True Nature Travels Blog

Reflecting Through Poem on the Rhythms of Joy

IMG_20140220_165023Following the 2nd Annual Rhythms of Joy Retreat with Tiina Kivinen in January 2014, one of the retreat participants, Rick, shared with us this beautiful poem that he used to reflect on his experience with True Nature Education and time in Costa Rica. He spent a week on a birding expedition following his time on the retreat with us, during which he said he had ample time to process his time with us.
Rick furthermore shared with us that, “I remember, during  one of the (many) sharing sessions, comparing our group to a 15 petal lotus.  It strikes me now just  how apt that descrption – – –  each perfect lotus petal finds even greater perfection in its place within the blossom.  You were all perfect, and it was fantastic to bloom with you. My heart was emptied and then it was filled.  Sweet blessings to all.”
A cold, dark heart, frozen by loss
Unable to grieve, unable to let go
The fragile ebb and flow of her life
The memories of her journey so new
Candlelit yoga with twelve gentle souls 
Magic Moon’s words crack the shell
The vibration of kirtan like Jericho
My soul exposed, my centre revealed
My heart now opened to strangers
The pain unleashed but so welcome
The well of tears no longer held back
The depth of acceptance enveloped me
A mother not lost but transcended
As the cross through the woods revealed 
She is with me, now a part of me
Her unconditional love surrounds me

True Nature Travels Blog

Chanting Together in Costa Rica

IMG_0217We’re nearing the end of our Chant Together Kirtan yoga retreat with David Newman (“Durga Das”) and Friends, and it has been such a delightful journey!  Our group is wonderfully diverse, with participants ranging from age 2, all the way up beyond 60.  It has been so sweet to have parents and kids, husbands and wives, and friends all here to chant together.

The power of retreat is something I wish everyone could experience. Feeling the support of the community and taking part in daily practices such as yoga, satsang (“discussions of truth”), and kirtan (“chanting”) have all added the fullness and richness of this True Nature Experience.

IMG_20140126_123038It has been such a blessing to spend the week on this magical land near the Arenal Volcano at Finca Luna Nueva Lodge. Everything is so lush here.  This is a place where trees grow on trees, toucans with bright yellow beaks fly overhead, and a three-toed sloth makes an occasional appearance.  This is a place where all you have to do is sit quietly and watch, and magic will present itself.

The other day we went to a local village and worked on projects for the school’s community garden.  The school is responsible for feeding the students lunch, and it has become a necessity to grow food to support this.  It felt great to help out with the project.  We also made sugar cane juice and drank from coconuts straight off the trees.  After our work (which was mostly play!), we enjoyed a home-cooked meal where we made our own corn tortillas.

Today, we spent the morning at the Tabacon Hot Springs.  We soaked up the warmth of volcanic water, as it poured through rivers and waterfalls that meandered through the trees and vibrantly colored plants.  Our afternoon ended with a sunset horseback ride to a waterfall.

It has been a wonderful week blending lots of time relaxing, chanting, and adventuring.  It is always sweet to get to know other people (and ourselves) better.  It is a gift to be able to spend a week away from our day-to-day lives and to live in a way that more deeply connects us with our own True Nature.

 

Eliza Volk
Asheville, North Carolina

 

 

 

 

True Nature Travels Blog

Guest Post: Rhythms of Joy Yoga Retreat Great Success!

This was written by Tiina Kivinen, retreat leader of our first yoga retreat of the 2013 season, the Rhythms of Joy: A Costa Rica Experience, from 1/12-1/19:

Love from Nosara Costa Rica! We just completed the Rhythms of Joy Costa Rica Yoga Retreat last week, and I am basking in the afterglow. The experience brought people together from Peterborough, Bobcageon, and Thunder Bay Ontario, Alberta, Minnesota, New York City, Holland, and our beloved co-facilitators from Asheville, North Carolina. One participant, Fern, described a ‘magnetic pull’ that brought her to the retreat, and I can attest that a force of love and grace brought all these beautiful souls together at the right place and time to experience rhythms of joy, deep connection and awakening.

During the 7 days of Retreat, we rode the waves in the ocean, diving into high and low tides, and felt the healing ocean waters caress our feet during sunset. Each day, attending to the grace and epic beauty of the setting Sun reminded me of the blessing of life, another day of loving as the sun melted into the ocean and the day turned to night. The week began with the new moon, a symbol of new beginning, a time for setting intention. Throughout the week Moon grew from new to a sweet sliver and into a radiant half moon that became illuminated by the setting sun. As Moon grew more and more illuminated, so did we, and our intentions ripened as our community and experience deepened.

Our days were full of Yoga, Mindfulness Meditation, Yoga Dance, Kirtan (mantra singing) among many other experiences. Many participants also went on excursions, like zip lining, visiting the Monkey Sanctuary and rehabilitation centre, as well as an early morning journey to see mama sea turtles laying eggs and baby turtles making their first journey to the ocean… Epic!

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True Nature Travels Blog

Experience the Rhythms of Joy with Tiina Kivinen

With December just around the corner, our 2012-2013 retreat season is about to be underway. One of the first retreats on our calendar is Rhythms of Joy: A Costa Rica Yoga Experience, from January 12-19, 2013.
Hosted at the beautiful Nosara Bed & Breakfast Retreat Center in Nosara, Costa Rica, you will experience a week-long immersion in yoga, nature, rhythm, and spirit along the Pacific Coast near one of Costa Rica’s best-protected wildlife preserves. Within the nurturing environment of jungle life, daily yoga classes will guide you through the tuning of your individual spirit alongside a thriving community of yogis.
The retreat will be co-hosted by True Nature Education Co-Founders, Joshua Canter and Kristin Luna Ray, alongside the talented Tiina Kivinen. Tiina is a wonderful yoga teacher, hailing from Ontario, Canada, and having achieved her 500-HR Professional Level Certified Yoga Teacher through the Nosara Institute. Her Costa Rica yoga roots have remained strong as the assistant director of Let Your Yoga Dance Teacher Training in Nosara. When she is not in Costa Rica, Tiina teaches at Hot Yoga Peterborough in Peterborough, ON.
I was lucky to catch up with Tiina to check in with her about the upcoming retreat and gain some insight into her thoughts and excitement.
True Nature Education:  Thanks for taking some time away from your busy schedule! We are so excited to return to Costa Rica and unite with you for this unique program. Tell us, what is your intention for the Rhythms of Joy retreat?

Tiina:  My intention for Rhythms Of Joy retreat is that everyone who participates will get exactly what they need out of the experience… especially a heightened state of love, joy, and peace! Being on a yoga retreat can be a highly transformative experience, especially in such an inspiring environment as Costa Rica, and the practices that we are
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