rhode island hot yoga

Jamaica Yoga retreat

January 11th - 17th, 2024

Join the Rhode Island Hot Yoga community for our first trip to Jamaica!

Shake off those January blues and start your year with a bucket list experience at Good Hope Jamaica! From January 11th - 17th, 2025, we'll enjoy a full week at this intimate eco-resort set on a stunning 2000-acre property.

After the busy and sometimes stressful holiday season, January is a popular month for recommitting to our own self-care. This trip gives you the perfect opportunity to take that commitment to the next level. Explore, relax, and reset for the upcoming year!

Although many of our guests practice  locally at our Rhode Island studios, you do not need to be a studio member to join us. If this trip is calling to you, please join us! Friends, family members, and beginners are all warmly welcomed on our trips.

What makes a yoga retreat so different from a "regular vacation?" 

DONE FOR YOU. Our trips are all inclusive, with all the meals and excursions coordinated on your behalf - no need to worry about planning an itinerary, finding a restaurant, organizing transportation, or booking a guide. This is especially great for solo travelers!

YOU COME FIRST.  Rather than putting your health and wellness in the backseat during your vacation, you get to put yourself front and center. Practice yoga daily, take time to relax, and enjoy nourishing food. Instead of "needing a vacation after your vacation," you'll return home feeling healthy and refreshed.

MAKING CONNECTIONS. As we become increasingly isolated in our daily routines, it's not always easy to connect with other people who share your interests. The bonds that form on retreat are special and long lasting! Many guests who first met on our trips have stayed connected and continue to travel together.

Counting the days to this trip!

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You missed out!

What's Included?

We aim to make your retreat experience easy and stress-free. On this trip, all your excursions are included in your retreat tuition along with the cost of your meals, accommodations, transportation, and yoga classes. Your retreat fee includes:

  • Luxurious accommodations for 7 days and 6 nights at Good Hope in Jamaica. All rooms feature A/C and ensuite bathrooms  -see details HERE!
  • Daily yoga classes with our RI Hot Yoga staff - Juliana, Kelly, and Honore - who will offer a variety of all-level yoga and meditation sessions.
  • Three full meals per day (excluding the price of alcoholic beverages), starting with dinner on the first night and ending with breakfast on the last day.
  • Direct access to the river and hiking trails right on the property, complimentary SUP / kayak rentals, along with access to a private beach with a beach house about 25 min away which is accessible by free shuttle. We'll plan a beach day!
  • A full schedule of activities including: river tubing, a day at the beach, a local Karma Yoga Service Project, guided walking tours, a Luminous Lagoon bioluminescent boat ride, and a beach bonfire (weather permitting!)
  •  Ground transportation between the retreat center and the airport (MBI.)

You will have ample free time to engage in your own activities independently or simply relax at the resort - whatever suits you best! You can start your day with a refreshing hike right on the property or relax poolside with a book. You can also add spa services for an additional fee and enjoy a massage treatment or reflexology session in the comfort of your own room.

Yoga Classes & Retreat Staff

Yoga classes will be available 2x per day during every full day of the retreat! (Travel days are excluded.) Our studio specializes in Original Hot Yoga (26&2) which will be offered daily throughout the retreat. We will also offer Yin Yoga, Meditation, and Sunrise Flow classes. In general, classes will be offered in the mornings and afternoons before mealtimes.

Our classes are appropriate and accessible for all skill levels. Beach Day will include a yoga session at the beach!

Please note that we will be practicing in an open air yoga space and taking advantage of Jamaica's naturally warm climate for our heated yoga classes - these will be scheduled during the warmest part of the day so that we can get sweaty!

juliana on bridge
Juliana Olmstead (retreat leader)

.Our retreat leader Juliana Olmstead is the owner and founder of Rhode Island Hot Yoga. She fell in love with the hot yoga practice during her first class 20 years ago, and eventually found that teaching yoga was her true passion – leaving behind her graduate engineering degree to pursue yoga full time! Her yoga teacher career took her all around the United States until she put down roots in Rhode Island and started a community in 2014. She is now the proud owner of two yoga studios plus a wellness center and has found a new passion for training and mentoring new teachers – but she still feels most at home when she’s leading a yoga class!

