I just got back to Canada from our inaugural yoga/mountain bike retreat in Mexico. And I'm still on that beautiful beach, listening to the waves lapping at the shore and watching birds circle the ocean.We spent 6 nights at the sublime Punta Monterrey and 1 night in the mountain town of San Sebastian. Punta Monterrey is a beautiful private beach, 1 hour north of Puerto Vallarta, 2 km down a dirt road past the sleepy village of Las Lomas. There are 8 cabins, and the place is owned by Jaime Acosta and his family. From the moment we arrived, Jaime and his family (his mom and aunt did all the cooking) made us feel like we were at home. The food was out of this world - healthy and delicious, with lots of fresh vegetables, fruit and fish.
They had just completed a brand-new yoga studio 1 week before we got there, on the hillside overlooking the beach. We started each morning just after sunrise with an energizing session with Johanna, and finished off with a relaxing sunset session. It was without a doubt the nicest, most scenic yoga studio I've ever had the privilege of being in.Our group had mixed experiences with yoga - some had practiced for years and/or were teachers themselves, some were fairly new to it. But everyone seemed to get a lot out of it. I hadn't been practicing much over the past few months, so I was stiff and awkward my first few sessions. But by the end of the week, I found myself getting deeper into my practice, more flexible, and more able to relax into the poses. I've never done a week straight of 2+ hours a day of yoga, so it was a new and enlightening experience for me.
Johanna took her yoga teaching off the mat too, giving us tips for incorporating our yoga practice into our riding, and focusing on poses that would strengthen our cores to make our riding stronger.
The area is surrounded by jungle, and all of our rides featured beautiful scenery: ocean views, giant palms with hanging vines, lots of jungle birds, and lots of cows.
One of the coolest aspects of the trip for me was when we visited the local school at Las Lomas, just up the road from Punta Monterrey. As part of our Keeping Rides Sacred program, we put a percentage of each trip's revenues into local community projects, and Jaime from Punta Monterrey had suggested we do something to support the school, as they had no money and little government funding.We met with the school headmaster one morning, and he showed us the middle school, a small, dilapidated wooden structure that served as the classroom for 14 students. The building, he explained to us, was open to the elements and in the rainy season the classroom flooded and the students would have to put their desks up on stilts (or they would cancel class altogether). Would we consider helping them building a wall on the uphill side of the school to prevent flooding (and keep out rats, he added)? I agreed, and asked him the cost.
The money we were contributing would make up about half of the budget, so I asked our riders if any of them would consider contributing to the project. Amazingly, within minutes we had the rest of the funds. Later that day, Jaime called up the hardware store in San Pancho and 2 days later, the school had a huge pile of cinder blocks and mortar. The local families, I'm told, will be starting construction in early April and the whole community is pitching in.It was an amazing example of tourism doing good in the world - not as an act of charity, but as an act of thanks. A thanks for letting us use their trails and visit their communities. We have a number of projects planned with the community of Las Lomas for future trips, as well as projects all around the world with our other trips.
We still have 2 spots left on our April 12-19 Mexico trip, so if you're itching to get on your bike, into downward dog, and onto a beach, give us a shout.
Mike Brcic,
Sacred Rides
www.sacredrides.com
