Many things.  I am grateful that I live in Dominical, and not some traffic-smog-crazed city.  I am grateful for my little social support group that love and understand me just the way I am.  I am grateful for my darling handsome husband.  I am grateful for my dog, my crazy spirited bull terrier that reminds me every day to live in the moment and not take myself so seriously.  I am grateful for working in Bamboo YogaPlay.  I wouldn’t go as far as say that is is my sole enjoyment in life, but I do love my job.  I get to meet new interesting people everyday.  I am the small talk queen. 

One of the things I love most of my job is the yoga class during work hours policy that we have.  To have the opportunity to deepen your practice in this gorgeous bamboo studio with many different yet equally gifted teachers is amazing.  A truly wonderful job perk!

So my question is, what are you grateful for?  Have you found that thing, or things, in life that bring you enjoyment?  I sincerely hope you have, and if you’re looking maybe you’ll find your answers in one of our yoga classes.  Look for me, I’m the one with the grateful smile on my face.

Laura

 

One of my favorite places to practice yoga in Costa Rica is Bamboo YogaPlay, in Dominical. Dominical is a sleepy surf town on the Pacific Coast, where the luscious jungle meets the ocean. Developed by Brendan Jaffer and Sofiah Jaffer Thom, Bamboo is a new ‘sanctuary for living artfully’ nestled just off the dusty road, in tropical paradise. This eco-friendly yoga studio is built above shipping container construction living units. With gorgeous bamboo floors and bamboo walls on 3 sides, the open-air studio overlooks the Baru river and jungle foliage as well as the nearby ocean. Practicing on eco-friendly yoga mats with a full view of the jungle feels so good! After class, feel free to lounge on the Balinese sofa, get a massage or acupuncture treatment, shower in the private outdoor shower (also made from Bamboo), or shop in the air-conditioned Bambootique, for organic and –yes, you guessed it: Bamboo fiber—yoga clothes and street ware, hand-crafted tribal jewelry, locally made healing salves, and Buddhist adornments. A truly holistic experience of wellness, with a loving touch of high-end artistry and full immersion in the natural beauty of Costa Rica, makes Bamboo Yoga Play my favorite place to take a savasana and come restore my batteries while I am in Costa Rica.  For more info. On Bamboo Yoga Play, please visit: www.bambooyogaplay.com.

Debra Rubin, MA, CMT, RYT

Founder of SattyaBody Healing Arts & Dance, empowering women’s health through Holistic Health Counseling, Yoga, & Tribal Fusion Belly Dance,
is based in San Francisco, CA.

www.sattyabody.com

www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php

Love and Music is in the air in Dominical for sure.  Two weeks ago Sofiah and Brendan got married. It was a magical ceremony filled with a lot of love and light.  There is always something special when we witness two people making the commitment to honor and cherish each other for the rest of their lives and Sofiah and Brendan’s wedding was certainly exceptional.  What contributed to the uniqueness of the event was all the wonderful artists that participated in the celebration of the coming together of these two souls.  Dominical was fortunate to host wonderful musicians such as Rena Jones, Lady Rizo, Govinda, and Beats Antique that flew down for the wedding.  Each of these spectacular performers added their own magical contribution to the evening’s festivities.

Keeping in theme with Love and Music, Bamboo YogaPlay is hosting Serpent’s Kiss for the second time.  Serpent’s Kiss is a Valentine’s Day event offering you a Tantric celebration indulging in beauty, ice cream from Ruby’s, wine, music, performing arts and dancing.  We have Incus coming back this year as well. Drawing on influences from Middle Eastern, Native American, African and Eastern European musical traditions, Incus is redefining the American Tribal music movement. The combination of keyboards, accordion, violin, and cello with male and female vocals creates a beautifully haunting soundscape, replete with mesmerizing rhythms capable of inducing trance-like states.  Aside from Incus, we have Sofiah Thom aka Bamboodancer dancing her entrancing Firefan Templedance, Amity Mead performing a Fire Dance, Kali Das an amazing Tribal Belly Dancer, and Katie Quarrier performing her Aerial Silks.

