Yoga Festival in Costa Rica to be held April 16-19.

Yoga lovers will definitely not want to miss the National Yoga Festival in Costa Rica in April.
The capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica will host the 7^th annual National Festival of Yoga from April 16 to 19, 2015 at the National Culture Center (CENAC).

The festival is promoted by the Costa Rican Association of Yoga Teachers (ASOYOGA) to spread the practice of yoga throughout Costa Rica.

Activities at the festival will include yoga classes and workshops, talks, meditation, documentaries, games, healthy foods, handicrafts, cooking classes, massages and artistic activities. On Thursday, April 16, there will be free yoga classes in various yoga centers around San Jose. The official festival opening is Friday, April 17, with activities open to the public in San Jose parks and a gala presentation at 7:00 p.m. at the Theatre of Dance in San Jose. During Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19, activities at the National Culture Center (CENAC) will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

After the festival, you should escape to the beach to one of Costa Rica’s hotspots for yoga and surfing – Santa Teresa Beach. Famous for yoga, some of the best surfing in Costa Rica and spectacular Pacific Ocean sunsets, the friendly beach town of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica is the place to go for Costa Rica yoga retreats.



You’ll want to plan at least a few days if not a whole week in Santa Teresa. On the southern Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa is known as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and was once again named a top beach in the TripAdvisor 2015 Traveler’s Choice Awards.



The place to stay in Santa Teresa is Hotel Tropico Latino. The beachfront hotel in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica is located on the light sand beach of Playa Carmen, which was recently awarded the Ecological Blue Flag by the Costa Rican Tourism Board for being one of the cleanest beaches in the country.



Read our blog article on the best ways to get to Santa Teresa Beach in Costa Rica from San Jose.

Article by Shannon Farley

Giving thanks on a Thanksgiving yoga retreat in Costa Rica

This year, why not spend the Thanksgiving holidays giving thanks for all that is good in life on a revitalizing yoga retreat in Costa Rica.

Imagine taking a break from the busyness of everyday life to relax and restore your energy in the rainforest, with 80-degree warm gulf waters at your doorstep and monkeys, Scarlet Macaws and coatis as your neighbors. This is Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in southern Costa Rica.

Accessible only by boat, the remote oceanfront Costa Rica rainforest lodge is located on the breathtaking Golfo Dulce across from the famous Osa Peninsula by the Piedras Blancas National Park. The extraordinary Costa Rica eco-lodge was designed for sustainable travel and holds the highest rating in the Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program (CST) in Costa Rica.

Starting Nov. 23, 2014, international yoga instructor Shonna Annapurna Brown and international recording artist John William Bauld will lead a Yoga Meditation and Sound retreat. The retreat lasts five, six or seven nights, depending on how long you choose to stay.

The yoga retreat includes two daily yoga classes, meditation, and evening kirtan concerts with the instructors. Yoga classes will be held on the beautiful yoga deck on the beach (shaded) or at the tree canopy-level main lodge building. There will be classical hatha yoga; Mantrasana Yoga with live music, a meditative hatha yoga class set to live mantra music; and restorative yoga. Kirtan is soothing participatory music using ancient Sanskrit mantras.

The retreat package includes accommodation at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, all meals, boat transfers, guided adventure activities, unlimited self-guided hikes in the preserve, and use of kayaks, snorkeling and fishing equipment. To get to Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, drive or fly (NatureAir or Sansa Airlines) to either Puerto Jimenez or Golfito. Nicuesa Lodge will pick you up by boat and transfer you to the lodge (about 30 minutes one-way).

Article by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica eco lodge is unique place for rainforest retreats

Imagine attending a workshop or a retreat, but instead of a conference center or event hall, you were surrounded by sounds of lapping waves of 80-degree calm Pacific gulf waters and roars of howler monkeys in Costa Rica eco lodge.

This is what it is like to have a seminar or retreat at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in Costa Rica. From conferences with scientific guest lecturers to yoga retreats, family reunions to company meetings, Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is ideal for small group getaways. Groups of 18-28 persons can take the entire lodge for a completely private event; or smaller groups can share the lodge with other guests and still have private meeting and gathering space.

Accessible only by boat, Playa Nicuesa is situated in southern Costa Rica on the breathtaking Golfo Dulce (“Sweet Gulf”), one of only a handful of unique tropical fjords in the world. The renowned Osa Peninsula is just across these placid Pacific Ocean waters. The lodge’s 165-acre private reserve joins into the Piedras Blancas National Park.

