Pura Vida, Ted Lasso Wisdom, & Cry-Fest 2025: My 500-Hour Costa Rica Journey

I’m back from Quepos, Costa Rica! 15 days, 19 roomies, countless laughs, tears, bugs, breakthroughs, and one unforgettable journey that made me an official 500-hour yoga teacher. 🌿✨

Grab a cup of coffee (or tequila, no judgment) - this is storytime.

Where do I even begin, there were so many magical moments and bonded relationships, eternally grateful for the humans along with me on this journey and who made it happen! Let's just start at the beginning... when we first arrived in Costa Rica, it was late, we were exhausted, and the Miami airport had already tested our patience. After a long bus ride through winding jungle roads, we finally made it to Villas Jacquelina - our new home for the next two weeks. By morning, the magic revealed itself: lush greenery, hammocks swaying, the sound of wildlife everywhere and afternoon rain (glorious!). It was college dorm vibes meets tropical paradise, only better... because this time, we had a little more money, ramen noodles weren't a necessity and everyone wanted to be there (PS the food was wonderful!)

Our days were long and full. Mornings began with movement, evenings ended with flows under the stars, and the hours in between were packed with anatomy, asana breakdowns, and philosophy lectures. I got to co-lead not just yoga practices but also late morning asana and anatomy lessons, my inner nerd was living! We dove into chakras and their connections, complete with “Chakra Storytime,” thanks to my friend Christie Santucci’s activity book gift from years ago that became one of our favorite tools. We even formed a Yamas and Niyamas book club, peeling back what it means to live yoga beyond the mat. Let’s just say my closets back home are not safe... hello, Saucha, it’s time to clean house.

Some moments were structured, others pure magic. Kelley, one of our YTT grads, shared chocolate from her cacao farm and led her first cacao ceremony for us one evening. It was so beautiful, rich, and heart-opening that it’s still hard to believe it was her first time leading one (okayyyyy). Between the cacao, the endless Costa Rican chocolate we all devoured, and the laughter spilling through the villa at all hours (sometimes past our 10pm "quiet hours" oopsy), my heart was so full.

There were moments that felt straight out of a movie. One afternoon on the beach, a pack of monkeys surrounded us mid-lecture, pawing at bags and peeking at iPhones perhaps for a selfie. For a second I thought, “This is how horror movies start,” but they moved on, leaving us with a story we’ll never forget and oogling over baby monkeys on momma's backs. Another day, I got bit by the tiniest ant that left a permanent mark I'm sure... thankfully Sophia's mobile pharmacy was onsite and I was able to pop some benadryl! A few minutes later, I found a dead bee in my pants (I hope he had a good time at least, RIP little buddy, I gave him a proper burial). There were dogs everywhere, loved and cared for by the whole community. One sweet pup, Blankita, followed us from the beach to dinner and stole our hearts. Courtney and I plotted how to kidnap her and take her back with us, but she was happy there and the whole beach was her home and family.

And then there were the nights. We started the journey with a full moon meditation under the stars, where we wrote down what we needed to release, burned it in a pot to the tunes of "Let It Burn" and let our tears go with it along with howling at the moon getting all the neighbors dogs involved. Cry-Fest 2025 began there, and Ted Lasso’s wisdom rang true: “Crying is just an orgasm for the soul.” Movie nights followed dinner... Pixar’s Soul hit hard! And I’d pull out my oracle cards and read for everyone. The cards never missed. Really magical!

By the last week, we were in full swing. I landed my strongest forearm stand yet thanks to Courtney’s guidance during inversions day, and our final night out was a whirlwind of joy and dancing. We had dinner in town, salsa danced as the DJ was basically our personal hype man, and kicked things off with Ben’s perfect song choice: Stevie Nicks’ Edge of Seventeen (which is the theme song to our journey) The place was empty when we arrived, but by the time we were done, it felt like we had turned the whole town into our dance floor!

Graduation day was pure emotion. We sat in a circle, love-bombing each other with gratitude, laughs and tears celebrating at a beautiful resort. Cry-Fest 2025 part two. Waterproof mascara is now on my short list of things to pack!

Courtney, our lead - just WOW. You held us, challenged us, and inspired us every single day. I’m forever grateful for your leadership and soul sista bond! To my fellow co-leads and 300-hour yogis, Leigha and Bryce, planning and executing lessons with you was such a highlight. The belly laughs, the friendship, and the photos to prove it are treasures I’ll keep forever.

To the YTT grads - Monica, Marissa, Kota, Maddie, Mack, Sophia, Alessia, Ben, Drew, Destry, Chrissy, Juli, Kelley, and of course fellow yoga teachers Liv & Brittney who shared their own special additions with us for their continued education hours, you all hold such a special place in my heart. I can’t wait to see what you create in this world. Thank you for the laughs, the inspiration, and for sharing your gifts. I love all of you!

And to Claire and Noah... thank you for trusting me and asking me to be a part of Beach Town Yoga’s first international training (and bringing me on as the first teacher at Beach Town! Well, Bryce thinks it was him but we can debate that later LOL! Cheers to the OG's). I’m so proud of what we built together and continue to build our community and spread the love! Love you guys.

This experience reminded me of another Ted Lasso gem being a student AND a teacher: “Coaching is a lot like riding a horse - if it feels comfortable, you’re probably doing it wrong.”

Facilitating while learning stretched me in ways I didn’t expect, but those are the exact edges where growth happens.

There are so many more memories to count: sink laundry emergencies, Ted Lasso quotes on repeat, chocolate-fueled belly laughs, full moon fire rituals, new moon intentions, sound bowls, salsa nights, yogis in the wild, the best tasting coconuts ever, ahi bowls, monkeys calling our bluffs that we didn't sneak in snacks in our bags, all the dogs, a lost tank top, ocean wave enemas trying to capture the perfect picture (we got it!), Monica's kindergarten teacher references, Sophia's mobile pharmacy (5 star btw) Yamas & Niyamas book club, Chakra story time, Soul movie night, oracle cards, tons of palo santo, movement and brain power, and we may never know who really farted on the bus ride back to the airport (I mean we think we do....) But what I’ll hold onto forever is the bond we created - 19 humans, forever connected by yoga, growth, and pura vida.

I was beyond excited to get back home in Tampa Bay to my husband, Jesse, and our fur babe, Bowie. I missed them like crazy, and coming home to snuggles, love, and a audience for all my jungle stories was the best. I’m endlessly grateful for their support, they’re my real-life grounding crew.

And then, back to teaching yoga! Let’s just say my first class home was a little hazy (shoutout to Miami airport for the “luxury” extended layover experience 🙃 thank goodness my travel buddies were just as slap happy or we may not have laughed so hard I almost peed my pants trying to process the rules of "Phase10" card game... thanks Monica!), but what I do remember is how good it felt to be back in the room with my crew (Hell yeah, Monday!). Sometimes home isn’t just a place, it’s a community and wow, it felt good to land in both.

I let the walls crack, because it let's the light in (P!nk fangirl!) and my heart is cracked wide open with gratitude, and this is just the beginning. Retreats, workshops, and trainings are on the horizon, and I can’t wait to bring this energy back to our community.

Pura Vida forever. 🌙✨