She began leading international yoga retreats in 2017 after having her own life-changing yoga retreat experience (pictured here in Costa Rica) and loves to create that same magical environment for others to find their own revelations and transformations. On this trip Juliana will be leading both Original Hot Yoga (26&2) and Yin Yoga classes, and will be available throughout the experience to help you enjoy your retreat journey.

HONORE FORD | Our retreat coordinator Honore Ford came to hot yoga practice for the first time in 2016 after a few years of consistent running. She was shocked when she couldn’t keep up with the class and quickly realized that the pranayama (breath-work) was not accessible. A visit to the ear-nose-and throat doctor revealed that one nostril passage was entirely blocked with cartilage and they surmised that she had never taken a full deep breath in her adult life. After corrective surgery, she dove into hot yoga practice 6x a week and felt phenomenal!

Those benefits inspired Honore to complete her initial 200 hour yoga teacher training, and she has continuously sought out and achieved new teaching certifications ever since. As a teacher, she uses clear, concise language to help students use their body and breath to maximum benefit. She loves deep diving into different musical genres to curate diverse playlists, and providing information/insight so folks can thrive!

KELLY MCCULLOUGH | Our final staff member Kelly McCullough is thrilled to be participating in her first yoga retreat! Kelly took her first hot yoga class while visiting her father and his wife in Atlanta GA in 2003. They had been practicing for a few months and she was stunned by how glowing, healthy and happy they looked. She joined them for a class and was instantly hooked.

Kelly has continued to practice consistently since that time and has been amazed by the transformations you see in yourself and others through consistent ongoing practice. She has been teaching since 2015 and brings a depth of specialized knowledge to her classes, leading our Original Hot Yoga classes, our Intermediate levels classes, and even 1-on-1 classes for our more advanced yoga students. She is honored and thrilled to be part of this trip. 

Travel & Location

Donald Sangster International Airport (MBJ)

Get to Jamaica and we'll handle the rest! Please book your flights into Donald Sangster International Airport. You'll find that airfare is reasonably priced and it's best to secure your tickets early.

To participate in the group shuttle, please book as close to these flights windows as possible. January 11th, 2025 - arrive before 4:30pm. January 17th, 2025 - depart after 10:30am.

Please book as close to these flights windows as possible to avoid long wait times at the airport! A private group shuttle will be bringing us to / from the retreat center.

About the Venue

Good Hope’s 2000-acre property has a rich and complex history. Before the property even had a name, it was a magical riverland in the parish of Trelawny, Jamaica. In 1745, the location became a place where sugar was grown and enslaved people lived and worked. Emancipation came in 1838, and the property evolved with several stewards over the next 100 years, farming coconuts and cattle. The building that was called the Great House was transformed into a guest house in 1910 by a new owner, and continued in this tradition for long stays until the 1970’s when the property was more or less abandoned and unable to support itself.

In 1989, Jamaican humanitarian and businessman, Tony Hart, purchased the property with a group of investors who wanted to provide employment in the nearby villages, re-utilize the land, and set out to restore the decaying buildings. A few years later, Good Hope evolved into a Retreat Center hosting groups, individuals, and special events Since 2012, Good Hope has grown to become a beautiful eco-park with intimate accommodations for both groups and individuals, adventure tours, and fields for growing fruits and animals to graze.

Prices & Reservations

All bookings for this trip will be processed through True Nature Travels, our yoga retreat travel partner for this trip! The total investment for this trip is:

$3,795 per person for share occupancy room | $4,995 for private room

This price includes all the retreat amenities, food and accommodations, yoga classes, and excursions listed above. Airfare is not included as participants are responsible for booking and selecting their own flights. 

 LET'S GO - CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!

Questions about the trip? Email us at retreats@rhodeislandhotyoga.com!