Greetings, blog-o-sphere!! I'm so excited to share with you that leading my first international yoga retreat in Costa Rica went off without a hitch! 7 beautiful souls traveled side by side with me to Guanacaste region in Costa Rica, about 10 miles from the Coast near Tamarindo. We stayed at the El Sabanero Resort in little tree house like cabins. The food, the activities, the people were all so perfect, even though perfect doesn't exist, it seemed like it did in Costa Rica.
My intention in creating this adventure was to hold space for everyone to have a unique experience that felt like freedom. Free from the typical routine, the work grind, a strenuous relationship, anything! I didn't want to force anything on anyone, I didn't want to huddle in circles discussing feelings or sharing deep wounds, but I wanted to open peoples eyes to anything hidden beneath their surfaces. A gentle poke of the bear, rather then a stronger prod. The retreat was dubbed "Spring Sadhana," and sadhana's definition is a spiritual practice, or the foundation of a spiritual endeavor, and I believe it to have been JUST that. With the chosen reflections and readings I shared before each practice, it was my hope to set the stage for an awakening.
Spiritual work is personal and intimate and often times comes into our life when we aren't expecting it. It can't be forced, so in no way was I expecting people to open their hearts and share details of their life. However, throughout the course of the week, and I shared this with the group in the end, it seemed to have happened so organically. Little bits and pieces of peoples past, or current events were sprinkled in the most beautiful ways. Connecting us all.
Secondly, I wanted it to be a sort of "Spring Cleaning," too! A clearing, but not in a superficial, "let it go," way, but more so, a deep knowing or witnessing of what it is that is not serving us at all. Whether it's a thought, a dialogue, a place, person, etc. More often than not, the best way to spring clean is to really strip yourself of distractions. Traveling to a new country, with limited wifi, zero TV, FRESH foods from the LAND, water, air, fire and yoga twice a day, can really help a person to DE-TOX. All of these elements really helped us to shed layers, which in turn helped some come face to face with anything they may want to works towards moving away from.
I wrote down the intention to host a yoga retreat at the close of 2015, so it took over 2 full years for me to grow a set, then put it together and I'm so proud of myself. It was hard work to hold space, in a foreign country, hoping that everyone was pleased, but at the end of the day the synchronicities of the group vibe were UNREAL. We closed out the week with a bonfire under the moon and some final bonding and I was literally bubbling over with gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
