WHY RAÍZ VIVA
Modern life keeps people productive, but disconnected.
We created Raíz Viva for you to return to rhythm. Six days to step out of overload and back into movement, nature, food, community, and embodied presence. We guide people through a carefully crafted ecology of practices, organized through our three pillars of resilience, regeneration, and reconnection.
OUR TEAM
Johnathon Lang
Johnathon Lang
Johnathon Lang
Holonic Embodiment Specialist
Johnathon Lang's education began before any certification. As a Cavalry Scout deployed to Iraq, he learned what the body and mind are capable of under pressure, and what they need to recover. That experience sent him on a search that has taken him across continents.
Muay Thai with forest monks in Thailand. Natu
Holonic Embodiment Specialist
Johnathon Lang's education began before any certification. As a Cavalry Scout deployed to Iraq, he learned what the body and mind are capable of under pressure, and what they need to recover. That experience sent him on a search that has taken him across continents.
Muay Thai with forest monks in Thailand. Natural movement in the jungles of Colombia. Meditation, Animal Flow, the Weck Method, and years of barefoot practice in wild terrain. Each discipline added a layer. Each place left a mark. Zafra, where he has lived and guided movement in the wilderness for years, is where it all converged.
He believes the Way is in all things. At Raíz Viva, he brings that conviction into the field, into the body, and into the land that has become his home.
Chi Bang
Johnathon Lang
Johnathon Lang
Human Performance Specialist
Chi Bang has devoted three decades to teaching and coaching movement. His East Asian heritage drew him toward the martial arts. A pre-medical education provided the physiological foundation to understand how the body works. A career spent field-testing across bodybuilding, powerlifting, sports, and natural move
Human Performance Specialist
Chi Bang has devoted three decades to teaching and coaching movement. His East Asian heritage drew him toward the martial arts. A pre-medical education provided the physiological foundation to understand how the body works. A career spent field-testing across bodybuilding, powerlifting, sports, and natural movement disciplines, such as MovNat, brought it all into practice.
He believes movement is medicine, and that the San Rafael territory, with its natural terrain and distance from daily noise, is one of the few places on earth where that truth can be fully experienced. That is why he keeps coming back.
John Ramírez
Johnathon Lang
John Ramírez
Holistic Nutritionist
John Ramírez has devoted his work to understanding what the body needs to heal, regulate, and come alive again. A personal health journey led him back to ancestral foods and traditional cooking, years in the kitchen gave him the technical foundation to translate that wisdom into practice, and his work in regenerative
Holistic Nutritionist
John Ramírez has devoted his work to understanding what the body needs to heal, regulate, and come alive again. A personal health journey led him back to ancestral foods and traditional cooking, years in the kitchen gave him the technical foundation to translate that wisdom into practice, and his work in regenerative farming deepened his belief that when nature is supported rather than controlled, life knows how to return.
He believes food is medicine, and that the San Rafael territory, with its living soil, clean water, ancestral memory, and distance from the noise of modern life, is one of the few places where that truth can be fully experienced. That is why he keeps coming back.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Raíz Viva is an all-inclusive experience. From the moment you are picked up at the Medellín airport to the moment you depart, everything is taken care of.
Lodging. Five nights of accommodation at Zafra Nature Reserve, nestled in the San Rafael territory of the Colombian Andes. A premium upgrade to Aracari is available for those who prefer a higher level of comfort.
Meals. All breakfasts, lunches, and dinners throughout the retreat are sourced locally and prepared with intention. Every meal is an education in Colombian ancestral foods, native ingredients, and the relationship between nourishment and the land.
Transportation. Group airport pickup from Medellín and return transfer at the end of the retreat. All in-territory transportation between sessions and excursions is included.
Movement Programming. Daily morning practice and movement education sessions led by Chi Bang, covering natural movement principles, ground movement, balance, gait, crawling patterns, and functional transitions, progressing across the full six days.
River Immersion. Progressive guided sessions on the Rio Arenal, building from foundational skills to full terrain exploration with each day.
Land Excursion. A full-day guided hike to Mundo Aparte and the Templo de Agua with a local guide, including a scenic picnic lunch in the field.
Cooking Class. A hands-on workshop exploring Colombian ancestral foods, mindful eating, and the story behind what you put in your body, led by John Ramírez.
Cultural Experiences. Farm tours, regenerative land education, local food and fruit tastings at every meal, and storytelling from the community that calls this territory home.
Ceremony. An opening fire ceremony, a music ceremony, and a closing integration circle.
Guided Reflection. Retreat journals, guided journaling time, and intentional assignments during free exploration periods.
Add-ons (available separately). Massages, additional merchandise, and optional post-retreat plant medicine experiences for those who choose to extend their stay.