Playa Hermosa, COSTA RICA
November 5-11 2024
An agenda based on mindfulness activities to bring you back to the peaceful present moment to reset and refresh your mental and physical health as you tune into the rhythms of nature all around you.
Lighten Up! Retreat in Costa Rica is right on the beautiful Playa Hermosa in Guanascaste. Playa Hermosa, which in Spanish means “beautiful beach”, is only 25 minute drive from Liberia Airport.
Its warm calm Pacific waters are perfect for swimming year ’round. Playa Hermosa is a unique location in that it is secluded and tranquil, yet just minutes from great dining and other attractions.
Costa Rica is famous for their clean drinking water, friendly locals and abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Lighten up your mind and body like never before. You are worth it!
“A breath of fresh air… Literally! The Costa Rica Retreat exceeded my expectations, from beginning to end. If becoming more present, relaxed, and commited to self-improvement appeals to you, consider making an investment in yourself and the Lighten Up Retreat. Thoroughly professional staff, knowledgeable and 100% committed to wellness and the participant’s well-being, I highly endorse this “outside-of-the-box” experience.”
Graden Travis
WHAT DO YOU MEAN LIGHTEN UP!
Lighten Up! is a multi–level, multidimensional concept expressed in several platforms of the Lighten up! Community. What do you do? You come to a special place and spend time near the beach of a calm bay. Every day you have an opportunity to swim, practice Tai Chi and or yoga, or hang out under tree and journal. Then if you are interested, learn a bit about meditation and consciousness. Maybe even go deeper to have an introduction to controlled remote viewing and astral travel. Or sit in your room and rest and read. Like so many times in life, you know there is a lot going on around you that you want a break from. Hang out. Chill and cool off.
So lighten up! As in, relaxation. Take an emotional load off what has your attention and get so you feel you are breathing normally and can face the world with a smile again.
Lighten up! As in making small steps towards a more enlightened life. We absolutely do not pretend to do more than show you a few stepping stones for greater quality of life. Incorporate some of the gestures and affirmations of Tai Chi in the morning with Bud. Learn more about the importance of breath awareness with Priscila. Go deeper in mindfulness with Bud. Learn the use of mala beads, join the thread of contemplative ideas expressed in Kathryn’s guided meditations. Are we in alignment with our best concepts of ethical behavior to ourselves and other?
Lighten up! Become informed, enlightened In terms of advances in the science of consciences. There have been amazing advances in drugs, medication, micros tubules and brain function. Participate in a few mental exercise trials. Maybe contribute to a book.
Lighten up! In terms of your own light shining on the world. Here is a time and place for you to go deeper into your best contribution of service to the troubled millions before us.
Lighten up! As in dance and sing and flirt and wiggle and shimmy and have a good time. Laugh a lot. Big smiles. Bath yourself in gratitude with every sunset.
Reconnect with nature in this tropical, balmy, ocean paradise
Nature is our most powerful medicine. It is our home, and our nourishment.
Prepare for a personal connection to the wildlife wonders that are a part of everyday life in Playa Hermosa. Bathe in the green of the jungle, walk with the sentient beings we share this planet with. Wake to the chattering family of Howler Monkeys swinging above!
“I found this return to joy in the Lighten Up Retreat. What a gift they gave all of us. What a gift to spend a week on a beautiful beach in Costa Rica, sharing meditation, tai-chi, and other transformational activities with a group of wonderful new friends. The location was superb and the meals delicious, and our time together filled a void that I had been deeply missing since the pandemic started. We sang, danced, swam in the clear waters, kayaked the bay, watched exotic wildlife, and shared meals both at our home base and in restaurants along the beach. Best of all, I got to know a group of very special news friends. Thank you for your skills in organizing an exceptional event. One that not only brightened my time in Costa Rica, but also gave me new skills and renewed energy to move ahead with creating a better time ahead.”
Bruce Miller
Accommodations
Enjoy deep healing sleep to the sound of the waves in a boutique hotel located on pristine Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. Wake to the calls from the howler monkeys as you connect with nature and join in with Bud’s morning Tai Chi on the soft sand only a few steps from your room.
