True Nature Travels Blog
True Nature Travels Blog
Please join us from October 1-14 for our very first Instagram Challenge! (btw – we are @truenatureeducation on insta) Yes, we are finally jumping on the instagram challenge train – and when our team here at True Nature thought, “What sort of challenge would reflect what is important to us,” MINDFULNESS came up right away and how we look to bring presence and mindfulness into our work for the company and also into our everyday lives.
A little bit about mindfulness (from our point of view)…
Mindfulness is a VERB. It is a word created to be put into action and not just talked about during a yoga class or thought about while meditating or read about only in books. In fact, mindfulness is one of the most important tools you can invite into your heart to bring your practice off the mat and the cushion and into your day to day life. In short, mindfulness is pretty freaking awesome.
From lowering stress, improving health, shifting relationship dynamics, increasing focus in students (of all ages) there are a plethora of studies and research out there that basically talks mindfulness up to being a key element to invite into your life, if you want to live with a sense of connection, freedom and happiness to the life you are living. Mindfulness helps us to notice the presence, peace and beauty that is always available to us, in each and every moment.
The Challenge!
OK! So, here is what we are asking you to do. Post an image everyday (or as many days as you can) and share how you chose to mindful in that moment. Maybe it was going for a walk, doing the dishes, changing a diaper, sending emails, having a conversation – truly, while we may not really have the opportunity to practice headstand in every moment of our lives, we DO in fact have the chance to practice mindfulness – so get creative and go for it!
We hope you will join us all through the month of October using the hashtag #everydaymindfulness and posting an image of where you found an opportunity to practice mindfulness in your day. Maybe it was sitting in traffic or walking the dog, washing the dishes or simply connecting with a friend. We look forward to seeing you during this journey. Let’s set an intention together that by taking five minutes a day for mindfulness, that it transforms us to notice the life that is right here, in front of us, always unfolding.
Our Sponsors!
Samara Zelniker – Follow her on instagram @mindfulnessmatters
Alana Roach – Follow her on Instagram @alanaroachyoga
Alana is a 2015 True Nature Faculty Member and is hosting her first retreat in Costa Rica January 17th-24th 2015. Alana’s love for yoga came from firsthand experience with just how powerful the practice is.
“In 2009, Yoga found me. I felt as though I was at true peace. I finally knew what the word meant. Until that moment, I had just understood it cerebrally. There is something profound to be said about Peace dropping into the heart. I realize now that I have been training to practice and teach yoga my whole life”
In 2012, her journey took her to India for 3 months where she trained with incredible locals near the Himalayas and fell into a rhythm of practice that felt sustaining. She has been teaching ever since all over the world and is currently in Costa Rica to spread the light of yoga there. CYT and E-RYT certified in Vinyasa with a focus in Ashtanga Yoga and her personal studies of energy work, yoga theory, and style ranging from restorative to power and everything in between. With over 1,000 hours of teaching experience, Alana teaches all levels and all ages. www.alanaroachyoga.com
Dana Phillips – Follow her on Instagram @tulaajewelry
Dana Phillips is a Reiki Master, Meditation Teacher, Mom to two-legged and four legged beings and founder of Tulaa Jewelry where she designs and creates each piece using healing stones. Dana reiki’s each piece to activate the natural healing qualities of the stones. She loves custom orders and feels that she can then connect directly with her customers by creating special pieces specifically for their needs.
Prizes from the Instagram challenge are from Dana and Tulaa Jewelry!
Jessica Durivage-Kerridge – follow her on Instagram @whereismyguru
Jessica Durivage-Kerridge is the Global Relations Coordinator right here at True Nature! Her first true love affair was with travel and seeing the world. She’s a mystic mama who wears the badge “seeker of truth” on her heart (and who wears her heart on her sleeve). Since 2001 Jessica has been an passionate and purposeful traveler with several trips around the globe sharing her gifts and talents to the communities she meets.
