Usually, when we seek more balance in our lives, we think first about getting rid of things—clean out the closet, stop working so much, schedule some "do nothing" time. But what if balance instead meant you added something to your busy schedule?

That was the solution for Ashley Fieglein, 34. Five years ago, the Silicon Valley venture capitalist was on vacation in Costa Rica with her expert-surfer brother. A surfing novice, she took lessons with Alvaro Solano, a six-time national champion in the small Central American nation. There, she had an epiphany: she had too much stress and not enough happiness. But rather than cutting back on her busy life, she made it busier. Within months, the San Francisco resident changed jobs, purchased property near Jacó, on Costa Rica's wave-blessed Pacific coast, and broke ground on what became the Vista Guapa surfing and yoga camp [1]. The camp is now in its fourth season, with Solano and his family managing the three-bungalow resort full-time.

While owning Vista Guapa might be a source of balance for Fieglein's own life, she envisions the camp—a term used loosely to include air-conditioned cottages with private baths and amenities like spa services, in-room massage and a pool—as a place for people to find new challenges, as well as relax. Such challenges might be "stretching our bodies and minds in a yoga [1] retreat, or stretching our personal endurance limits" while surfing.

Vista Guapa offers surf lessons daily for up to four hours, weather and tides permitting. Waves are never hard to find, and the more remote surf breaks are accessed by boat. Solano guides visitors to the most appropriate waves for their skill level. Yoga [1] instruction, on an outdoor yoga platform with ocean view breezes, should be scheduled in advance. Day trips can be arranged, including hikes to national parks or a volcano, zip-line forest canopy tours, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, and sea kayaking.

Of course, after a day of sunrise yoga and surfing, the only activity you desire might be side-to-side, in a hammock. Vista Guapa has you covered there too.

The rainier "green season" starts April 15, and rates [2] drop; however, the bigger waves come in May. If sunshine is important to you, though, go now for high season, or wait until November.

Photo: Vista Gaupa [3]