locisima la vuelta......pero bueno

so.....we left Ecuador about three weeks ago by bus.....24 hours from Vilcabamba in the south of Ecuador to Colombia.....about 24 hours.....all was good past the border into Pasto, Colombia where we met some friends.....there was a beautiful cultural conference there for one week with many spiritual leaders and shamans from around the world.....we participated in an Ayahuasca ceremony with many beautiful people in the backdrop of the stars and two waterfalls.....what a dream. After a week in Pasto, we traveled north back to Cali, Colombia....the highway from Pasto to Popayan is muy caliente.....what I mean is it is hot with police because this road is heavy with trafficking of the devil's white powder....our bus was pulled over and searched twice.....how exciting....we stood back and watched while they took care of their business....one man got taken away because he was in possession of Gold....the political climate is crazy....I don't really understand all the goings on, but the police have the power over the people and whatever they say goes apparently....the key is not to draw attention to oneself and all is good...two glorious weeks in Cali and then we started to travel South again.....about one and a half hours south of Cali on the road to Popayan the traffic came to a stand still....I was dead asleep.....when I awoke we got out of the bus to have a look and find some good eats only to see a massive line of cars stopped for miles....Police, military and the Guerilla were said to be ahead....there was a blockade in the road so no one could pass....some indigenous peoples had started a protest and were rioting, which caused chaos of catastrophic proportions....the road was closed for more than a day and a half......when I say catastrophic I mean we saw the live news footage from a cafe and there were army tanks and people throwing fire and granades......a serious protest.....at any rate we waited about 7 hours then turned the bus around and headed back to Cali......I needed to get to Quito for a flight....seeing as the road was closed I had to travel by air.....and once again I am in Quito....swinging in a hammock on a balcony in the crisp evening air....tomorrow traveling again....destination undeclared.....

The Valley of Rare Fruits

So, after feeling out the energy of Vilcabamba for a few days, Great Spirit let an apartment near the town square fall into our lives....for $100 per month including utilities....not bad I'd say.....if you notice in the photo above, I am standing in the doorway of the bathroom in our apartment....it is very short....which goes along with the simple fact that in Ecuador I am almost a giant.....we all need something to make us laugh :)

I am reading a book called The Valley of Rare Fruits, by a local who has lived here for many years....an immigrant from New Zealand named Gavin Moore....very interesting about the history of Vilcabamba and the people who have passed through and those who are still here.....my favorite quote of the day, " Chane is the Universal law.....and the worst illness of man is to seek stability and/or permanence."

We have been meeting a lot of the locals and doing research on this "Valley of Longevity" and from what I can tell this place has a long history of people coming here to be healed, to live and/or to open up businesses focused in health, nutrition and the like....a few days ago we were walking around and saw a flyer for a place called, "Sacred Valley School of Herbal Medicine", with a course offered by a Master Herbalist....I scribbled down the contact info and went into an internet cafe to write a quick message to inquire about the program....as I am diligently writing an email, a woman next to me is in distress because of technical difficulties with her PC....I take a second to calm her down and lend a hand....we end up in a long conversation....she in fact is the exact woman I was rushing to write an email to.....the Universe is very mysterious indeed....there are no coincidences....after finishing up she invites my Beloved and I to her house so she can show me her inventory and speak with me about the apprenticeship she offers in Herbal Medicine.....and as we are walking the topic of the Maya Calendar comes up....I mention to her that my Beloved is in fact a Master of the Maya Calendar and Shamanism. She gets very excited and tells me that she wrote her Master thesis on the Maya Calendar.....what a small world....again, there are no coincidences....so everytime we visit her we end up in very long and stimulating conversations about the Universe, the Mayas, past experiences and Herbal Medicines of Ecuador....beautiful! So, I have been learning a lot about the magnificent botanical medicine of Ecuador and specifically in this valley.
The first few nights in Vilcabamba we stayed at Hostel Mandango, which is the name of one of the towering monuments of a mountain overlooking this town.....the owner is an older Ecuadorian fellow and his wife....one day my Beloved mentions that I study Naturopathic Medicine and the man is immediately interested in speaking to me about a health problem he is having....after the consultation, it seems clear that it is in fact a kidney/bladder problem....so, I get an amazing herbal tincture from my new friend the Master Herbalist and checked back in with the patient a couple of days later....he says that he is much, much better and he would like me to also see his mother....wow, I already have fans in this small town of Vilcabamba!
Today, we ate at a very good vegetarian restaurant....while we are waiting for a table I notice an American Naturopathic Medical Association certificate on the wall as well as a Diploma of Doctor of Naturopathy from Trinity School of Natural Health in Indiana....I finally ask the guy running the show there, who do these certificates belong to....and he responds, "they belong to me".....so we get into a conversation about National College of Natural Medicine in Portland etc and about the many healers in Vilcabamba who have come here with the dream of opening a clinic....he is the second guy today that tells me they are planning to open an clinic and wants to be on a team with me in some way or another.....very interesting.....there are only two other places in the world with people comparable to Vilcabamba, the Abkhazia of Russia and the Hunzas of Pakistan.....things to consider.....until next time.....in Love and Light

Prayer of the Seven Galactic Directions

Prayer of the Seven Galactic Directions

From the East, House of Light
May wisdom dawn in us
So we may see all things in clarity

From the North, House of Night
May wisdom ripen in us
So we may know all from within

From the West, House of Transformation
May wisdom be transformed into right action
So we may do what must be done

From the South, House of the Eternal Sun
May right action reap the harvest
So we may enjoy the fruits of planetary being

From Above, House of Heaven
Where star people and ancestors gather
May their blessings come to us now

From Below, House of Earth
May the heartbeat of her crystal core
Bless us with harmonies to end all war

From the Center, Galactic Source
Which is everywhere at once
May everything be known
as the light of mutual love

Ah Yum Hunab Ku Evam Maya E Ma Ho!
Ah Yum Hunab Ku Evam Maya E Ma Ho!
Ah Yum Hunab Ku Evam Maya E Ma Ho!
“All Hail the Harmony of Mind and Nature!"

........a prayer we use in ceremony........

"You have been telling people that this is the eleventh hour.
Now you must go back and tell people that this is the hour!
And there are things to be considered:
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your Garden.
It is time to speak your truth.
Create your community.
Be good to yourself.
And not look outside of yourself for a leader.
This could be a good time!
There is a river flowing very fast.
It is so great and fast that there are those who will be afraid.
They will hold on to the shore.
They will feel that they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.
Know that the river has its destination.
The elders say that we must let go of the shore,
push off into the middle of the river,
keep our eyes open,
and our heads above the water.
See who is in there with you and celebrate.
At this time we are to take nothing personally,
least of all, ourselves.
For the moment that we do,
our spiritual growth comes to a halt.
The time of the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves!
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones that we have been waiting for."

- The Elders, Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation

Vilcabamba

We spent a week in Ballenita, Ecuador, which is a beach town. We had the opportunity to work in a cultural festival in Valdivia teaching the Mayan Calendar, giving information to the people about Galactic culture and selling the beautiful handcrafts that my beloved makes. We stayed in the Valdivia Aquarium with the people who run it. The festival was to draw attention of the officials of the area to alert them of the importance of moving the animals to a more suitable aquarium than these beautiful sea creatures are currently in. We spent many evenings on the beach and now are back to the mountains. For some reason the mountains feel like home.

We are now in Vilcabamba in the south of Ecuador. A beautiful town with tons of culture and smiling people.
The area has been referred to as the Playground of the Inca.....

The valley is overlooked by a mountain called Mandango, the Sleeping Inca, whose presence is said to protect the area from earthquakes and other natural disasters. This is also called the Valley of Longevity due to the very old age that many of the inhabitants live to. There is a man here believed to be aged 120 years. There has been a lot of investigation done here by curious researchers around the world who want to know the secret of this valley. So far they have come to no definitive conclusions.....however, I think the ancient peoples who inhabited here are smarter than the Westerner thinks. There are valuable and rich resources from the land here in these mountains and in this valley.

New and exciting visions have arisen. I have always wanted to practice international health and run a non-profit clinic to grant access to healthcare for those the most in need in the world. South America is definitely looking like a place I could live and work for a long time. I am finding myself at home in these mountains here....we will see what happens. Lots of opportunity to find a good location around here for a healing center.

Today, we met with a Canadian guy who lives here with his Colombian wife. They have a meditation center with organic garden, medicinal plants and a set-up for sweatlodges, which are an ancient tradition of the American Native Americans. Very inspiring project!

