Blue Osa is Far More than a Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica

Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on September 14, 2020.

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Beautiful rooms at Blue Osa in Costa RicaNothing can ruin waking up to the sound of the ocean.  Not even a pack of roaming howler monkeys doing what they do best right outside your window.  After all, when you’re in Costa Rica you’re not there for only the ocean. 

Costa Rica is far more than that.

We found ourselves in the Osa Peninsula, one of the most beautiful regions of the entire country, not for the beach, not for the nature, but to enjoy the Blue Osa yoga retreat during their 2014 press week.  While our initial reason for visiting was for a yoga retreat, we left the Osa Peninsula with memories well beyond the yoga mat.

Blue Osa – A Retreat Involving Far More Than Yoga

One of the coolest lap pools I've seen - Blue Osa - Costa Rica

As a first-time yoga student, I had my fears.  I pushed my body in ways I never considered, and with the help of Yogi Aaron I fell in love with an activity that was never on my radar.

During each session I’d find myself looking out the open-air windows in their second floor yoga studio and getting lost in the waves of the ocean as we worked our way through the carefully selected positions. 

As the 60-minute sessions came to a close, we found ourselves with the rest of our days at Blue Osa completely free, and this is where we uncovered the true magic of the property.

I spent many hours relaxing in my hammock at Blue Osa

What do you do when you find yourself with a week’s worth of free time and are located between the shores of a gorgeous beach and the edge of a jungle?

You do everything you can.

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Exploring the Osa Peninsula

Scarlet Macaws Flying By Blue Osa in Costa Rica

There are so many opportunities for adventure and outdoor activities on the Osa Peninsula that we had to make some hard decisions about which ones to choose to do.

If you’re an adrenaline junkie you can choose to do things like rappelling down a waterfall or ziplining, while if you prefer to keep your feet on the ground you can opt for things like trying Costa Rica chocolate at a cacao farm or hiking through the jungle to look for wildlife.

And let’s not forget the abundant wildlife right on the Blue Osa property- you can see scarlet macaws flying overhead while you relax in the pool and hear howler monkeys all through the night. We also had the opportunity for a life-changing experience of working with a turtle conservation center to release just-hatched baby sea turtles back into the ocean as we happened to be there at just the right time of year.

Rapelling down a waterfall in Costa Rica
Photo Credit: The Legendary Adventures of Anna

Not a bad selection of things to do at a yoga retreat, if I do say so myself.

The Best Part?  Doing Absolutely Nothing (…but Eating)

Delicious drinks at Blue Osa

Looking back at it all, my fondest memories of my time at Blue Osa were the simple moments when I was doing absolutely nothing except relaxing in the hammock in my room, swimming laps in the pool, and staring out into the ocean with Aaron’s trusty dogs Rama, Pete, and the late Steve (may he rest in peace).

Oh, and then there is the food.  I forgot to mention that most of my free time involved me having a delicious farm-to-table treat in my mouth created by the wonderful chef, Marie.

When it comes to the farm-to-table trend, Blue Osa is doing it right. 

The local farm is not an hour’s drive away, a close enough distance for most restaurants making that claim, but instead is just a 60-second walk from the kitchen. The fishermen are next door. When it comes down to it the only items that do not come from the Osa Peninsula itself are the beverages (and we’re okay with that because the daily craft cocktail always amazed).

Dinner time at Blue Osa

Dinners are a true experience at this resort, as the buffet-style meal is served with a heart-felt introduction from Marie and the rest of the kitchen staff who personally introduced the items they prepared. 

Each night we were given a beautiful description of the meal that showed just how passionate the team is when it comes to putting their best foot forward. 

Even though Blue Osa has a few of their recipes online for free, we have to keep asking Yogi Aaron when Marie’s cookbook will be coming out, because we’ll be the first to buy it.

Your time at Blue Osa is what you make of it- whether you want to relax at the spa and meditate on the beach or actively explore every corner of the Osa Peninsula, you’ll find options to suit your style. But no matter what you decide, you can always count on the howler monkeys to be there, howling away when you least expect it.

Those cheeky monkeys.

We’d like to thank our friends at Blue Osa for inviting us out to enjoy their retreat during press week in 2014.  As always, all opinions are our own.

Looking for more things to do in Costa Rica? Why not head to Monteverde to try the Monteverde cloud forest zip line!

About Jeremy

Jeremy from Living the Dream

About the Author: Jeremy is a full-time travel writer based in Pittsburgh and primary author of this site. He has been to 70+ countries on five continents and seeks out new food, adventure activities, and off-the-beaten-path experiences wherever he travels.

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