About Atitlan Eco Retreat
OUR MISSION
Why Atitlan Eco Retreat?
We exist to hold space — for the retreat leaders doing the work of transformation, and for the groups who trust them enough to show up. Running a retreat is hard enough without also managing the room, the food, the logistics. Our mission is simple: give facilitators a container solid enough that they can disappear into their work, and give their groups an environment that lets the real work happen — safely, honestly, without distraction.
What is the Atitlan Eco Retreat?
Atitlan Eco Retreat is a peaceful expanse of natural beauty, sacred Maya culture, and lake wellness — built for in-depth study and practice, alongside lighthearted dance and play. This is the land of free spirit meets responsibility. We study, practice, and integrate yoga and zen, and we infuse regenerative living inspired by permaculture into everything we do.
We’ve combined all the elements we love about ashram life, hospitality, and travel to create an experience we feel is truly unparalleled.
Built on Yoga and Zen
Our culture rests on a few simple commitments: clarity and honesty, even when it’s uncomfortable. Responsibility for what we say, do, and feel. Showing up — to practice, to ourselves, to each other — and staying open as change asks something new of us. Simplicity in what we use and what we keep. And permaculture as a practice, not just a philosophy: working with nature, respecting local resources and culture, reducing and reusing what we can. It shows up in how clean, earthy, and unforced this place feels the moment you arrive.
Why Guatemala & Lake Atitlán?
Tzununá sits on the shore of Lake Atitlán, surrounded by volcanoes, reached by boat or by road around the lake. A small river runs along the property, and the rhythm of the village — women weaving in traditional dress, tortillas on the wood stove, life paced by the lake rather than the clock — does something to a group that a five-star resort can’t fake. Guests arrive already softened by the place before the retreat even begins.
Lake Atitlán has drawn seekers for decades. San Marcos La Laguna, a short boat ride away, is known throughout Central America as a hub for yoga, meditation, and spiritual practice. Being part of that lineage, without being in the middle of its noise, gives every retreat here a head start. See more of the lake →
Our Vision
This center began as a simple idea: that the ancient practices of yoga and zen deserve a home that actually lives them, not just teaches them. A place built on presence, community, and doing the real work — not performing it.
That vision still shapes everything here: how we welcome each group, how we tend the land, how we show up when it’s hard. It’s what makes this more than a venue. Whoever leads a retreat here steps into that identity. Whoever carries this place forward inherits it.