Surf & Skate Retreat in Costa Rica | A Week At Ten Toes

I just knew that I had to come this way when living in Costa Rica. My coach has been Jose. I think he was perfect for me, for my personality, my learning style, also just managing my fears in the water. He really understood what I told him I was concerned about. When I needed him to be really close, he was there. And when he needed to give me space, he knew how to do that instinctively. So I felt that I could be honest with him and communicate how I was feeling openly without feeling judged or embarrassed. So in that sense, he's been amazing. The mornings here are really special. I like how everything's outlined on a schedule. I love starting my morning with yoga, a good stretch, especially as the week goes on and you're surfing more and more. The morning yoga becomes like a necessity. So starting the morning slow and then leaving enough energy for the surf was awesome. My heart's like really full from meeting all these people. Julian, Hannah, the twins, the sisters, and then having the family here, Elizabeth, my son, Ryan. Well, I just realized that I fall off the wave more than I would like to. I have certain days where I'm just fine and I'm catching everything. And I have other days where it's like a golf swing, right? What did I do wrong? Did I land in the middle of the board wrong? Did I pop up wrong? And so I kind of realized that the pop-up I've been doing doesn't lend itself to consistency because I was just kind of springing up with both feet down. And so Slater helped me try to work on a more controlled pop-up. And I think all of it was helpful, but I do think the video really puts it in your memory bank as to, all right, this is what I need to work on. I could make an excuse in my head as to why I might not want to go surfing, or it's nice to be on a schedule where you know you're going surfing. And quite honestly, I felt like I could have done like two sessions a day. And everyone's here for the same reason, and to just learn and to stoke each other up. Yeah. Whitewater is not easy. It's constant, like practicing pop-up, go out and do it again and again, which is obviously really foundational and really important, but not easy, super tiring, but it sets you up for success later on. The food's been so good. Breakfast, fresh fruit, amazing presentation. Everything's been delicious. Great hot sauces, amazing fresh juices. No complaints. Restaurant quality. I am not a big fan of falling on concrete, but Elena really pushed me to find the edges more. So I felt like when it got to the water, the water to me was so gentle and you can fall, so I could experiment more. So I really felt like that was helpful. Kind of challenges your brain to go up the next level. The surf journey has been such an evolution. Have always loved ocean, loved the water, but this is another means of just the high of catching the wave or missing it and just focusing on how I can evolve. That's the fun part. Yeah. And also what I liked about the coaching was that it's not about just do this. There's explanation of why. Yeah. Because the waves always change. So, and then if you know the why, the why's will also change. So that gives you more information to play around with as well and possibly evolve with.