Sofiah Thom and Brendan Jaffer are visionary leaders known for their transformative contributions to the world of conscious festivals and sustainable retreat spaces.

As the co-founders of Envision Festival and Danyasa Eco Retreat in Costa Rica, over the past 17 years, they have pioneered a movement of healing arts, music, sacred movement, and environmental awareness in the Southern zone of Costa Rica.

Brendan Jaffer is a visionary builder and sustainability advocate who has carved a distinct path in conscious construction in Costa Rica over the past thirty years. With a deep commitment to environmental stewardship and innovative design, Brendan has become a beacon for those seeking to merge aesthetics with eco-consciousness.

Sofiah Thom has been teaching, speaking, and performing in-person and online around the globe for over two decades. Driven by her lifelong passion for ritual dance, creative expression, and feminine spirituality, Sofiah creates a safe and powerful container for expanding one’s infinite potential through the intersection of dance, spirituality, and holistic healing.

Founder of Temple Body Arts® Mystery School and Yoga School for Divine Feminine Leadership and Co-Creator and Founder of Envision Festival

Sofiah is a spiritual mentor, sacred movement artist, teacher and embodiment coach, committed to guiding women to connect with their souls essence and live their highest yes and purpose.

Sofiah believes that every person possesses an inner artist — a unique, individual creative spark that just needs to be allowed or inspired to show itself. Sofiah’s mission lies in nurturing this creative spark in others with the aim to inspire them to live to their fullest creative potential, sharing her wisdom through retreats, yoga teacher trainings, private sessions and public classes. In Sofiah’s presence one feels her grace, strength and sensuality as she invites you to get out of your head and into your body.

As a daughter of parents who are also healers and teachers, and as an interdisciplinary artist with a B.A. in Dance Therapy and Performing Arts from Naropa University, studies at the Tamalpa Institute in Expressive Healing Arts, and a myriad of trainings in Bodywork, Tantra Yoga and Dance, Sofiah’s deep understanding of the body shines through her work. Her experience and collaboration with certain key mentors laid the groundwork and sparked a deep sense of inspiration for her work.

She is the creator of The Temple Body Arts® Mystery School, offering in-depth immersions and Yoga Teacher Trainings, on-line and in person to help women access their creative potential and Live their YES.

She is the co-author of The Path of the Priestess Book: Discover Your Divine Purpose.

Sofiah’s inspiration as a yogini stems from Tantra and Vinyasa Flow and she received her 200 hour Yoga Alliance RYT through the teachings of Anusara. Sofiah’s yoga classes are a fusion of Tantra Yoga and movement arts guiding students to connect with their creative power through the body. When it comes to dance, Sofiah fuses all of her technique background including ballet, modern, African, Indian and Belly Dance into a unique and beautiful performance art, which she calls Temple Fusion, which originates from the recognition of the body as a temple, melding and fusing multiple dance and movement modalities in a sexy, sensual and spiritual dance offering. She dances the winding path between inner landscape and external environment, always embracing the succulence and sensuality of the goddess archetype.

Today, Sofiah combines dance, yoga, expressive healing arts and ritual into her work and has appeared as a performing artist and workshop facilitator at International events for the past fourteen years including the Bali Spirit Festival, Bhakti Fest, Earth Dance, and Wanderlust to name a few. She has been featured in Yogi Times, Conscious Dancer, The Bloom Documentary Series and Elephant Journal. Sofiah lives and works on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, where she and her husband opened Bamboo Yoga Play, A Sanctuary for Living Artfully in 2007.

In 2011 Sofiah, her husband and a small group of individuals founded Envision, which quickly burgeoned into a world renowned transformational festival offering Music, Art, Education and Sacred Movement in the raw nature of Costa Rica. In 2013 Sofiah and her husband began the expansion of Bamboo Yoga Play Studio into the Danyasa Eco-Retreat, with the intention of creating a permanent hub for the essence of what their Envision Festival represents through art, community, co-creation and transformative experience.

She is certified by Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT-200 yoga instructor.

Join Sofiah in Paradise live for one of her transformational Temple Body Arts retreats or facilitator trainings.

Amanda Jean

Amanda Jean is a dynamic force at Danyasa, seamlessly blending creativity, organization, and movement into everything she does. With nearly 20 years of experience in graphic and web development, social media, and digital creation, she brings a rich artistic vision to her work.

Beyond the digital realm, Amanda’s background in movement, yoga, and circus arts fuels her passion for guiding others in embodied practice. As a retreat coordinator and sanctuary overseer, she works closely with retreat leaders to craft immersive, transformational experiences—ensuring that every detail, from logistics to branding, aligns with their vision.

Amanda is also an experienced aerial yoga instructor, sharing her love of movement by helping students explore strength, fluidity, and freedom in the air. Whether she’s curating retreats, overseeing the sanctuary, or teaching from the silks, Amanda brings creativity, heart, and presence to everything she does.

