As a travel world is finally slowly shifting back into its pre-pandemic state, it is the perfect time for us, travellers, to reflect on our travel habits and learn how we can help to transform travel and tourism into a more responsible and thoughtful industry that doesn’t destroy our planet or negatively affect local communities.
I’ve always been a huge advocate for responsible tourism and travelling more sustainably, so it is no surprise that I am always on the lookout for local, sustainable travel companies or tour operators. One of the most recent discoveries – Bodhi Surf + Yoga!
What is Bodhi Surf + Yoga?
Bodhi Surf + Yoga is a responsible tourism company that runs surf and yoga retreats in Bahia Ballena-Uvita, Costa Rica. According to the co-founders, the surf and yoga camp was created with a goal to teach surfing and yoga as a way to create a positive social and environmental impact not only in their local communities but also globally as well.
Today the business has grown into a certified B Corporation and a member of 1% for the Planet which, for those who don’t know, means that Bodhi Surf + Yoga voluntarily donates one percent of their gross annual sales to support environmental non-profit projects.
Currently, Bodhi Surf + Yoga mainly offers one or two-week long surf and yoga sessions that consist of daily yoga and surfing lessons, as well as a walking tour around the area and a trip to a local waterfall.
Bodhi Surf + Yoga logistics
The whole experience from booking to arrival and departure is very well-thought and planned with sustainable practices in mind.
Upon confirming your booking, Bodhi Surf + Yoga makes sure to send you informational and helpful emails about what to pack and how to prepare for your stay in Costa Rica. They also include a list of responsible and sustainable companies from which you can buy any packing list items that you don’t have.
Bodhi Surf + Yoga has a small lodge with a maximum capacity of 10 people which is a perfect size for engaging with other travelers as well as staying safe during the current times of COVID. The accommodation of the lodge consists of two rooms and two different size bungalows one of which is perfect for a family.
Asides from the accommodation, there is a communal kitchen, dining area, as well as an outdoor pool, reflection/reading room filled with books that you can borrow, outdoor showers and, of course, a yoga studio.
What I liked a lot about the lodge is that each room, bungalow and community space has a name that in a way reflects the atmosphere and energy of the given space. For example, the kitchen/dining area is named ‘Alegria’ which means joy and the reading space just under the yoga studio is called ‘Serenidad’ which means serenity.
Asides from daily yoga (and surfing, if you book a surf and yoga camp) practices and philosophy class, they provide a walking tour around the community with a local tour guide, as well as organize a trip to the Uvita waterfall. For the yoga retreat that I was attending, we also had an early morning hike to a beautiful viewpoint, a walk along the famous Whale’s tail and a sound healing session.
During the stay, you will get 5 (or more depending on how long you stay) filling breakfast and a few dinners as well prepared by their own chef. The food is fresh, mainly plant-based and incredibly delicious as well. It is safe to say that it was the best food I ate during my entire stay in Costa Rica.
Included in the package is also a one night’s stay in the San Jose hotel after the retreat, as well as round-trip transportation from San Jose, so you don’t need to worry about any of these logistics when you book a retreat at Bodhi Surf + Yoga.
As part of their sustainability pack, Bodhi Surf + Yoga offset your flights for you if you book a retreat with them which is one of the best ways to minimize your carbon footprint if you are an avid flyer.
My in-person yoga experience at Bodhi Surf + Yoga
During my time in Costa Rica, I had the pleasure of being a part of Awaken Your Ashtanga which is a 7-day yoga philosophy and asana retreat of Bodhi Surf + Yoga. This was their first-ever fully yoga-based retreat that didn’t include surfing and only focused on all limbs of yoga.
Before coming to the retreat, I only had a minimum experience with yoga practice and I didn’t know what to expect as it was also my first ever yoga retreat. However, the experience which I had at Bodhi Surf + Yoga surpassed all the expectations that I might have had before coming there.
