Go for a yoga retreat in Santa Teresa Costa Rica in 2016

Yoga retreats at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat, on award-winning Santa Teresa Beach in Costa Rica, draw people from all over the world. So do Pranamar Villas´ daily yoga classes with popular instructor and Pranamar yoga director, Nancy Goodfellow.
Now Nancy will be holding two inspirational Costa Rica yoga retreats, called “Embracing Totality”, at Pranamar Villas in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, next year in 2016. The seven-night all-inclusive retreats will be held May 21 to 28, 2016 and Aug. 13 to 18, 2016´in Pranamar´s beautiful, spacious beachfront Yoga Shala
“So many people come to Pranamar for yoga classes with Nancy. She is very popular in the yoga world,” said Agustina Zocchi at Pranamar Villas.

Nancy has been practicing yoga for 20 years and teaching for 15 years. She is extremely well-known among local and international yoga students for her inspiring and creative daily yoga classes, workshops, and retreats at Pranamar Villas.
Nancy began her yogic studies in the Ashtanga Vinyasa tradition. Following her dream of adventure and living a more simple life in nature, she moved to Costa Rica and continued her yogic practice, while continuing to study with top international yoga instructors. Nancy has completed more than 500 hours of Yoga Alliance teacher training and began teaching classes in 1998. Nancy dedicated many years of study also to the Anusara method of yoga, with its principles of alignment, Tantric philosophy and Bhakti filled practice. She has completed more than 500 hours of certified Anusara teachings and traditional non-dualistic Tantra studies.

The all-inclusive “Embracing Totality” yoga retreats at Pranamar Villas will include:

• Twice daily Tantric-based Hatha Yoga practices – morning Shakti Flow Vinyasa and afternoon moon practices
• Daily meditations and mantra practices
• Seven nights’ accommodation at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas
• Three daily delicious, healthy meals at Pranamar Villas’ Buddha Eyes Restaurant
• An evening dinner out at a local beachfront restaurant
• A one-hour therapeutic massage treatment at Pranamar Villas’ Spa
• A Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) adventure tour on the Rio Bongo by Santa Teresa
• A Sacred Fire ceremony (letting go of anything to release) and Water Blessing (to honor the ocean and the wishes desired in life)

Optional activities during the Pranamar yoga retreat include:

• Surfing and/or private surf lessons
• Private yoga sessions with Nancy
• Mayan Calendar Astrological readings

Rates for the Embracing Totality yoga retreats at Pranamar Villas range from $1,500 to $2,900, depending on the choice of accommodation, and whether single or double occupancy. Accommodations at Pranamar Villas include luxurious Poolside Villas, Oceanfront Bungalows, and the large two-story shared Kula House.
Santa Teresa Costa Rica yoga retreats at Pranamar Villas fill up fast so make reservations today! Pack your bags, grab your mat, and travel to the beach in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica for a yoga retreat with Nancy Goodfellow at the amazing beachfront Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat.
Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat
The beachfront hotel in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, on the southern Nicoya Peninsula, specializes in Costa Rica yoga vacations and Costa Rica surfing vacations. Pranamar Villas was named a Top 5 Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica by Travel & Leisure Magazine, and was awarded TripAdvisor´s 2015 Certificate of Excellence. Santa Teresa Beach was chosen one of the Top 15 Places to Go in 2015 by Condé Nast Traveler, and holds the status of being one of the cleanest beaches in Costa Rica.
Public yoga classes at Pranamar Villas are held from Monday to Saturday in the hotel’s beautiful oceanfront Yoga Shala. All classes are taught for students of all levels, with variations and modifications offered and encouraged. Mats and props are available at no extra charge. Private yoga sessions can be arranged with Nancy. Pranamar's yoga class schedule changes weekly and is posted on their Facebook page.
If you are a yoga instructor interested in having a yoga retreat at Pranamar Villas, contact the hotel.
Article by Shannon Farley

Plenty of fun things to do in Santa Teresa Costa Rica

Being right on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, with warm Pacific Ocean, uncrowded white sand and shady palm trees, you may never want to leave your hammock or cushy lounge chair. However, there is a lot going on in this region of the southern Nicoya Peninsula, so if you should get the urge to be active and adventurous, here are some of the top things to do in Santa Teresa Costa Rica.