We invite you to come, bring a loved one and join us for this one of a kind Valentines’ Day.  Serpent’s Kiss will be held at Bamboo YogaPlay in Dominical, Sunday February 14th at 8:00 p.m., cover charge $15.

Deb will split up the workshop in two: Super Slow and Slinky and Pop, Locks, and Layers (Get your Glitch on!)  This is the first time Dominical will host this type of event, and really, what better place than to get inspired by your beauty within and releasing your inner dance goddess than this little beach paradise of a town?

So we invite you all to come and shimmy with us!

If you’d like to learn more about Deb Rubin, or Tribal Belly Dance you can check out the following websites:

www.sattayabody.com
www.tribalbellydance.org

Come play! Come relax! Come dive into yourself!

BambooYogaPlay and Sofiah Thom present:
YOGAPLAY PASSAGES – A Journey into Embodiment
For women ages 18-25

Connect with your inner beauty, power and grace in paradise, as Sofiah Thom guides you through exercises to inspire and empower your moving body.

This Spring break March 6th through March 13th 2010.
Take a journey with Bamboo YogaPlay in Dominical, Costa Rica, for a unique beach yoga experience.

Nestled in the stretch of Costa Rica’s gorgeous coastline lies the discrete and hidden treasure of Dominical. Directly at the bottom of the luscious rainforest, overlooking the stunning Pacific Ocean, and Baru River. Bamboo YogaPlay is the perfect place for retreat, adventure and creative exploration.

In the turning of the seasons, take this time to turn inward and listen to your own voice as you learn to create and live the life you truly want.

Join us in this exclusive retreat organized by Alexa Rosenthal (former student), and Sofiah Thom, founder of Bamboo YogaPlay; Yoga Teacher, Dance Therapist and Performing Artist.

Retreat Includes:

* Accommodation for 7 nights in a BRAND NEW furnished home!
* Shuttle to and from San Jose Intl. Airport and Dominical
* Opening and Closing dinner
* Fresh daily breakfast

* 2 Yoga sessions per day
* Guided creative journaling
* Expressive arts workshops
* Candlelit movement meditation

* 2 Surf lessons with pre and post yoga
* Private river trip to Nauyaca falls

Organic greens available for preparing your lunch and dinner. Nutritional guidance offered.

Dominical offers several healthy options for dining out.

Optional:
* Massages
* Private sessions with Sofiah Thom (www.bamboodancer.com)

Sample day schedule:

7:30 – 9:00 Morning Yoga
9:30 – 10:30 Creative journaling and breakfast
11:00 –1:30 Expressive arts workshop
1:30 – 4:00 Free time
4:00 – 4:30 Body Sculpting
4:30 – 5:30 Sunset Yoga on the beach
5:30 – 7:00 Free time
8:00 – 9:00 Candle lit movement meditation

Cost:
$850 Payment plans available.
Includes everything listed above! Best deal on any retreat!

Limited Space available!

For more information contact:
Alexa Rosenthal (267) 625 -9494
Alexa4288@gmail.com or
Sofiah Thom: info@bambooyogaplay.com

“Pausing, listening, I become aware of my busy mind, but underneath the chatter is a stillness deep within. Closing my eyes I begin to tune into this constant dance of my breath, my chest rising and falling with the rhythm. Scanning my body, I drop into this vessel of mine, exploring the beauty and wisdom that lives in each cell. Surrendering, moved from within, ‘The Dance of Devotion’ unfolds, giving way for the divine to be shaped through action.” Sofiah Thom

Hola from Dominical, my new little paradise home!

I have been moving around all my life. I was born in Germany, have lived in these beautiful countries England, New Zealand, Austria, Australia and finally I am living in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica, also known as the Banana Republic, has been exporting this well known yellow fruit all over the world. The banana had been the main source of economic income till the tourism sector took over. You still get this yummy fruit for less than 20 cents and every little tico restaurant makes you a refreshing banana smoothie to restore energies after a swim in the ocean, a long walk on the beach or the morning Yoga class at Bamboo YogaPlay in Playa Dominical, a little surfer’s town on the pacific coastline.

