Some friends opened up a lovely little cafe on the Calzada in Granada back in December and it quickly became one of my favorite haunts. I spent the hot afternoons in the cool shade, surrounded by relaxing music, cafe, and beautiful art. Cafe de los Suenos always offered tasty dulces and warm smiles.
I landed here in Costa Rica at the doorstep of Tierre de Suenos and Tierra de Yoga – my new home for the next year. So I go from the hands of suenos, dreams, in Nicaragua to suenos in Costa Rica.
It’s funny – I see many familiar names while riding my bike on the road that follows the beach. Pure – the gym that I worked at in Granada, is here the name of a spa and massage parlor. There’s also a Garden Cafe and a Mini Super. Perhaps there are only so many names to go around when naming a business in paradise. Either way, it’s nice to see something familiar when everything else is brand new.
It’s inteesting to be back in the role of newcomer. I feel that I’ve played this role often over the years. When I uprooted my life and moved to Texas, I new hardly a soul. I had fewer contacts when I moved to Nicaragua about a year ago, and now I land here, without a single familiar face. I feel at ease with that – trusting that I’ll find my tribe soon. Meanwhile, I’ll spend the solitary time I have building a routine of my practice, exploring this beautiful spot of country, and learning about my new job.
I spent yesterday learning the ropes at the hotel and yoga center. I told some guest from Germany that I was learning the ropes, and they thought I meant tricky yoga moves using ropes. I’m lucky to be assisted at the job by a staff of dedicated workers and to be able to host such lovely guests from all over the world. I also feel blessed to be working with such talented health care professionals! Here on staff at the wellness center are an indigenous doctor working only with local herbs and plants, an ayurvedic doctor, and a doctor working with juices and raw foods as well as Amazonian plants and herbs to heal chronic illness. I feel like there’s a lot of wisdom to soak up here.
I taught my first yoga class on the yoga deck here at Tierra de Yoga the other night, and what a gift it was to teach here! Surrounded on all four sides by rainforest, the deck sits up a flight of stairs and seems to float on light for the evening classes. As the sun set and the night surrounded us, it was simple to focus solely on the breath and drop heart and soul into the rhythm of movement and the sweetness of meditation.
I look forward to many more classes and workshops as we journey deeper into the heart of yoga and the many explorations that offers.