Photo from Ocean Breeze Nosara

 

Originally Posted On: https://oceanbreezenosara.com/blog/yoga-retreat-in-nosara/

 

Booking a yoga retreat is an exciting time! You get to choose the destination, decide on the venue, plan the itinerary, select a menu, and welcome your group of eager yogis ready to immerse themselves in nature and reconnect with their purpose.

But with all that excitement will likely come a tad of overwhelm. Let’s leave everything else aside for the moment and just talk about “the destination”. Arguably the most important decision. And the options, frankly, are endless. Each location you look at may seem even more spectacular than the last, and all the options may start to blend together at some point.

This is thanks to the rapid spread of yoga’s popularity throughout the world. And the increasing interest in yoga retreats, more specifically. More and more people are discovering the benefits of yoga. Which means more and more retreat centres are opening up as yoga becomes more accessible to the average person. This is a good problem to have when trying to narrow down where you want to host your next retreat. But it is a problem nonetheless.

Yoga as a daily practice and a way of life is continuing to spread throughout the world as a means to find your purpose, become more at peace without yourself, and achieve inner balance. And a yoga retreat is such a beautiful chance for a small group of people to experience a deeper sense of peace and tranquility, while together, in a safe and welcoming space.

A yoga retreat is a special time for your group to create meaningful connections with each other, to immerse themselves in nature, and to familiarize themselves with the local community culture.

Because there are so many factors to consider, choosing the perfect location for your yoga retreat is a big responsibility. You want your participants to have an experience they will remember forever. And the location you choose will play a big part in this.

Yes, these are many beautiful places you could choose for your next yoga retreat. But here’s 4 reasons why you shouldn’t look any further than Nosara, Costa Rica, situated on the beautifully remote Nicoya Peninsula.

Nosara, Costa Rica: The Yoga Capital of the Nicoya Peninsula

Tucked away along the Pacific coast in Guanacaste, this chic surf town is one of Costa Rica’s most famous yoga destinations. It also happens to sit right next to one of the best surf spots in the country.

Nosara is a village and a district on Costa Rica’s Nicoya peninsula and has been named one of the best yoga destinations in the world. As the yoga capital of Costa Rica, it naturally lends itself well as a location of choice for your next retreat. But let’s break it down even further, so that you can really understand why you should give this destination some serious thought as you start to plan your next yoga retreat.

1. Nosara is an internationally recognized yoga mecca and will lend credibility to your retreat

Our Yoga Lounge at Ocean Breeze Nosara

Easily sell your yoga retreat on the back of Nosara’s well regarded reputation as a preferred yoga destination in the entire world. Your retreat go-ers will feel right at home amongst a community of like-minded souls. It is important to note that Nosara is an upscale luxury retreat destination, so the price point of everything will be higher. Including the price point of your retreat. But this is a good thing. A well organized retreat in a destination that comes with all the amenities required to make sure your retreat runs smoothly… Well, that’s a price many people are happy to pay for. And for you as the retreat organizer, it just means less headaches as you put all the pieces of your retreat together.

2. Nosara is remote but still easily accessible

Nosara is a coastal village of roughly 5,000 inhabitants on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula in Guanacaste. Located between Samara and Tamarindo’s beaches, it is a 5-hour drive from San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. It’s very easy to organize an airport shuttle to get your group to your retreat location, and this is the preferred method of transport from the airport.

At 159 miles away from San Jose, and 80 miles from Liberia, the road to Nosara is as wonderful as the destination itself. You’ll find a beautiful and continuous green scenery that will amaze you with every mile. However, make sure you organize a shuttle with a reputable driver, as unpaved roads and poor signalling is part of the reality.

The remoteness of this destination means that your retreat go-ers are rewarded for their extra travels with tranquility, wildlife, undeveloped coastline, eco-friendly food options and what many consider to be a more “authentic” experience of Costa Rica.

3. Nosara has other must-see attractions

The beaches! Guiones is the main beach of the area. It has incredible surfing waves, dreamy sunsets and soft sand. This beach is 2mi (3km) long, and at low tide, the sand is perfectly packed in and ideal for taking a long stroll. There are several other equally as majestical beaches for you to enjoy.

The wildlife! The Nosara Biological Reserve is home to 270 animal species, including monkeys, armadillos, bats, iguanas and many types of birds. It’s also full of mangroves, Guanacaste trees, hibiscus, Panama trees and cedar trees, just to name a few. Guided tours are available so that you can really understand the magic of this biodiversity. There are also several hiking trails through the reserve that you can take at your leisure. The number of visitors is limited in order to minimize the human impact on this precious and thriving ecosystem.

4. The Nicoyan Peninsula is a Blue Zone Area

Nosara is in a Blue Zone

The Nicoyan peninsular, which includes the town of Nosara, is a blue zone area. Blue zone areas are rare, and consist of some of the happiest and healthiest people in the world. The uplifting spirit and high-vibrational energy of this region will undoubtably have a positive impact on your retreat participants.

So what characterizes an area as a blue zone? It’s a place that has a larger than normal population of people who live to be over 100 years!

The term was popularized by author-educator-explorer Dan Buettner in his 2008 book, “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from People Who’ve Lived the Longest.”

So what’s the secret? Buettner’s team of researchers and specialists found that the Nicoyan centenarians in particular:

• Have clearly defined “why I get up in the morning”. Centenarians say they feel needed, with a sense of purpose that often centers on their family.
• Are socially active and integrated into their communities.
• Have dedicated “faith routines” that help relieve stress and anxiety.
• Maintain a strong work ethic, which keeps them active and healthy while contributing to their sense of purpose.
• Drink hard water. High amounts of calcium and magnesium, essential for bone and muscle strength, abound in Nicoya’s water. By drinking and cooking with this water, people here get their daily intake of calcium throughout their entire lives.
• Eat a primarily plant-based diet, especially legumes and rich, colorful fruit. In Nicoya, they eat marañon, the red-orange cashew tree fruit that has more vitamin C than oranges, and noni, a pear-like fruit rich in antioxidants.
• Enjoy doses of daily sun, enriching their bodies with Vitamin D. Getting at least 15 minutes of sun exposure every day can decrease the risk for osteoporosis and heart disease, experts say.
• Sleep an average of 8 hours per day. They more or less go to sleep soon after nightfall and wake with the sun.

Why Choose Nosara as Your Next Retreat Destination

So there you have it. The 4 reasons why Nosara should be on your bucket list of places to host your next yoga retreat in Costa Rica. If you are looking to host your own retreat, Ocean Breeze is a facility available for rent for up to 26 participants. Beautifully styled studio space, lush jungle life all around, comfortable beds and fully furnished rooms means your guests would be able to relax and reconnect in luxury.

At Ocean Breeze, you are in control of the retreat you’d like to host, but we can help you organize all the necessary elements to make sure this will be the best retreat you’ve organized yet.