Live Conversation on Mindfulness with Diego Dosal

I had the pleasure to have an Instagram live conversation about mindfulness with Diego Dosal. He is the founder of Zunya an upcoming regenerative conscious living concept in Costa Rica. Zunya is a future home for the development of cultural and environmentally conscious projects and a nest of creativity. 

In our conversation, we talked about Diegos project in Costa Rica, our own journey, different mindfulness tools, advice for mindfulness, and books that inspired us. 

Diego: How is your quarantine experience so far?  

Marina: I enjoy the quarantine, it has given me the space to be more creative and I think especially now, it is important to become more mindful. It is beautiful to see that everything is going digital, people are sharing more of themselves and their gifts. 

In everything situation, we have the choice to make us feel better through different techniques like journaling, meditation, or anything that helps us to feel more balanced. 

We have the choice if we want to give in to our fears. Fear shouldn’t control us, many things are uncertain at the moment, but it's important to sit with yourself and ask yourself questions like “How do I feel?”, “Why do I feel like this?” Or “What does it makes me feel?”… and consciously choose to see the good even though it seems hard sometimes.  

Diego: Corona is pushing us to find that inner peace without looking for it in the outside world, which is not possible. The quarantine is a chance to ask yourself deeper questions! 

In a way, it is an invitation of mother earth to show us that this was not the way, we are given the opportunity to realise that there is much more to life than we know and that it can be taken away from us in a second… If our freedom is taken away then what do we do? Where do we find contentment if it is not within?

Marina: Share a bit Diego what you are building in Costa Rica? How did you come to the idea to build it?

Diego: Do you know the saying It’s been a very crazy journey?... and its been exactly like that.

It’s important to share that you don’t become aware from one second to another.

I was completely shattered and broken through my journey and my life. I broke into many pieces six years ago, I started to ask myself many questions, started to read books, learnt about different philosophy.

I realised that these philosophies are all interconnected, they were just trying to explain their reality according to the time and place in history. 

If you analyse them I would say that 80% of them are trying to explain the same truth, which is beautiful. 

I started to continue this journey and created the Burning man community “Humano”. The Intention of building the project was always the same: „How do I reach out to the people who can make a difference in this world?“... I was already at that point, trying to align and create a sustainable way of living. 

The more I was aligning and surrendering to the daily challenges of life and being deeply grateful for everything that is happening... even when we got expelled from burning man which was a massive scandal. 

I came to the realisation that it was an opportunity to create something that could be more permanent and sustainable.

Beautiful mother earth

Two weeks after they announced that we got expelled from BM last year in January, the land in Costa Rica manifested. 

I was looking for six years and I started researching Costa Rica.

The government is putting a lot of effort to make Costa Rica a pioneering country related to sustainability and the environment. 98% of the energy they produce is sustainable and they don’t have an army, there are only two country’s in the world, who don’t have an army, its Costa Rica, and Switzerland. 

They have a lot of nature and 30% is protected land. I felt it is the right place, they invest in nature and we lost our connection to nature.... this is how the project started.

We are trying to reach out to people that are deepening on their path and came to the realisation that there is much more to life than just trying to accumulate financial and material wealth.

It’s time to develop our gifts and share them with as many people as possible in order to empower each other to become the best version of ourselves.

If you wake up every day and say thank you to god, the universe, nature, or even if you don’t believe in anything…  thank you to be alive and if you are willing to be the best version of yourself no matter what happens… I think that is when you start to embark on a beautiful journey.

Marina: Yes, I agree we can’t control our circumstances, but we can choose how we react to them. We have the power to choose our thoughts and become mindful of our self-talk.

For example, I had a live yoga online class and I had negative self-talk like „It’s the worth class you have ever taught, your language is bad…“. I got conscious about my inner talk and transformed them into empowering thoughts like “I am good enough” and “I am doing a great job”.

In the end, my feedback was great... It's crazy how your inner voice can disempower us!

Diego: Of course… I think it is important to understand that we all have this voice in our head and it is not just one, it’s more than a few! One of these voices is the critic or the inner child and they are all trying to fight for the attention. 

There are many tools like you where saying yoga, journaling, meditation, reading, being in silences, fasting… that we can use in order to try to lower down these voices.

You have the ability to control these voices which takes a lot of strength and you can use these tools to find inner peace. 

I think the invitation which we are all having right now is to go within!

There is a book called “The way of the warrior”, he is saying that the war to end all wars is the war for the human heart and that can only be fought within.

If you are able to find the inner peace within, you will automatically become a better human being, you want to take care of yourself, others, and nature. We all came here to serve when you give you receive more than you could have imagined. 

Diego: How did you start with your practices? Since when are you going deeper?

