The natural jungle environment in Osa, Costa Rica is the perfect setting for curative wellness experiences. Forest bathing, earthing, and other wellness services are abundantly offered in this region for revitalizing your health in the amazing wild environments found locally. It is accepted knowledge that engaging with the natural world is important to our health. Nature is a primary antidote to the burnout that humans feel when consuming too much technology. There are many modern stressors that humans have not yet evolved to cope with on our own and nature serves an important but seldom thought of purpose today, which is to inspire us to reconnect with ourselves, others, and our environment. When living in urban areas, everywhere we turn there is something else beckoning for our attention. To combat this hectic mind state, it helps to unplug from our busy routines and to immerse ourselves in the simplicity of nature. ‘Connection’ is the currency of wellness. Stressors get in the way of connection by triggering our fight-or-flight response. Global stress levels are increasing and many are now feeling a need to change environments to improve our core interactions with each other and our environment. Taking time to retreat into nature and setting good intentions for our health – even in these times of crisis – can make us more compassionate beings. Osa Tropical Properties is located in an eco-minded region of Costa Rica known as the Osa, which is an inspiring coastal mountain landscape that invites visitors to regenerate in a natural way. This is a sacred region that is known for having fresh and clean mountain springs that feed majestic rivers and empower magical waterfalls. This highly forested area is rich with wildlife and the dozens of beaches along the coast are each ruggedly beautiful in their own ways. As ambassadors for this region, we feel that it is our obligation to share in the healing powers that make this natural jungle wonderland famous worldwide. Osa's unique environments are ideal for hosting transformative wellness events like forest bathing, earthing, yoga, and natural spa sessions – all of which can potentially help you reset to a more natural you.

The Rise Of Wellness Experiences In Osa

[caption id="attachment_64603" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Yoga with a backdrop of vibrant green in Ojochal's Serenidad Yoga and Wellness Center[/caption] Wellness is more than being free from illness or other health conditions. It is a process of growth and change. The global rise in medical costs and healthcare expenses makes the “cheapness” of fast food seem less valuable. Humans changed over time from hardy cattle raisers, farmers, and homemakers to being fixated on fast, cheap, and easy. So many of us are failing our potential for longevity, and in visiting or moving to Osa, Costa Rica, we have that chance to give ourselves a much-needed reset to a simpler way of life.  Wellness activities are not just fitness trends. What the local wellness community in Osa, Costa Rica offers is a natural ‘ecotherapy.’ Researchers have been studying the physiological benefits of connecting with nature for almost 30 years and have come to the conclusion that time spent immersed in nature is good for us. The wellness practices offered in Osa involve entering living environments and consciously connecting with what’s around you. Trained guides and practitioners offer assisted ecotherapy excursions that will leave you feeling enlivened, focused, and at peace.

Forest Therapy

Forest therapy is a meditative stroll that is led by a trained guide who encourages you to commune with nature in a deeper way. They share knowledge about the trees, the earth, and all life that lives in the forest and how it is connected while you walk through and take in the magic.  The quiet and cohesive ways of the jungle make it easy for guided forest hikes in Osa to inspire curiosity about the forest and our connection to it. Forest therapy is an open-ended practice with no prescription for what a person should experience or the benefits that will be received. It is a practice of reciprocity in which the forest and the human work together to support the wellness of each other. There is a clearly defined structure to the experience with room for creativity and serendipity. [caption id="attachment_64595" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Guided forest hikes at Ojochal's Reserva Playa Tortuga show the passion for conservation and appreciation for nature.[/caption] As you walk further into the forest, the atmosphere changes. Sounds are much more still away from the buzz of humanity. Instead, the silence of the forest is punctuated by a cacophony of birds and insects, the animal life scurrying around, and the wind rustling the leaves. You leave the ‘monkey mind’ behind and get into spaces in the mind that you can't when you are on the cell phone or in traffic. Nearly half of Costa Rica is covered by forests that house almost 6% of the earth’s total biodiversity. Osa’s tropical wet forest is a unique ecosystem in Costa Rica that is magical to behold. Palms, ferns, and bromeliads are prevalent in this fascinating environment that is naturally wet for more than half the year. Orchids are also one of the more common species found here, creating bursts of color in the wash of green. Trees communicate with each other and other parts of their forest habitat. On the exterior, trees have rugged stems and beautiful crowns. But underground there is another world of infinite biological pathways that connect them to their environment and allow them to communicate instantaneously as though the forest is a single intelligence. Trees communicate with us, too, by releasing a high concentration of phytoncides, which are airborne essential oils that provide a natural immunity boost. The health benefits of a phytoncide immersion can last for weeks.

