Surfin Yogis Club

Bolsa Chica Surfin Yoginis (with the little yogis in tow!)
When: Fridays, July 17 - August 28, 2009
Time: 10 am - 2 pm
Where: Bolsa Chica North (At Sunset Beach)
Cost: $0 (Your contribution is to bring a healthy snack to share, loving eyes & ears for mothering, arms for holding babies & hugging children, surf gear for the communal pile and a heart willing to take time to nourish yourself with the female tribe…)

Sun, surf, yoga and delicious sharing at one of the safest kid-friendly surf beaches in California (at least that’s what we think).

It is free to park, carpooling is encouraged.

Call Erika’s cell to find our exact location on the day of each meeting: 310-989-0878
April Matulich will be available to teach surf lessons (for all ages)! 30 minutes for $20!

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read a little inspiration from an 11/28/07 blog…

Being pregnant & Surfing like a pro!
Current mood: awake
Category: Travel and Places

so, of course costa rica was magnificent. this time i got to surf six days out of seven for two hours or more each time. the only reason i took a break from surfing was that all of us went zip-lining on the one rainy day which was WAY beyond my last experience. most of the eight lines were over 2000 ft long and set way above the forest canopy. we even had to hike up to one! i can’t tell you how beautiful the deep red clay, warm breeze and fresh rain felt as i glided across like a bird from mountain to mountain. a couple times i even carried logan and sammy with me!

the kids were a ton of fun, always providing humor and “huggies” along with many silly moments like practicing partner yoga and thai massage. those little hands have the best energy! of course the three boys spent most of the time in the pool if we weren’t on the beach. taking logan and sammy out on the surf boards and teaching them to stand up was the best. so was eating ice cream, pringles, cheddar cheese pretzels and banana chips while watching everyone catch waves. because the moon was nearing full, we had remarkable high and low tides that dumped a ton of seashells onshore.

i impressed myself… my body felt so strong, and surfing was exactly what built me up even more. my best session had to have been our third day out, when we had the best offshore swell and perfect glassy rights coming off a very consistent peak on the north end of playa guionnes. the wave was witnessed by the whole group, although i have no pictures to show for it, it was probably the best ride i ever had in my life. maybe a six or seven footer, perfectly breaking to the right, i felt like i was one with the goddess. i couldn’t stop talking about it all day, i was so stoked! pretty good for a mama-to-be at three months pregnant. what a way to begin my second trimester.

i hardly took any pictures. nelofer was the queen of photos, she must have taken over 1500… so more to be posted as they become available! chris and mary, my dedicated retreat couple (they have been on three with me now) surprised us with bringing their poi. one night we got out the camera, had a few beers, and played with keeping the shutter open on the camera for 10 seconds or more while our various boys played with different colored light. chris provided a fire poi spinning show on the last night’s dinner at cafe luna, overlooking the great pacific, the full moon in gemini rising over the sky.

agnes and joe, the owners of villa mango at playa pelada, were absolutely warm and
welcoming on our second visit to their place. we feel like old friends… it is cool to think that my DVD is being released as we come home, i can relive it all with my students and clients again and again. “snookie” the coati-doggie was around everyday. he likes dog food and bananas. agnes has adopted him as her own pet. they also have a little grey kitty that took a liking to me. every morning as i rolled out my yoga mat, she was there waiting to practice. during meditation, she’d curl up on my lap and begin purring without me even touching her. sara and mark were the only two yogis that managed to make every single class. i think that even though the sun rises early (about 5:30 am) it takes a bit of a push to get going before our “tican” breakfast. agnes cooked us beans & rice along with eggs every morning, plus we had fresh tropical fruit and homemade smoothies. yummy yummy.

we were also visited, one morning during savasana, by a huge family (20 or so) of howler monkeys that hung out in the trees just in front of villa mango. they gave us a noisy, but very precious show of their antics and close connection to each other. these little black monkeys are so interesting, and the males HOWL so loud, you would never guess such a noise could come out of such a small creature!!! truly, the wildlife really came out for us this time. the second night we were there, the sea turtles arrived! we got to see the whole cycle one evening on playa ostinal, from mamas coming on shore to seeing one mama laying her eggs, to some tiny babies hatching and shuffling toward the mother ocean for the first time. it was positively breathtaking.

i have to say there were very few things that were downers on the trip. mostly for me it is the bugs, and they love me. there could be all twelve people around and they would go to me. at one point i counted 25 bites on my left leg. i also have a tendency to attract jellyfish. these ones are harmless and extremely small, but they hurt when they sting and leave a pretty good mark. besides logan and nelofer, who each got stung once — i got a whopping three. i guess i am so electric that they seek me out!

coming home on monday was good, although i was so tired all day yesterday i could barely do a thing. now i am up at 5am, 7am costa rica time (just happens to be the same time i got up to teach yoga!). i hope to have more energy today to get my stuff done. it will free up some time to call everyone back (i had 12 calls) at a decent hour of the day.

what i would give to just be in costa rica all the time!

oh, and btw: spending time with adam on this trip made me fall even further in love with him. we are so amazing together. when our retreat center opens, i can only imagine how much more incredible we will become as a couple! i love what vacations do to the soul…

i am feeling so good and clear. the surfing and sun always does that for me. and pregnancy is a real bliss so far. i am blessed.