Costa Pacifica LIVING is 10 years old, and Bienestar Uvita Yoga Shala just celebrated our 10th anniversary, this past year. Together we have seen much growth and change on the Southern Pacific Coast. The population has exploded, there is construction everywhere, and yet a shortage of housing. Retail and services in the area are starting to move beyond our very basic needs as well.
I came for the raw nature. I bought a house in the area in the mid 90’s, back when there was not much in the area. The coastal mountain range was unpopulated, we had no electric, no phone service, no bus transportation, we had unpaved roads and the most basic of homemade bridges. If we think back, the Costanera is a mere two decades old, and it revolutionized the coast.
What we do have now is more trees, the land was pasture 30 years ago. Thankfully, the beaches are still mostly clear of buildings. People have come and gone, the pioneers, who were absolute lovers of nature, are too, now gone. Things have changed along the coast, yet nature has remained. Monkeys are abound, the scarlet macaws have repopulated in the entirety of Costa Ballena and the camera footage of large cats in Corcovado National Park are a regular occurrence.
Living on the coast has many benefits. Research shows that the closer we are to nature, the more immersed we are in our bodies, giving it the ability to heal. We become calmer, we sleep better, our minds are rested. We are able to enjoy other benefits like stressing less, and by being more connected to our bodies we may begin to reflect and choose to eat cleaner, less processed foods, so that our bodies feel more vitality. I am not looking for longevity, but I would like to feel strong and healthy for the rest of those years. And I hope to enjoy those years here in Costa Rica, listening to the waves (breathing in the freshly ionized air in from the ocean!), eating close to nature, walking, hiking, swimming, practicing yoga, and spending much of my time outdoors. After all, it is the life we came here to live!
~ Pura Vida ~
About the Writer
Lura Doebler Shopteau M.A., LPC, C-IAYT, E-RYT500. Working with others to care for themselves.
“The only constant in life is change.”
-Heraclitus