Jessica now resides in Myrtle Beach, SC with her husband Carl, son Ellis, dog Julia Olive and two cats, Suki and Spooky. You can find more about Jessica, her writing and teaching at www.whereismyguru.com and www.365thingsproject.com
Get started NOW and promote the challenge!
Use this copy (or edit for you!) and grab one of the photos below to let your community know that you are down with #everydaymindfulness and we will see you on October 1st!
Join me and @truenatureeducation @mindfulnessmatters @alanaroachyoga @tulaajewelry and @whereismyguru all month long this October for their #everydaymindfulness instagram challenge! We will be sharing moments of #mindfulness during our busy days to find more peace and presence in our lives!
True Nature Travels Blog
By: Jessica Durivage-Kerridge, Director of Global Relations for True Nature Education
I’ve been accused (more than once) of giving away the farm. Whether it was business advice, personal time, working for free or less than what I should have been paid – you name it. It was never my intention to work for free. It was just, well… time and time again I would find myself in a place where what I was giving was not lining up with what I was receiving. While I knew that there was some sort of imbalance there, I could not quite put my finger on it, and so the cycle and pattern continued on for many years. My own personal projects and family priorities were what kept ending up on the back burner – and while I loved helping people out, giving the “friend” discount for my services and offering my gifts and talents for free – it was eating up my self worth and creating a distorted view of how I was valued by myself and others.
I wanted to shift this pattern. I NEEDED to shift this pattern. For not only the sake of my mortgage but also my marriage and the future of my own dreams and desires.
I began in internal process of investigating WHY I felt the need to give my services away without expecting anything in return. Well, right there (without expecting anything in return) was a big “aha!” moment for me. I was taking a spiritual principle about non-attachment and manipulating it so I could use it against myself. Beneath this idea of “working for free” was a deeply embedded belief that I was “not worthy.” Hmmm. That was pretty darn interesting. I began to quietly invite this feeling of “not being worthy” into my meditation practice, into conversations with my husband about bills. I began to notice how much resistance I had around “feeling valued.” This practice of “just noticing” turned up opportunities to dig a little deeper and ask more questions.
What was my intention around giving myself away like this?
The answer that kept showing up over and over again was “a desire to serve.” I wanted to make myself available to be of service to my community and show up to help in whatever ways I could offer. That beneath all of it, I felt that my life was a gift and that by God’s Grace, I have been blessed. Now, I felt as if it was my turn to give back.
OK! Another “aha” moment! The desire I felt was “to serve.” And serving my friends and the community was great and wonderful – but when my own family and my personal relationships suffered because it it, I realized that maybe all I needed to do was some soul searching around re-prioritizing what was truly important to me and where I wanted to be of service. So, I made a list of the top three important things in my life:
1. Family
2. Spiritual Practice
3. Writing
Interesting.
I then made another list of where I felt I need to create value and understand my worth so that I could “serve” what was important to me (are you still with me?):
1. My Social Media Business
2. Teaching/Speaking Career
3. Collaborative & creative endeavors
Another aha moment! It seemed as if my two lists were a bit backwards. I was placing more importance on my external world rather than my internal world. Seem familiar?
Being able to name what was most important to me and go back to it everyday has slowly started to reshape my self worth and how I view myself. When I am able to properly apply the principle of “giving without expecting anything in return” in the areas of my life that are most important to me, I find that I do get back way more in return than I ever anticipated. When I move back into the world, where it is important to me to feel valued, I am more aligned with negotiating my needs. If what the world is offering does not serve what is most important to me, then it is not the right fit.
I am (this is) a daily work in progress. I have lots of moments where I feel I could so easily slip back into my old habits and patterns. I want to be able to lend a helping hand. I want to give back. I want to support my community and those around me. I am redefining my definition of service. Perhaps today it is sending a good thought, or sharing a compliment. Or simply choosing, in my own self, to do what is most important to be so I can show up as a brighter light for those around me.
True Nature Travels Blog
Dear True Nature Community,
Hi again! This is Lindsay, your friend in Costa Rica who lives amongst the birds and with the sky and who welcomes with an open heart your groups that visit my small community here.
