Client Testimonials

“Working with Josie has been an AMAZING experience. She brings compassion, curiosity, and gentleness to our therapy sessions which has created a very safe place for exploring childhood traumas and releasing stuck emotions. She also brings great wisdom and has shared valuable insights and observations that have led to me having some major breakthroughs and a lot of meaningful growth. Very grateful for our sessions.”

- Jennie H

“Having Josie Kramer as a therapist, yoga teacher, and coach has been a true gift. Josie possesses a natural, focused, overflowing, magical life force. To her clients, Josie offers her unique spirit and health expertise without condition, or judgement. When you work with her, she is pure L-O-V-E and acceptance (without stipulation). However, at the same time, Josie is incredibly goal oriented with her clients, making sure that individual sessions clearly address clients’ concerns and aspirations. When I began seeing Josie for her services, I was stuck in my career, needed to find employment ASAP, and also had to address long-term health issues. After 6 sessions, I found a new job and began to directly address health challenges that had been holding me back for years. If you need someone stellar on your side, to help deal with what’s preventing you from being where you want to be…Josie Kramer is a kind and highly skilled professional who can authentically assist you. She will take the time to understand your personal challenges and help you accordingly.”

- Amalia Alvarez

“With grace and confidence, Josie fosters an environment where genuine insight can arise. In my experience that's rare. Not too formal or precious, not overloaded with heady teachings, but a kind, spacious, and responsible container in which it is actually possible to turn toward tender parts of soul and psyche. In the presence of an authentic practitioner who has walked the terrain she invites her students to enter, I could relax and do the work, knowing I was in good hands.

Bringing to bear expertise in diverse disciplines-- yoga, chi-gong, transpersonal psychology, mindfulness, and heart medicines-- Josie is uniquely qualified to usher seekers and seasoned devotees alike into a bona fide encounter with themselves. I'm grateful for the flashes of light, cracked dams, and soothing rains I found at Vikara.”

- Blake S.

“To say the Vikara Center is life-changing feels like an understatement; it’s more like a gentle, yet powerful rebirth. 

Before arriving, I felt lost in shadows, struggling with a part of myself I couldn't reconcile. But from the moment I stepped onto the grounds of that beautiful hacienda in Rosarito, Baja a shift began within me, nurtured by the incredible souls who run it: Josie and Brian.



Josie is a beacon of light. Her unwavering compassion and insightful guidance were instrumental in helping me confront my inner struggle and embrace a path toward healing. She didn't just offer a program; she offered a lifeline. Because of her, and the safe, loving space she's created, I finally made the decision to leave my struggles with alcohol behind. It's hard to believe, but alcohol now feels like a faint, distant memory - a shadow that no longer defines me. This profound transformation wouldn't have been possible without Josie's unwavering belief in my potential.



The Vikara Center isn’t just a place; it's an embrace. The stunning beauty of the location, the carefully curated practices, and the deep sense of community created an atmosphere where vulnerability felt safe, and growth felt inevitable. 

The Vikara Center is a sanctuary where magic happens - where wounds begin to mend, and where the seeds of enlightenment are sown. 

If you’re yearning for profound inner change, if you’re searching for a place to reconnect with your true self and rediscover the light within, I urge you to answer the call of Vikara. It’s a gift you give to yourself – a journey toward wholeness, in a place where dreams of transformation become a beautiful reality.

Thank you, from the depths of my heart. You've given me a new beginning, a new perspective, and a renewed sense of hope. My life is forever enriched because of the Vikara Center.” 

- A

“Where to begin?  I guess at the beginning!  I have known Josie for the last 12 years through our love for yoga, meditation, and cultivating a healthy lifestyle.  It has been an honor and a privilege to learn from her as a teacher in her Vinyasa flow class, as a facilitator from her online meditation group, as a guide from her women's circles on the beach, and so much more.  Signing up for the Heart Medicine Retreat was not difficult, as I already had complete trust in Josie's capabilities. In true Josie fashion, however, she exceeded my expectations!   

The three therapy sessions leading up to the retreat were well-designed and executed.  She supported me by helping me narrow my focus for creating my intentions, asked guiding questions throughout the sessions, and employed active listening strategies, all with kindness, empathy, and understanding.  The day of the retreat was nothing short of magical.  Josie curated a beautiful experience from start to finish, paying attention to the smallest details such as music choice, candles, a healthy food selection, and making sure the environment was clean, warm, and inviting.  It was clear that everything was very intentional to make the participants feel both informed and at ease.  

As a group, we connected through getting grounded before leading into discussing our intentions.  Josie took us around to feed the various animals on the property, connect with nature, and walk the cool labyrinth that was built many years ago to lead us into our journey.  She relayed the properties of the medicine and what to expect during the experience.  This created a feeling of assuredness and security, which was further supported by Josie through the journey by her being in close proximity to help monitor the participants closely should anything arise.  Josie provided hands-on adjustments when desired and it was comforting to have her close by throughout the experience.  

