Embodying Joy
with Dana Makover and Susan Somers-Willett
May 8-15, 2021
Join renowned teachers Dana Makover and Susan Somers-Willett for seven days of body-positive yoga practice at beautiful Blue Spirit in Nosara, Costa Rica. Nourish and energize your body with daily flow and yin yoga practices centered around grounding and functional movement for all. Feed your soul with rest, laughter, adventure, and community—whether you choose to float in the infinity saltwater pool, surf at the beach, or explore optional nature parks, including the nearby the beachside turtle reserve. Join us for a week of practicing radical self-acceptance and reconnecting to yourself.
Blue Spirit is one of the foremost world-class yoga and meditation retreat centers in Costa Rica. Perched on a hilltop that overlooks the Pacific Ocean and a three-mile long white sand beach– Blue Spirit offers an extraordinarily beautiful and natural setting for your week. Enjoy twice daily yoga sessions accessible to all levels, fresh and organic cuisine, the on site holistic spa, infinity salt water pool and direct access to a quiet warm beach cove for swimming.
We look forward to welcoming you.
During your week, you will have the opportunity to:
- Wake up each morning to the sound of the howler monkeys and enchanting sunrise over the ocean
- Enjoy daily yoga classes with Donna and staff
- Play on a pristine beach and swim in the warm waters of a friendly ocean cove
- Explore the natural jungle and ocean settings with eco-excursions
- Enjoy local organic food exquisitely prepared
- Select from accommodations ranging from simplicity to luxurious
Travel, Additional Information & FAQ’s
ABOUT COSTA RICA
While it may seem remote, Costa Rica is easily accessible from the United States and Canada. Costa Rica has not only become known for its spectacular nature, bio-diversity, and ecological tourism, but also as a country whose values reflect many of the ideals embraced by those of us interested in world peace, environmental preservation, excellent education, and a high standard of health care. It is unique in Central America as it has the longest uninterrupted democracy, no standing army in more than 50 years, and a 95% literacy rate.
BLUE ZONE®
Blue Spirit lives in one of the world’s five Blue Zones®: Nosara, on the Nicoya Peninsula. Blue Zones® are recognized areas where people live the longest and report the highest levels of wellbeing.
ABOUT NOSARA
In the last 10-years Nosara has grown quietly into one of the hip holistic hot-spots on the planet. Nestled along the coast with 3 unspoiled stunning beaches protected as a turtle refuge – Playa Guiones, Playa Pelada, and Playa Nosara – this peaceful and vibrant international community of nature lovers, surfers, yogis, and families truly embraces the Costa Rican ‘Pura Vida’ lifestyle.
TRAVEL TO BLUE SPIRIT
Blue Spirit takes care of all of the details regarding shuttle transfers between Blue Spirit and the different airports in Costa Rica. The two international airports in Costa Rica are: Liberia International Airport (LIR) and San Jose International Airport (SJO).
It is recommended to fly into Liberia, which has been recently expanded with increased numbers of flights from the US and Canada. Shuttle transfers from/to Liberia on Saturday’s (12-4pm and 7-8:30pm) for $60 per person each way. An alternative option is to take a 40-minute short domestic flight between San Jose and the Nosara airport (20 min. taxi from Blue Spirit). Shuttle rates are more expensive on day’s other than Saturday and from San Jose. Please CLICK HERE for those details and to reserve your shuttle or private taxi.
Please plan to arrive on Saturday (anytime … our first meal together will be dinner) and depart on Saturday. The last class will be Friday evening, and our last meal will be breakfast on the last Saturday. General check-in time for rooms is 4pm on the first Saturday, check-out is10am on the last Saturday. Luggage can be stored safely if you arrive early or depart late.
Once you have your flights reserved, please CLICK HERE to reserve your airport shuttle.
There is a $29 departure tax payable at either San Jose or Liberia airport before exiting Costa Rica. It can be paid in US dollars, Costa Rican Colones or with a credit card.
AMENITIES
Gourmet Vegetarian Cuisine: Your stay at Blue Spirit includes three gourmet vegetarian meals a day. A few times each week few serve fresh, locally caught fish. The daily lunch and dinner buffet includes a pure food option, which offers greens, grains, and legumes without oils or seasonings. We purchase the food from local farmers and organic produce when available.
Blue Spirit Café: If you like to start your day with a healthy superfood smoothie, fresh coconut water or fresh vegetable juice, or prefer to indulge in an afternoon cappuccino with some raw food snacks or French pastries, the Blue Spirit café is your spot.
Blue Spirit Store: Whether you forgot your sunscreen at home or wish to treat yourself or friends at home with a little gift from Costa Rica: the Blue Spirit Store offers women’s and men’s apparel, spiritual books and CDs, gift items and snack foods, as well as personal and sundry items.
Wireless Internet: Complimentary wireless service is available throughout the main building. For your convenience as well, there is a single computer station located in the lobby.
Saltwater Infinity Pool: The environmentally friendly saltwater pool located near the Main Building has views of the mountains and the jungle surrounding Blue Spirit.
Guiones Beach: Blue Spirit sits atop of a hillside overlooking a three-mile-long white sand beach along the Pacific Ocean. Guiones beach is home to a turtle refuge, which preserves the flora and fauna along the entire length; building is not permitted. The north and mid sections of Guiones beach offer great surfing to beginners and advanced alike. Blue Spirit is located at the quiet South end of the beach, where swimming is easy, thanks to the gentle current. The 700 foot walk (220 meters) from Blue Spirit to the beach transverses lush grounds full of mango trees and coconut palms.
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SPA & LONGEVITY SERVICES
Whether your tissues are holding some core tensions, or you’d like some sound advice on nutrition, wish to transform a painful relationship issue, or simply are in the mood to be pampered with a tropical body polish or a luscious facial treatment… all Blue Spirit body-workers, therapists, and counselors are highly qualified, excel in what they do, and enjoy being of service.
