- VoiceMail: 1-505-470-1620
- support@southwestsanctuary.org
- 40 Camino Vista Clara, Lamy/Galisteo, New Mexico 87540
In The Land of Enchantment
• 40 Camino Vista Clara, Galisteo, NM 87540 •
“This is a place where heaven and earth truly meet within you and around you.”
You’ve worked hard to create a meaningful event for your community, and the right setting can take them even deeper into your experience.
Imagine yourself hosting your next gathering in the serene high desert of New Mexico, surrounded by the beautiful “Santa Fe style” architecture, which brings the flavors of ancient cultures together with the land’s unparalleled natural beauty. The graceful lines of our enchanting adobe-style structures have their roots in dwellings built by the Anasazi – the predecessors of the modern Pueblo people – two millennia ago. Our modern buildings have the classic features of contoured walls, flat roofs, vigas (round wooden beams), and inset art display niches, drawing you into a rich history while enjoying all the benefits of modern comforts.
Whether it’s an immersive retreat experience, a special outdoor celebration, a large-scale event, or a place to bring together friends and family, the enlivening energy, stunning grounds that nourish the spirit, and uniquely beautiful gathering spaces of The Southwest Sanctuary will infuse your event with a deep sense of wonder, healing, and peace.
When you stay with us, we provide everything you need. Our per-attendee pricing includes the use of all indoor and outdoor common areas, lodging in our inviting, newly-updated rooms, and 3 clean-lifestyle meals per day that can be customized for your specific tastes. We can include the use of our stages, fiber-optic internet, quality A/V equipment, and other presentation essentials, to make your experience as enjoyable and easy as possible.
Our beautifully appointed lodging areas are ideally suited for overnight retreats for 25 – 50 attendees, although we have indoor seating space for up to 300 people. To easily facilitate a larger gathering, we also have RV hookups on the property and plenty of room for pavilion-style tents, parking, water, and high-speed internet that can serve daytime groups of up to 1,000 or more.
We host our own Wisdom Healing Qigong Retreats on the property about 16 weeks of the year, and are delighted to share this magical place for other life-enhancing events, too. For reservations or inquiries, email support@southwestsanctuary.org
Let’s create an event your community will treasure for a lifetime.
The Southwest Sanctuary is located approximately 30 minutes outside of Santa Fe, near the charming New Mexico village of Galisteo. Our uniquely beeautiful venue sits upon 150 acres of a spectacularly scenic region in north-central New Mexico known as the Galisteo Basin. The wide-open spaces afford 360° panoramic sky-scapes, framed by the Ortiz Mountains to the southwest, the Cerrillos Hills to the west, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the northeast, and the Jemez Mountains to the northwest. The private countryside contains hiking trails, arroyos, ancient petroglyphs on a rocky ridge-line, giant cottonwood trees, 3 labyrinths, a rustic outdoor learning hut, a ceremonial water wheel, formal portales, decks, courtyards, and several fountains. One of our most beloved features is a large tree-lined koi meditation pond, surrounded by statuary, a gazebo, outdoor rockers, recliners, and hammocks.
All this is set within the expansive and true darkness that reveals the Milky Way on the many clear nights. As soon as you arrive you will feel the same healing energy of the land that the native people of this area have been drawn to for thousands of years.
GALISTEO, NM. Replete with natural beauty that has made it a favorite filming location for the motion picture industry, Galisteo New Mexico is a small village-town with access to the many conveniences in nearby Santa Fe. May westerns have taken advantage of the stunning backdrops of this southwestern paradise, from Silverado to Crazy Heart – parts of Legion and Thor were also filmed here. Galisteo is home to a variety of artists and celebrities who value the peace and privacy afforded by its location; Ambassador David T. Killion, artists Bruce Nauman and Susan Rothenberg, and fashion designer Tom Ford all hang their hats here.
Though secluded, Galisteo is not remote: the nearby towns of Santa Fe, El Dorado, and Glorieta offer culture, shopping, dining and schools that make Galisteo appealing to even the most cosmopolitan. The Agora Shopping Center just 15 minutes away offers local restaurants, boutiques and groceries, while the sights and sounds of Santa Fe are just 25 minutes to the north. Outdoor activities abound, in line with the New Mexico lifestyle – visit the Pecos National Park, journey through the Cibola National Forest, or hike the stunning Galisteo Basin Preserve to fully enjoy all this beautiful land has to offer.
SANTA FE COUNTY, NM. With dry, warm summers and snow-filled winters, Santa Fe County is beautiful year-round. A high-desert county, the elevation begins around 5,000 ft above sea level and reaches more than 7,100 ft at its highest points. The incredible terrain provides world-class hiking, biking and skiing; indeed, one of the New Mexico’s largest ski resorts, Ski Santa Fe, is located here. Over 400 miles of mountain biking trails cross the county, and USA Today, Singletracks Magazine, and the International Mountain Biking Association have all honored the county as one of the top mountain biking areas in America. Also awarded for its 600 miles of hiking trails, the area is considered a premiere destination for trail and high altitude running, and horseback riding, fly fishing, and golfing are top-notch as well.