Shirlee Williams

For over 25 years, Shirlee has been guiding students on a journey of self-discovery through yoga, meditation, and breathwork. Shirlee’s approach is rooted in the belief that true transformation happens when we are fully embodied—present, engaged, and alive to the world around us.

In her classes, the mat becomes more than just a space for movement; it’s a mirror where students find themselves. Shirlee’s teaching isn’t about escaping life’s challenges but leaning into them with courage, curiosity, and compassion. The sweet spot as she likes to call it.

With humour and storytelling woven into each class, Shirlee creates a dynamic and welcoming atmosphere where students can reconnect with their bodies and spirits.

Shirlee has had the priveldge to have studied with incredible teachers throughout her life. She holds a variety of certifications including therapeutics. Her greatest superpower is seeing what the class really needs and modifying to each and everyone.

Beyond the mat, Shirlee leads transformative women’s experiences that are far more than yoga retreats. These are immersive journeys designed to awaken, empower, and inspire profound life changes. You can also find her teaching inside her online studio called The Studio.

Conrad Lippert

Smile and wave

Drawing inspiration from surfing and ocean-side living, Conrad leads all-levels Vinyasa flow classes that immerse us in our deeper awareness, of both body and mind.

Conrad carefully curates sequences that carry us through varying levels of Asanas and steps into the space – barefoot and smiling, as he does – to support with hands-on assists that create space to explore undiscovered parts of our practice. Accompanied by conversational intros that aim to shift perspectives under intentional themes rooted in community interactions and self-exploration, his signature teaching style creates a container where we can bring our best selves to the moment. Like waves, it’s refreshing and powerful.

Conrad received his Yoga Teacher training here in Costa Rica from teacher and mentor Katie Ribsam, co-founder of Bohemia School of Yoga. Bohemia Yoga follows the Raja lineage infused with Katie’s Bhakti spiritual background and Power Vinyasa heritage. Coincidentally, Yoga Bohemia was birthed in Conrad’s hometown of LBI, NJ, so not only did Conrad connect with his roots, but learned how to intuitively trust his creativity and physical touch to build expansive flows and deepen our awareness.

Drop into one of Conrad’s classes to drop into your awareness.

Alicia Ruiz Bustos

Alicia is a yoga instructor & a holistic practitioner. Her journey began in India in two decades ago, since then she trained in Vinyasa, Hatha, Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Yoga Therapy. Trained with some of the more kwnolegable teachers in Ashtanga Vinyasa, in Europe, USA and India. She lived in India for many years teaching and practicing yoga, lead yoga retreats and workshops all around the globe. While living in India she immersed herself in the Indian culture, studying Tibetan Buddhism in India and Nepal, completed various long course in Vippasana Meditation and Lam Rim.

She is a trauma informed compassionate Inquiry practitioner, a psychotherapy approach developed by Dr Gabor Matè. Alicia is a lead teacher with La Casa Shambala yoga school. A mother and nature enthusiast, splits her time between the jungles of Costa Rica and Alicante where she is from, constantly seeking ways to enhance her mind-body-spirit connection.Her classes combine all these disciplines, where her intention is safety and guiding individulas to develped a conection with our own body and intution.

She hopes to see you in one of her classes.

Kaitlin Ferrel

“I teach because I want to inspire the spark of curiosity that takes you deeper into the unknown mysteries of the practice.” Kaitlin Ferrell has studied with many well renowned teachers. She was fortunate enough to spend over a decade in Los Angeles, California, studying extensively with senior instructors, many of whom studied under Krishnamacharya, known to be the “Father of Modern Yoga.” “I feel blessed to have received the gift of yoga from so many wonderful teachers, who remind me that we are all students, first and always.”

Kaitlin still studies on a consistent basis with her teachers, including senior instructor Chad Hamrin, who shares that there is always a deeper place to go if you are open to it. She started teaching yoga in Los Angeles in 2014, and opened up a school of yoga in South LA, the first of its kind in the area. The school, Radha Yoga, is currently thriving, and has in-person and online classes. Her teachings are a combination of her experiences in the practice. She teaches from a place of discovery and inspiration. Her classes are known to be creative and engaging.

Kaitlin currently lives in Costa Rica and still teaches students that have been studying with her for over a decade, both online and in-person. She loves sharing the practice with everyone who is curious. She teaches from a genuine, heart-centered place, which is felt the moment you step into her class.

Vajra Luz

Vajra credits yoga with transforming her life and is dedicated to sharing its benefits with you! Her teaching blends movement, meditation, and breathwork, offering a relaxed, joyful approach to practice. With nearly 25 years of experience, diverse teachers and teachings, and time spent in an ashram spiritual community, Vajra presents a modern take on ancient practices, welcoming practitioners of all levels to experience greater clarity and spaciousness in daily life.

Hanna Attafi

Hanna discovered yoga at age 15 and brings a unique blend of life experience, educational background and passion to her teachings. With roots in both the USA and Morocco, she infuses curiosity and authenticity into each class. After a career in school teaching and a degree in the Neuroscience of Mindfulness and a 200 hour YTT, Hanna moved to Costa Rica and was led to co-found RYME. RYME creates different containers for a variety of offerings including classes, global retreats and 1-1 coaching.

