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I had such a wonderful and amazing trip in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica the past week. As a first time solo traveler, I was a definitely a bit apprehensive about this adventure I was about to depart on. It ended up being the perfect journey that I needed and was seeking. I am really proud that I maintained steadfast on making this trip happen and remained intrepid as always. This attitude was much needed as I flew on a tiny plane for 12 passengers from San José to Tambor, which’s “airport” resembled a bus shelter. I was rewarded with a spectacular aerial view of Costa Rica and of the peninsula where Santa Teresa is located on. After 3 flights and a 1 hour shuttle, I finalized arrived at the coveted Funky Monkey Lodge. I’m staying at this hostel for the next week and enrolled in a 8 day 7 night Yoga & Surf retreat!

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I quickly got my bearings and wanted to explore immediately. I took a nice stroll down to the strip which was littered with artsy cafés and local eateries called sodas, surf shops, and beach clubs to chill and admire the sunset at. My first stop was at Soda La Yunta where I ordered tuna ceviché which came with a fresh hot pita bread, fish tacos, and a delicious smoothie. I chatted with Jason, a surfer from San Diego, and we exchanged friendly conversation for the past hour discussing DMT, french bull dogs and full moon parties. I proceeded to check out the beaches and ended up at Habanero’s for an iced coffee while the DJ started pumping out sunset beats. Making my way back across the beaches immersing my toes into the sand composed of seashells and broken remnants of them. I have a habit of collecting shells from places I visit as a souvenir gift, usually inscribed on the under side the name of the beach it came from or the city I was in. Dinner was devoured with a large group of new friends from all walks of life, some from Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Mexico, NYC, Seattle, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Miami, Seville, Amsterdam, Germany, and Bermuda! The chefs and food were superb and I enjoyed an aesthetically presented tuna poké bowl. I decided to hit the hay early as a bunch of us planned to rent ATVs the next morning and adventure to Montezuma to hike and swim at the waterfall.

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Buenos dias! It’s typical of Costan Rican culture to get up early as the sun rises around 5:30am and it’s much cooler in the morning if you’re keen for a surf or jog along the beach. Also, it’s not easy to sleep in, as our residence is embedded within a jungle, so birds start chirping, toucans start singing their songs, and howler monkeys perched in the mango trees are announcing the beginning of another glorious new day. For breakfast I had a refreshing and energy packed açai bowl.

The gang then heads into town to rent ATVs, and although with scooter experience, I am a bit nervous as there is gear shifting involved. However, with little hesitation, were riding our badass quads through the rubble streets on gear 5 and flooring it to Mal Pais. We take a few pit stops to take in the scenery and cool down for a swim in the ocean. Riding on the ATV was definitely a thrilling experience, feeling straight out of the movie Mad Max, we gaze at the different terrain and nature sights around us. Arriving at downtown Montezuma, we’re parched and famished and find a nice spot to grab lunch right by the water and beach. After restoring our vitals and energy, we press onward to hike to the waterfall. Along the way we’re followed by a bright and colourful little critter, a Halloween Crab! Everyone is jumping into the pond or going for a cliff dive. While we wade in the pool, a spectacular show is put on by some locals who bravely rock climb the waterfall and perform an insane dive from up top! Bravo !!

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We journey back to Santa Teresa and take in the sunset with happy hour drinks at Banana Beach. Everyone is exhausted but hearts are filled with gratitude for the amazing experiencing, what a great place we are in “right here, right now!” as Craig and I practice our mindfulness.

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I hop back to the lodge for evening yoga session melt class with Alina. She is truly such a pure and amazing soul, I loved being guided by her, she helped us relax and find calmness, set intentions, share her inspirations for the class, release negative energies, instill gratitude and elevate us to the next level. Her passion and love for her work invigorates me as I continue to move closer to my dream to becoming a yogi. We all lay in savasana in the dark of the night in the amazon, surrounded by sounds from the shadows, the cool breeze washing over our faces, and we can hear the ocean softly calling from afar. I feel fully relaxed in a zen moment until I realize I’m being eaten alive by 100 mosquitoes! At dinner I’m greeted by Nacho our surfing instructor as he discusses with me the tide forecast for tomorrow. I’m going for my first surf lesson at 6:30am on the white waters with Martha. I imbibe more tuna tataki and some lager at El Facon and gather rest for the early morning. Excited little heart!

