Be DAREful
A Restorative Surf and Yoga Adventure in
Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica
LIVING DAREFULLY
The ongoing challenges of the past several years have taken their toll on our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health. It has surfaced ugly and often painful shadows in our personal and collective realities and it seems there’s a growing impulse to reimagine new ways of relating and working together moving forward. We need embodied, DAREful leaders with the capacity to support this collective mending in our homes, work relationships and our communities at large. We’re not going back, and in order to rise to the challenge ahead we need more effective tools for caring for ourselves and each other in the meantime.
Living DAREfully is the paradoxical ability to stretch beyond the immediate comfort zone we’re accustomed to, and explore new possibilities at the same time. For example when we stretch in this way (whether that is physically, emotionally and/or mentally) the uncomfortable unknowns and the fear they ignite, often creates somatic responses in the body. Learning to work with these more skillfully allows us to take those embodied risks AND to continue living the adventure of our lives in creative, resourceful and playful ways at the same time. I believe we’re made for this, but most of us are deeply disconnected from the skills and tools we need to live in this way, and instead unconsciously loop in trauma responses that keep us stuck in toxic relational patterns and fear. This is why we’ve created the Be DAREful retreat with our friends at Bodhi Surf and Yoga. It is a much needed opportunity to come together, face to face, in community, to reconnect with our bodies and each other and begin planting seeds in stronger containers so these emerging visions of a healthier future can take root right here in the present.
Bodhi is Calling!
At True North Adventures, everything we do is designed to invite us back into alignment with our Authentic Selves. In this way, our intentional outdoor experiences are portals for our inner adventures and this is where the magic happens! As has always been the case with our retreats, this time away is not an escape. It is an essential pause where you can playfully observe how you are with yourself, and practice using more effective tools as you embody these shifts in your day-to-day life. This is about reconnecting with the innate wisdom of your Wild heart, course correcting where needed, and experiencing a greater sense of regulation and vitality throughout your entire body/being as a result.
It all starts with Reconnection
Reconnect with Your Board
Whether you’re brand new to surfing or looking to become more skillful in your wave riding, your 5 sequenced sessions will offer you unparalleled support as you find your flow with this ancient, playful practice of mindfulness and presence.
Reconnect with Your Body
Bodhi Shambala, yoga is a way of life. Regardless of your prior experience or skill level, instructor Pilar Salazar has an incredible ability to meet you at your edge and lovingly assist you in finding more breath, presence, and flexibility in your asanas (both on and off the mat!).
Reconnect with Your Life
We’ve lovingly crafted this deeply nourishing week as an opportunity to unplug from the noise that we’re currently surrounded by at home.Together we will SLOW DOWN, unplug and intentionally reconnect with the much more grounded, clear and purposeful intelligence inside of our Wild hearts.
Whats Included
- 6 nights at the beautiful Bodhi Lodge in Bahia Ballena
- 2 travel transition nights at the Adventure Inn in San Jose
- 3 love-infused, homemade meals every day (20 total, with 2-3 offsite at local restaurants)
- 5 surf lessons with wise, soulful Bodhi Surf owner, Travis, and local staff.
- 5 yoga classes with the amazing Bodhi Surf owner, master yogi, Pilar
- Daily experiential “play”shops, nourishing somatic practices, and unstructured playtime
- A special service project opportunity in the local community
- Art supplies, a journal and plenty of space for creative expression and experimentation
- Visit a local waterfall
- Fruit at each surf lesson and as many coconuts straight off the tree as you would like to enjoy!
- Guided walking tour of Bahia Ballena with local naturalist
- National Park entrance fees
- Private round trip transportation (from the airport in San Jose to Bodhi lodge in Uvita and back)
- 1-hour private coaching session with Jen in preparation for our time in Costa Rica, as well as additional integration call after we return.
What does it mean to be DAREful?
