Blog — Live Free and Well

What's the scoop in Costa Rica this January, you ask?

Well my friends, I am hosting a yoga retreat at OM at Cashew Hill to ring in the new year with good intention.

Our days will begin with a morning yoga flow, and end with evening yin and/or restorative yoga. The time in between, we will be able to explore the local town of Puerto Viejo, hang by the pool or at the beach.

During our week, we will go on two field trips! One will be to visit a local permaculture farm - Finca Inti de Talamanca, where we will have a guided tour and enjoy a farm fresh lunch.

The second field trip is to visit the Jaguar Rescue Center Foundation, which supports the care and treatment of local jungle animals. We will have a tour of the establishment, and learn the stories of the animals who have been rescued, what their treatment plan looks like, and if it's possible, what the steps are to release the animal back into the wild.

I chose the second field trip because the theme of the retreat is "May All Beings Be Happy and Free". This stems from the Sanksrit phrase "Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu". The complete translation is interpreted as:

"May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all."

Since it will be the new year, we will practice goal setting. What do you want to create, embody, and see happen in 2017? What kind of feelings would you like to have about life? What steps need to be taken to get to these places?

It is my goal to create a space where you can cultivate a clear mind, so you can truly understand what's important to you for the upcoming year. In my experience, I've found it easier to find understanding of my dreams and visions while away from my daily habits and patterns. I hope you can experience this for yourself, with the support of our group, the abundant jungle, the healing sea, and the beautiful creatures surrounding us.

While we are beginning to visualize an optimal year, we will enjoy two healthy vegetarian meals at the retreat center. If you're hungry in between meals, we have access to local markets and/or restaurants to taste the flavors of the Caribbean.

If you're interested in reserving a spot for yourself, I am requesting a $300 deposit. However feasible for you, please pay the rest in full by December 6th - one month prior to the start date. It is also welcomed to pay the full amount at the time of registration.

The total cost for yoga classes, accommodation, meals, and field trips is $1000.

Space is limited, and it's first come, first serve. Message me here and I'll give you the steps to pay by cash, check or PayPal.

Pura Vida & Namaste!

TRAVEL INFO:

To get to the retreat center, OM at Cashew Hill, fly into San Jose, Costa Rica (airport code SJO). If you're coming from Detroit, feel free to hop on my southwest flight, which leaves on Friday, January 6th at 5:45 am. If you are looking to coordinate flight times from your city, I land at 12:55 PM. Southwest flights are only found on their website, but if you're flying in from someplace else, check southwest as well as kayak.com to find an optimal flight price.

From the SJO airport, we have transportation options to get to our destination. Travel by bus for $10, and it takes 5 hours. The final bus leaves San Jose at 4 PM, and the bus stop is about 20 minutes from the airport. The taxi to the bus station is about $20, and the price can be shared if we are in a group.

Second option, we can charter a private shuttle if we all arrive around the same time. The cost is about $50 each way and the travel time is about 4 hours.

If you arrive at a different time other than the potential shuttle or final bus departure, there are plenty of private taxis at the airport and the cost should be between $150 and $200. You could also arrange a ride before you arrive through a tour company if that's more comfortable for you.

Please feel free to reach out with any more questions.

Wow! I am still in awe of what came together as my first yoga retreat in Costa Rica!

It started while surfing the web one night in early November, 2015. I realized I had yet to visit Arenal, and was curious, so I searched for yoga in Arenal, and I found Rancho Margot. The photos looked amazing, and their purpose was aligned with the principles I believe in promoting in the world. A trickle of inspiration moved through me, so I inquired about hosting a retreat in their space. I soon found out it was possible, so the idea of a retreat became real.

Eat, Live, and Breathe Sustainability was born.

My original intention was to lead group classes in yoga and wellness, and show guests how sustainability works in action. This intention was delivered, and so much more sprouted because of those who felt the inspired to be a part of this retreat. I could not be more happy and proud of the group of women that came together!

kerine, rachel, gretchen, molly, cindy and julia following the first evening yin practice

Rancho Margot is located in a valley surrounded by a wall of lush rain forest. The valley is in a changing climate zone, which means it's in between a cloud forest and a rain forest.

All structures were built as "living roofs", which means they were laid with clay shingles to promote organic growth.

one of the living roofs on the property at rancho margot

It was a surprise to learn that none of the plants you see on the roof above were planted by human hands, and they're all thriving!

The birds and the bees, along with human intention to live in harmony with the natural ebb and flow of what's meant to be, created the abundance on this roof.

