top of page

EcoMaste is engaging, participating, and making a difference.

BLOG

Welcome to our blog. We invite you to read our posts and feel free to leave a few comments! Your feed back is much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to learn about Natural Building and a little bit more of what we are up to at our sanctuary. If you have any questions or would like to connect directly, please send us an email at info@ecomaste.com

Wholeness, Much Love, and Pura Vida.

If you think about it, most of our lives are spent worrying about the future or replaying the past. We grip tightly onto the good times and resist the uncomfortable ones. We crave certainty, clinging to comfort instead of venturing into the unknown.


But in doing so, we often let ourselves be ruled by fear — trapped in a cycle of distraction, overwhelm, and disconnection. We chase fleeting highs — the next achievement, the next relationship, the next experience — hoping they’ll finally make us feel whole. Yet the satisfaction never lasts.


The truth is, many of us have become addicted to our own patterns of DISease. We avoid the practices that could actually transform us because they require slowing down, facing ourselves, and letting go.

And yet… this is where real change begins.


ree

Meditation: The Gateway to Presence

Meditation is not about escaping your life — it’s about meeting it fully. It’s the practice of returning to the spaces between the breath, the stillness beneath all thought. It’s where you rediscover peace, clarity, and truth — the parts of you that exist beyond the constant noise of the mind.

When you start to meditate regularly, subtle shifts begin to unfold:

  • You react less, and respond more.

  • You feel grounded, even when life moves fast.

  • You start noticing the beauty in small, ordinary moments.

  • You rediscover joy not as something to chase, but as something that’s always been within you.

From the way you sip your morning tea to the way you handle a challenge at work — meditation changes your quality of being.


How to Begin: Simple Techniques to Anchor You

You don’t need to have hours of free time or a perfectly silent space to start meditating.

You only need your breath and willingness to begin.

Here are a few ways to start today:


1. Counting the Breath: Close your eyes and inhale slowly to the count of 4.Exhale to the count of 4.When your mind drifts, return to the count — gently, without judgment.

2. Breath Awareness: Notice the natural rhythm of your breath — cool as it enters the nose, warm as it leaves. Follow it like a wave, allowing thoughts to pass without attachment.

3. Use a Meditation App: If you’re new, apps like Insight Timer, Calm, or Headspace can guide you with structure and consistency. Even five minutes a day can begin to rewire your nervous system for peace.


When You’re Ready for a Deeper Shift

For many, the real transformation happens when you step beyond the comfort zone — when you immerse yourself fully in silence and self-inquiry.


Our 10-Day Silent Retreat  offers a unique opportunity to do just that.

Held in a beautiful natural setting, it’s a space where your nervous system can truly rest — where you’re supported by a community equally committed to introspection and growth.

The shared silence becomes a mirror, helping you meet yourself more deeply.

Your peers’ commitment encourages you to keep going —

to journey back home to your heart.

By the end, you don’t just return to your life refreshed; you return with a new perspective — a grounded awareness that turns ordinary moments into sacred ones.


Come Home to Yourself

If you’re tired of the cycle of distraction and disconnection, there’s another way.Meditation isn’t about escaping the world — it’s about remembering how to truly live in it.

Join us for our next 10-Day Silent Retreat (December 31st-January 11th) and experience the shift from doing to being, from noise to stillness, from separation to connection.


The journey home begins in the spaces between breath.


Written by: Amanda Luna

ree

Amanda is the co-founder of Ecomaste, a passionate herbalist, and a 

Holistic Wellbeing Guide. She intertwines her love for the natural world through various forms of herbalism, mindfulness and movement medicine like qi-gong, yoga, dance and art.

With a mission to support love, harmony, and wholeness for people, beings, and lands, Amanda strives to rebuild regenerative relationships with the Earth and guide others towards balance and holistic wellness through her compassionate and intuitive approach.

