Nestled in the Costa Rican jungle at the Goddess Garden Eco Resort, the world seemed to stop while our yoga retreat group was so immersed in nature. My life felt, very simply, joyful and fulfilled. My presence there was both recognized and celebrated, leaving me feeling as though the jungle was more accepting of me than Los Angeles is. These feelings, of course, made me hyper-aware of just how complex my life is in the United States.
The theme of our Costa Rican yoga retreat was AWAKEN, and in the end, my most profound awakening was that there are ways to infuse the simplicity of vacation into our urban jungle lives. There were many lessons learned from the foundation of rainforest living that have helped me to feel grounded during the daily grind, grateful for my relationships, and on fire in my career.
1. Fall In Love With Yourself
I must mention the foxy men of Costa Rica, particularly our jungle guide (Fernando – of course his name was Fernando) and surf instructor (Tito – of course his name was Tito), who reminded me just how many fish there are in the sea. However, with the complexities of my relationships at home, I realized that the first step to falling back in love with anyone is making sure that you first and foremost love yourself.
This trip highlighted the fact that life is much simpler when you become your own best friend. When you act as the biggest supporter of your self, there is a grounded feeling that grows inside: no matter how complex life is, you can get yourself through. If you’re feeling lost on a tumultuous path toward greatness, you can take heart in knowing that you trust your instincts. If you go through a difficult breakup, trusting that your heart will heal will help you to overcome the hurt. If you lose your job, believing in your self and your skill sets will help you to manifest a career path that is even better.
2. Gratitude Is Everything
The locals of the tiny town we visited didn’t have much in terms of "stuff," but there is a beautiful vibrancy about the energy there that shed light on this fact: a minimalist life can be the most fulfilling. The people of Cahuita look far beyond material goods. They appreciate adventure, human connection, nature, and those pura vida life experiences. They may live in a structure the size of my tiny room, but their homes are painted with the brightest, happiest colors. Their walls are bursting with laughter and great conversation. This was a wonderful reminder that if you’re seeking a less stressful, less complex life, gratitude is the key.
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” -Melody Beattie
3. Helping Others Heal Does Not Require Draining Your Own Energy
During the retreat, our group helped each other to heal the wounds of our fast-moving, turbulent lives. When we took a moment to breathe together, to talk deeply about what moves us, inspires us, and scares us, a great release took place. Most of us came away with an understanding of the changes we need to make back at home to feel more fulfilled.
This great exchange of healing took place without any of us feeling drained of our own energy. You may have friends or loved ones in your life that you feel require a lot of your happy energy, helpful energy, and healing energy. Can you work toward being an energy channel, rather than an energy bucket?
You don’t have to take on the burden of everyone else’s issues as your own. Working toward the understanding that helping people heal doesn’t require depleting your own energy will make your life feel much less heavy.
4. Take Time To Feel Your Feelings
Every single person in our group had a major emotional breakthrough. We released tension, stress, burdens, happy tears and sad tears. There was so much beauty found in taking time to really feel our feelings, to recognize them, and to work through them together.
I realized during this process that when we identify simple lessons within the complexities of life, the complexities seem much less like punishments and more like opportunities. Coincidentally, a friend of mine shared this quote today, which perfectly supports the fact that no matter how tangled life feels, we are always in the right place at the right time:
“…feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.” -Pema Chodron
©Emily Hudson, WorldLifestyle
The theme of our Costa Rican yoga retreat was AWAKEN, and in the end, my most profound awakening was that there are ways to infuse the simplicity of vacation into our urban jungle lives. There were many lessons learned from the foundation of rainforest living that have helped me to feel grounded during the daily grind, grateful for my relationships, and on fire in my career.
1. Fall In Love With Yourself
I must mention the foxy men of Costa Rica, particularly our jungle guide (Fernando – of course his name was Fernando) and surf instructor (Tito – of course his name was Tito), who reminded me just how many fish there are in the sea. However, with the complexities of my relationships at home, I realized that the first step to falling back in love with anyone is making sure that you first and foremost love yourself.
This trip highlighted the fact that life is much simpler when you become your own best friend. When you act as the biggest supporter of your self, there is a grounded feeling that grows inside: no matter how complex life is, you can get yourself through. If you’re feeling lost on a tumultuous path toward greatness, you can take heart in knowing that you trust your instincts. If you go through a difficult breakup, trusting that your heart will heal will help you to overcome the hurt. If you lose your job, believing in your self and your skill sets will help you to manifest a career path that is even better.
2. Gratitude Is Everything
The locals of the tiny town we visited didn’t have much in terms of "stuff," but there is a beautiful vibrancy about the energy there that shed light on this fact: a minimalist life can be the most fulfilling. The people of Cahuita look far beyond material goods. They appreciate adventure, human connection, nature, and those pura vida life experiences. They may live in a structure the size of my tiny room, but their homes are painted with the brightest, happiest colors. Their walls are bursting with laughter and great conversation. This was a wonderful reminder that if you’re seeking a less stressful, less complex life, gratitude is the key.
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” -Melody Beattie
3. Helping Others Heal Does Not Require Draining Your Own Energy
During the retreat, our group helped each other to heal the wounds of our fast-moving, turbulent lives. When we took a moment to breathe together, to talk deeply about what moves us, inspires us, and scares us, a great release took place. Most of us came away with an understanding of the changes we need to make back at home to feel more fulfilled.
This great exchange of healing took place without any of us feeling drained of our own energy. You may have friends or loved ones in your life that you feel require a lot of your happy energy, helpful energy, and healing energy. Can you work toward being an energy channel, rather than an energy bucket?
You don’t have to take on the burden of everyone else’s issues as your own. Working toward the understanding that helping people heal doesn’t require depleting your own energy will make your life feel much less heavy.
4. Take Time To Feel Your Feelings
Every single person in our group had a major emotional breakthrough. We released tension, stress, burdens, happy tears and sad tears. There was so much beauty found in taking time to really feel our feelings, to recognize them, and to work through them together.
I realized during this process that when we identify simple lessons within the complexities of life, the complexities seem much less like punishments and more like opportunities. Coincidentally, a friend of mine shared this quote today, which perfectly supports the fact that no matter how tangled life feels, we are always in the right place at the right time:
“…feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.” -Pema Chodron
©Emily Hudson, WorldLifestyle
