What You Need to Know About Your Nicaragua Adventure

October 16, 2016October 16, 2016Autumn Adams

Nicaragua may be one of my favorite places on earth. When I tell people how much I love Nicaragua I’m often met with questioning stares. It seems that the majority of people I come across still think Nicaragua is torn by civil war and unrest, which is simply not the case (and it hasn’t been for years). Each time I visit Nicaragua it is an adventure. Where will your Nicaragua adventure take you?

Nicaragua has been touted as the next Costa Rica for the past decade (maybe even longer). Thankfully, it hasn’t seen the runaway development that Costa Rica has seen. Nicaragua offers all that Costa Rica offers, but at a fraction of the price! My advice: get to Nicaragua ASAP.

Nicaragua is THE place for Adventure Lovers

And also misadventure lovers!

I’m not sure where to start with this one… It seems that there is always an adventure to be had, whether it is surfing Nicaragua’s Pacific Coast, climbing a volcano, exploring primary forest, kayaking one of it’s lakes, or scuba diving off of one of Nicaragua’s remote islands. Nicaragua appeals to nature lovers, yogis, and adventure junkies.

Time for a swim at Finca Esperanza Verde.

Your Nicaragua adventure can be easily planned by exploring one area at a time. Nicaragua can be divided into three distinct regions: the Caribbean lowlands, the central highlands, and the Pacific lowlands. With 565 miles of coastline split between the Pacific coast, the Caribbean coast, and a handful of Caribbean islands Nicaragua’s coastline provides miles of beaches to be explored and waves to be surfed.

Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, designated as the North and South Autonomous zones, is a rugged and rural area of mangrove forests, savannas and primary forest. This area is difficult to travel to and requires an expert guide. I have only dipped my toe into this area, so I can’t write about it much. If you would like to read about my misadventure and the yoga of travel check back soon.

Lakes and Beaches of Nicaragua

On the Pacific side of Nicaragua you have loads of beaches, some incredible popular with locals, tourists and expats and some beaches where the only other person on the beach may be a local fisherman. Nicaragua’s continuous offshore breeze means that there is surf everyday of the year… of course somedays will be small and other days will be monstrous and others will be just right.

San Juan del Sur on the southern end of Nicaragua’s Pacific Coast is a great hub for your Nicaragua adventure if you plan on surfing and exploring the southern beaches. You’ll find plenty of accommodation options, meal choices, yoga classes, and easy transportation to neighboring beaches if you don’t have your own wheels. Also, if you need to get work done there is reliable WiFi at most of the beach restaurants.

Interested in riding a crazy flyboard, go horseback riding, or swing down a zip line? They have those in San Juan del Sur too. A great way to meet people in San Juan del Sur is to join a class or two at the community minded Zen Yoga Studio or if that’s not your jam hop on the popular sailing trip. San Juan del Sur does tend to attract a bit of a party backpacker crowd, so if you stay in town expect a bit of noise.

Playa Maderas, just north of San Juan del Sur, is one of Nicaragua’s most popular beaches and surf breaks. Playa Maderas’s laid back vibe invites you to slow down and stay awhile. Here you can either jump in on the action and join the line up or watch surfers of all levels rip it up or just wipe out while enjoying a passion fruit juice or cold beer. Book one of the places on the hill or join a Nicaragua Yoga and Surf Retreat for epic views, fantastic yoga and the opportunity to catch the first wave of the day. Yoga and Surf Retreats are a great option if you don’t want to be in charge of planning, board rentals, transportation, meals, etc.

Yoga retreat with a sweet ocean view!

Infinity deck overlooking Playa Maderas.

In the San Juan del Sur area there are many beaches and many surf breaks. If you don’t already use Magic Seaweed check out their site. One of my other favorite beaches in the San Juan del Sur area is Playa Remanso. When the waves are BIG or unrideable everywhere else Playa Remanso will often have something to play with. There are also a couple of beach bars that serve up seafood, typical Nicaraguan plates and cold drinks. The whole Nicaraguan coast from the Costa Rica border up to Popoyo is worth exploring.

