Nosara: Where, What, When, Why

WHERE: Nosara, Costa Rica

WHAT: Nosara Yoga Institute (NYI) Yoga Teacher Training (YTT)

WHEN: January - April 2016

WHY: Because...

WHERE: Nosara, Costa Rica

Nosara lies on the Pacific Coast in the middle of Central America. Located between Montezuma and Tamarindo, Nosara is a little town bustling with ex-pats. The town itself is actually a few kilometers inland from the beach. Depending on who you ask, you'll get different answers on whether the playas (n. beaches) (i.e. Playa Guiones, Playa Pelada, Playa Garza) are called Nosara as well or they are their own pueblos (n. villages, towns). There is this saying: "Nosara will welcome you when you're ready for her, and she will spit you out if you're not ready for her." Just watch some people lose their minds when the water or electricity comes and goes, and you'll believe the saying too.

WHAT: Nosara Yoga Institute (NYI) Yoga Teacher Training (YTT)

Nosara is renowned as a yoga haven, in which Don and Amba at the NYI had very much a hand in bringing this reputation to the region over the past 20 years. The institute sits on a lush, $4.5-million jungle estate (by the way, it is currently up for sale, so better get on it if you want to get your hands on this gorgeous land)!

WHEN: January - April 2016

I'm doing the 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training, comprised of 200 hours of fundamental training and 300 hours of advanced training, over the period of three months from January to April. For the first 200 hours, I am with 50 other students who share many common desires from deepening our own practice to discovering who we are as a teacher in yoga and in life. This self discovery process is what makes NYI inviting because the training doesn't focus on one particular style of yoga, but rather invites us to search inward and discover our own teacher within us.

WHY: Because...

Last year, I read Don's book "Self-Awakening Yoga: The Expansion of Consciousness through the Body's Own Wisdom". In it, he asks the question: "Have you ever made a decision in your life based on your heart?" This triggered something in me that became something much greater in the big picture. Honestly, the day I signed up for the NYI YTT, for the first time in my life, I feel like I am following my heart!

Following our hearts is sure a lot of hard work! We study yoga 50 hours a week for four weeks, thus adding up to the 200-hour fundamental training. Our schedule starts at 6am and finishes at 8:30pm everyday including weekends. In addition, as part of following my heart, I wanted to learn Spanish while in Costa Rica, so I rush to and from Spanish class at the Nosara Spanish Institute twice a week. During the breaks in between sessions, there are just enough time to cook, eat (mindfully), wash up, and afternoon siestas (n. short sleeps). We get Saturday evenings off, and that's the only day of the week when we can catch the sunset. I love the fact that all the families and friends gather at the beach and watch sunsets everyday religiously.

Go out and follow your heart, amigos (n. friends)! Pura vida!