Playa Nicuesa’s beautifully-designed 3,000-square-foot main lodge building – described to be like Robinson Crusoe’s tree house – is built in harmony with nature, and houses an open-air bar, dining room and lounge areas. Unique “jungle-chic” accommodations in five private bungalows and a separate four-room two-story guest house are private with open-air bathrooms and hot water showers. Fresh meals are included in all stays.

There is a spacious yoga deck by the beach and a canopy-level yoga platform in the main lodge building. Yoga classes are given daily in the early morning and late afternoon. To complement any retreat or seminar program, there are plenty of adventure tours.

For more information on holding a retreat, seminar or group event at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in Costa Rica, check here.

Article by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica yoga retreats 2014 in Santa Teresa

Costa Rica summer is yoga season at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat on Santa Teresa Beach. Pranamar is offering 14 exceptional yoga retreats between February and June 2014.

Whether you are looking to deepen your yoga practice, or try yoga for the first time, a yoga retreat is an excellent opportunity for both. Retreats also add in fun activities like surfing or stand-up paddling.

Santa Teresa has been named one of the top 10 beaches in Central America and is an idyllic yoga setting at the southern tip of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. Host Pranamar Villas welcomes retreat-goers with elaborate oceanfront villas and bungalows in lush tropical gardens, a gorgeous river-theme swimming pool, and gourmet organic cuisine in the Buddha Eyes Restaurant.

See the selection of yoga retreats listed below, and visit Pranamar’s website for more information.

Costa Rica Yoga Retreats at Pranamar

Women’s Quest Adventures: Feb. 2-8 and May 4-10, 2014: Surf and yoga adventure retreat; yoga classes taught by Pranamar Villas yoga instructor, Nancy Goodfellow.

Vajra Sol Yoga Adventures: Feb. 16-22, Mar. 16-22, Mar. 30 – Apr. 5, Apr. 6-12, Jun. 22-28, 2014: Yoga retreat with surfing or stand-up paddling (SUP).

Yoga and Visioning Retreat: Feb. 22 to Mar. 1, 2014: Yoga, meditation and visioning retreat led by Chantal Russell.

TrueFlow Yoga Vacation in Costa Rica: Mar. 3-8, 2014: Yoga retreat led by Brynn Rybacek.

Soul Arch Yoga Retreat: Mar. 9-15, 2014: Yoga retreat and community philanthropic project.

Yoga Toes Retreat: Mar. 23-30, 2014: Yoga retreat led by MC Yogi and Amanda Giacomini with meditation, dharma talks, restorative yoga, storytelling and music.

Costa Rica Yoga Retreat with Colleen O’Brien-McFall & Kate Mak: Apr. 12-19, 2014: Yoga retreat in nature’s beauty at Pranamar Villas.

Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica with Cathy Daley: Apr. 29 to May 4, 2014: Retreat with daily yoga and meditation sessions.

Article by Shannon Farley

How travel keeps you feeling young - free and happy.

We all love things that make us feel young (or remember our youth), feel free and be happy. Traveling is almost always in the top 10 – even if only to an old neighborhood where we once lived. Why?

1. Traveling opens up our world.

In today's world, where emails and smart phones often replace face-to-face interaction, traveling makes us get out and connect with humanity. Traveling changes our scenery. When we travel, we leave our daily routine and see new things which stimulate our mind and encourage creative energy.

2. Traveling teaches us to relax.

Whether we want to or not at first, we have to chill out to really enjoy traveling. Traveling for pleasure rejuvenates us physically and mentally so we can return to our daily routine with more energy and patience. Taking a break from our routine – work, school, daily to-dos of parenthood, household chores, etc. – refreshes our mind and gives us the freedom we need to renew.

3. Traveling makes us active both physically and mentally.

Traveling by its very nature makes us move. Whether we're exploring a museum, walking the streets of an ancient capital, shopping in a bazaar, hiking in the woods, or simply lying on a sunny beach in Costa Rica, we are being active. New places may make us want to try new activities … ziplining or waterfall rappelling, anyone? Besides being good for our bodies, physical exercise is also good for our brains. Mental stimulation, especially languages, improves brain function and protects against age-related losses in memory or motor skills. In other words, "use it or lose it."

4. Traveling helps us to discover new things.

Traveling is education through experience. Travel brings to life things books only describe, no matter how well. When we travel, we learn there are many different ways of thinking and that other people have their own customs of living and doing things that work equally just as well. Traveling the globe makes us lifelong learners.

