Category: Local Community

The decision to serve, especially while traveling abroad, is an honorable and noble choice that we celebrate with our participants. Integrating service programs (“Karma Yoga”) into our wellness retreats is at the foundation of our company’s mission and vision.

At the core of True Nature’s values is an emphasis on community service. True Nature Travels sprouted out of the CREER Service Organization, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing sustainable solutions for the healthy evolution of the native Costa Rican culture. This year, we celebrate our 13th year!

From small beginnings in the villages of Costa Rica to the expansion of community projects around the world, it has been an incredible decade of learning, growth, and service. Our mission began as a token of thanks for the hospitality we felt from our neighbors when we arrived in Costa Rica in 2004. Today, we are humbled and honored to share that it has turned into a global operation, serving more than 25 communities in 8 countries!

2019 Reflection

PERU – School and Orphanage Projects
This year, we began our second year of work in the Sacred Valley of Peru. CREER has provided support for three different schools and two orphanages, offering resources and opportunities for the Andean children who hike from the mountains to seek education and places to live.

GUATEMALA – La Puerta Abierta Learning Center

Throughout 2019, CREER continued our work with “La Puerta” on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. CREER brought several volunteer groups to help assist with projects at the learning center, including planting organic gardens, assisting with the construction of the new communal area, and helping to launch the new International Traveling Library Project.

COSTA RICA – Blue Banyan Monkey Sanctuary

As part of CREER‘s Land Stewardship Program, we have expanded our 8-year partnership with the Blue Banyan Monkey Sanctuary. This year, CREER will help to support five endangered species of monkeys, along with sloths, and various species of birds that are rehabilitated at the sanctuary. CREER’s volunteers have the opportunity to work with the animals while visiting Costa Rica.

Global Service, Adventure, and Leadership Programs

CREER continues to partner with True Nature Education to provide exciting and meaningful travel abroad opportunities. Through “The Global Service, Adventure, and Leadership Program” participants have the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru, and many other countries where they experience the authentic and rich culture while working with CREER to support the local people and communities.

True Nature is thrilled to announce we are expanding our service project efforts in 2020! We are excited to partner with CREER and offer service project opportunities in a few of our newest destinations. To learn more and find out how you can give back, visit https://truenaturetravels.com/educational-travel/karma-yoga/.

Karma. The west has twisted this Sanskrit concept into a pop culture excuse for… well, everything. Let’s fix that, shall we?

Action

The word karma simply means “action,” and from the classical yoga perspective, actions are vitally important. In fact, karma offers one of few paths to self-realization.

Karma yoga understands that actions have consequences, so what we do matters. Therefore, karma yogis practice acting with intention.

This isn’t easy! The influence of past karmas can be strong. We may feel compelled to act according to how past karmas imprinted us, regardless of what present-day values we hold.

The True Teaching

With practice and attention, we can build enough awareness to begin recognizing karmic impulses and open up the possibility of choosing something different.

Stepping back from habits of thought and belief empowers us to act in alignment with our values, rather than being driven by ego-centric, karmic conditioning. We can do beautiful work when ego isn’t invested in the outcome, and action becomes an end in itself.

Selfless Service

Since it’s difficult to interrupt the habit of focusing on our own needs, karma yogis perform selfless service. Confession: Even though I want my life to be about something bigger than myself, motivating for karma yoga service projects doesn’t come naturally to me. I really have to make an effort.

Along the way, I’ve discovered a secret! As long as you’re trying to do something that’s not about you, even if it feels forced, the path will rise to meet your feet.

Maturity

In high school, for example, I went on a church “mission trip” to rural Honduras. I had no idea what I was doing, but the trip extracted me from my affluent, pop culture, teen life for the first time …and turned my worldview upside down.

The Honduran people lived close to the Earth and to one another in a way I had never seen before. My materialism began to erode, and my heart grew. That trip caused the single largest leap in maturity of my life.

Gratitude

Later, as an adult, I volunteered at a homeless shelter one Thanksgiving. Many guests were gripped by a frightening state of rage. Others struggled to communicate. Some were just totally checked out.

