“Aqui na Oca Yary, somos diariamente lembrados de que não somos separados da natureza. Somos natureza.” We are not separate from nature. We are nature.
As I write this, I’m eating açaí and thinking about two things.
The first is the dilemma of sharing a place so special while wanting to keep it a secret. Part of realizing we are not separate from nature is being conscious of how we experience the places we visit. Not eroding them with our presence. Wherever you are, exist with it. Give the same respect, care, and generosity that you would yourself.
“In some Native languages, the term for plants translates to ‘those who take care of us.’ Understanding that our lives depend on the lives of other beings, we must return the gift. All flourishing is mutual.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
The second is how loud silence is. When I’m confused or indecisive, it’s usually because I’m filling my head with scenarios instead of allowing truth to unfold. Thirty has taught me to listen, mostly to myself and what I already know. Some roads exist only to lead you back to where you already are. This story is about one of them.
I was visiting a friend in Serra Grande, a coastal town in Bahia, when I heard about an event deep in the Mata Atlântica by the Rio Tijuípe, at a place called Oca Yary. I’d never been and didn’t know what to expect. That morning started at Café Espaço Criativo with coffee and vegan chocolate cake, my preferred breakfast. From there, I walked to the main road, stopped at Café Dumelhor for a prato feito of rice, beans, farofa, carne, and a liter of fresh orange juice, and packed it for the trip.
I waited for the bus, but Bahia works on her own time, so I accepted a carona (a ride) from someone who stopped. The short ride took me to Posto KM 42, the entrance to Oca Yary. I continued on foot, wanting to arrive slowly. After a few kilometers, the road became a path toward the river, and my senses immediately welcomed the change of pace.
The waterfall was empty when I arrived. I used rapé, traditional Amazonian medicine, a ritual to thank the land for accepting me and the hands that care for it. Then I ate my lunch in silence. I swam, sat, and stayed until the sun shifted.
On the walk back, I saw how Oca Yary doesn’t appear suddenly. It unfolds from the forest. The structures aren’t separate from nature; they’re made of it. Nothing interrupts the original landscape. Thatch roofs, clay walls, bamboo frames and the traditional oca: circular, communal houses built by Indigenous peoples across Brazil. The oca represents land harmony, shelter, and connection, with open airflow, local materials, and collective construction. Here, that tradition continues. They are symbols of reciprocity between people and place.
As Robin Wall Kimmerer writes in one of my favorite books, Braiding Sweetgrass, “What we practice is reciprocity. Paying attention, taking only what we need, giving back in kind, gratitude as a radical act.”
I met Giovanna and Isadora, two of the guardians of Oca Yary. They told me how the space began as a dream: a place for people to reconnect with their own natural rhythm. It isn’t a traditional retreat but a space for human development, where body, mind, and spirit merge. Yoga continues in the garden, the kitchen, and the daily work of caring for the land. Ceremonies like Temazcal, art therapy, and sacred song circles all draw from ancestral traditions of connection with the earth.
Over time, Oca Yary has become what Giovanna calls “a portal of transformation.” People arrive carrying the pace and tension of the outside world, and the forest softens it. The river slows it down. There’s no rush to release. But, space to return.
Community builds organically. Guests become friends, and many return, changed. Agroforestry shapes the rhythm of the place: planting, harvesting, and soil restoration align with the moon. Nature decides when to act and when to rest. “The land teaches us how to plant not just food, but intentions,” Giovanna said.
Alignment, she explained, is about presence. The willingness to listen and to be changed by the land. Transformation isn’t separate from responsibility. Personal and planetary healing are the same process. When someone reconnects with their essence, they begin to care more for the earth. Change is slow and patient, like the forest itself.
Oca Yary is a way of seeing. The teachings, rituals, and even the silence travel with you. They’re meant to be planted elsewhere, to grow in new soil. In a world that moves too fast, places like this remind us what it means to belong.
Entrevista
Você pode apresentar a Oca Yary? Suas origens, intenções e o que inspirou a criação do espaço?
A Oca Yary nasceu de um sonho de reconexão com a essência mais verdadeira do ser humano e sua relação sagrada com a natureza. Situamos nosso centro holístico na Costa do Cacau, na Bahia, às margens do Rio Tijuípe, abraçados pela exuberante Mata Atlântica, no povoado de Serra Grande, entre Ilhéus e Itacaré. A inspiração para criar este espaço veio da necessidade de oferecer um refúgio onde as pessoas pudessem se desconectar do ritmo acelerado da vida moderna e se reconectar com seus ritmos naturais, com a terra que nos sustenta e com a sabedoria ancestral que habita em cada um de nós.
