When we opened Downtown Yoga in San Jose, Costa Rica, we had starry eyes, believing that with yoga we could turn the city into a healthier/happier one. 

Two years later we are finally starting to see our initial vision become reality. It took longer than we anticipated to grow a big enough community of students that would support social efforts such as the community garden, but better late than never. 

For almost a year some students have been talking about creating a garden and so, after doing some research we all decided on a recycled hanging garden modeled after a photo we found on the internet (see below). 

A few weeks before our big construction day we had the students plant 'seeds of love' since it was February. You can see our recycled seedling planter below. 

Which bottles? Why 2 holes? 
We had a variety of bottles saved up to choose from and ended up using mostly a typical Coke 2-Liter. You have to make sure you have a tool strong enough to cut the sides of the plastic. We were trying not to buy anything so wound up using steak knives. 

We also decided to do 2 smaller holes instead of 1 large hole to help avoid the weaker plastic bottles collapsing. This may have been unneccessary. 

It is also important to note that the bottle hanging at the top required a stronger plastic than a normal bottle. You can see below that we wound up having to tie a reinforcement string because the plastic was collapsing in the center due to the weight of the bottles hanging below. The green plastic was strong enough on it's own.

While this looks simple, it took a number of people and ideas to achieve. We hope our experiments can save you time and have you prepared. We had 3 - 4 people working on 1 'strand' to help hold in place. 

Other considerations include irrigation. We did not put holes in the bottoms of the bottle to drain water because a friend had said it's too thin and the water runs out too quickly. One option would be to design an drip system but that will have to be for another time. In addition, we get lots of sun during certain months so a nice roof at the top of this wall would help protect the plants once they grow. 

This finishes the construction instructions, we'll add on to this post if we have tips for growing.

Hope this inspires some creativity for limited urban spaces. 

"Downtown Yoga was my home base while I worked for a national university. I found my center during practice, made Costa Rican friends and got great travel and cultural advice from the North American owner." - Cristina T. 

Cristina's sentiment is often reflected by the tourists and expats that are either living or working in Costa Rica, and attend classes at the studio. The classes are in Spanish, but the teachers usually speak enough English to assist you, and the managers are all native English speakers to discuss any concerns beforehand. 

The majority of our students are Costa Rican, but we also have regulars from the USA, UK, France, Columbia, Venezuela and more. 

If you are looking to find a community in addition to great yoga classes we hope you'll choose us. We are creating a community garden and working with different NGOs to deliver yoga to much needed areas of the city. 

Drop-in classes are $10 but if you are staying for any longer length of time you can choose from any of the local price package offerings. We have classes every day and are located in an easy-to-reach central part of the city, especially close to San Pedro, Desamparados, Guadalupe, Moravia, Calle Blancos, Barrio Mexico, La Sabana and Sabanilla. You can make your reservation here. If you have any questions call 6050-1952, DowntownYogaCR@gmail.com. 

No Pierdas el Meditación
Sabemos que siempre no puede evitar presas, trabajo, etc. pero los primeros 5 - 10 minutos de las clases sirven para calmar la mente y el cuerpo para tener una práctica más enfocáda y relajante.

Toma Agua
El yoga le lleva cambios positivos al cuerpo en parte de la limpieza de las toxinas. Recuerda tomar agua antes de la clase para hidración y después para enjuagar el cuerpo.

Prueba Clases Diferentes
Hay varios ramas de yoga y cada instructor brinda su propio estilo encima de la rama en que trabaja. Entonces si Ud. pierda el motivación, o busca más retas físicas tal vez solo ocupa un cambio de clase o profesor. Por eso le ofrecemos más que 10 instructores y ayuda personal para encontrar los mejores horarios para su práctica. Lláma 6050 - 1952 con preguntas.

No Tenga Vergüenza
Mucha gente cree que si no tiene buena flexibilidad no puede hacer yoga, pero de hecho el yoga le ayuda alguien mucho para desarrollar su flexibilidad. ENTONCES este no es una buena excusa;) Aquí en Downtown Yoga no tenemos espejos ni un ambiente de un gimnasio porque queremos que los alumnos pueden llegar con cualquier limitaciones fisicas, empezar una practica sin verguenza y descubrir que actualmente los unicos limites existen solo en el mente...........

Busque y Aprenda
Sigue nuestro blog para recibir tips y noticias, y en cualquier momento pregunta en la oficina o a su instructor. Queremos ayudarle crecer y seguir adelante en su propio camino. http://www.downtownyogacostarica.com/noticias---blog.html

Namaste!
Stacey
Gerente
6050-1952