I am the drum,
you are the drum,
and we are the drum.
The whole world revolves in rhythm.
Babatunde Olatunji
Nigerian Master Drummer and Educator
who introduced African Drumming to America.
At the Rhythm of Nature - Nature of Rhythm Retreat in Costa Rica's Living Forest we will revitalize our natural connection with the rhythms of the earth, playing rhythms with the monkeys, the trees, the rivers, the butterflies.
Since the beginning of time, drums and rhythm have been used to celebrate, communicate, and express all that it means to be human and open a channel to the divine connection with the rhythms of life on our planet. Drumming resonates through the body and reconnects us with our deep ancestral roots.
As we drum in Nature, we will bring heightened awareness and keen listening that opens the door to developing a new relationship with ourselves and with the Nature that surrounds us.
Participants will learn to embody rhythms from around the world and discover the energy, nuances, and power available as we bring those rhythms to life. No previous knowledge of drumming is needed. Listening to nature, we will explore sound as if we are the first people on the earth to discover rhythm. Together we will create a sacred place of harmony and deep connection within ourselves, with each other, and with the beauty and wonders of the Earth.
Join us at Costa Rica's magical Living Forest, nestled in the river's bend near Lake Arenal. Learn from the ancient voice of the forest and bring healing forth through deeply listening and being one with the Rhythm of Nature and the Nature of Rhythm.
This All-Inclusive Retreat includes:
Lodging at Living Forest for 8 days and 7 nights
Private shuttle transportation to and from Airport
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner daily from Locally-sourced food (gluten free and other options available)
Morning Gentle Yoga with Johanna
Morning & Afternoon/Evening drumming in nature workshops
Exclusive use of the Living Forest Retreat Center grounds, with river swimming, pathways through the forest, hammocks on the yoga deck all easily accessible to participants of all fitness levels. This intimate setting provides us with a place of deep listening to settle into the sounds of nature and bring forth the voices of our drums. The monkeys, butterflies and hummingbirds provide a backdrop for guided explorations into sound.
Adventure on the Tenario River Safari with authentic Costa Rican lunch provided followed by swimming and exploring the exquisite Llanos Cortes Waterfalls.
Take an excursion to some beautiful hot springs tucked in the rainforest at the base of the Arenal Volcano, with a delicious dinner afterwards.
Optional additional activities include Kayaking on Lake Arenal or a trip to the Arenal Ceiba Tree - the inspiration for Avatar’s “Tree of Life” (cost for additional activities not included)
Daily Rhythm of Nature, Nature of Rhythm Immersive Drumming Workshops led by Patricia Hatfield and Cheryl Ulrich
Cost: $1700/shared room in Living Forest Lodge or $1900/shared room in Riverview Casita
Early-Bird Discount: Save $150 if paid before January 15, 2018 ($1550 or $1750)
The Living Forest is a newly built Lodge & Retreat center where you wake up to the sound of a river and jungle with tropical birds and monkeys often in sight.
Near Lake Arenal and the Arenal Volcano.
The retreat center hosts yoga, transformational and healing retreats, dance and movement, art & creativity, meditation and other spiritual retreats immersed in nature. Johanna, the retreat owner, will be leading gentle yoga sessions in the mornings for the Rhythm of Nature Retreat.
Living Forest is happy to host this unforgettable experience and share some of the beautiful country, abundant wild life and its warm and friendly people. The staff is looking forward to having you stay at Living Forest in Lake Arenal!
Watch a Video About The Living Forest
The Living Forest Lodge has 3 separate bedrooms in the main center; Mariposa (Butterfly), Mono (Monkey) and Rana (Frog).
Two rooms have two single beds and a bunk bed. One room has a queen bed and a bunk bed. Each room can accommodate up to maximum of three people (without anyone needing to climb into that top bunk). There is a fan in each room and a screened door and windows.
The bedrooms each have easy access to ladies’ and gents’ bathrooms – which have one wall open to bring in the exotic feel of the outdoors.
