Day 106/365 – On tidying the house

4/16/17 Have you noticed that a clean home, or even desk at the office, helps you think clearer? I read that the clutter in your living and working space can negatively impact your mental capacity, and vice versa. The cleaner your immediate environment is, the more space you create in your head, with increased ability […]

Day 105/365 – On wild flowers

4/15/17 I’m fragile, and I can break. Treat me like a delicate, cultivated flower. I can adapt, and I can rewild, But once wild know that I won’t be tame. I am resilient and strong, but In your arms I allow myself to be weak. So think carefully and know, Your actions will show me […]

Day 104/365 – On commitments

4/14/17 Due to my blissful ignorance in Costa Rica, and my policy of technology-free retreating, I ran very behind on my posts. But I’ve also made a commitment to myself that I will blog each day for 365 days. So I’m gradually catching up to my blogging, using my journaling and my thoughts for inspiration. […]

Day 103/365 – On the kindness of strangers

4/13/17 We said good-bye to Costa Rica and left for the arduous road back. After our 4+ hour drive into San Jose, I started to feel really sick and couldn’t face breakfast. Instead, I got progressively worse and realized I was coming down with food poisoning, or a 24-hour bug of some sort. Not to […]

Day 102/365 – On Sacred Warrior

4/12/17 I looked back on the trip and realized just how beautiful a place I got to enjoy over the last few days. I biked everywhere since everything was so close. I disconnected from my phone and other technology (that’s why I’m catching up to the blogs now – will take me a while!). I […]

Day 101/365 – On Air Element

4/11/17 Yesterday was the final ‘element’ focus, and the culmination of the retreat. We went to explore the Wildlife Rescue Center. We saw many animals that have been brought to the center for rehab of some sort, and are being nurtured to eventually return to the wild. Many volunteers from all over the world and […]

Day 100/365 – On Fire Element

4/10/17 Yesterday was truly magical and transformative. We began our morning eating a very light breakfast and preparing for ceremony. Fire is the element of change, sparking new ideas, and transformation. We prepared the sweat lodge by draping blankets over the beautifully bent hibiscus trees forming the main structure. We made prayer ties, got smudged, […]

Day 99/365 – On Water Element

4/9/17 Yesterday we continued exploring the beautiful plant and wildlife of Costa Rica. As if attuned to our water element focus, the weather presented us with rain. We stopped by the Saturday market of local vendors, and the rain started to subside, as if on cue to our plans to ride out to the jungle. […]

Day 98/365 – On Earth Element

4/8/17 Yesterday Vanessa focused on tapping into our roots and grounding in the Earth element. We started the day by doing martial-arts movement exercises and a brief meditation session. During the session, we got loose with our bodies and movements, so that we can put our whole weight into the motion for maximal impact. Only […]