How “Pura Vida” Encapsulates a Relaxed Costa Rican Culture

Lisa A. Post, owner of the Edward J. Post Company, Inc., in Medford, New Jersey, offers insurance to the building trade through her surety bond business. A member of a range of professional and civic organizations, Lisa A. Post also maintains an enthusiasm for healthy living, exercise, and organic food. On January 1, 2016, she traveled to Costa Rica to relax at the Pura Vida Retreat & Spa. The spa experience featured sessions designed for the healing and strengthening of mind and body, which she highly recommends.

A notable Costa Rican phrase, pure vida is used to describe life. The Spanish words convey a meaning deeper and more poetic than their literal English translation of “pure life.” They encompass a way of living. Many admirers of the Costa Rican culture use “pura vida” to describe a personal philosophy that emphasizes an easy, effortless, and joyful approach to life, one that finds pleasure in the beauty of everyday activities.

Some fans of the phrase say that “pura vida” originated in Costa Rica’s surfer culture of the 1950s, when numerous devotees of the sport came from the United States to the tiny Central American country and fell in love with the relaxed lifestyle along its beaches. Whatever its beginnings, Costa Ricans have adopted “pura vida” as a sort of national brand, one increasingly found in brochures that showcase the delights that still await travelers to the country.