River View Casita has been built separately but along-side the retreat center. The casita has 2 private rooms: Tucán (Toucan) and Lapa (Macaw). The double rooms have a king size or twin beds depending on your needs. The rooms have a fan and a screened windows. Each room has a private bathroom.
The casita has its own veranda where you can see the jungle and river right in front of you. You get to experience and observe the wildlife right from your chair!
About Costa Rica
Costa Rica is more than a vacation destination; it is an interactive sensory experience. The country is bestowed with an intense array of biodiversity and environmental attractions including majestic volcanoes, emerald jungles, misty cloud forests, stunning river valleys and hundreds of pristine and exotic beaches. Costa Rica or "rich coast" in English, lives up to its name in many ways.
In size, Costa Rica is a fairly small country, a grand total of 19,530 square miles which hosts around 3 million inhabitants, most of whom live in the Central Valley. For its size, the country has an amazing amount of diversity. From mountainous ranges, to tropical, dry, and cloud forests. Costa Rica is a naturist’s wonderland. There are over 10,000 identified species of plants, 850 species of birds, 800 species of butterflies, and 500 species of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, combined. Costa Rica carries a fascinating ecological story, woven into the history of a friendly, peaceful and family-oriented culture.
Costa Rica is on the Central American isthmus that connects North America and South America. Geographically speaking, it is part of North America while its cultural heritage is Latin American. Bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south and east. The Pacific Ocean borders the western and southern parts of Costa Rica, and the Caribbean Sea borders Costa Rica on the east. It is located between 9 and 10 degrees north of the equator within the latitudinal belt known as the Tropics. Easy to access from the Americas, it is a perfect place to explore paradise!
Named the happiest country in the world; a paradise for peace and biodiversity; a green beacon for environmental stewardship - Costa Rica is a country of many accolades. But Costa Rica’s history and culture extend far beyond the reach of international recognition. The small Central American nation is home to incredible biodiversity and rich cultures, a passion for freedom, and a history of democracy, equality, and education for all.
We have partnered with Tui at Blue Butterfly Events to mange support and logistics. She brings wisdom and local knowledge to provide peace of mind and local perspective to retreat participants. Tui has also gone out of her way for us, gathering drums and doing amazing things behind the scenes to make this a wonderful event.
March 11: ARRIVAL DAY!
Guests Arrive into one of 2 International Airports:
LIR – Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (Drive time is 1 ½ hours to Living Forest)
SJO - Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose (Drive time is 3 ½ hours to Living Forest.)
VIP Airport Drivers will greet guests at the airport on arrival and assist with luggage and escort them to waiting shuttles. Drivers will be waiting right outside of customs and have signs with your name, making them easy and safe to find. Shuttles will be private for retreat guests only and scheduled twice daily on arrival and departure dates, depending on flight times. Transportation is provided by bilingual, friendly, uniformed drivers in new, air-conditioned, insured and licensed Toyota vans and guaranteed on time. Service includes cold drinks, snacks and free wifi. Guests will be taken directly to Living Forest Retreat Center.
Guests may request that their driver stop anywhere along the way for bathroom breaks, photos ops and food.
Upon Arrival at Living Forest guests will be greeted by retreat leaders and Living Forest staff with welcome drinks, shown their accommodations and given a chance to settle into their new surroundings and meet one another.
That evening guests will enjoy a vibrant Costa Rican style welcome dinner, with a typical home-cooked meal, cold drinks, fresh flowers and music.
Then we will gather and begin to deepen into our natural shared rhythms.
Departure: VIP Airport Drivers will assist with luggage and drive you to your corresponding airport in private shuttles for retreat guests only and scheduled on departure dates, depending on flight times. Please note you should arrive 3 hours before your scheduled departure. Shuttles will be arranged according to group flight times. Flight departing outside of the group departure times can be arranged at an extra cost.
Anyone wishing to spend additional time exploring Costa Rica, please contact Tui at bluebutterflycr@gmail.com for travel assistance at no additional cost.
