Sandy K. Schmidt

Sandy is a certified yoga teacher, meditation guide, and Ayurveda practitioner. She began her yoga journey as a personal journey to find wellness and balance in her life by taking breaks from her demanding life in conservation and career. Learning to find power in stillness and reflection went from being a challenge to something precious. Yoga and meditation became her go-to sanctuary to withdraw from the bustle of the world, reflect on achievements and encounter obstacles from a space of calm and intention.

 Living in an incredible country like Costa Rica, which attracts thousands of visitors every year, she was quickly invited to share her journey with those who also seek to reconnect with nature and with themselves. Surely there could be no better place than Costa Rica: a country surrounded by two oceans, a lush tropical jungle, incredible air quality to nourish our bodies through breath work, movement, meditation, healthy nutrition, and nature outings.

 Sandy has been teaching in Costa Rica for the past 7 years in group and private settings, in yoga shalas, on beautiful beaches, at festivals and yoga retreats. Her approach is passionately focused on understanding yoga as a philosophy of life, as a support system for daily life off the mat. On the mat, yoga frees and opens the body through movement and breath, but off-mat practice opens our mind and perspective. By practicing both, we grow in the totality of our being, body and mind, and more easily experience the union of all aspects of life.

When Sandy isn't on the mat, she fiercely pursues her purpose as a conservationist and runs her nonprofit organization, Operation Rich Coast, that promotes and facilitates environmental initiatives like beach cleanups and tree planting, provides education, and strives to empower people of all walks of life towards action. She strongly believes that taking care of the Earth means taking care of ourselves.

Sandy will co-facilitate our upcoming Moving Through Grief retreat.