I came away with profound gratitude for my own mental health and ability to navigate the world. I saw clearly how vulnerable we can be to the forces of karma and how precariously our capacity for change rests upon our capacity for awareness.

Healing From Grief

This year, Hurricane Dorian just barely passed us by on the same day when the dive boat Conception caught fire and sank in California, taking two dear friends down with it.

I was gobsmacked by their tragic deaths, by being spared from a hurricane but thrust into the jaws of grief, and by my cross-country distance from the support of a community to grieve with. After days of devastated uselessness, I schlepped my sad heart into town to help sort donated hurricane supplies for delivery to the disaster zone of the Bahamas.

It wasn’t what I wanted to do, but the work healed me. That one act of selfless service turned the corner on my grief and helped me begin to flow with life, again.

All Karmas Are Shared

What we do matters. However, always remember this: Results are complicated. The karmic currents of this interconnected world converge and diverge endlessly. We are caught in a Universal web of shared karmas.

We can only pour this present moment action into the mix, with an intentional whisper of blessing, and then let go.

I have no idea how volunteering in Honduras, at the homeless shelter, or for the Bahamas impacted the people I wanted to help. I only know how it impacted me.

Karma yoga is a path of self-realization. When we step forward in selfless service, ironically, it’s self that transforms …and by transforming ourselves, we heal the world.

Our actions create the future. There’s no escaping this fact. We are setting up new sequences of cause and effect right now. So ask yourself what type of world you want to live in, and whatever your answer is… act like it.

About the Author

Delana Thompson helps spiritually-inclined entrepreneurs express their hearts and expand their influence with authentic copywriting, project management, and professional delivery of their online content. Her clients include teachers and practitioners of meditation, yoga, ayurveda, shamanic healing, astrology, and fine art. When she’s not writing marketing emails or designing landing pages, you’ll find Delana salsa dancing, practicing meditation, planning a trip, listening to a podcast, speaking Spanish, or missing all her faraway friends. Visit Delana on LinkedIn to learn more about her business.

At True Nature, our mission of giving back to local communities around the world is at our core. Integration with new cultures and supporting the local communities on our retreats are some of the ways to truly be able to experience a destination and learn about the culture.

Reflection

It has been a powerful year of service with the True Nature community. With an emphasis on the process, this service work isn’t just done and over, it creates an impact that keeps rippling- through the community and through ourselves. One of the takeaways from Karma Yoga is it is reciprocal. The service is not only beneficial for the communities we serve but a rich experience for each of us. What we learn from these projects and communities goes above and beyond the efforts firsthand. We leave feeling more collaborative, motivated, and with a fresh outlook. Most often this work creates more action. Karma Yoga creates more motivation to keep the service process going. Even with little time to put forth, the tiniest acts help significantly. The willingness to further our efforts and perspective, to create a global community is contagious.

True Nature Directors, Kristyn, Charlotte, and Prema were fortunate to be able to join our most recent Karma Yoga project in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. We partnered with an amazing group during Alyssa Snow’s retreat. We are grateful to Alyssa for inviting us to join and it was a powerfully rewarding experience.

About La Puerta Abierta

Six years ago, La Puerta Abierta opened the first creative, non-conventional preschool in Santiago, Atitlán. They have created an environment for our young learners which is inviting, educational, and stimulating. The staff has designed a creative curriculum which embraces art and exploration.

La Puerta Abierta strives to educate the whole child by offering a variety of learning opportunities via music, body movement, out-door education, sports, theater, art, nutrition, and food preparation. La Escuelita Puerta Abierta currently offers seven academic grades, preschool through 5th grade.

The Projects

We were able to help with a few different projects including gardening in the community garden, the playground, and helping build an addition to the classroom.

It was a beautiful experience to be able to work with the students during their recess! Everyone pitched in to help.

What a difference many hands can make!

Community

With Karma Yoga, you become one with the community. This we learned firsthand. When it was time to depart, we received a special surprise.

A special thank you to the La Puerta Abierta Community for letting us spend the day at your beautiful school! We would also like to extend our gratitude to Alyssa and her group, for this special collaborative experience we were able to share with you.

Last but not least, a shout-out to our community who value this work just as much as we do, and we look forward to the next Karma Yoga experience. To find out how you can help or lead a service project, visit https://truenaturetravels.com/educational-travel/karma-yoga/.