Nossa intenção sempre foi criar um espaço que fosse mais do que apenas um local de retiro – queríamos estabelecer um centro de desenvolvimento humano, com visão integral, onde corpo, mente, emoções e espírito pudessem ser nutridos de forma holística. A Oca Yary é concebida como um “espaço de conexão com a essência”, onde cada pessoa pode mergulhar em jornadas profundas de autoconhecimento através de práticas como o Temazcal, Yoga, arteterapia, cantos sagrados e outras vivências que honram as tradições sagradas de conexão com a Mãe Terra.
O que está acontecendo agora na Oca Yary, energeticamente, comunitariamente e ecologicamente? Como o espaço evoluiu e quais padrões ou ciclos você observou ao longo do tempo?
Energeticamente, percebemos que a Oca Yary tem se tornado cada vez mais um portal de transformação. As pessoas chegam carregando as tensões do mundo externo e, ao longo de sua permanência, observamos uma abertura gradual. A energia do lugar, potencializada pela força da Mata Atlântica e pelas águas do Rio Tijuípe, criam um campo energético que se se conecta e apoia cada cerimônia, cada prática, cada respiração consciente.
Comunitariamente, temos visto a formação de uma verdadeira família espiritual. Pessoas que se conhecem aqui e mantêm conexões profundas, criando uma rede de apoio que se estende muito além dos limites físicos da Oca. Nossos retiros e vivências têm atraído não apenas buscadores individuais, mas também grupos de amigos, famílias e comunidades que desejam fortalecer seus vínculos através de práticas compartilhadas.
Ecologicamente, nossa evolução tem sido guiada pelo princípio da regeneração. Integramos práticas agroflorestais em nosso cotidiano, aprendendo e ensinando sobre como produzir,colher e recuperar a terra de forma sustentável. Observamos ciclos naturais de renovação – períodos mais introspectivos durante as luas minguantes e tempos de expansão e celebração nas luas crescentes e cheias. A própria natureza nos ensina sobre os ritmos de plantio e colheita, não apenas de alimentos, mas de intenções, sonhos e transformações Pessoais.
Quais qualidades você valoriza profundamente ao convidar alguém para a Oca Yary, seja como hóspede ou parte da equipe? O que te ajuda a reconhecer alinhamento e prontidão para dar e receber da terra?
A qualidade mais preciosa que buscamos é a sinceridade do coração aberto. Valorizamos profundamente aqueles que chegam com genuína disposição para evoluir junto e para se permitir ser tocados pela medicina da natureza. Não é necessário ter experiência prévia – o que importa é a autenticidade da busca. Reconhecemos alinhamento quando percebemos uma pessoa disposta a honrar tanto os momentos de silêncio quanto os de expressão, que demonstra respeito pelos ciclos naturais e pelas tradições ancestrais que mantemos vivas. É importante que nossos hóspedes e equipe tenham a capacidade de estar presente – não apenas fisicamente, mas energeticamente disponível para receber os ensinamentos que a terra oferece.
A prontidão para dar e receber da terra se manifesta na capacidade do reconhecimento da interligação com o todo e na reciprocidade: estar disposto a oferecer não apenas recursos materiais, mas também energia, intenções puras e comprometimento com o processo de cuidado. Reconhecemos essa prontidão quando alguém demonstra gratidão e o desejo natural de retribuir através de ações conscientes.
Há algo mais que você sente chamado a compartilhar da terra? Qualquer insight enraizado em cuidado, conexão humana ou ciclos naturais?
A terra nos ensina constantemente sobre a interconexão de todas as coisas. Aqui na Oca Yary, somos diariamente lembrados de que não somos separados da natureza – somos natureza. Cada respiração que fazemos é uma conexão sagrada com a floresta ao nosso redor; cada passo que damos é uma oportunidade de honrar a Mãe Terra que nos sustenta. Um insight profundo que emerge do nosso trabalho é que o processo individual e o processo coletivo planetário são inseparáveis. Quando uma pessoa se reconecta com sua essência natural, automaticamente desenvolve maior sensibilidade e responsabilidade para com o meio ambiente. A transformação pessoal se torna um ato político de resistência contra a cultura do consumismo e desconexão.Os ciclos naturais nos ensinam sobre a importância da paciência e da confiança no processo. Assim como uma semente precisa de tempo no escuro da terra para germinar, nossas transformações mais profundas frequentemente acontecem nos momentos de aparente inatividade, nos períodos de interiorização e contemplação.
Queremos compartilhar também que a Oca Yary é mais do que um destino – é um estado de consciência que cada pessoa pode carregar consigo. As práticas e conhecimentos cultivados aqui são sementes que podem ser plantadas em qualquer lugar onde a pessoa viva. Nossa missão é formar não apenas visitantes temporários, mas embaixadores permanentes de um modo de vida mais consciente e conectado.
