Back to Costa Rica, back to yoga, back to my old self. That was the intention behind my recent solo trip. After contracting chikungunya in Thailand last year (a mosquito-borne virus that attacks your joints), I was unable to practice yoga for several months. People who know me well know yoga is how I primarily maintain my physical well being and stay grounded. So having to give that up, on top of living with persistent pain, threw me off my game. As I eased back into my practice over time, I had to accept that I wasn't as strong as I used to be. This was a life lesson in not taking my mobility, my freedom to move, for granted. Eventually I was ready to immerse myself back into it, and a yoga retreat back in Costa Rica seemed like just what I needed. And I knew exactly where I needed to go.
Rewinding back to the late 1970's / early '80's, through family friends of my Aunt Carol's I had a childhood friend Lori Myles. She was my buddy and a great playmate. We lost touch as young children, but it turns out the journey of our friendship had not come to an end. In fact, I think it had only just begun. We reconnected several years ago via social media through our mutual love for yoga. Lori is a yoga teacher (and so much more), running yoga retreats and providing healing treatments at a hotel in Costa Rica that she and her husband Fransesco co-own and operate. I knew for some time that I would make my way there to see Lori and practice yoga with her, and the time had come. The stars aligned - I had the idea in early January, she just happened to have a retreat coming up within weeks, and within a few days it was booked. The reunion, after almost forty years, will go down as one of my greatest gifts of 2020. Lori is a warm, caring, fun, genuine soul who radiates love and beauty. Our paths had taken us apart for many years, but they eventually intersected again and here we are, buddies and "play" mates again.
The hotel and retreat centre, Mystica, is a truly magical place. It is small and simple, not at all a "touristy" destination. It is a place to come home to - a place to come home to yourself, to nature, to be nurtured by their incredible hospitality, and to embrace the "Pura Vida" lifestyle of Costa Rica. Other parts of Costa Rica where I have spent time were remarkably hot. However Mystica is located in the north central mountain region overlooking Lake Arenal and the (still active) volcano. It is warm but comfortable during the day, and a little cool in the early mornings and evenings. The property has lush gardens with winding pathways for walking to the restaurant, the yoga sanctuary down by the river, the treehouse for massage and reiki treatments, and my quaint jungle cabin tucked away surrounded by the smell of ylang ylang trees and the sounds of howler monkeys.
Lori's retreat was everything I needed for my body, my mind and my heart. It provided a wide variety of experiences. We began each morning at 7am with the same "Empowered Energy Ritual" with meditation, energy awakening practices, pranayama (bellows breath), and yoga flow, finishing every time with "Namaste. Pura Vida."
Throughout the days we practiced different forms of yoga in the beautiful yoga sanctuary, including hatha, yin, chakra activation, yoga nidra, kundalini, and yoga for meridian activation.
We had workshops for breathwork, sound journeys with singing bowls, and Lori's now signature "Miracle of Love" workshop where one of the core lessons ended up being one of my greatest takeaways: "giving and receiving are one in the same". She led us through several explorations and experiences including a meditative walk through the onsite labyrinth.
There were 11 participants in the retreat, 10 women and 1 man, including: 4 from Toronto (including me), 1 from Winnipeg, 2 from upstate New York, 2 from NYC, 1 from Italy and 1 from Australia. Spending time with this group was one of the best parts of the experience. In addition to the yoga, we ate all our wonderful meals together...
...and enjoyed several fun excursions together, including:
Ecotermales Hot Springs, a wonderful collection of pools of varying degrees heated by the volcano...
The beach, Playa Hermosa, where we practiced Qi Gong, swam in the Pacific Ocean, soaked up some rays, and generally let loose...
...and a sunset catamaran cruise on Lake Arenal on our final day. We made so many great memories in a short period of time.
The wind on Lake Arenal is renowned with windsurfers and kitesurfers. In fact it was so strong during our cruise it blew my sunglasses right off my face straight into the water. Several minutes later Lori's husband Francesco approached me with his Maui Jim sunglasses in hand. "These are for you" he said, "to replace the ones you just lost". I objected and said I couldn't possibly take his sunglasses, but thanked him for the kind gesture. He said, "you must take them, giving and receiving are one in the same". After another debate the next morning, I agreed to keep the sunglasses so as to not break the energy of giving and receiving, and agreed to give them to someone else if I should come across someone who needs them. These are the kind of people you come to know when you visit Mystica.
Finally, I would be remiss to describe my week without talking about the food at Mystica. Francesco is Italian, and the meals are a wonderful hybrid of fresh authentic Italian food (homemade pastas and sauce, wood fired pizzas) and Costa Rican cuisine (casado, beans & rice, fried plantains, etc). Most of the fresh produce comes straight from their own organic garden, and many of the ingredients for the Italian dishes are imported from Italy. Mystica is many wonderful things, including an excellent culinary experience combined with the warmest and most accommodating hospitality.
I came home nourished, rested, energized, with a fresh perspective, several new friends and a renewed friendship that I cherish.
This trip was a gift to myself, and of course a gift I received through the love and support of Matt, April and Fiona who always encourage me to do things for myself. Giving and receiving, in this case, really were one in the same. And after enjoying a beautiful week in the jungle with sunshine, waterfalls and good people, I came home to the best family a girl could hope for.
A couple of endnotes before I close:
-This is officially the 100th post of the Only Love family blog! 🙌🏻
-Please note credit for most of the photos included in this post go to the wonderfully talented yogi photographer Bree Naomee.
Namaste 🙏🏻 Pura Vida 💖
Laura
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