“Thank you so much for such an amazing week! You are both incredibly talented teachers whose love of surfing, awesome sense of humor, endless generosity, and extreme enthusiasm are incredibly contagious. No matter who your students are, their age, or what they do, you both know exactly how to talk to everyone, making them feel completely at ease, teach them a lot, give them a good laugh and a great time. I learned so much from you both and am so thankful to have met and been taught by you.”

Suzie – Boston, Massachusetts

Yoga & Surfing Retreat

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To the Pacific Coast...

First Day: Travel day to Liberia international airport, Costa Rica. You will be met at the airport by a Vajra Sol representative and driven approximately two hours to Nosara located on the stunning Nicoya Peninsula along the Pacific Coast.

Nosara is a peaceful beach town, perfect for a nature lover's vacation and one of the best beaches in the country to learn to surf offering consistent waves year-round with long beach breaks. It has a 6 km (3.75 mi) stretch of sand beach great for hanging out, taking long walks or exploring the tide pools. Due to the environmental conservation efforts in the area no buildings exist on the beachfront giving the feel of really being in a remote tropical paradise. Nosara is an ideal place to disconnect from a busy lifestyle, reconnect to slow and tranquil time and to have some fun in the sun and surf.

Week Overview:

The retreat and yoga sessions are led by a Vajra Sol yoga guide who is with you throughout the week. Sessions are held daily either in the morning or afternoon for two hours (dependent on the tide for the surf lessons) in an open-air yoga space surrounded by tropical gardens. Vajra Sol has teamed up with very reputable and experienced surf instructors who are locals to the area and know the surf well to provide you with excellent quality lessons. There is a maximum ratio of four students to one instructor. You will receive a daily 1.5-hour lesson during the week with the exception of Wednesday. On this day an optional outing on a rainforest canopy tour – also famously known as “ziplining”! - is organized for those interested.

For those who are more experienced in surfing this is a great opportunity to fine-tune your skills and really see how much more there is to learn. The surf instructors teach sponsored and competitive surfers and no matter what your level of surfing they can progress anyone’s ability. Start the lessons and let the fun begin! You will quickly see the synergy between yoga and surfing and be able to fully feel the flow in each of the practices. Water temperatures are in the low 80sF so no wetsuit is needed. Contact us for the non-surfing package option.

Sample Day on the Retreat

8:00-10:00 A.M. – Yoga session or Surfing lesson
10:00-11:00 A.M. – Breakfast 
Free time
3:00-5:00 P.M. – Yoga session or Surfing lesson
6:00 P.M. – Enjoy a magnificent sunset on the beach.
7:00 P.M. – Meet for dinner

The schedule may vary depending on the tide and best surfing conditions. A 1-hour relaxation massage is included in your package and can be scheduled whenever you like during the week.

Last Day: Departure from Liberia international airport to your home destination. No activities are scheduled today.

Please contact us to learn more about the yoga instructor for the retreat in which you are interested.

Optional Activities & Tours (not included in package)

• Guided Nature Hike in the Nosara wildlife reserve

• Boat Tours to look for dolphins and sea turtles and just enjoy being out on the ocean

• Sea kayaking through mangroves

• Rainforest Canopy Tour (zipline)

• Horseback riding along the beach or into the countryside through the lush rainforest

• Turtle viewing at Ostional Wildlife Reserve (dependent on the season)

Accommodations

Vajra Sol hosts the Yoga & Surfing Retreats at Harmony Hotel (www.harmonynosara.com). Harmony Hotel has been written up in numerous publications including being on the cover of Travel & Leisure magazine (November 2007) and in the New York Times travel section. It is one of the “greenest” operated hotels in the country. The property borders a beachfront nature reserve and has a classy, beach-elegant ambiance. It has a restaurant serving delectable, organic food, a juice bar, a swimming pool surrounded by tropical gardens and a holistic healing center and spa. The Yoga & Surfing packages include a stay in a Cocos Room or a Bungalow. All rooms have a private terrace with an outdoor shower, a private bathroom, mini-refrigerator, coffee maker, ceiling fans and air conditioning, laptop-size safe box and WiFi access.

Group Size
Each retreat is limited to 12 persons to maintain a comfortable group size and to allow us to focus on personalized attention. The majority of those who join our retreats travel solo before becoming part of the group. Please feel very welcomed to come on your own. You will have a wonderful time!

Surf Instructors

Ru Hill and Gem Yates are Vajra Sol’s partners on the Yoga & Surfing Retreats. Having taught 1,000s of students to surf they will ensure that you have a safe and fun time out on the waves. Both Ru and Gem are certified NARS Beach Lifeguards and International Lifesavers First Aid.

Ru is a true professional. He’s one of a handful of people to be awarded BSA Level 4 Surf Coach Status which is the highest surf coaching award you can get worldwide. He has coached young kids to go onto become European Champs, trained the national team and is co-founder of one of Europe’s largest board rider clubs. Ru says his favorite part of the job is coaching complete beginners. “I love it when they just can’t believe they’re actually surfing.”

Before Gem became a professional Surf Instructor having learned in the challenging surf in Indonesia, she spent five years living in the Alps snowboarding and organizing snowboarding vacations. Her feminine surfing style ascends her to role model status particularly inspiring to other women keen on learning to surf or perfecting their own surfing style.

“Costa Rica has the best year-round surf in the land, with the north coast and Caribbean side breaking in the dry season, and the south coast in the wet. Every kind of wave for every kind of surfer. The ease of travel and abundant accommodation make this stable, clean country a favorite.”

Wetsand.com – Experts on surfing destinations

Package Cost (US$) per person

Please contact us for the November & December retreats rates.

The Cocos Room and Bungalow have one king size bed per room. The Surf City room and Standard Room have two beds per room.
* These options are at a neighboring hotel. Please contact us for more information.

Cost includes:

• Airport transfers from/to Liberia international airport on the first and last day of the retreat

• (6) nights accommodations

• Daily healthy and hardy breakfast / brunch

• All dinners

• Daily 2-hour yoga session

• Daily 2-hour surfing lessons with surf board

• A relaxation massage

• Vajra Sol T-shirt

Cost does not include:

• Airfare to and from Costa Rica

• Optional Activities/ Tours

• Gratuities

Rates are subject to change until a reservation is confirmed. We highly recommend booking at least three months in advance for these retreats. Due to the exclusivity of this hotel and popularity of Nosara, availability is limited and bookings are made months in advance.

Ready to Sign Up? To receive the full details of this retreat by email or to make a reservation please go to our Reservation Request page.