Marina: I was always fascinated by spirituality, philosophy, religion, and mysticism.

I really went deeper two years ago when I went to a retreat on Bali. It completely changed my life in a positive way, but it was also me putting in the work afterward. I stopped watching Tv, I started to meditate daily, did kundalini yoga, and read many books.

I realised for myself as well that most of the books have a similar message. The Bhagavad Gita (I read “The Bhagavad Gita” translated by Eknath Easwaran) had a huge impact on me, if you read this book you don’t really need to read all the other books.

I also saw the similarities of the Hindu teachings and other religions like Judaism, which is beautiful to see. 

Diego: Would you say this one is the one that changed your perspective?

Marina: A lot… “The Untethered Soul” and “The Surrender Experiment” both by Michael A. Singer changed my perspective the most. It's important to read one book at a time, I believe books are coming to you when you need them. 

I am reading currently “The Autobiography of Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda, which is great as well.

Diego: If I would recommend books in order it would be: 

Book 1: “The surrender experiment” by Michael A.Singer

Book 2: “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle 

Book 3: “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle 

Book 4: “The Untethered Soul” by Michael A.Singer 

I think the combination of these books could become the sparkle to embark on a mindful journey. The responsibility of each one is to find this alchemy in a combination of those practices that we need in order to become more mindful. Find your own tools, to find out our inner purpose. 

Marina: I agree every person needs to find their own way, but we can inspire each other to do better. 

Regarding the books, you have to digest the information. I realised for myself, when I read too many books in a short time, that I actually just need to meditate and ask myself “What’s true for me?”.

You can read many books, but until you don’t use the information and apply them to your life, it’s just something you read.

Diego: What are your daily practices/routines that are helping you to align yourself?

Marina: The morning is my favourite part of the day, I enjoy the silence and alone time, it helps me to get ready for the day.

When I wake up my phone stays on flight mode! I start my day with journaling, meditation and kundalini yoga, which usually takes about an hour. I also like to listen to affirmations, I try to feed my subconscious with something good. 

Later on, I have breakfast and I am usually doing some yoga or work out. 

In the evening, I mediated as well and sometimes I do some kundalini yoga. 

Zunya in the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica

Marina: You just came back from a trip to the jungle. How was your experience? 

Diego: I went into the jungle just by myself, it was the most profound experience I have done so far its called “vision quest”.

You go by yourself, you have a tent, a yoga mat, a meditation pillow, a candle and a lighter. They will bring you to a completely isolated place in the middle of the tropical rainforest and you fast for 96 hours.

It was probably the most profound, the most terrifying and the most life-changing experiences, I have ever done and it was just this weekend.

You hallucinate, you face all your fears, your insecurities and all your doubts. There is a moment, where you are in a way broken and you can’t hold it anymore where you have a realisation what they call “the vision”. 

I had a beautiful one, I just wanted to continue aligning myself with the process in that I am in order to be more aligned with the universe, so that we can continue manifesting everything that is happening right now. 

It was mind blowing, you are just by yourself! It is crazy that you have the power to be able to tap into these energies without the use of anything else, it was really beautiful.

What we are trying to create here is a space for as many people who are willing to do the work to be able to have a sanctuary or refuges to recharge themselves, connect with nature and share their gifts. 

Diego: What would be your three advices on mindfulness?

Marina: My first advice would be to create a morning routine, your morning determines your whole day!

Start your day without your phone, your messages or Instagram shouldn’t be the first things that you read in the morning. Do something that makes you feel good and set you up to have a good day. Give gratitude, write down things you are grateful for.

My second advice would be to mediated - Mediation is key. 

Mediation teaches you to see that life is still great, even when the circumstances are not the best right now. 

I always try to remind myself, that “Life is happening for me not to me”. Everything is an invitation to learn and grow. 

My last advice would be to start yoga, there are plenty of videos on YouTube, I personally like he channel boho beautiful. 

What are your three advices on mindfulness Diego?

Diego: Definitely no cell phone in the morning, my own personal practice is that I try to invest the first three hours of the day in myself.

I shower with cold water, it requires the sacrifice, I would say you have to do one sacrifice per day.

Start with a mediation just sit down in stillness, it doesn’t matter if it is 5 or 10 minutes, if you start to enjoy it you can extend it. 

I start my mediation with gratitude,I do yoga and read in the morning 

I am trying to enjoy these three hours as much as I can, if I nurture myself than I am able to give and to help more.

Every moment throughout the day, I practice to be grateful, there are no good or bad things, there are only lessons!

Ask yourself questions like “Why is this happening to me? What is the lesson?”and try to be grateful for it. 

I put an alarm three times per day that reminds me to be grateful for whatever that is happening time. 