As someone who spends an inordinate amount of time sorting my trash into recyclables, compost, and garbage, I always carried a layer of guilt around my affinity for travel. I was far too aware of the ridiculous amount of carbon emissions that came attached to each international ticket I booked. Which is why when I first heard the term “Eco-Tourism” I immediately wanted to know more. Fast forward a few years and no I’m not only an eco-tourism expert, but a passionate believer of integrating the values of eco-tourism into all my travels. And I’m here to share that expertise and passion with you. In this ultimate guide to eco-tourism, I will go over what eco-tourism is, why it matters, and how to practice it in your daily life.

The What: What even is eco-tourism?

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) defines eco-tourism as “Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact, and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples.”

Catchy, right?

Let’s put it in terms that don’t sound like something out of a dull college lecture. Basically, eco-tourism is tourism centered around nature. Visiting nature, appreciating nature, and respecting nature. It means traveling to biodiverse countries and destinations in order to appreciate the natural environment and the communities that have coexisted, and still do coexist, with that environment. Most of all, ecotourism is about respecting nature. This means finding ways to limit the impact your travel has on the natural world and support the local communities that live in these natural areas.

The Why: Why should you care about eco-tourism?

Okay, so now you know what eco-tourism is, but why should you care?

We all have different things that drive us. And if you are already passionate about fighting global warming and engaging in environmentalism, you probably don’t need me to explain why eco-tourism is important. After all, what’s good for the planet is good for us.

But maybe environmentalism isn’t your cause. That’s okay! I have a feeling eco-tourism will still be for you. And here’s why…

Imagine you are setting off for a new adventure. Maybe you’re going to lie on the beaches of Phuket, climb the Swiss Alps, or dance with the whirling dervishes in Turkey. Regardless of where you are headed, one thing is always the same: you are a guest. Eco-tourism is about respecting that guest-host relationship and treating other countries the way you would treat a neighbor’s home. If your neighbor asks you to remove your shoes in the house, you do. So, if a foreign country asks you to honor their land and respect their customs, why should that be any different? When boiled down, eco-tourism is all about respect, and who can’t get behind a cause based on mutual respect??

The How: How can you practice eco-tourism on your travels?

You are now a budding expert on eco-tourism. You know what it is and why you should care about it. But it’s no good memorizing the theory if you don’t know how to put it into practice. So how can you actually live the eco-tourism life on your next trip? Here are a few of my favorite tips:

• Off-set the carbon footprint of your airfare. Carbon Fund allows you to enter the departure and arrival airports for your flight, then make a proportional donation toward carbon reduction projects to help off-set your impact. It’s cheaper than you might think (I only spent an extra $17 last time I went to Europe) and turns a negative impact into a positive one.
• Travel with organizations that embody eco-tourism. Whether you are spending three months volunteering in the Amazon or spending a week on a yoga retreat, make sure the organizations you travel with priorities eco-tourism. True Nature Travels, for example, works hard to make sure we work with eco-friendly retreat centers and offers service projects so you can give back to the local community during your retreat.
• Spend more time visiting natural parks around the world. From Monteverde in Costa Rica to Plitvice Lakes in Croatia, the world is full of breath-taking natural parks. Adding these to your travel itinerary not only adds a few days of stunning travel through some of the world’s most incredible natural wonders, but gives you an opportunity to support local efforts to keep the world a little greener.

However you travel, you can make it eco

Contrary to popular belief, eco-tourism does not mean camping. You can embody the values of eco-tourism in all sorts of travel. From luxury resorts and spas to camping and trekking through the rainforest, you can experience the world your way while still acting as an eco-tourist. So the next time you plan a trip, dig a little deeper into where you are staying and what you are doing, and try to add a little eco to your tourism.

At the heart of True Nature Travels is our commitment to service. We are honored to work with so many amazing partners around the world and are grateful for the opportunity to give back and help in as many ways as we can. The following is a recent note we received from Lindsay Padilla, our partner for our service project in Costa Rica. Here, Lindsay shares her story and reminds us why what we do matters. Read on for an inspiring note from this incredible woman!