Within the Nicaragua Depression lie the two largest lakes in Central America. Lago de Nicaragua, the largest freshwater lake in Central and South America is notably the most famous. In Lago de Nicaragua you’ll find numerous isletas near Granada and the massive Isla de Ometepe. Ometepe is recognized by it’s two massive volcanoes: Volcan Maderas and Volcan Concepcion, both worth the sweaty climb up. Like sharks? Lago de Nicaragua is also home to fresh water sharks. I promise I’m not making it up!

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Standing on the shores of Lago de Nicaragua and taking in the view of our destination: Isla de Ometepe and it’s two massive volcanoes.

My favorite inland swimming hole is Laguna de Apoyo, which is set within a massive jungle clad volcanic crater. The water is crystal clear, warm, and incredibly deep. I always save a day or two at the end of my trip to spend floating on a tube in the lake simply relaxing. There are many options for places to stay the night or enjoy for just the day. Beach clubs often have a day use option for $6-7 USD. Laguna de Apoyo is about 45 minutes from Managua, so it can be a nice way to spend your last day in Nicaragua, especially if your booked on one of the late flights. Laguna de Apoyo or Nicaragua for the day? It’s a pretty easy decision for me! If you need to get your yoga fix check out one of the local yoga centres.

There are no islands on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua, but there are a handful on the Caribbean Coast, most notable the Corn Islands and the Pearl Cays. These islands are worth the hassle of getting to and worth spending a week (or more) exploring and chilling. There are direct flights from Managua to Big Corn Island for the Corn Islands and direct flights to Bluefields to explore the Pearl Cays.

Pristine beach on Little Corn Island.

From Little Corn Island you can take your Nicaragua adventure underwater with one of the local dive shops. We dive with Dolphin Divers when we’re there. Also, if you want to practice yoga on Little Corn Island there are plenty of options including Dragonfly Yoga at Little Corn B & B, Yemaya, and Funk Yoga and SUP. My favorite places are those that I can combine my love for all things water with yoga. Paddleboard yoga. Yes please!

Where blue meets green.

I haven’t explored the Moskito Cays yet, but they are supposedly home to several endangered species including the Hawksbill turtle, the Caribbean manatee, the Tucuxi freshwater dolphin, and the caiman crocodile. The Moskito Cays are definitely being added to my ever-growing bucket list!

Forests and Highlands of Nicaragua

Take your Nicaragua adventure up to the highlands. I love the ocean, but if I’m not in the water the heat of the lowlands can start to get to me. Luckily, Nicaragua has some amazing highlands near Matagalpa, Jinotega and Esteli. The highlands are characterized by lush hillsides, mountains, coffee and chocolate production and a lack of tourists. The daily temperature in Nicaragua’s highlands is also marvelously cool and temperate. I can now fully understand the desire to have a mountain retreat. Guided hikes exploring the countryside are easy to arrange. Steve and I hiked a trail just out of Matagalpa on our last trip and it was lovely!

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The view from Finca Esperanza Verde

If you have wheels head out to Finca Esperanza Verde. Finca Esperanza Verde is an organic coffee and vegetable farm AND an eco-lodge that uses fully sustainable methods and supports the development and growth of the local community. The finca also maintains miles of trails to explore the surrounding jungle and hosts researchers and birders year round. I look forward to returning to Finca Esperanza Verde in February 2017 for a weeklong Yoga and Hiking Retreat in the Nicaraguan highlands.

Also, make sure to indulge in some Nicaraguan coffee and chocolate… it’s marvelous. The chocolate is like nothing you will find in the states. I recommend El Castillo del Cacao… they even have a bar with coffee in it. Yum!

