Thanks everyone for this amazing time together here in the tropics during our globeseekers Surf, Outdoor & Yoga Retreat spring 2016 in Ecuador.
Each one of you brought in something special which made these 10 days as fun, relaxing and inspiring as they were. A mix of Outdoor activities blended with Yogi sunsets, healthy food and inspiring talks with people from all over the world.
Practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga while enjoying the ocean view – no matter on what level you started from beginners to advanced Yogis – it was great to see how much everyone improved strength, flexibility and focus.
In the cool shade with ocean breeze we were playing & learning to trust and let go during Acro Yoga, relaxing with Thai Massage & learning about chakras and focus during a guided meditation. As a little extra we had Katerina doing a great job in teaching about Ayurveda massage and body types.
Our Outdoor activities ranged from surfing empty waves in crystal clear water to cruising and snorkeling around a lonely island, playing and training with Acro Yoga & Beach Yoga as a surf preparation, hiking through a jungle, to getting a natural body treatment in the healing mud of beautiful springs surrounded by jungle flowers.
Ayampe is a little surf town with palapas on the beach for shade to relax in the hammocks or enjoy a fresh fruit smoothie in the cute little Yogi café. After a Beach Yoga warm-up to prepare for the surf class, we continued to paddling moves & jump ups from Cobra to surf pose 🙂 Yoga and Surf is a great combination for training your core muscles, strength, flexibility and balance. The local surf teachers Nando & Miguel did a great job in guiding into the waves and teaching the right timing for paddling and standing up:
Isla Salango is a natural reserve for many different birds, including the funny looking ‘Blue footed Boobies’ that are also found on the Galapagos islands. Turtles, iguanas and lots of fish can be seen here during the whole year, before the bay is full of whales in the summer months.
The excursion to Agua Blanca was a nice mix of touring through the jungle, learning about ancient cultures and enjoying a wellness treatment in the springs. The mud from the sulphur springs is known for being great for your skin and made us feel like avatars 😉 Our guide Fernanda told us some interesting facts about the geological findings of the Manteños, an Ecuadorian culture that co-existed and exchanged goods with the Incas peacefully.
During Yoga Philosophy and Health Coaching we were getting into topics like self observation, sense withdrawal, direction in life, purpose & dreams and we were surprised and happy how open everyone shared and how much we could learn from each other. The location and the sunset brought a special energy into the circle with everyone listening deeply and feeling inspired.
As a selfless service, we all went for a beach clean up with an amazing team spirit. The storms had placed a lot of stuff like fisher nets, plastic and ropes from the ocean onto the beautiful beach. In a few hours we made some big piles and Chris drove onto the beach to pick them all up. The local community liked the idea and they joined in with students in school uniform helping to put the trash onto the trailer. The difference was beautiful and everyone enjoyed jumping into the ocean afterwards.
A mix of fresh fruits, nuts, eggs, veggies and seafood gave us the energy for the activities while not being to heavy in the warm climate. Patricia our chef, host & friend made us enjoy every single meal and look forward to the next already 😉 The seafood veggie BBQ was a highlight just like the huge bonfire on one of the last nights. During the salsa course we got some south american vibes and tried to move our feet as fast as Patricia did 😉
With the most beautiful group of people connecting like this, we are very happy that our first retreat in Ecuador is a perfect example for upcoming globeseekers Surf, Outdoor & Yoga Retreats in different countries. We will adapt this program for upcoming events to always have Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in nature, Outdoor activities like surfing, jungle hiking, boat trips with snorkeling, Acro Yoga, Thai massage, meditations and inspiring talks during Yoga Philosophy and Health Coaching to learn from each other. The people are the ones that make it special and once again we feel very lucky & are thankful for having such wonderful people from different countries during each of our events.
Thanks for your amazing and touching words you wrote as reviews: https://globeseekers.com/2016/04/04/reviews/
Gracias & NAMASTE, Denise & Chris
