Returning to Good Hope: A Jamaica Retreat Reflection

Yoga Among Friends is returning to Good Hope in Jamaica for a weeklong retreat with Laura Jane, January 9–16, 2027. This beloved community retreat is an invitation to step away from the Midwest winter and into a nourishing week of yoga, sunshine, rest, good food, and connection.

With that joyful news in mind, Laura Jane shares this spring reflection and her invitation to return to Good Hope.

The beauty of this spring day is a welcome reminder that once again, living in the Midwest, we celebrate the return of color! The vitality and brilliance of Mother Earth as she awakens from her deep sleep.

I am so grateful for life and the ability to live it. The sweet scent of the flowers, especially the lilacs, reminds me that winter has lasted too long. It was the first winter in many years that I did not host a retreat to a warm climate. I so missed my annual second home in Jamaica.

Good Hope has been a refuge for so many at Yoga Among Friends. It was a huge heartbreak to know that Good Hope suffered as Hurricane Melissa touched down on October 25, 2025. Yet, the good news is… they are back in better shape than ever, and we are going back!!

Yes, we are returning for another wonderful week of Good Hope magic, January 9–16, 2027.

Put this on your holiday calendar as a continuous celebration, and get some sunshine and beach time to take you out of the dark Midwest. I hope I can inspire those who have never experienced one of our community retreats to step into the adventure. To be nourished by good food, beautiful surroundings, opportunities to practice yoga, and the warmth of this island treasure.

I am so grateful to know I have this to look forward to as I live this day. Living in the moment, I am here and enjoying all the ways I can sustain the energy of spring in my daily practice. I am taking longer walks, planting my annuals in my garden, and listening to the sounds of the birds as the light comes up earlier.

I am inspired to hold that light within and to share my passion for living large.

The noise of confusion is all around, and the material world can feel threatening to those without an inner voice. I am listening to my heart, and I know life is a flow of movement. This too will pass.

I am choosing to stay present and yet offer continuous opportunities to keep the joy alive. Looking forward to how I can sustain that is by offering workshops, classes, and retreats.

Let’s leap into life together. I look forward to seeing you at YAF and around the world.

I invite you to join me this January at Good Hope, and the fun is in knowing we can share it together.

Perhaps this is the moment to ask yourself: where are you being called to find more light, warmth, and renewal?

If Good Hope is calling to you, we invite you to reach out with questions or ask to receive more retreat details when they become available.

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Return to Jamaica: Retreat Details

Dates: January 9–16, 2027
Location: Good Hope Retreat Centre, Jamaica
Hosted by: Laura Jane and Yoga Among Friends
Experience: A weeklong Jamaica yoga retreat with yoga, rest, nourishing food, sunshine, community, and time to reconnect.

✨ Early Bird Savings

Reserve your spot by Monday, May 25, 2026, and receive $200 off the full price of retreat tuition with coupon code EBJAM27. The discount will be applied to your balance or full payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

• When is the 2027 Yoga Among Friends Jamaica retreat?

  The Yoga Among Friends Jamaica retreat with Laura Jane will take place January 9–16, 2027.

• Where is the 2027 Jamaica yoga retreat held?

  The retreat will be held at Good Hope Retreat Centre in Jamaica, a beloved retreat destination for the Yoga Among Friends community.

• Who is leading the Jamaica yoga retreat?

  The retreat will be led by Laura Jane Mellencamp of Yoga Among Friends.

• What can I expect during the Jamaica yoga retreat?

  You can expect yoga, nourishing food, beautiful surroundings, sunshine, community, rest, and time to reconnect with yourself.

• Is this retreat open to people who have never attended a Yoga Among Friends retreat before?

  Yes. Laura Jane warmly invites those who have never experienced one of the Yoga Among Friends community retreats to step into the adventure.

• How can I learn more about the 2027 Jamaica yoga retreat?

  More details will be shared soon. You can join the interest list or contact Yoga Among Friends to learn more about the January 2027 retreat with Laura Jane.

Compassion is an Art

We celebrate the beautiful creation of art, music, and dance.
But a sacred art that lives in each of us is often neglected and dismissed.

I choose to live life as a creative expression of celebration.
I am committed not to getting a finished product, but to being a human being willing to keep learning, growing, and revealing the light of my True Self.

This is a practice.
A daily practice.

Life is a blessing, renewed with each breath of our collective consciousness.
No matter what suffering we encounter, we are free and empowered to deepen our own wondrous art of breathing.

Breathe through your pain.
Breathe peace back into your soul.
Breathe your dreams into being.

Your breath is an affirmation to your living system that it is alive, safe, strong, able.
It brings you into union with your soul.

These past few weeks, I was reminded of my human nature to forget that practice.

I, too, need reminders to come back—
to connect with something other than the noise around me.

I notice this most when I wake in the middle of the night.
The mind begins overthinking… doing… trying to seek balance in an unbalanced world.

I believe I can think my way into peace…
and then I remember—it doesn’t work that way.

The thinking mind only knows what it has already known.
It is linked to memory and story, often pulling me into future chaos.

Worry is my red flag that I am not HERE.

I can’t change the outer world through frustration
or through an overwhelming attachment to a desired outcome.

Sometimes, the way out is in.

