Tired, overworked, rundown. I know I'm not the only person who can feel this way or has felt this way over a prolonged period of time. Sometimes your job, family, and other commitments can grind down on you until you feel like a mindless drone systematically performing task after task, alive but not living.

Sound familiar?

My 30th birthday was steadily approaching like a train screaming "why haven't you gotten married, bought a house, had kids, etc etc etc" (which I continue to ignore), and I had saved up enough to travel somewhere fun. I wanted to do something adventurous but at the same time, I was in zombie mode and wanted to get away and relax. At some point, my mother (Wendy) invited herself along and I had to nix my plans of boozing it up in Cancun for a week or spending time bumming around some cheaper hotels up and down Central America. Wendy requires a certain amount of... well, lets just say she likes a nice, clean, comfortable place. With lots of activities (she's a fitness nut and especially a Zumba addict). I spent a few days on Google, looking around, before I found something in our price point that had yoga for her and surfing for me: the Anamaya Resort in Montezuma, Costa Rica.

Look at the view from the pool and deck. You can see whales migrating during certain months!

I don't think there are enough words to describe the impact Anamaya had on my life that week or in my visits to follow. As our teacher for the week Kim led us through yoga classes, work shops, and mantra work, I felt tension leave my body to be replaced with a sense of calm I'm still chasing to recreate. Seattle seemed like a world away as I held my first crow pose (for maybe 2 seconds, but I'm counting it), stood up on my surf board, and surrounded myself with some of the most uplifting and supportive souls I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. 

Days started with birds calling us to wake up as the sun would rise over the Nicoya bay. With some delicious fruit and coffee, we'd lay our mats out as quietly as possible so as to not disturb the peace a restful night and gorgeous morning would bring us. Kim's cheerful voice called out pose after pose, and it was through her expertise of modifying poses with blocks and straps that I truly found myself enjoying yoga and not berating myself for struggling with poses that until then had seemed impossible to me.

Sunrise and delicious Costa Rican coffee

After yoga we had a delicious buffet style breakfast (which was never complete without Chef Jeff's AMAZING hot sauce) before scurrying to get ready for surfing. And the surfing, oh the surfing. Young Vision Surf school took us to Playa Grande where we learned to surf in the warmest waters I had ever been in. They were beyond patient and everyone managed to pop up and ride a wave in the first day. I surfed all five days and loved each more than the previous.

Surfing every day left my shoulders, which were not used to the upper body strength needed to paddle, stiff like they'd been turned to stone, but very luckily for us, Anamaya also has a fantastic spa. I've spent 6 weeks of my life at Anamaya at this point and have had every treatment and booked every therapist and I can tell you they're all fantastic and there is no way to go wrong. My mother still dreams of Hot Stone massages with Argeri. Barbara and Diane are always the reason I can still walk after a week there. And if you're lucky, you can experience a truly fantastical Watsu treatment in the ocean with Ana Laura.

In the evenings we had yin/restorative yoga classes. In the dark jungle overlooking the ocean with only candles lighting the deck, sometimes thunder would rumble in the distance as if answering our oms, and I'd feel like a character in a book or movie. How could something this amazing be real?

Dinner followed and I wish I had pictures of the delicious food Anamaya created for us, but I devoured it before there was a chance. I also appreciated how flexible they were at cooking for allergies and different diets, offering vegan and vegetarian option and being super vigilant about my bell pepper allergy. I dream of the ceviche I had there and plantain chips. And the tuna steaks. And the desserts. And the granola. I just really want Chef Jeff to cook for me 24/7. AND what makes the food even better is that most of it is grown up the road at the permaculture farm owned by the owners of Anamaya (and they offer retreats too!).

I returned home relaxed and in a state of zen that lasted months. And more important, my experiences and conversations led me to the moment when I decided to start 124 West. We might be made in the USA, but we were conceived in Costa Rica ;)  

There's so much more to gush about- the rooms, the trip to Santa Teresa, zip lining, the town of Montezuma, and the staff. Wait, I have to gush about the staff. Anamaya is truly amazing, but what really makes it unforgettable is the care the staff puts into their jobs. From the start when you're talking to Maniye and Antonio for bookings, to Gretel and Laura taking care of you while you're there, to Jeff's fantastic cooking, and Albert somehow staying sane and keeping everything running like clockwork, they're able to make it magical and are truly the nicest (and funniest!) people you'll ever meet.

There's only one bad thing about Anamaya and it's that you have to leave eventually. I'm still in close contact with many of the people I've met, including the different teachers I've been blessed to meet and if you've clicked around this site, you've seen some of the people I've been on retreats with (hi Laura and Summer!). I've been to Anamaya three times as a retreat guest (twice with Kim and Scott instructing and once with Janet) and last October I did my yoga teacher training there. If you're considering a trip to Costa Rica and want to go to a yoga retreat and/or are considering surfing, you can't go wrong with Anamaya. Is it cliche if I call it life changing? I guess I'll be cliche because there are no other words.

If you've looked around our site and seen pictures of this awesome yoga deck (or the gray stones), it's the lower deck at Anamaya which they kindly allowed us to use for a photoshoot. Not pictured: the family of howler monkeys and aracari/toucans who watch us from the trees 

Links:

Anamaya Resort- weekly retreats run Saturday-Saturday. 

Young Vision Surf School - the best guys in Montezuma

Kim Goyette - currently traveling around the world and offering awesome classes online (in a different country every time!). She and her hilarious husband Scott will be back teaching at Anamaya June29-July6th. 

Janet Dailey Butler- based in NYC and also offering retreats in Mexico and Costa Rica (take her reflexology class!). She will be leading a retreat at Anamaya August 17-24th.

*Photo of me chilling on my hammock chair taken from the Lotus room. All rooms have fantastic views