Daily yoga classes in Santa Teresa Costa Rica

You can go to beginner and advanced yoga classes every day on two beachfront yoga decks at Hotel Tropico Latino. Certified instructors also offer private yoga classes, “ungravity yoga”, acro yoga, couple’s yoga, kids’ yoga, family yoga and health fitness classes upon request. Mats, blocks, straps and other yoga props are provided for use. See the Hotel Tropico Latino yoga class schedule on their website, where you can also read about instructors Daniel Castro and Jessica Chea. Be sure to check out their great offering for Costa Rica yoga retreat vacations throughout the year.
 
Stand Up Paddling in Santa Teresa Costa Rica
One of the best places for stand up paddle boarding in Costa Rica is in Santa Teresa and neighboring Mal Pais. SUP (stand up paddling) is a great all-body workout, is relatively easy to learn, and is lots of fun. Stand up paddling uses a wide, long, modified surfboard with a long paddle (like a one blade kayak paddle) to maneuver in the water. Your Costa Rica paddle board guides with Mal Pais SUP Tours will teach you everything you need to know. See this cool video of the fun stand up paddling tour in Mal Pais.

Surf Lessons in Santa Teresa Costa Rica
While staying at surfing destination Santa Teresa Beach take a surf lesson in the excellent rolling waves of Santa Teresa and Mal Pais. No wetsuit needed, and the sun shines most of the time. Certified surf instructors at Hotel Tropico Latino go beyond teaching you basic technical skills by assessing your ability and creating a personalized surf program that will take you to the next level. Walk out the front door of your hotel room, and you can be on the beach and in the surf in a minute! There’s a hip artsy video on surfing in Santa Teresa on Hotel Tropico Latino’s website.
 
Horseback Riding in Santa Teresa Costa Rica
Horseback riding tours along the beautiful coastline of Costa Rica’s Santa Teresa Beach are lots of fun, especially at sunset. Tours from Hotel Tropico Latino ride along the palm-fringed shore from Santa Teresa Beach to Playa Hermosa and back.
 
Canopy Zip Line Tour in Santa Teresa Costa Rica
Fly high over the dry tropical forest on a canopy zip line tour by Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. Adjacent to the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve, this exciting zip line tour in Mal Pais is nearly one mile long, with 11 platforms set high in gigantic trees that give you great views of the Pacific Ocean.
   
Canopy MalPais Del Pacifico from Andres Villalobos on Vimeo.

Hiking in Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve

This small national private reserve at the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula is spectacularly picturesque with tropical forest, pure white-sand beaches, aquamarine sea, waterfalls and rivers, and abundant birds, monkeys and other wildlife to see. The Cabo Blanco Reserve is open Wednesday to Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There are two main trails for visitors to walk – 1.3 km and 4 km.
 
Tortuga Island Tour in Costa Rica
For that picture-perfect Costa Rica tour, you have to take the one-day tour to Tortuga Island in the Nicoya Gulf. Famous for its sugary white sand beaches, tall swaying coconut palms, and crystal clear turquoise waters, Tortuga Island is a tropical paradise you’ll daydream about forever! There are few currents in the warm ocean, which make it ideal for swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving and kayaking.
 
Sportfishing in Santa Teresa Costa Rica
The coastline from Santa Teresa Beach down to Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve boasts over a dozen IGFA world records and is one of the best places for sportfishing in Costa Rica for year-round catches. Here you can find Red Snapper, Mahi Mahi, Snook, Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna, Blue and Black Marlin and Roosterfish.
 
Stay at Hotel Tropico Latino in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Staying at Hotel Tropico Latino on the beach in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica is unforgettable. Very private guest bungalows, suites and rooms are scattered along the beachfront and in beautiful gardens shaded by huge, old trees. The Santa Teresa beachfront hotel at Playa Carmen features beachfront yoga classes, the wonderful Spa Natural, their beachside restaurant serving delicious award-winning cuisine, and the immense spread of white sand and cobalt blue Pacific Ocean right in front of Santa Teresa Beach. Reserve your visit today.

Article by Shannon Farley

Are you ready to make these vacations transformational and empowering?