Happy Farming Service Project in Costa Rica

For the ones that know about my family history, we have had a difficult time because of cancer. During the last 5 years, 2 loved people (my aunt and my grandpa) died because of cancer and at the same time, my mother is a cancer survivor.

One day, the doctor told us that mom could not live longer and it would be impossible for her to win the battle against cancer (she was almost in stage 4). But my mom said there is a purpose in everything and God is the One who knows the future, so she came back home with faith and many changes in her life.

I remember that at the end of that week, we welcomed a True Nature group and there at mom’s kitchen, most of the visitors sitting on the floor, started singing with Luna and Joshua! I saw her smile again. She told me she felt “Open to Grace” If you listen that beautiful song you realize “Cuando caigo, para crecer de nuevo,” to grow again, that was what she did.

We started planting our veggies. Her hands were busy. Then she started sharing the harvest and we eliminated all the processed food from our diet. Some years have passed and mom is still in the treatment, but cancer is gone! Happy and simple lifestyle results! Gratitude is the key.

Because of the past and thinking of the present, this project was born. We highly believe that love and happiness are the medicines to the entire world. That is why we are employing people from the village to farm in harmony with nature. That is our Happy Farm Project that includes planting what we eat, collecting eggs from the farm and growing tilapia. Our commitment is to avoid chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides while we have a responsible use of energy and natural resources to ensure healthy food and farm from today and for the future.

The builder you can find in the pictures is Marvin.  True Nature helped him to improve his home last year. A group came to paint his home one day prior to his daughter’s wedding because they were planning to have the party at home. What a nice gift! Marvin is the one who leads the groups that come to build and repair in the village. He also will sell fresh tilapia from the farm. By now he is busy building the hens coop. This project includes a tilapia fish farm while we recycle the tilapia containers. When we started this project, we bought an electrical machine for saving water, but it doesn’t work without electricity. That is why we are doing the tilapia project in my mother’s property, so we can use water pressure from the river, saving electricity and water, while we can hire local people for building, farming, cooking, and selling high-quality products that are not expensive.

Nothing of this could be possible without the support of True Nature. During many years they have helped us to improve our village, to have new opportunities for the local people to work.

Literally, True Nature has put color on the village for years. They have been there to help us to make many projects a dream come true and we honor their good works.

Thanks very much, True Nature!

You believe that it is possible to improve our lives while we practice a happy and healthy lifestyle.

What am I here for?

It’s more than 14 letters creating a question. It is a question that I’d like to answer while I fight against resistance.

After having a difficult time, we are probably not completely full of energy. I have been part of that group of people that are tired sometimes, but I always fight for what I really love and it is helping to create a better place to live!

What am I here for?

I am here to encourage people to believe that if we are united, working together, no matter if we are just a small group, we can make a big difference.

Today is a great day! A good opportunity to do something for others.

It is interesting, because I have heard a lot of expressions like, “We can do nothing about it”, “It is imposible”, and “Don’t even try, you can’t do it”.

I can, you can, we all can!

What we really need is to start doing the impossible. There are too many people doing the possible now!

If we start now, we can do exactly the same thing tomorrow, with a new mind-set, so the ordinary things will turn to extraordinary things.

During many years, we have been working hard hand in hand with the True Nature. It has been an interesting adventure.

Painting buildings and homes, repairing houses, helping to build an English classroom at the local school and even giving a hand (or two) to the local people in their farms, without forgetting the other many activities we have been involved in… Too many good projects that are counting in our fight to create a better place to live, in our fight to show the entire world that the real power is inside you, inside me, the power of God acting through our hands.

There is a bridge between the countries, between the languages and we cross it together while we volunteer.

See you around here soon. No matter when you can come visit us, you will always be welcome here in Costa Rica, at home.

I wish you a happy day, plenty of peace and love.

About the Author: Lindsay Padilla 

Lindsay was born in San Jose, Costa Rica. She currently lives in Costa Rica where she helps foreigners immerse themselves in her beautiful country. True Nature works with Lindsay and The Real Costa Rica to provide service opportunities to our retreat participants. We love working with Lindsay and we cannot wait for our next Costa Rica retreat!