The Day It All Began

I remember this day.

I was standing on a wooden dock in Buenavista, looking out over the lagoon, thinking about all the places I had traveled, all the people I had met, and everything I had learned through movement.

I didn't know it at the time, but this was the day I decided to build what would eventually become Reset Retreats.

At that point, it didn't have a name. I wasn't thinking about building a hotel or creating a traditional wellness retreat. I wanted to create a place where people could come together to train, move, learn from one another, and experience something different.

Movement has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.

It started with the discipline and physical training I experienced in the military. Over the years, that evolved into more than 15 years of exploring different movement disciplines: calisthenics, Capoeira, Muay Thai, aerial arts, diving, flexibility, mobility, and other forms of physical expression.

Each discipline taught me something different.

Muay Thai taught me discipline and resilience. Capoeira introduced me to a beautiful relationship between music, culture, community, and movement. Aerial arts challenged my understanding of strength, balance, coordination, and what the human body is capable of doing.

And somewhere along the way, I realized that movement was about much more than physical fitness.

It was about freedom. Creativity. Curiosity. Learning what your body can do, regardless of your age or experience.

It was about feeling alive.

The Idea That Changed Everything

Throughout my travels, I visited training centers, academies, and retreats around the world. Some were extraordinary places, surrounded by beautiful landscapes and filled with talented teachers and students who shared a passion for movement.

But I kept noticing something.

So many of these destinations were incredibly far away.

If you wanted to spend time training in a beautiful tropical environment, you often had to travel halfway around the world to places like Thailand or Bali. That meant expensive flights, long travel times, and a level of commitment that wasn't realistic for everyone.

And I kept asking myself:

Why should someone have to travel to the other side of the planet to experience something like this?

Mexico already had so much of what made those destinations special.

The Caribbean. The lagoons. The tropical climate. The incredible food. The rich culture. The warmth of the people. The music. The natural beauty.

And for many travelers from North America, it was only a few hours away.

Standing on that dock in January 2019, I began imagining a different kind of place.

A place where someone could wake up surrounded by nature, enjoy a good breakfast, practice yoga, learn aerial straps, train Capoeira, paddle across the lagoon, discover something new about their body, or simply spend an afternoon doing absolutely nothing.

A place where you didn't have to be an athlete to participate.

Where beginners could learn alongside experienced practitioners. Where artists and instructors from around the world could come and share what they know, not only with visiting students but also with the local community.

Where movement, art, travel, and culture could come together naturally.

More Than a Training Center

I also wanted to create something beyond training.

Because I know what it's like to get caught up in the routine of everyday life.

Wake up. Go to work. Sit in an office. Deal with responsibilities. Make money. Pay bills. Repeat.

Somewhere in that routine, we forget to make time for ourselves.

We forget how good it feels to move without worrying about performance. To spend time outdoors. To have a conversation without looking at a clock. To sit beside the water and listen to the wind.

And sometimes, we forget that we don't always have to be doing something productive.

Sometimes, we just need permission to be.

That's what I wanted this place to offer.

Come here and train hard if that's what you love. Challenge yourself. Learn from incredible people. Try something you've never done before.

But also take the time to breathe.

Enjoy the heat. Feel the Caribbean breeze. Eat the local food. Watch the rain move across the lagoon. Meet people from different backgrounds. Experience the culture and the natural environment around you.

And if you want to spend an entire afternoon in a hammock doing nothing, that's perfectly fine too.

There should be room for all of it.

A Place for Artists, Teachers, and the Community

One of the most important parts of my vision has always been bringing people together.

I want Reset Retreats to become a place where movement artists, instructors, and creative people from around the world can share their knowledge.

Where a visiting aerial instructor can introduce someone to the circus arts for the first time. Where a Capoeira teacher can share the music, history, and movement of their discipline. Where local residents have opportunities to experience activities they might never otherwise have access to.

I don't want this to be a place that simply exists in a community.

I want it to contribute to that community.

To create opportunities for local people, support local businesses, celebrate Mexican culture, and encourage meaningful exchanges between visitors and residents.

Because I believe some of the most valuable experiences come from the people we meet and the things we learn from one another.

From an Idea to Reset Retreats

That photograph was taken in January 2019, before the pandemic, before the years of planning, before construction, and before the name Reset Retreats existed.

What began as an idea for a movement and mobility training center gradually became something much bigger.

A place to train. A place to rest. A place to create. A place to reconnect.

And through all the planning and challenges involved in bringing this vision to life, the original purpose has never really changed.

I wanted to share something that had given so much to me throughout my life.

The joy of movement. The freedom of exploration. The friendships created through training. The experience of discovering different cultures and ways of living.

And the reminder that life is about more than working, earning, and constantly rushing toward the next thing.

Reset Retreats is my attempt to bring all of those experiences together in one beautiful place, and make them accessible to more people.

You don't have to be an aerialist, an athlete, or an experienced traveler.

You just have to be willing to experience something new.

Come to learn. Come to train. Come to rest. Come to meet people. Come to rediscover something you may have forgotten about yourself.

Or simply come to enjoy being here.

That was the dream I had standing on that dock in Buenavista in January 2019.

And it's the dream I'm still building today.

Welcome to Reset Retreats.