We’ve got two new classes lined up for Tuesdays and Thursdays in February. Gaëlle is teaching a morning Slow Flow to awaken the body and center the mind to start the day with renewed energy, and Adriana is leading Barre Fitness in the evenings for a low-impact full workout to end the day in a powerful way and rest well at night. Our other yoga classes continue–Monday and Wednesday evenings Vinyasa Yoga and Sound Healing with Gaëlle, Wednesday mornings Yoga for Clarity and Calm with Sarah, and Friday mornings Vinyasa Flow with Taylor. Taylor’s visit to Coco will come to an end this month, so get into class with her while you can. It’s been great having her back, and we’re glad she’ll be teaching a few more classes yet. We’ll miss her uplifting energy when it’s time to go, but we’re grateful to keep the Vinyasa group going with Sarah stepping in to lead starting February 27th.
We hope you’ll join the wonderful upcoming events in February. The Full Moon Circles with Raquel and Diego have been beautiful experiences with ceremony and sound, and marking each month with these inspiring rituals in community is a joy. We’ll have our second Spiritual Satsang with Vanessa diving deeper into yoga philosophy. The conversation flowed in our first circle creating a real sense of sharing and connection, and we're looking forward to this communal aspect of yoga continuing to grow, feeling the support of the sangha in our practice. There was a great group for the first Journal Circle with Sarah, and they’ll be getting together again this month to explore shadow work, bringing to light what might be buried or obscured within. Oscar is leading another Handpan Immersion Workshop; it sold out last month and everyone enjoyed the experience immensely, so we’re lucky he’s continuing to teach and make this instrument accessible. And finally, to close out the month, we have a special opportunity to learn African Dance, moving the full body with energy and expression. Please see the dedicated posts for each offering for more details, and contact the event organizers with any questions and to join the group.
BY KENDALL 'KECH' VALVERDE 
Kendall 'Kech' ValverdeMore than twenty large-scale works in spray paint on canvas depicting Costa Rican wildlife in vibrant color. Costa Rican artist Kendall “Kech” Valverde began experimenting with aerosol painting technique at the age of twelve–his first works on the walls in his mother's house, the walls of the school he attended, and throughout San Jose’s city neighborhoods where he grew up. Kech remembers being drawn to the bubble letters his mother used on his school notebooks to label each subject, and he would sneak spray paint from his father’s workshop to practice this ‘bombing’ style on the walls. Since these early explorations of ‘tagging’ and ‘bombing’ Kech has been compelled to continually try new techniques and investigate different styles, and although he has not pursued any formal art training, his work has naturally evolved from tags and graffiti lettering into images and expressive murals. While Kech specializes in large-scale works, as he has expanded into painting on canvases and creating custom hats, he’s developed techniques with airbrush, acrylic, and pen to achieve the smallest of details. Culture and community play an important role in Graffiti Art, and Kech has enjoyed traveling, meeting up with this community, and receiving recognition internationally for his work participating in several graffitti festivals throughout Central America. He’s been an invited artist at the Area 503 Festival in El Salvador in 2012 & 2015; the Hip Hop Revolution Festival in Guatemala in 2012; the Arte de Las Calles Festival in Honduras in 2014; and the Panama Hip Hop Festival in 2024, among others. Outside of the Hip Hop community, Kech has been invited to share his art as live performance at several music festivals including Envision, Bamboo Base, and Nahual in Costa Rica, and Magma Fest in Nicaragua. Beyond the creative container in these festival spaces, Kech's passion for the graffiti art style has been further fueled in connecting with other graffiti artists, both those visiting Costa Rica, as well as those he's met in travels to the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, and Kech aspires to explore more of the world, learning about new places through this common lens and witnessing the positive impact of graffiti culture. Pursuing this path in Graffiti Art has opened many doors for Kech and given him invaluable experiences, and he has always felt compelled to share this within his community. He has coordinated Hip Hop Festivals and activities for underserved youth in both his hometown neighborhood in San Jose and where he currently resides in Playas del Coco, and he has played a main role sharing this art in both installments of Coco's 'Encuentro Cultural' aimed at uplifting local youth. Kech has been contracted to paint murals at some of Coco's favorite spots like Tandoor Indian Restaurant, Coconutz Brewhouse, Blue Dream Divers, and Summer-Salt Dive Center, and he played an important role in the Colors Across Costa Rica fundraising project for pandemic relief volunteering to paint eight of the sponsored electricity posts, bringing pops of colorful Costa Rican wildlife to Coco's downtown. While Kech is excited for his first exhibition where he will show more than twenty new large-scale works on canvas, and he's looking forward the new possibilities that come with a dedicated art space, painting for himself and for the community in the public space continues to drive his passion.