We have made many contacts along the journey from Colombia to the south of Ecuador.....working and giving information to the people....it is nice to see more people awakened....it is also really beautiful to be able to collaborate my area of knowledge of nutrition and natural medicine with the knowledge of my beloved who is a Shaman and master of the Mayan Calendar, meditation and yoga.....In combination with my skills in Nutrition and Natural Medicine we are doing great work and reaching a lot of people. until next time.....Namaste

trampolín de la muerte

So, we (mi Amado y yo) traveled from San Agustin to Mocoa and from Mocoa to Pasto, Colombia. The road from Mocoa to Pasto is called trampolín de la muerte (Trampoline of Death), and for good reason....it took us 10 hours through the night on a one lane, un-paved, bumpy, rocky road in the back of a pick-up truck through the Amazon jungle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7dsi6WIQys I did not realize at the time just how dangerous this endeavor was...with the guerrillas and political conflict in the mountains of Colombia....and with me being the only ¨Mona¨ or ¨white¨ passenger....we thank the Great Spirit that we made the trek safely. Now, we have travelled south and have found ourselves in a place called Banos, Ecuador. Sitting in a valley below towering mountains and jungle. We will be spending some time at Vrindavan Ecological Garden and Farm regaining some energy, meditating, teaching the Mayan Calendar, doing some sweatlodges and experiencing everything Pacha Mama has put in this magical place we are now in. http://www.fincavrindavan.com/yoga.html

Rabbit Hearted girl

These Lyrics are so inspiring to me today so I wanted to share them with you.
"Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" Florence and the Machine

The looking glass, so shiny and new
How quickly the glamour fades
I start spinning, slipping out of time
Was that the wrong pill to take? (Raise it up)

You made a deal, and now it seems you have to offer up
But will it ever be enough? (Raise it up, raise it up)
It's not enough (Raise it up, raise it up)

Here I am, a rabbit hearted girl
Frozen in the headlights
It seems I've made the final sacrifice

We raise it up, this offering
We raise it up

This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight

I look around, but I can't find you (raise it up)
If only I could see your face (raise it up)
Instead of rushing towards the skyline (raise it up)
I wish that I could just be brave

I must become a lion hearted girl
Ready for a fight
Before I make the final sacrifice

We raise it up, this offering
We raise it up

This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight

Raise it up, raise it up
Raise it up, raise it up

And in the spring I shed my skin
And it blows away with the changing wind
The waters turn from blue to red
As towards the sky I offer it

This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight

This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight

This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight

This is a gift 

As I sit here high above the other buildings in this Pueblo of San Agustin I see rolling green mountains and hills, lush with fresh pineapples, platanos, guava....everything. I am overwhelmed by the blessings of Mother Earth and all of her gifts to us. My arrival in Colombia was spontaneous. The most beautiful about this path in life is that we write our own story each day, in whichever way we wish. I decided to stay in Colombia when I arrived in the Bogota airport three weeks ago. I felt a strong force calling me here. I was blessed to spend these weeks with a Shaman learning about the Mayan calendar and the Mayan ancestors. We have spent many nights around the fire alongside the river in Pance (small Pueblo near Cali, Colombia) laughing, singing, chanting, making music and ceremonies thanking Mother Earth and asking for her blessings. This is a very magical place. There are many lessons that have been learned. I must become a lion hearted girl,
Ready for a fight, Before I make the final sacrifice. I am in what the Mayan people would call, warrior training. I feel so blessed to be in this place, in this time, to learn, to love, to grow. I am so blessed to be passing through on my journey. 

During my journey I have encountered many people who ask me what I am doing on my travel. When one tries to explain the complexity of a spiritual journey it can be quite mysterious, but I know in my heart what I am searching and I will continue on to ripen the fruits. Mayan people would call this a spiritual camino or spiritual walk. When you set out you do not fully know what to expect. I have ended up in Colombia, a land known for culture, aguardiente liquor, mama coca, coffee, fiestas, and most of all the loving community sense these people exude. It is so clear that one can be happy while having so little and knowing where to emphasize importance. Things have little importance. This is a material world and humans are consumed in material ways, but as to no surprise, never find happiness. It is such a beautiful experience to live on the land. To respect, the ground we walk on and the ground that gives us food for nourishment. Trees, medicinal plants, animals, rivers and mountains bursting energy to us and us to them. Humans must become aware and responsible for their own energies and understand how all objects are living beings and must be respected. When we all open our eyes and truly awaken we can make leaps and bounds in the direction of managing our energies and our resources of this planet. We, as humans have not evolved to this level yet. We do not realize that we are sending light beams of energy to the universe everytime we speak, think and act. We must become more responsible in the way that we behave. We create our own reality and when we come to this realization many doors will open, beginning with the third eye chakra, which I am currently exploring and is soon to come.....AHO, Ometeo and Namaste

This Life

This Life….

