Navidad 2020
Feliz Navidad! Happy Solstice! Merry Christmas! Warm Winter Wishes! And a prosperous New Year to all.
It is with great joy and heartfelt reflection that we look back on 2020. While our family experienced a lot of loss, we were also lucky enough to unite in love + peace throughout the year. The photos below on the left highlight travelling to Punta Cana with Bibby’s mom + grandma to visit his aunt and their family when international travel opened back up here late this summer! We were also lucky enough to visit Bibby’s dad + grandpa in the countryside back in March before the days of lockdown.
While lockdown was much stricter here in the Dominican Republic than many places, we really enjoyed some of the quarantine aspects. We started a garden in our windows and now on our balcony. We discovered many new beaches as we tried to dodge authorities when the beaches were closed and spent a lot of time hiking the mountain (pictured on the top right above!). And of course also pictured above, we adopted our first pet, Samadhi the surf cat who we found on the side of the road one day during a rain storm when we went to check the waves!
A few other highlights from our year include Chrissy officially joining the Cabrinha kitesurfing team, thanks to the excellent coaching and endless encouragement from Bibby to accompany him on the team! As free riders for the Cabrinha team, we offer our community top quality instruction, access to the best new gear, epic trips, international certification and an even an online community for the times when we can’t be together in the water! We hope this blog will become a new place where we can continue to share our love and knowledge of water sports. Bibby also moved his kitesurfing school to a wonderful location at the same beach. We’ve now got a great view, paddle board storage, a beach bar next door and we’ve added regular wave surfing to our activities here at Yoga Kite Camp!
We are both still practicing yoga daily, incorporating more meditation and pranayama (breathing exercises) into our routine. Bibby graduated with his 500 hour advanced yoga teaching certificate from Rise + Vibe Yoga, which is a huge and honorable achievement. Now, we are teaching lots of yoga online, including Yoga en Espanol and Yoga Teacher Training. Rise + Vibe was also lucky enough to host an in-person YTT intensive here last month, and we’re scheduled to have another in April 2021! The yoga studio in Vermont, Grateful Yoga, has also shifted to 100% online offerings, no longer holding an in-person studio space, only a small office space in Montpelier, VT. Our memberships are very streamlined and user friendly, plus we’ll be adding classes and interactive content for teens and younger children in 2021!
It’s hard to wrap a whole year into one post, but those are only a few of our honorable mentions. We have still spent many early mornings on the paddle boards and enjoy walking at the beach, spending time with family and working however we can. One of the reason we decided to launch this blog is to chare with you the inside scoop, or behind the scenes, of Yoga Kite Camp and the life we live here in Puerto Plata. Instead of feeling like we can’t connect with all of you, we’ve created a platform for us to come together, for us to continue to share what we love with you, even if you’re far away!
Currently, the country is open with no travel restrictions. There is a nationwide mask mandate which is strictly enforced and daily curfew, 9 pm weekdays and 7 pm weekends. The COVID-19 situation is controlled but this (third world) country is suffering from the side effects of a long and hard lockdown along with many others. Tourism was 33% of this island’s economy and it is safe to say the start-up is slow, but it’s happening! We continue to pursue our dreams of offering SAFE and unforgettable experiences for our guests. Finally, we are now partnered with Lifestyle Vacation Holidays + Resorts, adding a new level of luxury and ease to our accommodations options here at Yoga Kite Camp. This is where we will be hosting our retreats and trainings in the future as they offer everything from private villas to hotel style rooms and everything in between!
We realize that many of you may not be able to join us in person for some time, so we’ve assembled a list of ways (LINKS BELOW) that we can connect and hopefully also support each other. If there’s anything you need, or want to share, please reach out to us any time. We miss you!! Thank you for being a part of our family.
We do hope to travel again in 2021, especially to visit our family and friends in the USA. Our other wishes for the new year include continuing to find hope where other may see despair, to bring union in times of disconnect, to promote wellness + peace above disease + dis-ease, to cultivate love when the world feels pain and to share what we can, when we can, how we can with all beings on this planet. May you and the ones you love find joy, peace and good health as we continue to revolve around the sun.
Sending lots of love, warmth and positive thoughts from our hearts + families to yours…
ALOHA!
Bibby + Chrissy
***LINKS UPDATED JUNE 2024, you can still support us this way, thanks!!***
SUPPORT THE KITE SCHOOL: www.kitelegendschool.com
JOIN OUR ONLINE YOGA CLASSES: www.patreon.com/gratefulyoga
OR Yoga Teacher Training: https://www.riseandvibeyoga.com/teacher-training
Most importantly… COME TO VISIT!
CHECK OUT OUR 2024-2025 RETREATS or Build a Custom Vacation for yourself, your family or your friends!
