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Yoga Rejuvenation Retreat in Costa Rica

Inspiring Kundalini, Vinyasa, & Naad Yoga Experience at the Pacha Mama Spiritual & Ecological Village in Costa Rica:
Date hasn’t been set for the next retreat

Learn the foundations of Yoga practice and deepen your existing practice. Join Zemach Zohar, Devi Michal, and Dages for a highly transformational, rejuvenating adventure retreat in the magical forest Jungle of the Ecological Spiritual Village Pacha Mama in Costa Rica.

In this retreat we will immerse in various ancient teachings
of Yoga: Vinyasa (Hatha Flow), Kundalini, and Naad (sound)
Yoga. We will support and enhance the energetic changes
and profound consciousness expansion the daily practice
of Yoga and Meditation catalyzes with High Vibration Raw
and Living Foods.

The intention of this retreat is to experience ourselves
lighter, brighter, and higher then ever on all levels.

  • In the body with Living Nutrition and Yoga practice.
  • In the mind with Mantra and Meditation.
  • In Spirit with Nature, Kirtans, and friendship.

All this in the nourishing womb of Mother Nature, the
tropical-jungle-paradise of the eco-village Pacha Mama.

 

We will experience and immerse in
the following timeless wisdoms:
Vinyasa (Hatha Flow) Yoga and the
Eight limbs of Yoga by Patanjali
Kundalini Yoga and Meditation as taught
by Yogi Bhajan
The more Esoteric teachings of Naad Yoga
(the Healing Science of Sound)
Heart opening Kirtan: The power of Ancient
Songs, Sounds, and Music (sacred Mantras)
Raw and Living Foods Nutrition Science. Loving
your temple & Conscious eating: how and why.
Delicious and Nutritious Raw and Living Foods
Cuisine, 3 meals per day including an abundance
of tropical fruit and delicious vegetable creations
(raw and cooked options).

 

We will enjoy:
Trips to white sand beaches and black volcanic sand beach
Nature hikes and river dips
Horseback riding through the jungle and to the ocean
Beautiful accommodations in charming wooden Casitas
A glimpse at communal living
Learning tour of the magical Pacha Mama vegetable garden
Dance and Drum/live music Celebrations
Delicious Vegetarian Meals
Meeting beautiful new friends from around the world
And much more

This retreat is open to all levels regardless of prior experience in yoga.

Please invite your non-yoga family & friends to come with you.
There are always group members who are not yoga
practitioners, so don’t let that stop you!

Investment in your health:
(Rates are per person)
House: $1,300
Casita (bungalow): $1,150
Tenting: $950

All rooms are minimum double occupancy.
Children are welcome. Email for rates.

Pricing includes: (once you have landed) round trip ground transportation to and from San Jose, one night stay at the beautiful Villa Floresta in San Jose, accommodations, meals, excursions, workshops, lectures, yoga, and wild adventurous fun!

We’re meeting in San Jose and spending the night at the beautiful Villa Floresta. Early in the morning we drive together on beautiful scenic roads to Pacha Mama.

A 50% non refundable deposit holds your space.

Space is limited. The earlier you sign up, the better
airfare our travel agent can get (you can also buy
your airline ticket on your own).

“The time in Pacha Mama was life-changing. The word
“transformational” gets thrown about but during those few
days, the learning about raw food and nutrition and the yoga, combined with being in a healing natural environment, the sun,
the air, the ocean, the beauty of Pacha Mama, the fun of being
with a great group of people and all the surprises that arose in
the moment–all of this was transformational, physically
and spiritually.

“As a retreat leader, Zemach Zohar has a way of doing very deep healing work with lots of humor and little effort. At the end of our week together, I felt refreshed, clear, and ready to collaborate with whatever life brings to continue with the next adventure.”
– Patricia Black

“It was an amazing incredible experience. I met wonderful people
and can still feel the effects of my time there. I actually think
something shifted for me on that retreat and can’t wait to go
back to Pacha Mama again. Plus I am now addicted to Elixirs.”
– Gail Silverman

“Nurturing, empowering, gentle…perfect.” – Tonya Ridgely

“I looked forward to the morning yoga classes with Shanti Devi;
I like instructors who can bring me to my edge, as she did. I’m
full with respect for her raw food cooking. Shanti Devi was
great when she led the food lectures with Zemach Zohar and
when she acted as MC on talent night.”  – Roseann

“There was just the right mix of structured activities and leisure. The silent meditation gave me more focus and quieted my mind. A warm, friendly, tolerant atmosphere let me step out of my shell and be social and connect with people. The natural, beautiful surroundings were very soothing to the heart. I lost weight – physically and spiritually.