Click below to Learn more about Amanda Luna & her ongoing & upcoming offerings:


 
 
 


No matter where you are in the world, the seasons invite us to connect with our inner elements—Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Ether—and cultivate balance, clarity, and wellbeing. Whether you’re playing in the rain in Costa Rica or basking in the summer sunshine, these simple practices can support your mind, body, and spirit.


Spring / Early Rainy Season (Renewal & Growth)

  • Focus: Earth & Water

  • Practice: Plant seeds and intentions, whether in a garden or a pot, and reflect on the growth you wish to see in your life. Speak words of affirmations into your drinking water  herbal teas.  As you drink them imagine literally drinking in your intentions and feeling them come to fruition.

  • DIY: Create a mini altar with stones, leaves, photos, art, feathers and flowers to celebrate new beginnings.

    ree

Summer / Dry Season (Vitality & Expansion)

  • Focus: Fire & Air

  • Practice: Soak in sunlight, practice receiving the morning sun: stand in the direction of the sun, raise your arms over head towards the sun and imagine welcoming sun rays into your mouth and swallow them. Imagine the sunlight revitalizing you from the inside out. This practice is called 1000 pearls of sun. Close your eyes and  allow yourself to receive the energy of the sun for a few moments.

  •  DIY: Make a sun-infused herbal oil or tea blend to energize your body and senses.

My favorites in Costa Rica are Ylang Ylang solar oil infusion. In four season climates, calendula flower solar infusions are amazing!


Autumn / Early Wet Season (Reflection & Balance)

  • Focus: Water & Ether

  • Practice: Journal or meditate near water, taking stock of emotions and releasing what no longer serves you. Take silent walks in nature, observing the changes around you. Incorporate cat cow and spinal twists into your movement practice.

  • DIY: Brew seasonal teas from local plants, slow-cook nourishing meals, or try mindful cooking rituals. A favorite practice is to make a fire cider with different warming and immune boosting herbs like ginger, garlic, cinnamon, burdock, horse radish, chiles, elderberries.

ree

Winter / Rainy Season or Cooler Months

  • Focus: Earth & Fire

  • Practice: Ground yourself with restorative yoga, and warm herbal drinks like ginger, cinnamon and lime. Light candles for meditation and reflection, connecting with your inner fire and resilience. Practice cultivating your inner fire with breathing practices like breath of fire.

  • DIY: Start to incorporate the remedies you made in the season prior like fire cider in the morning to stimulate digestion. Continue to journal setting intentions during the new moon, noting what you're grateful for and what you are releasing for the full moon. Use your herbal oils for evening herbal self-massage


Bringing it All Together

  • Use the seasons as reminders to honor each element in your life.

  • Incorporate small rituals or DIY practices wherever you are, connecting to the natural rhythm of your surroundings.

  • Engage in community experiences to deepen your practice, whether online or in-person.

Invitation: Explore these practices with us through our offerings this season:

  • Awaken the Elements Within: 7-week free online course. Explore Qi-gong’s spin on the 5 elements. Sign up today!

  • Silent Retreat in January: Deep reflection and reconnection. Take advantage of our

  • Early Bird Special!

  • Holistic Eco-Living Apprenticeship and Core Team Opportunities:  Hands-on learning in permaculture, herbalism, and community stewardship.

    Stay a season with us and co-create a vibe that attracts tribe! Email to learn more



ree

Amanda Luna, Amanda is the co-founder of Ecomaste, a passionate herbalist, and a 

Holistic Wellbeing Guide. She intertwines her love for the natural world through various forms of herbalism, mindfulness and movement medicine like qi-gong, yoga, dance and art.

With a mission to support love, harmony, and wholeness for people, beings, and lands, Amanda strives to rebuild regenerative relationships with the Earth and guide others towards balance and holistic wellness through her compassionate and intuitive approach.

Click below to Learn more about Amanda Luna & her ongoing & upcoming offerings:


 
 
 

 Why the World Peace Treaty Gathering in Ireland Matters Now More Than Ever


This July, something extraordinary is happening in Ireland. From the sacred lands of Palenque to the green hills of Dripsey Castle, a prophetic call is echoing across the globe—a call for unity, healing, and a return to our sacred responsibilities as Earth stewards.