Surfing at Selina beach was fantastic, I learned how to push up and stand on my long board, accelerate, slow down, turn left/right, turtle roll, and how to dismount properly. Grazzia captured my victorious moments and intense concentration in avoiding a wipe out. Check out our funky monkey rash guards, it even has a tail on the back of the shirt!

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Our hard work is met with a fresh cracked coconut, as I gobble the coco water and delicious flesh inside. I eventually acquire the skill of hacking them open myself which is pretty simple but an accomplishment I feel nonetheless. Breakfast is served back at Funky Monkey and I get the mouth watering banana pancakes with fruit on the side: papaya, watermelon and pineapple. Refueled and recharged, a group of us bravely test out our flexibility and gracefulness at aerial yoga. Our yogi is this incredible goddess of silks, and actually gets us to do some very advance techniques: inverted butterfly, half pigeon, double foot locks into balanced splits, and french climb. It’s a serious work out for our core/upper body in building strength and endurance – and it looks frigging cool like the circus! Luckily, I have been doing aerial silks at Lotus in Bermuda so I’m looking like a rockstar. Respects to all the gents that gave it a shot and are looking like professionals. By the way, how gorgeous is our al fresco yoga studio, I’m falling in love with the 360 views. If you stay still and quiet just long enough, you’ll be enchanted by iguanas, humming birds, butterflies, and GIANT BLACK SPIDERS.

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Lunch time is one of my favourite parts of the day because I get to check out other eateries and trendy cafés in the area. My fellow Canadian’s, Drew and Craig, meet me for lunch at Zwart café/art gallery & studio. It’s so incredible that there are so many health conscious options that are high in energy and equally tasty. This place is so chill and offers communal seating with long tables, giving that sense of community and free flowing vibe. Are you surprised – I ordered a mediterranean bowl with ahi tuna and a passionfruit lemonade. This place is totally my jam!

I spend the rest of the afternoon meandering the streets and find myself sweating like crazy so I stop for a drink at BALI café. As you can imagine this little gem is really quaint and decorated with quirky trinkets, vibrant splashes of colours, cute sayings on chalk boards, mini cacti plants, and yummy looking baked goods. I muster up the courage to order in Spanish, ” Yo quiero una cafe de frio, con leche, con CBD oil, sin azucar, por favor.” Both the waiter and I are grinning with pride, NAILED IT! I have been practicing my Spanish on Duolingo 20 minutes daily prior to the trip and it’s definitely paying off. Locals seem to find it endearing and are very helpful when I try to habler en español. *stainless steel straw for for the win

All paths lead to the beach…

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It’s time for another beautiful sunset and everyone is sprawled on the beach with dogs running about playfully, little hermit crabs scuttling around, people doing acro yoga, and others performing an african healing dance. Someone in the far distance is fishing, another is doing a hand stand, while several people are still surfing or bobbing in the ocean. I rock in a hammock for a bit and read my book and then I find a spot facing the firey red sinking sun and find peace in meditation. A bonfire breaks out and I get back to the lodge for yin yoga. It’s a bittersweet evening, as some people are leaving the next day. It was an absolute pleasure that our lives crossed paths, sharing memories and stories, and making pure connections despite a brief moment in each other’s company. It would be lovely and interesting to see how we all stay in touch, especially since learning that Jamie and Becky met each other at a prior retreat and decided to be traveling buddies for this trip. Camilla already has plans in October to go shark diving in Mexico, so I’m intrigued to hear of everyone’s next adventure. Perhaps we will visit each other and find our friendship extending from Santa Teresa. New friends are also arriving, so it is the ebb and flow of life; the ebb and flow of the ocean that units us. Grazzia saves us from a night of reggae disaster as the crew jam to reggaeton off her Spotify and we turn the sushi bar into our night club, while Salvator & Domingo grace us with their appearance once more.

