Beyond Yoga Immerse Yourself in a Costa Rica Wellness Experience
It’s how you experience Costa Rica with every cell of your body.
Mention wellness in Costa Rica and yoga readily comes to mind: practising poses on a wooden deck, surrounded by tropical plants or breathtaking views of the surrounding natural landscape. But beyond yoga, there is also much more than you likely ever dreamed in the way of diverse wellness experiences! Endless versions of paradise exist here for anyone seeking places and ways to decompress.
Pristine sites for cleansing and rejuvenating abound in this idyllic country. The most obvious example is water — the ultimate source of purification. Whether it’s the ocean, rivers, waterfalls or hot springs, Costa Rica may be one of the easiest places on earth to access and enjoy any or all of the above. And there are more than a few special spots in lesser-known locales, with or without water, where wellness energy emanates. The following are some of our favorites.
Close to Tamarindo in Guanacaste, La Senda is home to the world's largest cacti labyrinth. Its creation on this site is associated with a strong vortex of positive and negative detected on the property.
The labyrinth design was inspired by sacred geometry that symbolizes the harmonious balance between masculine and feminine energy.
Lake Coter
Located near La Fortuna in the Arenal Volcano vicinity, this small heart-shaped lake is surrounded by a magnificent forest, on land that belonged mostly to the Malekus indigenous people. The lake name Coter translates as love and peace in their native language.
Legend has it that for many centuries, groups of indigenous people from different cultures and countries of Central and South America came to Lake Coter in preparation for becoming shamans, traditionally described as men of medicine.
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Finca 6 stone spheres
More than 500 pre-Columbian stone spheres remain intact on one of Costa Rica's most important archeological sites, Finca 6 in the southern coastal Osa Peninsula region. However, the purpose and indigenous cultural significance of the Diquís stone spheres remain shrouded in mystery. There are many theories, some related to astronomy and the alignment of the spheres being a means of scheduling agricultural cycles. The spheres are also believed to be sources of energy and wellness for those who visit and spend time in their midst.
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From this sampling of some special Costa Rican corners where visitors can derive invigorating energy, we now shift our focus to activities that can recharge the body, spirit and mind. Below is a list of relaxing, if not healing, wellness experiences you can choose to enjoy in this heavenly land.
Cacao ceremony
Just like many primitive tribes in other parts of the world, countless generations of indigenous people in Costa Rica have practiced sacred rituals for healing and alignment with the higher self. These ancestral traditions were inspired by elements of nature: plants, animals and sounds.
The historical significance of cacao as a medicinal plant for the Bribri and Cabecar tribes in Talamanca dates back centuries. The cacao ceremony is a subtle and profound ritual, performed by a shaman. He shares the drink of pure cacao with a group of people and guides them through the ceremony while singing and playing ancestral instruments.
The master plant of cacao has feminine energy, believed to expand the heart and allow for introspection. It is a meeting point for the awakening of our ancestral memory, to honor our lineage and thus open and expand the heart to connect with Mother Earth.
Cacao ceremonies are intended to help participants forgive, release and understand from a loving and expanded heart through music.