For those seeking more relaxation, Santa Fe County can deliver exceptional opportunities to nourish their senses in art, architecture, and historic landmarks. Traditional Native American culture is celebrated alongside American artists like Georgia O’Keefe, and many galleries showcase upcoming artists. Theater and opera thrive as well, with family friendly installations like Meow Wolf sharing the limelight with the celebrated Santa Fe Opera. The cutting-edge productions are set in a breathtaking outdoor theater, whose electronic libretto system (one of only two in the world) delivers translations of the works directly to each audience member’s seat. With so much beauty in one place, Santa Fe County is sure to move you: as D.H. Lawrence said in 1917, “Touch the country [of New Mexico] and you will never be the same again.”
The Southwest Sanctuary offers several unique gathering and teaching areas. Our most requested and beloved space is a 50-foot round post and beam kiva. If you’re seeking a space that’s both grounding and uplifting, you’re sure to love this. The softly curved walls – halfway submerged into the earth – enrich the sounds inside the building, making it the perfect place for rest, reflection, movement, dance, teaching, and sound therapies. In the tradition of Native Americans, the kiva is a special type of sacred building designed for ceremonies and important meetings and seats up to 140 people, auditorium style.
Your community will love waking up in our bright, comfortable, welcoming rooms, luxuriating in the peace that infuses every part of our land.
Nourish your senses with stunning vistas, grounds, and the restorative atmosphere at The Center in the Galisteo Basin of New Mexico, while nourishing your body and spirit with delicious, consciously crafted meals designed to your unique preferences. Along with your retreat program, you will have time to relax and enjoy our arroyos, petroglyphs, labyrinths, and trails. The natural, sacred beauty surrounding you is a healing experience all on its own.
"The Land is alive... as the Natives remind us..."
The magic of the natural elements change with the seasons and time of the day; each moment offers our senses and souls deep connection to the expansiveness of creation.
The beauty and power of the land invites us to reflect and contemplate the nature of our being and our lives.
Master Mingtong Gu
Founder, CEO, and Qigong Master
Master Mingtong Gu is an internationally renowned teacher of Wisdom Healing Qigong and founder of The Chi Center and Southwest Sanctuary in New Mexico. He is the best-selling author of “Coming Home to Embodied Awakening” and is leading the global movement of awakening true humanity in the Age of AI. Trained in China under Grandmaster Dr. Pang Ming, he brings the medicine-less Qigong hospital lineage to modern seekers, offering Qigong as both a spiritual path and science-based method for activating the body’s innate healing.
He was honored as “Master of the Year” by the 13th World Tachi and Qigong Congress. Through retreats, online programs, and global summits, he has guided tens of thousands in transforming trauma, chronic illness, and emotional fatigue into embodied vitality and awakened presence. His mission is to cultivate a worldwide community that lives, leads, and loves from fully embodied wisdom.
Linling Xie
Co-Founder, Interim Director
Linling Xie is a dedicated Qigong healer, teacher, and the co-founder of The Chi Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Alongside her husband, Master Mingtong Gu, she teaches Wisdom Healing Qigong (Zhineng Qigong) to help individuals activate their self-healing potential. Linling specializes in collective energy meditations and vocal sound-healing transmissions, blending ancient wellness wisdom with compassionate guidance to support emotional recovery, stress relief, and physical vitality for students worldwide.
Nancy Montes
Retreat Partnership Manager
Nancy Barbara Montes builds teams and environments in the wellness and education sectors where clarity, purpose, and operational excellence coexist seamlessly. Guided by a profound belief to honor life as a sacred ritual and embrace nature as an insightful teacher, her work lives where business becomes service, and leadership becomes love in action.
Nancy draws from her in-depth study of Himalayan traditions and her expertise in healing, restorative practices, and Yoga Nidra to bring a deeply grounded, transformative perspective to everything she touches. Infused with a love for community, service, and Bhakti, she has dedicated over a decade to organizing transformational festivals and conscious events on an international scale. She has long been a pillar of the renowned spiritual gathering Bhakti Fest and frequently leads inspiring international yoga retreats, including annual pilgrimages to India alongside Executive Producer Sridhar.
As a holistic life coach, a tour manager in the music industry, and the former Operations Spa Manager for Shankara Ayurveda Wellness at the Art of Living, Nancy perfectly blends heart-centered passion with seamless logistics management. She immerses herself in global travels and regularly offers seva (selfless service) at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, India. Ultimately, Nancy remains dedicated to creating high-touch, unforgettable experiences that guide others toward their fullest physical, mental, and spiritual potential.
Cheryl Casden
Head Chef
Cheryl Casden is a Santa Fe–based chef who cooks from the heart. Known for her creative, nutrient-dense dishes, her food is as nourishing as it is delicious—designed to support wellness without sacrificing flavor.
Cheryl has catered for numerous wellness retreats, film sets, and private events across New Mexico, and currently serves as Head Chef at The Southwest Sanctuary at The Chi Center, a retreat and wellness center in Galisteo, NM