Palmaïa, The House of AïA · Riviera Maya, Mexico
The Full Expression Retreat
A Deep-Dive Immersion into Physical and Spiritual Freedom
Join us for an intimate, hands-on journey to decompress your tissue armor, release subconscious density, and return home to your original soul blueprint.
January 11–15, 2027
Limited capacity for an intimate, highly personalized deep-healing container.
A letter from Deanna
Dear Friend,
If you are reading this, your body may already be asking for something deeper.
Over the last twenty years through Block Therapy and Fluid Isometrics, I have witnessed one undeniable truth: the body never forgets.
Stress, heartbreak, trauma, suppression — they are not simply memories. They become physically stored within the fascia, creating layers of tension, protection, and compression that slowly disconnect us from our vitality, breath, emotions, and true self.
Many people try to think their way into healing, but true release cannot happen through the mind alone. True Transformation must also happen within the tissue, the nervous system, and the energetic body.
That is why, for the first time, I am joining together with my dear friend and profoundly gifted healer, Arturo Gaitán, to create an intimate transformational immersion: The Full Expression Retreat.
A sacred space to release what has been held, reconnect with yourself, and return to the fullness of who you truly are.
Together, Arturo and I bridge your body and soul. As I guide you through deep fascia decompression to melt away physical holding patterns, Arturo works in your subtle energy fields — helping you navigate and clear the deep ancestral wounds and emotional imprints that surface as your tissue opens.
As your body softens, your armor is invited to dissolve, leaving only the absolute truth of who you are. I invite you to step away from the noise, join us on the sacred sands of Palmaïa, and give your body permission to finally exhale.
Breathe & Believe,
Deanna
Why we chose Palmaïa — The House of AïA
When Arturo and I began dreaming up this retreat, we knew we couldn't host it just anywhere. Your body cannot heal if it feels it has to stay on guard. To let down your physical and emotional armor, you need an environment that actively mirrors the safety, pure nutrition, and deep peace you are trying to cultivate inside.
We found that exact magic at Palmaïa — The House of AïA. Hidden at the southern edge of Playa del Carmen where the untamed Mexican jungle kisses the crystal-clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean, Palmaïa is a living, breathing sanctuary.
The energy at Palmaïa is designed to instantly invite calm, shut down the outside world, and take you to a place where all that matters is the experience that unfolds in front of you. It's tough to put a finger on why you feel the way you feel when you're there. Centered. At peace. Happy.
What's included in your Gifting Lifestyle (all-inclusive)
The Nourishing Biome Gastronomy
True nourishment is vital, especially when your body is letting go of years of stored stress and density. Enjoy à la carte breakfast, lunch, and dinner at four world-class fine-dining restaurants, a Health Café, and a Vegan Tacos food truck — masterfully crafted, health-focused, plant-forward menus. (Exquisite, high-quality animal proteins are also readily available at every meal if your body requests them!)
The Portals of Practice
A holistic program of over 50 weekly classes — from yoga and meditation to cacao and forgiveness ceremonies and sacred circles. Guided by experienced practitioners, each experience is an invitation to explore awareness, movement, and creativity.
Rituals of Sound
Music is a universal form of healing. Palmaïa curates music events at beautiful locations where ancestral rhythms, deep beats, acoustic sets, and ambient soundscapes lead to integration, gathering, and connection.
Your Sanctuary Suite
Unwind in a space with a private terrace or swim-out pool access, personal Nomadic Guide (concierge) service, and 24-hr in-suite dining. Ten categories of suites, cruelty-free materials, all ocean-facing — designed for stillness and connection.
The Restorative Temple — Atlantis Spa
If your tissue wants extra pampering between our sessions, you can book healing rituals and personalized treatments guided by master practitioners, designed to restore balance and invite transformation at Palmaïa's alchemical hideaway in the jungle, where ancient wisdom meets modern serenity. (Optional add-on, reserved directly with the resort with a 10–20% discount — not included in your stay.)