Is about celebrating the moment

And understanding that we’re not guaranteed

Or owed another day

And how cool it is that what we hide

can actually be the fuel towards our glory

and that it’s not so bad being proven wrong

This life…

Is about welcoming the next blind turn

And the possibility that

There’s no such thing as coincidence

And that empathy is incredibly sexy

And that it’s never too late to

pick up a guitar or a paintbrush

or to make an amend

or to make a new friend

This life…

Could be about rekindling a past flame

Or igniting a new one

Or becoming a doer instead of just a dreamer

Or savoring the caress of a love long gone

Love this life…

Means whatever it is you want it to mean because

It is a celebration of you and your path

Cherish it...

Because it could go at any second…

As I fly over the crystal waters of the Pacific along the coast of Central America today I ponder the pure truth of this poetry. It is amazing when we come to valid realizations in this life...one which is so profound is that we are not guaranteed nor owed anything. I have come to experience a very interesting phenomenon among the couch surfing community and I wonder about the future of this international project. Apparently ungrateful couch surfers have left a bad reputation for the rest of us. Hosts are now coming from a place of defensiveness instead of love. Something I have learned is that to give is to receive. I know that I will receive what I am giving now, in this moment, in this time, in this place. So, ultimately it seems that defensiveness comes from a place of judgment. Here is a lesson from Jampolsky that I would like to share with you:

Judging others and yourself increases fear and guilt, shutting the door on love. Begin today by asking yourself the following questions:

If we stopped judging for one day, what would that day be like? If we chose to concentrate on extending compassion instead of judgment, how would my experience change? If we devoted a day to love rather than judgment, how would I feel around other people? I leave you with this to ponder as well as Mother Nature at work. The storms in Central America are truly spectacular! Thunder and lightening storms almost every night during this season.

Opening the Heart Chakra

 (Sunrise on Beach in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica)

"We are all joined and are ultimately more "a part of" than we are "a part from" each other in this world." - Jampolsky

The past few days have been quite an adventure....my friend, Luna from Guatemala and I, traveled from Costa Rica to Panama over two days via hitch hiking. We slumbered on the beach at Manuel Antonio....was lullabied to sleep by the rolling waves...awoke refreshed...was greeted by a beautiful sunrise and embraced by the gentle warm sea at dawn....
Then we hitched to Panama...walked across the border on foot and caught another ride on the Panamanian side....stayed with Some of Luna's friends in David, Panama and then I hitched to Panama City....Today I am headed to Colon/Portobello and eventually in the next days to San Blas....

In my readings I am learning about judgment. "Judgment always sets conditions on love. It says, I will love you if I find you fit my expectations and if you pass my evaluations. A judgmental mind makes lists, often unconsciously, of passing criteria for love. In contrast, forgiveness sets no conditions. Forgiveness simply allows love to be itself." Jampolsky

I feel that I had my first true glimpse of this during a medicine journey last week with Peyote medicine. This medicine completely opens the heart chakra. I felt that Love was pouring out of me, into me and through me. We danced for 14 hours from night until afternoon the following day under a blanket of accepting sky....bathed in the river next to the main event....it is such a gift to be so connected to nature in its most pure form. I feel so grateful to have shared this moment in my life with such amazing people. It is so interesting how like-minded people always seem to magnetize to each other no matter where they are from in the world.

I am learning to embrace uncertainty in the most real way. Without resistance I have found that what flows into my life is absolutely fruitful. The rigidity of a plan only leads to frustration due to the attachment to the outcome. This is human condition. Without attachment to the outcome there is no disappointment. There is no rush to the destination...the journey awaits me...why should I skip all the beautiful things in the middle....it would be like eating a cream cheese danish without eating the cream cheese filling....Meeting such amazing people along the way....my story is unfolding everyday in the most spontaneous way....

O seeker, know that the path to Truth is within you.

You are the traveler. Going happens by itself.

Coming happens to you, without you.

There is no arriving or leaving; nor is there any place;

nor is there a contained within a container.