Colleen Ehle PatellMore than thirty works in glass and mixed-media figurative art. Mixed-media figurative artist Colleen Ehle Patell graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Art and Design. She works with fabric, glass, ceramics, paint, wool, metal, wood, and unconventional materials to create figurative sculptures, wearable art, assemblages, and quilted wall hangings, implementing bright colors, layered textures, and whimsical themes. As a multifaceted fiber artist, Colleen has won multiple awards for her work. Her passion for color and light continues to inspire her to explore different techniques, and her love for functional art keeps her always looking for new ways to apply and enjoy artistic expression.
Teagan PatellFeng Shui Consulting Born and raised in Stanford, California, Teagan moved to Costa Rica in 2010, where she has enjoyed the peaceful lifestyle that complements her integrative practices in Yoga, Feng Shui, Reiki Energy Healing, Therapeutic Bodywork, and Peak States Trauma Therapy. Each has been a unique blessing in Teagan’s life, and she is compelled to share the joy of these gifts that encourage self-empowered healing for the individual and for the community. With this focus, her vision to create a community health and healing space took root in Playas del Coco, and she is so excited about how it has taken shape, and all that we will share in the coming years.
It has been an amazing experience to implement Feng Shui philosophy in designing and building from start to finish, from the first foundations of choosing the place and connecting with the land, all the way through the small final details of optimally orienting the electric outlet plates. Some of the Feng Shui principles applied in this project include:
Teagan completed Feng Shui Master Training with Amanda Collins in Gorey, Ireland in July, 2016. She has loved bringing Feng Shui into the home design process and is looking forward to supporting others with their design and build experience. Teagan is now offering Feng Shui consulting for new builds as well as established homes and commercial spaces, and she plans to begin leading workshops around specific facets of the philosophy.
We'd like to invite our family, friends, and extended circle to join us in celebrating our new space with an evening of art. Kech has been working over the past several months to create more than twenty new large-scale works in spray paint on canvas, and he's excited to show his paintings in exhibition for the first time. While most of his pieces depict Costa Rica's beautiful wildlife in vibrant color, we'll include a few of our collaborations with more whimsical compositions and meditative yantras. Alongside the paintings we will show more than thirty works in glass and mixed-media figurative art by my mother Colleen Patell, and given the passion for art in our family, our daughter Aline will choose a few of her favorite paintings to display as well.
We invite you to come by to enjoy the art, to help us celebrate the start of an exciting new chapter, and to take a tour of the new space. We are so proud of how this space is coming together, and we're grateful to our architect and construction contractor Lucas Riviera for his incredible work, expertise, and attitude throughout the design and construction process. It has been an wonderful experience to create at this magnitude and to put into practice Feng Shui philosophy in a build from the ground up. We have been so fortunate to work with Lucas and his team who have welcomed and appreciated the Feng Shui principles and practices, and have elevated our ideas and vision to build something much greater than we could have imagined. This exhibition and open house is one evening only. We will have refreshments to share, but feel welcome to bring your own as well and to stay and visit a while. Although this is a private event at our new family residence and we will not be marketing broadly to the public, we aim to build like-minded community in this space, so please feel free to extend the invitation to your friends and other art enthusiasts. The artworks will be available for purchase, so plan to come early if you're in the market for something new. Mosty we are looking forward to bringing together our community again and for all the potential to create together in this new space, so please drop in when you can and be a part of this opening evening. ~ Teagan |
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