Global Wellness: Central America
Global Wellness is a series that highlights the careers of wellness practitioners around the world.
Daniel Castro
Ahead of opening rm balance dc, I traveled to Guatemala for the month of January to complete a 200 hour yoga teacher training course through Sacred Paths Yoga and under the skilled instruction of Darin Lehman and Daniel Castro. We met daily at 6am for meditation, followed by breath work, Asanas (yoga poses), and classroom sessions that covered topics ranging from the philosophies of yoga to the art of teaching. Daniel, the co-facilitator of the program, is an excellent instructor with a deep knowledge of the history and mythology behind various poses. His focus and expertise made for engaging and detailed classes to complement the skilled work of Lehman throughout the training. Daniel, native to Costa Rica, also has personal, career, and spiritual ties to Central America as his lifelong home and is a massage therapist in addition to his work in yoga. After our training, I was able to discuss his wellness approach as well as its relationship to his home.
When did you first decide to go into a physical wellness profession? Did you start with massage therapy or yoga?
I began with yoga, I knew that I wanted to become a teacher after my first few years of practice. Then the wellness and bodywork came right after that. it felt obvious to make that decision since I was already on a path of working towards a sense of wellbeing.
What inspired you to take that path?
Mostly it was the great benefits that I've received from the practice and the lifestyle it embodies. I figured that if it could do such great things for myself, it might benefit other people. Sharing what has been relevant to me has proven to be very effective in improving other people's lives, sometimes on a very small degree, sometimes on a much greater scale. In the end it's all about sharing.
In what ways do you feel your yoga and massage practices intersect?
They relate so well together: there are the physiological elements, the therapeutic elements—even the energetic elements align very well in both of these practices, I feel being a yoga teacher has improved my massage skills and vice versa.
What is your favorite yoga practice to teach?
I enjoy the practices in which I'm helping students with their injuries. Helping someone that has pain or limited mobility and assisting them in their process of getting better despite their condition is very gratifying.
What is your favorite massage modality to perform?
I really like giving deep tissue massages. I feel I can apply most of the knowledge I've gathered around anatomy and physiology into that particular modality, both for the safekeeping of my own body while I'm doing it as well as for the wellness of the recipient's body.
Is your work in any way influenced by the Maya culture of Central America?
I was introduced to the concept of the Maya calendar a long time ago and ever since I've been fascinated by the way they saw time, their measurement of it in different counts, their architecture and the mystery around their mysticism—especially since most of the ancient Mayan codices, where they wrote their stories and traditions, were destroyed.
I've been also exposed to what is known as 'The Red Path' ('El Camino Rojo' in spanish), which is the original life path of Maya culture. You'd be surprised how some of these rituals have a great resemblance to other spiritual practices around the world, even when separated by a great distance. For example, the ceremony of Inipi of the Lakota tribes in North America is akin to the Aroftuwe ritual of the Mapuche from South America.
Is there any place you wish to visit to deepen your yoga practice that feels spiritually significant to you?
So many! I'd love to visit Kashmir, Varanasi, Vrindaban and other places in India, as well as the Himalayas and Nepal. I've benefited so much from the teachings that come from these lands without having been there myself yet. That's on the horizon for sure.
Tell me about the area you grew up in and where you live now, and the values of the community there.
I grew up in the north of San Jose. Growing up, I would play outside, riding bikes, playing soccer, and hide and seek with 15 other kids. There was a nearby river we would go to. We were generally outdoors, climbing trees and very active, it was safe and fun.
Now I live in the Nicoya Peninsula, it is a very international kind of community so there's a lot of different cultures, one of the days that I like the most in my daughter's school is 'Culture Day', we get to try food from 32 different countries in one day, right at the school.
What is your educational background in massage?
My first contact with massage therapy goes back to 2011, I had just finished my yoga teacher training and had decided to continue studying for two more weeks in order to introduce myself to the modality of Traditional Thai massage. Eventually I studied a little bit deeper into this space and incorporated other techniques, including ones that involve table massages like the Swedish, myofascial release, and deep tissue. I still continue to learn and unlearn.
