Retreat... Renew... Nosara, Costa Rica by Charissa Rigano and Alan Kao
"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are." With this quote from Joseph Campbell emblazoned on their t-shirts, Don and Amba Stapleton welcomed JJ, her husband Dennis, and eleven lucky yoga students to the Nosara Retreat in beautiful Costa Rica. The retreat was held in an adobe-style facility overlooking the sandy beaches of the Pacific Ocean.
Entering the main living area was like walking into a spiritual fairy tale with soothing music, candles, flowers, and incense in the air. Upon our arrival, we immediately realized that the Nosara Retreat was a special place and that our experience would be memorable.
Nosara is located in a remote part of the Northern Pacific Zone of Costa Rica. Although the retreat has been open for three years, local telephone service had only been available for the past three weeks. Some of the students arrived by van after a seven hour drive from San Jose, traveling across pothole-ridden, unpaved roads that make DC streets look luxurious. A few people flew from San Jose on a puddle jumper airplane, landing on a gravel runway in a grassy field. Others arrived on the back of a pickup truck driven by kind residents of a nearby village. "We bless every pothole," says Don, because it keeps Nosara quiet and secluded. The Nosara Retreat is nestled in a tropical dry forest, surrounded by a natural wildlife preserve. Surrounded by lush vegetation, the sounds of birds and howler monkeys greeted us each morning and the sounds of ocean waves lulled us to sleep each night. Don and Amba have worked hard to incorporate the natural wisdom of the Costa Rican culture into the retreat wherever possible. The staff consists of local citizens, and ten percent of all profits are donated to the Nosara Village Elementary School or other children's charities.
Together, Don and Amba have almost 50 years of experience in Hatha Yoga. Both have previous affiliations with the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, and continue to teach each year at the Omega Institute for Holistic which provides a unique setting for the mind and body to heal themselves through nature's power. Howler monkeys often spend the day in the trees surrounding this pavilion. Don and Amba are assisted by Jane, a physical therapist, and Jonathon, Amba's eight-year-old son who was always eager to show everybody the latest lizard, beetle, or scorpion that he had caught.
Each morning began with breakfast in silence in order to experience the peace and tranquility of nature awakening to the day. After breakfast, Amba or Jane would lead a six to eight mile nature hike on local roads and trails, always ending on the beach for a swim. In the middle of the morning, we had a two hour yoga class followed by lunch. Afternoons were generally free for people to swim in the pool, relax on a hammock, have a massage, hike, return to the beach, explore tide pools, go horseback riding through the jungle or on the beach, or go on a canoe trip. Amba and Jane also offered Yogassage, a unique unique bodywork technique blending partner-assisted yoga, acupressure massage, and breath. Additional yoga classes were offered on some of the afternoons, including one day of yoga on the beach. After watching the sunset, Don would lead us in a meditation class, followed by dinner. Yoga classes were taught by JJ, Don, or Amba. Taking yoga classes from three exceptional teachers during the week gave us the opportunity to explore how different techniques influence our personal practice and experience. Don's classes focused on various postures to increase the fluidity of the spine. Amba taught a Vinyasa-style class, in which the breath and movement of the body were synchronized in a flowing sequence of yoga poses. Don commented on how JJ's classes blended well with the spirit of the jungle. All three teachers emphasized the importance of having fun with yoga above anything else. The synergy created by these three teachers working together was inspiring, and their smiles and laugher were contagious.
The meditation classes led by Don each evening provided a new experience for many of us. Throughout the week, Don introduced us to the Bija (seed) mantras, associated with each of the chakras, which assisted us in connecting with our individual vibrational energies. As we lay on the floor of the yoga pavilion chanting these mantras, however, we were occasionally interrupted by a local dog licking some of us on the lips. As another means of internal reflection, some of us elected to spend a day or two in silence to get in touch with our innermost thoughts and creativity.
Many of the people at the retreat agreed that one of the best parts of the week was the food. Every day, vegetarian meals were carefully prepared, with as much attention being paid to the artistic presentation of the meals as to the food itself. Breakfasts consisted of plenty of fresh fruit - including papaya, bananas, pineapple, and watermelon, much of which is grown at the retreat - along with oatmeal and granola. The main meal of the day was lunch, which included rice and beans (a Costa Rican staple), plantains with cheese, bean and guacamole tacos, roasted potatoes, and numerous other delicacies. Snacks were provided each afternoon, along with fruit smoothies served to us by the pool. Dinners were much lighter, generally consisting of soup, salad, or pasta.
Some of us also chose to participate in a one-day cleansing fast to give our internal organs a break and to cleanse residual toxins from our bodies. During the fast, we only ate watermelon throughout the day (while giving evil eyes to the non-fasters who were happily devouring their veggie burgers and fries), followed by a potassium broth at dinnertime.
Prior to and following the week at the Nosara Retreat, some of the students spent a few days at a beautiful bed-and-breakfast in San Jose called Casa de las Tias. Others went on various excursions to explore volcanoes, tropical rain forests, and cloud forests. Casa de las Tias is a charming country house owned by an warm and friendly couple, Pilar Saavedra-Vela and Xavier Vela, who previously lived in Washington, DC and worked for U.S. AID. This relaxing home was the perfect place to begin and end any trip to Costa Rica. The Nosara Retreat represents the realization of a dream for Don and Amba. Everybody on the trip agreed that the retreat felt more like a home than a hotel or a yoga studio, and that the guests and staff are treated like family. We are extremely grateful to Don, Amba, Jane, and Jonathon for bringing us into their home to share in their joy for life.