Patricia Hatfield resides and works in the Bay Area (in California), living her passion to bring people together in harmony and full self-expression through music. She leads drumming and music workshops and teaches classes in percussion and rhythm and improvisational music. She is trained in the use of cross-cultural music and sacred sound for health. She has been drumming for 25 years since studying music performance and composition at U.C. Berkeley. She has also studied with African and Afro-Cuban teachers, and has studied Indian Tabla with Swapan Chaudhuri at the Ali Akbar College. Find out more about Patricia at http://harmonydrumcircles.com.
Cheryl Ulrich is an expressive arts coach, musician, and improvisational performer from the San Francisco Bay Area. She leads workshops in The Art of Being, experiential adventures in sound, movement, music and improvisation designed to open people up to their own creativity and wellspring of expression. She has studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and been trained by improvisational leaders Marcia Kimmell of The Next Stage and Mary Knysh of Rhythmic Connections. You can find out more about her work at BodyPoetic.com
Patricia and Cheryl along with Judith Lerner make up an improvisationally based musical trio called Magic of Music, leading workshops based on their studies with Mary Knysh of Music for People. We create a safe place for play and exploration to arise and believe that everyone can play music and that there are indeed No Wrong Notes!
While our Rhythm of Nature Retreat will focus on drumming, this video shows the playful, safe and supportive approach we use to provide breakthroughs for participants in making music together.
Trip to Hot Springs with Dinner
The Eco Termales Hot Springs is a sanctuary of pleasure, nature and beauty that has been the life work of the Hidalgo family. The smallest of the Arenal hot springs, Eco Termales is geared toward privacy and relaxation.
The four pools vary in temperature, with the coolest being 91º F and the hottest being 105º F. One of the pools has a refreshing, cascading waterfall that visitors are invited to stand beneath. Paths laid with volcanic silt run throughout the complex, connecting the pools, changing rooms, and restaurant.
Doña Mireya, Eco Termales’ onsite cook, prepares wonderful food in a traditional Costa Rican kitchen.
Eco Termales is a wonderfully authentic environment that offers both privacy and tranquility within the Costa Rican rainforest.
Full Day Adventure:
Tenario River Float
Enjoy the tranquility of the lower section of the Tenorio River on this easy-going, safari float! This is the ultimate activity for nature lovers of all ages.
Your eagle-eyed guide will paddle and steer your raft as he points out many species of plants and animals that live in the jungle. Spot howler monkeys, lizards, crocodiles, and even river otters, plus an incredible amount of tropical birds such as ospreys, boat-billed herons, parrots, and kingfishers.
About half way down the river, you be able to see the river from land, as you pull over to the side and snack on some refreshing tropical fruit and icy cold spring water.
Then, make your way down the rest of the river where an open air-4x4 jeep will be waiting for you! Hop on board and ride on the bumpy back road through the scenic landscape until you reach a local restaurant where you’ll sit down to a delicious Costa Rican lunch.
Llanos Cortes Waterfalls:
After lunch we will head over to some relaxation and swimming time at the nearby iconic Llanos Cortes waterfalls. The falls are a short and easy hike from the parking area and the entrance, donation based fees support the local schools. With a soft white sand beach, this waterfall is perfect for easy swimming and enjoying the more of the gorgeous nature of Costa Rica. What a perfect day!
Optional opportunities include kayaking on nearby Lake Arenal, a hike to the ancient Ciaba Tree of Life, relaxing in a hammock, private time in nature, playing music together, and dangling your feet in the lazy river ,watching the monkeys, butterflies and more!
INCLUDED: Community Activity
We are strong believers of giving back to the local communities we visit. During this retreat, we will be visiting a local elementary school and doing a fun musical activity with them!
Experience the warmth of Costa Rica’s children as we visit the Sabalito Public School, which has 16 students in grades 1-6 from the local rural community.
Anyone who wishes to bring any additional supplies or support the school may contact bluebutterflycr@gmail.com for the schools current needs and wish list. (Which is mostly books and art supplies)