Any Olympic athlete or professional athlete, or high school or university athlete, or even a child on a sports team for that matter, has a coach. Actors have coaches. Singers and dancers have coaches or trainers. Over the past decades, executives and businesspersons have joined the ranks of seeking coaching for success. In today’s modern world, there is Business Coaching, Financial Coaching, Executive Coaching, Career Coaching, Expat & Global Coaching for those living and working in another culture, Personal Coaching, Health Coaching, and even Dating Coaching. Now, here’s a new twist – Adventure Coaching. On Costa Rica’s surf-fringed Central Pacific Coast, at Hermosa Beach, surf school Del Mar Surf Camp is adding “Personal Coaching Sessions” to all of its surf vacations and surf programs. “Adventures like surfing, or canopy tours, or even bungee jumping for instance, can create mental and emotional breakthroughs from the physical adventure,” said Life and Business Coach Paola Castro. “The environment of Playa Hermosa invites you to contemplate the abundance of life. It’s the perfect environment for these sessions. And if you’re faced with activities like surfing, you are physically challenging yourself.” Castro, Costa Rica born and also a surfer, uses the activity of surfing as a metaphorical window into the person’s life. If they had a good day or a frustrating day … how does that show up in their life and work, she explains. She calls the concept “Adventure Coaching”. “Coaching comes from high-performance athletes,” explains Castro. “Thirty years ago in the USA, executives said if high-performance athletes have coaches, why don’t executives in companies and people in their personal lives have coaches?”
 
Coaching is a teaching or training process in which an individual gets support while learning to achieve a specific personal or professional result or goal, according to Wikipedia. “Managing is making sure people do what they know how to do. Training is teaching people to do what they don’t know how to do. Mentoring is showing people how the people who are really good at doing something do it. Coaching is none of these – it is helping to identify the skills and capabilities that are within the person, and enabling them to use them to the best of their ability,” Wikipedia defines. A Life Coach is an “advisor who helps people make decisions, set and reach goals, or deal with problems,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. It is a practice that uses techniques from disciplines such as sociology, psychology, career counseling and positive development, to help people identify and achieve personal goals. The development of Personal Coaching, or Life Coaching, can be traced back to the early 1970s Human Potential Movement in the USA, and credited to the teachings of Werner Erhard’s “Est Training.” One of the most successful and well-known personal coaches in the United States is Tony Robbins, who has been coaching executives to celebrities for success for more than 30 years. In celebration of Del Mar Surf Camp’s 10^th Anniversary in 2013, owner Maria del Mar said they want to give more to people and create vacations that are “transformational and empowering.” “Coaching is a transformational process that will help you find the clarity and courage you need to start living the life you dream and deserve,” asserts Del Mar Surf Camp’s website. “It’s for anyone to achieve their goals, and also to help in any way they need,” Maria del Mar says. Del Mar Surf Camp specializes in Costa Rica surf vacation packages, yoga-surf retreats and day surf lessons for adults, women only and families. They cater to beginners, intermediate or advanced surfers, with locations on Nosara Beach on the Guanacaste Pacific Coast, Santa Teresa Beach on the Pacific’s Nicoya Peninsula, and Hermosa Beach on the Central Pacific Coast. The Personal Coaching Sessions, led by Paola Castro, are an extra activity that participants can add on to “go beyond having just a traditional vacation,” says Maria del Mar. Personal Coaching will only be available at Del Mar’s Hermosa Beach location. Hermosa Beach, just south of the bustling beach town of Jacó, is Del Mar Surf Camp’s headquarters. The popular beach, with its consistent surf, variety of breaks and great exposure to swells, is famous with advanced surfers from all over the globe. And, just a 5-minute drive away is the south end of Playa Jacó where beginners learn to surf in gentle and easy waves. A big plus is it’s only an hour’s drive away on paved roads from the capital city of San Jose and the international airport. Castro will coach in 60-minute sessions, and can continue with follow-up sessions after a person returns home using Skype video calls. Coaching can focus on realizing dreams and goals, breaking free from fears, taking leaps of faith, reducing stress, improving health, etc. Castro gives practical steps for shaping behaviors to get results. “The thing with coaching is you need to be responsible for creating the changes in your life,” said Castro. “A coach doesn’t tell you what to do. We use a Socratic method based on questions that stimulate the answers within you, because who else knows how better to live your life but yourself.”

Del Mar Surf Camp has created new Summer Specials packages, with great discounts, to celebrate their 10^th anniversary in 2013. Maria del Mar’s message from her website: “Thank you for 10 years of laughter and wipeouts, glassy rides and perfect waves, tears of frustration and tears of joy, new-found friendship and promises to see each other again. By teaching you, we have learned, and thanks to you, we have grown! With all of our gratitude and so much love, we’ve created new special packages for you, hoping to make surfing with us more accessible and therefore continue to share our passion. Simple, beachy, self-guided and affordable, introducing Pacifico, Swell, and Estrella de Mar surf packages. They all include beachfront accommodations, breakfast and surf lessons – all of the essentials to surf with us in Costa Rica, so you can pick your best fit.”