Pilar, who is a yoga instructor and co-founder of Bodhi Surf + Yoga, was the main contact person and she made sure that we all were comfortable on and off the mat. Moreover, during the sessions, you can really see how passionate about yoga Pilar is and how her years of learning and mastering this craft really shines through.
For someone who only recently got into yoga, it was fascinating to dive deeper into the philosophy of it and learn that the physical practice of yoga is only a small part of what the whole concept of yoga stands for. During the yoga philosophy sessions, Pilar shared her knowledge of Ashtanga Yoga, how it consists of eight different ‘limbs’ that all yogis should come to learn and embody in their practice.
While philosophy sessions might not sound as exciting, they were the most relaxing parts of the day for me. Grabbing a cup of tea and listening to Pilar speak about concepts of yoga, different parts of it and how it all comes together into our daily life was inspiring and not any bit boring.
We followed each philosophy class with time for a guided meditation that each time left me feeling so completely in awareness of myself and I felt like it was a perfect way to end the day before dinner.
The asana – physical yoga – sessions were nourishing not only for the body but for the soul as well because of the way they were instructed. Some of the poses were a bit demanding but Pilar always made sure to show a few different variations that you could do according to your own abilities and even current mood.
This is one thing I appreciated a lot during yoga practice, Pilar’s understanding and encouragement to listen to your body, to do a lighter variation of the pose but do it well rather than push yourself to do something your body isn’t ready to.
We often see people on Instagram or even YouTube doing yoga in those very difficult looking yoga poses and we think that this is what yoga really is, when in reality it can be as simple as a few Sun Salutations done well combined with controlled breathing.
Asides from focusing on physical practice and the philosophy of yoga, we also explored a few different breathing techniques such as Nadi Shodhana, Ujjayi. Learning how to control the breath is a learning curve, one that you can keep learning for years, but when done well it helps to keep us grounded, as well as concentrate and focus better.
I liked what Pilar once said about breathing during one of the sessions: if you don’t breathe properly, you are missing the main point of yoga, without proper breathing – it’s just an exercise.
Somehow every activity and the atmosphere itself of Bodhi Surf + Yoga made it so easy to be aware not only of your own body, mind and soul but also of the environment and nature around you. You feel connected and completely at ease there which is all you really need to recharge and feel rejuvenated after your vacation.
Even as simple an activity as going to a waterfall managed to become a conscious act of becoming more aware and connected to the nature around us. Pilar even encouraged us to find a secluded spot while there where we could sit alone for a few minutes, listen to the sounds around us, touch the rocks, maybe even put our head underwater and really feel it, feel that connection with the earth.
As I was sitting on one of the rocks with my feet dangling in the water, surrounded by lush greenery and with fading sound of the waterfall in the background, suddenly I felt raindrops rapidly but softly falling on my head and body and this is the moment I finally understood what Pilar meant. Somehow sitting in my bathing suit in the middle of the rain was one of the most relaxing and enriching experiences I had in my life.
On the last day of the retreat, there is a closing session which is an open space for all the guests to share their thoughts, feelings that may have arisen during the time there, as well as practice gratitude by naming a few things they are grateful for that week. As you can imagine, it was quite an emotional and touching session that made me realise how incredibly grateful I am to be able to travel again and how wonderful and life-altering travel experiences can be.
Last but not least, we were invited to make a pledge on something we would like to do or achieve. I found it to be a perfect ending touch of the retreat, so I pledged to be more present because this is what I really struggle with it in day to day life as someone who works with social media and marketing.
After a week spent at Bodhi Surf + Yoga, I went back home with the awakened purpose to be more present and aware, as well as motivated to explore different ways I myself can incorporate yoga in my daily life. I feel like I rediscovered yoga in a new light thanks to Bodhi Surf + Yoga and for that, I am immensely thankful.
Have you ever been to a yoga retreat? What sustainable travel companies would you recommend?
*I was kindly invited as a guest by Bodhi Surf + Yoga, however, all opinions are my own.
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