FINDING YOUR INNER-PEACE AT PEACE RETREAT
You deserve a break! As we all know, everyday life can get busy, stressful, and overwhelming. It isn’t difficult for us to get caught up in the day-to-day, disconnecting us from our true selves (our inner-peace). The good news is it does not have to be this way! Continue reading for five easy and positive habits to adopt to bring more calmness into your life. Tried and approved by the staff, guests and volunteers at Yoga Peace Retreat Costa Rica!

#1 Rise With The Sun
Waking early has many benefits. Yes, really. According to Ayurvedic medicine, each early morning should be seen as a miracle! Transform your first energy of the day into a sacred moment with yourself and reap the benefits of being an early riser! Benefits include the reduction of stress, enhanced positivity and boosted productivity and creativity. Because the days and nights in Costa Rica are essentially split by 12 hours of sun, and 12 hours of dark, falling asleep and rising early at Yoga Peace Retreat usually comes pretty easy!

#2 Pranayama and Meditation
In Sanskrit, Prana means “life force” or “breath” while Ayama translates to "extension.” In order to truly access your inner Peace, Yoga Peace Retreat recommends finding a comfortable and quiet place every morning to sit or lay to simply focus on your breath. Benefits of pranayama and meditation include treating stress, improving autonomic functions, steadying the mind, enhancing positivity, massaging internal organs, lowering blood-pressure, and much, much more!

#3 Practice Yoga Daily
The regular practice of yoga helps us to uncover our true nature, relax, and live with true awareness. Furthermore, practicing yoga centers the mind, rejuvenates the body and revitalizes the soul. Many yoga asanas (poses), when associated with pranayama (breathing techniques), help us to achieve inner-peace both on, and eventually, off of the yoga mat.

#4 Unplug
Excess time spent staring at a screen creates stress in the body, mind and spirit. At Yoga Peace Retreat, there are countless opportunities to step back into the present moment, and out of the phone-zone. Benefits of being unplugged include a feeling of increased gratitude, more connection with the ones you love, more opportunity to meet new people and try new things, more time spent in nature, more time to move the body, and so much more! Turn your phone/computer off for one hour, one afternoon, one day… or your whole stay… the choice is yours!

#5 Express an Attitude of Gratitude
Benefits of practicing gratitude include a reduction of stress and anxieties, increased patience, improved relationships, improved self-care and confidence, increased positivity, fostered empathy, improved sleep, and once again, much, much more! A good way to bring more gratefulness into your life is to write down three to five things for which you feel grateful every evening. The goal of this exercise is to practice reflecting on the positive, rather than on the negative.