A yoga retreat in Costa Rica will take your practice beyond the physical
Has Costa Rica always been on your bucket list of places to visit? If you’re a yogi or yogini or just “yoga curious,” you may want to consider moving Costa Rica higher up on your priority locations!
This article will outline why taking a yoga retreat to Costa Ricajust might be what you need. The following text will explore a brief history of the multifaceted practice of yoga from the Indian roots to our understanding of the worldwide practice today. After reading, you’ll understand why Costa Rica is an ideal setting for a yoga retreat or yoga teacher training experience.
Following this background, this article will review five reasons an all inclusive yoga retreat in Costa Rica is a rejuvenating and possibly life-changing experience not to be missed during 2018. Those reasons will include the benefits of removing yourself from all your distractions at home, the heightened potential for self-discovery, the healing aspect of practicing in nature, the increased productivity you may experience after a retreat, and the added bonus of meeting like-minded people and expanding your yoga community.
A little background history into the practice of yoga
Most people think of yoga as only the physical postures seen on the front of popular fitness magazines or in countless Instagram posts of people standing on their heads (literally) and smiling. The physical practice of yoga is only one of eight branches of the practice as a whole philosophy of life. Over five thousand years ago, a document known as The Rig Veda was written by Maharishi Patanjali. In this document, Patanjali explains yoga from its root word “yuj” which roughly means “to yoke together.” When one practices yoga, one seeks a connection between the mind, body, and spirit.
In daily action, one is thought to be practicing yoga when thought, word, and deed are all in alignment with the way in which one lives his or her life. For example, if you hand someone a drink with a smile and a kind word out of a spirit of generosity, you have practice making the connection between thought (generosity), word (kind sentiments), and deed (gently setting down the beverage for someone). This act of kindness made in a spirit of harmony is still practicing yoga. If you, on the other hand, slam the drink down and storm off without a word, something is out of alignment.
The best yoga retreats and yoga teacher trainings can be found in Costa Rica
Knowing the basic definition of yoga demonstrates how the aspect of “asana,” or “posture,” is only one element of this ancient practice. When yoga arrived in Costa Rica over the last several decades, it became obvious how ideal this coastal country was for the practice of yoga. With the sights and sounds of exotic nature and wildlife alongside the access to fresh fruits and vegetables, Costa Rica offers the perfect environment to truly experience the connection of a mind at ease with a curious spirit and a healthful body.
5 reasons all inclusive yoga retreats in Costa Rica are right for everyone
When choosing the best yoga retreat or yoga teacher training for you, it is important to place yourself in an environment where you have the ability to focus on what matters to you. The benefit of an all inclusive yoga retreat in Costa Rica is the complete lack of distractions from your practice or yoga teacher training. At The Waterfall Villas, your only tasks will be to take care of yourself – the retreat package covers meals, room, activities, etc. Here are five reasons an all inclusive yoga retreat in Costa Rica is a perfect way to expand your practice or rejuvenate from your daily life:
#1 – An all inclusive yoga retreat in Costa Rica helps you actually “retreat” to a healing space
There are a number of places you might be willing to go to avoid having to cook for yourself or others – you can enhance your focus on your practice by eliminating those day-to-day chores. Without this separation, the healing energy you created while attending a studio workshop or a morning yoga class seems to vanish into thin air. At the Waterfall Villas in Costa Rica, your meals are provided in your yoga retreat package. There are no calories to count either – your meals are prepared for you and will include nourishing, detoxing, and delicious vegan and raw vegan dishes. You will not be tempted by the ice cream container in the back of your freezer when you’re miles away from your kitchen. You will enjoy exotic foods you’ve possibly never before encountered and have the security of knowing the chefs at the Waterfall Villas have lovingly prepared your meals to fuel your physical work and uplift your senses. You won’t miss the ice cream for a second!
You won’t have to clean house at all while you’re away on retreat. No dishes, no vacuuming. Only resting and enjoying your time for yourself. While a more rustic, dormitory setting may sound noble and spiritually austere, you may want to consider a more resort style setting in which you are surrounded by nature and able to retreat to a beautiful private room to absorb the lessons of your experience on your mat while on your yoga retreat in Costa Rica.