Nicaragua also has numerous rainforests. Reserva Biológic Indo-Maiz are nearly pristine and the best in the country and Reserva Natural Miraflor contains a tiny lake and a waterfall. Biológic Indo-Maiz covers 3,626 square kilometers (1,400 square miles). In only a few square kilometers within the preserve, a habitat exists for a greater number of species of birds, trees, and insects than are found on the entire continent of Europe. Indo-Maiz protects the largest contiguous extent of primary rainforest in Central America, a 7,300-square-kilometer (2,820-square-mile) area that is called the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve.

Visit Volcanoes During Your Nicaragua Adventure

No Nicaragua adventure would be complete without visiting one of the many volcanoes, so if hiking, surfing, diving and yoga aren’t your thing than head up to Leon and go volcano boarding. I still haven’t been to Cerro Negro for volcano boarding… mainly because I don’t feel like destroying my body on volcanic stones, but it does look fun. Technically, you do have to hike up to “surf” down.

The caldera of Volcan Masaya

Volcan Masaya near the town of Masaya is a popular tourist stop and interesting in a sulfuric, hot sort of way. Volcan Masaya is most definitely active. It’s easy to combine with a trip to the handicraft market in Masaya.

Volcan Mombacho, which is relatively close to Granada is pretty touristy, but offers a couple of different trails and helpful guides.

During my first trip to Nicaragua in 2009 I had the opportunity to climb Volcan Maderas and I loved this sweaty jungle hike on Ometepe Island. The hike begins in coffee country and you eventually climb up into the cloud forest. We saw howler monkeys and beautiful birds. Once we made it to the top, we then descended into the crater where there is an incredible muddy lake, but if you’re overheating it’s worth the eww factor. While we were at the crater there was a group of young guys playing baseball. It was super fun to watch. It was a slippery muddy, shoe-sucking slog back down… so muddy I actually through my shoes away.

Local game of baseball within the crater of Volcan Maderas

Just the beginning of Nicaragua adventure — muddy shoes and lots of smiles!

Our hiking guide for our trek up Volcan Maderas.

Where will your Nicaragua adventure take you? We host yoga retreats within Nicaragua twice a year. Shoot us a message if you’re interested in joining one of our yoga and adventure retreats or one of our Nicaragua yoga and surf retreats. Enjoy your trip wherever it takes you!

Love and Light,

Autumn

Healthy Moroccan Spiced Carrot Hummus

October 7, 2016Autumn Adams

A few years ago I came across this AMAZING recipe for Morrocan Spiced Carrot Hummus on The Kitchn. The Kitchn is one of my go to websites for healthy recipe inspiration. This healthy Moroccan spiced carrot hummus recipe is a crowd pleaser with it’s interesting mix of flavors, bright color, and healthy ingredients. This recipe is so good that I haven’t really explored making changes to it. I do typically use fresh ginger (the original recipe uses ground ginger) and I peel the skins off of the chickpeas, which is time consuming, but also kind of therapeutic and it makes the hummus creamier and easier to digest. I also tend to add a little extra of all of the spices. I’ve been a bit obsessed with Moroccan spices lately. 🙂 They’re just so good!

Moroccan-Spiced Carrot Hummus

Makes a ton! (And will last about a week in a sealed container in the fridge)

Ingredients:

1 pound carrots, chopped into 1-inch chunks
3-4 whole cloves of garlic, peels left on
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained if from a can. Note: I like to peel the outer skin off to make a creamier hummus
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water + more to thin if necessary
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
thumbnail piece of fresh ginger peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Fresh cilantro or parsley to garnish

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
On a lined baking sheet toss the chopped carrots and whole garlic cloves with half of the olive oil. Roast the carrots in the oven until tender and lightly browned. After about 10 minutes of roasting stir the carrots and garlic and then place back in the oven for another ten minutes.
Remove carrots and garlic from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled enough to handle peel the skins off of the garlic.
In your food processor combine carrots, garlic, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, water and all of the spices. Begin to process your hummus and with the motor running slowly add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Process until smooth. You may want to scrape down the sides at some point. If the hummus is too thick and you still have large chunks of carrot add a little more water or oil and process until the right consistency.
Garnish with a cilantro or parsley sprig or two and serve with fresh veggies or crackers.
Impress your friends with this tasty snack!

