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Wild | Life
A YOGA RETREAT where the jungle meets THE sea
OSA PENINSULA, COSTA RICA
FEBRUARY 8-14, 2025
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
-Mary Oliver
FROM $2,175-$3,650 All inclusive: every meal, your daily itinerary, each yoga class, and a guided rainforest excursion of a lifetime.
COST:
February 8-14, 2025
WHEN:
DETAILS:
Osa Peninsula | Costa Rica
WHERE:
How do you plan to reconnect with your one wild and precious life?
It starts by unplugging from everything that makes you grind, and immersing in something larger, closer, and more connected.
Limited to 20 guests, this intimate, one-of-a-kind yoga retreat experience is designed to bring you closer to your wild self and to the life connections that matter, so you can rediscover what makes you feel most alive.
Join me to answer the call of the wild.
About the Osa Peninsula
Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica is described by National Geographic as one of the most magical, “biologically intense” locations on the planet. Though it comprises only 3% of Costa Rica’s total land area it is home to more than 50% of the country’s animal and plant species. Cradled between the rugged blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean and the serene currents of the Golfo Dulce (“sweet gulf”), this untouched paradise is the ideal setting to align your yoga practice with the wonders and rhythms of the wild and natural world.
This Retreat is for You, If:
You want to awaken to the sound of howler monkeys and views of rainforest mists creeping over black sand beaches.
You want to open and attune your body and mind to the life force surrounding and within you with two daily yoga practices in a jungle-view studio.
You want to enliven your senses through slow food and lingering conversations around a communal table.
You want to stay nestled in untamed beachfront nature just steps from the comfort of your bright and spacious air-conditioned accommodation.
Sample Itinerary
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Saturday, February 8
4 pm on Check into your room at our beachfront hotel in the jungle and take a refreshing dip in the calm, warm waters of the Golfo Dulce to really ground in your jungle home.
6 pm As dusk settles in, we meet for a welcome dinner and will gather for our Opening Circle and Bonfire on the beach under a blanket of stars.
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Sunday, February 9
6:30 am Sunrise Dip in the Sea
7 am Morning Vinyasa
9 am Breakfast
Spacious mid day to sunbathe, read, rest, gather, explore, or get a massage
12 pm Lunch
Free time to play, rest and digest, and reflect
4:30 pm Afternoon Somatic Practice
6 pm Dinner
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Monday, February 10
Nature is a great healer to our spirits. Today, we adventure into the grandeur of one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet.
5 am Wake up early for our trip of a lifetime to Corcovado National Park!
A 90 minute boat ride takes us along the Golfo Dulce to La Sirena park entry. Since it is prime whale watching season, you might spot one of 2 species of Humpback Whales as well as dolphins along the way.
Entry fee to the park and a guided tour with a Naturalist is included in your rate. Corcovado is described by National Geographic as one of the most magical, “biologically intense” locations on the planet. Though it comprises only 3% of Costa Rica’s total land area it is home to more than 50% of the country’s animal and plant species. Be on the look out for monkeys, sloths, boa constrictors, toucans, wild cats, ocelots, tapir, anteaters, scarlet macaw, giant morphs butterflies, and more! Stand still for 5 seconds and feel the jungle teeming with life all around you. Lunch is included in your tour.
Return mid afternoon for a nap, and down time.
4:30 pm Somatic practice
6 pm Dinner
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Tuesday, February 11
6:30 am Sunrise Dip in the Sea
7 am Morning Vinyasa
9 am Breakfast
Spacious mid day to sunbathe, read, rest, gather, explore, or get a massage
12 pm Lunch
Free time to play, rest and digest, and reflect
4:30 pm Afternoon Somatic Practice
6 pm Dinner
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Wednesday, February 12
6:30 am Sunrise Dip in the Sea
7 am Morning Vinyasa
9 am Breakfast
Spacious mid day to sunbathe, read, rest, gather, explore, or get a massage
12 pm Lunch
Afternoon OFF to enjoy longer hikes, adventures, and down time to integrate your retreat journey.