I like to see myself as a self taught kind of person, I taught myself to speak english amongst other things. Massage has been a bit of the same, although I've had great teachers and colleagues from whom I've received so much. My Thai massage teacher has a very deep meditation background to his practice and teaching style, one of my colleagues taught me about myofascial release work and other table techniques, a friend who's also a Rolfer taught me a lot about the nature and approach of connective tissue, as well as injury and structural issues with the body. I'm still a student and will always pursue learning and improving my skills and knowledge.
What about your training in yoga?
Yoga came very early in my life, I had been exposed to the practice of Bhakti through one of my uncles and his family who where Vaishnavas (devotees of Krishna) at the time. I was already reading sacred texts, mythology, and other philosophical concepts around Yoga when I was a teenager and eventually started practicing meditation and postural Yoga in my early twenties. It's been 15 years since my first certification but my practice dates further back.
What is your favorite yoga pose or short sequence?
This one is always changing, you know? It's like choosing a favorite song or band, I guess it depends on the mood I'm in. If I had to choose, I'd say heart opening, Yin style, poses. There's something about upper body Yin Yoga that is very special, it allows a certain kind of release that is really nice.
You spend a lot of time in your career maintaining the physical and emotional wellbeing of others. What do you do to care for your own?
A very delicate balance between downtime and nature time. Having a career that involves holding space for other humans means that I have to find the way to do it for myself. Luckily in Costa Rica we have very good, clean food and lots of nature and wilderness, which helps a lot. My family is a great support as well and whenever I can I enjoy surfing, it really fills my cup.
What makes your approach to wellness special?
Reminding myself that I'm just another human in a special place and time as another human, and what flows through me is not really mine but a greater force that is holding both of us. That realization makes the experience far more enjoyable and personal, I find something very special in that.
What is your favorite thing about what you do?
Meeting people from all around the world, learning about their cultures and skills. That and having time to spend with my family while being able to provide for them.
What do you find the most challenging about what you do?
Sometimes, even after teaching for so long, working in this field, and taking care of myself, there's a feeling of burnout that shows up sporadically. sometimes it comes with 'imposter syndrome'. I guess by being in an almost constant state of self reflection, there's an inevitable meeting with some of the shadows and traumas we hold within, facing those is never easy, however it's becoming less frequent and easier with time.
What does your current massage practice look like: where do you see clients, and how often? What modalities are you usually performing?
It differs depending on where I am. Usually when I'm home I'm more focused on the Yoga teaching part and requests for massage vary, some weeks it's really slow and others there's more demand; however, when I travel to the U.S. for the summer, I have up to 4 sessions per day, on top of the work I do as a teacher, so, it changes depending on location and season.
What is a moment in your wellness career that you are especially proud of?
I have a couple of cases that are similar in their nature: herniated discs in the lumbar spine. In both cases, I was able to help my students to regain their mobility and health, one of them even invited me to record a podcast and a series of shapes around the practice of Yin. There's also several sessions in which I had clients gratefully stating how much the massage helped them feel better.
What do you charge for your services? Is this typical for your area?
I charge an average of $100 (USD) per 60 minute session, and yes, this is the typical rate for the area I live in.
What other things would you like to accomplish in your yoga and massage career in the future?
I'd like to create my own school and studio, to provide the skills and certifications for people to learn about different kinds of bodywork and healing methodologies.
Edited for clarity and length.
Sacred Paths Yoga offers retreats and Yoga Teacher Trainings across the world. They can be found on Instagram at @sacredpathsyoga.
Daniel has both virtual and in-person trainings upcoming this year. He is also based in Costa Rica and available for massage therapy by appointment. You can reach him via Whatsapp at +50684214645, by email at nilahastayoga@gmail.com, and on Instagram at @nilahasta.