I shift from thinking to feeling the breath.
I move into the uncertainty and sit in not knowing.

To enter into the wound of heartbreak.
To sit in vulnerability.

And something begins to shift.

A quality of ease arises.
I begin to let go of the gripping, dense armor.

Softness meets the harsh edges.

I sit.
I sit some more.

And when I notice the mind spinning again,
I simply allow it to move through.

I release the need to fix.
And I return to the inner sound:

Be HERE.

Stillness is not the goal of meditation.
But it is welcomed when the mind can rest in the sensation of the breath.

The quality of this is ease.
Peaceful, effortless ease.

Each Sunday, I offer a meditation of compassionate loving as a shared practice.

To be held in a sacred space together.
To breathe into the creation of this expressive art—
the art of living in love.

Together, we set the intention to allow this love to ripple outward
as a positive action in the world.

We sit together in gratitude for the breath.

One breath at a time.
One moment at a time.

There is so much healing in this simple, divine act.

Your soul’s oxygen is Love.

With love,
Laura Jane

What happens when you stop trying to figure it out—and simply breathe?
If something arises for you, you’re welcome to share it below—
or simply hold it quietly for yourself.

If you feel the need to slow down,
to sit, to breathe, to return—
you are always welcome.

Reflections from Laura Jane: A Return to Belonging

Community has always been my deepest intention in creating Yoga Among Friends.

Each month, I set a calendar not just to fill classes—but to inspire curiosity, courage, and a willingness to explore the many ways yoga can heal.

What often feels unfamiliar is not the practice itself, but the invitation to slow down… to listen… to become present enough to hear the quiet voice within.

In a world filled with noise, we begin by remembering what it feels like to belong—to ourselves, and to one another.

The Practice of Becoming Still

There is a quiet shift that happens when we step away from the outer noise and begin to listen inward.

To be present. To feel. To soften into the moment.

It takes a sense of safety to allow this unfolding. A willingness to pause long enough for the body to release what it has been holding.

Like ice beginning to melt in the warmth of the sun, something within us begins to soften.

What was once frozen begins to move… to flow… to rise.

Water becomes vapor, returning to the sky, only to fall again as rain—reminding us that life is always moving, always renewing, always beginning again.

A moment of balance, shared.

Choosing Love Over Fear

I have made a quiet commitment within myself.

To not feed the mind of fear.

Instead, I ask:

How can I serve today as a messenger of love?

Life is not without hardship. There is always something stirring beneath the surface in each of us.

And yet, the beauty of being alive is the ability to feel—even in the midst of sorrow.

There is a deep trust that the light we are seeking already lives within us. And sometimes, all we need is a space where that light can be felt again.

Why Yoga Among Friends Exists

The word that has been guiding me lately is neighboring.

It brings me back to why I created Yoga Among Friends in the first place.

When I left Los Angeles after the riots and the earthquake, I was searching for something deeper than success. I longed for community. For connection. For a place where I could continue to grow—not just professionally, but as a human being.

So I created a space to gather.

Not just for those who walk through the doors—but for myself as well.

A place to belong. A place to practice. A place to be.

Yoga for the Whole Being

Over the years, I’ve watched yoga evolve.

More and more, we are beginning to understand that yoga is not just physical. It is mental. Emotional. Spiritual.

It is a way of returning to ourselves.

A way of bringing the wandering mind into stillness.

A way of finding steadiness in a world that often feels like it is moving too fast.

Yoga Among Friends is a space that supports the unseen parts of ourselves—the places that need nourishment, compassion, and care.

A space where you are not defined by age, experience, or identity.

A space where you are simply welcome.

A Place to Begin (Again and Again)

Trust that our classes are for everyone.

Whether a class is called beginner, vinyasa, fundamentals, or yoga for stress—it is always a place to begin.

There may be moments of not knowing. Of uncertainty.

And that is part of the practice.

To step into something new.
To be willing.
To stay open.

Coming into Yoga Among Friends is stepping into a space of shared intention.

A place where we soften the grip of tension.
Where we breathe.
Where we feel.

Where we remember that healing is possible.

An Invitation to Explore

This practice is not about perfection.

It is about presence.

It is about choosing—again and again—to move toward connection instead of isolation, toward compassion instead of fear.

We are here to support that journey.

At Yoga Among Friends in Downers Grove, we offer classes and workshops that support both physical and emotional wellbeing.

→ Explore our weekly classes

→ View upcoming workshops and gatherings

Looking Ahead: Retreats & Adventure

I am deeply committed to continuing these adventures of the soul.

In the coming weeks, I will be sharing our 2027 retreats—opportunities to step beyond what is familiar and into something expansive.

In January 2027, we will journey to Patagonia—exploring the beauty of nature while deepening our yoga practice and connection to sustainable living.

And in March 2027, we will return to Jamaica—our beloved Good Hope—after a year of recovery and renewal following last fall’s hurricane.

These journeys remind us of something essential:

We are connected.
To the Earth.
To each other.
To something much greater than ourselves.

This is why we practice.

Thank you for being part of this community.

For showing up.
For being willing.
For continuing to explore what it means to live, feel, and belong.

We look forward to practicing with you.

With love,
Laura Jane

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What does belonging feel like for you right now? You’re welcome to share in the comments below—your experience may support someone else on a similar path.