Beautiful, clean and well maintained room at the El Velero Hotel. Each room (king or 2 queens) is equipped with modern air conditioning units, refrigerators, microwaves and Wi-Fi access.
Sample Day at Lighten Up!
7:00am – Tai Chi on the beach ~30 minutes. Swim or run or chill
8:00am – Breakfast time and personal
9:00am – Meditation forms; mala beads, vipassana, chanting Kathryn
10:00am – Meditation: Preparation for Controlled Remote Viewing exercise (CRV)
11:00pm – Meditation: Yoga or your inner work
12:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – Personal time, swim, kayak or go fishing
3:00 – Journaling or Contemplative art with Priscila
4:30 – Meditation: Controlled Remote Viewing forms and drawings
5:30 – Meditation: Preparation for your dream state and Astral Travel
6:30 – Evening activities, eat, music, stories
Fun is definitely on the agenda!
You have entered a stress-free zone of flexibility and freedom. We encourage light heartedness and respect your choices during your trip. There are no restrictions or expectations about participation.
We are here to help you achieve your deepest level of peace and joy.
Follow your bliss!!
Did you know that our retreat in Costa Rica is in one of the 5 unique Blue Zones of the world?
A Blue Zone is an area where residents enjoy an extraordinarily long, healthy lifespan. Locals often live to be over 100 years of age. Costa Rica has a lifestyle dedicated to happiness and healthiness. It is even home to the United Nations University for Peace.
A common greeting in Costa Rica is pura vida, meaning “pure life”. The country is very proud of the cleanest drinking water in the world that is also rich in natural minerals, and organic fruit may play a part in making this place a longevity hotspot. Add some time to your one precious life. Who knows how many years we can add from one amazing week soaking up the high vibration energy of Costa Rica, turning back the clock with relaxation and mindful, healthy living tips you can bring home that last a lifetime.
Some of our Testimonials
Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what some of our past travelers have said about our Lighten Up! Retreats.
Caroline Robinson
Derek Skol
Janice Kaplan
Glenn Kelsey
Your Trained Facilitators
Bud Abbott
He prefers to be called “Bud”. At 83, he is in robust good health, engaged in numerous projects and is having the time of his life. He recently published a book that Americanized Tai Chi with the title, “Transformation, a 90-sec integration of yoga and tai chi”. In 2023, he published “Appetite For Risk” about his way too many close calls with death, and cat like survival skills. He practices guitar and sing almost every day, continuing to remember hundreds of songs. Most have a message. His main qualifications to lead a meditation retreat are linked to his career as a globe-trotting consulting scientist. He lived in 12 countries and traveled to over 40 others. In every country he studied their main religion. He has taken many spiritually oriented workshops including several Sufi retreats and three workshops with the Monroe Institute.
Kathryn Remati
You may have met her on the Insight Timer meditation app or at the Sedona Yoga Festival or attended a Kaiser Permanente class for stress, sleep, weight or wellness. Kathryn is a Health Educator, certified meditation instructor and creator of the Tranquil Me meditation app. Ms. Remati’s voice is a gift that leads even the most anxious to inner peace. She will help you find the perfect type of meditation for you and your lifestyle.
Priscila Soares
Graduated in Art Education and Motion Picture, Priscila is an artist of many mediums. Her mission is to help people get in touch with their own essence through art. Her creative work involves sculptures, paintings, jewelry making, photography, video, design, meditation practices, breath work, music, movement and more. Priscila has a studio in a collective at the Mare Island Art Studios in Vallejo and has been featured in many blog articles, magazines and even on NBC News. You will find that her creativity classes will help you learn more about your Self and you will gain new tools to achieve what you want to manifest in your life.
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Dates
November 5-11 2024
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Double Room – Queen Beds
$2600
Early bird price $2300/person
(until the end of July)
Pay a non-refundable deposit of $700 right now to secure your spot:
Single Room – King Bed
$2900
Early bird price $2600/person
(until the end of July)
Pay a non-refundable deposit of $700 right now to secure your spot: