What are some ways you help save the planet and practice being eco-friendly?

Stacey: At SunSpark Yoga, we have a dedication to Mother Earth & commitment to mindful & conscious eco-friendly business practices by:

• Utilizing recycled paper products, low-VOC paint & non-toxic earth-friendly cleaning products;
  
• Offering free filtered water & encouraging the use of reusable water bottles;
  
• Encouraging our students to walk and/or bike to the studio;
  
• Recycling paper & plastics;
  
• Supporting both local and eco-friendly businesses.  I apply all of these same principles in my personal life as well.  I believe that simple conscious choices we make in everyday life can directly contribute to restoring the earth’s natural balance, and by choosing environmentally friendly products and business practices, we can all do our part to support the movement towards a healthier, sustainable planet. 

Ernie: We use recycled paper products. We DO NOT sell bottled water but provide free filtered water for our students and encourage them to bring refillable bottles. We try our best to use vendors with values that match our own.

Tell us a little about what to expect from this retreat & who is it for?

Stacey: As I’ve mentioned before, SunSpark Yoga is all about community.  We aim to share our love for yoga, great food, nature and spark for life with our participants.  Just as we do in our Old Towne Orange studio, we will embrace you as you are, and encourage you to do the same in your personal yoga practice.  We will begin our morning with a 30 minute pranayama/meditation practice followed by a 1 ½ hour yoga practice to start the day. We’re looking forward to enjoying a delicious farm to table lunch from Blue Osa, and an afternoon of relaxation or adventure of your choice that can include a visit to the Animal Sanctuary, Surf Lessons, Waterfall Rappelling, Sea Turtle Preservation, Zip-lining, or just chilling by the chemical free pool or on the sandy beaches.  We’ll wrap up our afternoon with another yoga practice that could include Yoga Nidra Meditation, Restorative Yoga, Hatha Flow, Gentle Yoga Stretch or Sound Healing Meditation.  We encourage you to practice mindfulness in every aspect of your life and embrace the present moment by living in harmony with the rhythms of nature.  On this retreat, there is no agenda, but embracing yourself as you are and enjoying the fullness of life.  Enjoy time with both old and new friends and find quiet moments to appreciate the stillness within yourself.  This is Pura Vida!  This retreat is for EVERYONE.

Ernie: SunSpark Yoga and its students are not super-yogis.  We're just a bunch of people who love to practice yoga. We consider our teachers to be conduits or guides to assist students in finding their own path. Our intention is to simply bring what we do in our studio to Costa Rica: no promises of grand revelation, no rigid focus on one type of yoga, just our peeps together in paradise enjoying each other’s company through yoga.  This retreat is for the human race.

SunSpark Yoga Costa Rica Retreat Leaders

​​​¡Pura Vida in Paradise!

SunSpark Yoga Costa Rica Yoga Retreat Leaders: Stacey & Ernie Schuerman

July 20th -25th, 2019
Join us on this amazing adventure!

Click here to sign up!

One-on-one with Stacey and Ernie Schuerman  about the upcoming Pura Vida in Paradise Costa Rica Yoga Retreat at Blue Osa Yoga Eco-Retreat and Spa.

How has Yoga changed your life?

Stacey:  I’ve always said that “Yoga makes me more in tune with the person I strive to be and more comfortable with the person that I am.”  On the physical side, my muscles have become longer and leaner through asanas, my athletic-induced asthma has subsided from pranayama, and I can spread my toes!  On the mental side, I am less impatient, more at peace with life and the challenges it brings, and very happy and grateful for the simple joys of living.

Ernie:  Yoga has given me the tools and ability to settle down. I can easily say that yoga has added feet to my fuse.

When did you realize that you wanted to become a teacher?

Stacey: The first yoga class I ever attended in 1999 was very slow and meditative... I wasn’t ready for it!  About 3 years later, I started taking yoga classes at a local gym, and loved both the physical and mental results.  Then, I began taking classes at a studio where my teacher, Meredith McFadden, owner ofPure Yoga Pilates Studio in Wilmington, DE, practiced and quickly discovered yoga was the perfect combination for aerobic capacity, strength development, balance, increased flexibility and stress reduction.  Additionally, I immediately embraced the sense of family and friendly, open environment within the yoga community.  In addition to the physical benefits, I found yoga helped to create a sense of balance in my otherwise hectic life.  Slowly, it became less an “exercise” and more a daily part of my life, as I slowly incorporated more and more meditative aspects.  After almost 5 years of dedicated personal practice, I decided to share my love of yoga and the transformative power of a consistent practice with others.  In 2007, I trained with one of my first yoga teachers, Johnny Gillespie, at Empowered Yoga, a small locally owned studio in Wilmington, DE, for my 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification, gaining a solid foundation in alignment-based practices, combining influential blends of Anusara, Iyengar, Bikram and Ashtanga disciplines, and in 2011 completed my 300 hour Training with Cloud Nine Yoga, which allowed me the freedom to embrace the teacher within me.  Each and every teacher and student that I’ve ever had inspires my own style, and I feel it is constantly evolving with and for my students.

Ernie: During my 200 hour training, I determined that I did NOT want to be a yoga teacher and I dropped out. Building and operating SunSpark Yoga is the most fulfilling thing I have ever done in my life, and this is enough for me. I am perfectly content as a student.

Why did you decide on Blue Osa for your retreat?

Stacey: I personally love that Blue Osa is focused on Yoga, Community, and Eco-friendly business practices, as those are the same values I honor at SunSpark Yoga.  They are off-the-grid and seek to leave the smallest carbon footprint possible.  Their amazing location on the beach and next to the jungle is also a huge draw for me and my students to relax and explore nature with friends and family, but also find time to enjoy stillness and quiet time alone.   Blue Osa’s food is farm to table, which means that they get all their fruit and vegetables from their own organic garden, coconut trees and pineapple patches on the property or the local fishermen and neighboring organic farmers.  You can read more about Blue Osa and their eco-friendly practices here: http://www.blueosa.com/eco-resort/.

Ernie: Blue Osa has amazing online reviews. Blue Osa specializes in Yoga retreats which makes my duty as host so much easier. I love their off-the-grid, eco-friendly business practices. I love the fact that Blue Osa is in a remote location, on the beach and surrounded by jungle.

Email info@sunsparkyoga.com or call us (714)-786-5994