobal.com/southafrica/zimbabwe/pdf/who-need-visas.pdf
Otherwise a Short term Visitor Visa will be required & is valid up to 90 days.
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When booking it is required that all retreat participants take out travel insurance to cover cancellation or medical care. Please bring your insurance certificate with you to the retreat.
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If you wish to extend your stay at Paradise Creek Lodge, post retreat, Please email info@paradisecreek.co.za directly to check if accommodation is still available during that time period.
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We will be practicing yoga in the elements , submerged in the nature of South Africa’s epic landscapes & will therefore not be in equipped yoga studios.
PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN YOGA MAT with you for the retreat.
And perhaps a SARONG to lay over you in the evenings when we practice Yoga Nidra under the stars
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Private healing services are offered on an individual basis by the community of traditional healers at the homestead ( Sangoma’s) including the facilitators/hosts. All healers are extremely gifted in these modalities.
For those that are called to any of them, sessions will be arranged in advance with slots throughout the 4 days.
Private Sessions :
• Divinations/Readings: Included
• Sefutho (Sweat lodge): Included
• Femba (An intense 'scan' of the individual's past life, current state of being, ancestral memory and future becoming guided through the invocation of the Ndau spirits): $100 usd
• Detox process: $50 usd (includes indigenous detox tonic medicine to take home)
Energy exchange/gratuity is preferred in cash to be given directly to the healer.
More info on each will be sent via email prior to the retreat.
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Temperatures in South Africa in March are comfortable with and average low of 14°C and high up to 27°C.
Some sporadic rain can be expected.
Clothes to Bring :
Warm tops for the evening and light clothes for the day
Hiking boots, sneakers & sandals
Swimwear & Sarong
Sunglasses & Hat
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Yoga Mat
Walking shoes/Hiking Boots and sandals
Water bottle
Torch
Insect repellant/ Mosquito repellent (Mpumalanga is a low malaria risk area but check with doctor first)
Sunscreen
Hat & Sunglasses
P.s You will need to bring your own toiletries.
P.s.s. Ensure to take out some cash in case of emergencies, private sessions and tips/gratuity
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South Africa uses M and N plugs.
Please bring a universal plug adapter in case there isn’t one available
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Sim cards are available to purchase from local cell phone providers ( & can be purchased most anywhere)
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Our accommodations will have free WIFI connectivity.
However we reccomend purchasing a local SIM card for broader use
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Mpumalanga is one of the 9 provinces in South Africa, its name means The Land of The Rising Sun as it is on the far eastern side of the country. It is known to have one of themost diverse and breathtaking landscapes and natural spaces. From lowveld grasslands that are homes to a variety of wildlife including the Big Five, to majestic mountain escarpments, the Blyde River Canyon, which is one of greatest wonders of the world, to the cascading waterfalls along the Panoramic route.
The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. It has nearly two million hectares of unfenced African wilderness, in which more mammal species roam free than in any other game reserve.
Investment details
Investment :
Retreat 18th - 25th March 2025
Standard Rate:
Private Room: $2750 USD
Twin-Shared Room: $2565 USD
Couple Room for two people: $5130 USD
Investment includes:
7 nights Accommodation
3 Meals per day
All Yoga Classes
All Safari Game Drives & Hikes in Kruger National Park
All Traditional African Ceremonies
All Sound Healing, African Drum & Song Journeys
A Personal Divination Reading
A Personal Sefutho ( Sweat Lodge)
Refund Policy
Payment less a $500 deposit will be refunded in full 2 months ++ out from retreat commencement.
50% Payment (less $500 deposit) will be refunded 4 weeks out from the retreat.
No refund will be given if you cancel less than 4 weeks prior to retreat commencement.
Register
For all queries feel free to contact Tina directly at iam@tinanance.com