Learn how to ride the waves of life & real-life waves in Costa Rica!

This retreat is designed for those interested in learning how to surf and meditate because we believe:

• You don’t have to be a monk and spend hours in silence to reap the benefits of meditation.

• Mindfulness can be learned by anyone and practiced throughout the day, while walking, eating, breathing, and yes, even surfing.

• Breath, movement, and observation are all pathways to reducing stress, feeling better about your life, and discovering your true self.

Learn to Meditate & Surf

During our week together, you will have the opportunity to experience daily meditation, yoga, and surf lessons.

Julie will be leading yoga and meditation classes based on her r signature course, “Meditation for Beginners:  A Practical Approach to  Demystifying Meditation”
During our meditation sessions together you will learn how to create and sustain a consistent home practice that suits your lifestyle and how to weave meditative practices into your everyday life with ease and flow.

Travis Bays, co-owner of Bodhi Surf & Yoga and lead surf instructor, will be leading daily surf lessons so that we can apply what we have learned about riding the waves of life to riding the waves of the ocean.

Each participant will have the opportunity to have two private coaching sessions with Julie (one pre-trip to be scheduled after you book and one on the last day of the retreat). These sessions are created to help you clarify your goals and to ensure that you have the focus and skills to achieve these goals.

Attention yoga teachers and therapists: After attending all 5 meditation sessions, you will receive a certificate of completion and will have access to our teachings, slides, and curriculum. You will be free to make it your own.

Accommodations:

We will be staying at the beautiful Bodhi Surf & Yoga School. All rooms have private bathrooms. Upon receipt of your payment, you will be asked to choose your accommodations.

What’s included?

• Daily small-group meditation experiences (as part of Julie’s signature course “Meditation for Beginners” where you will receive instruction and have the opportunity to experience multiple practices of meditation and mindfulness through breath awareness, movement, sensory awareness, and journaling.

• 5 daily yoga classes (4 led by Julie, 1 led by Pilar, co-owner of Bodhi Surf & Yoga School, and Lead Yoga Instructor).

• 5 surf lessons with Bodhi Surf owner, Travis, and local staff.

• 2 private coaching sessions with Julie Bailis (on the first and last days of the retreat). These sessions are created to help you clarify your goals and to ensure that you have the focus and skills to achieve these goals.

• 1 hour-long massage.

PLUS

• 6 nights at the beautiful Bodhi Lodge in Bahia Ballena

• 1 travel transition night (our last night in Costa Rica) at the Adventure Inn in San Jose

• 2 meals every day (except for Wednesday our free day).In order to encourage a sense of exploration and community support, you are encouraged to dine locally for lunch. After you register, we will provide you with a local dining guide to give you a glimpse of the local and delicious food available to you. You will also have access to a kitchenette in case you would like to purchase food from a grocery store and prepare your own lunches.

• A visit to a local waterfall

• Fruit at each surf lesson and as many coconuts straight off the tree as you would like to enjoy!

• Guided walking tour of Bahia Ballena with a local naturalist

• National Park entrance fees

• Private round trip transportation (from the airport in San Jose to Bodhi lodge in Uvita and back)

A Spiritual and Culturally Rich Retreat on the Coast of Costa Rica

This retreat also gives you a chance to experience the beauty and nature as well as the cultural richness of Costa Rica.

Bodhi Surf & Yoga is located On the Southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica within the community of Bahia Ballena.

The natural surroundings of Bodhi Surf and Yoga are nourishing and ideal for everyone, from outdoor adventures to professional relaxers.

The famous Marino Ballena National Park is located at the footsteps of the community itself (which literally translates to “Whale Bay” not only due to the visiting humpbacks found in its warm waters as well as the prominent “whale tail”-shaped sandbar in the north end of the park).  
Each participant will have the opportunity to learn to surf in this National Park.

The vibe is small and local.

According to Bodhi Surf & Yoga:

“Bahia Ballena has kept the feeling of a small, Tico town. It’s a place where strangers greet one another on the street, music can be heard in the distance on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and the Pura Vida way of life is ostensibly alive and well. Yet it is also an activist community, with its residents (both long-term and recent-transplant alike) working hand-in-hand to advance an agreed-upon vision of the future: one that is centered in the wellbeing of the people and environment alike.”

Experience Spanish and Local Culture

This is not a secluded tourist resort. Bodhi Surf & Yoga School is located within a community and participants are encouraged to walk into town and lunch at the local restaurants in order to get to know the local community through language and food.

Your Retreat Leaders

Julie Bailis, Health & Wellness Coach & founder of Mountain View Wellness

Julie Bailis is a Health & Wellness Coach & owner of Mountain View Wellness LLC. Through Mountain View Wellness, Julie creates in-person and virtual wellness programs that help her clients create and sustain healthy lifestyles using fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness.

Julie’s programs empower her clients physically, mentally, and emotionally. Whether your goals are to improve posture, lose weight, increase balance, or move with more joy and less pain, Julie can help you.

Email or book an exploratory coaching call with Julie and learn about how she can help you create and sustain a new, healthy lifestyle that lasts! pull-up, Julie can help you.

Julie is also available for public speaking events, workshops, and seminars.
Email Julie at julie@mvwct.com for more information on specialty programs.

