VNoire Retreats- An Immersive Wellness Experience Designed Exclusively for Black Women

Business and Lifestyle, Travel — By Buddy Sampson on December 9, 2021 at 5:00 pm

By Buddy Sampson

Calling all Black women.

You need a break. Now.

So immediately, it’s an imperative that right now- without any hesitation- that you must contact VNoire Retreats- a retreat catering exclusively to Black women- addressing the stresses that only women of color experience- a healing space for Black women.

You, as Black women are more than aware that you experience the most trauma and daily stresses that other cultures, your counterparts, don’t experience. According to www.timesupfoundation.org, Black women are subjected to both racism and sexism- a double bind. Research has shown that six in ten Black women report being subjected to coercive sexual content by age 18 and that Black women report experiencing sexual harassment at work at three times the rate of white women.

If you add in your family pressures, wanting to advance your career, Covid 19 and other stress- related pressures that Black women experience on a daily basis, Black women need solace, solace that few resorts can give them, because most resorts cater to affluent, and mostly white clientele, that are seemingly unaware of the daily stresses and typical traumas experienced historically by women of color.

You, as Black women are in need of a beautiful, calm, serene, tranquil and nurturing environment, to recoup your balance, recharge your collective batteries after all the stresses of a society that fails to try to understand you. Camaraderie, fellowship, nurturing and sharing are some of the ways that you, as a Black woman, can regain the necessary composure and strength needed to excel in 2022 and beyond. Need rejuvenation? VNoire Retreats will have their inaugural retreat next year, February 11-17^th, 2022 at a splendid location in Costa Rica.

VNoire Retreats, an organization spearheaded by co-founders Suyen Mosley and Amber Smith, provides the nurturing environment that’s essential for handling the pressures of being a woman of color, specifically, a Black woman of color, in today’s hectic society. “We’re placing a priority on wellness and self-care,” said Suyen Mosley, who has a MS in psychology and an avid surfer, and additionally owns a company Surf Noir, that sells surfing gear and gives instruction on how to surf. “We also place a priority on community, community building, collaboration and trust among women, among Black women in particular.” Suyen, who worked as a therapist and had a group practice, specialized in Transpersonal Psychology. “We sort of cast the net a little wider in how some of our traumas cause us an inability to be happy,” said Suyen of her learning a holistic form of treating mental health.

Co-founder Amber Smith, who has a strong background in social work, has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She had a yoga practice and went on to garner her yoga certification. A yoga instructor for many years, Amber brings a dual expertise to VNoire Retreats- yoga and her ability to relate to others through her background in social work.  The resort is located in Costa Rica, a serene location of greenery, ocean, beaches and picturesque backdrops, with sands that call for relaxation, oceans that call for excitement if you’re a surfer and lands that call for exploration, if you want to experience the call that nature and beauty provides.

But what should you expect as a client, a Black woman, a woman of color at VNoire Retreats?

“You can expect to have an immersive adventure experience,” said Suyen Mosley. “You can expect a safe place where you can gather and share with each other and build with each other- something simple as building back trust with each other. Sometimes with Black women there can be a lot of animosity between us, a lot of competition between us and we offer Black women to come to our retreat, to take a break from that, to have a pause from that, so we can really explore what’s possible with us together. We feel like we’re stronger together.”

The backdrop of the wondrous beaches of Costa Rica will provide the perfect backdrop to reaffirm your convictions, spirituality and self-discipline to move to the next phase of self-development in your life. “We offer surfing lessons and surfing sessions,” said Suyen. “We feel like having the experience of being in the ocean, especially down here (in Costa Rica) where the ocean is warm and inviting can help to not only refresh the body, but also refresh the mind, and give the mind something else to focus on rather than the competition and mistrust that’s experienced in big cities.” Suyen also stresses the importance of people of color being in an environment that’s culturally suited for them. “For mellanated people, it’s very important that we allow our bodies to interface with nature and the sun, with green and the sun,” she said. “It helps to open us up- it helps to open channels inside us. So it’s important that we as mellanated people allow ourselves to spend some time in nature- especially somewhere sunny. Sun to Black folks is like peanut butter and jelly and necessary for us to function at our highest capacity mentally and spiritually.”

But why Costa Rica? What is the allure of Central America? “This region of Costa Rica is known as a ‘blue zone,” said Suyen. “There’s only 5 blue zones on the planet. These are areas on the planet where people are known to live the longest and be the healthiest and the happiest and they’re all places that are sunny and involve a lot of physical activity, of climbing and movement.”

In addition, VNoire Retreats’ emphasis is on healthy eating. “We offer all organic, when possible, all fresh food prepared at the retreat for all the meals,” added Suyen. “A simple, local diet is helpful for the body and the mind.”

VNoire offers the healing world of surfing, welcoming those of all skill levels, whether you’re a beginner or an expert. They also have workshops and trust building exercises, that will instill the confidence that only a close camaraderie with others can bring. VNoire Retreats will have surfing expert Rhonda Harper, of Black Girls Surf, Inc.  as a guest to give surfing tips.  Amber Smith, a yoga guru will provide yoga wellness classes. “They’ll be a yoga offering every day,” said Suyen. “We feel that doing that regularly helps to still the mind and helps to connect the breath back to the body. Taking the time out each day to still your mind and connect the breath to your body can help with mindfulness throughout the day.”   You’ll be able to relax with rejuvenating massages. And leave the resort inspired and encouraged through mindful practices, parting the resort with a renewed confidence and renewed sense of self, “shaped by personal reflection and community.”  After the isolating experience of Covid-19 and the traumas associated with the pandemic, VNoire offers a respite. “ We were physically shut up in our homes and in ways, shut up in our minds, so it is important for us to take a natural break from that and to be in an environment with nature and green, because this is a very important time for Black people on this planet right now.”

Each evening, VNoire Retreats plans on having a “Women’s Circle.” “Women can be honest and open as they want to be,” she said. “That’s how we plan on building trust and bonding as well.”

All walks of life are welcome at VNoire Retreats, regardless of your economic background, as long as the retreat fees are paid. “We’re much more interested in where someone’s minds are and where their hearts are,” she said.

For more information and how to register for VNoire’s Retreats,  taking place February 11-17^th, 2022 in Costa Rica, visit their website, https://www.vnoireretreats.com. Spots are extremely limited, so register now!