An invitation into our sacred circles
Before we walk through our daily rhythm together, I want to share how Arturo and I have structured this journey. Transformation is deeply personal, and your soul might be calling for a gentle awakening or a radical sense of cellular renewal. To honor exactly where you are, we have co-created two distinct pathways for this immersion.
Because of the deeply immersive, hands-on nature of the work we will be doing, space in both containers is strictly capped to preserve the depth, safety, and quality of the experience for everyone.
Days 1–3
The Foundational Alignment Immersion
Limited to 15 participants
Three days of focused group work — fascia decompression in the morning, emotional and energetic clearing in the afternoon.
Your Mornings with Deanna
We begin each day with an immersive 3-hour group Block Therapy session — focused block placement, intentional body positioning, and deep diaphragmatic breathwork to soothe the stress response and establish a profound sense of safety within your body. Together we trace your physical tension maps, melting the rigid armor your fascia has built over a lifetime.
Your Afternoons with Arturo
Once your physical tissue is soft, open, and fully receptive, Arturo guides the group. Using his intuitive gifts, he helps you trace your morning's physical releases back to their root emotional origins — helping you clear core childhood wounds, ancestral patterns, and limiting subconscious programming, so your heart can open to deep self-love, peace, and connection.
Days 1–5
The Advanced Master Integration
Limited to only 15 participants
Everything in the Foundational Immersion, plus two ultra-private days where Deanna and Arturo work on you simultaneously.
Days 1–3: The full Foundational Immersion
You join the complete three-day group curriculum alongside the Foundational participants.
Days 4–5: Ultra-private integration
The structure shifts completely — an ultra-private, high-level transformational sanctuary limited to just 15 individuals. No separate group classes. Deanna and Arturo combine forces and work simultaneously: targeted Block Therapy tools and hands-on Fluid Isometrics to help unwind the deepest, most stubborn layers of compressed emotional armor, while Arturo tracks, untangles, and removes the heavy karmic density and hidden blocks as they rise to the surface.
Who you'll be held by
Deanna Hansen
Founder of Block Therapy · Creator of Fluid Isometrics
Deanna Hansen is the founder of Block Therapy and the creator of Fluid Isometrics, a revolutionary fascia decompression method that has transformed the lives of thousands of people around the world. Drawing from more than 25 years of hands-on experience and over 60,000 hours working with the human body, Deanna has dedicated her life to understanding the relationship between structure, breath, trauma, and healing.
What began as a personal search for answers evolved into a global movement centered on the understanding that the body carries the story of our lives. Through her pioneering work with fascia, Deanna developed the TIPP principle — Trauma Induces Programming and Patterning — which explains how unresolved experiences become embedded within the body's structure, influencing posture, movement, health, and even identity.
At this retreat, Deanna invites participants into a profound journey of self-discovery and renewal. Combining fascia decompression, breathwork, movement, and deep personal insight, she creates an experience that is both educational and deeply transformative — helping people remember the intelligence that already exists within them.
Arturo Gaitán
Global Mind Healer · Energetics Reprogrammer · Creator of the Draleon Methods
Arturo Gaitán is a master of human spiritual consciousness and connection, dedicating over 40 years to helping thousands of clients move beyond survival patterns and into greater clarity, freedom, and personal power. As the creator of the Draleon Methods, Arturo utilizes a transformative system of energetic alignment healing and reprogramming designed to shift deep subconscious patterns, clear energetic imprints, and restore inner alignment.
Through his work in private sessions, group experiences, and immersive retreats, Arturo bridges the connection between the mind, body, energy, and spirit. He helps participants process emotional density, release deep-seated trauma, and transform the foundational patterns holding them back — bringing a grounded, neutral, “no-nonsense” approach and the honest truths needed to unlock a person's ultimate potential.
Whether you are looking to release decades of suppressed emotions, dissolve daily anxiety, or clarify your path forward, Arturo's presence provides a safe, non-judgmental space for immediate energetic shifts and lasting breakthroughs. Participants often walk away feeling lighter, deeply anchored in their life purpose, and empowered to step into the life they were born to live.