6 pm Dinner
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Thursday, February 13
6:30 am Sunrise Dip in the Sea
7 am Morning Vinyasa
9 am Breakfast
Spacious mid day to sunbathe, read, rest, gather, explore, or get a massage
12 pm Lunch
Free time to play, rest and digest, and reflect
4:30 pm Afternoon Somatic Practice
6 pm Dinner
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Friday, February 14
Spacious morning to say your heartfelt goodbye to the beautiful land that held us for this transformative week, enjoy your morning coffee, bye bye breakfast, and complimentary shuttle to Puerto Jimenez .
Many folks will have early flights back to San Jose or other parts of some country if they are extending their stay through the weekend, so there is no morning practice on the last day.
The Retreat Center
Immerse yourself in the depths of the rainforest. Fall asleep to the lullaby of waves crashing 150 meters from your room and awaken to tropical birdsong and monkeys chattering in the trees above. Cool off in the saltwater pool and spread out in plenty of common spaces to gather and make new friends.
Immerse Yourself
Your environment is everything. Off the beaten path of typical Costa Rican “ecotourism” and secluded within Osa’s rainforest coast, your retreat center offers the rare opportunity to fully immerse in the raw and untouched beauty of the wild.
Unwind Yourself
There’s no need to choose between rugged beauty and luxurious comfort. Jungle luxe accommodations are bright and spacious and feature A/C, hotel quality mattresses and linens, and locally sourced organic shampoo and bath products.
Yoga Facilities Designed by Yoga People
It’s all about the yoga, isn’t it? We like retreat centers that get yoga. Practice yoga with a view of the jungle from three floor to ceiling glass walls, while safely keeping bugs and pests out so you can focus on your poses not the insects. Studio flooring is bamboo and you can travel light knowing our retreat center provides the highest quality cork mats, blocks, straps, blanket, and bolsters to support your practice.
Savor the Slow Life
What’s more nourishing than good food and friends? The kitchen here is 100% gluten free and for chef Jen food is medicine and an expression of love, art, location and wellbeing - she sources local seasonal produce and freshly caught fish and draws from her background as an Ayurvedic practitioner and functional medicine nutritionist to offer meals that heal. Colorful, plant-forward, local, seasonal, and, above all, bursting with flavor, dining here promises to be a highlight of any stay, whether you’re an omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan or are living with allergies or intolerances.
The beach is 150 meters directly in front of the retreat center, and protected Golfo Dulce waters are 84 degrees with calm small waves for a gentle swim. Walk for miles in either direction without spotting another human.
After leading retreats in the tropics for 18 years, I get it! You want a studio with a view of nature but let’s keep nature’s creepy crawly biting insects away from your practice.
Spacious, bright, cool and comfy. Even the roomy Triples boast separate closet space for each occupant and extra-long twin beds. Want more space? No problem, there are a limited number of Double Occupancy and Single Occupancy rooms available too. All rooms have A/C.
Here, food isn’t just fuel; it’s a feature of your immersive experience. It is a dream to partner with Chef Jen who takes healing foods as seriously as I take yoga practice.
Your Rooms
We have exclusive access to the retreat center during your time there, so you can really kick back and make yourself at home. And, what a joy to be able to enjoy this remote lost paradise home in nature playing in the sand or trekking in the forest and getting sweaty on your mat and yet still be able to retreat into our luxurious, bright and spacious rooms boasting powerful A/C, daily room service, fresh towels, and a bathroom with shower and vegan body care products locally made from rainwater and organic herbs grown near the volcanic cloud forests.
Rooms can be configured for Single Occupancy with a King or Queen Bed, for Double Occupancy with two separate Extra Long Twin Beds or a shared King Bed, and the Triple Occupancy rooms boast custom made extra long Twin Beds which are the size of half of a King Bed. All the rooms offer hotel quality mattresses and sheets. This type of creature comfort is hard to come by in a region that is usually thatched roof ecolodges and off the grid. But here at our retreat home, you can enjoy luxury in nature.
If you do not indicate a roommate when you register for a double or triple room, you will automatically be paired in a room with same gender.