Recently we had a beautiful group from True Nature visit our village to offer their gifts and talents. When we came home for lunch, one pretty girl (Anais) asked permission to hug my mom. She said, “your mom looks like my mom, and the taste of the food was as the taste of my mom’s food.” Anais’ mom is in Heaven now, so my mom suggested this girl to adopt her as her new Costa Rican mom. She was so happy. It made me cry when I heard this.
You can never imagine how many amazing moments can fit in just a few hours. You never know how deep a cultural experience can be. That is why I love this. There is no barriers, it is just a bridge and we all walk in the same direction: Towards equality, freedom, joy and peace 🙂
Pura Vida,
Lindsay
Lindsay Padilla is a nature lover and mom of two boys. She has been teaching Spanish since 2006 and working for the development of rural communities in Costa Rica. She enjoys writing, reading and swimming.
Are you interested in learning more about the Costa Rican way of life, called Pura Vida? Our service programs which can be added on during any of our retreats include opportunities to stay with Lindsay and her family and support our efforts in their village. Learn more here.
True Nature Travels Blog
Hi. I am Jessica and I work for True Nature Education. I help out with blogging and do a little marketing and I like to use fancy words like “high level strategic planning”, yada yada yada. I’ve been tasked with writing a blog about why it’s important to travel why you are young. I am extremely passionate about travel – and besides my two children, traveling the world while I was young was what shaped me into who I am today. I thought about writing this blog as more of a factual piece – in the 3rd person, and to try and give you all the stats and numbers as to why traveling is so freaking great (and important). But, my own personal experience with travel is a much more powerful story to share. At least, I think so.
I am 36 years old and I can confidently say that my decisions to travel and explore different countries and cultures have been a few of the best choices I made in my life. Hey, I am sitting here getting paid to write about it and share it with you, so I guess I am doing something right! I am not talking about travel in the sense of “booking an all inclusive trip to the Bahamas” where you receive an ice cold lemonade upon arrival and the biggest decision of the day is whether you make that extra investment in a poolside cabana. Now, don’t get me wrong, that sounds pretty sweet – but those are not the experiences in life I crave. I wanted something more.
When I was 19 years old I decided to go to Haiti on a two-week mission/service trip. Not the typical place a 19-year-old is spring breaking. I just knew I wanted to experience something more. And, I did. That trip changed my life. So much so that I signed up to go back for six months and teach at a local school. I was immersed in the culture. I was given an opportunity to share my gifts. And, most of all, I could feel that I was receiving so much more than I was giving. It was not always easy. I saw what real poverty looked like for the first time but I also saw what real joy looked like, too. My world view at 19 years old was just being shaped and I am so thankful, 17 years later, that I chose the dirt floor of a class room with 20 absolutely gorgeous and smiling faces as my spring break that year instead of getting a tan. I can’t imagine the direction my life would have taken i had I made a different choice. Because after that trip, everything changed. And these five principles have helped to guide and shape the person I am today.
1. The world is bigger than your iPhone screen.
Well, 20 years ago I guess you could say “back yard” but with literally anything you want or need at your fingertips these days, some might say, why travel when you can, you know, snap chat all day long. Or that snap chatting all day long is actually keeping you from engaging and exploring the world around you. Put the phone DOWN, unless you are using it to book a plane ticket.
2. Traveling teaches you compassion
For me, my first experience in traveling was visiting one of the poorest countries in the world. From my travels to Haiti, Thailand, Cambodia, India, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and of course, Costa Rica, one common thread that weaves through all of my journeys is that I have lived a very privileged existence. The fact that I can leave my country and for the most part, go where I want, is extremely fortunate. And, it becomes very, very clear that no matter what country you are from or what economic status you hold, we are all one, beautiful human race. The smiles of the children you will meet along your travels will open and melt your heart, in ways you never imagined. Their toothless grins and bare feet will soften everything you ever thought you knew, about anything.
