Yoga Teacher Training Costa Rica

Guanacaste province is located in the northwest of Costa Rica. This province is the warmest in the country and between November and April there is hardly any rain (dry season), resulting in dry forests and a desert like climate.

During one of these hot months is when I decided it was a good time to do a Yoga Teacher Training. It happened to be located just outside of Tamarindo, which is basically as far as you can go from Puerto Viejo (southeastern corner of the country). And it was indeed hot, even I used air-condition! And, occasionally, I really missed the green jungle and all its sounds, movements, rain and humidity. I was surprised, however, that the howler monkeys woke us up around 5 am still, and they were close! Strolling around the surrounding areas showed me the many mango trees and it started to make sense why heaps of monkey families were hanging around in the desert.

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Sunset Playa Negra, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

We started late in the mornings (6:45), when the sun was already up, making the sun heat the shala to a boiling temperature by the end of practice (9:30).  Everyday we also practiced teaching, had philosophy class, anatomy class and Yin Yoga. In total, we did more or less five to six hours of physical practice everyday. I truly enjoy that kind of intensity every now and again. The regularity takes my practice to new levels and the wisdom from the physical asanas (postures) grows deeper inside me. For anyone wanting to experience profound transformation, I recommend trying longer retreats (no matter what level you’re at on your path). And of course, I recommend joining me and Yoga By Magie for any workshops, classes and retreats :)

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Reversed Prayer. Sunset Jaco Beach, Puntarenas province, Costa Rica

Every seventh day we had a day off. If you’re a yoga junkie, it’s hard not to do any practice at all, even though the body really needs some rest to process what it’s learning. I kept my morning meditations, in addition to going with some of the girls to Playa Negra to try Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga for the first time! We went to an empty beach where the ocean was quiet enough to not knock us of balance. Doing yoga outside can be challenging, but if you’re used to it and have a good drishti (focus) you will enjoy SUP yoga. My favorite part was lying in Savasana (on my back), hands touching the water, looking up to Father Sky and Grandmother Moon, noticing the shore with its trees in the distance while the sun was setting over the west coast of Costa Rica. Big hug to Naturalbeautyyoga who showed us this place!

I am grateful for having met such a beautiful group of strong, independent and open-minded women. Already a couple days in, I asked to experiment with them by guiding them through a drum meditation and ended up doing another one the week after. Thank you all for being so receptive and for everything you shared during these weeks!

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Me and two of the girls drove down to Jaco for a couple of nights to get a different scenery and some beach. While they headed back home to Canada, I went visiting another yogini in San Jose and together we bussed down to Puerto Viejo to watch the craziness of the last Easter days. That is to say, I am now back in the buzzing jungle doing yoga, writing on the porch, doing sweat lodges and work at the wellness center.

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Sabeena, Megan, Magie at Jaco Beach, Costa Rica

What did you do for Easter?

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Famous sunset Jaco Beach, Costa RIca. Foto: Magdalena Larsson

Road Trip in Costa Rica's Paradise

The last few days, we’ve been on the road and I have managed to have a few relaxing moments without work ;) We rented a 4-wheel drive in San Jose and headed south on the west coast, towards a small beach village called Uvita. The guidebooks happily refer to this part of the country as “the real Costa Rica”, meaning this is what Costa looked like before tourism created beach towns with hotels, restaurants and roads. I’d say that statement is exaggerated as the main highway runs all the way down to Panama and is a proper, good road to drive on. Sure, there are no towns to be seen (and obviously the further south you get the more national parks and less people there are) but there are plenty of hotels and you need a car to get around. The tourism here is rather for the ones who have money.

Uvita and its surroundings are amazingly beautiful, remote and tranquil. Even though we are traveling in the backwash of high season, we found empty beaches and quiet waterfalls. The Uvita beach and the ones following south are all part of the Marino Ballena National Park and, thus, are protected and preserved with the help of an entrance fee, certified guides and the like. Needless to say, that makes the area clean and home to many interesting animals such as dolphins, whales, turtles and colorful fish. We went for a boat and snorkeling tour to swim in the warm ocean and say hello to the playful dolphins in the bay.

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After a few days of spectacular beaches, ocean, animals, waterfalls and yoga on a wooden deck in the jungle we jumped back in the car and headed towards Jacó. I have earlier tried to explain Jaco, but it has to be experienced and that is precisely why I took my sister here last year, and now Ola. It is intense though and I can only stand it for a couple days in a row. One morning I did my practice on a hard concrete floor, among the fumes of last night’s beer. Challenges make you grow.

