A Letter From Tony & Ximena
As we bask in these long, sunlit hours, we are overwhelmed by how rich and full the past six months have been for our team and ChoZen soul family.
As we bask in these long, sunlit hours, we are overwhelmed by how rich and full the past six months have been for our team and ChoZen soul family. We welcomed some incredible groups into our sanctuary for a series of spring retreats, while expanding our property to include a new parcel of land affectionately called “the Preserve.”
A number of exciting additions are currently also underway at our Safari Camp, including a water cistern and new 5K solar array, an edible mushroom garden, vertical vegetable gardens and additional Airstreams to increase our hosting capacity.
ChoZen Solar Arrays
We also, in these same moments of gratitude and reflection, recognize that much of humanity is in crisis around the globe, and thus at ChoZen, we have been directing our energies with even more intensity and intention towards solutions that will restore equilibrium to our planet and its people.
Along these lines, we are so pleased to announce that we recently completed our signature Senior Garden project at By the River, a co-living senior citizens’ facility adjacent to the Preserve at ChoZen. Thanks to the leadership of Soo Se Cho and with the help of the ChoZen apprentices and team, this new garden will serve the elderly members of our community, providing them with fresh fruit and vegetables for years to come.
Our continued goal is to grow as much of the food that we consume at ChoZen as possible. We are planting many more fruit trees this summer to increase our harvest of native fruits, as well as constructing vertical gardens in the Safari Camp, which will supply our culinary team with fresh vegetables year-round.
Aside from our overnight retreats, we have also been curating a variety of workshops and events for our local community. Our neighbors have gathered at ChoZen in recent months to study such topics as bee education, mushroom farming, fruit tree growing and building regenerative communities.
As for our personal endeavors, we are so grateful that travelways have reopened in full, and we have had the opportunity to spend time this year everywhere from Colombia, to Hawaii, to Switzerland, Spain, and beyond, while meeting with various changemakers and thought leaders, aligning energies for a regenerative future.
Most recently, we retreated to Europe to work remotely from our ChoZen summer escape in Ibiza. We started our trip in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum's annual conference, where the Future of Cities hosted an epic day of events focused on regenerative cities of the future, alongside special guests and ChoZen soul family members Dr. Deepak Chopra, Sadhguru, and Bjarke Ingels–among others.
It has been a true blessing to build on our connections with our European ChoZen family and to learn from the many impactful regenerative projects underway across the pond. We feel inspired and impassioned to build bridges from the work they are doing in the EU back to our work in Florida and beyond.
Speaking of, we are very eager to be back home in Florida at ChoZen soon, and to see many of our community back at our ever-growing sanctuary.
To our ChoZen soul family around the globe: We hope the summer solstice finds you well, and that this letter finds you also reflecting on an abundance of blessings from the first half of the solar year. We look forward to being with you soon!
Love,
Tony and Ximena Cho
Swallow the Moon Retreat Recap: April 2022
From April 1st - 3rd, we gathered at ChoZen Retreat to explore and reenergize our relationship with our closest celestial neighbor through movement, music, and meditative & healing practices.
From April 1st - 3rd, we gathered at ChoZen Retreat to explore and reenergize our relationship with our closest celestial neighbor through movement, music, and meditative & healing practices.
NSEV Healing founder Daniel Nevel-Atchison, Dr. Maria Romero, Dr. Shiva Schiff, and Jared Bistrong facilitated the retreat. Guests enjoyed:
Group acupuncture & NSEV healing sessions
Establishing a moon cultivation practice for meditation & healing
Fire circles & new moon ceremonies
New moon meditations & cultivations
Lunar elixirs + plant-based meals and snacks
Nature hikes & Sebastian River excursions
We are honored to have gotten the opportunity to experience these transformative, healing practices + rituals. Stay tuned for our next retreat lineup! Make sure to follow @LiveChoZen on Instagram as we will be announcing the dates and providing links to register in the coming months.
Spring Equinox Retreat Recap: March 2022
From March 18th-20th, we gathered at ChoZen Retreat to celebrate the Spring Equinox and welcome this seasonal transition with mindfulness and healing practices…
Photographer: Brendon Dragon
From March 18th-20th, we gathered at ChoZen Retreat to celebrate the Spring Equinox and welcome this seasonal transition with mindfulness and healing practices.
We’re grateful to have had the opportunity to host this retreat in partnership with Modern ŌM and facilitators Eugene Gant, Amanda Gilbert, Nick Brewer, and Yoni Marcos. See some of the highlights below!
Photographer: Brendon Dragon
Eugene Gant held breathwork classes and cacao rituals, where he incorporated yoga therapies, breathing techniques and meditation, empowering mantra, and soulful music.
Photographer: Brendon Dragon
Amanda Gilbert—a meditation teacher, speaker, author, and mindfulness lecturer—guided us through meditation sessions.
Photographer: Brendon Dragon
Nick Brewer of Primal Moves led a primal movement class to help us reconnect with our inner child + ancestral DNA and build stronger, healthier bodies.
Photographer: Brendon Dragon
