Every year we run our program in the South Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. It is a magical place with incredibly powerful nature and with so many special places to explore. This season, we have 3 weeks available; September 23 – 29, September 30 – October 6, November 4 – 10, with a few spots left for each. You’re also welcome to stay for two back to back and really maximise on the benefits of our program.

Samasati Lodge, pictured above, is located in a wildlife sanctuary in the middle of the rainforest with spectacular views of the Caribbean Ocean. Toucans, sloths and howler monkeys can be seen from the rooms, the yoga studio or even at breakfast!

We just cannot wait to be there again… and are dreaming about those beautiful hikes to unspoiled Caribbean beaches, swimming in natural pools in the middle of the lush rainforest, ocean and river kayaking, snorkel around incredible coral reefs, surfing on perfect waves, taking fun bike rides by the ocean, breathtaking zip lines and much more.

Costa Rica’s wildlife is a constant surprise to our senses. At any moment we spot all kinds of animals, including howler monkeys, cappuccino monkeys, sloths, toucans, pelicans, raptors, king vultures, red and green frogs, colorful lizards and iguanas, armadillos. The trees are massive, some of them in primary rainforest, and there are such a big variety of plants and beautiful flowers. We were especially amused by the “Walking Tree” – you have to come with us to find out what he’s like!

The cultural side of this region is so interesting to experience. The Bribri indigenous people still keep their ancient traditions and lifestyle and they will show us how they use different plants for medicinal purposes and handcrafts.

The Afro Caribbean people are so vibrant, joyful and inspiring as well. Local guides from these cultures will join us along the weeks.

We have the pleasure of having Alice Kennedy as our Yoga instructor twice a day. Alice is so knowledgeable and professional, apart from being a beautiful person. She adjusts each student and encourages everyone to push themselves in a healthy and harmonic way, adapting to individual skills and experience. Martin will be personally leading the trails and in charge of logistics and activities, with Adriana taking care of the nutritional side of the program and supervising the delicious meals.

Join us for a unique experience in one of the most beautiful places on Earth!

Big hugs,

Martin and Adriana

PRANA is the Sanskrit word for vital life. It is your breath.
The pulse of your heart. The rhythm of your creative genius.
Your guiding life force.

Our immensely busy lives and demanding careers can slowly-but-surely sap away at our Prana. It’s easy to lose touch with our sensual, creative, feminine powers — to succumb to habits of self-preservation, instead of visionary creation.

I’m Kimberly Ann Johnson — a yogini nomad, a healing body-worker, and your Prana in Paradise Yoga Retreat leader.

Yoga has structured and guided my life, since the age of 19. I’ve taught yoga classes and trained new yoga teachers all over the world — from New York City to San Francisco to Thailand to India to Brazil, and beyond.

I’ve been blessed to lead over 40 yoga retreats, and I’ll never (ever!) get tired of watching women awaken and transform, as they allow themselves to be nourished and swept away in tropical paradise.

I have a personal connection to Ilha Grande, our island home for the Prana in Paradise Yoga Retreat. The first time I visited the island, I felt a wild creative awakening — a reconnection to my sensual, feminine powers — which led to the fulfillment of a lifelong dream: becoming a mother. My daughter Cecilia, who’s 5 years old, and I now live in Rio de Janeiro, just a day’s journey away from the island!

Over the past 13 years, I have deeply explored Viniyoga, Iyengar yoga and Ashtanga yoga — and I’ve had a chance to meet legendary yoga teachers and icons, face to face.

My yoga classes are informed by my background in dance, my work as a healing body-worker, the Feldenkrais method of Somatic Education, and sacred philosophies, including the Advaita Vedanta. For me, yoga is about discovering new choices . . . becoming the strong, intuitive and empowered heroine of your own life . . . and really experiencing what it means to be alive, with every breath, and every moment.

Join me for this special retreat October 21-27 2012. Contact information@theislandexperience for more details.

Change is good for everyone and even those who live on a paradise island wonder what life is like out there in the wider world. That’s why for a couple of weeks each year the team from The Island Experience head for the mountains of Patagonia, to dip their toes in something different to the gorgeous Brazilian sea water!

Martin and Adriana, respectively our Program Director and Nutritionist have already set off for their working vacation but before they went they had just enough time to give us the lowdown on what makes their latest project so special.

You’re about to head off to the breathtaking mountains of Southern Argentina for two weeks of The Island Experience in Patagonia. How do you feel?

Martin - I’m so excited about taking the program to my homeland! To share this wonderful place where I grew up with a group is a dream come true.

Adriana – And for me, it’s a nature and food heaven!

So tell us about the location… 

M – This is a real hidden gem. We chose a lodge tucked away in a valley where two glacial rivers meet. It’s simply stunning and the perfect spot from which to explore the area on foot, by horseback or by mountain bike.

A – I love this lodge because it’s both beautiful and totally eco-friendly. They have taken ‘reuse, recycle and replace’ as far as possible with clever and subtly designed systems. These include one that brings brown water to the garden to irrigate the plants and fire heated showers, hot tub and sauna. And of course, the garden is organic and provides nearly all the ingredients for delicious meals.

And what sorts of adventures await you and the group in Patagonia? 

M – We’re going to get high on nature! The plan is to enjoy working our bodies on various trails that take us through dramatic forests and alpine meadows, along and over crystal clear rivers and of course up those incredible mountains. For those who wish to, there will be the option of horseback riding and mountain biking too. It’s an action packed week…

A – Yes, Mr. Action-Man, but let’s not forget the relaxation! As always, we’ll offer two yoga classes each day to wake up and restore the body. And the lodge has a fantastic spa and many resting areas with stunning views to enjoy. Taking the time to turn our focus inward is also an important element of the program.

