It was such a pleasure this weekend to watch Kali sing in a Talent Show at her school. (Her brother also sang with the Cougar Chorus that evening.) They are very brave. You could not have paid me to do that when I was her age (or her father). She looked absolutely gorgeous and I was busting at the seems sitting in the front row as her biggest fan! Hope everyone enjoys watching this…
Tilak decided to hold a yoga retreat this year in Costa Rica. A friend of his told him about a Wellness Center there named Pura Vida near San Jose. He mentioned it to his yoga students and they had interest in it as well. There were 22 persons who attended the conference with Tilak and I. And so the story begins….
We flew in to Costa Rica Saturday (January 10, 2009) afternoon. We flew on United Air and everything now costs money on their flights (ie any type of drinks, snacks, etc) The flight attendants also market different products during the flight – it was like a live commercial while we were flying. The flight there was only about 5 and a half hours.
We had a beautiful mountain view as we were landing in San Jose. We had taxi drivers hired by the resort that were waiting on us there (holding a sign). They had name tags for each of us and took us to baggage claim and then to the bus that would take us to the resort. We were all giddy to be in a warm climate and in a new surrounding and looking forward to our week ahead. We were laughing, telling stories, and getting to know each other. The drive to the resort was only about 20 minutes. The roads were paved, but narrow and windy. There were a lot of tropical flowers and trees to see out the window. The houses were small – many of them made of stucco with metal roofs. There were a lot of people out walking it seemed. One could tell quickly that this is not a country with much money.
The resort was gated. We entered and were greeted by several staff who took our bags to our rooms, gave us a quick “welcome speech”, told us where to find the dining room that evening and gave a general verbal layout of the grounds. Each of us got a schedule for the week and went to our rooms to get unpacked. Tilak and I liked our room. It was nice size, a beautiful view, king size bed, and nice size bathroom. There was a lot of natural light and a beautiful patio off the side of it.
After we unpacked we made our way to the dining hall to have our first of many WONDERFUL meals. The dining area is on the second floor of one of the buildings. It had a covered balcony to eat outdoors and plenty of dining tables indoors. Anywhere you chose to sit had beautiful scenic views. The food was set-up buffet style in a beautiful presentation. There was also a bar to purchase drinks if you chose.
With full bellies, we all made our way to one of the yoga halls for a brief “meet & greet” with just our group. We sat in a circle and all shared our names and why we decided to come on the trip. Every answer was slightly different. Things like: to sort through events in one’s life, to be with a spouse, to enjoy a lot of yoga, etc. For me, I heard the words “Costa Rica” and I knew I wanted to go! I like to take advantage of any opportunity to explore some place new – It is always exciting for me. Also, I wanted to meet Tilak’s yoga students that he speaks of often. I knew right away that I was going to enjoy the group of people that we were with.
The next morning we received an orientation from Pura Vida staff letting us know of the adventures they would be providing for us if we choose to take part: body work (Swedish Massage, manicures, pedicures, Watsu, Om Chu, Body Talk Therapy, etc.), zip-lining through the rain forest, white water rafting, boat tours, hiking, coffee plantation tour, trip to the beach, salsa dancing lessons, drumming circle, swimming pool/hot tub, shopping in San Jose, and a trip to the zoo. All of this on top of the already scheduled 2 yoga classes per day, meditation sessions, swinging in the hammocks, enjoying the scenery and being able to have time to read, relax and enjoy time to ourselves. Ahhhhh, Heaven!