-Sheik Badruddin-

Oh how beautiful the last few days have been....left Pacha Mama with a wonderful group of new friends....we journeyed to Playa Guiones for a couple of days where we stayed in Solo Bueno Hostel....spent some time on the beach and made some amazing music....then my friend Malaika and I hired a car and traveled East toward Arenal, Costa Rica. On our way we picked up a hitch hiker....a gorgeous girl named Moon standing barefoot on the side of the road with her guitar....I said, "we MUST pick this girl up"... she invited us to stay in Arenal at The German Bakery owned by Tom a good friend of her. We spent the whole day Saturday riding around Lake Arenal on Tom's boat. After two days in Arenal we ventured toward La Fortuna stopping for beautiful views, natural hot springs and a hike to a breath taking waterfall. Along the way I have been blessed to meet such talented musicians. The video attached is Malaika from Australia and Moon from Guatemala playing Didjeridoo and djembe drums. We have been traveling together for the past few days and are now staying at Pura Vida Guest House in La Fortuna. Earlier today we met some musicians during our hike to the waterfall. They invited us to join in on some live music at a local bar & grill in town. The connections one can make while traveling are so mind blowing! Tomorrow we are traveling East toward the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and South toward Panama. I am so excited for the next steps in this adventure. It's so interesting how life truly does happen while you're busy making other plans. I'm done making plans....things are so much smoother when all goes with the flow. I am learning to flow, as water does, without resistance.

Samsara and Pacha Mama

"Samsara" means "Journeying". The vicious cycle of suffering that results from the mistaken belief in the solidity and permanence of self and other. I have just finished reading a book by Pema Chodron called Comfortable with Uncertainty, 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion. This is the story of my journey. I realized that a rigid plan simply does not work and even free spirits such as myself get stuck in order to follow their said "plan" and usually it is our mind that gets in the way. Many people are too much in their minds and not enough in their hearts. This is true for me and has been quite humbling in only the short time I have been on my journey.

I am in my third week at Pacha Mama, which is an alternative community in Costa Rica. Pacha Mama means "Mother Earth".
http://www.pachamama.com/default.asp
There are people here, visitors and residents from all over the world, but the majority are from Israel, Greece and Germany.  This community is really a collaboration of people from all different backgrounds and lifestyles, melting into one in which each person has the space to work on themselves in their own way while being supported by the whole community. "we work on ourselves in order to help others, but also we help others in order to work on ourselves".

There are many workshops and spiritual events here. Currently one is happening called Path of Love, which has made for a very intense energy around the commune for the past week since the participants are in silence for this particular retreat. Last week I participated in a Dual Dance called Red Road to the Moon which is a Traditional Mexican Moon Dance lasting two days and nights during the full moon. The purpose of this Dance is to "Reunite women and men, humans and Earth, upholding individual and community, teaching oneness between Earth and Sky". Two Grandmothers from Mexico traveled here to share this ceremony with us. Usually the moon dance is only for women, so this actually was very sacred since this is the first time that men and women participated together, making it the dual dance. During the ceremony we were fasting and praying. We danced all night. When I say dance it is not in the sense that you are most likely thinking. Rather, we had line formations with a leader for each line in a huge round dance floor down by the river. If you looked from up above it would look like we had formed a flower. There are really no words to describe this experience and unfortunately it is disrespectful to make videos or photos of sacred ceremonies so I do not have any to share with you of the actual dance, but the photo attached here is of the entrance to the dance floor with prayer bundles attached. Each person made prayer bundles. 13 of each of the four colors (Yellow, White, Red, Blue). Each color represents a different direction (North, South, East and West) and signifies different spiritual qualities. Each prayer bundle holds a prayer specifically from the person who made it. I will try to give a good description of the dance. If you can imagine a giant drum in the middle being drummed by seven women from the community and praying through singing all night while we are dancing under the full moon for two nights all dressed in white. Involved in this was four sweat lodges, which for me was a new and overwhelming experience. So, basically about 100 of us split into two sweat lodges down by the river. They are domes low to the ground with a pit in the middle. Rocks are heated in a fire and brought in each round. There are generally four rounds. They bring in the hot rocks, pour water on them and we sing a few ceremonial songs, usually in Spanish. It is called a "sweat lodge" for a reason.....obviously you sweat a lot. In fact, it's so hot at time I had to get low to the ground to breathe. It is such a relief when they finally open the door at the end of each round to get more hot rocks because fresh air comes in. You really have to go inside yourself during the sweat lodge to make it the entire time. It is very cleansing for the mind, body and soul if you are able to do it.Check this link for more information, explanation and photos for Red Road to the Moon Dual Dance. http://www.pachamama.com/red-road.asp