There are only 10 rooms available for this retreat : 8 spacious bungalows with private bathrooms, 3 of which are sold as triples with 3 extra long twin beds, 3 of which are sold as doubles with either a king bed or 2 extra long twins, and 2 of which are sold as singles. There are 2 rooms with a shared bathroom between the 2 rooms across the hall which are sold as singles with a queen bed in each room. Reserve today to ensure your spot.
spacious Triple occupancy, private bathroom
$2,175 per person (prices increase by $300 after May 10)
Room AMENITIES
3 Extra Long Twin Beds (custom made to be half the size of a King Bed) with hotel quality mattress and linens in a bright and spacious jungle bungalow villa
Private Bathroom with organic, local bath products
Air conditioning
Distance to sea: 150 m
Bedside tables with Touch lamps and USB Chargers for each person
Spacious Closet for each person
One Shared Safe
Coffee available ahead of practice for early risers in the dining area, our Comedor
Brand new construction
Laundry bag and towels provided, laundry service available at a small fee
Jungle Garden View, Sunrise facing towards the Sea View, and Pool View
Daily Housekeeping
Double occupancy, private bathroom
$2,575 per person (prices increase by $300 after May 10)
Room AMENITIES
Choose from 2 Extra Long Twin Beds (custom made to be half the size of a King Bed) or a King Bed to share, all with with hotel quality mattress and linens, in a jungle bungalow
Private Bathroom with organic, local bath products
Air conditioning
Distance to sea: 150 m
Bedside tables with Touch lamps and USB Chargers for each person
Spacious Closet for each person
Shared Safe for the room
Coffee available ahead of practice for early risers in the dining area, our Comedor
Brand new construction
Laundry bag and towels provided, laundry service available at a small fee
Jungle and Sunrise facing towards the Sea View
Daily Housekeeping
Single occupancy, shared bathroom
$3,250 Early Bird (prices increase by $300 after May 10)
Room AMENITIES
Your own Queen Sized bed with hotel quality mattress and linens in an upstairs room with views of monkeys who live in the treetops
Shared Bathroom, across the hallway, shared with 1 other single room
Air conditioning
Organic, local bath products
Bedside table with a Touch lamp and USB Chargers
Spacious Closet
Safe
Coffee available ahead of practice for early risers in the dining area, our Comedor
Brand new construction
Laundry bag and towels provided, laundry service available at a small fee
Jungle Garden View
Daily Housekeeping
Single occupancy, Private bathroom
$3,650 Early Bird (prices increase by $300 after May 10)
Room AMENITIES
Your own King Bed with hotel quality mattress and linens in an oversized villa room
Private Bathroom with organic, local bath products
Air conditioning
Distance to sea: 150 m
Bedside table with a Touch lamp and USB Chargers
Jungle Garden View
Spacious Closet
Safe
coffee available ahead of practice for early risers in the dining area, our Comedor
Brand new construction
Laundry bag and towels provided, laundry service available at a small fee
Distance to sea: 150 m
Daily Housekeeping
The Food
Awaken your senses. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included in your retreat rate.
Dining on retreat hits different. Float out of practice to a communal dining table, fragrant cooking wafting into the air. After practice, we crave nutrient dense, vibrant, colorful, healthy meals to fuel our active days. On retreat you can really savor and slow down. The dining table becomes a social space to gather and open into heartfelt conversation, savor incredible stories, and make new friends that will last a lifetime.
For our retreat hosts, food isn’t just fuel; it’s a feature of our immersive experience at their retreat center. The owner and proprietress of the retreat center, Jen Millar, lives onsite and has a passion for healing nutrition. Chef Jen is an Ayurvedic practitioner and functional medicine nutritionist, and on retreat she offers up family-style, set-menu meals that are individually tailored to meet dietary needs, with each and every dish having been thoughtfully considered from multiple perspectives. Colorful, plant-forward, local, seasonal, 100% gluten-free and, above all, bursting with flavor, dining here promises to be a highlight of your stay, whether you’re an omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan or are living with allergies or intolerances. Produce is seasonal and sourced locally from independent businesses, from the organic rice grown in-country to the mahi mahi caught just along the beach. And even though food is health conscious, we all know retreaters love lingering over a really good dessert!
Your Wild Practice
Location affects practice. Being 150 meters from the calm warm waters of the Golfo Dulce I wholeheartedly recommend that you start your morning with a sunrise dip in the sea. Let the salty water soothe your sore muscles from all our yoga immersion and plug into the enlivening energy of the Sea. It is a beautiful and life affirming way to wake up connected to the energy of the natural world.