The things that I chose to take part in were:
YOGA: The morning classes began at 6:30am. Even though I am not a morning person I did not have much trouble getting up that early. They were gentle/beginner type classes which were right after a meditation session. It felt good to stretch, breath deep and connect with a wonderful sense of stillness inside myself each day. They were held in Ananda Hall, which was the biggest of the yoga rooms there at the Wellness Center with large windows around 3 of the 4 walls. The natural light and beautiful scenery was a wonderful gift to receive each morning. The afternoon classes were held at Lila Hall (a.k.a. The Bird Cage). This room was literally shaped like a huge bird cage. It was screened in and had beautiful greenery inside it. They began at 4:30. This class was an intermediate level that had several series of standing poses as well as pranayama (breathing practices). I chose to play “photographer” a few times during these classes since I am not as experienced as some of them and I was a touch lazy. J
MEDITATION: I really suck at this. It is incredibly hard for me to sit still because of my bad back and it is also incredibly hard for me to keep my mind focused on one thing and not wander off somewhere. Of course, Tilak tried to coach us in ways to begin overcoming these obstacles (counting with each breath, making sure you are comfortable, using mantras, etc). I have been really fortunate to experience meditation states that were very powerful/meaningful but they have been few. Tilak says that training the mind is the hardest part of yoga because our minds naturally want to control everything. Our minds do not want to allow our True Self to control them.
EATING: The food was delicious everyday! It was healthy too. The presentation of the food was beautiful. We were always served fresh fruit, yogurt, toast, pancakes, scrambled eggs and rice/beans in the morning with fresh squeezed fruit juices (cantaloupe, orange, watermelon, etc.). Tea and coffee were always available to us all day long as well. Some of the things we were served for lunch and supper were: grilled vegetables, grilled chicken, seafood stew, soups, bread with dill butter spread, salads with homemade dressing, fresh fruit, fresh guacamole, rice, stir fry, salmon, kabobs (chicken & veggies), eggplant, coleslaw, etc. There is a lot that I am forgetting I know. The wine was great! Anyway, the point is that none of us went hungry and we all enjoyed meal times. My only complaint is that there was never any chocolate served L.
CANOPY TOUR: One day we took a bus to a Rain Forrest that was about 30 minutes from where we were staying. There, we all got harnessed into zip-line equipment. We had several tour guides who demonstrated how to use the zip lines and led us through a short trail in the forest, telling us about the plants and animals that live there. Then, we (six at a time) climbed a ladder several stories high to begin our zip-line adventure! We were hooked to a wire with the equipment that they had put on us and would fly down the wire to the next platform one at a time. One of the “flights” we went backwards. Two of the “flights” went over the top of beautiful waterfalls! I am sure that I had a smile on my face the whole time that I was there. It was the most fun I think I have ever had!
POOL/HOT TUB: A little of each day was spent laying in the sunshine by the pool - Sometimes with a book - Sometimes visiting with others - Sometimes napping. The sun was warm and there was a pleasant breeze which kept me comfortable. I jumped in the pool from time to time to swim some and cool off. I usually enjoyed their hot tub at night. Several of us would gather there before bed and soak in the hot water under the moon and stars. Ahhh – it was the life!
A HIKE THROUGH THE COFFEE FIELDS: Several of us decided to go for a long hike through the coffee fields one of the days we were there. (There was an official tour offered at one point, but I missed that one.) The coffee fields that we explored were directly behind Pura Vida Wellness Center. It had to have been hundreds of acres of it that we were drifting through. If someone had not told me I would have never known what I was looking at in those fields. The coffee plants are large with beautiful dark green leaves and have cranberry-looking fruits on them that hold the coffee beans. At the end of our hike/adventure through the coffee beans we ran into the owner of the fields we were roaming. He was very friendly and did not mind that we were there. He even took some time to teach us about his coffee beans. He said that all his beans were organic (we applauded him for that). He uses the husks from the beans as compost. He says each coffee bean plant lasts about 25 years before they cut them down and plant new ones. He had us taste the husk which was surprisingly sweet and then the bean itself does not have much flavor. The coffee bean is light green, almost transparent and hard. It was explained to us that the beans get their dark color and taste when they are roasted. He said that the dark roast beans have less caffeine because they are cooked longer and the heat takes out some of the caffeine. The light roast coffees are the ones with the most caffeine. We also learned that decaffeinated coffees are actually not good for you as there are a lot of chemicals that are used to extract the caffeine. It is best to drink the dark roast coffee instead of decaf according to the tour guide.
SALSA DANCING LESSONS: On Thursday evening, the resort offered a one hour Salsa dancing class. It was a lot of fun and we learned a great deal in a short amount of time. The dance moves are so fast that once the music would start it was hard to keep up. I did best going slowly through the motions without the music. This type of dance has your body twisting a lot. There is also a lot of hip swaying. After our lesson, the instructor and her husband danced for us. They were gorgeous together. You could tell that they enjoyed dancing together and they were good at it! The dance is upbeat, sensual and fun.
