ISTA Practitioner Training
Luxury Edition
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
April 4-11, 2026
The ISTA Practitioner Training is a holistic, in-depth system for transformation which emphasizes the power of sexual energy. The PT program aims to hone and support the natural flow of sexual life force energy to provide practitioners and clients a valuable framework for sexual wholeness.
The ISTA PT is an essential guide for the modern day Daka/Dakini and Sexual Priest/Priestess.
In this training, you will learn how to empower your client to understand, communicate and maintain healthy boundaries, needs and desires. Moreover, you will acquire the necessary skills to support your clients to activate and release their emotional body, using shamanic tools for transformation.
During the PT, you will practice tuning into your own body wisdom which not only informs the work you do with your client, but also shows you how to meet them on a physical level, from a space of heart-centred connection. An essential aspect of this work is activating energy and awakening through the heart. Through the Heart, you can empower your client to experience the presence of Love itself inside of his or her body rather than recycling past stories of shame, limitation, inadequacy, fear and guilt.
What Can You Expect?
- A supportive space for people of all spiritual pathways, sexual orientations and gender identities.
- Luxurious location & high-end lakeside resort venue.
- Gourmet, healthy and locally sourced cuisine - we cater to all food needs and sensitivities.
- A supportive participant/facilitator ratio.
- Experienced facilitators.
- A safe container honoring your healthy boundaries.
- Hot tubs & saunas on-site available afternoon & evening.
Curriculum Overview
The Practitioner Training curriculum involves four cornerstones: Foundations, Body, Energy & Emotions, and Spirit. Each of the cornerstones addresses a fundamental area of sacred sexual practitioner work.
Apart from that, expect class handouts, plenty of practice, hands-on demonstrations and so much more!
FOUNDATIONS of the Training:
- Role of the Daka-Dakini
- Setting boundaries
- Grounding and centering methods
- Sexual healing code of conduct
- Follow-ups (post-session support)
- Successful business dynamics and marketing techniques
The BODY Cornerstone:
- Genital anatomy
- Sacred spot massage rituals
- Restoring sexual wholeness
- Genital and Pelvic floor massage
- Expansion of pleasure thresholds
- Conscious intentional touch skills
- Understanding the cycle of arousal in male and female bodies
The Energy & Emotions Cornerstone:
- The 7 tools for activating and releasing the emotional body
- Harmonizing and connecting energy bodies
- Aspecting and emotional dialogue
- Techniques for circulating life-force energy
- Tantric and shamanic therapeutic processes
- Tantric breath-work
The Spirit Cornerstone:
- Shamanic Sexual Skills
- Opening and closing rituals
- Creating and holding sacred space
- Techniques to develop awareness
- Presence and space-holding
- Inner marriage
- Non-dualistic spiritual practices
About The Facilitators
Briana Cribeyer
Briana was born under the full moon in the Midwest of the United States as the youngest daughter of a high priestess. She grew up eavesdropping on the creation of rituals and ceremonies of the sacred. She talked to plants and animals and listened deeply to their messages. Years later, fleeing the Midwest, she found wisdom in the mountains and forests of Colorado, New Hampshire, Washington-- and living abroad in Japan and throughout South America. In that time, she absorbed the ways of the elders, and began to craft her connection back to the mother (earth) and womb medicine through movement, prayer, and shamanic practice.
Beginning her career in social services and education, leading to non-profit management, Briana wove the thread of a desire to serve throughout each step along her path. She sees all of her past career as energy work, supporting individuals and groups to find their own power to heal. With degrees in Sociology, a focus on ‘Race, Culture, Power,’ and Sexual Behavior, as well as a Natural Resources, focusing on sustainability, Briana brings humility of leadership and objectivity to board rooms, corporate offices, private sessions with couples, and family mediating alike.
Briana can most often be felt in her ecstatic joy, grinning ear to ear, channeling her maiden that loves to jump in puddles, and her priestess who gathers the energy and sends it whirling to create alchemy in all around. Her happy place is in facilitation, and workshop creation has been a constant for the past 15 years.
She is the founder of Sacred Sexuality Rising, an online community of over 9,000 participants, a lead trainer for Intuitive Tantra, speaker and facilitator for The Ohio State University on the topic of sacred sexuality, and Executive Director of the Columbus's Coalition for Sexuality.
She believes that deep and radical love, coupled with ownership and self-responsibility will shift the trajectory of humans on the planet.
Michal Maayan Don
Michal is a "Sacred Activist" and a facilitator of sexual shamanism sacred spaces. She holds a MA in Gender studies. Michal holds training for group facilitators of conscious sexuality and women's circles, nurtures and leads a tribe of women who bring the wisdom of the circles in Israel.
