Fern Olivia
We connected with the vibrant Fern Olivia to catch up on her latest adventures in Nosara, Costa Rica. Fern is the founder of Thyroid Yoga and Ajai Alchemy and was a panelist at the Love Beauty Wellness Festival 2017. Nowadays you can find her surfing, dancing and practicing yoga in one of the world’s most amazing ‘blue zones’.
Can you share with us a little about your new life in Costa Rica?
I live in a Blue Zone in Nosara, Costa Rica. I moved here from LA in September 2017 and it was an easy transition because once my soul called me here, I knew this was home. Nosara is a beautiful place with a golden aura, a wonderful vortex of personal, social and global consciousness, a place where people come to find themselves, reclaim their freedom, and sometimes never leave. One of them, me. Nosara is a major yoga mecca, a premier surf destination, and a robust wellness hub. You may have experienced places that are considered what they call energy centers, or vortexes, like Sedona, Arizona, where people come and they don’t know why but there’s something about the place that draws in high vibrational people and energies, and that’s what this area is like. It is a manifestation portal, because we are reflections of our environments and our environment here is lush with abundance, reflected in her pristine coastline lush with with flowers, trees, birds, reptiles, insects and mammals. Nosara, Costa Rica was recently recognized by National Geographic as one of the healthiest places to live, and the central Nicoya Peninsula of northwest Costa Rica, where Nosara resides, is one of the planet’s top Blue Zones. What is a “Blue Zone,” you ask? It is a place where people live happily and healthily for a very long time, with the largest concentration of people living over 100 years of age.
Nosara is off the beaten path, which makes it even more unique and special -- it takes an adventurous person to find their way here - and stay - because it is so rustic and raw with intense dry and rainy seasons.
I love my life here in my jungle tree house by the beach! After living in LA for 2 years and before that NYC for nearly 7 years, I am truly living a life of freedom and harmony in nature.
I wake up every day between 6:30-7am and I head outside to the beach for a bootcamp with my surf buddies - we’ve created a “jungle gym” (literally) with coconuts we use as medicine balls, fallen logs we stand on for squats, and rocks as weights. After our workout and surf session, I head home for some fresh pipa (coconut water) and green juice, and then dance in front of my mirror - a daily ritual I started to share on my instagram stories! After, a Kundalini Yoga class down the street at the Iluminar Yoga Hotel or Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort - two of the most gorgeous spaces I have ever taught or practiced in! In the afternoon, you’ll find me back home enjoying time in my hammock listening to music and enjoying a moment in solitude before teaching, seeing friends, and watching sunset on the beach - a special ritual we all are devoted to each evening.
In my jungle oasis, I've committed to fierce self-love and independence in my body. This place really teaches you how to find peace within yourself in the quiet moments and to tune into nature to find harmony and health. I learn more about myself every day and fall deeper in love with my own beauty, build respect for myself, and empower everyone around me to see themselves as radiant, luminous, infinite beings.
What is your passion?
Through my journey and all I am creating, I am devoted to mirroring in you the beauty in yourself that you may have forgotten - reminding you how to fearlessly trust yourself, to deeply know yourself, and to boundlessly free yourself.
In my quest to offer unique healing and wellness experiences, I created Nosara Wellness Guide, a wellness concierge for locals and visitors, and also have partnered with Iluminar Yoga Resort to offer spiritual detoxification and personal cleanse retreats.
I’ve continued offering Thyroid Yoga retreats and group and one-on-one trainings in Nosara, and the next group offering is December 11-18, 2018. My vision for each graduate is for each to first and foremost, tap into her inner medicine woman (or medicine man) and then have the confidence to share these practices with the world. I aim to empower each person who takes this training to create their own ripple effect of health and healing in our global community. This could be in the form of retreats, speaking engagements, personal and group healing work, yoga, meditation, functional medicine - truly the possibilities are infinite and this is what makes this so exciting for me to watch unfold!
Ajai Alchemy, the sustainable essential oil-based beauty brand I created when I was living in Los Angeles, is thriving around the world! To create a brand that invites us to experience our radiant beauty from within, while providing a physical extension of self-love and purpose, is one of the most potent gifts the Universe has given me. Ajai embodies your radiance by synergistically activating the powerful frequency and vibrancy of plant medicine.
Through my passion projects and the beautiful community I am co-creating with, I desire to create a world in which each person is unapologetically kind to her or his body, practices luxurious self-love and liberation, and treats our Mother Earth with love, dignity, and respect.
What is your definition of wellness?
Wellness is more than feeling fit and healthy - although these are obvious components. On a deeper level, wellness is a feeling of alignment with your soul aligned with your spirit, a devotion to liberating yourself and living a life of love, and self-expression fully expressed with beauty and grace.
Wellness is a bright, brilliant aura that can be felt before you walk into the room, and an aura that is illuminated by a glowing radiance.
I find my wellness with the healing food I nourish myself with, the sensual alchemy that kisses my skin, the soul family and friends I choose to enjoy time with, the sacred home I have created, and the healing experiences I treat myself lavishly with every day. Wellness is me taking care of myself in the most loving and kind-hearted way. It is staying true to myself, and when I do that, I feel good, naturally.
What are some of your essential wellness protocols?
