Slowly but surely as COVID-19 becomes endemic, people are resuming many of the activities they once enjoyed. That sentiment is true for Melanie Caines, owner of Nova Yoga and Nova Retreats, who for the first time in two years was able to host a yoga retreat internationally.

Caines says over the last two years she has had to postpone 19 retreats.

The last one she held was in February 2020 in Costa Rica, a destination she was able to return to for her first trip back this year.

Caines says people came from all over the world, including here in Canada, the United States, and France. She says everyone on the trip had to be vaccinated and everyone tested negative. For many, Caines says it was their first big trip since the pandemic began.

She says it was great to be able to meet new people and do things that have been discouraged over the last two years. She says they never realized just how important socializing and connecting with people is.