How lucky am I that my day starts at 5.30am with an early birds morning concert accompanied by mumbling horses having their breakfast. I live in the mountain village Escaleras, which means stairs, right at the top of the steep road starting from Dominicalito. Our wooden hut faces the wide ocean and is protected by a green wall in the back. This almost heavenly place let you disconnect from the rest of the busy world, listening to the wildlife feeling purity and peace. Tourist only come here for a guided horseback riding tour to the famous Nauyaca waterfalls, where you refresh in natural pools looking up the water falling down forty five meters.

When I drive down the dirt road with a 4×4 at the magic morning light, my surfboard in the back, a wave of joy comes to my heart. On one of the curves my blue butterfly friend waves out to me wishing me a good morning. Only after a few kilometers on the Ocean Road I find myself in Dominical, where at 6am the road life is still asleep. The sunrise lovers already are at the beach and the dawn surfers in the line-up. Can’t wait to paddle out and surf the every morning offshore waves. I love surfing at this time because the party surfers are still in bed and you do not have to worry about crowds. After playing with the ocean, I get a quick shower in the bamboo jungle rinsing down the salt water and sand to be ready for the morning Yoga class at 9am. Joining a yoga class after a surf session is a great gift for the body, especially for the muscles in the back and shoulder area. I am so glad that I can realize an internship at Bamboo YogaPlay. Thank you, universe for the opportunity to learn more about Yoga, massage, dance and running a recreation business in a touristy place!

Luckily Dominical is not one of those beach towns full of party life, sex tourism, handicraftshops over shops and sunburned lazy people laying neatly next to each other on the hotels sun chairs. No, Dominical is a relaxed spot offering you quiet vacation atmosphere but also unique places to eat out or have a drink after the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen in my entire life. Red fire balls falling to sleep in the arms of the powerful ocean. This magic spirit made me choose Dominical as my new home.

I hope one day your feet will carry you here one day that you get to know the beauty what I hardly can express with words.

Namaste, Vanessa

We are excited to announce Amity who will be joining our team here at Bamboo YogaPlay for the high season.  Amity will be offering Yoga and massage for the months of December through February.

I first met Amity when she was performing in San Francisco with the Shamanic Cheerleaders.  The Shamanic Cheerleaders are a bay-area based performance group dedicated to bringing spirit while delivering multi-dimensional entertainment wherever they go. Their intention is to deliver a powerful message of all-inclusive consciousness through playful levity. Their high-energy performances are one-of-a-kind and individually tailored to suit any event or theme. They raise awareness about environmental/social issues and current events through a variety of cheerleader skills including dance, acrobatics, spoken word, song, cheer and music.

Although Amity no longer peforms with the Shamanic Cheerleaders, she brings this playful spirit where ever she goes.  I highly recommend coming to one of her classes and/ or receiving some bodywork.  Amity especially LOVES to work with people offering Thai massage, a lovely way to experience being stretched by a skillful practitioner.  If you prefer to receive your massage on a table, she can give you a therapeutic massage this way as well. 

Amity began practicing yoga twelve years ago in North Carolina.   She completed her formal training in interdisciplinary yoga in Costa Rica at the Nosara Yoga Institute, and continues to engage in yoga as a life long student.  A dancer at heart, she often integrates flowing movement into her classes and encourages awakening embodiment through the dance of asana and breath.   She draws inspiration from many teachers and styles of yoga including Shadow, partner, Ashtanga, vinyasa, and restorative forms.  She enjoys challenging her students to stay present with their practice, breathe deeply into their experience, and connect to their joy with a smiling reminder not to take our selves too seriously. Passionate about the healing arts, Amity is also a massage therapist.  As an avid traveler of the world, she approaches healing and preventative medicine from the perspective of many cultures.   Her bodywork is a bridge from the East to the West and incorporates acupressure, Chinese meridian massage, Swedish, deep tissue, Shiatsu, Ayurveda, trigger point, Thai massage, and intuition.   She began her studies in California at the Acupressure Institute and the San Francisco School of Massage.  She studied Thai massage in northern Thailand and continues to return there to deepen her knowledge of this form.  She offers both table massage and traditional Thai massage sessions tailored to your needs with her nurturing and present touch.