Sadhana, or daily practice, is a must for me, and it's a pillar that I talk about in my Thyroid Yoga course. It's a nonnegotiable holy practice that reminds me that I am worthy before I go out into the world — and yes, that means before I turn on my phone and check email or my Instagram feed. I’ve been quoted by saying “rituals are habits made holy” and it’s true - if you find a practice that becomes your ritual for 40 days, it will become holy. You become holy. Celebrate yourself, precious soul!
My daily practice consists of repeating the affirmation “I release control and surrender to the flow of love. My love will heal me.”
Kundalini Yoga & Thyroid Yoga Morning Practice
Chanting mantra and meditation
Beach workout or personal training session
Dancing in front of the mirror (and you’ll find my daily practice on my instagram feed!)
Surfing
Aromatherapy self-massage with aloe vera, coconut oil, and my Ajai Essential Oils
Preparing nourishing plant-based meals and smoothies
Sipping my Blue Lotus dreamtime tea from Anima Mundi Herbals and speaking to my angels
Prayers of gratitude and surrender
Sleeping before 10pm, waking at 6am
Will you share one of your favorite recipes with us?
Of course! My famous Rocky Rose Brownies - these were featured in Thoughtfully Magazine Issue 9!
Ingredients:
The Base:
1 cup cacao butter (melted)
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/2 cup black beans (ready to eat)
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 cup pure maple syrup or coconut nectar
2 scraped vanilla beans
1 tablespoon rose water
1/2 teaspoon flakey sea salt
1 cup raw cacao powder
The Rocky:
1/2 cup walnuts, ground in food processor to a rough meal
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
The Rose:
Dried rose petals and goji berries to garnish.
Directions:
First, make the base chocolate. Blend ingredients of The Base together till smooth and creamy.
Now, add the The Rocky. Pour the base into a large mixing bowl, and stir in all The Rocky ingredients.
Pour the mixture into an 8 inch pan, lined with parchment paper. Set in the refrigerator or freezer for an hour before cutting and serving, checking periodically - the final product should be able to be cut through with a fudge-like consistency.
Sprinkle dried rose petals and goji berries over the top whilst whispering beautiful intentions, then serve with love.
One of your favorite snacks?
Avocado with a drizzle of fresh raw honey from the Farmers Market and a sprinkle of sea salt flakes… que rico!!
Favorite beauty ritual?
Morning face massage with jade roller and + a botanical papaya and honey face mask recipe, for radiant skin.
Massaging the face and neck in the morning is an excellent way to de-puff and clear any fluid congestion that may have built up overnight. A jade roller is the ultimate holistic answer to lymphatic drainage for the face. The magic lies within the semi-precious stone jade itself, since jade remains cold while in contact with the skin; allowing the pores to close and tighten. Jade also naturally emits infrared rays, which warm and increase blood circulation and thin the lymph, the layer of fluid beneath the skin's surface. The physical movement and pressure on the skin also gets the lymph moving and thus, a smooth, serene-looking complexion for yourself.
How-to:
Apply a few drops of Radiance Hair, Body, and Face Oil to your face and massage in gently.
Roller the face using no extra pressure other than simply the pressure of the roller. This will penetrate all the healing properties of the botanicals in the oil deeper into the skin for extra smoothing, firming, and pore-reducing results.
Next apply a soothing and hydrating face mask: Smash up some ripe papaya with a blob of raw honey and add a few extra drops of coconut and Grace Face Oil for a sexy aphrodisiac afterglow.
How do you manage stress?
I can honestly say that now, for the first time in my adult life, I live a very low stress life! That’s why we say Pura Vida all the time here. On the rare occasions where I feel stress creep upon me - for example when my retreat groups are arriving and I have a ton of prep work to make sure everyone feels safe and cared for upon arrival - I stay true to my Kundalini Yoga practice (daily sadhana) and rituals - surfing, workouts, nature - so I feel nourished and abundant to give my heart and soul to the work that I love to give to the world! I also have began to create clear energetic boundaries, which are so essential to keep my energy high.
Favorite song(s) and book(s) right now?
On my spotify playlist:
Hold My Hand - Nessi Gomes
Laya Yoga - Jai Jagdeesh
Budding Trees - Nahko
Higher Me - Rob Riccardo
Rise Up - Andra Day
A Reminder - Trevor Hall
Simple Things (The Ocean Song) - Ziggy Alberts
Books:
Angel Detox, Doreen Virtue
One Spirit Medicine, Alberto Villoldo
What did you enjoy about the Love Beauty Wellness Festival?
Everything! Especially speaking about my favorite rituals - and witnessing the joy and gratitude of the audience for my candid and deep responses to their questions. I love speaking on the topics of holistic lifestyle and beauty rituals, self-expression, thyroid health and women's health.
I love that the Love Beauty Wellness Festival empowers a mass movement of self-awareness and access to the most innovative and powerful lifestyle practices. It truly brought together an exceptional group of speakers and leaders in the wellness world with curious, passionate, excited people, and I loved meeting so many of them in one place! Exhilarating! I also was thrilled to share my brand, Ajai Alchemy, as a vendor in the boutique during the festival! What a gift to connect with other enthusiastic brands and movers and shakers who loved what I create from my soul.
How can we connect with you?
@fernolivia