Singing Retreat in Mexico

Full Voice and Expression
A Joyful Retreat for Opening Your Voice and Your Life
(for women)

March 7-14, 2026
Mar de Jade Holistic Retreat Center
Chacala, Nayarit, Mexico
About 90 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta

A delicious week of vocal exploration, self discovery, creativity and deep play on the Pacific Coast.

This beauty bath will include:
  • community singing in the oral tradition – for the joy of it
  • vocal expansion using Barbara’s Five Elements Framework
  • fun vocal games
  • exploring great poetry
  • singing the sun down before dinner
  • a joyful dance to live music
  • lots of movement, play, ceremony, and deep conversation.

Our class schedule allows plenty of time to walk the beach, go on outings (whale watching, hikes, etc.), float in the pool, and nap in the hammock. We meet mid-morning up until lunch and then again after dinner, except for the evening we dance to live music! That day we'll have an optional voice clinic for people who want a mini-session to explore something with Barbara.

Absolutely no singing experience is required.

My cost for teaching for the week is $600.
Airfare, airport transportation, and lodging is extra.

To hold your place, please send a $200 deposit to Barbara.
Venmo - Barbara-McAfee-2 (9255 last 4 of phone)
PayPal - [email protected] (friends and family)
Check made out to Barbara. Contact her for the address.
Deposit is refundable until December 31, 2025.

There are several levels of room available.
The lodging cost includes 3 daily buffet meals, use of facilities, meditation and yoga classes.
Weekly lodging costs range from $1,190 to $2,310.

Plan to fly into PV on the afternoon of March 7 and depart on the afternoon of March 14. The people at Mar de Jade arrange transportation from the airport to the retreat center. Cost is about $30-$40 plus tip depending on how many people are in your van.

​If the booking app at Mar de Jade's website reveals no availability, contact Mar de Jade directly and mention that you are part of Barbara McAfee's retreat group.

Please contact Barbara with questions:
This retreat will be offered at Kirkridge Retreat Center September 24 -27 and at Whidbey Institute October 22-25. 

If you are interested in hosting this weekend retreat,
​please contact Barbara.
​Living, Dying, Music, and Mystery:
A Retreat Exploring the Threshold
Everyone knows everything sings and dies. But could it be, too, everything dies and sings…. — Galway Kinnell

We live in a culture that often turns its face away from the one certainty we all share. Yet, when we lean into the mystery of the "Great Mystery," we often find that our lives become more vivid, purposeful, and harmonious.

Join singer, songwriter, and master facilitator Barbara McAfee for a soulful investigation into the thin places where life and death meet. This is not a clinical seminar, but a communal ritual—a space to metabolize our grief and celebrate our vitality through the ancient tools of song, story, and silence.

The Journey Together
Through the lens of "conscious dying" and the restorative power of voice, we will create a brave container to explore the ultimate threshold. Whether you are navigating a personal loss, facing your own mortality, or simply seeking a deeper connection to the pulse of life, this retreat offers a sanctuary for the heart.
​
During our time together, we will:
  • Share Sacred Stories: Unpack the wisdom gained from our encounters with loss and the insights that emerge from the "threshold."
  • The Medicine of Melody: Sing simple, nourishing songs that require no musical background—only a willing heart. We will build a "living hymnal" of songs to carry home.
  • The Art of the Good Death: Explore what it means to prepare for a graceful transition, integrating the practical with the poetic.
  • Embodied Presence: Savor curated poetry and deep silence that awakens the spirit and grounds the body.
  • Ancestral and Land Connection: Take time on the land to listen for the deeper wisdom that only the natural world can provide.
What to Expect
Expect a time of "deep play"—an alchemical mix of beauty, laughter, tears, and delicious surprises. You will leave with a renewed sense of what it means to be fully alive and a collection of songs to support yourself and your loved ones through the transitions of life.