5. Traveling brings humility and connection.

Travel teaches humility. When we travel, we are often at the mercy of needing help from others. A kind, open, humble attitude gets us much farther than nastiness and arrogance. As we travel more, we learn that language, customs and exterior differences aside, that people share the same basic desires and concerns. We start to see that the world is both a big and small place, and how interconnected we all really are.

6. Traveling teaches appreciation – for home, loved ones, good food, good company, beautiful sights, art, music, freedom, your blessings … and the list is endless.

Travel to Santa Teresa Beach, Costa Rica

The laid-back beach town of Santa Teresa is near the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast. Mal Pais, Playa Carmen, Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa – once secret hideaways for surfers and backpackers are now popular beaches sprinkled with eco-lodges, beach bungalows and upscale luxury boutique hotels. Yet, this multinational paradise with world-class surf breaks remains off-the-beaten path.

Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat is a relaxing oasis on the beach at Santa Teresa, with elaborate oceanfront villas and tropical bungalows in lush tropical gardens. Designed in exotic Bali-style, the luxury boutique hotel gives daily in-house yoga classes, and all-inclusive yoga vacations and surfing holidays.

Article by Shannon Farley

Boat taxi is fast alternative to get to Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica

Although it is one of Costa Rica's most spectacular destinations – for its gold and white sand beaches, world-class surfing, warm blue Pacific Ocean, and lush rainforest – the southern Nicoya Peninsula stays off the beaten tourist path. The reason is the region's remote location.

Going by ferry is the traditional way to get to the towns and beaches of the southern Nicoya Peninsula – Tambor, Montezuma, Mal Pais and Santa Teresa. The ferry leaves from the Central Pacific port of Puntarenas, and takes about 90 minutes to cross the Nicoya Gulf to Paquera. Add on to that time at least another 20 to 30 minutes on each end for loading and unloading the ferry. If it is high tourist season or a holiday and you are traveling with a vehicle, you need to be in line at the ferry terminal at least an hour or more before the ferry departs to ensure you'll get on board. The trip definitely is picturesque and not overly expensive – 810 colones per adult passenger and 11,400 colones for a car one-way – but you had better not be in a hurry

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Domestic flights travel from San Jose to Tambor via both Nature Air and Sansa Airlines, and although quick – about a 35-minute flight – tickets cost from $160 to $220 round-trip.

A fast and fun way to get to the Nicoya Peninsula without having to drive, take a ferry or an expensive domestic flight is by Boat Taxi from Herradura Beach near Jacó to Montezuma at the tip of the Peninsula. Zuma Tours uses fast 30-passenger boats to cross the Nicoya Gulf in an hour. Boats travel in the morning, when the weather is usually nicer, departing Montezuma at 9:30 a.m. and from Herradura Beach at 11:00 a.m. The fare is $40 per adult one-way; there are children's rates and toddlers (3 and under) are free.

Besides being quick and easy, the trip is scenic across the beautiful blue Gulf. Chances are high you could see dolphins, manta rays, sea birds, sea turtles, and maybe even a whale. The boats have canopies so you are protected from the sun, and your luggage is stored in plastic bags for water protection.

Zuma Tours offers shuttle transportation from the beach town of Jacó to Herradura Beach, and can arrange rental cars at either Herradura or Montezuma, or transportation to other destinations. Additionally, they offer boat tours to Tortuga Island and other Nicoya beaches.

Boat taxi details:

• Reservations in advance are required.
• Luggage: 20 kg maximum per person.
• Surf boards and boxes have an extra cost of $10 per piece.
• Bicycles and pets are not accepted.

Where to stay on the Nicoya Peninsula

Santa Teresa Beach is known for its shimmering light sand, excellent surf conditions, interesting volcanic reef formations and stunning sunsets over the Pacific Ocean. The coast is lush and green, in transition from the northern dry forest to the southern tropical rainforest. Santa Teresa is an easy 30-minute drive (or boat ride) from Montezuma, where the boat taxi disembarks.

The luxury boutique Hotel Tropico Latino faces the white sands and brilliant blue sea of Playa Carmen at Santa Teresa. Set on four acres of lush, tropical gardens, beachfront accommodations are comfortable and elegant. Hotel Tropico Latino specializes in surf and yoga vacations, and features a full-service beachfront spa and an award-winning restaurant. Top internet travel site TripAdvisor named Santa Teresa one of the "Best Beaches in Central America" three years in a row, and awarded Hotel Tropico Latino a Certificate of Excellence.

