Breathe in the green
Costa Rica and yoga seem made for each other. Maybe it’s the country’s slower pace, the heat, or the air supersaturated with oxygen given off by dense rain forests.
Whatever the reason, it seems easier to breath here, to stretch, and to quiet the chatter in your mind.
Nowadays in Costa Rica, yoga retreats and teacher training programs are cropping up everywhere you look, and every other hotel seems to claim a yoga studio. But if you’re serious about your yoga, or even just want a better chance of a good teacher, it’s best to seek out places that are truly yoga-focused.
It’s a happy coincidence that some great spots for yoga are also perfect for surfing, sunning, and snorkeling. Some yoga programs include other activities and excursions—like river rafting, surf lessons, or a trip to the nearest zip line. Many emphasize healthy eating and/or spiritual pursuits along with your daily sun salutes and downward-facing dogs.
The lovely Nicoya Peninsula seems to have the highest concentration of beachside yoga retreats and hotels equipped with yoga studios. You can fly or drive there.
Nosara Yoga Institute, in the small beach town of Nosara, is a serious (and fun) teacher-training spot and within walking distance of good surfing beaches. They also have daily walk-in classes, including Yoga for Surfers.
In San Juanillo, north of Nosara, Hacienda del Sol is a small retreat center (capacity 40) that offers raw food and juice ‘cleanses’ with daily meditation and yoga. Pachamama, inland from Nosara, is a secluded eco-village offer yoga classes, spirituality via a devotee of Osho (aka Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), and vegetarian meals.
In Montezuma, on the grounds of Los Mangos Hotel, Montezuma Yoga offers Hatha-vinyasa classes (and some week-long retreats) taught in a thatch-roofed, open-air pavilion with an ocean view. Also in Montezuma, Anamaya Mind Body & Spirit Resort is perched on a hill above town, with sweeping views, healthy gourmet food, and an infinity saltwater pool. Anamaya offers month-long teacher training courses and a variety of weeklong yoga retreats, like Fire Dancing and Yoga (taught by a former Cirque du Soleil Fire Dancer), Aerial Dance, and Yoga and Detox.
In the Santa Teresa/Mal Pais area (a favorite among surfers), Pranamar Oceanfront Villas and Yoga Retreat offers two yoga classes a day and also have weeklong retreats with meals, lodging, two yoga classes a day, and one surf lesson each day. Just up the beach is the deluxe Flor Blanca Resort and its small open-air studio where ashtanga, vinyasa, and pilates classes are taught.
Central Valley and Caribbean Coast
Lovely Pura Vida Spa, high in the Central Valley, offers massage and spa treatments alongside daily yoga classes. Samasati Nature Reserve, on the Caribbean coast, is a peaceful and remote retreat that offers yoga and excursions like going to see a native shaman.
Southern Zone
If you like your yoga with a side of mountains and rivers, check out Río Chirripó Retreat, not far form Cerro Chirripó, the highest mountain in Costa Rica.
For more information, try the Costa Rica Association of Yoga Teachers (ASOYOGACR).
If you'd like to combine yoga and surfing, see He Surfs, She Yogas.
Whatever the reason, it seems easier to breath here, to stretch, and to quiet the chatter in your mind.
Nowadays in Costa Rica, yoga retreats and teacher training programs are cropping up everywhere you look, and every other hotel seems to claim a yoga studio. But if you’re serious about your yoga, or even just want a better chance of a good teacher, it’s best to seek out places that are truly yoga-focused.
It’s a happy coincidence that some great spots for yoga are also perfect for surfing, sunning, and snorkeling. Some yoga programs include other activities and excursions—like river rafting, surf lessons, or a trip to the nearest zip line. Many emphasize healthy eating and/or spiritual pursuits along with your daily sun salutes and downward-facing dogs.
The lovely Nicoya Peninsula seems to have the highest concentration of beachside yoga retreats and hotels equipped with yoga studios. You can fly or drive there.
Nosara Yoga Institute, in the small beach town of Nosara, is a serious (and fun) teacher-training spot and within walking distance of good surfing beaches. They also have daily walk-in classes, including Yoga for Surfers.
In San Juanillo, north of Nosara, Hacienda del Sol is a small retreat center (capacity 40) that offers raw food and juice ‘cleanses’ with daily meditation and yoga. Pachamama, inland from Nosara, is a secluded eco-village offer yoga classes, spirituality via a devotee of Osho (aka Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), and vegetarian meals.
In Montezuma, on the grounds of Los Mangos Hotel, Montezuma Yoga offers Hatha-vinyasa classes (and some week-long retreats) taught in a thatch-roofed, open-air pavilion with an ocean view. Also in Montezuma, Anamaya Mind Body & Spirit Resort is perched on a hill above town, with sweeping views, healthy gourmet food, and an infinity saltwater pool. Anamaya offers month-long teacher training courses and a variety of weeklong yoga retreats, like Fire Dancing and Yoga (taught by a former Cirque du Soleil Fire Dancer), Aerial Dance, and Yoga and Detox.
In the Santa Teresa/Mal Pais area (a favorite among surfers), Pranamar Oceanfront Villas and Yoga Retreat offers two yoga classes a day and also have weeklong retreats with meals, lodging, two yoga classes a day, and one surf lesson each day. Just up the beach is the deluxe Flor Blanca Resort and its small open-air studio where ashtanga, vinyasa, and pilates classes are taught.
Central Valley and Caribbean Coast
Lovely Pura Vida Spa, high in the Central Valley, offers massage and spa treatments alongside daily yoga classes. Samasati Nature Reserve, on the Caribbean coast, is a peaceful and remote retreat that offers yoga and excursions like going to see a native shaman.
Southern Zone
If you like your yoga with a side of mountains and rivers, check out Río Chirripó Retreat, not far form Cerro Chirripó, the highest mountain in Costa Rica.
For more information, try the Costa Rica Association of Yoga Teachers (ASOYOGACR).
If you'd like to combine yoga and surfing, see He Surfs, She Yogas.
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