Fuentes Georginas

In the final week of our course we decided to take an overnight group trip to the nearest hot springs. We hired a private van to take us on the two and a half hour ride that traversed hundreds of hairpin turns and roads that were literally falling apart. The word "pothole" doesn't even begin to describe the gaping ravines in the asphalt.  But it wasn't our drivers first rodeo and without flinching he got us to our final destination which was high in the clouds of the Guatamayan mountains.

For 150 Quetzals each, just under $20, we got entrance to the springs and a night stay in their cabins. We explored the three different areas of springs around the cabins and were in awe of the mossy cave walls surrounding the pools. At this elevation it was noticeably colder than our forest so the hot water was amazing and with the beauty of the natural environment it felt so rejuvenating!

Walking back from dinner we just couldn't help but to feel like we had landed in some mystical fairy village, staying amongst the fountains and ferns in small fairy cabins with fireplaces.

And in the morning after hiking down to the third spring next to a waterfall we agreed that the most beautiful thing is that these magical places exist all over the world. No matter what the news or mainstream media wants us to believe, in reality the world is full of really good people who also want to enjoy nature and the planet is thriving and everything is working out perfectly.

San Marcos la Laguna

This quaint and unique village is nestled on the shore of Lago Atitlán; with a total population of around 3000, San Marcos is home to a small and lively community of expats and travellers. The lake itself holds the same frequency as the heart chakra. The extraordinary healing power of this land has been known since the Mayans - who built a massive pyramid complex at what is now the bottom of the lake.

In the 1970s a Guatamayan woman from a family of channellers had vision in a dream of coming to this lake to open a center for esoteric studies. She followed her dream and purchased a lake front property in San Marcos and built The Pyramids. Offering courses in a variety of studies such as: metaphysics, astrology, pranayama, & lucid dreaming; this was the first of many centers that would make a home in San Marcos and really made this village into the spiritual mecca that it is today. 

Forest Life

Its all a dream. I wake up to a deafening choir of birds and bugs. The sun shines thru my 2nd story window and the clock reads 5:37. Plenty of time for a hot shower before 6:15 meditation. 7am yoga class on the side of a mountain. I open my eyes from savasana and see the lush green forest around me, I hear the gentle trickle of the waterfall on the rock wall behind me and realize its not a dream, I am home.

830 breakfast includes a huge bowl of papaya and pineapple, black coffee & half an avocado. And by 10 we form a small circle of students to chant a mantra before we begin our daily lesson in Thai massage.

1 o'clock is lunch time and we enjoy couscous, pitas, hummus, falafel, taziki, & a vibrant salad filled with edible flowers and all sorts of greens.

The afternoon is spent relaxing in the hammock, reading, discussing and sharing our spiritual paths and experiences. Before we know it, its time for 4pm yoga class over looking Lake Atitlan from the Shakti Shala.

The gong sounds again at 6, letting us know dinner is ready. We hold hands in a circle & bless the meal then we conclude ¡Buen provecho!  Brown rice, vegetable curry and a beetroot salad with flatbread and herbal tea. Chatting after dinner is about all I have energy left for and im in bed by 830!

A full schedule of classes and meals are just the tip of the experience here as San marcos is a small but lively community of artisans, and spiritual seekers, travellers and hippies! There are weekly Kirtans held at an ashram nearby. And every sunday the Yoga Forest hosts an Ecstatic Temple Dance where free movement is explored in a peaceful and serene setting.

The community here is an amazing group of adventurous and enlightened yogis who are eager to share skills & insights. I have already learned so much about massage, gardening, permaculture, shamanic journeys, acrobatics, fermentation, composting, and cooking! And it only makes me realize how much more I still want to learn & experience here!!!