How to Deepen Your Backbend Safely

October 5, 2016August 20, 2019Autumn Adams

So you want to backbend deeper? I’m with you. I don’t have a naturally “bendy” back, so I have to work pretty consistently to keep my backbends good and healthy. In this post I will share with you my tips to deepen your backbend safely. In this blog post I will focus on urdhva dhanurasana or wheel pose, which is a traditional back-bending pose that shows up in most level 2+ vinyasa yoga classes.

Just remember it’s not all about the flexibility of your back. You must open up the entire front side of your body to deepen your backbends and then my friend you must practice patience and ahimsa. Don’t force yourself into a posture before your body is ready for it. If you experience any pain at all you must come out of the posture, check your alignment and then perhaps come back into the posture or choose a gentler version. Maybe you just practice restorative postures for a bit and slowly add in more strength building backbends and then begin to deepen the backbend safely.

1. Warm Up The Entire Body

This might seem like a no brainer, but seriously if you want deep backbends you must warm up the entire body, not just your back. Stretching and strengthening are of equal importance. The following postures are all excellent warm up postures; combine them with a few rounds of sun salutations and you have a complete practice to deepen your backbend safely.

2. Get Specific. Let’s Talk Postures.

When preparing for deep backbends you must consider what parts of your body will be involved; for example, in wheel pose the wrists, shoulders, back, hips/hip flexors, quads and glutes all need to be warmed up and stretched out. Core activation is also key. Using wheel pose as our example lets begin with the wrists and work our way down the body with a full body sequence to open up our front body, so we can backbend safely.

Wrists

- Wrist circles

- weight bearing wrist stretches from a table top pose

flexion/extension

Shoulders (Start gentle)

Shoulder circles
cat/cow
sun salutations
melting heart (anahatasana)
downward facing dog at the wall
prone pectoral stretch
Downward facing dog and dolphin pose
Add binds to your standing postures.
Interlace the hands behind your hips in warrior 1, practice humble warrior,
eagle arms in warrior 3
gomukhasana
prasarita padotanasana c (wide leg forward fold with hands clasped behind hips)

Back

Cat/Cow
Side body stretches
Twists
Cobra Pose
Upward Facing Dog
Locust Pose (perhaps add a bind)
Bridge pose with the hands bound.
Add backbends to your standing postures (anjaneyasana, crescent lunge, warrior 1). It’s important to strengthen and stretch!
Natarajasana (Dancer’s Pose)

Hips and Hip Flexors

3 legged down dog
Anjaneyasana (low lunge)
lizard pose
pigeon pose
reclining hero pose
King Arthur’s Pose

Quads

Anjaneyasana
Lizard pose
Pigeon pose
Reclined Hero’s pose
King Arthur’s Pose

Gluteals

Fire up your gluteals
Squats
Chair Pose
Lunges

Core

Plank Pose
Forearm Plank
You don’t need to do a ton of core, just enough to activate the muscles and get them to turn on.

3. Proper Alignment

Hand placement

In wheel pose the hands are shoulder width distance (slightly wider is okay too), wrists are parallel to the short edge of your yoga mat, middle fingers are parallel to one another and the fingertips point back toward your heels.

Feet placement

Feet are hips width distance and PARALLEL to one another. Don’t turn the feet out or take them wider.

Upper thighs

In all backbends you want to think of wrapping the upper thighs in toward one another.

