I had the pleasure attending Festival National de Yoga in San Jose, Costa Rica last Sunday, organized by la Asociación Nacional de Yoga. I must say it was quite the gathering that the whole family enjoyed. Not sure where else you’d find such positive energy.
I admit. Initially I didn’t even think to bring my children. But, I was a little apprehensive about driving downtown San Jose by myself. So my husband suggested we make it a family event. Getting there wasn’t all that bad. Within an hours drive, we find ourselves amongst people of all ages, wearing vibrant colors, adorned with yoga mats, and greeting us with smiling eyes. Both Dylan and I got to enjoy a nice Hatha class, the kids got a tasty lunch and brownies, and we watched beautiful Indian dancers and juggling Yogi clowns (visualize a Yogi with a red clown nose juggling in a scorpion pose – quite impressive!).
This was the first time I got to take a Yoga class in Spanish, as typically I take English yoga classes at a local activities center for expats, and enjoyed it immensely. The teacher Nango Murray, vice president of the association, guided our practice in the beautiful Spanish language with a gentle peppering of Sanskrit. The experience helped me realize that there is a very good reason to integrate a little more Sanskrit into my teaching style. If you’re in a similar situation as I and are located in a vacation town, a little Sanskrit will go a long way with drop-in foreigners. Also, there are great opportunities to teach vacation yoga in a foreign country, either with Pura Vida Yoga Vacations or other organizations, where English may not be the mother tongue for some of your students.
It is wonderful to see how Yoga has blossomed in this small peaceful country of Costa Rica. I’m looking forward to next years’ festival!
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