Pura Vida: Santa Teresa

Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars.  You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”

C.S. Lewis

Meeting my Yoga comrades at the San Jose airport, we were shuttled to a smaller airstrip across the city.  Then ushered to a very tiny plane one of us had to be copilot, I drew the lucky straw!  A short flight brought us to tiny Tambor airport and we were then taken by van to our home for the week in Santa Teresa.  Casa Marbella.

Oh, my, the long dusty trip was worth it!  After getting settled, we met on the beautiful yoga deck for our first, of many, yoga classes for the week.   Our yoga instructors, Caprice Abowitt and Ikaika Regidor of Sacred Sounds Yoga were wonderful.  Sunset cocktails, followed by a delicious dinner made with amazingly fresh ingredients by ever smiling and giggling Lohanna and her cohort Jesus, a late-night soak in the infinity pool…this is just what the doctor ordered!

Most mornings we woke to do a yoga class, greeted by our resident Iguana, sometimes our monkey! followed by one of Lohanna’s and   Jesus’ gorgeous breakfasts.  Then a few hours to play.  One day Lohanna treated us to a cooking class, empanadas, awesome!  The walk up and down the hill to the “bustling” town of Santa Teresa and the beach validates any of the ice creams or other treats we enjoyed.  Playing in the surf was like being a kid again.  Early morning walk with an almost deserted beach.  Oh, the ocean anywhere, this the Pacific, creates such gorgeous healing.  Don’t you think?!

Each late afternoon had us loving more yoga; sometimes playfully in the pool, once at sunset on the beach with a healing meditation.  From that perfect Valentine’s Day experience, we took a very long walk to a weekly Beach Party.  With the light of a bonfire, all ages

danced to the pounding of techno music, but for me, lolling on a surf board with others who also didn’t love techno was lovely.

 

Nina planned some fun excursion for us as well.  One very early morning had us meeting Andy and his champion wife Edyth of Freedom Riders for a paddle board lesson.  A few hours of playing, practicing, and getting it! was a great and fun workout.  Being the Mom of this group, as I am almost everywhere these days, my new friends were quite impressed.  (Regrettably, I can’t seem to get ahold of the pictures to prove that I did it!)

Another day had us being vanned to Montezuma, another dusty beach town on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica for zipling!  This being one of my big bucket list items, I was like a child again filled with excitement.  That started to dissipate with the safety lecture, given by a guide who clearly spoke only enough English to give the safety talk.  (Memories of all those white water rafting safety talks over 20 years.  No matter how many times I went, listened to a dear friend give that lecture, my heart always pumped with an overload of adrenaline.  So I could do this!!).  Well, let’s just say, I can laugh about it.  It’s a great story to be told in person over wine.  But, the experience brought up and out many old triggers, including feelings of humiliation and anger.  The swim at the waterfalls was awesome.

 

A great Costa Rican lunch in the little beach hamlet of Montezuma   As we got up to meander around town for a bit, there was a ruckus in the trees.  Monkeys!  Lots of monkeys came to play and entertain us.  Yes, I believe there was hand-clapping, perhaps even some jumping up and down on my part.  I was so excited.  When Nina handed me a banana to feed one of the monkey and it smiled into my eyes as it greedily grabbed it; I thought I’d explode.  Humiliation dissolved and forgotten (almost)..

started to wash away the not great experience.

The special people I met; the experiences and meals we shared; talking for hours at our dining room table; the sunsets, the yoga, the beach.  Oh, so grateful, as it was truly a much needed respite.         Namaste.