Tailbone

In wheel pose think of lengthening your tailbone toward the wall behind you. This will keep you from compressing the lumbar spine. In Locust Pose, Cobra Pose, Upward Facing Dog, and Bow Pose you will also want to lengthen the tailbone toward the wall behind you. And in Camel Pose think of lengthening your tailbone down toward the floor.

Heart/Chest

Don’t let the heart drop. Always lift through the heart. Once again this will help keep you from taking the entire backbend in your lumbar spine.

Core/Lower back

Gently draw your lower abdomen in. Once again, keeping your core engaged will help protect your lower back.

4. Active and restorative backbends.

You need to practice both active and restorative backbends, so grab your block, bolster, yoga wheel… or whatever else you’ve got. It’s important to allow your body to relax into passive backbends too. Restorative and yin style backbends stimulate the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). If you can stimulate the PNS (relaxation response) in your active backbends you’ll be golden when it’s time to do drop backs and inverted backbends.

5. Bodywork and Myofascial Release to Backbend Safely

Yes, I said it. Get yourself regular massages. Between massages I use tennis balls, or if you’re hard core or a glutton for punishment you can use lacrosse balls, to release tension in the fascia and connective tissue. Myofascial release will help create space within your entire body. Look for a roll and release class or marma point therapy class at your local yoga studio.

Lets see your backbends yogis! Tag me on Instagram @ambuja_yoga or Facebook @ambujayoga

And as always feel free to shoot me a message if you have any more questions.

Love and Light,

Autumn

Ushas Mudra

October 3, 2016February 20, 2019Autumn Adams

Ushas mudra is the mudra for new beginnings, alertness and the second chakra, swadisthana, at the sacrum. The second chakra is our center of sexuality and creativity. In Sanskrit, Ushas means “break of the day” or “origin of good things” hence the mudra being used for new beginnings.

To Practice Ushas Mudra

Ushas mudra can be practiced first thing in the morning to help wake the body. It is the perfect practice when you have those three “snooze button” kind of mornings. To practice ushas mudra as a female interlace your fingers placing your right thumb between the index finger and thumb of your left hand. Your left thumb gentle presses into the thumb of the right hand. Males practice ushas mudra with the fingers interlaced and the right thumb resting on top of the left thumb.

Here is my favorite way to practice the mudra: maintaining the mudra take your hands back behind your head and let the head rest heavy in the palms of the hands, then stretch the elbows out to the side. With elbows pressing back into your pillow or bed begin to deepen your breath, perhaps arch your back slightly. Take a few rounds of deep breath here and then (still maintaining the mudra) stretch your arms overhead and turn the palms away from you. Stretch the body as long as you can and point out through your toes. Take some ankle circles. Take a few rounds of breath here and when you feel energized and alert make your way out of bed.

Ushas Mudra Benefits

According to Gertrud Hirschi, “This mudra concentrates the sexual energy of our second chakra and directs it into the energy centers above it.” Ushas mudra improves mental alertness, balances our hormones and concentrates sexual energy.

Affirmation for Ushas:

I am enthusiastic about life. I enjoy life’s pleasures.

I am present and alert in all of my actions.

I embrace change and new beginnings.

How to Prepare for a Yoga Retreat

September 26, 2016August 20, 2019Autumn Adams

A common question from retreat attendees is “how do I prepare for a yoga retreat?” For most of us, we don’t practice yoga 2+ hours each day, let alone 5, 6, or 7 days in a row so I think there is a bit of fear and apprehension that comes into play during the lead up to a yoga retreat. Don’t sweat it. You’ll be fine whether you practice once a week or everyday…. an experienced yogi or a newbie. The following are my tips for how to prepare for a yoga retreat, whether it’s your first retreat or your hundredth!

1. Prepare for a yoga retreat by keeping your yoga practice up.

Make sure to keep your practice up and add a class or two if you have time. But most importantly keep your yoga practice balanced. If you always practice vinyasa add a yin or restorative class or vice versa. Your body will thank you when it feels strong, open, vibrant, and relaxed on retreat.

