A day for each element
Earth, water, fire, metal and wood each get a day, linking the postures to the organs and meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
← Mexico retreats
Destination retreat · Sayulita, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
A week of yin and restorative teacher training at Haramara, Sayulita
5 Elements Yin & Restorative Yoga Teacher Training in Sayulita
A 50-hour training with Kali Basman on the Five Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine, March 20 to 27, 2027.
About the retreat
Kali Basman's 5 Elements Yin & Restorative Yoga Teacher Training is a 50-hour primary training at Haramara Retreat, on 12 private acres of jungle above the Pacific near Sayulita, from March 20 to 27, 2027. Each day explores one of the Five Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine, earth, water, fire, metal and wood, through yin and restorative practice, anatomy and the meridians.
It is part retreat and part training. Mornings are held in Noble Silence, the hosts recommend switching devices off for the week, and the cabanas have no electricity. The days mix yin and restorative practice for your own body with posture clinics, adjustments, sequencing and three teaching practicums.
MyLAyoga does not run this training. Enquiries come to us first: tell us which room you want and we confirm availability and how to register with the organisers, then follow up with you ourselves.
Retreat highlights
What the week is built around
Yin and restorative, practised and taught
Daily yin and restorative practice, posture clinics, and the principles of restorative yoga, including why rest matters for the nervous and immune systems.
Three teaching practicums
Practicums on the last three days, with the science of sequencing and the art of adjustments, to find your own voice as a teacher.
Mornings in Noble Silence
Silent mornings and self-led practice, then learning modules from late morning, and yoga nidra, restorative practice and mindfulness through the evenings.
Buddhist and yogic philosophy
Buddhist concepts and the Eight Limbs of Yoga run through the week alongside anatomy, alignment and mindfulness.
Haramara's open-air pavilions
Practice in thatched yoga pavilions with views over the jungle to the Pacific, and sleep in cabanas lit by oil lamps and candles.
Meet your hosts
Kali Basman
Kali Basman
Yin and restorative yoga teacher trainer
Kali leads yin and mindfulness trainings and retreats internationally, combining Buddhist mindfulness, the meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the physiology of the nervous system and individual anatomy. She credits a lineage of teachers including Sarah Powers, Jack Kornfield and Judith Hanson Lasater.
Day by day
The week, element by element
- Day 1
The art of arrival
Arrive from 3 pm, an arrival circle at 5:30, then orientation and dinner at 7.
- Day 2
Earth
A silent morning, then an earthy vinyasa flow and the principles of yin, yoga and the meridians, and in the afternoon an earth element posture clinic and yin practice.
- Day 3
Water
A water element yang practice and the principles of restorative yoga, then an afternoon water element posture clinic.
- Day 4
Fire
A fire flow before breakfast, the art of adjustments, and an afternoon module on the fire element and shoulder anatomy.
- Day 5
Metal
A free morning, the first teaching practicum and the science of sequencing, then the metal element module.
- Day 6
Wood
A free morning, the second teaching practicum, then the wood element module and breathwork.
- Day 7
Reintegration
The third teaching practicum at 8 am, breakfast, and checkout at 10.
Cost & what's included
Included
- Tuition for the 50-hour training
- Your room or dorm bed at Haramara Retreat
- Three meals a day
Not included
- Flights
- Airport shuttles (the organisers arrange shared shuttles from Puerto Vallarta, paid in cash to the driver)
Packing for it? What to pack for a yoga retreat, and when your own mat is worth the suitcase space.
The flight link below earns us a commission if you book through it. It never changes your price. Our policy.
Getting there
Flights from LAX
Nonstop to Puerto Vallarta (PVR), 2 h 58 min to 3 h 17 min, then about 45 minutes by road.
Round trip from LAX to Puerto Vallarta (PVR), from about
Search these flightsThe fare is the cheapest that travellers found in recent searches, not a quote. The price you see when you search can differ.
Flight times: Directflights.com route schedules, checked October 7, 2026.
Rooms & pricing
Ask about a place in March.
Tell us which room you want and we will confirm what is still available and how to register with the organisers. Registration takes either full payment or a $500 deposit.
Women-only dorm
A bed in the female dorm
Per person$2,288
Quad shared cabana
A cabana shared by four, matched by gender
Per person$2,888
Triple shared cabana
A cabana shared by three, matched by gender
Per person$3,088
Double shared cabana
A cabana shared by two, matched by gender
Per person$3,870
Private cabana
A cabana to yourself
Per person$4,450
No payment now, and this is not a booking. We pass your enquiry to the organisers and follow up with you ourselves.
Good to know
Questions guests ask before booking.
What does it cost?
Prices are per person and include tuition, meals and your room: $2,288 for a bed in the women-only dorm, $2,888 in a quad shared cabana, $3,088 in a triple, $3,870 in a double and $4,450 for a private cabana. These are the pay-in-full prices, which already include a $200 saving. You can instead pay a $500 deposit and the balance in three automatic payments, with the last one due December 17, 2026.
Do I need a roommate?
No. You do not need to register with a roommate; for a shared room the organisers match you with roommates of the same gender.
How do I get there from Los Angeles?
Fly into Puerto Vallarta (PVR), which is nonstop from LAX; Haramara is about 45 minutes north by road. Check-in is after 3 pm. The organisers arrange shared shuttles with Haramara, paid in cash to the driver. Their page also gives flight times for an earlier session (October 12 and 18), so confirm the arrival and departure days with them before you book flights.
Will I have power and signal?
The hosts say the cabanas have no electricity and no connectivity, and they recommend switching devices off for the week.
What is the training worth?
It is listed as a 50-hour primary training from a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP).
More retreats in Mexico
2 more retreats in Mexico
Feb 11 – 16, 2027
Authentic Feminine Women's Retreat at Amansala, Tulum
A women-only week at Amansala, a beachfront eco resort in Tulum, led by Carole Keefer of Free Spirited Wanderer: yoga every morning, an empowerment workshop every evening, four meals a day, a spa treatment, a Mayan ceremony and salsa under the stars.
See the retreat → Three-night minimum on the center's own Healing Reset package; visiting-teacher retreats hosted there typically run five to eight daysThe Best Mexico Yoga Retreat from Los Angeles: Haramara, Sayulita
Haramara Retreat sits on 12 private acres of jungle above the Pacific near Sayulita, with open-air casitas, two ocean-view yoga shalas and a private beach. It is a roughly 3 hour 20 minute nonstop flight from LAX plus a 45 minute drive, which makes it one of the most reachable serious yoga retreat centers in Mexico for Los Angeles practitioners.
See the retreat →Sayulita, Mar 20 – 27, 2027. Fifty hours.
Tell us which room you want and we will come back with availability, the price and how to hold your place.
Questions? Get in touch.
Sayulita Mar 20 – 27, 2027