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The Famous Jacó Sunset

After Jaco, we headed north and today we made a road trip from Tamarindo to Nosara. All of Nicoya Peninsula requires a 4-wheel drive, patient and a lot of time. Just this short trip took longer than expected due to gravel roads, roadwork and car accidents. We had a great day tho, and shot a short video for you. My first vlog haha Enjoy! And comment below if you do=)

Today, I'm starting my next project; the Yoga Teacher Training here in Guanacaste. I look forward to 3 weeks of deep asana practice and further self-exploration! See you in a few weeks=)

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Work Weekend in San José

Every time I visit the capital of Costa Rica I have a list of things I need to get done and buy and people to visit. It is busy, but I like it! This last time, I went to buy yarn for Made By Magie’s famous Yoga Socks and material for the MBM jewelry. Thanks to having done some research on where to shop for these rather specific things during my first year in Costa I crossed of the list fairly fast and had time to visit a friend in Ciudad Colon for a cooking gathering Friday night! In addition to bulk up with even more stuff to carry around (hrm), I was gonna try selling some products at the organic market Feria Verde where my friend sells his raw food. This is the place where you find vegan ice cream, raw food, the coming week's veggies, handicrafts, incense, and organic and local everything. In addition, it is a good hang out with amazing people and a tranquil oasis in down town San Jose.

Vegan CocoChoco ice cream YUM! At Feria Verde de Aranjuéz, San José Costa Rica

From 7 am to 1 pm Saturday I was eating yumminess, catching up with friends, meeting new ones, selling some tinctures and buying a great deal of good-to-have things.

As I’ve mentioned before, Saturday is when people in San Jose hang out in the parks all day, doing all kinds of fun stuff together. Needless to say, we went straight from the market to chill in Parque Morazan where we listened to bongo drums and watched some kind of silent operetta.

Barrio Escalante, Feria Verde

Hula-hoops is the new thing here, are they popular in Sweden and other places too?

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Parque Morazán, San José Costa Rica. Enamorate de tu ciudad.

How Lonely Planet can claim this city to be grey, dirty and boring is to me a great mystery. Backpackers are happy to sign their statement and on their website LP has a list over the world’s worst cities, where San José comes as number 10. Why? 

By singing, dancing and playing music together, your heart frequencies become the same and, thus, you are spreading good vibrations to the world where they bounce on to other people, sharing the love. Too me, that's the opposite of grey and boring!

What is your least favorite city?

How To Get Rid of a Jungle Bug (or Parasite)

What To Do When You Get Sick In The Jungle

Sometimes when travelling you get sick. I’d say almost always when you’re visiting the countryside or more remote areas in a country. Like here, in the Costa Rican jungle. Costa Rica is a clean and healthy country. Puerto Viejo also has amazing food and the overall cleanliness is high. Yet, coming here you will experience some stomach troubles: diarrhea, vomiting, pain, fever, or all of it. There is a little jungle bug that wants to clean your inside. I say: let her do it! Don’t fight it or you will feel worse. However, there are things you can do to ease the process and get well again. I’ve listed some of them here. First off, in this article I talk about parasites/stomach problems and not for instance dengue fever, which also is somewhat common around these areas.

The Jungle Behind Town, Puerto Viejo Costa Rica

1.     Find a medicine woman/man or Shaman of the area who knows about the local plants and treatments. If you plan to stay for a while, I recommend doing this straight away so that in case of illness you know who to call for bush medicine. 

2.  Make sure you drink plenty or you will have to go to the hospital due to dehydration (if you’re the travel mate: make sure your friend drinks a lot)! I am talking about water, tea and coconut water- not coke! (this is nothing like the stomach problems you grew up with in Europe). The carbonic acid in sodas makes the stomach problems worse by adding a lot of air/gas to it, which you really don’t need more of. If you want sweet, I suggest making some sort of ice tea/warm herbal tea instead, or drink coconut water which also helps you stay hydrated. Chamomile is an acknowledged and widely used herb to treat various stomach/digestive problems and fever, among other things. You can find it in regular food stores all over the world. Make it a habit to always carry some with you. 

Davidson's Tea Bulk, Herb Chamomile Flower, 16 Ounce Bag Buy on Amazon

3. Let it all come out. In the Caribbean tradition as well as for instance Ayurveda, the body and digestive system are to be kept clean or disease will occur. And in case of illnes, a washout or cleanse is necessary to heal. 

Pills such as ibuprofen or Dimor only stop the symptoms- they don’t treat the problem. Avoid these as much as you can, unless you want it to get worse (or are on a bus). 

4. When you want to start eating again, try some stomach stabilizing fruits like papaya and banana with cinnamon before moving on to rice. Papaya is a digestive agent and banana is a well-used plant to treat diarrhea. In addition, cinnamon is a wonderful herb used for many things, including digestive problems, nausea and vomiting.

Last night a banana three fell outside the cabin, let's hope the platains are ready to eat soon!

5. If you’re sick for a long time and the bug doesn’t want to go away, consider seeing a doctor to get antibiotics. Chances are that your belly won’t be happy taking a lot of pills though. Antibiotics can cause fungal infections for instance. Furthermore, you might end up not getting rid of the bug at all but carry it with you back home and having to go through several rounds of antibiotics. No fun :/

And yes, this post came into existence due to some vomiting around the house. We are now eating again and I have received clear messages that I should stick to the purest food possible from now on. Like this bowl of brown rice boiled with turmeric and culantro, carrots, broccoli, avocado, lettuce and pejibaye. 