#2 – Whether you’re here for yoga teacher training or on a solo female travel retreat, you’ll learn more about yourself in Costa Rica
With the added space you’ve created by choosing an all inclusive yoga retreat to Costa Rica, you will have the time to allow for clarity. With no chores nagging on your mind space and consciousness, you will finally have the perfect atmosphere to learn more about who you are and what you want to do with your practice – or even more. A yogic concept known as Dharma relates to a focal point, a driving purpose. Without traffic, news reports, bills, or any other chores vying for your attention, you will have better access to your inner wisdom which is best heard in mindful silence.Your yoga retreat or yoga teacher training in Costa Rica sets the stage for playing your edge – how much deeper could you go into your practice if you knew you didn’t have a kitchen or living room to clean when you came home from yoga class? If you had the time to savor your savasana pose (or “corpse pose;” referring to lying mindfully on your mat), what answers to some of your questions about practice or life might finally have the air time to make their way into your consciousness?
#3 – A nature retreat provides your body, mind, and spirit healing during your yoga retreat in 2018
How often do you have a chance to practice yoga outdoors? We’re not all fortunate enough to have a regular, outdoor practice. In the temperate climate of Costa Rica, you have the opportunity to invigorate your yoga adventure and reconnect with nature. Our lives have become rather boxed in – we go from building to building all day long without pausing to take in the greater world surrounding us. Studies have shown how more time spent outdoors can reduce natural bodily and mental reactions to danger which manifest in our lives as stress and inflammation. When sent into natural settings for 2 – 3 days, scientists have observed decreased heart rates and lowered cortisol levels in their study participants. Time in nature is furthermore associated in another study with higher cognitive function as natural settings demand less dramatic attention than urban settings. What better setting for you to deepen your yoga practice than a place which supports a calm, healthy body and a clearer mind?
#4 – A wellness retreat in Costa Rica will break up the monotony of a busy lifestyle
We can spend too much time accomplishing, meeting deadlines, avoiding other cars on the road, etc. Getting away from all the noise of a busy lifestyle is necessary and restorative. We think we have to multitask and complete more tasks to be productive when our productivity level actually decreases with distractions and long hours. According to an article by Entrepreneur, we have limited cognitive output before our performance starts to decline. Without a break, we have more trouble completing our work.This likely sounds counterintuitive as most of us have been told how hard we have to work to get anywhere in this world and how much we applaud those who look as though they can “do it all” and “make it look easy.”
Logically, when you are well rested and content, you have a higher likelihood of accessing your creativity in a productive, innovative way. Dr. James Rouse, a naturopathic doctor and the author of Think Eat Move Thrive relayed in an article written by CNN that “we finish 50% less when attempting to tackle a few duties at once, instead of focusing on each one individually.” Taking some time to yourself to bask in a yoga retreat in Costa Rica could be just the reset button you need to return to your work with heightened focus and clarity. Giving yourself permission to single-task, to do less has a surprising correlation to productivity and happiness. As Dr. Rouse would also say, “to help you get more done in less time, de-stress and actually enjoy life a little more.”
#5 – A Costa Rica yoga retreat in 2018 will introduce you to people you otherwise would never have met
Yoga is not only meant to be for you alone on your mat. Yoga practice seeks connectionsand harmony which includesa sense of community. Yoga may have come so naturally to Costa Ricans, also known as the “Tico,” for their cultural association with “puravida.” An article posted by the BBC says, “Pura vida means different things to different people, but it essentially embodies the Tico philosophy of enjoying life slowly with a strong community, an element of simplicity and an appreciation of one’s natural surroundings.” A yoga retreat to Costa Rica will place you in the heart of an ancient tradition which was shared with small schools of practitioners long before the practice was written down.
As we age and busy ourselves with careers and/or families, we have fewer opportunities to meet new people who share our interests. It was much easier in school when you were surrounded by peers day in and day out – you could get to know each other over time and develop a friendship. When you come to a yoga retreat or yoga teacher training in Costa Rica, you will meet like-minded friends from all over the world and bond during the shared experience of practicing yoga in a beautiful place. Without meeting places and retreats such as the yoga retreats of The Waterfall Villas, we may never meet these new people who might bring joy to our lives and new meaning to our practice.
The Waterfall Villas offers affordable yoga retreats and yoga teacher trainings in Costa Rica
Your experience at The Waterfall Villas has been crafted around these excellent reasons to take time for a yoga retreat in Costa Rica in 2018. There are affordable yoga retreat packages from which to choose. You also have the option to create your own program from our list of offerings. The Waterfall Villas will customize your yoga instruction for whatever style or level at which you wish to practice. If you have a desire to go deeper than the physical asana practice, other courses are available to you.You may choose meditation instruction, spiritual studies, healthful cooking classes, and personalized Ayurvedic healing (ancient Indian medicine) when you build your own yoga retreat at the Waterfall Villas in Costa Rica. When you create your package in advance, The Waterfall Villas will be in the best position possible to customize your experience. You’re invited to be your best self with a rejuvenating yoga retreat in Costa Rica at The Waterfall Villas.
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