Hanna’s style of yoga offers a playful mindfulness mix of nervous system regulation, yoga asana, music, storytelling, and community connection—creating a safe, playful, and balanced experience for all levels.

Patricia Grimaldi

Patricia is an experienced yoga instructor known for her deeply integrative teaching style, which draws from a wide array of traditional and holistic practices. After running a successful yoga studio in Mallorca, Spain, she now calls Costa Rica her home and co-hosts transformative retreats and trainings with her husband at Shankara Retreat Center.

With over a decade of teaching experience, Patricia incorporates Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin, and Bhakti yoga into her teachings, offering students both physically grounding and heart-centered practices. Her background in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda allows her to tailor each session with insights into energy meridians, dosha balancing, and seasonal wellness.

Her transformational facilitation skills add a layer of emotional and spiritual depth, encouraging students to explore personal growth and self-discovery, offering her students a comprehensive, nurturing, and transformative journey on the mat. Patricia’s classes are ideal for students seeking not only physical but also spiritual and emotional wellness.

THE DANYASA TRIBE

OUR TEAM

MEET THE CORE TEAM

Danyasa Eco-Retreat

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We love our team. You will too.

MEET OUR CORE STAFF AND YOGA TEACHERS

Our team goal consists of crafting an experience that gets you out of your day to day and into nature, into your body, and more connected to inspiration.

We strive to create moments that you will remember for the rest of your life. Our amazing teachers and staff excel in helping find just what you need… be it that hidden waterfall down the road, that amazing adornment in our boutique or that inner peace and joyous glow we see on people’s faces after a yoga session.

Where it all started.

Sofiah Thom and Brendan Jaffer are visionary leaders known for their transformative contributions to the world of conscious festivals and sustainable retreat spaces.

As the co-founders of Envision Festival and Danyasa Eco Retreat in Costa Rica, over the past 17 years, they have pioneered a movement of healing arts, music, sacred movement, and environmental awareness in the Southern zone of Costa Rica.

MEET OUR

Core Team

Sofiah Thom

Owner + Co-founder of Danyasa

Co-Founder of Temple Body Arts®
and Envision Festival

Meet Sofiah

Brendan Jaffer

Owner + Co-founder of Danyasa

Co-Founder of Envision Festival

Amanda Jean

Manager + Retreat
Co-Ordinator + Guest Liasion

Aerial Yoga + Instructor
Digital Co-creation

Meet Amanda

MEET OUR

Yoga Teachers

Shirlee Williams

Yoga Teacher

Teacher Trainer &
Breathwork Facilitator

@shirleewilliamsliving

Meet Shirlee

Conrad Lippert

Yoga Teacher

Inversions, Assists, Hatha
& Vinyasa Flow

@yogawithconrad

Meet Conrad

Alicia Pulgarcita

Yoga Teacher

Trauma Informed,
Compassionate Inquiry

@yoginialiciahere

Meet Alicia

Kaitlin Ferrel

Yoga Teacher

Yoga Anatomy,
Online & In Person Classes

@kaitlin_loves

Meet Kaitlin

Vajra Luz

Yoga Teacher

Breathwork, Meditation, Hatha & Restorative Flow

@vajraluz

Meet Vajra

Hanna Attafi

Yoga Teacher

Hatha & Vinyasa Flow, Co-owner of Ryme Transformational Coaching

@hanna.attafi

Meet Hanna

Patricia Grimaldi

Yoga Teacher

Yin & Restorative Yoga Flow,
Cacao Facilitation

@growshineinspire

Meet Patricia

Amanda
Jean

Aerial Yoga Teacher

Aerial Yoga Flow, Silks, Hammock,
Lyra, Circus Arts

@flowers.and.flow

Meet Amanda

“WE ARE the artists of our lives. And we can live our artistry as our ministry. It’s time to value ourselves as artists, creatives, healers, guides, midwives, and Priestesses of the light.”

~ SOFIAH THOM

CO-FOUNDER OF DANYASA, TEMPLE BODY ARTS® MYSTERY SCHOOL FOR DIVINE FEMININE LEADERSHIP
AND ENVISION FESTIVAL

Amanda Jean

Shirlee Williams

Conrad Lippert

Alicia Ruiz Bustos

Kaitlin Ferrel

Vajra Luz

Hanna Attafi

Patricia Grimaldi

THE DANYASA TRIBE

OUR TEAM

Owner + Co-founder of Danyasa

Owner + Co-founder of Danyasa

Manager + Retreat Co-Ordinator + Guest Liasion

Yoga Teacher

Yoga Teacher

Yoga Teacher

Yoga Teacher

Yoga Teacher

Yoga Teacher

Yoga Teacher

Aerial Yoga Teacher

Manager + Retreat
Co-Ordinator + Guest Liasion