READING: I enjoyed beginning to read “The Audacity of Hope” written by our new president, Barak Obama. I have to say that I have been so impressed with this man since I have been learning about him. He seems to be just what we as a country need (someone intelligent, even-tempered, thinks of others, wants unity, etc). He writes well. In his book he explains what he feels is the problem in Washington (greed and intolerance), describes how he would like to see unity happen (tolerance, common goals, focusing on agreements not disagreements, etc.) and how important his family is in his life. It was a perfect time to read this book – right before his inauguration into office when we returned home. Some reading was done in my room but most by the pool or in a hammock.
MEETING NEW FRIENDS: I was pleased to have met new, wonderful friends while we were on our trip. The even better part of it was to know that most of them would be coming back to VA with us which will allow the friendships to continue at home. These people we were surrounded with are some of the most REAL, compassionate, open-hearted persons I have ever met. The personalities were diverse, however everyone was accepting of each other. Everyone was a pleasure to be around and everyone was genuinely loving people. A lot of us met for the first time there in Costa Rica and you would think that we had known each other for years based on the comfort level we had with one another. It was great!
OM CHU BODYWORK: Some of the body work that was offered I had never heard of (Om Chu and Body Talk) and others I have experienced or at least knew about them(Hot Stone Massage, Swedish Massage, Manicures/Pedicures, Facials, etc). I decided to try an Om Chu treatment. I received this treatment around noon on Tuesday. Where do I start to explain it? The gentleman’s name who offered this treatment is Olman. He is a blind gentleman who has been trained in Eastern healing, massage, and energy balancing. He began our session with deep tissue massage and when I say deep, I mean he could probably feel the table through my body kind of deep tissue massage. He told me to let him know if the pressure was too much so right away I told him it was too much pressure. He said OK but barely eased up. I mentioned the pressure again and he told me that the pressure is necessary to get rid of the stress built up in my muscles. I had the choice of saying “I don’t want to do this” or I could endure it and see what happens. I chose the latter. The deep tissue massage lasted about 30 minutes. It was painful but somehow I felt like it would be worth it. I just took deep breaths and tried to relax into it. After the massage, Olman adjusted my spine with several chiropractic-like manipulations and twists. My spine has never felt so straight. Finally he said he was going to align my energies and placed his hands on my head and began chanting a beautiful song (I assume it was a song). Anyway, I have to say that it did something for me because after he was finished I had tears streaming down my face (happy ones). I gave Olman a huge hug and thanked him for the gift he gave me. Luckily when I left the room everyone was eating lunch in the dining room and I got into the hot tub (per Olman’s advise) to help my muscles recoup from the treatment. Again in the hot tub, I had tears being released and I just let them flow. How healing. A side note: my arms, back and butt were bruised the next day but I did not care.
WATSU: Watsu is a water massage/treatment that originated in Harbin Hot Springs, CA (Tilak and I have been there – he received one there). During the treatment you are floated above (and under if you choose) the water in a manner that makes the water massage your body (zig zag, circles, fetal position, back bends, etc.) It was completely relaxing (only because I chose to stay above the water – I have a fear of water if I am not in control) to my surprise. I chose to receive this treatment for 3 reasons: 1. It was an attempt to continue to work on my fear of water 2. I have never received one and thought I could at least try it 3. Tilak was persistent that I do this. Before the treatment began, Nati (the person giving the treatment) told me to think of a positive intention and to meditate on it during the session. I chose LOVE as my intention. During the entire session I thought to myself “I am Love”, “I will give Love”, “I will receive Love”, “I am open to Love”. I felt as though I was floating in the perfect blue sky with whisper-like clouds. I was the sky. I was open. I was peace. I was LOVE. After the session I felt stoned – in a good way. I was so high on the meditation and massage. I walked back to my room and laid on my bed and soaked up the wonderful feeling for awhile.