“Zemach Zohar is always on top of things foreseeing what the group
needs, answering questions for us even as they arise. Very
effective communicator and engaging storyteller. With his
leadership skills he kept things moving in the right direction.

“Shanti Devi is so talented and knowledgeable in multiple
aspects of healing. Her yogic guidance was especially rewarding.
She has a quiet wisdom and very serene energy. The food was
simple and delicious. It was an interesting experience to live
in the jungle.

“I highly recommend this retreat to anyone seeking healing,
focus, relaxation, centring, and fun.”  – Ashwin

“I loosened up quite a bit and didn’t feel so self conscious as
I normally do. I danced and sang and had a wonderful time. I
liked it that my whole routine from daily life was so different.
I would wake up early and feel great all day.”  – Gail B.

“The group was wonderful. The lush jungle with its numerous
animals and insects which I got to like and kind of miss,
believe it or not. The food was delicious and nutritious, and I
liked the communal style in which it was served and enjoyed
amongst the people. The activities were off the hook, well
planned and executed. The cabins were comfortable and fitting
for the jungle setting. There was just enough downtime. It was
wonderful to travel with excellent health educators who walk
their talk.”  – Lynn Thompson

“As I sit in the middle of corporate America in Times Square,
eating raw cacao beans, I can honestly say the retreat had an
impact on me. I’m no longer addicted to coffee, though I still
enjoy it from time to time. I’m eating more fruit and raw greens
and I feel great.”  – Barry Kominik

To get a feeling of Pacha Mama, read the following:

pacha mama

living in the spiritual and ecological commune
pacha mama in the costa rican rainforest

pacha mama means mother earth
the local greeting is pura vida –
pure life

pitched my tent inside the jungle
on bank of tiny river

at night must use flashlight
to get back to my tent
walking through the jungle
down and across the river
and up again

the trees are full with parrots
the sounds of howling monkeys
make it feel as if the jungle
is full with lions

getting adjusted to
the sounds and rhythm of nature

sitting at pacha mama’s satellite internet cafe
writing emails to loved ones
surrounded by trees
on top of a mountain
overlooking the jungle
and the pacific ocean
as it gets ready to swallow the sun

hard to believe that
pacha mama is less than three years old
an ecological and spiritual village
in the middle of the jungle
and it keeps growing
in total harmony with nature

good emphasis on healthy food
and it’s very tasty too

beautiful beach
full with vultures
clear water
small rocky islands
sticking out half mile from the shore

lots of music and singing
mainly in portuguese
some in sanskrit
some in hebrew

love walking on new paths
by foot or on the commune’s horses
seeing new views
from the mountain tops
and along the river deep in the jungle below
every day discovering more beauty

an hour and a half drive on dirt roads
leads to pacha mama
from the nearest town of santa cruz
driving through open fields
mountains
along the ocean
inside jungles
having to cross several shallow rivers
by slowly driving through them

the nearest store is half hour drive
in nosara
where once a week on friday mornings
the local bar
transforms into a bank
serving all the tiny villages
in the area

climbing up for my daily sunset meditation
such variety of sunsets
rainy sunset
cloudy sunset
sunset with fog covering the jungle
that’s underneath
between me and the ocean
the whole jungle beams with reddish color

the whole commune went into
10 days of silence
150 people living
working
meditating
together
without talking

the silence ended with a gathering
the first words that came out of our mouths
were a portuguese song we sang together
tears rolling out of our eyes
found it difficult to speak again
to break the blessed silence
singing was a gentle way
to transition back into the world
of yaky-di-yak

during the silence
led several meditations including no dimension
a powerful sufi whirling meditation
was so much fun
explaining to people
without using words
the various stages of the meditation