I hope you enjoyed our conversation and it inspired you to deepen your own path. Enjoy the ride!

Three Lessons

Life is an ongoing learning process, every experience and situation is shaping us. There is a lesson in everything and if we start to see and embrace them, they will help us grow.

Here are some lessons or better yet ‘realizations’ I had over the years, that I would love to share with you.

1. If you don't love yourself, no one else will!

I started Modeling at an age of 15 and it has been a tough business. First of all, I am very grateful that I have had the opportunity to do what I do, it opened many doors for me. Modeling gave me the opportunity to travel, to see the world and to expand my horizon. It has and continues to confront me with many challenges, which help me to grow. I wouldn't be where I am today without modeling.

BUT... it is a tough and superficial business where people judge and reject you on a daily bases. It causes You to question yourself A LOT and you always have to rebuild the belief in yourself. You have to develop a thick skin and try to not take things personal, which is very hard, and I am honestly still struggling with it.

My lesson from this whole experience is the importance how to truly love yourself. If you love yourself, you will radiate it outwards. Everybody has it, the chattering and criticizing voice in their head telling them things like: “You are not good enough” or “You will never be able to reach your goals”. The fact is, that this voice isn't serving you and instead is blocking you in many ways. Would you want to be friends with someone who is constantly trying to make you small? No, you would want to be friends with somebody who is listening to you and is up lifting.

I observed that many of my fears, insecurities and self limiting beliefs were based on my lack of self-love.

So what does it mean to love yourself? In my opinion, loving yourself means taking good care of yourself, which includes eating good food, taking care of your body, being active and listening to yourself. Furthermore, it is important to create healthy boundaries and learn to say no! I often find myself, having a hard time saying no, because I don't want to be impolite. Even though, if somebody is crossing your personal space, it is your right to say no. It seems hard at first, but by working to stand up for yourself, you will feel empowered.

Loving yourself also means becoming conscious about your self-talk!

We often don't realize how hard we are on ourselves! The negative self-talk seems normal to us, but by doing it that we disempower ourselves even more.

I learnt that you are the creator of your life and that you have the power to change your thoughts. If you can create disempowering thoughts, you are also able to create loving and supportive thoughts.

Ask yourself: “How do I want to feel?” And “Which thoughts and beliefs would support it?” It feels strange and like a lie at first, the negative voice will try to fight against it, but with time and dedication they will transform in a beautiful way.

I am working daily on becoming more conscious about my thoughts through journaling, meditation and affirmations. Of course some days I feel better than others, but it is about consistency and taking small steps that move you forward.

Finally, I would say that loving yourself is all about respecting yourself and that you make decisions that feel good for you.

I am curious what it means for you to love yourself?

2. People love to talk, no matter what you do!

It actually doesn't matter what you are doing, if you are working on a big career or you are just chilling out in life. If People want to talk about you, they will find a reason for it. I personally made peace with it and for me “the talk” is just mirroring their own insecurities.

Why should you invest your limited amount of energy in talking about other people if instead you could invest the time in yourself?

Furthermore, think about the amount of energy you wasted when you got upset about what other people said about you. It's simply not worth it, it is best to accept it and let it go. The next time when you are upset about something ask yourself: ”Is it worth disturbing my peace?”

It is a process and daily work to slowly let go of what other people think, but it is also liberating.

We grew up learning to seek the approval of others, to feel accepted and worthy. The truth is that we will never be able to meet other peoples expectations, it is just limiting us and holding us back. It is about breaking free from other people’s expectations and starting to listen to your Soul.

Live your life for YOU and for nobody else.

You don't owe anyone an explanation for what you're doing in your life.

Just go your own way, do the things that feel right for you and stay true to yourself!

3. The time you invest in yourself, is the best investment you can make.

I fell in love with the process of learning about myself and I became very passionate about self-growth and self-discovery. It is one reason why I created this blog, to share my experiences and to inspire and motivate others on their journey.

Our whole life people told us what to do, how we should behave, what is appropriate and what is not. We believe what we have been taught and that it is the only truth. We are living our life, but we always have the feeling that something is missing. The missing piece is the knowledge of ourselves.

We invest so much time in learning about all kinds of things that are outside of ourselves, but we barely invest any time to look inwards.

Self discovery for me, is about questioning everything you have learned and that you think you are. It is about stepping back, starting from zero and being open to everything new as well as questioning your beliefs and discovering where your heart starts to tingle.

I believe, that if you choose your own beliefs and find the things that feel right for you it will give you true meaning to your life. Furthermore, I feel that everybody has unique talents and life is about discovering and embracing them. If you work for something, that you are passionate about and want to share with the world, it will fulfill you on a deeper level.

There is more to life than just the typical eat, work and sleep cycle.

