Pachamama Ecovillage
Located in the blue zone of Nosara, Costa Rica, Pachamama Ecovillage and Intentional Community is named after the indigenous Central American deity whose name can be translated as “Mother Earth.” Pachamama is a healing center for meditation, cleanses, yoga, therapy, and awareness practices as well as a community of intentional people hoping to live more harmoniously with each other, themselves, and nature.
For two months I attended their work exchange program, where long-term visitors work in the community for half of their days there in exchange for lunch, dinner, and a complementary camping spot. The only requirement is that one attends at least one workshop per month which costs money, but work exchangers get a discount. If you would like to purchase extra food, products, and stay in a casita (small house) instead, then you will pay extra accordingly.
There are regular visitors who just come to stay for long-term vacations or for retreats and workshops, as well, but I strongly recommend the work-exchange program or to stay for longer because the best thing about Pachamama is really being a part of the community, and it’s difficult to do so with short stays or when you’re not involved in the community in some way.
They have free daily silent meditations and yoga/movement classes, a jungle shop for your convenience, a cafe, a beautiful river, a restaurant, yoga shalas, a meditation hall, an internet lounge, a kitchen and living area for work exchangers (as well as central lockers and showers/toilets) They have a recycling center, a food growing program, they make some of their own products in reusable containers, and they also have dance floors by the river. There’s a beach bus to San Juanillo, a local Costa Rican town, where you can go to the gorgeous beach and shop around town for things you can’t get at the jungle shop at Pachamama (the San Juanillo shop also exchanges cash if you need an ATM solution)
Their workshops and retreats are absolutely life-changing. I attended two, as part of my contract as a work exchanger, and they were both incredible. The first was called Embodied Presence, in which I learned how to really be present in my body, and integrate all of my awareness into one, which helped me decrease the amount of dissociation I was experiencing, allowing me to really step into and savor the moment as well as be fully present for my life and the people around me.
The second workshop I attended was Five Days to Live and Die, where I really faced death head on, realizing that I was scared of life, scared to truly live, and it was accepting life, choosing to have faith in life, and trust in myself that I can overcome anything. After one of the program’s activities, I cried so much with joy at the miracle of being alive, and felt so at peace after facing death and in doing so, truly becoming alive.
One of the most important things I learned from being at Pachamama was the concept of silence. Every night, there is an hour of silent meditation, where the whole community comes together in the meditation hall and sits silently. Sometimes, it becomes a sharing circle or we listen to a live musical performance or meditation philosophy, but mostly it is silently sitting. For an hour. All together.
The energy in that room is indescribable. Peaceful gathering is so powerful. We just sit. Silently. We move beyond concepts, words, ideas, identifications, attachments, judgments, all of the nonsense that comes with noise, and we just sit like humans. I didn’t really experience energy before sitting in that room, but with my eyes closed, surrounded by such lovely people in perfect, peaceful silence, I felt my own energy swirl, watching my thoughts pass by like clouds, rooting back into the center of my being, feeling all the energy of the people around me, letting go of all the nonsense, coming back to the here and now.
We make ourselves crazy with the amount of BS we construct in our heads. Silent meditation, and the concept of silence itself, is so freeing, because we can leave behind any of the notions or beliefs or judgments we may have created or absorbed through language and let it all go. The ego-mind thinks it knows everything, that if it thinks hard enough and worries enough, it can be prepared for anything and control everything. It can’t. It’s just driving itself bonkers.
I love silence because silence is not deceitful, it’s not creative, it simply is. It’s true, calm and neutral. You can’t lie when you come to silence. Your mind can come up with thoughts like the heart can come up with beats, but when you distance yourself a bit from the noise, and experience life as an observer rather than identifying so much with what the mind is doing, you can leave all of its neurotic, egocentric preoccupations aside and actually be in the moment, breathing, feeling, being, enjoying, freely.
I learned from my experiences and conversations at Pachamama that when we are thinking a lot, it means we are afraid and we’re trying desperately to be in control as much as we possibly can be. It means we don’t trust life. I overthought, was anxious, created stories in my head that drove me mad, made plan after plan, thought long and hard about things, trying to make sense of it all, but after experiencing the essence of silence, of presence, of acceptance, I was able to surrender to life, to trust in my ability to respond effectively to even what might be unexpected, to simply be and to follow my intuition, the wisdom of my heart, of my gut, and to let my mind know that everything is going to be okay, that it doesn’t have to do so much, constantly, because I am safe and I will take care of things as they arise with compassion and grace.
Some of my favorite experiences were the very simple things. Fun, meaningful conversations with beautiful people, watching mini-concerts that would pop up unexpectedly, observing the pizotes (Costa Rican raccoons) iguanas, and monkeys take their fill of our fruit scraps. Pulling tarot cards, huddling together in the rain, singing and jam sessions in circles, the wind through our hair riding in the truck bed, back from a cacao ceremony. The incredible book and food selections, the regular open mic nights where we could see the talents of our friends. The magical river and land, free flow rogue yoga sessions, making delicious chocolate and tea and having dance parties, deep discussions and fun times learning Spanish and cooking in the kitchen, delicious papayas every day.
I spent most of my time at Pachamama alone. At the time, I was struggling with the same interpersonal problems I always have and still do. The difference was, I knew my imperfection wasn’t going to be judged. Everywhere I turned, when I was too nervous to make eye contact, or unsure how to approach a social situation, I was always loved and held and understood, and eventually, I felt at home with many people there. I understood that it’s okay to be a little reserved and cautious when meeting new people, and that it’s okay to warm up over time, even if some people don’t understand. I’ve been through a lot in my life, and the people who will be good friends are those who lead with empathy and give me the grace and compassion to be whoever and however I am being and not judge me for that and instead, be understanding and give me the time and space to warm up at my own pace if I so choose to.
Community is about having shared values and honoring each other, using healthy communication and being compassionate with one another. Community is gathering intentionally to hold spaces where everyone feels held, nourished, purposeful and fulfilled in collaboration for the collective good, including our planet, which supports us each and every moment of our existence.
There were many moments at Pachamama where I thought the words, “This is heaven.” And although it is just a bunch of hippies trying their best so it has its flaws, it truly is such a special, beautiful place that has opened my eyes about what is possible for this world. If spaces like Pachamama can exist, than for me, there is hope that more of the world can be like that.
As an idealist, I experience quite a bit of despair at how most of the world is operating. Thus, seeing a place like Pachamama really helped me to lift myself from that despair a little and start thinking practically about how places of healing and community can sustainably and regeneratively exist, and how I might be able to be a part of supporting those places.
As the first intentional community I ever visited and in general, I will never forget this place. I strongly recommend visiting, but fair warning, it’s not super cheap and it’s not a five star hotel, it’s living close to nature, close to each other, run by a bunch of (lovely) hippies, so it won’t be for everyone. However, if you’ve been reading so far and you’re all HELL YES’s still, do yourself a favor and absolutely visit Pachamama.
If you are interested in learning more about Pachamama or visiting, here are their links:
