Make calm feel familiar
Breathwork every morning. Sauna, cold plunge, stone tub.
By Sunday8 of 8 breath mornings
Cielo bungalow
Costa Rica Retreat
Hacienda del SolSunday to Sunday · 7 nightsSan Juanillo, Costa Rica
One job this week: teach your body that calm is safe.
At a glance
The week in one look
- Where
- Hacienda del Sol, Cielo bungalow · San Juanillo, Costa Rica
- When
- Sunday to Sunday, 7 nights
- Focus
- Teach your body that calm is safe
- Every day
- Breathwork in the morning, the beach at sunset, studio hour at night
- Highlights
- 3 surf lessons, a jungle hike, a boat trip, 2 massages
- Work
- Short windows on 4 days. Wednesday and the weekend are laptop-free
- After
- Come home to a return plan built with Mark
Goals
Six goals
Own the evenings
The same calm sequence every night, plus a plan for when the pull hits.
By Sunday7 of 7 evenings on plan
Slow is fast
Short work windows that end early. Adrenaline from the ocean, not deadlines.
By SundayEvery work window closed early
Meet little Ryan
A nightly studio hour to build the character and his world.
By SundayA rough cut of Episode 1
Draw the bullseye
Sketch it Monday. Redraw it Saturday.
By SundayIt's your lock screen
Stay connected
Mark every morning. One call a day to someone you love.
By Sunday8 of 8 mornings with Mark
Ground rules
Four rules
Simple guardrails, so you never have to decide in the moment.
- Slow is fast. Arrive early, and don't rush.
- The laptop lives in the safe outside work windows.
- Your phone is for Mark, people you love, and filming.
- Every class is optional. The plan already chose.
Calm is safe
Slow is fast
Creative project
Little Ryan
One studio hour each night, in the slot where the evening pull usually arrives.
Every day6:30 AM Text Mark and do the breathalyzer8:30 PM Stone tub9:30 PM Lights out
Times follow the resort's posted schedule. Book means reserve ahead. Checkboxes save in this browser only.
Keep this one closeWhen the evening pull hits
It usually comes between sunset and bed, and it often feels like longing for home. It's a wave. It builds, peaks and passes. You can't outsmart it, so just run the steps in order.
- Name itSay it out loud: "This is the evening wave. It passes."
- Long exhalesFive physiological sighs: two inhales through the nose, then one long, slow exhale.
- Change temperatureCold plunge, a cold shower, or get into the stone tub.
- Reach out firstText Mark or call someone on your list before you decide anything.
- Go to the studioOpen the little Ryan project for 20 minutes. Flow beats willpower.
- Be near peopleStill hard? Walk to the shala or the front desk. Calm comes easier around people.
Bookings and money
What to reserve before you fly
Off-site tours are cash only. Transport prices are round trip for up to 3 people. Prices are from the resort's site and are confirmed when you book.
| What | When | Cost | Why it's in the plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private guided hike 90 min, local guide | Wed 10:00 AM | $80 | Gets you outside and moving on the one day with no work. |
| Surf lessons ×3 Local instructor, time set by tide | Tue, Thu, Fri mornings | 3 × ($85 + $50) | Adrenaline you choose, with a clear end. Ask about a 3-lesson rate or one instructor for all three. |
| Boat adventure Dolphins, turtles, whales. Sightings not guaranteed | Sat 10:00 AM | $100 + $40 | Awe. The minimum is 2 people, so ask the desk to pair you with another guest. |
| Massage ×2 Open-air treatment rooms | Wed 4:30 PM, Fri 2:30 PM | menu + 13% | Your therapist recommended massage. Cancelling inside 24 hours is charged. |
| Sound bath / hypnotherapy | Ask | ? | Your therapist recommended both. They aren't on the resort's menu, so ask whether a practitioner is available locally or in Nosara. |
| Black Car transfer Liberia ↔ resort, ~2 hrs, promo HDS | Sun in, Sun out | $160 / way | Rises to $170 one way ($340 round trip) for bookings made from Dec 1. |
| Private walk Optional | Sat sunset | $50 | There's no sunset shuttle on Saturday. Use this if you'd like company. |
Cash to bring: about $500 in small bills (the resort's recommendation, and there are no ATMs nearby), plus 10–20% tips in cash at checkout. Tours alone come to about $625 in cash, so bring closer to $800 in small bills.
