After breakfast the group will depart for Puerto Viejo Talamanca.  This 5 hour drive, in an air-conditioned luxury coach bus gives everyone time to get to know one another and see the breathtaking countryside.   

We will arrive to Samasati in time for check-in, a late lunch and an overview of the property by the staff.  The food is locally sourced and each meal is a treat.  Though the cuisine is vegetarian, chicken or fish is available during dinner for a small additional fee. As you get settled into your new home, you may choose to take a dip in the pool, hot tub or hike in the mountainous surroundings.  

Our first yoga class will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner in the villa.   

After morning yoga and breakfast, you may choose to visit the Jaguar Rescue Center or choose to go directly to the beach for suntan and a dip in the ocean. Afterwards, enjoy lunch on your own or a sack lunch provided by Samasati.  Then spend the afternoon shopping in the adorable and vibrant town of Puerto Viejo.  Evening gentle yoga with sound therapy will be offered followed by dinner back at Samasati. 

Optional Excursion: Jaguar Rescue Center 

The JRC Sanctuary is unlike any animal experience you’ve had before. The most educational and entertaining tour for all audiences and ages. During the hour and a half of the visit our expert guides will show you the resident wildlife animals, explain their stories, characteristics and the challenges they face. You can see iconic animals like monkeys, sloths, birds like macaws or toucans, deer, snakes, etc. https://www.jaguarrescue.foundation

Following yoga and breakfast, you can choose to relax at samasati or hike to a gorgeous waterfall.   

We return to Samasati in time for lunch and a relaxing afternoon of journaling, meditation training or yoga.  Or, you may choose to join others in our group to go ziplining through the rainforest.  Certainly a must for any adventure seeker! 

After yoga and breakfast, you have the option to relax at Samasati or go on an optional excursion to the Cacao Forest Experience tour at a local cacao farm and culture experience.    The owner or guide will teach you everything you need to know about cacao, chocolate history, tropical wildlife and of course chocolate making.  

We head back for lunch at Samasati and then the afternoon will be spent at a local community center called  "Girls for Success" Center with girls between the ages  of 7 to 12. We will enjoy doing a variety of games, crafts and implementing educational enrichment stations with the girls.  We encourage interaction and co-creation and offer the opportunity to sponsor a student.   In the past, we've done flower arranging, balloon animal lessons, games, created a video mock interview, and facials.  Many other fun and interesting ideas will blossom before our trip! This has truly become one of the most enjoyed parts of our retreat. 

After dinner, there is a special evening of transformative sound and meditation with Gina and Jim. Sound therapy aids  in releasing pent-up emotions and blockages.   It is a time of deep mediation and relaxation that may transform your emotional and spiritual well-being.

After yoga and breakfast, we head to Cahuita National Park for an unforgettable day.  One of the reasons why people love the Caribbean coast is the abundant wildlife. Cahuita National Park is one of the best in Costa Rica to see animals because of the year long lush rainforest.   Cahuita is a wonderful place to see monkeys, sloths, toucans, lizards and even friendly raccoons. 

You can choose to hike to the point, relax and play in the waves on the gorgeous secluded beach, or meander through the lovely town of Cahuita for an alfresco lunch.

We will head back to Samasati mid-afternoon for a later lunch, with the remainder of the afternoon available for an optional massage spa, swimming pool or some some relaxation and reflection on your private hammock.   Some people choose to go horseback riding on the beach during this time as well. 

The evening yoga consists of a closing circle, followed by a celebratory closing dinner and possibly some dancing!   

With an early departure from Samasati, most of the group chooses head to a full day of adventure white water rafting.    The Pacuare River offers Class III & IV rapids and is world famous for its sheer beauty.   A true river gorge, it is flanked by steep, green walls. Here you will enjoy the feeling of total isolation from urban life and the realness of being connected with nature.  The 18-mile, one day run includes a total of 52 rapids.  Few rivers in the world can offer you so many.   This raft trip is optional and is professionally operated.  Those who decline the raft trip will head directly to the hotel in San Jose on a comfortable coach bus where they may shop or relax by the pool.

Arriving from the river trip to San Jose around 5:00 p.m., we will have our last dinner in San Jose as we enjoy our new friendships and memories created.   

Our last and final day together in San Jose, we meet at breakfast to say our goodbyes before heading to the San Jose airport on the hotel shuttle.   There remains a special bond created amongst us that cannot be broken.   

We laughed and we cried.  

We opened our hearts. 

We played in nature. 

We learned how to connect deeply with our soul.

We moved beyond our comfort zone.

We nourished and cleansed our bodies.

We unveiled our most authentic self.  

And when we left, we were able to see beyond our limited minds and to once again experience the fullness of our being.  

As time passed, each of us felt a lingering innate sense of contentment that was independent of circumstances or external conditions.  And once we tasted this inner peace and the natural feeling of joy that comes from giving and serving rather than acquiring and achieving, our spiritual growth became a steady and enjoyable journey towards an ever greater awareness of our true nature.  

Through purposeful travel and meaningful experience, you will begin to to feel connected to your true nature ever more deeply and begin to feel the universal energy that connects every human, animal, plant, wave, mountain and cloud. You will discover an inner-strength and a crystal clear vision that you may have perhaps forgotten, and it will drive you to grow to keep going — everyday, cultivating a deeper sense of peace, wellness and and spirituality.  

We hope you will join us!

Peace & light,

Lynda