The title Be DAREful is inspired by the work of artist and nature lover Jeremy Collins. He developed this script flip after realizing how often people used the phrase “be careful” to express their love for someone headed out on an adventure. Adventure is inherently risky. Self-preservation is obviously a key piece of successful adventures, but ultimately, if we really want to grow and feel alive it involves getting out there on the edge of our comfort zone and being DAREful. Pursuing the illusion of total comfort and safety squeezes the life out of experiences and that is certainly not what adventure is all about. So, he has spearheaded a movement to “change this admonition to ‘Be Dareful Out There’ and lovingly encourage the explorers of this world to play with their edge.
Investment
The agreed-upon investment for The Be Dareful Program is $2,500. Depending on when you register, there may be a different breakdown of the payment schedule, but here is the general payment plan we follow.
– We require a non-refundable, $333 deposit to reserve your place in our circle. Room availability is on a first come first serve basis, so priority choice will be given once your deposit is received.
– 90 days before the retreat we request a $1,250 deposit.
– The remaining investment ($917) is due 30 days before departure (Feb 19th). Last-minute cancelations based on COVID emergencies will be worked out on a case-by-case basis. Otherwise, all investments, once made, are non-refundable.
If you would prefer to pay in full at an earlier date, please feel free! Also if you would prefer to pay via credit card to accrue travel points or rewards, we will gladly receive that payment over the phone with a 3% processing fee.
If you are considering this possibility, please follow the links to set up a free exploration call. This is a loving, no-pressure, supportive opportunity for you to get crystal clear about whether you’re one of the amazing ladies who will join our next circle.
Logistics
YOU MUST HAVE A VALID PASSPORT TO TRAVEL TO COSTA RICA. COVID19 protocols are changing frequently, so please visit this page for the most recent travel information.
Participants will be required to book their own airfare to/from San Jose, Costa Rica. It is approximately a 3-hour drive to the Bodhi Lodge from San Jose, and it would be ideal if we could all make this journey out to the coast together, during the day.
For most people, that looks like flying into SJO at some point on Friday and staying a night together at the wonderful Adventure Inn. (https://www.adventure-inn.com) They have friendly, quick shuttles from the airport 24 hours a day and will have dinner available even if you arrive very late that evening. Saturday morning we’ll have a welcome breakfast together and then meet Walli our shuttle driver for our ride to the Bodhi Lodge.
For departures, we will be picked up at the Bodhi Lodge at 4 pm on Friday and most people will depart SJO at some point on Saturday. We will have rooms for everyone at the Adventure Inn and will wrap together Friday evening with a casual dinner and free time together. Depending on the return flight times, we can also arrange for a group excursion to a great artisan market in San Jose, to a local coffee farm, or other day trips in the area on Saturday. If you’d like to stay Saturday evening (or arrive earlier before the retreat) we can easily extend those Adventure Inn reservations for you. They will settle those additional expenses via card/cash when we check in to the Adventure Inn.
Please feel free to reach out with any travel questions. I would also be happy to connect you with other ladies on the trip to coordinate travel/additional excursions.
COVID 19 Information
The Bodhi Surf and Yoga team have found creative ways to keep their entire team together during the full shutdown and have been successfully hosting small groups of travelers since re-opening again in November 2020. By integrating the most up-to-date safety protocols with their already excellent level of service, they continue to find ways to do their important work in the world while safely bringing much-needed resources back into their local community. As a B-Corporation, intersectional environmentalists, and culture shapers, we believe deeply in the work that they’re doing and want to continue to do our part to support them in keeping their doors open and their mission alive. Click here to learn more about how they’re supporting guests and their community during the COVID-19 era…
MEET YOUR GUIDES
Jen is an experiential educator and guide who helps people live a more DAREful life and Alison is a movement educator, wave dancer, and lecturer in the Theater and Dance Department at the University of California, San Diego. Jen and Alison met in 2018, at a frame drumming workshop held in Alison’s home. After several VERY lively conversations it was abundantly clear that they’re both really stoked about the healing, regenerative power of nature, and the vibrant, sensory experience available to us when we live as embodied, multidimensional beings expressing creatively at this time. They co-facilitated this retreat together in 2019 and in 2022 and can’t wait to return for another round of joy-filled collaboration, weaving nervous system healing and eco-somatic movement practice, with wave riding, belly laughter and a whole lot of juicy magic.
Alison
Jen