3. You have no excuse not too.
Nope. You do not. Take it from me. I am 36 years old now with a 9 month old at home and a mortgage to pay. I don’t think that I can stress enough that I AM SO THANKFUL I TRAVELED WHILE I WAS YOUNG (did ya get the point yet?). There have been many late nights with my son where I find myself rocking him to sleep and I get to day dream about all of the adventures I have had. The things that you might think are holding you back now – money, resources, don’t have a passport, etc – are all things to rise above and overcome. Yes, it does require putting a plan together, following through and being responsible – but the rewards you will reap and the lifetime of memories you will create are, priceless. As Nike keeps on telling us over and over again, Just Do It.
4. Feeling like you are a part of a global community is so empowering.
Just because you are traveling elevates you to this sort of amazing status where you can immediately make a friend for life in about 10 minutes. I have had more fun with the complete strangers I’ve met on the road, from all over the world, than with some of the friends I have had since birth! It is magical and difficult to put into words actually, but you seem to connect to friends you meet while traveling and see them as family. Sort of one of those things you need to experience to really know. Another great reason to get out there!
5. The Opportunity to Serve
It may be because my first experience in travel was also my first true experience in service. After my passport was officially stamped, I was hooked. Service, in one way or another, is a filter that I desire to live my entire life through, and, it is because I took a journey and gave of myself and my talents, freely. Teaching school on that dirt floor in Haiti, filming a documentary in Ecuador, living in Costa Rica with True Nature Education gave me the wisdom to see that living in service to others is a way of life that lives on long after you take your backpack off. It is a daily gift.
One of the greatest gifts that travel has given me is the ability to look at my life, everyday, as a journey. We can take the spirit of traveling across distant lands and seeing things with new eyes right into our own back yard. My son will inherit my obsession for looking through a passport that is full of colorful stamps from places seen. My stories and memories will live on through him and hopefully his desire to see the world and make it a better place. And, that, is how traveling changes you, for the better.
Got the bug? Check out our 2015 Calendar of Retreat and Workshops in Costa Rica!
True Nature Travels Blog
You are not a tourist…
You are an amazing person, traveling so far in order to discover the culture, traditions and history of Costa Rica.
Your temporal home is in a rural village, you enjoy eating in the kitchen, close from the woodstove, learning to make tortillas and coffee without an electrical appliance…
You are not a tourist; you are part of the family.
Sometimes you help washing the dishes or putting the table, you also can look into the pots in order to get an extra portion of homemade food.
You are the one who walk barefoot in the house, the one who laughs, and the one who miss the people you leave far away, when you decided to come and make a difference here…
You work here, you help Mother’s Nature, and you share with local people and play with the Costa Rican kids. You are not a tourist, you are part of the family, part of the village, and you are also from here.
You are the one who has a schedule, the one who pays for working! The one who gets a smile and hugs instead of a salary after your volunteer service.
How much you can buy with a smile?
Well, too much! Enough. The courage to give back to the world in a very deep way…
Yes, you are not a tourist. You are the one who learns Spanish, the one who practices the basic words, the one who enjoys saying GRACIAS after tasting a delicious and fresh meal, after getting a coconut drink or a piece of fruit.
Are you the one who travels? The one who enjoys adventure tours?
Yes, you are. You deserve it, too.
You are not a tourist. You are a temporal “tico”. You are the one who will always have a space in our village, your village…
Next time when you think you are another tourist exploring the world, take a minute to remember, you are much, much more.
Written from the land of Pura Vida.
Lindsay Padilla is a nature lover and mom of two boys. She has been teaching Spanish since 2006 and working for the development of rural communities in Costa Rica. She enjoys writing, reading and swimming.
Are you interested in learning more about the Costa Rican way of life, called Pura Vida? Our service programs which can be added on during any of our retreats include opportunities to stay with Lindsay and her family and support our efforts in their village. Learn more here.
True Nature Travels Blog
It’s True Nature Fan Appreciation Week and we could not think of a better way to celebrate than to honor all of YOU! We have decided to extend our “$40 REI Gift Card for 4,000 Fans” until this Friday so if you have not shared your favorite travel quote on our Facebook Page, there is still time!
