The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
How a yoga break turned me from worrier to warrior
Jeannine Williamson finds even an eternally busy mind can be quieted by the ocean waves
This morning we have seen dolphins, so we are going to do the dolphin pose,” declared yoga teacher Sylvie Thevenet. It had just gone 7am and, after the inverted Vshaped downward dog that I had just about managed, I tried to ease my forearms down onto the mat as I listened to the soothing sound of the waves.
As we slowly rose back up to standing, I began to wobble precariously. “Don’t worry,” smiled our yogi. “Relax and breathe deeply and feel the movement of the sea. Enjoy doing your practice in this very special place and feel your feet on this beautiful wooden deck.” As one, we lunged forward to take up the warrior pose, stretching our arms towards the cloudless sky.
My previous attempts at yoga hadn’t ended well. As an inflexible newbie, with self-imposed stiff calves and hips from failing to stretch after running, I’d long felt intimidated by the type of gym bunnies who seem to take it all very seriously, and do it all very effortlessly. Added to which, when I’d tried classes in the past, I’d always found myself unable to quiet a mind swirling and stressing about work deadlines and daily chores; unable to push those ever-present life worries to one side long enough to achieve any sort of inner peace.
But, immediately, this was different. The combination of Sylvie’s melodious French accent, the rhythmic splash of the water against our boat, and – thanks to Costa Rica’s proximity to the equator – the surprising warmth from the early sunrise was an almost instantaneous recipe for calmness.
And more than that – this was fun, too. I instantly warmed to Sylvie – down-to-earth and not too woo-woo (no chanting or tinkling of bells to be found here). At the end of the hour, I realised that the only thoughts that punctuated my concentration as I’d tried to achieve the different positions were that morning’s dolphins – four abreast like synchronised swimmers – that had put on a spectacular display as they arched and dived alongside us.
You may ask why a self-confessed yoga-phobic was on a yoga-themed cruise? Tall-ship line Star Clippers only recently returned to Central America for the first time in almost a decade, and with a series of sailings taking in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama selling out quickly, I was eager to get aboard – even if it meant joining one of the many yoga sailings, on which complimentary classes are available for every ability, including complete beginners.
Any trip on a Star Clippers ship – each of which is a love letter to the golden age of sailing – is as much about the voyage and on-board experiences as it is a means of getting from A to B. So, with this in mind, I decided to throw myself into the daily sessions.
We’d boarded the 170-passenger Star Clipper, one of the company’s three tall ships – in the sprawling port town of Puntarenas in Costa Rica and there was a tangible air of excitement at the first glance of the ship, dwarfed as it was by the colossal mainstream cruise vessel docked beside it.
As we slowly made our way out of port, square-rigger sailors in jolly blue and white uniforms busied themselves around the deck with winches and ropes, until the 36,220sqft of sails began, at last, to unfurl. Against the backdrop of Star Clipper’s stirring theme tune – Vangelis’s Conquest of Paradise, which is played whenever the ship leaves port – they steadily grew until they stretched 230ft towards the star-filled sky.
Wherever feasible, Star Clipper journeys under sail, so it was thus that we set off south along Costa Rica’s Pacific coastline for our first port of call at Quepos. Each day, I’d dutifully attend my morning yoga class, then scrub up and head for breakfast – helping myself to a few extra helpings from the buffet, convincing myself I’d done a fair bit of exercise – before more yoga in the afternoon.
With each class, it felt easier; the stretches less demanding; the whirl of mental disquiet less intrusive. I felt more present, less stiff, and increasingly – blissfully – unintimidated.
Some days, we’d punctuate yoga with shore excursions. Located in Central America, Costa Rica’s measurements may be modest – covering just 19,700 square miles – but it’s one of the most biodiverse places on the planet and home to around half a million species. The sharp-eyed and lucky may find some of them (such as capuchin, howler, and squirrel monkeys, sloths and iguanas) at Manuel Antonio National Park, which was our first shore visit of the week. Although it’s the country’s smallest national park, it is one of the most popular with its three-in-one appeal of rainforest, beaches and coral reefs.
There were other excursions, too – kayaking trips and zip-lining through treetops, as well as trips to visit various towns including Golfito further down the Costa Rican coastline. When back on board, I’d spend restful days at sea, often sprawled on one of the spring bowsprit nets – large hammocks spread over the front of the ship – concentrating on extending my mindfulness beyond the yoga studio. Dolphin watching, it turns out, is ideally suited to this pursuit, requiring full but gentle concentration, the waves lulling you into a hypnotic-like reverie until you catch that first telltale glimpse of a grey shadow in the clear water scudding past the prow. It’s magical.
At the final yoga class, Sylvie invited us to embrace our inner goddess with the namesake pose. With feet planted wide and firmly apart it’s much more forgiving for those with slightly unsteady sea legs; although mine had been getting less shaky by the day.
I inhaled the fresh salty air and closed my eyes: a fitting time to reflect on how the week of classes had already helped ease my tight muscles and clear my mind. On land, yoga never made much sense – but here, lulled by the gentle sea, adrift from the tethers of life, I’d gone from worrier to zen-like warrior. Namaste.