now that the silence is over
the commune celebrates with a festival
every day different special dinner
italian night
greek dinner
japanese dinner
spanish dinner
swiss and israeli brunches
each meal is event by itself
with the decoration, music, and clothing
from that country

the day silence was over
on top of the lord of the rings mountain
we had an outdoor movie
big screen with dvd machine
and surround sound
everybody watching shrek together
with huge bowls of fresh pop corn
and herbal ice tea

even watching a movie such as shrek
takes a different dimension
under the starry sky
surrounded with loving people

an armadillo coming out of the bushes
standing right next to me
cute being in armor

the commune’s seven dogs
running free
having their own agenda
mixing beautifully with all the
kids and babies

lying in a hammock
huge iguanas climbing the gigantic
lemon trees above me
parrots and other birds
feasting on the beefy orange lemons
sprinkling on me from the fresh juice

the insects receive much respect
whether it’s a giant butterfly
hairy tarantula spider
long praying mantis pretending to be
a tree branch
or a mother scorpion carrying
many babies on her back
friendly frogs hop around
rest and continue swallowing insects

after the silence retreat was over
moved my tent out of the jungle
pitched it on a mountain instead
enjoying open view
of the mountains across
with all their palm trees

realized that
living inside the jungle
near a little river
without seeing the sky
was appropriate during the silence

now it’s festival time
time for being more outward
for living in open space

feeling excited and in love
with the nature here
and the vibes
so many festival events are scheduled
no way i could participate in all of them

the little prince was performed
in the outdoor theater
seats were carved into the slope of the mountain
creativity and talent flowed out of
the actors, stage design, costumes, and lighting
under the most appropriate roof for this play
a sky full with stars

every day unfolds new magic
gentle magic

the whole commune went to the beach
to clean it up

an american man who bought
a house on the beach
thought the beach was his private property
even though costa rican law prohibits
anyone from owning a beach

the american man was upset
that other people were coming to the beach
he cut down many of the trees
to prevent people from enjoying the shade
he also came out with a gun
to scare people away

now the commune people came
together with many local people
from the village san juanillo
to clean up all the branches
made big fires to burn all the dead trees
had drumming circle and singing
making a cleaning event into a celebration
dancing with the locals
with kids and dogs

angel walk at night
two long lines of people all in white
everyone in turn
walks with eyes shut in the middle
very slowly with small steps
being touched
kissed
massaged
hugged
by everyone

one early morning at 4:45 am
we drove with the commune’s
small old american yellow school bus
to the ostional village beach
it was time for the sea turtles to lay eggs

hundreds of huge turtles making their way
out of the ocean
crawling up the sandy beach
digging holes and laying eggs
each turtle lays tens of eggs
covers the hole
and crawls back into the ocean

sunrise slowly reveals
a beach full with turtle traffic
some making their way out of the water
others crawling back to the ocean
this goes on for hours

gangs of black vultures
flying and jumping around
trickily managing to sneak their beaks
into some holes while the turtles lay the eggs
feasting on the fresh eggs
the heavy helpless turtles can hardly move

the entire village of ostional
is at the beach too
they walk around and kick with their heels
into the sand
feeling where the turtles have laid the eggs
they re-dig the holes and fill sacks with eggs
and load them onto four trucks

the turtles come to lay eggs
three mornings in a row
the ostional people collect all the eggs
during the first two mornings
and don’t touch the eggs
from the third and last morning
allowing the magnificent and endangered turtle
not to become extinct

three weeks later
hundreds of tiny baby turtles
with delicate soft shells
crawl out of the eggs and sand
navigating their way to the ocean
being easy target
for the hungry vultures

the baby turtles that made it
to the water
struggle with the waves
that keep knocking them back to shore
many die during this struggle
others become food for bigger fish
small percentage makes it
to adulthood

dry season has began
becoming warmer and hotter
no rain for several months

unlike in the west where
foliage takes place when it gets cold
here trees shed their leaves
during the dry season

leaving pacha mama back to new york
from the jeep that drives me away
seeing how the naked trees
become covered with
blooming bright colorful flowers

pura vida

© 2002. All Rights Reserved.
Zohar Zemach Wilson, Costa Rica, January 2002.

Click here for more stories about Pacha Mama.