Costa Rica Yoga and Surf Retreat offers you a fun and relaxing week on the stunning and pristine Pacific Coast delving into your yoga practice and learning to surf or improving your surfing skills in the warm waves of the Nicoya Peninsula. For a deeper immersion into your yoga practice we offer the Pure Costa Rica Yoga Retreat option which includes two daily yoga sessions instead of the surfing component. These are the same retreat and all meals and afternoon yoga sessions are together as one group.

The retreat is hosted in Santa Teresa, one of the best rated beaches in Costa Rica for its expansiveness, beautiful scenery and great year-round surf. It is a long stretch of immaculate white sand ideal for hanging out under a palm tree, for taking long walks or exploring the tide pools. A few minutes drive or a beach walk from the hotel is the colorful and laid-back town of Santa Teresa.

This retreat gives one opportunity to disconnect from a busy lifestyle, reconnect to slow and conscious living, take time for inner reflection and to have some fun in the sun and surf.

First day, Sunday: Travel to Santa Teresa from San Jose international airport. You are welcome to arrive early to late afternoon. The retreat starts in the evening with a group dinner.

Week Overview:

The retreat is led by a our guide who is with you throughout the week. We begin each day with a light breakfast followed by either a 2-hour surfing lesson or 1.5 hour yoga session depending on in which one you choose to participate. We join for lunch after which there is free time to relax by the pool, take a siesta, receive a massage, walk the beach or visit with new friends. We meet in the afternoon for a 1.5 hour yoga session. The level of the yoga is generally intermediate with posture modifications always offered for those with less experience and for those more advanced. All levels are welcome!

For those participating in the surfing component, lessons are given by experienced surf instructors who are locals to the area and know the surf well. For beginners, learn the skills, practice and enjoy the thrill of catching your first wave.

For those who are more experienced this is a great opportunity to fine-tune your skills and really see how much more there is to advance your surfing. Start the lessons and let the fun begin! You will quickly see the synergy between yoga and surfing and be able to fully feel the flow and connection in each of the practices. Water temperatures are in the low 80sF so no wetsuit is needed.

Last day, Saturday: Departure from Santa Teresa to San Jose airport to your home destination. After breakfast no activities are scheduled today.

Sample Day on the Retreat

- 7:00 - 8:30 a.m. - breakfast at your leisure
- 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. - surfing lesson or yoga session (yoga is until 10:30 am)
- 12:15 p.m. - group lunch 
- Free time
- 3:30-5:00 p.m. - yoga session
- 7:00 p.m. - group dinner
- Evenings are free to relax or go out into town.

* Wednesday there will be no scheduled surf lesson to give opportunity to optionally participate in one of the fantastic tours offered in the area.

Retreat Guide & Yoga Instructors

Sandra is the Retreat Guide and teaches the afternoon yoga sessions. She has been practicing yoga for over fourteen years and teaches a Vinyasa Flow style with influences from Anusara yoga which she currently studies. She received her advanced teacher training in Interdisciplinary Yoga from the Nosara Yoga Institute and is certified with the internationally recognized Yoga Alliance. In her classes she creates a welcoming and nurturing environment with a focus on the balance between the playfulness and intensity of the practice. She greatly values the magical, calming and soul-shifting experience of practicing yoga immersed in the surroundings of Nature. She is grateful to be able to facilitate a memorable retreat experience for those seeking a break from their daily routine and to gain deeper insight into wherever they may be on their life path.

Nancy teaches the morning yoga sessions for those participating in the Pure Yoga option instead of the surfing. Nancy began her Yogic studies in the Ashtanga tradition under the guidance of her first teachers, Dominic Corigliano, Tim Miller, and Sri Pattabhi Jois. Following her dream of living a more simple life in deep connection with nature, she moved to Costa Rica and developed a strong self-practice, while continuing to study abroad with many international teachers of various traditions. Nancy completed her official Yoga Alliance Teacher training with “Yoga Arts” and began teaching in 1998. Nancy has dedicated herself to Anusara’s amazing principles of alignment, Tantric philosophy and Bhakti-filled practice. Her teachings are infused with a myriad of elements, which come together to create a highly educational, physically challenging, and deeply soulful experience. Nancy has been practicing Yoga for nearly 20 years and teaching for over 10 years.