Two weeks before your retreat is not the time to start practicing headstands/handstands/advanced postures if you’ve never done them before. Trust me you don’t want to injure yourself right before your retreat. Just wait. If those postures are on the agenda at your yoga retreat you will have plenty of time to explore them in a mindful manner.

Warrior 3

2. Trust the process and your teacher.

Booking a yoga retreat is a pretty courageous act, especially if it’s your first retreat or with a yoga teacher you don’t practice with regularly. Assuming you’ve done a bit of research to get to know the teacher a bit better, have chatted with them on the phone or via email and connected on social media it’s time to relax. An experienced retreat leader will make sure you receive all of the necessary information before you need it. Let go of the need to micromanage your life for just this little bit… you’re going on retreat aren’t you? Let your retreat leader guide you on your journey.

3. Be willing to put in 110%.

I’m not just talking physically here. Be willing to open up, to let go of old habits and preconceived self-limiting beliefs, to let down your walls and to connect with others. You already have a lot in common with the other people on the retreat, so be yourself and enjoy new friendships.

Yoga babes.

4. You don’t need 20 pairs of yoga pants, your hair dryer or your makeup.

I’m completely guilty of overpacking yoga leggings and I’ve seen it many times from my students too. You don’t need as much as you think. Likely, you will end up wearing the same couple of outfits over and over simply because it’s easy. And there is no need to primp during a yoga retreat. We will happily accept you as you are. Sweaty, crazy haired, and glowing.

5. Prepare fora yoga retreat by ask yourself “What is my intention?”

Get clear about your intention or sankalpa for the retreat. What are your goals? Why are you attending a yoga retreat in the first place? Is it to deepen your yoga practice? To learn meditation? To relax and rejuvenate? To connect with yourself? To heal emotionally, physically, spiritually? Whatever your intention don’t be afraid to honor that. Sometimes honoring your sankalpa means skipping a yoga practice to sleep in or journal or walk the beach. Sometimes it means being bold and letting down all the barriers you’ve built up. Sometimes it means trying something completely new.

6. Eat mindfully, so you don’t “shock” your system.

Healthy eats! Raw vegan wraps. Yum!

Most yoga retreats have amazing, healthy meals with minimal processed food, meat, alcohol and caffeine. You can prepare for a yoga retreat by beginning to cut processed food and toxins out of your diet a week or two before the retreat. Ease your way into a new healthy radiant you.

7. Practice on your travel mat beforehand.

If you’re bringing a travel mat, or even a new mat, make sure to practice on it beforehand. A slick mat, or one that stretches in downward facing dog is annoying at best. Test it out beforehand and if it doesn’t work out pack your old standby. A “crappy” mat can make for a frustrating yoga retreat. You don’t want something as simple as a yoga mat to detract from your experience.

8. Learn about your destination.

Where are you going? What is that part of the world known for? Do you have time for extra excursions? Prepare for a yoga retreat by doing a little research beforehand. It will get you pumped up about where you’re going and it might even get your friends excited enough to tag along. Sweet!

9. Set aside all expectations.

Manage your expectations. As you prepare for a yoga retreat make sure to ask your retreat leader questions about things you want clarity about…. transportation, food, excursions. Get the answers you need and want… and then let it go. The nature of retreats, especially international retreats, is that sometimes things need to change to bring the best experience to the students. Maybe the teacher has had to rearrange excursions due to whether or even swap them out completely… maybe instead of going on that jungle hike you’ll get a lovely massage instead. Don’t worry about it. The instructor wants you to love the experience as much as you want to love the experience, so roll with the punches, go with the flow, ride the wave. It will be amazing.

“To explore what it would mean to live fully, sensually alive and passionately on purpose, I have to drop my preconceived ideas of who and what I am.”

Dawna Markova

Happy Retreat Prep Yogis!!!

Love and Light,

Autumn