Everything you need to know
Absolutely! Anyone who has the Starter Program and is actively practicing Block Therapy is incredibly welcome to join us, regardless of your level of advancement. Please note that the Starter Program is a requirement for attendance — it ensures all guests have the essential, basic foundation of Block Therapy needed to safely and comfortably navigate the deeper practices we'll explore together at the retreat. It's a wonderful space to build on that foundation, no matter how long you've been on your journey!
Palmaïa is approximately 45 minutes from Cancún International Airport (CUN). We'll share more information at a later date on booking your airport transportation through one of Palmaïa's trusted partners.
Your retreat registration fee covers the daily sessions with Deanna and Arturo (5–6 hrs/day). Your accommodation fee (booked separately) covers: à la carte breakfast, lunch and dinner; premium domestic and international beverages; private beach, pools & cabanas; gym; pool and beachside service; Wi-Fi; bike share; valet parking; your Nomadic Guide; the Sounds of Ritual program; and the Portals of Practice program.
Flights to Cancún (CUN); transfers from and to the airport; spa treatments; services at Avalon and Beauty Lab; tours and excursions; additional food and beverage items offered to enhance your accommodation experience; additional 1:1 sessions with Palmaïa's professional guides; and optional gratuities for resort staff.
The retreat registration fee is non-refundable. Accommodations cancellation policy: cancel up to sixty (60) days from your arrival date without penalty; 59 to 0 days before arrival incurs a two-night penalty per person; no-shows on the date of arrival or early departures incur a two-night cancellation fee. Unforeseen events: if circumstances beyond our control make it impossible to safely host this event, we reserve the right to cancel or reschedule the retreat. In the event of a cancellation, we will refund your retreat registration fee — but we are not responsible for, and cannot guarantee, refunds of resort deposits and suites, airline tickets, ticket change fees, or other travel expenses, which are managed by third parties. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance as soon as you register to protect your investment.
Yes. Our group rates are available to you for up to three (3) days prior or three (3) days post the event dates (subject to availability). After you register, we'll reach out and let you know who to contact at Palmaïa to book your accommodation, with or without extra nights.
We strongly recommend travel insurance with cancellation for any reason — this is a non-refundable retreat. Most “cancel for any reason” policies must be purchased within a specific time after your registration. A policy covering illness, emergencies, or travel disruptions protects your investment and gives you peace of mind if an unexpected event prevents you from joining us.
A payment plan is not available for the retreat registration fee.
Please plan your travel so that you're checked into your suite before 4:00 PM on Sunday, January 10th. This will give you plenty of time to unpack and ground yourself before we begin our journey together with a sacred opening ceremony. Our first formal morning session will begin at 9:00 AM on Monday, January 11th.
Please ensure you pack all three of your essential Block Therapy tools: the Block Buddy, Block Baby, and Block Paddle. Extra tools will not be available for purchase or loan at the retreat venue, so double-checking your bags for all three is a crucial step before you head out! There's no need to bring a yoga mat — they're supplied by the resort.
Yes — friends and family members are more than welcome to join you at the venue and share your accommodations! Please note that only registered participants can join the official retreat sessions and activities. While you're in your sessions, your guest will have plenty of free time to enjoy the venue amenities and classes included in the accommodation, and explore the beautiful property on their own.
You'll definitely need a valid passport to enter Mexico. Depending on your country of citizenship, you may also require a tourist visa or additional travel documents. Please double-check your passport's expiration date (many countries require it to be valid for at least 6 months past your travel dates) and review the current Mexican entry requirements that apply to your specific nationality well in advance of the retreat.
To ensure everyone receives personalized attention and a close-knit group experience, we keep our group sizes intimate. The maximum capacity depends on which experience you choose: The Foundational Alignment Immersion (Days 1–3): Maximum of 30 participants The Advanced Master Integration (Days 1–5): Maximum of 15 participants
Give your body permission to exhale.
January 11–15, 2027 · Palmaïa, The House of AïA, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Limited capacity for an intimate, highly personalized deep-healing container.