From Dirt Roads to Deep Core: My Morning in Santa Teresa

There’s a specific type of magic that only Santa Teresa offers. The kind where mornings start early, barefoot and sun-kissed, as the jungle slowly wakes and the Pacific glimmers just beyond the palm trees. It feels equal parts surf town and spiritual retreat — where wellness isn’t an activity but a rhythm you fall into.

I followed that rhythm one warm morning, padding down the dusty dirt road toward Chez Coco, the local café where yogis, surfers, and expats gather over silky flat whites and coconut-milk smoothies. A quick caffeine fix in hand, I continued along the road, dodging motorbikes and street dogs, toward a studio that has quietly become the town’s most coveted wellness address: This Way Movement.

Founded by movement expert Julie Pallesen, This Way Movement is proof that Santa Teresa’s wellness scene has graduated from rustic to refined — without losing its soul. Step inside and the chaos of town melts. Light pours across sleek reformers; tropical greenery peeks through oversized windows; there’s a faint scent of palo santo. The latest Merrithew reformers enhance the studios reputation and poise.

Julie begins class with her signature softness — a quiet grounding, a breath, a reminder to move intentionally. But don’t mistake gentle energy for gentle work. Her method draws from reformer Pilates, yoga, and slow-burn strength training; small, precise movements that seem innocent until your core starts trembling and you realize your body has been activated in ways the surf alone can’t achieve.

What sets Julie apart isn’t just her technique — it’s her presence. She reads bodies instantly, adjusting a hip here, lengthening a spine there, offering cues that feel as personal as a private session even in a small group class. She moves with intention, speaks with calm, and somehow coaxes a deeper connection between breath and strength. It feels less like a workout and more like a reset — a recalibration of body and mind.

After class, I lingered a moment, stretching under a whirring fan as tropical heat crept in again. Outside, surfboards buzzed past on ATVs and the smell of ocean and dust filled the air. It was still Santa Teresa — just experienced through a more elevated lens.

In a town known for barefoot surf yogis, This Way Movement stands in its own category: luxury wellness grounded in authenticity, elegance without pretense. Whether you come to Santa Teresa to surf, reset, or simply slow down, there may be no better way to begin a day here than with a coffee from Chez Coco, a sandy walk by the ever changing tides, and an hour with Julie.