Hi Hacienda del Sol team, I'm arriving Sunday for 7 nights in the Cielo bungalow (Rejuvenation Retreat). I'd love help booking a few things ahead of time: 1. Private guided hike, Wednesday around 10:00 AM (90 min). 2. Three surf lessons: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings, whenever the tide is best. Beginner-friendly, ideally with the same instructor each time. Is there a package rate? 3. Boat adventure, Saturday morning. I'm traveling solo, so please let me know if I can join another guest to meet the 2-person minimum. 4. Two massages: Wednesday around 4:30 PM and Friday around 2:30 PM. Could you send the current treatment menu and suggest what's best for deep relaxation and nervous-system recovery? 5. Do you have, or can you recommend, a sound bath or hypnotherapy practitioner on site or nearby? I'm also booking my Liberia transfer with Black Car. Please let me know if you need my health history before arrival. Thank you, Ryan
Before you go
Set it up so the week can be easy
Logistics and support
- Sit down with Mark and draft the return plan below. He asked to do this together before you leave
- Send the front-desk email above and book the Black Car transfer
- Confirm your breathalyzer works abroad and over Wi-Fi, and tell the monitor about the time change
- Agree a daily text time with Mark on Costa Rica time (one hour behind New York)
- Talk to your prescriber about Vivitrol before you leave, as your therapist suggested
- Ask James to set up a mid-week call with Kelly Grant (Wednesday evening is in the plan)
- Ask family to text you childhood photos for little Ryan and the photo wall
- Set an email auto-reply: "Limited availability until [date]"
- Get about $800 in small bills (3 surf lessons, boat, hike, tips)
Pack
- Phone tripod or mount, small clip-on mic
- Laptop with your editor set up and offline-ready
- Sketchbook and a few colored markers (for the bullseye)
- Swimsuit ×3, 2 rash guards, water shoes
- Reef-safe sunscreen stick for your face, and a hat for after surfing
- Trail shoes, headlamp, light rain layer
- Reef-safe sunscreen, bug spray
- Reusable water bottle (no bottled water on site)
- A book you've been meaning to read, on paper
Good to know: Hacienda del Sol is alcohol- and drug-free. There's no medical staff on site, a clinic is about 45 minutes away and the nearest hospital about 3 hours. Check-in is at 3 PM and check-out at 11 AM, and the desk will hold luggage.
The return plan · build it with Mark before you fly
The week is the reset. Home is the work.
Mark's point: getting the day count back up isn't the goal. The cycle has restarted after coming home, so the plan has to cover what happens next and look at what's driving the pattern. He'll support whatever you choose, and he asked to build this with you before you leave.
Decide together before you leave
- Assessment: which one, where, and a date in the first few weeks back
- Clinical support: therapist sessions booked for your first week home, plus a prescriber appointment about Vivitrol or similar
- Accountability: Mark's daily check-ins continue, breathalyzer schedule, and who you call when the evening wave hits
- Recovery community: the meetings or groups Mark recommends, with days and times written down
- The first 72 hours: where you sleep, who you see, and what each evening looks like
Assessment options to weigh
- MindWork Group, Baltimore (Dr. Tom Franklin). A private psychiatric practice for complex cases, close to your family. Lists a 1-day, a 3–4 day and a 10-day assessment. The 10-day is meant for active substance use or "repeated failed attempts to get traction." The site lists $2,000 per program day for the 10-day, and the practice is out-of-network.
- A similar assessment in NYC after you get back, which Mark offered to help find.
- Mark mentioned 3-day and 14-day options. The website shows 3–4 day and 10-day assessments, plus a 2-week evaluation at the start of its outpatient program. Confirm which fits on the consultation call.
Site: mindworkgroup.com · Main line 443-595-4673
The daily rhythm, back in New York
The retreat is practice for the apartment. Bring home a smaller version of each part of the rhythm.
Mornings
Mark's text, then the West Side Highway walk with five minutes of breathwork at the water. Same order every day.
Evenings
The same sequence: dinner, call someone, studio hour, hot shower or bath, lights out. Post Episode 1 in your first week home.
The apartment
Hang the photo wall your first weekend back. Put the bullseye somewhere you'll see it every morning.
Work
Pick one deadline in week one and finish it a day early. Slow is fast.
Body
Book a massage or sound bath for every month of the year ahead. Debrief the week with your therapist and Mark.
Next trip
Put one more nature reset on the calendar before you leave Costa Rica, so there's always one coming up.