Article by Shannon Farley

Rain-Sun Yoga Retreats at Portasol Dec 28 April 17 2014

Yoga and meditation are all about breathing deeply, relaxing, and reconnecting with your inner nature. What better setting for this practice than the pure oxygen-rich rainforest of Costa Rica.

Be in harmony with nature around you at a yoga and meditation retreat at Portasol Rainforest & Oceanview Living. The sustainable community on Costa Rica's Central Pacific Coast will hold seven Rain/Sun Yoga and Meditation Retreats in 2013-2014. Retreats will focus on creating new energy for participants with yoga, Qigong, meditation, nature hikes and other creative activities.

Spending time in nature is a way people can reconnect with their inner-selves, explains yoga instructor and retreat leader, Doris Mueller-Weith. Portasol is a perfect place for yoga retreats because participants are immersed in the green beauty of wild rainforest, waterfalls and the crystalline Portalon River that runs through the 1,300-acre sustainable development, said Mueller-Weith, who owns an eco-home at Portasol.  

Breathing in the pure oxygen-rich air of the rainforest helps people rejuvenate, she said.

"In my experience during my life, many diseases that humans have are from cutting off our life energy to the planet. We are not grounded anymore, so we have nervous breakdowns, high pressure, stress, heart attacks, burn outs – because we are not connected with our own nature and the nature that is around us. That is how we get sick," Mueller-Weith explained. "This connection to nature is vital to our lives and our health. Being in nature keeps us healthy, and we create good energy with yoga in nature."

On the retreats, Mueller-Weith leads a gentle type of sequenced Hatha Yoga called Viniyoga. Meditation practice is simple and free of religion. Qigong (pronounced "chee-gung," as in "lung") is the ancient Chinese art and science of using breathing techniques, gentle movement, and meditation to circulate the body's energy, or chi (qi). Mueller-Weith also uses singing bowls, drama therapy, and walks in nature to stimulate inner reflection during retreats.

Yoga retreats at Portasol vary from five to six nights, and there are also short weekend programs. Participants receive meals and lodging at Portasol; accommodation is available in Bungalows, a shared Duplex dwelling, and the private vacation home, Toucan House. There is a maximum of eight persons accepted per retreat, so make reservations early.

The next upcoming yoga and meditation retreat is "Endings and New Beginnings" from Dec. 28 to Jan. 3, 2014. The program involves daily yoga and meditation sessions, walks in the rainforest and by the river, swimming at Portasol's waterfalls, visits to the nearby Matapalo Beach, and other creative activities. Based on interest, the group will go on Jan. 2 to the traditional indigenous "Festival de los Diablitos" (Little Devils Festival) in the village of the Borucas, as an optional activity.

A Yoga, Meditation and Drama Therapy retreat will be held January 13-19, 2014. Drama therapy uses dance and movement, poetry and painting, ritual and fantasy to explore archetypes and inner life, explains Mueller-Weith.

A 5-night Yoga Vacation from Feb. 4-9, 2014, adds local area tours to the program. The March 10-16, 2014 yoga retreat focuses intensively on the seven chakras, working on awareness levels with participants, along with healing yoga and meditation. An April 11-17, 2014 retreat centers on the Easter theme of "End and Renewal."

Two yoga awareness weekends – Jan. 24-26 and Mar. 28-30, 2014 – involve yoga and Qigong classes, meditation, mandala painting, storytelling, and a hike in the rainforest with a biologist.

Portasol Rainforest & Oceanview Living is an ecological community of nature lovers from all over the world. The sustainable residential and vacation rental community is located on 1,300 acres of pure rainforest along the Portalón River, approximately 30 km south of Manuel Antonio and 20 km north of Dominical. The long, un-crowded Playa Matapalo is only a 5-minute drive away.

Article by Shannon Farley

Development, Dust, and an Iconic Tropical Paradise

Santa Teresa is one of those iconic Costa Rica tourism spots. Paradise found for so many international and Costa Rican tourists who "discovered" Santa Teresa's pristine beaches, world-class surf breaks and lushly forested coastline. 

Yet as more and more travelers flock to experience these beautiful treasures, the isolation bubble stretches to the max, bringing with it the growing pains of any popular tourism destination.

The laid-back beach town sits near the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast. The area incorporates the beach communities of Mal Pais, Playa Carmen, Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa. Once a surfers' and backpackers' secret hideaway, the popular beaches now are filled with eco-lodges, beach bungalows, upscale luxury boutique hotels, yoga retreats, and multi-national restaurants serving healthy cuisine. Actor Mel Gibson and model Gisele Bündchen own homes in the area.

