Lindsay Samuels is a volunteer at Blue Osa Yoga Retreat + Spa in Costa Rica. She volunteers in the garden and teaches yoga in exchange for room and board. Just one of the many amazing opportunities one can connect to within the Yoga Trade community. Thanks you Lindsay for sharing your “confessions of a volunteer” story and for inspiring Yoga Trade members to set intentions and take leaps of faith.
What made you decide to volunteer at Blue Osa?
I was looking for an opportunity to exchange my work as a gardener and yoga teacher for a comfy bed and three meals a day. Unable to find what I was looking for after about 2 months of light searching, I finally 
asked myself, “what do I really want?” The answer that came: I want to be on the beach somewhere tropical, swimming in the ocean every day, working in a garden and teaching yoga. I meditated on this with intention and clarity, and within 36 hours Aaron invited me to come fill the gardener position!
asked myself, “what do I really want?” The answer that came: I want to be on the beach somewhere tropical, swimming in the ocean every day, working in a garden and teaching yoga. I meditated on this with intention and clarity, and within 36 hours Aaron invited me to come fill the gardener position!What was your first impression of Blue Osa when you got here and how has it changed?
My first impression was that it was incredibly beautiful land, with incredibly beautiful people. That has not changed.
What is your favorite thing about Blue Osa?
The friends I found there… I feel like they are my family now. That, and the incredible yoga practice space!! (Ok, and: “Tico night” for dinner. Most. Delicious. Food. Ever.) Oh! And, swimming in the gulf every day after work in the garden. (Clearly I can’t choose just one favorite thing…)
What will be your fondest memory when you leave?
There are so many wonderful memories to choose from, mostly involving my partner-in-bliss Taylor, but if I must choose… I’ll say it was helping to release baby sea turtles to the ocean, and watching them get gently swept into the sea by the waves to fulfill their destiny.What did you find most rewarding about volunteering?
I felt blissfully fulfilled by the loving, joyful relationships I formed with the staff and other volunteers.
What did you find most challenging about volunteering?
Iguanas! And, other crop-eating pests in the garden…
What piece of advice do you want to leave behind for future volunteers?
View obstacles as opportunities, take time to be by yourself and recharge/do what you enjoy, dance with abandon at Martina’s at least once, and skinny-dip in the ocean at night (the full moon is an ideal time for this activity)!