EARTHQUAKES: Two days before we left for our trip we heard that there was an earthquake (magnitude of 6.1) near San Jose. We called the resort and found out that the roads were still drivable and there was no damage to the resort but that the waterfalls that we were to hike and see were no longer in existence and the road to the volcano we were to see was not drivable. We were relieved to know that we could still travel there. We talked to most everyone that was to go on the trip and we all still chose to go.
We did not know, however, that we would be feeling small aftershock earthquakes during our entire trip. The first one we felt was the second night we were there. We were sitting at the dining room table with some friends and one of them said “Do you feel that?”. We all felt a small swaying of the table and the water in the water bottles were shaking. We did not think much about it and continued our conversations. That night after we all went to bed there was a much larger one that occurred. It was about 1:30 in the morning and I woke to Tilak calling my name, the windows shuttering and what I thought was the lights flickering but it must have been my eyes adjusting while I was waking in panic because Tilak says they did not flicker. I immediately knew that it was an earthquake as I was becoming conscious. I was scared to death! My heart was pounding. I called Tilak’s name, jumped out of bed and was thinking that we needed to get under the door frame like we were instructed by the staff if something like this were to happen. By the time those few things happened it was over. It was very difficult to fall back to sleep but sleep eventually found me again. We experienced several other earthquakes while we were there but we almost became immune to them (because they were small enough not to scare the $#!@ out of us).
SHOPPING: Several of us decided to take a shopping trip into San Jose one day. It was a lot of fun. The drive was about 30 minutes. When we got to the city we went straight to the ATM to exchange our money. We then split up and went exploring. The main part of the mall was for pedestrians only. It is blocked off to all types of vehicles and there are people everywhere!!! There were several small music groups playing guitars, tamborines, shakers, etc. for money. The market was neat. It was indoor/outdoor and had narrow halls. They had everything from flowers to spices to crafts, etc. I spent a hour in there and could have stayed longer. Next we went to the Art Gallery Market (I guess that’s what you call it). There were paintings, baskets, jewelry, hammocks, etc. I could have stayed there all day – so much to see!!! Anyway, after hours of looking around we all got back into the taxi van that we reserved for the day and we decided to stop at a local grocery on the way back to the resort to pick up some Costa Rica coffee and misc to take home to our friends and family.
During our stay at Pura Vida we had wonderful staff taking care of us. Everyone from the management to the kitchen crew to the grounds keepers they were all so nice and genuinely wanted us to be comfortable and happy while we were there. We spent a whole week with no TV, computers, work, telephones, and kids. The only one of these that I missed was my kids and that was after I had enjoyed the time to myself and began to think about how I missed having them around. I was proud of myself because the last time Tilak and I took a long trip without the kids I talked to them a lot. This time I trusted that my friends and family were going to take good care of them and that if something went wrong they knew how to get Tilak and I. I was actually able to relax and not worry about them at all.
I AM THANKFUL FOR THE ADVENTURE….
This afternoon we received a wonderful gift from our friends Peter and Sara - two Cherry Trees!
For 2 or 3 summers now they have allowed me the pleasure of picking the sour cherries that grow on the trees in their front yard. It is such a wonderful, simple pleasure to climb up in the trees, pick the cherries and put them in a
bucket (and eat some as I go). The kids enjoy helping me as well - I think they like the climbing in the tree part the best.
I use the cherries to make pies, cobblers or to have as a snack. I share them and I freeze some to use throughout the year.
Anyway, with a lot of joy we brought two small Cherry Trees home today (they are sort of intertwined - Peter said it represented Tilak and I) to plant in our back yard. Immediately when we returned home the kids and I found the place that we wanted to plant the trees. They made a deal with me that they would dig the hole to plant the trees if I would do their chore of “poop scooping” the back yard. I agreed.
The kids worked very diligently to make a perfect hole. Once we finished getting the hole just right we put some of our compost material in it and we put the tree down in the hole made with love. Kali was talking to the tree saying “I hope that you will be happy here in our yard”. Texil said he would “take good care of it”. We had a lot of fun with the planting of our new trees. When we were finished Kali placed a heart-shaped rock that she had found on our hike today at the base of the trees.
Oh, the simple pleasures in life! There is nothing like it!