Our yoga Shala is designed by genuine yoga enthusiasts who understand how to best support your practice in the tropical environment: bamboo floors absorb shock and prevent mold; mosquito nets and sliding glass walls keep bugs out but let breezes through; Bose sound system allows us to opt for music or to melt into the soundscape of the surrounding jungle; 12 powerful fans are strategically placed to cool us down; locally-made cork mats, cork blocks, bolsters, straps, blankets are available plentifully so there is no need to lug your own mat or props from home.
Playful Morning Flow: Start your day with a 75-minute athletic Vinyasa Flow to help you feel your most strong, flexible, centered, and free. Drop into a moving meditation under the metronome of your Ujjayi Breathing in an enclosed jungle view studio . Expect to sweat, connect to core, and experience a well rounded yoga flow that awakens every sinew and cell.
Afternoon Somatic Practice is an invitation to all levels of your Being to slow down. Our afternoon sessions are designed to deepen compassion and awareness, nourish your nervous system, and re-awaken neural pathways. These practices are all experienced low to the ground on a mat covered in a yoga blanket, gently and fluidly. Somatic Movement practice feels akin to vinyasa in the linking of breath and movement, yin yoga in the the deliberate slowing down and attuning to deeper held sensations, Yoga Nidra in the dive under the radar of habit and forcing, and myofascial release in the integrated opening of large swaths of fascia that run head to toe.
Don’t wait! Spots are limited.
Nature is our greatest teacher: feel held in the expansive web of life energy pulsing through and around you.
Why is Osa Different?
A real tropical wilderness. Only a fraction of travelers to Costa Rica make their way to the Osa Peninsula and its magnificent Golfo Dulce, identified by National Geographic as “one of the ocean’s 20 wildest places” and recognised by Mission Blue as an “exceptional ecosystem” for marine biodiversity. While forests are the heart of land life on our planet, nearly half of the world’s forests have already been cleared or degraded for human use. Our retreat home is a gateway to the impressive Corcovado National Park, located in the Osa Conservation Area, and ranking on the top of the list of ten best national parks in the world. According to National Geographic, this park is “the most intense in the world, biologically speaking” and it is a precious gift of a lifetime to be able to visit this park that allows entry to only 100 visitors each day and walk under the canopy of primary rainforest and the biodiversity it houses.
Costa Rica is the first tropical country in the world to have halted and reversed deforestation. Today, 59% of its landmass is tree-covered – a figure that was as low as 40% in the 1980s. In an effort to contribute to this great feat of conservation, our retreat will support the rainforest reforestation project Planta Mi Árbol, by sponsoring a tree being planted for each guest on retreat. The Osa Peninsula is truly one of the last remaining frontiers for authentic and inspirational adventure in one of the most biologically intense corners of the planet.
Our retreat center is located just outside Puerto Jiménez, a historic gold mining and logging community, and one of two major gateways to the the awe-inspiring, 425sq km Corcovado National Park – picture a biodiverse Eden home to some 140 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, 116 species of reptiles and amphibians, 40 species of fish, four species of sea turtles and more than 500 species of trees.
Spend local days out exploring the peninsula’s spectacular beaches, snorkeling in calm coves, turtle-, dolphin- or whale-watching, kayaking through lush mangroves, before heading back to our gardens to, perhaps, swing lazily on a hammock while watching, through one eye, a squirrel monkey leaping to land on a branch overhead.
"Lily provides an invigorating, transformative yoga practice and a holistic approach that invites retreaters to uncover, work through, and renew their life energy. To me, this is what a yoga retreat is all about."
-Liz Lord, Maryland
a note from your guide:
With 18 years experience leading yoga retreats all over the world - from Maui, Hawaii to Positano, Italy to NorCal Wine Country to the Greek Cycladic Islands - one thing I love about retreats is how different settings inspire our yoga practice, tenderize our hearts, and open our minds. Both travel and yoga are catalysts to shift perspective, open our life force where we feel blocked or stagnant, and realign with meaning and direction in our lives.
So often in the hustle and stress of life back home, we disconnect from three threads that support and uplift our wellbeing: connection to nature, connection to creative embodiment, and meaningful connection to community that fosters a profound sense of belonging and joy.