Two powerful events—the Full Moon Eighth Fire Ceremony (July 10th) and the

 World Peace Gathering (July 18–20)—will bring together Indigenous leaders, elders, artists, and peacebuilders from around the world. Their purpose? To fulfill a sacred World Peace Mandate and ignite a living treaty between peoples, cultures, and the Earth herself.


ree

 Why This Gathering Matters

In 2023, at a spiritual convergence in Palenque, Mexico, a mandate was given to the Irish people by the Council of the Condor, Eagle, Quetzal, and Hummingbird—symbols of wisdom, vision, unity, and love. This wasn’t just a ceremonial gesture. It was a living, breathing call for Ireland to rise as Bridge Builders—linking Europe with the Americas, the Global South, and the ancestral memory of peace we all carry in our bones.

This summer, that vision begins to manifest.

Ireland’s history—marked by colonization, famine, resistance, and profound generosity—resonates deeply with the struggles and values of Indigenous Peoples worldwide. As Chief Phil Lane Jr. reminds us:

“The Irish are not colonizers but victims themselves… They do not make war on other nations… They send peacekeepers. They are proud of their neutrality. They recognize that unity is more powerful than separation.”

ree


🌕 Ceremony, Spirit, and Sacred Action

Full Moon Eighth Fire Ceremony — July 10th

In alignment with the Global 8th Fire Circle, this ceremony invites local and international participants to gather around fire in sacred unity, adding Irish ashes to the global flame. It’s a ceremonial act of environmental healing, ancestral remembrance, and global kinship.

World Peace Gathering — July 18–20 at Dripsey Castle

A hybrid event with over 500 attendees, this gathering will feature:

  • Indigenous elders and spiritual leaders from Turtle Island, the Andes, the Aymara and Maya Nations, Greenland, the South Pacific, and more.

  • Irish artists, poets, and storytellers offering cultural medicine.

  • Collaborative dialogue and ceremony between the Irish and global delegates to activate the World Peace Treaty.

It is a threshold moment—a chance to shift from war, extraction, and division toward unity, kinship, and regeneration.



🌎 The World Peace Treaty Is a Living Promise

This is not just an agreement on paper. The World Peace Treaty is a sacred covenant—a renewal of our roles as caretakers of Earth and one another.

True peace does not come from policies or handshakes—it emerges from within, from how we treat our communities, the land, the water, the ancestors, and ourselves.

If we want true change, we must embody it.


ree

 How You Can Participate

Even if you cannot be in Ireland physically, you are part of this treaty.

  • Create a ceremony in our own community during these potent times. Invite friends, family and gather for world peace on the 10th, 18-20th. Connect to the energy of peace and unity and to our brothers and sisters that are gathering in Ireland with this prayer. 

  • Pray, sing, reflect, and remember—we are one human family.

  • Support Indigenous-led initiatives like Four Worlds International Institute and Kindred Spirits Ireland.

  • Talk about it. Share this story. Help others see that peace isn’t just possible—it’s already rising.



 We Are All Indigenous to Mother Earth

As Chief Phil Lane Jr. so beautifully states:

“These traits are not just unique to First Nations or the Irish—they are in all of us. We are all Indigenous to Mother Earth… We are all sisters and brothers. We are all One Human Family.”

Let this summer in Ireland be a spark that sets your soul alight. Let it remind you that peace is not a dream of the past, but a reality we must plant, protect, and embody—together.



🕊️ Will you answer the call?

These gatherings are more than events—they are thresholds.

They are a call to remember who we are, to rise in unity, and to plant the seeds of a peaceful, thriving future. We welcome all kindred spirits, of all nations, who feel the call of this sacred moment.

Together, we become the Bridge Builders our ancestors dreamed of.



🔗 Learn more / RSVP / Donate / Get Involved








 
 
 

Subscribe to our blog. #NatureNow

bottom of page