| It is amazing how the physical environment can | | | | surfer-dude hangout. Harbor Reef and Harmony Hotel |
| influence mood, perspective and attitude. My private | | | | fall on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of |
| practice is located inside a physician's office where I | | | | ambiance and clientele. Walking the grounds of Harbor |
| share space with several internists and pediatricians. | | | | Reef shortly following my arrival, I notice how the |
| When I first occupied the space four years ago, I | | | | difference between the two hotels was palpable. |
| tried my best to compensate for the clinical | | | | What each hotel lacks is also its greatest asset. A full |
| surroundings and lack of natural sunlight by softening | | | | service resort vacation at a place like Harmony Hotel |
| things up a bit with a fresh coat of paint, colorful | | | | is hard to beat in terms of relaxation and |
| artwork, new carpet and a large, comfortable sofa | | | | convenience, however dining with local ticos and staff |
| with plenty of throw pillows. Despite my | | | | at Harbor Reef and practicing yoga at the enchanting |
| beautification efforts the absence of windows, | | | | Nosara Yoga Institute is pretty fantastic also. |
| artificial lighting and stale air leave me longing for the | | | | In the huge open air lobby of the Harmony Hotel, |
| warmth of the sun and the feel of the earth beneath | | | | there is an immediate sense of stillness and tranquility. |
| my feet. | | | | A slight Balinese flavor is apparent in the design of |
| I have always been sensitive to my physical | | | | the lobby interior. I felt so safe comfortable here |
| surroundings, shrinking away from the bright lights, | | | | that my mind actually contemplated inquiring about |
| blaring telephones, frigid air conditioning and tiny | | | | employment opportunities at the hotel. Perhaps they |
| cubicles that are so common in corporate America. I | | | | need a psychologist on staff to help people cope |
| believe strongly in the beneficial effects of natural | | | | with the alarming deficit of stress and aggravation, I |
| light, fresh air and personal space on physical and | | | | pondered. Plush sofas and chairs, dark wooden tables, |
| emotional health and well being. Have you ever | | | | bamboo furniture and accessories, large ceiling fans |
| stepped out of a busy office for a bite to eat or a | | | | and soothing earth tones blend naturally with the |
| short break, and noticed an immediate change in your | | | | surrounding jungle. There is soft, shadowy lighting and |
| mood? If such radical change can occur in a mere | | | | a long retro style bamboo/wooden bar where guests |
| instant, imagine the effect of your physical | | | | can choose from an extensive list of scrumptious |
| environment on your physical and emotional health | | | | concoctions at happy hour. |
| when multiplied by a minimum of 8 hours a day, 5 | | | | At Harmony Hotel every whim is catered to; leaving |
| days a week. For this reason many folks are drawn | | | | guests with minimal need (or desire) to venture |
| to flexible careers that offer a work at home option, | | | | outside of this private paradise. In fact, while staying |
| where personal control over one's physical | | | | at Harmony Hotel it is easy to forget you are in |
| environment is readily available. | | | | Playa Guiones; the surrounding village tends to fade |
| This person-environment interplay also works in the | | | | from consciousness. During my time at Harmony I |
| reverse order. Have you ever noticed how your | | | | felt as if I belonged to the tight inner circle of an |
| emotional state is reflected in your physical | | | | exclusive private society. When I moved down the |
| surroundings? My fiancé can always tell when | | | | street to the nearby Harbor Reef, I felt oddly |
| I am feeling overwhelmed by looking at the condition | | | | conspicuous when I returned to the Harmony for |
| of my desk and the interior of my automobile. | | | | cocktails one evening. The folks I met at Harbor |
| Chances are, if there is chaos and commotion in my | | | | Reef who did the reverse commute (i.e. several days |
| physical space I am feeling depressed, tired or | | | | at Harbor Reef followed by several days at |
| overwhelmed emotionally. Reflecting back on my | | | | Harmony) seemed to disappear from the radar after |
| single days, my favorite weekends spent alone were | | | | checking into Harmony Hotel, never to be seen or |
| ones where I sacrificed a social agenda in favor of | | | | heard from again. |
| housekeeping- activities devoted to restoring order | | | | Unlike Harmony Hotel, Harbor Reef is far from a full |
| and balance in my physical environment. These | | | | service luxury resort. However it does not claim to |
| activities also included self care- sleep, exercise and | | | | be, as the place travels to the beat of an entirely |
| self reflection. Environments filled with chaos, clutter | | | | different drum. Harbor Reef has heart and soul; the |