What I love about investing in myself is that, it helps me to change my perspective with challenging situations in my life. I once read the quote: ”You can’t control the events and circumstances, but you can control your reactions to them”. This is so true because you always have a choice on how to react. What comes around, goes around. If you learn to consciously respond instead of unconsciously react, you will make your life way easier. I learned that I always have the choice to perceive a situation in a positive or negative way and the negative way, will never be beneficial for me or the people around me.

Every Experience is a chance to grow and I feel that the Universe is always presenting us with situations that contain a lesson within, even if we often don't want to see the lesson.

These three lessons are based on my experiences and are from my point of view. We all perceive life in a different way and I think it is beautiful to share it. Everybody has something to say and we can learn from each other's experiences.

I am curious what your life lessons are? Share in the comments below xx

Find Quiet Moments in Daily Life

We are living in a fast moving world and we are constantly rushing from appointment to appointment. Going to Work, doing Sports, taking care of the family, meeting friends and sometimes we do that all in the same day. But don’t we forget something important along the way? Exactly ourselves. 

We often find our selves feeling lost with many questions in our head. Who am I? What am I doing with my life? Am I actually happy? I guess many people can resonate with these questions. 

How should we know what we lack if we are never barely spending time alone and listen to ourselves?

Imagine your friend is not feeling well, you would sit down with your friend and listen to her or him. So why don’t you do that with yourself? I guess one of the reasons is that we never learned how to deal with our thoughts and emotions. No one ever taught us, maybe you were the blessed and your parents showed you different self-regulation techniques. But let’s be honest even our parents often don’t know how to consciously deal with themselves, because no one ever taught them either. It’s a trap.

Instead of dealing with ourselves, we tend to suppress our emotions and hide them by putting a mask on to protect ourselves. Meanwhile, we are keeping ourselves busy to avoid time alone and when we are alone we tend to spend our time on our phone or watching Netflix. 

We are constantly giving out energy, but not a lot of energy is coming back in. 

You have a limited amount of energy each day, you want to make sure that you are using your energy wisely and not always running on low battery.

I once read a quote: “You should offer yourself the same amount of time as you offer to other”, it resonated with me. I believe if you have thirty minutes for your friend, you should also have thirty minutes for yourself. 

You can start by doing small rituals where you spend some time and integrate them into your day. It can be anything that you enjoy doing and helps you to recharge.

Below I will share some tools and activities, that I love to do. 

I observed that if I am feeling good about myself, I find myself being more fair, loving and kind to others and it’s easier for me to respond to situations, instead of reacting. 

Here are five of my favorites:

1. Meditation is a powerful tool for me and it’s actually the first thing I do after waking up. To start your day with awareness (without checking your phone) is in my opinion, one of the best things you can do. Your morning determines your whole day. Any time of the day is great to meditate, I personally prefer mornings and evenings. Start with 5-10 mins a day and slowly build it up. You can listen to a guided meditation on YouTube, Binaural Beats, relaxing music or just sitting in Silence. 

2 Get some Solitude time! Go out for a walk without your phone. You can be home alone but if you're constantly texting with your friends it’s not really effective. Learn the art of how to be alone. I know it can be uncomfortable from time to time, but it’s often the uncomfortable moments in life that help us grow the most. If you find yourself being uncomfortable by being alone, challenge and observe yourself to find out the root of it.

3 Nurture yourself with activities you love to do. It can be anything from having a coffee while reading a good book, watching your favorite movie or going out for a run. Simply things that you enjoy doing. 

4 Journaling is one of my favorite self-reflection tools. Ask yourself questions like “What makes me happy?”, “What is holding me back?”, “Which kind of person do I want to become?”, “Are the people around supportive or bring me down?”.

Journaling helps me to become aware of my thought patterns, often I realised that many thoughts, beliefs, and fears are not actually mine. We unconsciously pick up many thoughts and beliefs of the environment that we live in. By giving yourself the time, to create a space where you can differentiate and filter what’s going on in our mind, you might realise that many beliefs are not coming from yourself. For example, often I realised ”hey wait a minute that's my mothers fear not mine”!

5 Being in Nature! Nature is healing. I love to walk in the forest or in a Parc, it feels like pushing a reset button. Go out of your apartment, get some fresh air and move your body. I know it’s comfortable and cozy on the couch, but getting out of your comfort zone will create a change.

Maybe you could resonate with some of the listed things and got inspired. Simply find your own ways and rituals that are helping you to built a healthier relationship with yourself. Enjoy and have fun!

Remember we all have 24 hours each day, no one has more or less, so it's your choice how you use your time. 

P.S. Don't pressure yourself with high expectations, be compassionate with yourself. Step by step, every minute counts and it's already an achievement.