Organic veggies from local farmers in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica & Chamomile tea

Do you have any Being Sick On The Road stories? Or more suggestions on what to do when you are sick with a parasite? Please share in the comments below!

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Ceremonies and Connections in Costa Rica

Time is moving fast my friends. You know how everything flows when you’re on “the right track”? You know, everything just works and happens and the right people enter your life. That is how Costa Rica is to me. It’s been crazy busy here with catching up with friends and meeting new, attending practices and ceremonies and work. Puerto Viejo is post-peaking High Season and, thus, still filled with people and tourists so town is buzzing and Hidden Garden is constantly filled up. Garbage is filling the streets. As a reminder to all of us: please take care of your trash!

Puerto Viejo Town during High Season

Besides from camping in the mountains, I haven’t slept more than one night in the same place but moved around to fit everybody in. Gypsyin’ it right now; sleeping in tents, hammocks or on someone’s floor. Teeth brushing on the road. We are playing drums, eating plants and experiencing life’s medicine.

There is so much love.

Sat waiting for pick-up at the highway in Guápiles, Costa Rica. Post-ceremony.

Ola is visiting from Sweden and so far I haven’t had much time showing him around. But we are living in the vibrant connections and the world is showing us beauty.

Time is an illusion anyway

I have finished my second year of Shamanic trainings and feel stronger than ever. Dance life! This week means getting back to routines with Yoga mornings, followed by work, study and beachin’ it in the afternoon. Hidden Garden is still on a busy schedule and this afternoon a Sweat Lodge is being held by a visiting Shaman from the North. We also have an Ashtanga teacher from the states staying in the house and giving classes. Yes, flow is the word right now.

The colors are all vibrating.

Ayawaska bracelet. Gift from my beautiful sister and goddess Jerusha.

If you follow your truth path you will see the colors- are you? Please leave a comment with a update from your life!

Also, are there any special requests as to what you want me to write about? 

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Things I don’t Like About Costa Rica

or 6 Things I Forgot Exist In Paradise

We have a tendency to only remember the good things about a place, person or other memory that has faded to a smiling grey veil in the back of our head. And it is in fact hard to come up with a list of things I don’t like about Costa Rica - or things I had forgotten that I don’t like maybe. I have let this stew boil in my head for the last two days and I have not yet managed to come up with something that is easily digestible. However, I can tell you about the things I managed to forget during the time I was away. 

Here goes:

1. Ants. Ants in the bed. Ants in the computer. And, of course, ants in the kitchen. Scorpions inside when it’s raining. Maybe boa constrictors should go on here as well. Even though I like reptiles, I don’t want a snake to fall onto my mosquito net and down in to my bed when I’m sleeping. Basically, any animal I don’t like to have in my home but get to host any way qualifies here. I still love them, and the jungle, but you get my point.

2. Con permiso. When entering someone’s house, this is what you have to remember saying, at least if you want to be polite and be part of the culture. I never remember. I want to remember. I really do. I know it is a significant cultural feature. I just NEVER remember. Nor answering propio in those cases I should (like after someone saying con permiso).

3. Toilet paper in basket and unreliable showers. The bathroom annoyance. Actually, I have never been annoyed with having to throw the paper in the basket instead of in the toilet; but it takes me a couple days to remember doing it. Not having a working shower (or a promised to be warm water shower that is freezing) on the other hand…. Yes, I admit it: it is annoying!

4. Being able to drink the tap water in Costa Rica. Just not in Puerto Viejo. It is such a blessing to be able to drink the tap water! It makes me both sad and annoyed that we don’t have that privilege on the Caribbean coast. I don’t like buying a lot of plastic, but I have to if I want to drink water. And if I forget buying water, then I don’t have anything to drink and remember this first when dinner is ready and the grocery store is closed. Always.

5. Mosquito nets. I usually don’t use one but depending on the house and how it is built, sometimes I have to. However, a net is not needed (depending on how you nervous you are about dengue that is) because of the mosquitos; there aren’t that many mosquitos here (if you think it is: go visit Northern Sweden during summer!). No, I want a net because of the rats and the mice and the gecko poo (that suddenly falls down from nowhere) and the huge grasshoppers or maybe some other flying creature that is lost. In some sleeping settings I simply prefer a net. But nets make me feel trapped so I don’t like it.

6. How you’re always out of lighters (or stuck with a bunch of non working lighters). You need a lighter for a lot of stuff around here, the most frequently situation is happening in the kitchen.

Reading this list, I realize it is a perfectly weird mix of nature/environment and language related issues. Seeing that those are some of my favorite fields, I understand I still have work to do. Great news in other words! I continue to be a humble student of the fascinating subjects that constitute life.

Speaking of, I will be offline and not reachable for the coming week or so. I will go to study indigenous traditions under the moon, and together with my sisters learn about the healing art of dance.

Where in the world are you reading this? And what healing arts are your favorites to journeying with? Contribute in the comments below :)

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