Finalmente, sentimos o chamado para lembrar que em tempos de tanta fragmentação e isolamento, espaços como a Oca Yary são essenciais para manter viva a chama da comunidade, da espiritualidade e do cuidado mútuo. Somos guardiões não apenas desta terra específica, mas da possibilidade de um mundo mais harmonioso e sagrado para as futuras gerações.
Follow Oca Yary.
English Translation:
Can you introduce Oca Yary, its origins, intentions, and what inspired the creation of the space?
Oca Yary was born from a dream of reconnection with the truest essence of the human being and their sacred relationship with nature. We established our holistic center on the Cacao Coast in Bahia, on the banks of the Tijuípe River, embraced by the lush Atlantic Forest, in the village of Serra Grande, between Ilhéus and Itacaré. The inspiration to create this space came from the need to offer a refuge where people could disconnect from the accelerated rhythm of modern life and reconnect with their natural rhythms, with the earth that sustains us, and with the ancestral wisdom that lives within each of us. Our intention has always been to create a space that was more than just a retreat center. We wanted to establish a center for human development with an integral vision, where body, mind, emotions, and spirit could be nourished holistically. Oca Yary is conceived as a “space for connection with essence,” where each person can dive into deep journeys of self-knowledge through practices such as Temazcal, yoga, art therapy, sacred songs, and other experiences that honor the sacred traditions of connection with Mother Earth.
What is happening now at Oca Yary, energetically, communally, and ecologically? How has the space evolved, and what patterns or cycles have you observed over time?
Energetically, we have noticed that Oca Yary has increasingly become a portal of transformation. People arrive carrying the tensions of the external world, and throughout their stay, we observe a gradual opening. The energy of the place, strengthened by the power of the Atlantic Forest and the waters of the Tijuípe River, creates an energetic field that connects with and supports each ceremony, each practice, each conscious breath. Communally, we have witnessed the formation of a true spiritual family. People meet here and maintain deep connections, creating a support network that extends far beyond the physical limits of Oca. Our retreats and experiences have attracted not only individual seekers but also groups of friends, families, and communities who wish to strengthen their bonds through shared practices. Ecologically, our evolution has been guided by the principle of regeneration. We have integrated agroforestry practices into our daily life, learning and teaching how to produce, harvest, and restore the land in a sustainable way. We observe natural cycles of renewal—more introspective periods during the waning moons and times of expansion and celebration during the waxing and full moons. Nature itself teaches us about the rhythms of planting and harvesting, not only of food but also of intentions, dreams, and personal transformations.
What qualities do you deeply value when inviting someone to Oca Yary, whether as a guest or as part of the team? What helps you recognize alignment and readiness to give and receive from the earth?
The most precious quality we seek is the sincerity of an open heart. We deeply value those who arrive with a genuine willingness to grow together and allow themselves to be touched by the medicine of nature. It is not necessary to have prior experience—what matters is the authenticity of the search. We recognize alignment when we perceive a person who honors both moments of silence and moments of expression, who demonstrates respect for natural cycles and for the ancestral traditions that we keep alive. It is important that our guests and team have the ability to be present—not only physically, but energetically available to receive the teachings that the earth offers. Readiness to give and receive from the earth manifests in the capacity to recognize one’s interconnection with the whole and in reciprocity: being willing to offer not only material resources but also energy, pure intentions, and commitment to the process of care. We recognize this readiness when someone demonstrates gratitude and a natural desire to give back through conscious actions.
Is there anything else you feel called to share from the land? Any insight rooted in care, human connection, or natural cycles?
The earth constantly teaches us about the interconnection of all things. Here at Oca Yary, we are daily reminded that we are not separate from nature, we are nature. Every breath we take is a sacred connection with the forest around us; every step we take is an opportunity to honor Mother Earth who sustains us. A profound insight that emerges from our work is that the individual process and the planetary collective process are inseparable. When a person reconnects with their natural essence, they automatically develop greater sensitivity and responsibility toward the environment. Personal transformation becomes a political act of resistance against the culture of consumerism and disconnection. The natural cycles teach us about the importance of patience and trust in the process. Just as a seed needs time in the darkness of the earth to germinate, our deepest transformations often happen during moments of apparent inactivity—in periods of introspection and contemplation. We also want to share that Oca Yary is more than a destination—it is a state of consciousness that each person can carry within themselves. The practices and knowledge cultivated here are seeds that can be planted anywhere a person lives. Our mission is to nurture not only temporary visitors but permanent ambassadors of a more conscious and connected way of life. Finally, we feel called to remember that in times of so much fragmentation and isolation, spaces like Oca Yary are essential to keep alive the flame of community, spirituality, and mutual care. We are guardians not only of this specific land but also of the possibility of a more harmonious and sacred world for future generations.
“The Earth, that first teacher, gives us the lesson of gifts and responsibilities: everything we take has a price, and everything given demands care.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
The post Na Selva: Oca Yary and The Cacao Coast appeared first on Yoga Trade.