Earthing

Earthing, also known as grounding, involves performing activities that bio-electrically reconnect us with the earth. The simplest form of this activity is walking barefoot on the earth. We have blocked ourselves from this most natural connection between our feet and the earth with the daily use of rubber or other synthetic soles.  The benefits of earthing are most readily felt when we go to the beach. This is where most people feel comfortable taking off their shoes or laying down in the sand, unimpeded in their connection with the earth. Submersing ourselves in water is another way to ground our energy. Water is an amazing conductor and is a perfect medium for us to exchange energy with our environment. In our crystal-clean, mountain spring-fed rivers, with their powerful waterfalls, as well as the pristine and wild beaches of this area, Osa offers a sensational environment for grounding. You can use the sound of the moving water to really still your mind and connect with the surrounding environment. The air is electric in this environment and this relaxation activity can be a revolutionarily peaceful experience for anyone – young or old. The benefits of grounding are still mostly anecdotal. Many people report an improvement in energy levels and a suppression of chronic pain. Grounding is also used by practitioners to treat anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances. It can be used as a supplemental treatment for cardiovascular disease and in reducing blood pressure levels.

Yoga in Osa, Costa Rica

Yoga is another wellness activity that is offered in abundance throughout the Osa and it promotes human development from a holistic perspective. The word ‘yoga’ in Sanskrit means ‘union’ and the practice of yoga serves to strengthen the physical, energetic, emotional, psychic, and spiritual dimensions of the practitioner through deep stretching, balance, posture, and breath work. [caption id="attachment_64597" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] There are many established yoga classes throughout Osa, and many more opportunities to practice in remarkable natural settings[/caption] There are many variations of how to practice yoga and you will find the majority of them in this blooming wellness mecca. Therapeutic and restorative yoga classes foster breathing and relaxation and can be found in a variety of beautiful locations in the forest or in a meadow for an outdoor practice in communion with nature. Yoga classes in Osa can be found for children up to 12 years old with games and more free-form body expression. Exercises are carried out in groups or pairs, fostering teamwork and collaboration. Yoga helps children develop creativity and cognitive processes, stimulating concentration, optimizing the immune system, and stabilizing emotions. Sonotherapy is also offered alongside some yogic experiences. Tibetan bowls made of a mixture of metals as well as other musical instruments are used to promote a state of deep relaxation through resonance. Harmonies from the bowls and instruments stimulate atoms and particles in our bodies, balancing our energy vortices, called chakras. The sound and vibration generate feelings of profound relief in pain levels, discomfort, physical injuries, and stress.

Sensual Spa Experiences in Osa

[caption id="attachment_64596" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Create your own private jungle spa experience on your Osa property for everyday stress relief[/caption] After nearly two years of non-stop health worries, it is time for all of us to take a health retreat. Costa Rica’s incredible nature helps us place a strong emphasis on healthy eating, physical activity, adequate rest, education, and relaxation. These are the foundations for delivering a memorable and sometimes even life-changing experience, which the nature of the Osa region of Costa Rica dishes out in droves. Spa sessions in this beautiful environment help visitors to achieve a thorough wellness experience through a holistic approach to mind, body, spirit, environment, and community. People who visit a spa in Osa go to disconnect and recharge in a top eco-spa design. Sumptuous natural materials are matched with a sensational environment for a perfect ‘me-time’ escape. Minimalist designs let nature take center stage. [caption id="attachment_64606" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The rugged natural beauty surrounding Oxygen Jungle Spa in Uvita de Osa is what makes this spa one of the top rated in the country.[/caption] The signature spa offerings available in this area are designed to renew, detoxify, hydrate, and infuse your body with antioxidants through the essential nutrients given by the mineral-rich water and other local ingredients often used in this region’s spa experiences, which helps to maximize your connection with the natural environment of this area. Locally-grown fruits, herbs, essential oils, and mineral-rich clays are used in traditional soothing and healing techniques for massage, reflexology, infusions, and exfoliation. The diverse wellness experiences found in Osa, Costa Rica are about embracing nature while relaxing and detoxifying. If you’d like to know more about our favorite wellness experiences in the area, send us an email (info@osatropicalproperties.com) or comment below!