On retreat, I love seeing students faces relax and years of tension and deeply embedded stress melt off folks’ shoulders as they deepen into the magic of retreat and let the magic of yoga wash over them like a healing salve.
Choosing to come on retreat means we must consciously choose to close down some of the pulls on our attention back home - and this allows us to open the door to a deeper relationship to embodiment and spirit through yoga immersion, self inquiry, meditation, compassion, humor, and open-ended time and space in nature to feel it all. The version of self that returns home is inevitably rearranged, awakened, and transformed by the experience of retreating. A retreat is unlike any other form of travel. Retreats are my favorite way to share yoga practice so that it touches all layers of Being most profoundly. Celebrate a newfound connection to the vibrancy within your body, mind, and soul by joining us on a sacred journey inward.
"Lily has an almost prescient way to meet her students 'where they are' with respect to language, modifications and assists. I came away from the retreat feeling stronger in my practice, yet content with where I am and with a clear path to how I might get there."
-Karen McKenna, Maryland
Your day in the rainforest
Bonus wild adventure!
Included in your retreat rate is a guided wildlife tour of Corcovado National Park.
Your tour includes a boat ride to the park, entry fee, and guided naturalist hike with wildlife spotting.
Corcovado National Park is located in the southwest of Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica and is on the top of the list of ten best national parks in the world.
“The most intense park in the world, biologically speaking.”
- National Geographic
Why I decided to include this Adventure
Corcovado National Park, known as the gem national park of Costa Rica, is one of the most magnificent places in the world and is home to an astoundingly diverse range of wildlife. With its pristine beaches, thriving biodiversity, and thrilling hiking trails, this unique place on Earth has it all. Here the rainforest breathes us alive, we hear the squawking of scarlet macaw calls mixed with the pounding of the wild Pacific as it lashes at black sand beach, and the woods are teeming with life. The grandeur of nature is almost overwhelming and will leave an impression for the rest of your life.
You may see a puma napping, a toucan or sloth in the forest canopy, a boa constrictor digesting it’s lunch from a tree branch, a tapir strolling on the beach or a mom and baby humpback whale breaching!
As compared with more crowded and highly touristed parks like Manual Antonio that allow 1,200 visitors/day, La Sirena limits visitors to this magical place to just 100/day and sells out months in advance. For this reason, as soon as you register, I will be gathering your passport number and full legal name so that I can reserve our space to enter the park as this is a bucket list location that sells out months in advance.
Escape to the rainforest and enjoy
your YOGA studio WITH A VIEW
JUNGle luxe accommodations
3 healthy meals a day
Twice Daily Yoga Practice
Retreat photography and album
entry fee and guided full day tour of corcovado
pristine uncrowded beaches for miles in either direction
jungle immersion in a beachfront resort
make yourself at home: the entire retreat center is exclusively ours for this retreat
Don’t wait! Spots are limited.
GIVE ME ALL THE DETAILS!
All you need to book with confidence and clarity.
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All prices listed are per person, USD.
A non refundable deposit of $1,000 pays towards the full rate and secures your space.
EarlyBird Rate/Regular Rate
To qualify for the $300 EarlyBird savings, your deposit must be received by 5/10/24.
Prices increase by $300 if deposit is not received by 5/10/24.
Balance Due
All balances are due by 10/8/24.
Rooms
See the section above that details the room prices and options.
$2,175 per person Triple private bathroom
$2,575 per person double private bathroom
$3,250 single shared bathroom
$3,650 single private bathroom
What is Included in your rate
6 Nights Accommodation in your jungle luxe room at a beachfront retreat
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Daily
2 Yoga Practices Daily (except for one afternoon off and one morning off)
Professional Retreat Photography
Shuttle transfer to and fro retreat center from Puerto Jimenez Airport 2/8 and 2/14
Full Day Wildlife Tour in Corcovado National Park with a naturalist
Taxes included
What is not included in your rate
Airfare
Travel insurance to protect your retreat investment and cover health insurance while abroad, we strongly suggest a Cancel for Any Reason policy
Alcoholic beverages
Massages (available onsite)
Additional optional activities or excursions (surf lessons, catamaran tour to Matapalo, cacao factory visit, kayaking the mangrove)
Our retreat photographer is also available for mini sessions with individuals, couples, or groups of friends.
