PachaMama Eco Village & Retreat Center — Nicoya, Costa Rica

A 500-acre meditative eco-village and retreat centre in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

In 1999, Tyohar and a group of fellow travelers began building a commune on land that had been a cattle farm. The 500 acres (2,300,000 m²) had no electricity, water system, roads or living space. Tyohar, the village's spiritual guide, had come to the idea after years of travel, mostly in India, where he was touched by the transmissions and meditations of the mystic Osho. Years later, while sharing satsangs and leading silent retreats, a vision of an alternative community took hold. PachaMama Eco Village, in Guanacaste near San Juanillo, grew from it. The village says no belief system is practiced there. Its life rests on six pillars: Meditation, Emotional Healing, Physical Rejuvenation, Native Ceremonies, Ecological Living and Mystical Musical Journeys. Silence is called the heartbeat of the community. During a Silent Retreat, the whole village goes quiet together, and non-participants refrain from speaking in public areas so the atmosphere holds. Each retreat includes twice-daily Satsang with Tyohar, daily yoga and varied meditation, and closes with a traditional sweatlodge by the river. The calendar runs from body cleanses, a five-week Transformation Cycle held twice a year, and yoga and breathwork trainings to Reiki, cacao workshops, Tipi Ceremonies and all-night musical journeys such as the Rock Odyssey with DJ Tyohar. Yoga is non-dogmatic, with Hatha, Vinyasa, Restorative, Yin, Ashtanga and Kundalini offered, and classes run each morning and afternoon. Guests stay in open-air casitas, screened bungalows, forest studios and air-conditioned rooms within walking distance of the village center. Three yoga shalas host groups. Meals are vegetarian and organic at Verde Restaurant, and the village also has the Wild Treats raw bar, the Jungle Shop and Healing Arts treatment spaces. The Rio Rosario runs through the property, and the beach is a ten-minute drive. People who want to stay longer can join the six-week Volunteer Program. The village closes in September and October for the rainy season, and the terrain is rugged and not accessibility-friendly.

Traditions: Silent Retreat and Satsang, Yoga, Breathwork, Red Road Ceremonies, Sweatlodge, Reiki

Programs: Silent Retreat, Transformation Cycle, Body Cleanse Detox Program, Yoga Teacher Training, Tipi Ceremony, Rock Odyssey, Waterfall of Music, Volunteer Program