By Kate Tanner
A New Day. New chance. New effort. New compassion, peace, and gratitude. Peace. Each. Breath.
I wrote that in my journal one night so that I would see it the next morning.
By Nikki Lee
The second week of Yoga Teacher Training in Costa Rica briskly came and went filled with waves of emotions, challenges, and most importantly smiling bright eyes. We amped up our asana practice and our minds, feeling warn out by day 14 yet still yearning for more knowledge. My eager body rested whenever given the chance and was regularly replenished with the magical fruits and vegetables provided by the jungle of Costa Rica. Read the rest of this entry »
We had a new Yoga Teacher Training program in Costa Rica this last August with Alan Lowenschuss (Allowah Lani) and his assistant, Ali Gardella. The class was small and just the perfect blend – as it always seems to be. Every day was filled with such calmness and focus and their good energy permeated the whole mountain top in Nosara, Costa Rica.
By Chelsea Guibord
This is a phrase that I have heard repeatedly during yoga teacher training in Costa Rica. A primary focus of yoga is working to cease the fluctuations of the mind, a skill that I have found quite challenging. About mid-training, I lost my form in a cobra pose and pulled a muscle in my low back. I allowed the discomfort to flood my mind with thoughts such as, Now I’m not going to be able to practice asanas, If I sit out I’m going to look weak, Why am I the only person and struggling? I can’t fit in with the group when I feel so tired and negative, and so on.
CRUNCHY PINK QUINOA SALAD WITH SPINACH, BEETS AND CUCUMBERS
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
2 Beets, Raw
½ cup Cucumber
½ cup Onions, Spring or Scallions
½ cup Quinoa
1 TBS Juice – Orange Juice
1 TBS. Olive Oil
1 ½ C Spinach, Raw
DIRECTIONS:
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Ginger as an ingredient we use in many of our yoga retreat meals here in Nosara. Not merely for flavor but because of the natural benefits ginger has to offer. Ginger is known to have calming properties and has a soothing flavor with a touch of bite to it which can help keep you feel alert and calm.
Ginger is commonly used to help an upset stomach, motion sickness or general low-grade fevers. It is also excellent for nausea and for warming you up when you feel cold. Ginger is reputed to help ward off colds or improve your recovery time as well.
I am in constant awe of the transformative process of becoming “awake” in a higher way, through each day, each asana, each conflict and each delicious experience of bliss. This has been my journey. As I prepare to lead a new retreat of yoga teacher trainees in their process and journey of yoga at the Costa Rica Yoga Spa, I am amazed by the transformation of relationships and space that has occurred in such a seemingly small amount of time.
There is so much more that goes into being a yoga teacher than just guiding one through a series of poses. I signed up for this Yoga Teacher Training Retreat not knowing what being a yoga teacher entails. I still don’t for all that matters, but after being here a few days and being surrounded by fascinating teachers, I have been given a little glimpse of what it entails.
After several years of practice, I thought that I could possibly do a teacher training program to dig deeper into my passion and practice. At first I thought that being a yoga teacher is as simple (for lack of a better word) as guiding one through a series of poses that after years of practice we have somewhat memorized in our heads. I knew yoga as a way of life when off the mat, but didn’t, and perhaps still don’t, know the true essence of that meaning. Ashley has shown us that the physical aspects of yoga is just one small slice of yoga and that if one focuses on just the physical aspect, the mind and spirit do not get cleansed. Iyengar said, “To master any language, you must first learn the alphabet.” That is exactly how Ashley is guiding and teaching us. She is teaching us the alphabet of yoga, from A to Z. She and Erin will give us a letter here and letter there. I may not necessarily know how they are connected, but with due time, I am confident and trust that I will get a clear picture of how to connect the dots.
The beauty of this program is that Ashley allows for our own self-development and creativity to connect those dots ourselves rather than her holding our hands and telling us how to connect the dots. That method will make us grow into being a better yoga teacher who possesses characteristics of self-sufficiency, innovation, creativity, openness, blissfulness, and love. With just a few short days with Ashley and Erin, I have been enlightened with just a sliver of what that bliss could possibly be like from how they are their auras, souls and way of life. They both are amazing teachers, not only of yoga on-the-mat, but more importantly of yoga–off-the-mat. I am learning through them how to connect and thread the two in order to embrace yoga as a true and comprehensive way of living.
With the lessons and information I have thus far learned in this yoga teacher training and with my practice, I have realized that the practice of yoga is like a perpetual jigsaw puzzle. I am constantly being given and discovering new pieces and fitting them in place. Just when I get a glimpse of the puzzle’s image, the puzzle expands, thus, expanding myself. The more my practice deepens, the more I am ever so grateful of this experience because I realize there is an infinite amount of wisdom and knowledge to learn and embrace. The closer I get, the more I see how far I am. – Rumi
By Natasha
If you are interested in learning more about yoga teacher training retreats in Nosara, contact us today!
In Sanskrit parsvakonasana means side and angle so it’s only natural that in yoga this would mean the prayer twist pose. The prayer twist is one of our favorite yoga poses to have yoga teacher training retreat guests practice during yoga class because it stretches the back and works the legs at the same time.
According to yoga experts the Namaskar Parsvakonasana is supposed to build lower body strength, open the chest and help those with asthma problems breathe better, as well as stretch the back and nourish and realign the spine.
To execute the perfect prayer pose you will first stand with your feet together at the beginning of your yoga mat or in a space where you have room behind you. You will begin with your right foot and step back into a deep lunge. Once in this position you will place your hands at hearts center and rotate your torso so that your right elbow is on the outside of your left knee. Hold and breathe for 6 breaths. Then Repeat on opposite side.
If the standing lunge position is too hard you can always use the Ardha Namaskar Parsvakonasana, or the half prayer twist. In this version you will place your back knee on the floor to help with more support. Many yoga retreat guests who are just beginning to learn yoga opt for this variation and later progress to the Namaskar Parsvakonasana/ Prayer Twist Yoga Pose.
Keep pushing yourself in Life, Work and YOGA!
If you are interested in take your practice of yoga to a higher plane, contact us to learn more about yoga retreats in Nosara, Costa Rica.
Namaste
My first week doing the 200 Yoga Teacher Training at Costa Rica Yoga Spa has taught me more than I could learn in months elsewhere. With all of the distractions of daily existence, it is easy to go through the motions of practicing yoga and really, practicing life.
My inspiration to come here rather than doing a training in my hometown was to remove all of those distractions and allow myself to be fully immersed in the spirit of yoga. Through this I have found myself unspeakably open to grace. Open to the grace that is a deep understanding of fundamental postures, to the grace that is spiritual and emotional rebirth and personal discovery, to the grace that is experiencing the elements of nature and the elements within. We have covered so much in so few days already while having a wonderful time becoming a family and creating our own little community of curiosity and love.
The Costa Rica Yoga Spa is helping me experience the magic that is yoga and Nosara, Costa Rica together sharing meals, insights and joys. We are the luckiest people in the world to have so much one-on-one time with our amazing teacher, Ashley Ludman. She possesses the ability to guide through the difficulty and really develop our understanding of the full-spectrum of anusara teachings and philosophies and postures.
We have asked questions, found some answers, and asked even more questions. The structure of teaching creates an insatiable desire to learn…about the world, about the self, about the living prana of yoga. We have learned about the energy-charged chakras, but more importantly about how they relate to finding ourselves more aligned with our optimum blueprint and achieving our greatest potential.
With a little less than two weeks to go, I am looking forward to continuing to absorb every bit of this experience as I can whether it be on the beautiful beaches or on the mat in the tranquil ranchito.
To learn more about yoga retreats at Costa Rica Yoga Spa, contact us today!