Gratuities for staff to be left at your discretion when you check out (We recommend $10/day)
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Travel to Puerto Jiménez
The journey begins on the way there, not the final destination.
You are responsible for your own transportation to and fro the retreat center.
The best way to get here is to fly to the main international airport in San Jose (SJO) and then take the short domestic flight from SJO to Puerto Jiménez (PJM). There are also shuttles and a public bus if you prefer to travel by road.
By air
With multiple flights per day, it’s an easy journey from the domestic terminal at San José’s Juan Santamaría airport to Puerto Jiménez on Sansa Airlines.
www.flysansa.com for details and to make a reservation.
The flight to Puerto Jiménez (PJM) is only 40 minutes long and your mystic retreat journey starts with this flight path over the cloud forests and mountains in the central valley, and along the Pacific coast, cruising over the “Whale’s Tail” near Uvita, the Sierpe River Delta and the Gulfo Dulce. It’s a wonderful opportunity for some jaw-dropping photos.
Once you land in Puerto Jiménez it’s a quick and complimentary transfer of approximately 5 km to our retreat center.
By land
One bus departs San Jose for Puerto Jiménez around midday. Or you can arrange for your own shared taxi-van shuttles. Or you might rent a 4 WD vehicle and take your time driving and exploring along the way. Waze is the most commonly used navigational app in Costa Rica.
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THE NOT-SO-AVERAGE DAY AT A GLANCE
Saturday, February 8
Check into your room at our beachfront hotel (rooms are available after 4 pm, but if you arrive early, set your bags down and make yourself at home).
Take a refreshing dip in the calm, warm waters of the Golfo Dulce to ground into your jungle home after the long day of travel.
As dusk settles in, we meet for a welcome dinner and will gather for our Opening Circle and melt into yoga Nidra in the yoga Shala to prepare for a good night’s sleep.
Sunday, February 9
6:30 am Sunrise Dip in the Sea
7 am Morning Vinyasa
9 am Breakfast
Spacious mid day to sunbathe, read, rest, gather, explore, or get a massage
12 pm Lunch
Free time to play, rest and digest, and reflect
4:30 pm Afternoon Somatic Practice
6 pm Dinner
Monday, February 10
Nature is a great healer to our spirits. Today, we adventure into the grandeur of one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet.
Wake up early for our trip of a lifetime to Corcovado National Park! Grab a gluten free oat bar or hard boiled egg on your way out (thanks Chef Jen!)
A 90 minute boat ride takes us along the Golfo Dulce to La Sirena park entry. Since it is prime whale watching season, you might spot one of 2 species of Humpback Whales as well as dolphins along the way.
Entry fee to the park and a guided tour with a Naturalist is included in your rate. Described by National Geographic as one of the most magical, “biologically intense” locations on the planet. Though it comprises only 3% of Costa Rica’s total land area it is home to more than 50% of the country’s animal and plant species. Be on the look out for monkeys, sloths, boa constrictors, toucans, wild cats, ocelots, tapir, anteaters, scarlet macaw, giant morphs butterflies, and more! Stand still for 5 seconds and feel the jungle teeming with life all around you. Lunch is included in your tour.
Return mid afternoon for a nap, and down time
4:30 pm Somatic practice
6 pm Dinner
Tuesday, February 11
6:30 am Sunrise Dip in the Sea
7 am Morning Vinyasa
9 am Breakfast
Spacious mid day to sunbathe, read, rest, gather, explore, or get a massage
12 pm Lunch
Free time to play, rest and digest, and reflect
4:30 pm Afternoon Somatic Practice
6 pm Dinner
Wednesday, February 12
6:30 am Sunrise Dip in the Sea
7 am Morning Vinyasa
9 am Breakfast
Spacious mid day to sunbathe, read, rest, gather, explore, or get a massage
12 pm Lunch
Afternoon OFF to enjoy longer hikes, adventures, and down time to integrate your retreat journey.
