Yoga in the Rainforest

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go on a ladies weekend yoga retreat in the tropical forest region of Mindo. Mindo is about a 2 hour drive outside of Quito on the western slope of the Andes.

The Cabin

The climate is cloud forest and is about 10 degrees warmer than Quito. One of the 2^nd grade teachers at our school is a yoga instructor and she put together this girls-only weekend for us to get out of the city, get into the jungle, and unwind with some yoga and meditation…and obviously mucho vino.

I carpooled with a group of women (all mothers) and about the first 30 minutes of the car ride was spent talking about how excited they all were to be able to enjoy a weekend to themselves, sans dependents (husbands included). We were already receiving reports of pancake dinners and disregarded bedtimes from the fathers left behind on child rearing duty. I sat quietly in the backseat and smiled to myself as I listened to the exchanges. I was happy that these busy working mothers were all able to attend a much deserved retreat.

Possibly one of the things I miss the most living in Quito is green – grass, trees, vegetation, and the damp lush fragrance that they provide. Quito is concrete and chills and I can’t tell you what a relief it was to my spirit (and my lungs) once we started to reach the outskirts of Mindo where Nature was abundant and there were more shades of green than I could count.

The Pulley to El Monte

We stayed at a beautiful eco lodge called El Monte. The grounds butt up against a raging (well, maybe more rushing than raging) river. This river can only be crossed by sitting on a wooden bench and being manually hauled across via a pulley system – which means you have to holler across the river and hope someone at the lodge hears your calls so they can send the swing across the river. Clearly, it would be no big effort to build a little footbridge across the river, but the pulley system definitely adds a “Members Only Secret Treehouse Club” vibe to the whole experience. El Monte’s property consists of 6 cabins that sleep 3-4 people, and one great “meeting place” open-air cabin where all the meals are served family-style.  It was on the open-air deck of this meeting place where we had our 3 yoga sessions. You couldn’t dream of a more beautiful venue. The weather was just warm enough to be comfortable. The air was fresh. On all sides we were surrounded by tropical rain forests. Our yoga was accompanied by bird calls, insects chirping, and leaves rustling gently in the breeze. A few times tropical birds flew within a few feet of our prone and stretching bodies, really adding to the experience of reconnecting with self and nature. The weekend went like this: Arrive in Mindo mid-

The Meeting Place

morning. Anoint yourself with bug spray (okay, so this part wasn’t “organic” or “clean living” but bug bites are really annoying when you’re trying to balance your knee on your shoulder, so give me a break). Congregate on the deck for a 2-hour Vinyasa flow class, then lunch – grown from the organic garden on premises), followed by a Hatha-hybrid Restorative session, then dinner. Then wine, wine, and more wine. Then chocolate bars in the cabin. Then blissful peace and quiet to read a book and eat chocolate in bed. (This is seriously one of my most treasured things). Then breakfast. Then hike through the balmy forest trying not to crush the leaf-cutter ants as they go about their business, followed by an hour and a half Chakra-balancing session to align and open our energy channels. Only too soon it was time to pack up our bags and send them back across the river swing to head back home to Quito.

It was wonderful to be surrounded by Nature, to be surrounded with such smart, funny, and loving women, and to dedicate a little time to yoga and meditation. I did leave feeling quite restored, a little more grounded and peaceful inside, and I’m happy to report, with only 3 little bug bites. This is definitely something I would like to do again, and knowing that this quiet green haven is just a couple hours away from my concrete cacophony is a calming and reassuring reality.