Yoga is a game changer. And Costa Rica is one of the most tranquil places in the Western hemisphere—kind of like Hawaii’s hipper younger sister. Combining the two is a short cut to nirvana. Patrick Harrington and Cameron Dabney of Denver’s Kindness Yoga are familiar. The popular local yogis, along with standup paddle board racer and instructor Lindsay Gonzales, are leading a retreat to the eco-conscious Caribbean island in May. “Costa Rica is the most peaceful country I know,” tells Dabney. “The towns move and breathe to the pace of the tide. There is time to drop into daydream and connect with a local on the street. And when the sun is hot, people rest.”
Accommodations at Sugar Beach are appropriately serene. “The rooms are beautiful, simple and natural with stone and tile. Each room opens to a patio. But who’s going to stay in a room? The air calls you to be outside always. An open yoga studio faces the beach, and you can watch the sun set behind the waves as you toast with friends in an open air dining room.” Gallo pinto with a papaya smoothie is Dabney’s cuisine of choice. “The beach is private to the resort and at low tide, dusk and dawn there is nothing more beautiful. You can just sit and reflect or dive into the cleansing ocean. If you don’t love sand, lounge around the infinity pool and appreciate the sea from a short distance.”
Heart opening poses will be facilitated amidst breathtaking beauty. Anything can happen. “Last year we had a couple meet, fall in love and get married.”
For further information, KindnessCollective.com
George Peele enjoys dancing on stilts and delivering Custom Singing Telegrams. He is a staff writer for 303 Magazine and a freelancer for Vegas Seven. Follow Peele on Twitter: @Orangepeelmoses. Avatar image courtesy Jonathan Shoup.