” Vamos pa’ la playa, pa’ curarte el alma
Cierra la pantalla, abre la Medalla
Todo el mar caribe, viendo tu cintura
Tú le coqueteas, tú eres buscabulla
Vamos pa’ la playa, pa’ curarte el alma
Cierra la pantalla, abre la Medalla
Todo el mar caribe, viendo tu cintura
Tú le coqueteas, tú eres buscabulla y me gusta “

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The weather is finally starting to become nicer with abundance of sunshine. This may be hard for some of you to believe, but yes, Bermuda has seasons and it most definitely has a winter. But I no longer have to worry about thrashing shutters at night or wearing ear plugs to get through the treacherous evenings. I can also retire my wet suit from my bike and keep other essentials in there like sunscreen, a hat, and a frisbee! The arrival of spring is also announced by the ripening of a local tree fruit here, called loquats. This juicy plum sized fruit acquires the appearance of a gold nugget and provides a refreshing snack for those in the wilderness. They are frequently used in baking to be turned into jellies, chutneys, pies/tarts or icecream.

Sunny days here make all the difference – the island is simply transformed into a vibrant tropical heaven. Flowers stretch their petals as wide as possible to gather the golden light, 50 shades of blue waters will leave you breathless, the yellow tummies of keskidee’s boast and shine proudly.
Postcard worthy everywhere you look!

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Mike and I get our exercise in before our elaborate dinner by taking the kayak and paddle board for it’s first run of the season. We set off from fairylands Point Shares and head out towards Paradise Lakes to explore mini islands. Mike leisurely paddled while on the look-out for whales breaching, friendly turtles or shipwrecks. I, on the other hand, was gracefully trying to stay afloat and not have to shout “man overboard!” We eventually arrive at Marshall Island a.k.a. cockroach island, passed through a quaint bridge to No Name Island and Irresistible Island. No gold found today but we’re satisfied with the beautiful scenic treasures we’ve experienced.

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With patio season emerging, we decided to fire up the grill and celebrate with colourful healthy dishes. BBQs don’t have to be boring and conform to the traditional hot dogs and frozen hamburger patties – so here is our twist on a proper cookout.

Mediterranean Style Turkey Burgers: hand packed patties incorporating feta cheese, dill, cayenne and green onions giving us a mouthful of flavours. Topped by a refreshing cucumber yogurt tzatziki and all the other traditional accoutrements. This healthy alternative is guaranteed a thumbs up! Grill marks give it the smokey charred taste that embodies all of our childhood memories of summer. https://theforkedspoon.co/mediterranean-grilled-turkey-burgers/

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with Enchilada Sauce: roast or place on the Q these sweet bulbs which will serve as vessels for your filling. Cook quinoa in chicken stock for more flavour, then add browned ground turkey, corn, black beans, onions, and jalapeños. Season with oregano and sprinkle in taco mix. Scoop generously into the bell pepper bowls and top with Mexican 4 cheeses and place back in oven so it can all meld together – broil for 1-2 minutes. Drizzle heaps of enchilada sauce over and garnish with fresh parsley. Mike masterfully whips up the sauce from scratch giving us a bold and authentic meal! https://houseofyumm.com/best-ever-enchilada-sauce-recipe

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Icecream Cookie Sandwich: use any homemade cookie recipe and enclose around your icecream of choice – if you’re feeling overzealous, try making icecream from scratch, perhaps loquat icrecream! We tried mint + chocolate chip as well as lemon + vanilla. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/51869/easy-mint-chocolate-chip-ice-cream/

Stuffed peppers turn into stuffed tummies – I find rubbing clockwise on the belly is the most efficient and helps with digestion! What better way to end off the night than swaying gently on a hammock. The general reply here to how your day went is: “just another day in paradise” and I concur.

