From Downward Dog to Turtle Rescue: Yoga Retreats with Purpose

Yoga Teachers: Have you planned your next yoga retreat?

The travel industry is booming. It’s currently worth more than $1.9 trillion. Yes, that’s TRILLION! Despite economic uncertainties, wanderlust continues to grow in popularity. Instagram is flooded with hashtags like #travel, #bucketlist, and #wanderlust. More people than ever are seeking to understand the world through direct experiences.

The Evolving Traveler: Beyond the Average Vacation

Today’s traveler is looking for more than just a typical beach getaway. The days of choosing destinations solely for relaxation and cocktails are fading. Instead, adventure vacations are on the rise. Whether it’s skiing in the Swiss Alps, climbing Mount Everest, scuba diving for underwater treasures in the Galapagos, or exploring shipwrecks in Micronesia, people crave unique experiences.

Yoga Travel: A Growing Trend

Adventure travel isn’t just about thrill-seeking anymore. More and more adventurers are spending their vacation dollars on yoga travel. Back in 2008, a Yoga Journal article titled ‘Yoga in America Market Study’ revealed that practitioners spent $630 million per year on yoga-based retreats and vacations. This accounted for 11.25% of all yoga-related spending. Now, years later, the popularity of yoga travel has only grown, reflected in the increasing number of yoga travel websites and retreats.

Moving Beyond Traditional Retreats

Simply offering yoga and relaxation no longer meets the needs of today’s yogis. They want more from their retreat experience. Sleep, Eat, Pray, Om, and Asana—this simple model doesn’t cut it anymore. As a yoga teacher, it’s essential to design retreats that inspire deeper personal growth and community impact.

Seva: The Heart of Modern Retreats

One way to elevate your retreat is by incorporating service to the community, known as Seva. More yogis now seek retreats that blend practice with purpose. For example, start the day with yoga, then spend the afternoon building a home or school. These retreats empower participants not just physically but also spiritually. By giving selflessly, yogis leave with a profound sense of fulfillment.

The Power of Service: A Deeper Connection

The concept of Seva aligns with the ancient teaching of the Six Components of Freedom. According to this teaching, when you feel a lack or unhappiness, it often means one of these six practices is missing. Service is one of them.

A New Kind of Yoga Retreat.

Sleep
Eat
Pray
Om
And Asana

The simple model no longer works. Yogis want to do something more with their vacation than standing on their heads all day long; and you as the yoga teacher need to offer it to them.

Service to the community, or Seva infused retreats are becoming increasingly popular. Practice yoga in the mornings, and build a home or school in the afternoon.

Yogis leave for home not only empowered from a daily yoga practice, but their lives become more enriched from the experience of giving selflessly.

Inspiring Words from Yoga Leaders

‘Yoga has become a powerful community,’ says Jenny Guzon-Bae. ‘When I lead a retreat, I believe it’s important to share that sense of community with the places we visit. It’s about karma and giving back. When yoga transforms the Self, it should also transform the community.’

Melissa D’Antoni adds, ‘It contributes purpose for participants, boosting self-confidence and inspiring them to make a difference.’

Yogi Bhajan emphasized that Seva is about giving without expectation. ‘It makes you a leader, whether you feel ready or not. It brings prosperity and opportunities. You are here to serve, to lift, to give hope and love to those in need.’

By infusing your yoga retreat with Seva, you can create a powerful experience that enriches both the participants and the communities they touch.

Why Does Blue Osa Offer Yoga Service Projects with The Osa Conservation?

As the yoga director and group coordinator for Blue Osa Yoga Retreat, yoga group leaders are asking me, “What can we do to make a difference?”

As more yogis come to Blue Osa, they want to contribute, they want to make a difference, to do more.

Making events or service a part of your retreat is a win/win for everyone:

1. Your students have a better experience with an expansive world view.
2. Ability to incentivize your yoga retreat value.
3. You are given a lot more marketing opportunities.
4. Everyone involves feels like they have truly made a difference.
5. The people on the receiving end are deeply grateful.

One of the projects and collaborations we are deeply proud of is our “Save the Sea Turtles” campaign. Blue Osa has formed a collaboration with Osa Conservation, and you can read more here.

Osa Conservation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the globally significant biodiversity of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.