EXCURSIONS
There is so much you can enjoy when you are not in your class! Whether you stay on the premises for a free Salsa dance class, lounge at the saltwater infinity pool, or participate in a fire ritual on the beach in the evening, there are fabulous activities for guests who like to venture further. We offer: Horseback riding on the beach, surfing lessons, surf board rentals, canopy zip line tour, river kayaking, bird-watching tour, waterfall hike, stand up paddle surf, and turtle refuge tour.
Dana Makover
Dana discovered yoga through a voice teacher who incorporated yoga asana into the art of singing when she was only fifteen years old. Having already suffered from a number of eating disorders and severe anxiety and depression, yoga and singing together created a safe space where being in her body didn’t seem so bad. Having spent her childhood travelling between Israel and Texas, “home” was a loosely defined word. Yoga became a major building block in the long process of making her body into her home.
Dana considers travel a necessary tool for opening her mind and heart. The process of purposely placing oneself in a strange environment surrounded by different sounds, cultures, languages and foods creates more flexibility in the mind than any yoga asana ever could. Through experiencing others in their environments, we learn to better understand ourselves. Travel can truly be a journey to the self through others, a beautifully human way to connect. [Read more about Dana]
Susan Somers-Willett
A writer, teacher, yogini, mom, and global traveler, Susan Somers-Willett has many roles, but one of her most compelling is helping yoga practitioners embrace the wisdom of their own experience. Her diverse and inclusive approach to practice inspires her teaching, which ranges from flow practices to regulation of the nervous system through yin and restorative practices. Susan offers yoga as an act of radical self-acceptance, and she is passionate about making yoga accessible and empowering through specialized practices including prenatal and postnatal yoga, yoga for bigger bodies, trauma-informed yoga, gender-sensitive yoga, and other inclusive modes of yoga.
Susan’s own practice ranges widely from Ashtanga to flow to restorative classes, and she believes that if a yoga practice is to be sustainable throughout one’s life, self-awareness and compassion—not the dictates of any one style of yoga—should guide a student’s asana practice. Her enthusiasm for incorporating different approaches to yoga shows in her instruction, which empasizes functional movement, body positivity, and usually a good dose of laughter.
Susan is an E-RYT 500 and certified prenatal yoga teacher, as well as a graduate of Sundara’s Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy program. She also holds a Ph.D. in American Literature, and she has written several books of poetry and criticism. She has taught Creative Writing and Gender Studies at The University of Texas at Austin and joins yoga and social justice through her passion project, Yoga in Bold™. An advocate for trauma-informed yoga methods, Susan is also a cancer survivor and credits yoga as one of the key sources of her recovery.
Mountain View Room
These luxury rooms have step-out balconies and beautiful mountain views. The rooms are tastefully furnished and provide the perfect space for 2 people. Each room has a king-sized bed or two twins, with a private bathroom with solar hot water and air conditioning.
Double Occupancy: $2695 per person
Single Occupancy: $3495
Nature Suite
These suites are cozy and situated on a hillside overlooking the lush vegetation. They have natural wood frame structures and private bathrooms with an outdoor shower overlooking the jungle. Each Suite has a king sized bed or two twins, a separate enclosed porch with a desk, solar hot water and air conditioning. The suites are a short walk up the hill to the main building.
Double Occupancy: $2595 per person
Single Occupancy: $3195 per person
Hermitage Room
The Hermitage Rooms provide privacy and elegance while being cozy and less expensive. Located in the main building, many of these rooms have partial views of the ocean or the mountains. They have either a queen sized bed or 2 twin beds, private bathroom with solar hot water and AC.
Double Occupancy: $2295 per person
Single Occupancy: $2695
Eco-Cottage
The cottages are beautifully situated in lush vegetation, allowing for a sensual being-in-touch experience with nature. They are simple and natural wood frame structures with screening for natural ventilation. Each cottage sleeps two people and share a common bathhouse that has solar hot water showers. The Eco-cottages are situated below the main building and involve a short hike up to a stone stairway to get to the main building.
Double Occupancy: $1995 per person
Single Occupancy: $2395
INCLUDED:
7 nights accommodations
Meals starting with dinner on evening 1
Use of property facilities, beach cove & pool
Classes and Workshops with Dana and Susan
NOT INCLUDED:
Travel to Liberia, Costa Rica and to Blue Spirit Retreat Center (shuttles available)
Spa services and excursions, gratuities to center staff
Refunds and Cancellations: Refund less deposit ($595) before February 15, 2021 . No refunds after February 15, 2021. In case of cancellation, you may transfer your deposit or your reservation to another person as long as you notify One Yoga Global 30+ days in advance. In case of cancellation by One Yoga Global, you will receive a full refund of all funds received by One Yoga Global. Due to arrangements made with our vacation hosts, there can be no exceptions to this policy. All participants will be required to sign a liability waiver to participate on this trip.
After deposit is received, the remaining balance will be set up in equal monthly payments starting the following month through March, 2021, unless an alternate payment plan is set up though One Yoga Global. Please contact info@oneyogaglobal.com if you need special timing on payments.
We HIGHLY recommend that you consider purchasing Travel Insurance. Travel insurance companies like TRAVEL GUARD offer policies that insure your investment in case you need to cancel (including “cancel for any reason” coverages), coverages for expenses incurred due to to weather & travel delays, personal property loss and emergency travel medical. Please review policies carefully to choose the coverage you need.
We recommend that you consider purchasing trip insurance to protect your investment. Trawick International and Travel Guard are two providers that we recommend. Please review policies carefully to ensure they provide the coverage you need.
