I didn’t Expect It in the Rain Forest of Costa Rica . . . but Healing Happens with Pura Vida - High touch. High tech. High Impact!
- Lisa Meller
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
By Lisa Meller, CHN, CMP, CITP
July 30, 2026
I didn’t expect to laugh AND to cry in Costa Rica this month, but I did. I didn’t expect to heal an acute knee injury so quickly either! I didn’t expect a deep dive into myself, but it was just what I needed. Pura Vida is at The Vessyl, and I have found more peace!
Pura Vida is a way of life. It’s a mindset that promotes wellbeing through optimism, connection, and mental balance. That’s the right environment for HEALING.
Read on IF . . .
you’re a professional searching for greater performance in life
IF your Executive team can benefit from personal growth and deeper relationships . . . or
IF you want to finally align with your personal purpose.
My 7-day experience was amazing. I feel different - BETTER - than before I arrived.
Have you ever felt that way? Aha moments so profound you are moved? It happened to me. It can happen to you.
Let me share my story.
This July, a fabulous business trip turned into a personal journey inward. My colleague, Marjorie Ellis, and I were invited as VIP guests to provide feedback on a new “wellness” property. Elaine Macy represents the properties we visited and encouraged us to go. Thank you, dear Elaine! (For more fab properties see The Elaine Macy Collective )
I got soooooo much more than I expected!
NEW & The FIRST of it’s Kind in the World – The Vessyl . . .
First on our itinerary was The Vessyl, an AKEN Soul property. This one is OMG SPECIAL! (Check out the press release from July 7, 2026) Built on 118 acres in the rainforest of La Fortuna, it hosts only 33 guests at a time and offers the world’s first and ONLY 4-D healing frequency dome a healing hearth frequency sauna, and tech programmed for personal outcomes. Their high-tech, high-touch approach WORKS!
Their staff feels like family. Facilitators become friends. They embody Pura Vida!
Their personal healing philosophy is built on understanding who YOU truly are. Yes, YOU. No cookie cutters. No mass appeal. This punctuates everything I have learned in my years of studying holistic healing arts.
At The Vessyl, you'll go beyond wellness and into transformational deep dives. I was blown away by what I learned and by how much it resonated with my core beliefs.
It's different. It's beautiful. It's rustic. It's warm. It's glamping . . . or it's staying in a gorgeous villa. You choose. It's your adventure after all!
Injured on the Way In. IMPROVED on the way out!
3 days prior to traveling, I experienced a painful acute knee injury. My Summer Dive Championship plans – canceled in an instant. No weight on it at all, and I labored up stairs and with every step. Just 5 days later, I walked out like a normal person and well enough to hike the waterfalls and boogie board on the beaches of Nosara. WOW!
I attribute my speedy recovery to great nutrition, rest, and their signature healing frequency dome. My nervous system reset was perfectly timed. And their family of staff felt like a warm hug. I can’t thank them enough.
We enjoyed deep healing sound baths, chakra balancing, somatic breathing exercises, Qi gong & chai tea, yoga, and more. We LOVED our equine experience to learn more about how we communicate without words and by our energy signatures. We built trust with the horses and loved riding them bareback in the river – what a rush of water and adrenaline! THAT was NEW!
High tech AND glamping tents? You can do that?
Yep. They do! And beautifully.
The high-tech was unexpected so deep in the rainforest. With personal BioWell scans we learned about our unique energetic profiles that indicated the health of every organ and tissue system. We witnessed first-hand in before & after tests our parasympathetic nervous system kicking into gear and overriding the stress response. Wow!
I stopped for an hour to pause in a beanbag on my covered porch. The rain trickled down. Howler monkeys and birds called out. The breeze brushed my cheeks. Insects buzzed – and the rain forest was alive. I felt it.
Welcome to You sessions – what I didn’t expect . . .
These sessions were the most impactful. Using Human Design and gene key principles, my personal readings and 1:1 sessions with their expert team provided insights into MY life I didn’t know were possible. I learned about ME – my gifts, my challenges, my archetype. I am coming to understand myself and what drives me. YOU can experience the same and more.
Sure, I’ve done personality tests and the sorts. Nothing compares to this.
When stuff I stuff down came bubbling to the top, in a gentle and loving way, I cried. I released tension that I mask to “be” strong. It isn’t easy to face your deepest secrets and areas of improvement.
But to grow and get aligned with personal purpose, meeting yourself head-on may be par for the course.
I’m still processing . . . But I feel more connected to myself than before.
The environment was just right for CONNECTION-
· To SELF
· To NATURE
· To what is GREATER than all of us
I left The Vessyl KNOWING I will be back soon with a retreat for those who want to experience this very special place.
Chapter 2 – Sendero Nosara
The drive to Nosara beach went by quickly despite the hours that passed. Scenic and rustic, the Costa Rican landscape and lake regions are stunning.
We checked in to Sendero - just steps from the warm-water surf. Open, airy, and intimately boutique, Sendero Nosara is a place to integrate and regroup before returning home.
Organic food & beverage were delicious and unexpected bonuses! Over wine and ahi tuna tacos we chatted as friends and planned strategically for the future. (This is “work”?? Yep) We boogie boarded, ATV’d through riverbeds to waterfalls, and enjoyed sunrise & sunset beach walks. Nosara town is an easy walk. Cute shops and fun restaurants line the streets. People walk past in beach attire and flip flops with a relaxed smile in their hearts.
That’s Pura Vida. Simple and special.
We’re headed back. SOON.
We’re collaborating with Elaine and The Vessyl's team to bring to you a curated retreat this Fall 2026.
Join us for a transformational personal journey into what it’s like to live life at your best.
That’s our journey, too. Come to explore it with us or on your own. Your future self thanks you already.
I invite you to join me in making HEALING FUN. It feels great.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Email me at LisaM@Noveluma.life for more information about these properties or our next retreat! Or BOOK a stay of your own at The Vessyl or Sendero Nosara
You're Future Self with thank you!
By Lisa Meller, CHN, CMP, CITP
About Lisa Meller
I’m a 20+ year veteran of professional meeting & incentive corporate event planning. For years I’ve been passionate about helping humanity have a happier, healthier experience. Since embarking on personal studies in holistic nutrition, I’ve shifted focus to travel experiences that enhance health – for individuals, groups, and the planet as a whole. Now, I’m thrilled to connect what I love with what I do. I believe every person deserves a chance to feel what it’s like to live at their best.