“Surfing soothes me, it's always been a kind of a Zen experience for me. The ocean is so magnificent, peaceful, and awesome. The rest of the world disappears for me when I'm on a wave.” – Paul Walker   By Shannon Farley

Costa Rica Surfing Champion Shares Her Passion, Gives Advice to Teens

It’s been a good year so far for Nataly Bernold. The 19-year-old from Jaco Beach, Costa Rica, was just crowned Costa Rica’s National Surfing Champion in the Women’s division in August (2012), making it her third national surfing title.
 
In May, she won the Quicksilver Cup on the Olympus National Surfing Circuit in Dominical, placing more than 8 points higher than her second-place competitor in the Women’s Open division. And Nataly is already ranking Central American Women’s Surf Champion. Not bad considering the teen only began surfing 9 years ago at age 10. She started competing, then winning, and hasn’t looked back. Over a few short years, Nataly has been steadily racking up gold medals – 3 Costa Rica national championships, 3 Central American championships, and winning several other national surfing competitions. She’s been chosen to be on the Costa Rica National Surfing Team on 10 occasions. On the world scene, Nataly placed 6^th at the ISA World Championships, Women’s Open division, in Portugal in 2008. Her international sponsor Roxy said of Nataly at the time, “She is an amazing athlete and we feel proud to have her under our wing.” Nataly remembers the Portugal competition fondly. She said the waves weren’t that different from what she surfs every day in Costa Rica, being a beach break, but “the cold water was a little difficult.”
 
The promising surfer said she’s always played in the ocean. “We lived in front of the beach in Puerto Viejo (on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast). There was our house, then the street, and the beach,” Nataly reminisced. She said her father, who is originally from Switzerland and moved to Costa Rica 20 years ago, has been her greatest influence and inspiration for surfing. He traded windsurfing for wave surfing and taught Nataly from an early age. “He always took me in the ocean from when I was very little,” said Nataly. “I was always in the ocean on boogie boards and then surfing.” The family moved from Puerto Viejo to Jaco Beach on the Central Pacific Coast five years ago, enabling Nataly to train in one of Costa Rica’s surf paradises between Jaco and Hermosa beaches. She is currently a Costa Rican National Surf Team member and is sponsored by Roxy, Mango Surf, FCS fins, and Wooster surf boards. With her long black tresses, wide smile and surf-carved physique, Nataly could easily also be sponsored as a fashion model.

It helps to love what you do and Nataly certainly has a great outlook. “It’s beautiful and tranquil to be in the ocean and the waves,” says Nataly, who trains 2-3 hours daily. “I like the tranquility that you feel in the ocean. I’m only thinking about surfing. When I compete, I’m always relaxed because when I stress I don’t do well. It’s better to just have fun.” Besides being a mermaid, Nataly just finished high school and is planning to attend university to study business administration starting next school year in Costa Rica (in February). Her goals are to compete in a world surfing competition in 2013 and become a professional surfer. Nataly’s advice for other teens and kids who are just starting out surfing or who want to learn to surf? “Be passionate. Relax. Don’t worry about competing. Just have fun, that’s the main goal,” says the Costa Rica champion.
 
Get your start surfing with Del Mar Surfing Academy, a surf camp exclusively for teens and kids on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast, at Hermosa Beach where Nataly trains. Del Mar Surfing Academy offers 7-night and 14-night surf camp vacations, plus grad trips, day surf camps and private surf lessons. Teens have their own groups, separate from the kids’ groups; surf instruction is tailored for both beginner and advanced surfers. On one of the prettiest tropical beaches in Costa Rica, you’ll learn and improve your surf skills, learn Spanish, and get to return home with new friends from all over the world. Check for 2012 and 2013 surf programs here. Del Mar Surfing Academy is the sister company of long-running Del Mar Surf Camp for adults in Costa Rica. “I think it’s a great program. It’s a lot of fun,” Nataly said of Del Mar Surfing Academy. Take a tip from champion teen surfer Nataly Bernold: Go for your passion, jump in and have fun!

Kids' Surf Club is perfect Saturday fun!

http://enchanting-costarica.com/activities/kids-surf-club-is-perfect-saturday-fun/