Nosara Yoga Institute

Update, November 2026: The Nosara Yoga Institute was sold in 2016, and its old website no longer works. We couldn't confirm that it still runs as a school under that name, so we've kept this page as a record of what it was. For yoga in Nosara today, see the end of this page.

The Nosara Yoga Institute was one of the first yoga schools in Costa Rica. Don and Amba Stapleton founded it in 1994 in Nosara, on the Pacific side of the Nicoya Peninsula, and it became known internationally for its teacher trainings. In a 2016 interview, Don Stapleton said it was the first yoga in town.

The sale in 2016

In February 2016, the local paper Voz de Guanacaste reported that Patrick Harrington, owner of Kindness Yoga, and his business partners had agreed to buy the institute and take over running the property. The Stapletons began a sabbatical in April 2016 and planned to keep teaching afterwards.

What it taught

The institute's core course was a 200-hour interdisciplinary teacher training that drew on several yoga traditions rather than one style. On top of that it ran 100-hour modules, among them Self-Awakening Yoga therapeutics, a module on guiding students called Inner Quest, Pranassage one-to-one sessions, children's yoga, yoga dance and experiential anatomy. Students who completed the 200-hour course, 3 modules and logged teaching hours could earn its higher professional certificate. It also hosted retreats by visiting teachers and ran public classes.

Yoga in Nosara today

Nosara is still one of the busiest yoga towns in Costa Rica. Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort has a large class schedule and teacher trainings, Blue Spirit hosts week-long retreats by visiting teachers, and the Harmony Hotel, near Playa Guiones, has its own yoga and wellness center. For the whole area, see the Nosara section of our guide to where to do yoga in Costa Rica, and if you're choosing a course, our guide to yoga teacher training in Costa Rica.

[Updated on: 4 November 2026]