In this Daily: Meditation and Finding it in Las Catalinas
Meditation can take many forms. Some prefer more formal practices like yoga or pilates. Others can find a meditative state during physical activity like running or working out. It’s possible to find meditation in the arts or music, and sportsmen like surfers, skiers, and mountain bikers often find meditation on mountain and wave.
Physical activities that have a natural rhythm, like a long run, can be a form of meditation
What unites all of these activities are two major factors. First, meditation is considered to have a calming effect. Even in high energy scenarios, meditative activities result in a sense of calm and peace. Second, meditation results in a sense of heightened awareness. Practices and sports that are truly meditative can make the practitioner more aware of their surroundings as well as their own body and emotions.
This has many effects that extend beyond a particular session. The calming effects of meditation can reduce physical stress, make it easier to sleep, help settle the mood, and also cut down on anxiety or distractedness. Awareness during meditation can make individuals more attuned to their own emotions, provide clarity of thought, offer connection to the senses and the surrounding world, and improve empathy.
Each of these mental effects can have secondary effects on the body, which is why many high level professionals, performance artists, and athletes often have meditation practices of their own.
Big Wave Surfer Laird Hamilton's XPT Training program places breathing practice and mindfulness as one of its key pillars
Meditation in Las Catalinas
When visiting Las Catalinas, the shift to a car-free lifestyle surrounded by tropical dry forest and the ocean offers a chance to slow down to a more deliberate way of life and reconnect with nature. The benefits of meditation, a sense of calm and a greater awareness of self, others, and surroundings, often follow during time spent in town.
A breathing session on the Santarena Terrace
There are also many physical spaces around town designed to be well suited to meditation. The pavilion by Plaza Danta, the beachfront terraces on Playa Danta, the studio at Casa Chameleon, the Santarena Conservatory, and the rooftop terrace at Santarena, have each been built to offer unique spaces to connect with self and surroundings.
More integrated into nature are the four meditation platforms around town, which offer a personal connection to nature from hilltops and waves.
Platform 1 | At the Peak of La Cresta
Sitting at the end of La Cresta, where the Guachipelines trail turns into Secreto, this platform has a view over the Dantita Valley, Las Catalinas, Punta Guachipelines and the Zapotal Valley, all of the way down to Playa Carmel. The steady breeze in the area, sunset over the Catalinas Islands, and a two leveled platform offer a versatile space to meditate surrounded by nature.
Platform 2 | Principal
Located just a short way up the trail at the beginning of Zapotal and Principal, this platform looks down the rim of the valley towards Las Catalinas, offering a view over the tropical dry forest, the town on the coast, the beach, and the ocean beyond. A space that captures the harmony of natural and manmade beauty found in Las Catalinas, with a setup suited to a small meal or any practice.
Platform 3 | Punta Penca
The Danta trail ends in a small overlook on Punta Penca, which looks out towards Potrero Bay, Sugar Beach, Punta Guachipelines, and Beach Town. Sitting at the end of the point, this platform presents a space at the intersection of land and the ocean, which combines the tropical dry forest surroundings with the misty coastal breeze. A space close to the heart of town that is immersed in nature.
Sea Platform | Off of Playa Danta
Anchored in the bay a little more than 100 meters off of Playa Danta is the Sea Platform, a floating platform with a view from the ocean towards Las Catalinas and the forested hills. After a short swim, the platforms offers a flipped perspective of town and the tropical dry forest that surrounds it, as well as the swell of the waves and the clear ocean breeze. A platform open to the many elements that surround town, with uninterrupted light and color well-suited to sunrise and sunset practice.
In Town, During Practice, Or On the Platforms
Whether simply stopping to slow down in a walkable lifestyle, following a particular practice in one of town’s mindful spaces, or stepping out into nature, the opportunity to slow down and meditate is present all throughout Las Catalinas.
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