Only one road takes you there, and therein starts the growing pains. Traveling across the bottom of the Nicoya Peninsula from the Nicoya Gulf port of Paquera, when you get to Santa Teresa, there is a crossroads. To the left stretches sleepy Mal Pais. To the right, on a long, narrow ribbon of road is Playa Carmen, Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa. The road ends just past there at Playa Manzanillo. For the last five miles before Santa Teresa, and throughout the entire community, the road is unpaved dirt. With the increase in traffic from new residents and tourism, in the dry season, the dust is unbearable; in the rainy season, it is a muddy pot-holed mess.

Paving or not paving the road – which is a local government responsibility – has been a controversy for years, with sides both for and against. The situation heated up this past June when the local municipality started preparatory work for paving a three-mile section in Santa Teresa, with plans for another four-mile section to be done later.

"Maybe some people want to keep the road unpaved, because they want a really remote area," commented Mario Matarrita, manager at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat in Santa Teresa. "But there is a lot of dust right now, and large potholes. We need the road paved to control that. There are many respiratory infections and health problems here. There is really nothing good about this road."

Matarrita, an avid surfer who moved to Santa Teresa 12 years ago from San Jose, said that part of the road problem comes from lack of governmental support and funding. The issue is the registered voter base. In reality, several thousand people live in the Mal Pais-Santa Teresa area, but on paper, official population figures based on registered voters show a fraction of those residents. The community mixes both foreigners and Costa Ricans, but many national residents come from other areas of the country and never changed their voter registration. Since the provincial government is located in Puntarenas, far away across the Nicoya Gulf, when it comes time to divide up allocated funds, money usually goes to where their records show are the more heavily populated towns.

Those who are against the road paving fear over-development – a common growth consequence. However, Matarrita says that Santa Teresa's geography and the town's building cap at 10 meters high will prevent the high-rise buildings so popular now at other beach resort locations. "Santa Teresa will never be that big because the mountains and ocean won't allow it," he said. "We're just a narrow strip of land along the beach with large coastal mountains behind us."

Pranamar Villas special events manager, Larissa Chevalier, adds praise to the enforcement of the maritime concession law in Santa Teresa. The nationwide law prohibits permanent structures on any beach within 50 meters of the high tide line. "You can walk down the beach in Santa Teresa and you don't see any hotels or bars or any development right on the beach. You can look through the trees and see buildings, but nothing right on the beach. It leaves the beach pristine," said Chevalier.

Low fresh water supply also has been an issue in the community, but Matarrita said the Costa Rican water company (AYA) should finish within a year a large water spring and reservoir project that will help solve the difficulty.

"We've got issues with the road, water, crime – just like any growing area. At the same time, there are positives with development, like recycling, beach clean ups, etc." said Chevalier, who moved to Santa Teresa years ago from Canada.

The Tourism Board in Santa Teresa and Mal Pais actively promotes many projects, remarked Matarrita. One of their main focuses now is improving public beach access, he said. Many of the hotels contribute to regular beach cleaning, and environmental groups are forming in the area.

Chevalier touted that tourism and development has created jobs and a thriving economy in the community. At the same time, she says Santa Teresa is still small enough so there is a good sense of community. "We have a really nice small town feel here; people wave to you and smile," Chevalier praised. "We have a multi-cultural community, and that makes for some amazing restaurants and tourism businesses here.

"Santa Teresa still has something special and untouched, and at the end of the day, I'm still happy to live here," she said. "I live in one of the most amazing places on the planet."

Where to stay in Santa Teresa

Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat is a lovely boutique luxury hotel on the beach at Santa Teresa. Designed with an Indonesian flair, Pranamar gives daily in-house yoga classes, yoga retreats and all-inclusive yoga vacations, surfing holidays, and has a beachfront spa and gourmet healthy cuisine restaurant.

How to get to Santa Teresa

You can get to Santa Teresa either by ferry from the Pacific port of Puntarenas (90 min.) landing at Paquera; then drive 75-90 minutes, with all but the last 5-mile stretch paved. Or, take a 25-minute domestic flight from San José to Tambor on either Nature Air or Sansa Airlines; Santa Teresa is approximately a 50-minute drive from the Tambor airport. In good weather, taxi boats from the Central Pacific beach town of Jacó travel to Montezuma at the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula; from there it is a 40-minute drive to Santa Teresa.

Article by Shannon Farley