| and confusion often reflect a similar internal state of | | | | place is incredibly casual and the staff members are |
| affairs within the folks who create them. Likewise, an | | | | always happy to mingle with the tourists and share |
| atmosphere of soothing tranquility, orderliness and | | | | helpful information about the local lifestyle and nightly |
| calm is best maintained by a person who feels the | | | | hotspots. Unlike Harbor Reef, the staff at Harmony |
| same. | | | | Hotel, although professional and polite, maintained an |
| Those of you who have been following my column | | | | aura of distance and inaccessibility. |
| are aware that I spent the month of August | | | | Harmony Hotel launched me into a state of total |
| traveling through Costa Rica on a writing mission. By | | | | stillness, something I very much needed at the time. |
| now you probably also concluded that hedonistic | | | | It was not until I transferred over to Harbor Reef |
| pursuits of beauty, tranquility and relaxation also | | | | and emerged from my Harmony cocoon that I |
| factored into the mix. I traveled both coasts of the | | | | ventured out into the surrounding town of Playa |
| country, beginning with the Caribbean and ending with | | | | Guiones. Each and every morning I hiked 15 minutes |
| the Pacific, with a night spent in the capital city of | | | | through the jungle to the Nosara Yoga Institute |
| San Jose to break up the journey. My first 4 nights | | | | where I practiced yoga in a tree-top studio |
| on the Pacific coast were spent in the beautiful | | | | overlooking the jungle, with the sound of howler |
| Harmony Hotel in Playa Guiones. Guiones is a small | | | | monkeys calling out in the distance. The hike itself is |
| surfing village located on the outskirts of a town | | | | a mystical, almost eerie experience. I felt as if I were |
| called Nosara in a province called Gunacaste, on the | | | | the only person on earth, the silence was all |
| north Pacific coast. Following my stay at Harmony, I | | | | encompassing, and words alone cannot possibly |
| moved down the street to the more casual and laid | | | | capture the beauty of the tiny slivers of sunlight I |
| back Harbor Reef. | | | | saw dancing amidst the dark shadows of the jungle. I |
| So what does my solitary journey through Costa | | | | felt as if I stepped inside the pages of a child's |
| Rica have to do with the physical environment and its | | | | fairytale and stumbled upon an enchanted forest. |
| influence on mood, attitude and perspective? | | | | Sorry Charleston, but this surely beat practicing yoga |
| Everything! As I venture into the world of travel | | | | at a strip mall studio. Had I not ventured outside the |
| writing I take note of how the travel industry | | | | protective cocoon of the Harmony Hotel, I would |
| capitalizes on the interplay between person and | | | | have missed this incredible experience. These days |
| environment by appealing directly to the senses. I | | | | when I practice yoga, I close my eyes and imagine |
| invite you to visualize these two vastly different | | | | myself back at that tree top studio in Guiones, |
| hotels located within 5 minutes walking distance from | | | | surrounded by the beauty of the jungle. |
| each other but far enough apart stylistically to be on | | | | How does your physical environment work for you? |
| opposite ends of the planet. | | | | Is it time to stir things up a bit with some form of |
| Harmony Hotel lulled me towards stillness while | | | | change, however subtle? Change to your physical |
| Harbor Reef launched me into a state of heightened | | | | environment can be as simple as re-arranging your |
| energy and exploration. At Harmony Hotel I spent 4 | | | | bedroom furniture or moving your desk from wall to |
| luxurious days safely ensconced within the protective | | | | one another, adding some plants or softening the |
| folds of a full service, high end resort. I practiced | | | | lighting in your home office. Change can involve travel |
| yoga each morning, mere steps away from my room | | | | to another culture to expand your horizons and shift |
| at the hotel's Healing Center. I walked the manicured | | | | your perspective, or a more radical shift like a career |
| paths to the hotel's restaurant, juice bar, pool and | | | | transition or relocation to a new city. Regardless of |
| beach. My daily needs were more than sufficiently | | | | whether the environmental change is subtle or life |
| satisfied within the confines of the hotel grounds, | | | | altering, the purpose is to maximize your physical and |
| leaving me with little need or desire to leave the | | | | emotional health and well being by finding a match |
| premises. | | | | that works for you. Remember, there is no better |
| When I moved down the street to the Harbor Reef | | | | time than the present to create positive change in |
| I immediately caught the vibe of a casual, laid back | | | | your life. |