About this place
Spiral Dance Ranch is a 26-hectare sacred retreat center located in the picturesque Sabinal Canyon in the southern Texas Hill Country, near Utopia, Texas. Since 2020, the property has served as a permanent home base for the spiritual retreats and sacred plant medicine ceremonies of the Third Eye Tribe collective. Characterized by dense forests, rolling hills, and ancient “Grandfather” cypress trees, the land has historically been a gathering place for Indigenous tribes and is now used as a digital detox and healing retreat.
The Experience & Programs
The ranch’s philosophy is based on the three pillars of Catharsis (emotional healing), Ecstasis (achieving peak states of consciousness), and Communitas (deep connection to community). Regular programs include: • Shamanic Breathwork & Initiations: The ranch is the main venue for the Third Eye Tribe’s multi-day spiritual initiation workshops (such as the S.H.I.P. series). • Guided Silent Retreats: Weekends filled with meditation, mindfulness, and silent, mindful meals in nature. • Healing Ceremonies: Regular cactus or plant medicine ceremonies, combined with shamanic sweat lodges and sound healing sessions.
Amenities & Cuisine
The accommodations combine seclusion in nature with the comforts of a modern wellness center: • Lodging: The ranch offers semi-rustic options, including fully equipped yurts, camping and RV sites, and a shared indoor dormitory called “Tap Root.” • Wellness & Nature: A clear, cool stream (part of the Sabinal River) flows directly through the property, perfect for ice baths and cooling off. There’s also a teepee, a private orchard, a sauna, a hot tub, a pool, and a fully equipped yoga studio. • Dining: The cuisine is strongly focused on holistic nutrition. Depending on the retreat, organic, vegan, Ayurvedic, gluten-free, or pescatarian meals are freshly prepared.
Location & Directions
The ranch is located about a two-hour drive west of San Antonio. It’s far enough from the lights and sounds of the city to offer an unobstructed view of the Milky Way at night, yet remains easily accessible for travelers.
Property Highlights
S- piral Dance Ranch is located two hours west of San Antonio in the Sabinal Canyon, between Vanderpool and Leakey, near Utopia, TX.
- Fresh-water and clear, bubbling-springs from the Sabinal River flow through the property.
- 26-acres of land which include:
- Main House
- Orchard
- Emerald Healing Pools
- Ceremonial Sweat Lodge
- Ceremonial Tipi
- Sacred prayer sites & altars
- Outdoor shower
- Compostable Toilets
- Yurt
**Lisa Asvestas, Founder & Director **
Lisa is a Shamanic Breathwork Facilitator, Shamanic Minister, Founder of Third Eye Tribe Non-Profit, and the Steward of Spiral Dance Ranch. Her Calling (Infinite Concern) is people experiencing peace and joy. She teaches from her heart all that has been shared with her and she is passionate in creating safe, sacred space for her community to feel seen, heard and cared for.
Consciously and unconsciously, Lisa’s soul has guided her to seek out initiation. Her Shamanic heart has led her to the Temples and Pyramids of Egypt; The Pyramids of Teotihuacan, Mexico; Machu Picchu, Peru; The Amazon jungles and rainforest; Bali; Iceland; the Blue Mountains of North Carolina; and Spiral Dance Ranch in South Texas.
Lisa is a seeker of knowledge and continues on her personal soul journey guided by teachers, ancestors and spirit guides. Her teachers include Linda Starwolf, Kuauhtli Vasquez, the Temple of the Way of Light, the Shipibo healers of Peru, and Jamie Wheal.
She is the mother of three (Dinero, Demi & Jonah) and has been a San Antonio-based restauranteur for over 20 years (The Cove).
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY SHAMANIC?
“The shaman, a quintessential figure in numerous cultures, is often viewed as the medicine man or woman and wisdom keeper of the tribe. In the past (and in some remote areas of the world still), the shaman was sought out much as a physician, counselor, or minister is today. In ancient shamanic traditions, healers (shamans) attempted to restore balance to others by performing sacred rites or ceremonies that usually included prayers, songs, chants, and rituals. They invoked power animals, spirit guides, and allies for assistance in journeying to the other realms in search of healing and wisdom for those in need.
The shaman has long been the archetypal image of one who knows how to use higher love and wisdom to navigate between the worlds of matter and spirit. Shamans are shape-shifters who know how to open to bigger energies in the cosmos, find larger answers to problems and challenges, and bring healing to themselves and their communities.
In traditional shamanism, the shaman is sometimes referred to as the wounded healer- one who has survived a number of trials and initiations (sometimes even near-death experiences) and returned to share the teaching, healing, and wisdom gained from those experiences. Intimately connected to the elements, the cycles of change, the spirit world, and the earth, the shaman knows that we are all multidimensional beings living simultaneously on many planes of existence.
…They were, and are, essential spiritual guides who teach tribe members how to die consciously and rebirth themselves into a greater reality. The shaman innately understands that we continuously move between cycles of death and rebirth. More than just physically dying, we continually die to old ways of being that no longer serve the oath of love and wisdom, and are born into new ways of spirit and consciousness.”
From Shamanic Breathwork (2009) by Linda Star Wolf