Surf Yoga Retreats in Montezuma

Montezuma is the “hippest” remote fishing village you will ever have the pleasure of visiting. Located on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, this quaint town is the perfect place to relax, rejuvenate, practice Yoga and enjoy nature. Its known best for its wholistic approach to living, and sense of harmony with nature. The town has a bit of an ex-pat hippie vibe, but even though thats never really been my vibe, I’ve never minded. Montezuma is a super cool place to drop off the map for a while.

Montezuma has gained popularity since the 1980s among tourists on a budget, especially growing in popularity for those seeking a remote Costa Rica yoga retreat, away from the boisterous party towns and large hotels. Most people find it easy to get a little routine going for the duration of their trip, and just relax and enjoy the pristine beauty of the place.

There are several great Yoga studios here, which offer package retreats ranging from $600-$1000 for 7 day stays. You can customize your package to include Spanish lessons, surfing, snorkeling, horseback riding, and other activities. Some of these studios emphasize a specialized program of surf yoga. For those of us that have made surfing a lifestyle, we use yoga as a way to stretch our muscles before every session, and benefit from surf yoga’s flexibility and strength training benefits as an important part of our health and wellness program. For beginners, Surf Yoga is the perfect companion activity to your first surfing lesson. From Montezuma, you will be taken to nearby Mal Pais for your evening surfing lessons.

Nearby is the rugged and pristine nature reserve of Cabo Blanco National Park, an unspoiled wilderness that would well suit Tarzan the ape man. Montezuma’s most rewarding and inexpensive activity is hiking to the several waterfalls near town. The best one is about a 7 minute walk along the road to Cabo Blanco, up a windy river bed path through dense jungle. A smaller and less spectacular waterfall with good swimming (El Chorro Waterfall) is a 2hr. walk north along the coast. A trail that is sometimes hard to follow alternates between the beach and a flat path behind the rock formations.

The center of Montezuma consists almost entirely of accommodations, restaurants, and chic boutique shops. Catering to the young crowd that makes up the bulk of its visitors, Montezuma offers a choice of good, inexpensive rooms. There is currently no bank or post office in Montezuma, but these amenities are a just a 40 minute bus ride away in the town of Cobano, which in Costa Rican time, is nothing.

I would recommend a Montezuma Yoga Retreat to just about anyone. For anyone wanting to avoid the party scene and enjoy a spiritual and serene jewel of Costa Rica. Despite the hot climate, practicing Yoga in Costa Rica will give you energy, and pull you into a deeper and more connected experience. As is evident in Bikram Yoga, sweating helps remove toxins from your body and will leave you healthier and happier.

Here are some Yoga Studios that offer retreat packages:

There is a 7 day Yoga and Surf vacation offered through monteczumayoga.com

Montezuma Yoga
We highly recommend Yoga Instructor Dagmar Sprember’s classes, held Sunday through Friday, 9:30-11a.m. Class schedule can vary - sometimes Dagmar has night classes, so stop by Hotel Los Mangos to find out the schedule.
2642-0076

La Escuela del Sol
La Escuela del Sol offers Yoga packages, along with Spanish language, surfing, and fire dancing.
8358-5312

Devaya Yoga
Instructor/Author Devaya teaches regular and group classes at a variety of locations in the Montezuma area. Contact her for details.
8833-5086

Surf Yoga DVD’s

Since I started Yoga ten years ago, My surfing has continued to improve. I’m sure that it would have been the opposite had I not been doing this. As we get older, it’s just not an option to stay in shape, it’s a must. If you’re a surfer, and I’m guessing you are, start your Yoga for Surfing routine now.

A couple of good yoga DVD’s are all you need to keep up with your practice. I use Yoga for Surfer III - Fluid Power Yoga and Power Yoga for Happiness. I’m no superstar at Yoga, but it keeps me limber during the week - I try to do one DVD every week at least - so when I get to the waves I’m not all stiff and creaky. For me, it’s no longer a chore, it’s part of my schedule. I’m sure you will get into before long. I’ve included a few others here that I haven’t seen yet, just so you get the full range.

Surf Yoga

You guessed it. Yoga for surfers. Your surfing will take on a whole new meaning once you have have cultivated physical, mental and spiritual growth. Your ability to surf better is directly related to your core strength, you balance, and your focus and determination. Surfers yoga is practiced by many of the world’s best surfer’s, most notably 9-time World Title holder Kelly Slater. Kelly is just one of thousands of surfer’s who put Yoga’s best practices to work in order to improve performance in the water. Disciplining your body may be something new to you, so take it easy at first and then push yourself once you have an idea of where your limits are. Learning to control your body will translate directly into more radical turns, less falls, and better harmony with the waves.

Yoga for Surfers takes the best poses and exercises from many of the other disciplines of Yoga and combines them into a routine that targets specific muscle groups and builds the inner body strength surfers need. Getting yourself into a routine is sometimes hard at first, but once you start to see your surfing improve, you will love every minute of your Yoga fitness routine.

We all stretch for 30 seconds before paddling out, but believe - spending ten minutes on the beach doing a quick routine will change everything you do after. I guarantee that you wont cry about missing one set while you get your body ready to charge.

The opening prayer for the practice of yoga reads:

“Because I want more peace of mind and stability in life, I faithfully practice yoga as it has been passed down by the surf gurus.”

I’ve taken the liberty of adding “surf” into the mantra before “gurus” just for you. Recite it a couple times. Close your eyes and clear your head for a moment. Set aside your worries and inhibitions. Breathe deeply and slowly a few times. Relax your body and focus on the words “surf gurus.” Now you’ve got it. You’re ready to start practicing Surf Yoga and soon you will be opened up to a whole new perspective on life, and most importantly, surfing.