6 pm Dinner
Thursday, February 13
6:30 am Sunrise Dip in the Sea
7 am Morning Vinyasa
9 am Breakfast
Spacious mid day to sunbathe, read, rest, gather, explore, or get a massage
12 pm Lunch
Free time to play, rest and digest, and reflect
4:30 pm Afternoon Somatic Practice
6 pm Dinner
Friday, February 14
Spacious morning to say your heartfelt goodbye to the beautiful land that held us for this transformative week, enjoy your morning coffee, bye bye breakfast, and complimentary shuttle to Puerto Jimenez . Many folks will have early flights back to San Jose or other parts of some country if they are extending their stay through the weekend, so there is no morning practice on the last day. Checkout is by 11 am but you can pack up and linger by the pool until your departure flight.
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Meals:
Our rate includes lodging, yoga, and three meals daily. The kitchen is 100% gluten free and pescatarian, omnivore, vegan and vegetarian options abound. All meals are served on-site in our jungle restaurant. Coffee and tea are ready by sunrise and provided on a self-serve basis for early risers.
Can I drink the water?
Yes. Our resort has a sophisticated water treatment system in place.
Is there a bar?
Yes, there is a small but perfectly formed bar on-site. You can charge drinks to your room.
Accommodations:
Our villa-style rooms – kitted out with air-conditioning, screened windows and powerful fans to keep cool air flowing – are thoughtfully decorated and feature locally sourced furnishings, specially commissioned contemporary art and en-suite bathrooms. The body and hair care products provided in guests’ bathrooms are plant-based, biodegradable and made in Costa Rica. Beds and linens are of the highest quality throughout.
Laundry:
A guest laundry service is available at a small additional charge so you can pack light.
Weather:
Sunny skies and warm calm waters.
December through April is the dry season and usually thought of as the preferred time of year to visit the Osa Peninsula. There are less mosquitoes and hot, dry weather this time of year, considered by locals as their Summer.
Pack a bathing suit and cover up, yoga clothes, sunblock and a big hat, hiking shoes, bug spray, and quick dry light clothes for hot and humid weather.
Will I get eaten alive by bugs?
This is the jungle and the beach we’re talking about, and there are bugs. Sometimes more than at other times. Our stay is during the dry season so there are typbcally less bugs. For
”buggy” days, the resort has tried-and-tested mitigation measures in place, including powerful ceiling fans in outdoor common areas such as the restaurant, plants to discourage mosquitos (chiefly citronella and lemongrass), an indoor screened yoga classroom and they burn incense. Insect repellant is available, should you require it.Check in and Check out Times:
Check in is any time after 4 pm on February 8.
Check out is anytime before 11am on February 14.
The Sea:
Close enough to carry your morning cup of coffee to the beach, you can sit and awaken your senses in the morning between the sound of waves lapping at the black sand and the jungle towering behind you. Sea temperatures are 84 degrees Farenheit in February and because we are in the Golfo Dulce, the tides and waves are mild, making this a gentle beach for swimming and bathing. You can walk the beach for miles in either direction with hardly a soul in sight.
Our retreat home is located on a beautiful beach with mostly calm water and long flat expanses of sand ideal for walking. It is safe to swim but we advise guests not to do so in the dark.
For those looking for big waves, travel 45 minutes to the wild Pacific Side if you would like to take a surfing lesson or just breathe in the rugged power of this magical stretch of Pacific Coastline at Matapalo or Pavones.
What wildlife will I see?
Each year, Puerto Jimenez is graced with two migrations of humpback whales, with visitors from both the northern and southern hemispheres making the Osa their breeding ground. The best time for spotting them is between August and October and between December and April. (We are in luck!)
These waters are also home to turtles, dolphins and hammerhead sharks, along with a kaleidoscopic array of fish and other marine life.
On terra firma, humans share the peninsula with, among others, two- and three-toed sloths, tapirs, blue-crowned motmots, squirrel, capuchin, howler and spider monkeys and Costa Rica’s quintet of big cats (margay, puma, jaguarondi, jaguar and ocelot). Though the cats are often elusive, Jen has in the past snapped a photo of a distant black panther as she was enjoying her first coffee of the day – it does happen.
All four sea turtle species (out of seven worldwide) that swim in Costa Rica’s water – the olive ridley, the Pacific green, the hawksbill and the leatherback – can be found here. One of the most ancient animals alive, sea turtles belong to the same family as terrestrial turtles, but, unlike their land-living cousins, can’t hide their bodies inside their shells.
The Retreat Center:
Immerse yourself in the depths of the rainforest. Fall asleep to the lullaby of waves crashing 150 meters from your room and awaken to tropical birdsong and monkeys chattering in the trees above.
