Now that we have settled back into the groove of things after landing back from our adventures in Costa Rica, we have had some time to reflect on the wonderful insights of life that were sparked in our consciousness through cosmic encounters...
Here is the story of two very special ladies that have gifted us with so much more than a spectacular photo-day!
Before each photoshoot day, we usually search for and touch base with local yoginis via Instagram, looking for collaborations and new connections. This is how we first met Rima. We reached out to her, and we hit it off right away!
Our photoshoot was set to unfold on a beautiful beach in Santa Teresa which is blessed with a splendid jungle that nearly kisses the ocean. A stunning scene that allowed for a variety of both beach and jungle backgrounds for our wonderful sunset shoot.
And so, as we were warming up we were also getting to know one another, Rima shared with us that she is from LA, but that her family is originally from Lebanon. She told us how she used to visit them every year and filled us in on the restaurants and yoga scenes in Lebanon.
We share a border, neighbors in every sense of the term, yet the political relationship between Lebanon and Israel does not allow us to cross that border. Yet, here we are, thanks to yoga, laughing, enjoying each other's company and enriching the heart together!
Yoga has created a bridge by which we can meet, connect and create beauty in the world through an emphasis on our similarities and not our differences.
For Rima, yoga started as a tool to learn how to meditate and quiet her mind, she did not expect it to have such wide-ranging ripples and be such an important catalyst for change and transformation in her life.
Rima said it best: "yoga was completely humbling for me. It helped me see my ego and how I was showing up in so many ways. My mat became my way to see myself and the parts I wanted to hold onto and the parts I was ready to let go of"
As a licensed marriage and family therapist, Rima incorporates the many gifts she has received through yoga into her daily life, yogic philosophy guides her decisions, and breath always directs her back to the present moment, helping her stay calm even when waves come crashing down as she surfs, "I use intention when I surf and yoga helped me understand what intention means".
A few days before we were set to meet, we offered Rima to invite a friend to come along and join us for the photoshoot for we are firm believers that the more, the merrier!
As the day was winding down, we made our way along the beach towards Christina.
Christina is a spunky, spirited ball of fire that leaves you no choice but to love her right off the bat! She has traveled through South & Central America, crossing from Ecuador to Peru on horseback over a period of a year and a half before reaching Costa Rica and falling in love with the land 19 years ago.
Yoga is rooted deep in Christina's story, as she started practicing at the tender age of 11, led by an intuitive willingness to discover more about the mysteries of life and our connection to the divine. At the age of 18, she completed her teacher training and has been teaching yoga ever since.
For Christina, yoga is a practical philosophy of union between the individual self and the universal self and is therefore harmonious with many of her other interests which include hypnotherapy, shamanism, breath work, psychology, sound journeys, and many more forms of healing.
“I can say I have the tools to better deal with the challenges of life and to live a healthy balanced existence”
Thanks to this special encounter, we learned a lot!
Beyond getting to know two amazing women with an exciting story, for us, Rima and Christina embody the idea that yoga is complementary to every and all parts of life.
No matter which way we choose to walk, or what we choose to engage in, yoga is a tool that supports us and guides us to self-fulfillment and balance between the many different parts of ourselves.
