Nosara, Costa Rica: Wisdom & Wellbeing Intensive with Krishna Das & Nina Rao 2027

There is a particular kind of quiet that arrives when a room full of people has been chanting together for days. The mind slows, the heart opens, and the questions you carried in begin to loosen. The Heart of the Path is a week-long meditation and chant retreat with Krishna Das and Nina Rao, set at Blue Spirit Retreat Center in Garza, Costa Rica, in the Guanacaste Province near Nosara.

This is an immersion in the practice of chant in all its forms: call-and-response kirtan, long-form prayers to the goddess, the Hanuman Chalisa, and japa of Vedic mantra recitation. Alongside the music are practice workshops, open discussion, and time to simply be together in shared intention. If you have been wanting to move from occasionally attending kirtan to living with chant as a daily practice, this retreat offers room to do that.

It is for seekers who want depth: those drawn to devotional music, those with questions about the path, and those who find solace in sitting among others who share both their intentions and their doubts.

What to Expect

The week weaves together several threads of practice:

- Chant in many forms: call-and-response kirtan, long prayers to the goddess, the Hanuman Chalisa, and japa of Vedic mantra recitation.
- Practice workshops and discussions: time to learn, ask, and go deeper into the practice.
- Open Q&A with Krishna Das: an open forum for whatever is on your mind. Many people have found great solace in just hanging out together and sharing their intentions, challenges, and doubts.
- Meditative sound journeys: guided by Arjun Bruggeman.
- Morning yoga: all-levels yoga offered daily as part of the retreat.

The atmosphere is devotional and unhurried, with music, stillness, and conversation shaping the days.

About the Lineup

Krishna Das was born Jeffrey Kagel in 1947 and is a prominent figure in devotional music and kirtan, known for his deep, soulful voice and his ability to connect with audiences through chant. His path began in New York City in the 1970s, where he was drawn to the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba. After a transformative trip to India, where he immersed himself in bhakti yoga, he returned to the United States and began sharing his experiences and his guru's teachings through music, leading kirtans that blend traditional Indian melodies with Western musical influences.

Nina Rao was born into a family deeply rooted in Indian spiritual and musical traditions, in a household filled with the sounds of devotional music. Growing up as an Indian-American, she moved between Western and Eastern influences, a background that shaped her artistic voice. Her work centers on chanting and the exploration of sacred sound, and she has released several albums.

Arjun Bruggeman guides the meditative sound journeys during the retreat.

Venue & Logistics

The retreat takes place at Blue Spirit Retreat Center in Garza, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. Morning yoga is open to all levels. The organizer's page does not list packing details or accessibility information, so it is best to contact the organizer directly with any questions before you travel.