Accommodations

The retreat is held at a beachfront hotel just steps away from the surf. The property has a low-key, beach-elegant and intimate ambiance with a restaurant serving delectable cuisine (mainly organic) prepared by an exceptional chef and a free-form swimming pool surrounded by tropical gardens. The main premise of the hotel’s operational mission is focused on sustainability and to offer a tranquil setting with quality service and friendly staff. This is a very unique retreat hotel and incomparable to any other location in the country.

The retreat package includes a stay in a two-bedroom/two-bathroom Villa or a Bungalow from where you can hear the soothing sounds of the surf, feel the balmy breeze and connect to the rhythms of Mother Nature giving the feel of really being in a remote tropical paradise. All rooms are built with Costa Rican hardwoods, bamboo, invite lots of light and have impressive views. The rooms have an exotic style with imported and hand-crafted Indonesian furniture, a private terrace, an outdoor shower, a private bathroom with indoor shower, ceiling fans and/or air conditioned rooms, laptop-size safe box and WiFi access.

The inspiring and beautiful Yoga studio is open-air and built with beautiful Teak floors, high bamboo ceilings and views to the ocean.

Meals

All breakfasts, lunches and dinners are included in the retreat cost starting with dinner on the first day (Sunday) and ending with breakfast on the last day (Saturday). Only lunch on Wednesday is not included. All meals are at the hotel except two dinners which are at local restaurants in Santa Teresa to enjoy a fun outing in town. The food is prepared by exceptional chefs and is Costa Rican fusion style with fresh seafood, chicken and always vegetarian dishes are offered. Special dietary needs can be accommodated; please let us know when you book your retreat.

Cost includes:

- (6) nights accommodations
- All breakfasts, lunches and dinners except one lunch
- (4) 2-hour surfing lessons with surf board for the Yoga and Surf Retreat OR for the Pure Yoga Retreat a daily 1.5-hour morning yoga session
- Daily 1.5 hour afternoon yoga session
- One 1-hour relaxation massage
- Coordination of optional activity or tour on Wednesday
- Complimentary tea or coffee through out the day
- Assistance with organizing domestic transfers from airport and trip extensions for travel within Costa Rica before or after the retreat.
- Stainless steel, BPA free, earthly-friendly water bottle

Cost does not include:

- Airfare to/from Costa Rica
- Domestic transportation to retreat
- One lunch
- Gratuities
- Alcoholic drinks

Arrival & Departure

Plan to fly into the Costa Rican capital's international airport, San Jose Juan Santamaria (code SJO). If you arrive on Sunday, make sure your flight arrival time is by about 12 noon so that you can make the transfer to Santa Teresa that day. Or you may opt to arrive on Saturday and spend the night in the San Jose area and continue on to Santa Teresa Sunday morning.

There are several ways which you can arrive to the retreat location in Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula. From San Jose, they include domestic flights with Nature Air or Sansa (The nearest airport to Santa Teresa is Tambor which is a 25-minute flight. Tambor to Santa Teresa is a 45-min taxi drive.); with a collective shuttle company (travel time is about 5 hrs; $55/person one-way); with a private shuttle and driver (travel time is about 5 hrs; $180/vehicle one-way) or public bus (5-6 hrs, $12/person one-way). Transfers are not included in the retreat package cost.

Due to its more remote location than other beaches in Costa Rica, Santa Teresa has been protected from over development and maintains a laid-back vibe. While it might take a bit more time to reach this pristine beach lined by wild jungle on the Nicoya Peninsula it is a tropical paradise worth the journey.

Contact us for the complete details on these transfer options to Santa Teresa. As well, feel free to call us or we will be glad to give you a call at your request.

Ready to sign up or have a few questions? Visit here our Frequently Asked Questions page

To make a reservation or if you would like to ask us a few questions please go to our Contact Us page.