An important piece of the retreat is the integration component.  Whatever surfaced during the journey that connected to the intentions was closely examined, thoughtfully discussed, and turned into action items for next steps.  I love that Josie provides an integration session after the retreat to support this piece and to hold me accountable!  Overall, I would recommend this retreat to anyone who is searching, curious, or looking for healing.  Josie has done the work as a student in many different fields and brings a high level of expertise to the table.  It has been a tremendous gift to be the recipient of all of her hard work and dedication to crafting her practice, which has in turn greatly influenced my own!”

- H

“Reflecting upon my recent heart medicine journey with Josie and Brian at Vikara Retreat Center, I can wholeheartedly say that there was life before the journey, and life after.

Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined the foundational shifts I would experience in my mind, body and spirit. Prior to the journey, I deeply struggled with chronic tension and severe body pain, debilitating headaches, and an overall battle with my own inner dialogue. No matter what modality I tried, I simply never seemed to be able to create a peace treaty between my inner thoughts and the way my body responded.

I came to Vikara as I was ready to open up to a new way of meeting myself – without fear, judgment, trauma, pain and inner criticism. Before the journey, I was told that heart medicine is often referred to as “safety camp”, a moment in time where you get to set it all down and simply see yourself through the lens of love. Within an hour of the journey, I felt decades of protective layers slowly melt away in my muscles, bit by bit, layer by layer. My body released, unraveled, and tenderly softened the entire shield I had so fiercely created since childhood to protect myself from a learned survival.

Without the fear, I was able to set down the armor and see myself for what I truly am: safe, loved, and an absolute legend! I can honestly say, I have never had such a kind, compassionate, caring and loving conversation with myself. I felt as if I could literally see just how big my heart really is and how courageous I had been all these years. Every ounce of physical pain resolved and I experienced a way of life I had never known. A life where I could simply be, and not battle. The experience planted a seed for me, a hope of a new way of walking through the world.

Over the past few weeks of integration, I have continued to hear the loving voice I met that day. She continues to speak to me in calmness when I feel my stress levels rise, or my body tighten. I am even more aware of my body pain patterns and the trauma they are linked to. However, I now feel I have more resolve and agency over the levels they begin to creep. I can notice sooner, slow down sooner, and simply breathe. And, I have yet to have a tension headache ever since! I feel more creative, hopeful and grounded. My depression and anxiety have now shifted into a compassionate conversation that has more balance and less power over me.

Vikara is a sacred space for healing. Josie and Brian truly are earth angels. They offer the most nourishing, loving, sweetest space that is  held and guided throughout the entire journey. Starting from helping define clear intentions prior to the journey, to the journey itself, and the integration afterwards. I felt completely cared for and loved, seen and celebrated.

Lastly, being able to close out the journey and walk outside, under a sky full of stars, to connect with horses, owls, donkeys, goats, llamas, pigs and more, brought a connected layer to this experience that felt so incredibly special.

If you are feeling stuck, in your body, mind, or spirit, please gift yourself a weekend of a heart medicine journey. It has transformed my life – as its namesake “Vikara” so perfectly captures.”

- J

“I have been doing guided meditation with Josie for about 14 weeks now and I look forward to each new day and new series to see what she has lined up.  I have struggled with anxiety for years and through various different series of meditation with Josie I have been able to control that.  With each new topic she covers I find I can relate to it so I always sign up!  She is warm and calming and I almost feel embraced as I listen to her talk.  I have learned so much about myself from these meditation series and I have been given such valuable tools that I use almost daily in so many situations that have helped me feel better and be better.  I have said it over and over and I will say it again…thank you Josie.”

- Debbie M.

“At first I was able to handle the pandemic shutdown, but as time went by I felt myself struggling to accept my new normal. Many areas of my life were stressed resulting in weight gain. I decided I needed help & Josie’s 6-week The Mindful Eating Project came to my attention & I signed up. The course includes an awesome video library & chapter topics which function in tandem with Josie’s other offerings of discussion, yoga & meditation.

Personal 1 hour zoom calls are an essential part of the course & I think the most beneficial part of the process. Josie knows how to confidentially address issues & provide the tools for change. She is an amazing listener & fosters a positive sharing environment making you feel safe with no judgement; I felt like I had my own thoughtful cheering section! I was pleasantly pleased with myself & what I was able to achieve over those 6 weeks. Josie put me on a path to start thriving. Thank you Josie, you are truly making a difference and helping others!”

- Mia M.

“I have been blessed to have Josie guide me in my Vinyasa practice for the last nine years. Her beautiful spirit, calm presence, and passion to experience life to its fullest fill every room she walks into. Josie is more than a yoga instructor to me. She’s a role model, a mentor, and a friend. My best hours each week are spent flowing with Josie.”

- Jenn B.

“For the three years that I’ve I known Josie, her talent is unmeasurable. She has been kind and thoughtful with whatever issues and situations that I have come into contact with. Josie has helped me through so much by just listening and being there mentally. For a time, I had fallen out of sync with my yoga and meditation practices which also led to bad health choices. After several sessions with Josie, I started to come back to myself and began practicing good health and wellness habits again. I now feel a freedom that I thought was lost or unattainable.”

- Cristina J.