Travis Bays, Bodhi Surf & Yoga Co-Founder + Surf Instructor

At Bodhi Surf + Yoga, Travis Bays is known as the connector and the “ideas guy”, always dreaming up new projects to take on, finding ways to connect (or connect with) individuals and movements, and looking for ways to improve himself and everything around him. A former Peace Corp Costa Rica volunteer who spent his two service years in Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica, Travis feels privileged to have been able to start a social and environmental impact business in the community that stole his heart and affected his life so positively. Professionally, aside from being a social and environmental entrepreneur, Travis is also a consultant for the Stanford Woods Institute for the environment and has over 15 years of experience in micro-credit community banking, project design and management, and best practices for sustainable tourism. He is a co-founder of SOMOS community foundation and the Central American Ambassador for the Transformational Travel Council. He is a committed husband and father, ardent surfer, and ocean lover, and enjoys incorporating his passions into his wide array of roles at Bodhi Surf + Yoga.

Pilar Salazar, Co-Founder + Yoga Instructor

Pilar is the grounding energy of the Bodhi Surf + Yoga team. Her calm composure and “Pura Vida” vibe are evident to all who meet her. She has worked in the tourism industry in Costa Rica for nearly two decades, and is so excited to have been able to open her own tourism company in what she considers to be one of the most beautiful areas of her home country. Pilar brings what she has learned in her career, from her myriad of travels all over the globe, and from personal study of world philosophy, into her various roles Bodhi. She is the main yoga teacher, as well as being in charge of administration, human resources, bookings, and logistics. Pilar is passionate about creating a positive, safe, and hospitable workplace for all of Bodhi’s staff. Outside of Bodhi, she is a Board of Directors member of the nonprofit Fundacion Los Valientes. Personally, she is an engaged wife and mother (dance mom!), avid foodie and cook, passionate yoga practitioner, and lifelong student of the human condition.

The investment:
The cost of the Surf & Yoga Retreat is $2,300. Bodhi Surf requires a $1,000 reservation deposit for vacation packages (per person). The deposit is credited to the total amount of your Bodhi Surf + Yoga vacation package.

Once the reservation deposit is received, you will be asked to fill out a participant information form and you will be able to choose your accommodation preference. Reservations are to be paid in full by March 9th.

Reservations are to be paid in full by March 9th.
You can pay via check or cash by contacting Julie Bailis at julie@mvwct.com
You can also pay via credit card below.

The additional $60 on the full price is to cover the credit card fees. If you would prefer to pay by check, please email Julie Bailis at julie@mvwct.com

Cancellation Policy
Reservations may be canceled and refunded based on the following:
Less than 60 days prior to arrival date - No refund of deposit
Less than 45 days prior to arrival date - No refund of payment or deposit

FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions)

Do I need to know how to surf? Do I have to surf?
You don’t need to have any experience with surfing beforehand. Travis, our surf instructor is experienced with surfers of all levels.
Those who choose to surf are invited to bodyboard and spend time at the beach to experience the beauty of the coast.

I’m new to yoga, can I still go?
Absolutely! Our yoga sessions with be a mix of various yoga/mindful practices. During our yoga sessions, you will have the opportunity to practice many forms of yoga, gentle, dynamic, restorative, meditation, and even Qigong.

Is airfare included?
No, airfare is not included in the pricing of this Surf & Yoga Retreat. Participants will be required to book their own airfare to/from San Jose, Costa Rica.

What about Covid-19 and Covid 19 protocols?
The Bodhi Surf and Yoga team has found creative ways to keep their entire team together during the full shutdown and has been successfully hosting small groups of travelers since re-opening again in November. By integrating the most up-to-date safety protocols with their already excellent level of service, they continue to find ways to do their important work in the world while safely bringing much-needed resources back into their local community. As a B-Corporation, intersectional environmentalists, and culture shapers, we believe deeply in the work that they're doing and want to continue to do our part to support them in keeping their doors open and their mission alive. Click here to learn more about how they're supporting guests and their community during the COVID-19 era...

https://www.bodhisurfyoga.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-preparing-for-a-bodhi-surf-yoga-camp-in-the-covid-19-era

Which excursions are included and which ones are extra?
A trip to Uvita Falls and a guided walking tour of Bahia Ballena with a local naturalist are included in this retreat package. On the days that we surf, your entrance to the national park is also included. You are encouraged to explore the area as well. We can help you learn more about possible side trips as the date draws near. Ziplining, boat tours, snorkeling, bird watching are all possibilities.

Connect.
During our seven days together you will have plenty of opportunities to connect with yourself, nature, and others.

• Connect with yourself during our mediation, yoga, and surf lessons.

• Connect with nature at the beach, while surfing and exploring the natural beauty of Costa Rica.

• Connect with others as you explore the surrounding community and meet other like-minded participants.

Explore.
We will be exploring the ocean during our surfing lessons, waterfalls, nature hike. Learn about the local community as you interact with local businesses and even have the chance to brush up on your Spanish skills!

Learn.
We will have daily surf and yoga/mindful movement classes (except for one free day). The surf lessons will be timed according to the tide and the yoga/mindful movement classes will be an exploration of movement, mindfulness, and meditation. During our yoga sessions, you will have the opportunity to practice many forms of yoga, gentle, dynamic, restorative, meditation, and even Qigong. Julie Bailis will be teaching 4 of the yoga/mindful movement classes, and Pilar, our in-house yoga guru, will be leading us in a practice of her choice. You will also have access to the yoga platform so you can have the freedom to practice what you have learned (or already practice) daily.

Relax.
As much as we love to offer you opportunities to explore and learn, you will also have time to chill, re-boot your nervous system, get back to your original you, and feel clarity and freedom once again. Since Wednesday will be our “free day” you will have the opportunity to add side trips and experiences to your trip, too.

If you have any questions about this upcoming Surf & Yoga Retreat, please contact Julie at julie@mvwct.com.
We look forward to connecting, exploring, learning, and relaxing with you in beautiful Costa Rica!