What are the highlights for you? 

M – During the pilot last year I loved reconnecting with the good old Andes range. The feeling of getting to the summit of a mountain and enjoying the never ending view of peaks and valleys reaching through the Pacific Ocean is unique. You feel so small compared to these majestic giants. It is a very special place to reconnect with your inner self and reenergize your spirit. And of course, it brought back some good memories of the old days, when I would be there with my friends exploring the mountains, camping in the forest and playing guitar around the fire. A complete connection with nature.

A – What stands out for me is the power of the landscape there. The island jungle is green and constantly renewed which generates a certain kind of energy. In Patagonia the environment and altitude reflect a different kind of depth and its ancient forest has a real sense of wisdom.
And it’s such a pleasure to go to the garden each day to see which fruits and vegetables are in abundance and then create the program menu with them. It’s so special to cook with home grown produce ranging from all types of greens, to eggs and the whole grains that are ground to make extraordinary bread. And the taste is out of this world!

And what’s next on the adventure agenda? 

M – We’ll be back on our favourite island from March 18, kicking off with two different yoga retreats followed by our regular program until December.  Later in the year we’ll head back up to Costa Rica during September and October to complete the trilogy.

A – We are looking forward to an action packed 2012…and we hope to see you all there!

Join the fun in Patagonia between February 19 and March 3.

Visit www.theislandexperience.com for more details on all programs or email information@theislandexperience to make a reservation.

This beautiful eco-lodge becomes our home for a week

The Island Experience in Patagonia

A wonderful place to relax and unwind

The hot-tub at the lodge used by The Island Experience in Patagonia

The backdrop for this adventure is incredible

Horse riding at The Island Experience in Patagonia

Fresh organics are gown at the lodge for your detox menu

The Island Experience in Patagonia

Take to the trails on two wheels

The Island Experience in Patagonia

Horse ride with local guides

The Island Experience in Patagonia

We wanted to share with you the latest news about our two pilot weeks in Costa Rica!

It was simply AMAZING!

What else can you ask for? Beautiful hikes to unspoiled Caribbean beaches with unbelievably clean water, climbing challenging mountains ending at massive waterfalls and taking a shower or even swimming in natural pools in the middle of the lush rainforest.

And every day, at any moment, spotting all kinds of animals, including howler monkeys, cappuccino monkeys, sloths, toucn, pelican, raptor, king vulture, red and green frogs, colorful lizards and iguanas and of course we can’t forget the armadillos.

The forest is so full of life!

We were surprised by the amount of primary rainforest that still remains, with majestic trees and so much diversity.

During the two fantastic weeks, in the company of our great groups we kayaked on the ocean and up river, snorkeled on incredible coral reefs, surfed on perfect waves, took fun bike rides by the ocean, breathtaking zip lines and much more.

Back at the lodge, it felt like being on a natural sanctuary, surrounded by the jungle, with a breathtaking view of the ocean.

When we practiced yoga we were serenaded by howler monkeys and saccades!

The cultural side of this region is so interesting to experience.The Bribri indigenous people still keep their ancient traditions and lifestyle and they showed us how they use different plants for medicinal purposes and handcrafts. The Afro Caribbean people were equally inspiring and showed us how to dance to the sound of Calypso!

We left Costa Rica with a sweet taste in our mouths and the certainty that we will be back next year for more adventures.

After Costa Rica we visited New York City. We must confess that it took us a while to adapt and keep up with the city rush, but in the end we understood what’s behind all those t-shirts with the inscription “I LOVE NY”. We ended up loving it! What an amazing city! We spent only a few days checking out the tourist sites and busy with some work commitments. Unfortunately we couldn’t get in touch with all of our New Yorker friends, but for sure we will be back sooner than later, as from Costa Rica it’s just a short hop, and hopefully we can meet everyone. Now we’re hoping to make a trip to California one day….we have the USA bug!

All of our dreams little by little are becoming true, so we will keep on dreaming!

Big hugs,
Martin and Adriana

Adriana leads the way!

Over the last week Adriana and I have been scouting trails and Paola and Alice joined us a few days ago to complete the team. Everything is ready to spend two amazing weeks guiding our guests around one of the most wonderful eco systems on the planet. This area of Costa Rica aslo  has a special mix of cultures. Native Indians from the Kekoldi and Bribri tribes lived in peace here together with Afro Caribbeans, who arrived later, for a number of centuries.

Their unique cultural expressions of language, food, music and dance remain in tact and are here for us to explore. We met some very interesting and knowledgeable local guides from these different cultural backgrounds who will join us during these next two weeks, sharing with us their culture and all they know about the Costa Rican wildlife. We will learn about medicinal plants, local foods, how they prepare arts and crafts, attend a shaman ritual and much more, adding an rich cultural flavour to the experience.

As you may see in the pictures, we have been hiking in dense rainforest, spotting (and sometimes hugging!) some awesome trees, beautiful flowers and colourful wildlife – including howler monkeys, sloths, frogs, lizards, toucans, pelicans and butterflies. We have discovered some beautiful rivers and secluded beaches where the temperature of the water is unbelievable!

I hope that you enjoy the pictures and please stay tuned in as we will be posting pictures and comments from the guests along these next couple of weeks.

We’re sending a big hug to you all!

Martin and the gang…

Hey friends, thanks for taking the time to visit our blog!

This space is our totem pole. A place where we will share our latest news, exciting ideas, wonderful recipes and pretty much anything that we think you’ll enjoy reading.

We’ll update the page with something new as often as we can so that you don’t miss out on all the goings on here at the lodge. And we’ll ask friends of the program to write for us to create an interesting and varied space.

We invite you to comment on our articles and send a link to the blog to your friends. Get involved, spread the word and most of all -  enjoy!