What makes the Osa Peninsula so special for Yoga Retreats?

This remote corner of Costa Rica harbors 2.5% of the biodiversity of the entire planet in less than a thousandth of a percent of its total surface area. And Blue Osa is so blessed to be able to host yogis from around the world who want to join our efforts in support the Osa Conservation in saving the rainforest.

After 130 million years of existence, the future of these magnificent creatures depends on us.

Monkeys are everywhere on the Osa Peninsula. Many times, we have up to four species at once surrounding Blue Osa.

Every night the sound of frogs is heard throughout the Osa.

 

You will often find these little guys in our Tamales River, or other rivers on the Osa.

Hummingbirds fill the gardens. The more flowers, the more likely you will see these magical creatures.

The Osa is home to over 319 species of birds.

Many species of turtles live in the rivers and creek beds.

Sea Turtles

There are seven species of sea turtles in the world and all of them are considered threatened or endangered due to poaching, predation, habitat disturbance and degradation and in-water threats.

The southern beaches of the Osa Peninsula are visited primarily by two species of nesting turtles: Olive Ridley and Black or Pacific Green turtles.

Blue Osa has joined forces with the Osa Conservation who works to protect these magnificent creatures on two critical nesting sites in the peninsula – the Piro and Pejeperro beaches. Learn more about how Blue Osa is helping to save the sea turtles.

The Osa Conservation Sea Turtle Conservation program monitors the nesting activity, predation rates and hatchling success of these incredible species.

Read about one guest’s experience here.

The most popular program is the turtle release.

A Look at Saving the Sea Turtle Packages:

Morning Patrol and Sea Turtle Egg Recovery

Time of year: April to November (for other times of the year, please inquire for turtle activity
Price: $40 per person (Does not include transportation)
Location: Piro and Pejeperro beaches
Departure: 5:00 am
Duration: 2.5 – 3.5 hours
Depart at 5:00 am to their beach. Upon arrival, you will record the tracks that were not recorded the night before. After you will relocate nests that are in the danger zones which are too close to rivers or high tides and bring the eggs to the hatchery. Finally, you mark the nests by means of the method of triangulation to allow for the release of hatchlings from our hatchery nests.

Night Patrol

Depart at 7:30 p.m. out of the Biological Station Piro.
Leaving from Blue Osa at 7:30 p.m. all patrols will be given an orientation of the activity before departure. Monitoring patrols will be carried out on the Piro beach. As the turtles come out of the ocean to lay their eggs, we will be marking them, taking measurements of the carapace length, species identification by counting scales and scute. We will also perform a health assessment.

You will be awestruck as you watch nature in action while these majestic and gentle creatures perpetuate their existence in this egg laying process.

And our FAVORITE!

Turtle Release

Performed in the early hours of the morning, from 5:30 to 7:00 am in order to avoid high temperatures and the activity of predators. We will pass through the station on a path that will take us between 10 to 15 minutes to the nursery. We encourage all participants to have boots for the condition of the trail and crossing the Rio Piro.

Once we arrive at the nursery, we receive an introduction to our project and the goals of the nursery. After this briefing, we engage in a dynamic activity and then proceed to release the turtles along the beach. All the baby turtles will be released in the areas where they were originally collected and spawned by their mothers.

The babies will be released in the upper part of the beach. This helps them perform imprinting—a process where they recognize the beach, enabling them to return as adults.

If you or your yoga students would like to find out more information on how to volunteer at the Osa Conservation, you can click here.

Plan your next adventure to Costa Rica!

About Yogi Aaron

Yogi Aaron brings passion and a spirit of adventure to his teaching. Thus inspired, he guides students to secret, far-flung locales, which not only empowers them to realize their own limitless potential but also makes yoga relevant and accessible for the modern world. Since 2002 he has been traveling and leading retreats worldwide. He currently serves as the Yoga Director at Blue Osa Yoga Retreat + Spa in Costa Rica

Yoga Teacher Training with Yogi Aaron

Watch Aaron on Youtube

About the Photographer

Manuel Sanchez works for the Osa Conservation. He is an activist and advocate for the Sea Turtles of the Osa Peninsula.

He is our resident expert on the sea turtles and fiercely protects them. He is also world class photographer and you can follow him and his photos on his Facebook page. Click here to follow Manuel now!