Service & Karma Yoga
For thousands of years, offering service has been an integral part of society. While our world is becoming an increasingly global family, both growing and struggling together, we believe that our personal choices are more important than ever. 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. Our personal and direct relationships with location venues allow us to coordinate projects that directly help and make an impact on those who need it most. True Nature provides a truly authentic “giving back” experience which will allow you to integrate with a new culture and support the local community.
CREER Service Organization: Our Roots
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.
The CREER Service Organization continually strives to do in-depth research which aims to understand the true needs of the people in the communities that we visit. Because of this, the service projects that will not be known until 2-3 months prior to trips and retreats after we assess the current needs.
We believe it is our responsibility to create an international bridge of support focused on education, sustainable contribution, and a balanced integration of cultures; providing a progressive model of a holistic, charitable organization.
With a focus on rural areas, CREER gives support by offering resources such as jobs, educational programs, micro loans, and volunteer opportunities that will result in balance and long-lasting sustainability for the Costa Rican people. It is CREER's goal to look in-depth at the true needs of the people we serve, offering all that is possible in fulfilling its mission.
Service Values
Structural Work: This area of service focuses on a physical structure in a village that we are visiting. Some examples include painting a local school, building a playground, and/or renovating a church roof. During this type of work, we can always utilize the skills of professionals, while simultaneously providing plenty of jobs for those who have never done this type of work before.
Land-stewardship: During our time in the countries we serve, we do our part to support the nature and the wildlife which surrounds us. In this area of service work, projects have included working on a community garden, volunteering at a turtle restoration project, and doing a reforestation project as part of the “Children’s Eternal Rainforest.”
Intercultural Exchange: We believe the greatest source of service comes in the area of connection. In the spirit of these words, we cherish our opportunity to share through intercultural exchange during our service opportunities. Some examples of this include: taking part in a local fiesta, playing in a village soccer game, visiting the local school and speaking Spanish and English with the ticos.
“The greatest service we can do for the planet is to cultivate happiness and kindness within oneself.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