I am doing work exchange here 25 hours a week. And I have found myself in the last place I thought I wanted to be after so many years in Food Service during college.....the kitchen. However, it has been very humbling and rewarding. It is a vegetarian commune so all the food is really healthy. |Also, I work with great people who are dedicated to basically volunteering their time and energy to make Pacha Mama what it is. The exchange is free accommodation if you are camping and discounted accommodation if you choose not to camp. You betcha I'm camping. It's so amazing to be in the jungle and so close to nature with others who also really cherish getting back to their roots and loving Mother Earth.

Other than work, each morning I go to yoga, try to fit in a trip to the beach nearby, do some reading and each night I join together with the rest of the community to do silent sitting, which is basically meditaiton in the great hall called Osho Hall. It is really magnificent with marble floors and such amazing energy you can't imagine unless you have experienced it. Already many villagers and visitors have heard that I study Naturopathic Medicine and have come to me for advice. It has been such a pleasure to use what I know to help others when they are not feeling well. My little medical kit was amply stocked for the most common and basic health problems one could run into on a journey around the world. Initially it was for myself in case I personally got sick, but now I feel like a little Che Guevara! All in all the first three and a half weeks of my journey have been amazing. I will spend two and a half more weeks here before continuing on to Peru. I have been humbled and my heart feels more open than ever before. This was such an amazing place to begin all the processing that is in store for me this year.

I would like to share something I found quite inspiring from Pema Chodron's book to end this session:

Dedication of Merit
By this merit, may all attain omniscience,
May it defeat the enemy, wrong doing.
From the stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death,
From the ocean of samsara, may I free all beings.

By the confidence of the golden sun of the great east,
May the lotus garden of the Rigden's wisdom bloom
May the dark ignorance of sentient beings be dispelled
May all beings enjoy profound brilliant glory

Namaste

Hacienda del Sol - Costa Rica

(The photos are of acupuncture sessions and of course the beach)
The first part of my adventure has been really wonderful so far. I am cleansing my mind, body and soul at Hacienda del Sol in Costa Rica. It really is an oasis here. We are on a raw food and juice cleanse including yoga, acupuncture, meditation, massages, cranio-sacral therapy, colemas and beach time. The raw food chef here is absolutely amazing! We are opening up pipas (coconuts) with a machete and sticking a straw in it. It beats buying them in a container at New Seasons :) 
Every morning we have yoga for one hour ending with acupuncture. There is a big focus on Chinese Medicine on this retreat therefore each day we are focusing on healing a different organ. The yoga and acupuncture coincide. Today we were working on Lung which is a Metal element.  I have experienced the deepest meditation of my life thus far during my acupuncture sessions here.
There are three very adorable dogs here and two cats. There are howler monkeys that we hear every evening. They sound scary, but actually are totally harmless. The weather is absolutely beautiful and hot as you can imagine. Even though Costa Rica is in the wet season we have not seen one drop of rain here. A little different to Portland ;) I spent a couple of hours on the beach yesterday. Stunning white sand and very blue and warm water.
Last night we watched the movie, "Food Matters" and it really re-inspired me about Nutrition and Naturopathic Medicine and how NDs fit into the health care system today. There are healing powers in Nutrition! Probably why I spent 4 years earning a degree in it. If you have never seen this movie, I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy.
I am surrounded by a really beautiful and eclectic group of people here from all over the world. Each day I am more and more thankful and truly feel blessed to have had the opportunity to embark on such an amazing journey. I am learning so much already and it has only been a few days. Until next time....

Santhigiri

I found this inspiring quote from a website I was researching for a Santhigiri and Panchakarma Center in India:

"Yoga is the only means through which soul gets link or association with God and the Universe, which is the truth. By didn’t of Yoga, man controls his otherwise fickle sense organs and overcomes diverse vile thoughts.  Yoga has such great force that, under its influence even the elements of nature are brought to the elevated state and the right path and peace is established in the world." 

Journey Itinerary

San Juanillo, Costa Rica: 29 April-9 May 2011
Lima, Peru: 10 May-2 August
Madrid, Spain/Paris, France/Geneva, Switzerland/Munich, Germany: 2 August-12 September
India: 13 September-4 December
Australia: 5 December-3 January
New Zealand: 3 January-12 March 2012