Christmas by the Ocean at Xinalani

Christmas by the Ocean at Xinalani is a seven-night yoga retreat on a secluded beach near Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. It is for anyone who wants a quieter Christmas: solo travelers, couples, beginners and seasoned practitioners alike. Daily yoga is led by the resident teachers Jerry, Sol and Paola, and the week includes a Christmas Eve cacao ceremony, whale watching and a chef-prepared Christmas dinner under the stars.

What to Expect

The week is built around slowing down. Each day centers on yoga with the Xinalani resident teachers, in a program called Unwrap Peace. It follows a movement and emotional arc through six themes: space, self, connection, presence, celebration and gratitude. Styles drawn on include Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin and Restorative yoga. Around the classes there is time for the ocean, the jungle and your own company.

Christmas itself has its own rhythm. A Christmas Sunrise Gratitude Meditation with gentle yoga and a Christmas Master Yoga Class mark the holiday. On Christmas Eve, a Pre-Hispanic cacao ceremony gives space to reflect on the year and set intentions. You then write a letter to your future self, which is mailed to you six months after the stay. Christmas dinner is served under the stars with torchlight and the sound of the ocean.

Other shared moments include a sea safari for whale watching on the Pacific and a community bonfire at sunset. Meals are communal, and the retreat is designed so that guests arriving alone find company easily.

Your Teachers

Jerry has ten years of teaching experience and extensive international training in Vinyasa, Hatha, Ashtanga, Yin, Restorative and Therapeutic Yoga, with studies across India, Canada, Spain, Thailand and Mexico.

Sol brings eight years of holistic wellness practice and specialized training in Yin, Restorative and Therapeutic Yoga, along with cacao facilitation and AntiGravity Fitness. Her classes offer a warm, grounding space to slow down and reconnect.

Paola comes from a background in dance and movement and has taught yoga for seven years. She is trained in Hatha, Yin, Pilates, mobility, mindfulness, sound healing and holistic health coaching, and her classes blend movement, breath and intention.

The Setting

Xinalani Retreat sits on a private beach south of Puerto Vallarta that can only be reached by boat. There are no roads in. After you land, the team arranges a taxi from the airport and then a private boat down the coast, and the same transfer takes you back at the end.

Rooms are offered for single or double occupancy, except the shared option:

- Deluxe Room with A/C: air-conditioned, with ocean and jungle views.
- Ocean View Eco Chic: a palapa-roofed suite with a wide view over the bay.
- Beachfront Casita: air-conditioned and a few steps from the sand, the most sought-after room at the property.
- Big Palapa: a shared dormitory with eight beds, priced per person and designated female-only.

Three meals are served each day, freshly prepared and meant to nourish.

Before You Go

No yoga experience is needed. Classes are paced for every level, including a first-ever class, and you are welcome to join all of them or none.

Plan to land in Puerto Vallarta before 4 pm on the arrival day, to allow for time at the airport. On the departure day, the morning boat takes you to the airport, so book flights home for after 11 am.

The stay includes your room, three meals daily, round-trip airport transfer by taxi and boat, daily yoga, the Christmas Master Yoga Class, the Sunrise Gratitude Meditation, the sea safari and whale watching, the bonfire, the Christmas Eve cacao ceremony and letter ritual, the chef's holiday dinner, a surprise Christmas gift and all taxes. Alcoholic drinks, massages and spa treatments, hot yoga classes, staff gratuities and activities outside the program are extra.