It's already time to sign up for Costa Rica 2011! You can watch videos from our last trip on the left column of this page, and read all about it and see more photos by clicking here.
Joyful Heart Yoga in Costa Rica 2011 - Jan. 29 - Feb 6 (or longer!) **5 rooms left!**
Get away from the cold, wintry weather and join us in warm, sunny Costa Rica
for a yoga adventure in paradise. This year's trip highlights the best of Costa Rica's bio-diversity. This small country is home to many micro-climates, each one brimming with its own unique collection of vegetation, birds, and animal life. You will enjoy: yoga, a mysterious
cloudforest, lush rainforest, a majestic volcano, a beautiful beach with palm
trees and clear blue water, birds, monkeys and other exotic wildlife, natural
hot springs, and much, much more.
According to the New Economics Foundation, Costa Rica is the happiest, greenest nation on Earth! They scored highest on the Happy Planet Index, which shows "the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered around the world." Costa Rica's small carbon footprint, protected ecological zones, and life expectancy of 78.5 years set it apart from more developed nations. (The U.K. came in 74th and the U.S. was 114 out of 143 nations surveyed.)
Our adventure begins in San Ramon, a short drive from the airport, but worlds away from San Jose. This is a lush, green, mountainous area known for dairy farms and the famous Los Angeles Cloud Forest. We will spend two nights on the edge of the cloud forest in a charming 4-star green hotel, where we will each have our own cozy casita, complete with fireplace. It's cloudy, quiet, and a little mysterious here.
On arrival, we can enjoy the beautiful grounds and spacious lodge, complete with a game room, spa, and even a movie theater. We will practice yoga in a lodge-type setting. After a delicious breakfast, we'll take a 3-kilometer hike through the cloud forest. With only 2.5% of the earth's cloud forests remaining, this is a special opportunity to visit this unique habitat. We'll have free time to relax and enjoy the jacuzzi and spa, or do some sight-seeing.
On the third day, we'll take a two-hour drive to Arenal,
one of my favorite places in Costa Rica. This is a warmer climate
with lots of good prana plus farmland, rainforest, waterfalls, hot springs, a
gorgeous blue lake, and a
magnificent cone-shaped, active volcano.
It's very easy to spot monkeys, toucans, coati mundis, iguanas, and other exotic creatures here. We are spending 3 nights in a boutique hotel tucked into the rainforest. There is much to do without leaving the hotel: excellent views of the volcano, yoga, bird-watching, hiking, swimming, indulging in fabulous spa treatments, etc. But we'll also visit a natural hot spring -- a lovely place to relax for an evening, and the town of La Fortuna, which offers good shopping for arts and crafts, grocery stores so you can stock up on coffee, etc. There are many optional tours, such as horseback riding to the La Fortuna Waterfall, zip-lining, waterfall rappelling, a boat tour through the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge, a rainforest tour on hanging bridges, etc.
Now for a complete change of pace: We'll fly to Tambor to spend 2 nights at a gorgeous 4-star beach resort with bright, sunny skies, clear blue water, and plenty of chances to see whales, monkeys, and birds. There are several beautiful swimming pools, a beach-front yoga deck, two outdoor restaurants, and a spa. This is a great place to end the trip: you can chill out and relax the whole time or take some optional tours, like snorkeling on Tortuga Island or visiting the Curu Biological Reserve. Because many of you will want to stay longer, we've arranged optional extensions so you can spend one or two extra nights at this beautiful beach resort.
Prices: (New this year: meals included in Tambor!)
Main Package includes: 8 night's accommodations; 2 yoga classes per day; all ground transportation in private, air-conditioned vehicle w/ professional driver; most meals: 8 breakfasts; 3 lunches, 8 dinners; private, chartered flight to Tambor; visits to Los Angeles Cloud Forest and EcoTermales Hot Springs; English-speaking guide. Package does not include air fare to Costa Rica.
16 - 18 $ 2271
12 - 15 $ 2346
(Single occupancy rates available -- write for info.)
Upgrades available on a first-come, first-served basis:
Luxury suite in Arenal: add $120 per person (large room with king-size bed, large patio with outdoor jacuzzi, large bathroom, bar area with microwave)
Tiki Hut in Tambor: add $61 per person
Optional Extensions: Once you're in paradise, it's hard to leave. If you want a little more time, here's 3 good options:
1. One More Night. Stay one extra night at our beautiful beach resort and then a night in Heredia (which is part of the main package). Transportation, 2 breakfasts and 1 dinner included. $175 per person.
2. Three More Nights. Stay two extra nights at the beach and two nights in Heredia so you can visit San Jose, InBioParque, or just hang out at the pool and enjoy the lovely gardens and slightly cooler temperature. Transportation, 4 breakfasts & 2 dinners included. $375 per person.
3. Wellness & Healing Spa Package. Two nights at the new, exclusive Asclepios Wellness & Healing Retreat in Alejuela. Includes transportation, 5 delicious organic meals, daily fitness classes (yoga, pilates, or acquafit), use of fitness center and water therapy suites (ionized pool, cold plunge, jacuzzi, kneipp -- walking in shallow hot/cold water to revitalize veins, stimulate metabolism, and induce sleep), 1 steam bath treatment, 1 body exfoliation, 1 massage, and 1 flotation therapy treatment. $710 per person.
Please sign up by July 1. To sign up, a $500 non-refundable deposit* is required to hold your place. You can choose the option below to pay by credit card, or pay by check made out to Joyful Heart Yoga.
*deposits will be returned if trip is cancelled due to low participation
Questions? Write to sandy@joyfulheartyoga.com
Comments from previous retreats:
"Sandy, Thank you so much for putting together this trip ... It was truly pura vida, in all senses of the phrase. I'm still buzzing from all the new places, experiences, & people. Warren has proclaimed that it may have been the greatest experience of his life. And, personally, I don't know how I could have made it without the yoga. This body is not used to kayaking or hiking for hours, but the yoga stretched all my parts back out and let me keep going and going and enjoying and enjoying.. I loved the whole trip." - Ann Hallmark
"I want to thank you for the most amazing week of my entire life. ... It was incredible. Everything you planned turned out so well, and all the hard work you put into it truly blossomed during the week. I don't think there is any trip on earth that such a wide age range of people could have the same great time except this one. - Freddy Hall
"Your web page brought back many fond memories of what a great adventure we just experienced. It was a great mix of people and I believe everyone had a great time. It was so special to us that everyone joined in to help Susan have the birthday of a lifetime.
Excellent job on the additions to your web page, and on the great job on putting this trip together." - Charlie Davis