What a joy to be able to enjoy this remote lost paradise home in nature playing in the sand or trekking in the forest and geting sweaty on your mat and yet still be able to retreat into our luxurious, bright and spacious rooms boasting powerful A/C, daily room service, fresh towels, and a bathroom with shower and vegan body care products locally made from rainwater and organic herbs grown near the volcanic cloudforests. Rooms can be configured for couples with a King Bed, for doubles with two separate beds, and the triple rooms boast custom made extra long Twin Beds. All the rooms offer hotel quality mattresses and sheets. This type of creature comfort is hard to come by in a region that is usually thatched roof ecolodges and off the grid. But here at our retreat home, you can enjoy luxury in nature.
Wifi and Cell Service
There is Starling Broadband wifi service at the resort and cell service out on the beach. Due to the isolated jungle location, the signal could suffer disruptions, please consider this and take your precautions.
Yoga Mats and Props
High Quality cork mats and all your props are provided by the retreat center. No need to bring your own.
Tips and Gratuities
At the end of the retreat, you can leave a tip for the resort staff in cash or credit card. I generally recommend $10/day at your discretion.
COVID-19
We will provide no refund or other reimbursement to you if you are unable to participate in the Yoga Retreat due to illness such as COVID 19 prior to trip departure or during the Yoga Retreat but reimbursement can typically be sought from most travel insurance policies. (We strongly suggest you purchase Trade Insurance) If you test positive for Covid while on Yoga Retreat, you agree to obtain your own private room to quarantine. For these reasons, you should inquire as to your coverage regarding Covid with your travel and health insurance carriers.
Passports, Visas, Documents
It is your responsibility to obtain all required travel documents including but not limited to Passports, Driver's Licenses, and Immunization Records associated with any destination. For many countries, passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the duration of the trip.
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I love that you care to ask!
A big part of my decision to partner with our retreat center is the integrity of Jen and Stuart’s eco-conscious approach to running a resort. It has been super cool to get to know them both in putting this together for you all, and I can sense a positive energy and resonance with the way they run their resort, kitchen, and yoga shala that feels really good to be a part of.
They are committed to treading lightly, and employ water conservation and waste reduction practices throughout the property. (Only if you have nowhere to be in a hurry should you get Stuart talking about the multi-chamber septic system, complete with lava rock and carbon filtration…)
Their produce is seasonal and sourced locally from independent businesses, from the organic rice grown in-country to the mahi mahi sustainably caught just along the beach. Their cleaning products and the amenities provided in guests’ bathrooms are plant-based, biodegradable and made in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is the first tropical country in the world to have halted and reversed deforestation. Today, 59% of its landmass is tree-covered – a figure that was as low as 40% in the 1980s.
On retreat, we will be supporting reforestation project Planta Mi Árbol by opting to sponsor a tree for each retreat guest and through your contribution, you are helping to empower the initiative’s vital regreening work across Costa Rica.
Lastly, we are nextdoor neighbors with an endangered turtle hatchery. Hang out on the beach at sunrise and you will likely witness the release of baby turtles into the sea.
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Be sure to review all our Terms and Conditions outlined in our Yoga Retreat Contract.
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Cancellation Policy
Your $1,000 Deposit is Non Refundable and Non Transferrable. Please be sure to read your Retreat Contract for our full Cancellation Policy. Since third party vendors and resorts are paid in advance, we must adhere strictly to this policy to maintain the exceptional standards of our retreats.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is not included and highly recommended. You are responsible for purchasing your own travel insurance policy for the retreat, all corresponding travel expenses, and medical care abroad. If you cancel due to unforeseen illness or personal or family emergency before or during the retreat (including COVID 19, pregnancy, surgery or injury), miss part of the retreat due to travel delays, lose luggage or have a delayed luggage, or require medical care abroad, we cannot reimburse you, however your personal travel insurance policy typically can.
Please note many travel insurance companies require you to purchase a policy within 14-21 days of any initial deposit for the trip.
Is this right for you?
If you are reading this, it is probably meant to be. But if you’ve got a specific question, or you’re just curious if this is the right fit for you, drop us a note and Lily would be happy to answer any questions!