Last updated April 15, 2024
Does this sound like you: “I have too much to do.” “I’m going to answer just one more email before I close up shop for the day.” “I’m on deadline—I really can’t stop now.”
It’s so easy to make excuses to avoid a well-needed break while you hammer away at your keyboard and head down that rabbit hole of more. But we can’t keep on keeping on. Rest is fundamental to our overall well-being. Our brains need a recess and our bodies require sleep to function.
Find Your Reset Button
Ironically, many of us think we know how to rest—equating it with a good night’s sleep. Not to burst anyone’s bubble… we’ve got it all wrong. Sleep itself cannot restore us to the point of feeling rested.
In her TED Ideas post, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith says, “We go through life thinking we’ve rested because we have gotten those eight hours of sleep per night. In reality, we are suffering from a rest deficit because we don’t understand the true power of rest.”
So what do you do when you don’t understand something? You learn it. And learn how to rest you will at The Retreat Costa Rica. At best, you’ll leave with a wellness toolbox to incorporate into your life (hopefully) forever.
Resting is Truly an Art
Perched on a 50-acre high vibrational crystal mountain with sweeping views of the Gulf of Nicoya is The Retreat Costa Rica, a luxury wellness boutique resort. Offering guests a transformational experience in a restorative environment, The Retreat has designed a unique five-night Art of Resting program that offers sought-after relaxation as well as personalized instruction for guests to learn how to ensure quality rest time and activities to incorporate into their lives when they return home.
Getting proper rest is becoming something of an art. Sleep and rest are not mutually exclusive, insists Diana Stobo, creator and owner of The Retreat Costa Rica.
Rest allows people to rediscover their true nature by eliminating the busy-ness of their lives.
“Rest has a broad spectrum of positive influence on your health; it is more inclined to increase mental and physical well-being by stopping activity,” says Diana. “Sleep, on the other hand, is a general reset of all things. Sleep allows the body to detox, release and restart.”
Resting can help eliminate oxidative stress from “doing” and allow the art of “being” which is a very elusive definition. Rest can help restore a sense of calm and surrender that ignites overall well-being. Rest can also pave the way to a better night’s sleep.
Can You Learn How to Rest?
Yes, it can be tricky to find time for rest. But rest allows people to rediscover their true nature by eliminating the busy-ness of their lives. Many guests stay on average five days, notes Diana, adding that she definitely sees shifts occur as each day passes.
“It’s typical to see guests arrive on day one stressed, hurried, panicked and excited. On day two, they begin to let go of expectations, the agenda and themselves. Then on day three is always a big turning point, as they begin to relax and dive deep inside themselves. And finally, on day four they surrender to the day as it unfolds. Day five nobody wants to leave,” says Diana.
The Retreat Costa Rica builds in plenty of respite and rejuvenation into the Art of Resting retreat, including pranayama sessions with the resort’s Ayurveda doctor, sound healing and aromatherapy treatments.
Guests also enjoy luxurious accommodations overlooking Costa Rica’s lush, tropical forest; three daily anti-inflammatory organic meals at the two farm-to-table restaurants; daily yoga and hiking; and peaceful spa treatments at the Vida Mia Healing Center and Spa.
The Art of Resting
Diana explains that each inclusion within the Art of Resting program has been carefully curated, starting with location—the crystal energy of the quartz mountain provides a calming vibration, inducing well-being and is perfect for “rest.”
Guests learn pranayama, a breathing exercise, from the resort’s Ayurveda doctor. Pranayama is said to help increase energy and release stress, improving overall mental wellness. Guests also receive an Ayurvedic cranial massage that balances marma points with a Kansa wand used to soothe, tone, and release stress from the body.
The benefits of the program run deep, starting with location—the crystal energy of the quartz mountain provides a calming vibration, inducing well-being and is perfect for rest.
Diana Sobo
Sound Healing, Aromatherapy and Crystals
Sound healing is used to help the body and mind relax, promoting deeper rest. Second is aromatherapy. Aromatherapy spa treatment uses plant materials and aromatic plant oils along with other aroma compounds to improve psychological and physical well-being.
The various crystal therapies promote physical, emotional and spiritual healing by positively interacting with the body’s energy field.
Adjacent to the main house is the Vida Mia Healing Center and Spa where each of the treatment rooms is named for indigenous healing crystals and has open-air or large windows to connect guests with nature.
With innovative and organic remedies fused with the wisdom of ancient therapies and the metaphysical powers of the four elements—earth, water, air and fire—the spa aims to connect health, beauty, relaxation and healing, focusing on genuine therapeutic treatments and hands-on experiences to connect, nurture, protect, and heal the mind and body.
Vida Mia was carefully designed with ancient Feng Shui principles balancing energies throughout the construction of the building to optimize, health, wealth, charisma, love, sex and luck.
The Retreat grows and cultivates its own medicinal herbs for holistic wellness practices. They also make scrubs, tinctures, oil infusions and creams for therapeutic treatments at The Apothecary, which is also used for educational events.
The Learn How to Rest Test
The big question remains: how can guests ensure they will maintain their learned rest routine once home and back into the daily hustle-bustle again?
Diana says there are no guarantees that guests won’t re-emerge into “real life” with some old habits.
“This is why we recommend a retreat a few times a year. To bring new and more balanced information into their mental and emotional awareness that becomes habitual,” says Diana.
“Eventually, people begin to remember what it feels like to be in a restful state even when things are challenging and they can access that feeling at will.”
The Art of Resting retreat is ideal for anyone experiencing burnout or recovering from grief or a traumatic experience. It’s also great for new moms who are trying to get back into their regular sleeping habits.
About Vacayou
At Vacayou [pronounced VACAY – YOU], we believe that travel has the power to change lives. The power to revive, rejuvenate and redirect your inner wellness warrior. And that’s why we’re here. Vacayou brings the world of wellness travel to you!
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