Everyday life in our corners of the world tends to move so fast that the very things that enliven us, empower us and enlighten us get lost in the shuffle.
We yearn for “work-life balance” but the only balance we’re seeking is to work less (and stress less) so we can live more.
Everyone says that they are busy and it seems we’re all only getting busier. We race not only from doctor’s appointments to important business meetings but from leisurely coffee dates to yoga classes. Days are regimented with militant accuracy. And, in turn… stress and anxiety.
Where is the room for magic? Where is the space for creative self-expression and artistry; for long walks that have no destination and chance encounters with like-souls who instantly “get” you?
We say (at least, here in the West) that life moves too fast. I say so, too. Life here does move too fast.
Life at home feels like a blur, and maybe it’s because we’re all racing towards a somewhere we can’t see but feel as though it must be better than this. It’s our culture; these are social values we’ve grown up under. We’re geared towards dissatisfaction. We’re driven by discontent; motivated by what could be, not what is.
(I’m just as guilty as anyone else. But more and more, I refuse to accept this.)
It’s said that time is relative. I believe it.
As a traveler, I’ve experienced how time really seems to pass differently in other parts of the world. Time feels slower in India. In Iceland, people seem disciplined to living artfully and deliberately: nothing is rushed. Out in the countryside of Peru, the sun seemed to hang slowly, as if the world wasn’t turning at all.
How do we find such magic?
What Happens When Life Moves More Slowly
You can’t help but be happy. You can’t help but feel content, peaceful and fulfilled.
Because when life moves more slowly and deliberately, there’s nothing left for wanting.
It’s a helluva’n irony:
We live in a culture that begs us to move fast, stay busy, with days and weeks that are fuller than full.
And yet, for how fast we move — for how full our schedules, and how full our minds — there seems to never be enough to provide to us the simplicity, contentment, peace and fulfillment that each of our souls is clamoring for, deep down.
How do we change that? How can we give ourselves enough of a “break” from everyday routines to even test the waters to see if it may, in fact, be true?
From April 30 to May 7, 2016, I’m leading a week-long yoga and writing retreat in beautiful Costa Rica that will help you slow down, flow and find yourself again.
Kate and I are teachers of yoga and self-expression: we personally use these two art forms to experience life, in any given moment, more truly and authentically to our own values.
It’s what we teach, and it’s what we’re bringing to Costa Rica:
- Access and honor your core desired feeling states (if you could feel 3 certain ways on any day, what would you feel?)
- Examine what matters most in your everyday life
- Feel into your body and soul, rather than staying trapped in your head
This is a dedicated week in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.
Really, I don’t think anyone “needs” any reason to slow down, get deeply present, and experience all of your senses. We so rarely slow down to honor ourselves fully. But that’s exactly what we’ll be providing to you in Costa Rica for this retreat.
Through breath and body movement, 3 daily farm-to-table meals, endless open beaches and the magic of the nearby rainforest, this week-long experience will awaken you to life that exists beyond the bubble of our over-scheduled and hectic everyday lives.
Together, with a small contingent of 20 awesome souls, perhaps we can discover the secret recipe for a fully nourished life — and bring it back home with us.
Retreat Details: What’s Included
Until February 22, 2016, tickets are $1795 just $1495 for a week-long stay in beautiful, bio-diverse Costa Rica.
Your ticket entry to our yoga and writing retreat includes:
- 7 nights and 8 days at the incredible Blue Osa Eco-Resort and Spa
- 3 incredible farm-to-table meals every day from local chef (plus another snack during the day, too)
- Daily morning yoga sessions with Kate and Dave in open-air yoga studio (incredible view!)
- Evening restorative flow yoga sessions PLUS guided journaling sessions
- Chemical-free lap pool (daily access)
- Shared room (of 2 or 3) and by gender unless otherwise specified
- Free transportation to and from Puerto Jimenez airport
- Group walking excursion to local waterfall for photos, monkey encounters and fresh coconuts
- Located 150 feet from the beach – with miles of open sandy beaches to walk, run, surf, swim and lounge!
- A tan in springtime. (I mean, priceless!)
- Wifi included throughout the grounds
- Daily housekeeping service
- Daily coffee and tea for guests
- More surprises for you when you arrive… we hate to keep secrets, but you’ll have to wait and see!
Full Details Reserve Now
This is a rare chance to experience what it’s like to live, feel and become fully embodied as an infinitely capable soul.
You deserve this.
By stepping outside of your comfort zone and entering a new, different part of the world, an incredible energy starts rushing in.
As routines, habits and redundancies start melting away, you feel your brain start to think differently.
You see the world anew. You experiences a rush of beautiful faces and sense their unique stories. Your heart swells. Shallow breaths become deeper as you pump the very nectar of life itself — prana, energy, lifeforce — into and out of your lungs.
All it takes is a little commitment to those first steps away from routine, away from home, away from the known-comfort.
An ounce of uncertainty — and 20 seconds of courage — are all it takes to begin transformation. Awakening. Self-actualization.
It’s all possible. It’s here for the taking.
Will you heed the call?
Truth Is, It’s Easier to Stay Asleep
Even though we’d all like to slow down and enjoy life more, I’ve learned firsthand just how much easier it is to race from one day into the next. Going on “autopilot” is the only way to survive the hectic lifestyle that we’re used to.
But, even more so?
Autopilot is a comfortable way to live… even if we say we hate it.
Worry-minds love to be ensconced in knowns, certainty and sureness… even if our hearts know that we desire change.
It’s easier to stay asleep in what’s known and sure than it is to wake up to newness and adventure.
These fears crop up in me every time I travel.
But every time I come home, I’m different. I’m more me. I’m real. And I’m addicted to that realness.
When we live our weeks and months on autopilot, we lose the nuance, beauty, joy and simplicity of life that we’re meant to be experiencing.
This isn’t an unrealistic ideal. It’s how we are supposed to live.
We cannot race ourselves into peace, joy or contentment.
We have to slow down to examine ourselves, understand the precise pace and place of our lives, and question if adjustments or changes are needed.
It seems ironic — kind of backwards — but you really need to commit to slowing down to actually slow down.
It’s too easy to just keep racing — one day to the next, one week to the next. “Keep your head down, grind away.” There’s comfort in the rat-race. It’s easy to race along in a world that won’t stop racing around you. Which is all the more reason why we need to heed the call — each of us, individually — to say no.
To make room for pleasure.
To commit to relaxation and contentment.
To experience a new place, new activities, new people, new conversations, new connections.
To feel truly embodied. Completely expressed. Entirely whole.
And unapologetically you.
Costa Rica is Calling: Heed the Call!
You’re invited into a nourishing, rewarding experience in one of the most bio-diverse locations on earth. You’ll sleep 150 feet from the Pacific ocean and a 5-minute walk from the rainforest. You’ll eat locally harvested food daily, and relish open days full of chance and opportunity.
You’ll be guided into invigorating yoga sessions and feel innate strength ignite. You’ll wake to see the sunrise daily. You’ll put pen to paper — whether you’re a “writer” or not — and express yourself from feel, trust, intuition and self-power.
You’ll feel alive, damn it.
And that, itself, is more than enough. :)
Full Details Reserve Now
Click here to reserve your space at our Costa Rica Yoga and Writing Retreat 2016.
We look forward to hosting you :)
P.S. — There’s less than 100 days to go.