Rainforest Reflections - Costa Rica

It’s noon on Sunday, June 21, 2015, and I’m sitting in a small wooden chair on my front porch, listening to the rain. I’ve been living in tent for the better part of a week, although it’s not the typical tent you may expect—other than a few spiders and a large scorpion I found in the fold of my shower curtain. The tent includes basic amenities like a twin bed, electricity and bathroom, and is one of about eight scattered across the idyllic and eco-friendly Luna Lodge.

The afternoon rains are tranquil. They come and go...come and go. The lodge offers a complimentary umbrella, but I much prefer the ease of a raincoat and backpack cover when, like the rain, I come and go, up and down the hillside, to and fro an open-aired yoga platform, where I’ve found my peace on a comfortable white cloth hammock that overlooks the cloudy treetop canopy.

Most of my time here at the Luna has been spent in that hammock. I try to write in four-hour intervals, taking breaks only to give my mind a reprieve from the intense mental grind required to finish Maven’s story. It’s been quite the process, but one I’ve learned to appreciate more and more each time I look up at the inspiring rainforest panorama in front of me.

Being able to disconnect from the distractions of modern-day life has helped me to reconnect with myself, and freeing my mind temporarily from the addiction of emails, phone calls and social media has allowed my creativity to run wild. There have been so many firsts for me on this trip, the last of which has been my decision to drop in on a few yoga classes. 

I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of yoga and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give in a try in a setting as breathtaking as the Luna, where clouds rise like steam across the rainforest canopy, often enveloping the yoga platform in an ethereal fog, which, for me at lease, made it a challenge to close my eyes and focus on my breathing.

The experience was more than I had bargained for, especially for an unlimber fellow like myself, whose first two classes involved holding unusual poses that still have my sides and back reeling with soreness.  I honestly had no interest in participating in a third class, but I was assured it would be restorative and low key.

It was exactly what I needed. A small towel covered my eyes as I laid in silence, listening to the unknown noises of the rainforest.  My idea of yoga has always been less about the physical and more about the mental, eliminating the clutter from my mind and the restraints from my imagination. Too often, I force myself to be creative when I know creativity should come naturally like it did during that last yoga class. Maybe, I’ll continue yoga when I return to Dallas. Worst case, I’ll make sure to disconnect for a little while each day, the same way I have done the past 22 days I’ve been here in the Osa.

I can’t remember a time outside of college (GO BUFFS!) when I have written as much. I completed three very important chapters in my novel, and I also wrote seven blogs about my experiences. At first, I really struggled with the decision to devote so much time to these blogs, but I know that each new entry affords me an opportunity to introduce readers to a world I first imagined so many years ago.

Tomorrow, I fly back to Dallas for a week layover before heading out on my next trip. Thanks to everyone at both the Lookout Inn and the Luna Lodge, as well as all the amazing new friends I met along the way, for making this trip one I’ll never forget! There’s so many things I will miss about the Osa, one of which is the conch shell I now hear blowing in the distance, signaling to me that it’s time to throw on my raincoat and head in for lunch.

Follow me on Instagram at @Joshua_Maven or @HonchotheVan, on Twitter @MaventheRaven or Facebook at Facebook/TheLastImperial.

Pura Vida