Initiated and guided by the ancient knowledge of the land of Canaan, by Hebrew ancestors and my living teachers. Proud to be a teacher of ISTA's international teaching staff - the Temple Arts School, and proud to be a founding member of Ishtar - the Center for the Arts of Love and the Development of Consciousness.
Behind me are many years as a group and ceremonies facilitator and producer at festivals and conferences, my journey of life led me to a deep healing of sexuality and my sacred mission in this life is to pass it on. Ahead of me is the intention to connect the world of sacred sexuality to the academic world, the education and health system, and politics. I have completed my master's degree in gender and am building myself as a bridge enabling dialogue between worlds. Dreaming and realizing peace on earth. I am 51. A woman, priestess, friend, and mother.
Blake Zealear
Blake is an evolutionary guide working at the intersection of men’s work, feminism, sacred sexuality, and new-paradigm relating. He identifies as two-spirit, queer, pansexual, an erotic shapeshifter, and a multitude of other human expressions - and this faceted perspective illuminates his teaching. His multi-disciplinary approach provides the empowerment, permission, and playfulness that enable a liberated reclaiming of his students’ lives.
Blake has studied embodiment, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Radical Honesty, Landmark technology, Tantric and Yogic practice, breathwork, shamanic sexuality, esoterics, polarity, non-traditional relationship design, shadow-work, and Spiral Dynamics, among other modalities. He is devoted to the emergence of a new culture of love in our lifetimes, the transmutation of suffering into power, and the ascension of humanity through healing our relationships to ourselves and the Earth.
About The Venue
-- Lake Atitlán, Guatemala --
Guatemala is a jewel in Central America - unknown to most - and we welcome the chance to support your exploration of this beautiful land and its rich culture while journeying deeply on the spiritual, sexual, shamanic path. ISTA has been holding trainings annually in Guatemala since 2012, honored to be partnering with our world-class eco-retreat on the shores of stunning Lake Atitlán. Our venue is one of the most luxurious and breath taking retreat centers ISTA hosts trainings at, and the longest-standing ISTA venue. We're honored to be welcomed in this ancestral Mayan place of power. Lake Atitlán is surrounded by three striking volcanoes and over 1,000 feet deep; this magnificent lake’s beauty is encapsulated in the meaning of the Mayan word Atitlán: “the place where the rainbow gets its colors.”
Our exclusive venue offers one of the most luxurious hospitality experiences available in Guatemala, and is the perfect spot for engaging in this life-changing work in a comfortable, magical and natural setting. There is a solar hot tub permanently available for you to soak and relax, as well as a fire-lit hot tub and sauna that are open some nights of the week. The restaurant offers a splendid view of the lake, and a blend of local and international vegetarian cuisine. Optional fish and meat supplements are available too. All food is carefully prepared and almost entirely locally sourced. The center operates in a sustainable, ecologically and socially engaged way.
Practical & Training Structure
Graduation from ISTA Level 1 SSSEx is a prerequisite for attending the ISTA PT
Application Process:
In order to ensure a high standard of training and baseline group experience, potential participants are assessed as part of the application process.
In order to apply, you will be asked to fill in an extensive application form and record a short video. Registrations close Wednesday, March 18th.
You will receive news about your application within two weeks after submitting, at which point you'll be asked to confirm by means of a $700 USD deposit.
The ISTA Practitioner Training is built up of two modules:
Module 1
7 Night/8 Day residential, weeklong training including tuition, food and accommodation.
Takes place at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala from April 4-11, 2026.
Included are two MANDATORY online sessions, taking place March 21 and 22, 2026. Each of these sessions lasts 4 hours.
Session Times: Saturday March 21 & Sunday March 22 from:
8am - 12 noon PT
11am - 3pm ET
3pm - 7pm UK
16-20h Europe
Module 2
Graduates of Module 1 will be invited to apply for the follow-up (module 2) training. This is a separate training program that takes place online and has a separate course fee. It is meant for those who decide to take the Module 1 learnings out of the personal and into the professional realms, and offers a mentorship into doing that appropriately and masterfully.
Module 2 consists of 3 months post-seminar support in the form of monthly online meetings and private group engagement. During this time, participants will receive marketing guidance, have homework assignments and receive peer and self review opportunities.
In the monthly meetings and through the group participation participants will receive additional guidance and have their questions answered. Participants are expected to share their experiences giving sessions, and they will receive personalized feedback and coaching from the PT facilitators.
Session Case Studies:
As part of the training, participants are required to perform 9 sessions and receive 3 sessions, and present them as written case studies.
IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS, please get in touch with us at info@istaguatemala.com
Register
INVESTMENT: **US$ 3295**
Available discounts:
Super Early Bird (3 left):
**US$ 2895**
Early Bird (4 left):
**US$ 3095**
Guatemalan citizens (4 left):
**US$ 2295**
Legal residents (2 left):
**US$ 2695**
SIGN UP BY FILLING IN THE APPLICATION FORM:
Scholarships are available through the World Empowerment Trust and LEAH Fund. Please read all info thoroughly and apply at the latest 6 weeks before the training starts.
ISTA Level 2 or PT graduates may apply to assist here.
Other payment methods may be available upon request. Contact us.
Prices include:
- 2 mandatory online training sessions: 4 hours each on March 21 & 22
- All the training experiences and supplies
- Luxury accommodation at our beautiful lakeside venue, all with patio & stunning views. Limited private upgrades available at a surplus
- Daily room cleaning & quality linens
- Three full deluxe meals per day (vegetarian lunch; chicken & fish included at dinner)
- Steam sauna
- Lakeside and mountainside hot tubs, available afternoons and evenings
- Lush gardens, hammocks, and cozy shaded or full sun sitting areas
- Unlimited tea, coffee and purified water service at 24/7 beverage bar
- Staff tips
- Class handouts and online access to the module 1 training platform
Not Included:
- Travel to and from Guatemala
- Domestic transport to and from venue (shared shuttle service available - see below)
- Travel insurance
Shuttle services & transportation:
We organize a shared shuttle picking up participants on the morning of the starting day of the training at Guatemala City La Aurora (GUA) airport and in Antigua. This service also includes a coordinated private boat ride directly to the venue. There will also be return shuttle services available after the training. Shared transportation will cost US$ 45 each way. You'll receive all info on how to book transportation, where to stay if arriving early, and further travel options in our extensive welcome brochure after signing up.
About Pricing:
The price includes all tuition, accommodation and meals but excludes travel to the venue. Spaces are limited on this retreat and registration will close once we have reached maximum capacity to ensure a supportive participant/facilitator ratio. You can reserve directly through this website using Stripe/credit card to make your US$ 700 deposit. A confirmation email will be sent to you from info@istaguatemala.com shortly after.
Payment & Cancellation Policy:
A commitment to the ISTA Practitioner Training is a deep commitment to yourself. Once your application is approved, a US$ 700 deposit secures your place. The remaining balance is due latest 6 weeks before the starting date of the training (February 21st, 2026).
Cancellation fees:
- Up until February 4th: a US$ 200 admin fee will be withheld, together with any payment processor or bank fees.
- Starting February 4th: your US$ 700 deposit will be withheld and is nonrefundable.
- Starting March 4th: 50% of the total price will be withheld. In the case that we find a replacement for your cancellation, we may be able to refund you up till the $700 deposit.
These are our minimum commitments to you. Please notify us immediately in the event that you find yourself needing additional time to prepare for this unique experience. Also note that bank charges from payments made via Stripe, PayPal and/or international transfers are the responsibility of the participant and cannot be refunded in case of cancellation.
BEFORE SIGNING UP, PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
ISTA’s initiatory programs are weeklong transformational spaces. These are individual processes supported by a group field, designed to awaken strong emotions and work with personal and sexual expression. We bring awareness to, and nourish aspects emphasizing self-responsibility as an essential requirement to navigate sexual, shamanic, and spiritual spaces.
Our field acknowledges, continues to evolve, and includes some of the gifts of trauma-informed models. However, ISTA trainings are NOT a replacement for physical-emotional-mental therapy and are NOT focused on treating pathology. ISTA trainings are also not presuming to treat complex trauma or personality disorders. If you suffer from severe trauma, mental illness, or are taking medications, we recommend you consult your therapist/psychiatrist to check if participating is advisable.
The ISTA field activates sexual life force and is, at times, emotionally intense. We recommend that individuals seek one-on-one sessions and get approval from their therapist before participating in this group process. Primarily if there are known deep-seated traumas or an inability to down-regulate oneself.
Please consider if your mental health currently supports you to undertake personal initiations in a group transformational space, and if you can take responsibility for your mental stability. PLEASE CONSIDER IF JOINING ISTA IS RIGHT FOR YOU.
On that basis, we, the facilitators, acknowledge and recognize our responsibility to offer participants nondiscriminatory care, a consent-focused space, and appropriate support concerning the process as you navigate the ISTA journey.
As a last point, we suggest signing up to this training
only if you have the spaciousness to fully commit to this work for the entire week, as there is minimal free time for any work-related activities that you may want to try and fit in. This is a powerful transformational container that offers deep shifts and we recommend clearing your schedule entirely for the duration of the training. You can however expect to have
some minimal time
for messaging and e-mailing.
REGISTER BY FILLING IN THE APPLICATION FORM BELOW
