Xinalani is not only a yoga retreat center, it’s also a socially responsible company. Our mission is to promote and host healthy retreats in a sustainable way. Our social work starts with the community of Quimixto, our neighboring town, that graciously welcomed us.
Quimixto is a small fishing village of barely four hundred souls where most of our staff proudly live. Most Quimixto people live of fishing, trade, and tourism. Lots are employed in restaurants, hotels and resorts, among others: Xinalani. Quimixtenses as they call themselves, are kind, warm, happy people who greet visitors with an authentic smile. They all know each other as one big family. Quimixto stands about 45 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta. It has no road access, everything has to be brought in by boat. The scarce infrastructure gives Quimixto the look and feel of a virgin island, and visitors really enjoy that Robinson Crusoe experience as they hop off the little boat. But on the other hand, Quimixto’s community often suffers several shortfalls.
For that matter we created Fundación Semillas (Seeds Foundation), a small nonprofit organization aiming at improving life quality in the community through education for the very young. We are working along with our guests and the rural kindergarten and elementary school Elena Garro’s parents and families to give Quimixto’s youth the keys to a better world.
Xinalani hosts groups of yogis from around the world. In January of 2020, we welcomed Sarah Oleson’s retreat. Sarah joined forces with the Fundación Semillas to create an organic vegetable garden and raise environmental consciousness with the little ones. Oleson, her students and Xinalani’s staff went to the school to work with the children. Their seed selection included tomato, radish, beet and cilantro, which they chose for their fast growth under the tropical climate of Quimixto. Both children and adults had a lot of fun helping and learning from each other.
Sarah OIeson is committed through her “Karma Project” to conduct selfless community work on her retreats, to give back to the universe in gratitude of all the good things we received. Her karma project also included fundraising to purchase school supplies, backpacks, uniforms, and other basic needs for education.
Xinalani’s manager Eleazar Lukas keeps visiting the school’s garden and stays in touch with Sarah so that her students witness the growth of their sprouts which will hopefully thrive for their retreat at Xinalani next year. Beyond the symbolic gesture of planting seeds, this action created a real heartfelt connection between human beings of all ages, and commitment throughout generations to work for more sustainable living.
At Xinalani, we are happy that a growing number of guests are interested in helping the community, either through donations or positive actions. We are planning on multiplying small interactive events inviting guests and retreat leaders to engage in unpatronizing volunteer work to commune with locals and leave a positive mark of their vacation.
If you wish to participate in helping the community of Quimixto, on your next visit please get in touch with our Manager. He will be pleased to help you organize karma actions such as classes, giveaways, improving infrastructure, or to follow our dear metaphor, plant the seeds of wellbeing.
We look forward to keeping you updated on interesting information, healthy recipes, philosophies, inspirations, featured yogis, students and more! Join us and plant the seed of a newly found well-being.