We cannot begin to express our gratitude and appreciation to our fans. It was pretty incredible when we looked at our Facebook page a few weeks ago and saw we were getting close to 4,000! What a milestone! We wanted to do something special, just for you.
Being and staying inspired is what gets us through the day. And, obviously, travel. There is no better way to wake up the senses and connect with the heart than traveling to a new place – or back to somewhere you love. There have been many a day when it’s literally been an inspirational travel quote that has pushed someone over the edge to finally “take the leap” and book their yoga yoga retreat. Maybe this will be your leap!
So, here is to you! The wanderers, the seekers, the travelers, the explorers. Here is to you – who desires to “be something more” and is not afraid to go out into the world in search of it. Here is to you – the ones who listen to the whispers of their hearts and follow their dreams.
Don’t forget! Leave your favorite travel quote on our Facebook post by Friday at 2pm and you will enter to win a $40 gift card to REI!
Are you ready to take the leap and book a retreat to Costa Rica? Maybe your dream has been to guide a group of students on a yoga journey in the rainforest or along the beaches?! We’d love to connect with you! Reach out and connect with someone!
True Nature Travels Blog
It’s not everyday that you think, “Hey, I want to manifest my dream to teach a yoga retreat in another country.” Let’s face it, life gets in the way doesn’t it? Finances, families and fears can all stack up to make a pretty good argument why “this may not be the year for your dream.” Well, we are going to challenge you on that this year. We are looking for teachers who want to “be something more.”
And by being something more, we mean...
Being something more on the mat.
Being something more off the mat.
Being something more to your community.
Being something more to your family.
Being something more to yourself.
Join the True Nature and BE a part of our Teaching Community!
And our commitment to you is that our dedicated staff is ready to support you in creating the experience of a lifetime for you an dour students. We don’t just “do yoga.” We don’t just “do meditation.” We don’t just “do adventure.” We don’t just “do service.” We don’t just “do health and wellness”. We don’t just “do sustainability.” With over ten years of running retreats in Costa Rica, we have cultivated a thoughtful and customizable formula for our teachers that helps to mindfully weave together all of the elements we have learned to create a transformational and unforgettable retreat experience.
If you have a desire to serve and a call to be something more – we would love to set up a call with you to discuss how we can support you in bringing your dream of leading a retreat to life.
Check out our blog series for teachers –
Want to Lead a Yoga Retreat? Here is the One Thing You Must Do
Six Ways to Make Your Yoga Retreat Unforgettable
Are you ready? We would love to set up a call with you to talk about your vision and share how we can support you. Email us at booking@truenatureeducation.com.
True Nature Travels Blog
May you have an amazing week…
Lindsay Padilla is a nature lover and mom of two boys. She has been teaching Spanish since 2006 and working for the development of rural communities in Costa Rica. She enjoys writing, reading and swimming.
Are you interested in learning more about the Costa Rican way of life, called Pura Vida? Our service programs which can be added on during any of our retreats include opportunities to stay with Lindsay and her family and support our efforts in their village. Learn more here.
True Nature Travels Blog
Being open to discovery can come at any age. Realizing the true meaning of travel, learning about new cultures, traditions and ways of life are at the core of what we offer our students who participate in our True Nature Adventure and Service experiences. This poem is an excerpt from a recent trip with Milford Middle School and the journals of one of the students.
What Costa Rica Means to Me
Peace. One with Nature. Tranquility.
Costa Rica is Family.
Natural Beauty.
Beauty, new adventures and experiences.
Costa Rica means being one with nature.
Purity.
New beginnings. A pure new outlook on life.
Costa Rica means beautiful sunshine and time away from a hectic life.
A spiritual journey to help me see what I didn’t see before.
The world is not as pretty as I once thought. It could be better.
Costa Rica is great people, great food, great places, and great opportunities
To help. It means a lot to the world, and animals, and people that live here.
Tropical.
Costa Rica is people with amazing personalities.
Wild and good.
Life.
Costa Rica is remote.
Beauty and Peace.