You can survive weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without air!! Breath is absolutely vital for our survival and while every functional breath you take can enhance your health and vitality, dysfunctional breathing can lead to low energy levels, decreased focus and even illness.
Think you know how to breathe? Join Shanti for an educational and interactive exploratory breathing class and learn powerful practices to take control of your physical and emotional states!
Each performance breath class will combine ancient breathing practices with new age science for a unique experience that teaches participants how to consciously manage their energy and stress levels. You will learn specific and actionable breathing tools and techniques that both energize and promote deep relaxation.
Shanti Tilling is a leading personal trainer and fitness instructor, shaping the lives of clients around the globe. She has spent the last 26 years training both both indoors and outside, flying internationally with corporate clients, and 7 years as the onsite fitness instructor for 2 major film studios. As a holistic wellness coach specializing in true functional movement and corrective exercise, Shanti’s passion is inspiring people of all fitness abilities to be strong for what they love to do, and helping them create their own healthy, active lives.
Shanti is an outdoor fitness junkie and has cycled, ran, hiked, climbed, paddled, and surfed all over the world. Her love for adventurous travel combined with a passion for fitness led her to create Sweat Play Live fitness retreats in 2010. Shanti lives in Punta de Mita, Mexico and feels fortunate to spend time connecting with clients and retreat guests from around the world.
Leslie McGuirk’s children’s books include the Tucker Series, If Rocks Could Sing, and Wiggens Learns His Manners at the Four Seasons, which Martha Stewart calls “a charming introduction to the fine art of good behavior.” She has sold over 2 million books worldwide, but started as an untrained artist selling her T-Shirt designs out of the back of her car. She became a marketing phenomenon in Japan during the 1990’s. Takashimaya, the high-end Japanese department store produced over 800 products with her designs. She was also chosen as the designer for the restoration of the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. Her “Quest for Inspiration” workshops began at Rancho La Puerta and have since been taught in many places including AARP, The Jim Henson Company, Wachovia Bank, Wilmington Trust, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and many others. Leslie’s well received TED talk in Hollywood CA on THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING WRONG can be found on the Web: lesliemcguirk.com
Executive Chef Reyna Venegas prepares fresh and delicious food that energizes, inspires, and nourishes guests. She fuses the culinary and cultural heritages of her own Northern Baja roots with the nutritious “spa cuisine” pioneered 80 years ago by Rancho La Puerta co-founder Deborah Szekely. At La Cocina Que Canta, “The Kitchen That Sings,” Chef Reyna teaches healthy eating as a celebration of life in farm-to-table cooking classes. As a lifelong learner, Chef Reyna attends the University of California, San Diego’s Integrative Nutrition program, which focuses on how food promotes wellness. She is also a graduate of the Culinary Art School in Tijuana, and holds a Pastry Degree from the Lycée Technique et Hôtelier de Monte-Carlo and Fondation Turquois. She and her husband Chef Marcelo Hisaki own Restaurante Amores, a hidden culinary jewel in the heart of Baja. Their cuisine is influenced by Mexican, Japanese and French cultures, using local produce with respect, love, and creativity. They have been selected by the Michelin Guide Mexico in 2024 and received the Exceptional Service Award.
Portrait artist, Juan Bastos, takes us on a tour of 21st century portrait painting with stories from his 40-year career, sharing how studying the great masters has helped him to perfect his skill immortalizing his many sitters. Over the four past decades, Los Angeles-based portrait artist, Juan Bastos, has executed several hundred portrait commissions on four continents. Bastos will also share some highlights of these trips. These oil paintings and pastel drawings hang in private homes, corporate offices, government buildings, embassies, libraries, churches, and universities. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1958, Bastos and his family returned to Bolivia, their homeland, eleven years later. Surrounded by relatives who were painters and his teachers, Bastos grew up in an artistic environment. He enrolled at Georgetown University in 1979, and later obtained a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Cum Laude, and an MFA from Towson University. Bastos has had one-man shows in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Lima, La Paz, and a Los Angeles retrospective of his California portraits. In addition, he has been included in group shows in New York, Paris, Madrid, Los Angeles, Essex, England, and a biennial in Cairo, Egypt. His works have been widely reviewed by the press. Bastos is often invited to give lectures and demonstrations at universities, private clubs, colleges, and art institutions. In private collections, Juan is represented with commissioned portraits of high-profile art collectors 
Laura Penn Gallerstein, BA, Sound Healer, Author, Master Teacher, Reiki Master, Yoga, and Meditation. She is an experienced practitioner and dynamic teacher in the world of Sound Healing and trained extensively with master teachers. Most recently, published her memoir, “Whispers in Sound.” Her passion for Sound Healing with the alchemy crystal bowls and chanting has helped transform many lives. She was the owner of Sedona Sacred Sounds and now Whispers in Sound, San Diego. She continues to travel around the country leading Sound Healing experiences, workshops, and trainings.
