drink so you can pour
On The Road from Monteverde To Montezuma, Costa Rica
The string on the prayer flags snapped as soon as I got to Anamaya retreat center in Montezuma , Costa Rica. The moment was a metaphor: I’d been so tightly wound, and ready to snap for far too long. Finally, I’d arrived, dusty and happily exhausted, at a sanctuary; time to break ties and surrender into some serious self care.
Weeks of being on-the-go had culminated with a five-hour road trip, into an entirely different climate than the cloud forest I’d hiked that morning, to reach this place to practice yoga for a week with Dagmar Spermberg. Dagmar teaches annually at Anamaya, and her open-air classes overlooking 180-degree ocean views are an almost instant reset. Yin yoga by starlight with hung drum accompaniment, daily massage therapy and time to BE with no pretense may seem like a luxury to some, but I wonder if a lack of self care - time dedicated to slowing down and reflecting - might be what makes society occasionally brittle. We are, after all, only as strong as our weakest link. Like my frayed-edge prayer flags, I hold the highest intentions and honor my personal phases, but who among us can be strung out all the time, and still continue to function from a place of joy and gratitude?
Fortunately, I find myself (after innumerable bumps in the road) at Anamaya, which happens to have a staff that excels in sincere hospitality and guest care. They make the main house and eclectic cabinas feel like a home-away-from-home. One that I’m grateful to return to. It’s a place to find perspective, not only from shalas perched above the trees, but also from the international community who gathers around the communal table, drinking well water until our cups run over.
It took about three days for my nervous system to settle. By the fourth day, I remembered that I’d just wrapped up my own UNTAMED retreat the week before by reminding guests to keep making time to “drink so that they could pour;” to fulfill their own legitimate needs in order to be able to give freely to a world that needs grounded stewards. I went back to my sweet cabina, restrung the flags (using an incense wand, of course), repaired the edges, and hung them in the window between me and the jungle. They wave a little in the breeze as as I write, and I imagine the wind is carrying their lessons to someone else who needs a little ease. “Invest in a jungle reset,” they whisper. I know a few worth recommending.
After a week of recalibration, I was inspired to apply to be part of the teaching staff at Anamaya. I’m pleased to say that I’ll be invited back soon to host EQUILIBRIUM retreat for the fall equinox September 20-27, 2025. And, Dagmar and I cannot wait for our first collaboration, TOTALITY for the solar eclipse August 12, 2026. We are ready to pour! If you’d like an advanced invitation, please DM.
As a parting wish, I invite you to look up from your screen right now. Let your eyes find a window. See the breeze move the leaves and notice what needs to move within you? This movement might be gentle and subtle. Change is happening. Is it happening to you, or through you? Pause to consider. Then, stand up and find glass for water. Find the most beautiful and gratifying container available. Notice its texture as you touch it. Now pour cool, clear water into you cup; fill it up, and notice the tactile sensations. Then drink. And unhurriedly drink again. As you mindfully take time to replenish yourself with something your body needs, affirm how you will continue to drink from the fountain of self care so that you can be resourced to pour.
Meanwhile, the part of me that is highest (and the parts of me that get depleted) honors the part of you that is highest (and the parts of you that get depleted). May we each be well and do good.