In addition to the living roofs, there is A LOT of intention behind every organism planted on this property, as well as the use of each animal here. Rancho Margot uses permaculture principles to sustain life. Permaculture is basically permanent agriculture; it looks at a plant or animal and all of its function and integrates that plant or animal into the ecosystem with purpose. To compare, if you can imagine passing a farm along the road, it's usually one crop produced in long rows of uniformity. However, uniformity is not observed in nature, so this is where the two types of farming differ.

this space is for the mama chics and their babies

Each of our meals came from the farm and was prepared with love for our consumption. We were served buffet style, with many options to cater to vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free diets, and carnivores alike. Since I am gluten-free, I could not indulge in the wood-fired pizza that was served daily, but man did it look good! There were many tasty beverages to accompany our meals including fresh spring water, fresh fruit juice, local coffee, and farm fresh tea.

We learned our way around the farm on a tour. During this tour, we learned all about the mindfully crafted and sustainable system that is in place at Rancho Margot, and also many other fun facts about the local plants and animals, including the an interesting fact about the leaf cutter ants (continue reading this paragraph if you are interested, otherwise skip to the next paragraph). There are three different sized ants that aid in the process of transporting cut leaves. You have the most obvious ants that you find trailing in the masses, carrying leaves bigger than their bodies. Then you have the warrior ants that kind of protect the working ants. They stay on the outskirts, are larger, and have spikes on their backs in case they need to protect their friends. If you look closely at the leaves the ants are carrying, there are usually 2-3 smaller ants that inspect each leaf for quality control. This is because the ants deliver the leaves to a place where they become a fungus which is their food. Pretty cool, eh?

Our morning and evening yoga practices were held in an open air studio space, accompanied by the abundant song of the rain forest. A river flowed nearby, allowing us to release our worries, anxieties, and stresses down the stream, allowing these blockages to dissolve into goodness. Our first meditation brought clarity as to what parts of our lives we wanted to let go of, what we wanted to invite into that space, and what life will look like once this happens. We spoke about manifestation, and through this coloring meditation, we began the manifestation process to bring this vision into existence.

We also practiced our manifestation techniques to get amazing photos with the Arenal Volcano on a very rare, clear day!

the newly invented, volcano eruption pose

One day, we enjoyed a nature informed meditation on the floating dock where we observed our connection and relationship to the natural world.

Midweek (of the five days), we had a free morning and afternoon to either enjoy an adventure or to enjoy the simple pleasures of life on the ranch. Some of us chose to go to Rio Celeste, and others chose to stay onsite to enjoy the vistas, hiking trails, and time in deep meditation.

the waterfall at rio celeste. no filter!

molly hanging out where rio buenavista and rio celeste connect to create this vibrant color transformation. no filter

a garden view from one of the hiking trails

from a high point on the property, you can see lake arenal and the arenal volcano

In addition to yoga, meditation, and natural beauty, we tried some amazing tropical fruits. The fruits were so fresh, guanabana inspired us to invent a theme song about it. If you were there, you are probably hearing the song or singing it right now :)

Julia's love for dance brought people out from all over the property whom we didn't even know were there! Basically, we started a dance party and learned the steps to salsa, bachata, and merengue, alongside other staff memebers and guests who wanted to partake in the fun.

Our final workshop was inspired by the many moments in which I observed how the collective consciousness of humankind is interwoven. I shared these moments so we could all be on the same page and understand what I was talking about (for some, this is a foreign language). With the help of an interactive worksheet, we each created internally inspired purpose statements to become clear on our current goals and motivation. By creating the awareness of where each of us is at, and where each of us would like to go in life from this point on, each of us can help to transform the collective consciousness of humanity. This means that everyone will benefit if you are true to yourself.

In gratitude, I'd like to thank Rancho Margot for creating an inspiring space for this group to learn and grow in (along with the many amazing lifeforms abundantly surrounding this space). Thank you to all the airline companies, shuttles, and bus services that brought us safely into this space and back into our homes. Thank you to the beautiful Costa Rica for continually representing what the world can be. Thank you to all the groups of people in Costa Rica, and around the world striving to re-connect our day-to-day life with the rhythm of nature. Most importantly, a big thanks to the women who trusted me to lead them on this wonderful adventure! I am eternally grateful! Our memories are forever unforgettable!

Namaste!

If this sounds like an amazing experience and you would like to be a part of a future retreat, please leave a comment or send me a message so I can keep you in the loop!