Authentic Connection

A highlight from every retreat group that visits us here at Girls for Success is always the family dinners. This evening gives retreat guests and local families the unique experience of time alone to ask questions and fully connect on a more personal level.

Retreat guests get a peek inside life of a “Real Costa Rican” family, and this often gives a different view of what its actually like living in paradise. Often times guest are in awe of the beauty and humility they witness and usually are quite pleased with the gastronomical treats! Below is a collection of photos from that night, which just happened to be Valentine’s Day or El Día de Amor y Amistad!

Gorgeous Healthy Food ---A Delight to Witness and Eat!

La casa de Janiesy

La casa de Dariana

La casa de Magdaly & Zugiely

I maintain that connection at a heart level is where the real “Yoga” takes place for those involved with the Peace Through Yoga Foundation. Often times people are surprised and a little saddened to hear we don’t actually do much asana or physical yoga with our girls due to religious reasons. I see this as a true opportunity for retreat guests and community members to grow in their understanding of what true yoga is. Yoga by definition is to connect or to join. Yoga on and off the mat is a celebration of the connection of the breath with the body, and in doing do, a deeper personal connection with our own experiences in life. We can incorporate this practice into our conversations, our relationships, and our work. True yoga has very little to do with a mat and a studio and more to do with the way we compassionately expand our understanding of ourselves, of one another, and the world around us. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to practice this sort of connection with all those on the retreat this past February and look forward to many such experiences in the future.