Sofiah Thom, founder of Bamboo YogaPlay

Ever since my degree in Dance Therapy and extended trainings in expressive healing arts and yoga, I have known dance therapy, yoga and expressive arts to be one of the most powerful tools to help new mothers connect with their changing bodies, babies and acceptance for the next chapter of their lives.

I helped a crying pregnant mother get settled into the yoga room, she had so many emotions streaming through her, but by the end of the class she was more settled and at home in her forever changing body.

I not only learned how to teach pre and post natal Yoga, but feel more ready to get pregnant and have a baby myself!  Austin’s training was amazing and I am thrilled to announce she will be joining us here in Costa Rica to offer her training at our Bamboo YogaPlay studio!

Being trained and passionate about Expressive Healing Arts and Rites of Passage I am always looking to see how Yoga, Dance and Expressive Arts can help in this transition of motherhood.

I found an amazing blog called Postpartum Progress today, Katherine Stone published this article which gives an account of a new mother experiencing postpartum depression and how Dance Therapy helped her in the bonding phase with her baby.

"When Rachel was deeply depressed after the birth of her baby girl, she didn’t know what to do.  In desperation and with her husband’s encouragement, she reached out for help.  Her OB/GYN referred her to a specialist in postpartum depression.  When this specialist spoke to Rachel, she gave monosyllabic answers.  Her baby sat alone in the baby carrier and Rachel stated, ‘I don’t want to be her mother.’  When traditional talk therapy didn’t seem enough to penetrate her sadness, her doctor thought to refer her to a dance/movement therapist.

Based on the understanding that the body and mind are interrelated, dance/movement therapy is defined as the psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration of an individual.  The dance/movement therapist’s goal was to help Rachel "move" toward health and connect with her baby girl Sophie.

So what did they do?  A dance/movement therapist has training much like a traditional verbal therapist, but has additional tools in her belt.  With an understanding of movement assessment, the dance/movement therapist can begin to help the client interpret her behaviors and initiate a shift.  The process of bonding with a newborn is a very physical one.  By simply encouraging the mother to hold her baby and rock with her, movement can begin a journey toward connection.  The rocking rhythm is soothing to both the mother and the baby, and the closeness of touch can be healing for both as well.

The therapist may mirror the client in an effort to meet the mother in her depression, or she may be a model mother by encouraging her client to ‘move’ her depression.  Sometimes the therapist might bring out scarves for her client to use.  She might invite the client to ‘hide’ from her baby and return, ‘peek-a-boo’.  This process is one in which the mother can regain control and initiate her relationship with her baby.  We know that the bond a mother forms with her baby early on makes a profound impact on the lifetime development of her child.  As much of this attunement is non-verbal, dance/movement therapy can be an ideal intervention.

These days, Rachel finds herself putting on music and dancing with Sophie.  It was through the formation of an intimate bond with her baby that Rachel was able to connect to parenting.  At times she still struggles and has moments of sadness, but by continuing to see her dance/movement therapist and her doctor, Rachel feels more prepared to engage in the dance of motherhood.  To find out more about dance/movement therapy, visit the American Dance Therapy Association at www.adta.org."

They are very inspiring and on the forefront with the fusion of yoga and dance.

“Tripsichore began in 1979 as a company devoted to creating full length dance narratives. We explored a variety of stylistic forms including punk ballet, conventional modern dance and strict neo-classical technique. We used masks, performed with rock bands and did pop videos.

"While yoga was always a part of our training, it wasn’t until 1992 that we realised the expressive potential and choreographic viability of yoga postures. Once we began to devise works using yoga asanas, their extraordinary artistic logic became evident. Surprisingly, it would seem that there has been no orthodox tradition for using yoga technique to create dances in the 5000 year history of the discipline. The postures intrinsically possess a sumptuous beauty and fluidity. They are the ideal vehicle to express the themes of harmony, balance, spirituality, ecstasy, bliss and mysticism because they are exactly about these subjects in and of themselves. We are now many years into this experiment and each day brings new discoveries..”

We are looking for talented and seasoned Yoga teachers and Massage therapists to come and work with us here in Paradise at Bamboo YogaPlay this high season.

The season goes from December through April.    If you are interested in this opportunity please send Sofiah Thom your letter of interest, resume and references to info@bambooyogaplay.com