PachaMama Eco Village & Retreat Center — Nicoya, Costa Rica

A meditative eco-village and retreat center in the forests of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Before PachaMama was a village, it was a cattle farm. The 500 acres in Guanacaste had no electricity, no water system, no roads and no place to live. In 1999 Tyohar and a group of fellow travelers answered an invitation to build a commune on that bare ground. The idea came by way of India. Travelling the world in the late 1990s, mostly in India, Tyohar encountered the transmissions and meditations of the mystic Osho and was deeply touched by them. Years later, while sharing satsangs and leading silent retreats, Tyohar had the seed vision of an alternative community. The site calls what grew from it a flourishing garden, and a retreat center for the soul. The village near San Juanillo now holds three yoga shalas, the Verde restaurant serving organic vegetarian meals, the Wild Treats raw bar, the Jungle Shop, the Prana Clinic and spaces for massage and bodywork. Guests stay in open-air casitas, screened bungalows, forest studios and AC rooms. The Rio Rosario runs through the property, and San Juanillo beach is a ten-minute drive away. No belief system is practiced here. The community rests on six pillars: meditation, emotional healing, physical rejuvenation, native ceremonies, ecological living and musical journeys. Silence is the center of it. During the seven-day Silent Retreat the entire village goes quiet, not only the participants. There are twice-daily satsangs with Tyohar, yoga and meditation, and the week ends with a sweatlodge by the river. Around it run five-day body cleanses, the five-week Transformation Cycle, Tipi ceremonies, teacher trainings and Rock Odyssey, an all-night musical journey with DJ Tyohar. Daily yoga classes are open to guests, and volunteers can stay for six weeks or more. The village closes in September and October for the rainy season.

Traditions: Satsang, Silent Sitting, Sweatlodge, Red Road ceremonies, Kundalini Yoga, Breathwork

Programs: Silent Retreat, Transformation Cycle, Body Cleanse Detox Program, Tipi Ceremony, Rock Odyssey, Waterfall of Music, Restorative Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training, Volunteer Program