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As we have touched on staying present and being mindful in the previous meditation, tonight’s smudging extends from that intention. Remember, everything in life happens for a reason, good or bad, it is there to give us a lesson and a teaching. I never thought in a million years that I would be living in Bermuda, and look what a wonder little niche I have found myself in. After spending 365 days in New York City, completely immersed in the fast paced culture, and constant plugged-in lifestyle, moving to a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean was definitely a breath of fresh air. It can rain a lot in Bermuda, but I’ve seen countless rainbows, and at the most unexpected of times – shooting stars and even a burning meteorite. Count your blessings everyday, and stay close to those who feel like sunlight.

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I find it important to ground myself daily, whether it is cup of coffee in the morning with music to start my day off on a positive note, or cleansing my body with chilled water with a squeeze of lemon to get fully hydrated. Do anything which helps you to find balance and center yourself – this may even mean waking up earlier to sit quietly for a meditation. Snoozing and then rushing yourself can lead to anxiety and stress. I always make my bed as it gives me ease and comfort, and I view it as a reflection of myself. Be ready for all your successes today! Here is a list of positive acts I am working towards: 10mins each

1. Silent Meditation/Deep Breathing
2. Affirmations
3. Visualizations of the day ahead
4. Exercise/Yoga
5. Reading: particularly to learn something
6. Scribing: writing or journaling

Mindfulness and self-awareness have had a large impact on my life and well-being. While it’s easier said then done, each small step is a milestone and practice becomes habit and a lifestyle. I highly recommend the Calm app. You can choose different series you want to work on: gratitude, managing stress, calming anxiety, inner-peace, happiness, focus, self-esteem, loving-kindness, forgiveness, or relationship with others. It allows you to select from a large variety of soothing nature sounds or gentle relaxing music to play in the background. Other features include body-scans, sleep stories, deep sleep meditation, and breathing exercises. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calm/id57180081

Surrender this moment, and be grateful that you are here, that you are strong, and that you are alive. Be thankful for your healthy body and begin to clear your mind and quiet your consciousness. I want to talk about our intuition and how we can stay attuned to our body and mind. Chakras are energetic “wheels” of the body that composes our aura. It is connected to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspect of our being. There are 7 major chakras in total, each associated with a specific color and part of our body. When all chakras are balanced, they are cleared of all negativities, and we can then achieve enlightenment, harmony and peace.

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3rd Eye Chakra: The All Seeing Eye. In Sanskrit “Ajna” means “command” and “perceiving”. It is associated with wisdom, our intuition and vision. It is activated when visualized with indigo blue. In our heightened self-awareness, we are able to turn inward and find insight, find inner perceptions. Become aligned with your deeper selves, and let’s open our 3rd eye. It is actually located between your eyebrows and behind, in the center of our head. Think about energy emanating and flowing through that center space, up to through the roof of your head forward and back around. This blue ring of energy is pure. Bring your hands over your head and take a deep breath and bring your palms together, then lower and place both thumbs to your 3rd eye. 8 counts of deep breathing at your own pace while you envision this.

We will now find clarity in our lives. We now have the ability to unblock any struggles we may be experiencing. We can now practice mindfulness. We have no need to be emotionally reactive. We are connected with our deeper selves and are disconnected from the fast, spinning world, full of distractions and constant stimulation. We are welcoming change. We are allowing the energy channels to be free and flow while following its guidance.

We are creative
We are with truth
We are at peace
We are with open heart and open mind
– N A M A S T E –

positive thoughts . positive words . positive actions . positive results .

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At the end of our practice we often seal it with 1 breath to OM. The vibration produced by chanting Om in the physical universe corresponds to the original vibration that first arose at the time of creation. The sound of Om sustains life. Om also represents the four states of the Supreme Being. The three sounds in Om (AUM) represent the waking, dream and deep sleep states and the silence which surrounds Om represents the “bliss” state. The sound that reverberates in the entire cosmos and in every cell of our body acts as a cleansing agent for our body, removing negativity, and negative blocks from our mind, body, and soul. Exhale fully from the mouth, 1 deep breathe in, and feel your entire body vibrate at your highest self – Aum.