Spring in Las Alpujarras 22-29th May 2004

Yoga and Walking with Simon Owen and Bootlace

our yoga space

our colourful dome roof

a mountain walk

I am writing this short account of our trip to Spain for a few different reasons. One is to motivate me to write again, I enjoy writing but finding the time is difficult. Another reason is to act as a reminder for people who came on the break, so that the beauty and peace of the mountains is not forgotten once the routine of our everyday lives takes over.
After a long day of traveling we picked up the group Cortijo Romero and drove out of the valley and rose above Orgiva to our base at Paul and Fi's farm which is down an excitingly bumpy track. The spring in La Alpujarra had been the coldest and wettest for 25 years so the land was green and full of colour, part of me was happy with some rain as I know the locals love it, the other part of me was praying for sunshine as I know what a difference it makes especially for us living in the UK. On a more practical note some of the group were relying on solar showers for hot water so the sunshine would make a big difference. I would like to say thanks to those staying at 'the mansion' who coped so well with the rather basic conditions. I feel the experience of living closer to nature, without the luxuries of endless hot water and electricity is a positive one as it makes us fully appreciate what we have at home.

Our weather for the week was mixed with some low clouds and showers at the beginning of the week which cleared to give brighter warmer days towards the end. On the Saturday we were leaving the sun was splitting the skies and offered this view of the snow capped mountains.

On the Sunday we gathered in the dome to hear about our experiences of yoga and it was clear the group had a very wide range from being yoga teachers to almost beginners. So one of the challenges for me is to try to inspire everyone with a new aspect of yoga and to make that a useful practical part of their life. We collected flowers and set up our puja table to honor our teachers and the creative force in the universe.

After a session of yoga and lunch Fi took us on a walk around the valley of Padre Eterno. The flowers were just beautiful with fields of reds, yellows and whites, the hazy sunshine ideal for a stroll. Along the way we walked by an acequia, an irrigation channel built by the Moors during their occupation of the valley. These channels allow the land to be watered even during the long hot summer and are still in use today. We walked up the hill to Carmen's which is pictured opposite.

On our return journey we passed an abandoned farmhouse, the valley 20 years ago were full of these ruins as the young people went to find work in the cities. Now many have been restored by the wide variety of newcomers who have come from all over the world to settle in this region. This particular farmhouse was still a wreck as it was situated below some power pylons!After our walk we had tea and biscuits in the tepee camp before a session of practicing the mantra OM with hand mudras.

the tepee camp

After a delicious dinner it was time for rest as it was an early start in the morning.

Chanting and yoga at 7.30am in the dome, we practiced the Gayatri Mantra and our OM's as we finished the rain came, sounding so loud on the dome roof. Thankfully it did not last long, in our yoga we looked at parts of the Sun Salutation sequence Surya Namaskara. This is a complete exercise system and a powerful moving mediation on the source of all life on this planet.

After delicious porridge for breakfast Paul took us up into the Poquiera Valley to visit 3 high mountain villages. We walked from Capiliera, the highest village down to the river, the clouds rolled and drifted in and it reminded me of Nepal or China with the terraced fields and mysterious atmosphere. For our picnic we stopped at an old threshing circle before we once again crossed the river.

After this picture was taken there was a long steep climb up to the middle village of Bubion before walking on to the third village Panpaniera. Here we had a chance to savour the delights of the local produce such as goat's cheese, homemade costa wine, delicious figs and chocolate in a local shop. So laden with our purchases we had time to a look round the shops or stop for a drink in one of the cafes.

For those who wanted to carry on walking back to our place, we followed the GR7 which is a long distance path stretching from Gibraltar to Crete, after a few minor detours we were rewarded with this view of our tepee and yoga dome.

After dinner a tape by a man called Ram Dass was played in which he discussed the ego and soul.
Ram Dass is an amazing man, a Harvard professor in psychology who left to study meditation and yoga and returned to the west to share his experiences and wisdom. He has a great sense of humour and is always ready to laugh at himself. He wrote an important book called 'Be Here Now' and helped set up the Prison Ashram Project which has brought yoga into prisons all over the world. A few years ago he suffered a massive stroke and has written a book about this new challenge and that of ageing. He has produced many tapes covering subjects such as ....
Conscious living conscious parenting
Sacred in the everyday
Seasons of our lives
Work, money and burnout
To get the full list of tapes and order contact Living Dharma Tapes 01432 840860 and look at their website.

On Tuesday we started with chanting, the vibration of our OM's were becoming richer and more confident and is such a lovely way to start the day. In yoga we put all the elements of the sun salutation together and started to introduce some of the symbolism behind the sequence. After breakfast we walked over to visit Paqui, a local woman who is keeping alive the traditional weaving techniques. The loom looked so complicated, the passing of the thread across was repetitive but the pattern soon emerged. Paqui produced delightful pieces which for some were irresistible.
Back to the dome for more yoga in which the Rishikesh sequence was explored, this moves the physical body in powerful forward and backward bends postures beginning and ending with inversions. I taught lots of different variations so that everyone would have a safe way to work. For the final relaxation we practiced Yoga Nidra, here a seed of an idea is planted deep in the mind to aid our spiritual growth. To access the necessary state of mind we focus the mind using a practice called 'rotation of the consciousness'.

In the afternoon we walked over to visit Julio's medicinal garden, Julio is an inspiring character, for 20 years he has studied the healing power of plants, cultivated them on this land and picked them from the countryside. I am always swamped by his knowledge and fascinated by the way nature provides everything we need.

Julio at one with the plants.

here Julio is showing us an amazing patch of his garden. A cactus normally found in the desert flanked on either side by trees found in wet northern Europe.

Here is the view from the front of Julio's house with various types of mints growing.

The upstairs of Julios house is devoted to the drying the herbs and making up infusions to help many of the diseases of modern man. Infusions to speed us up, slow us down, raise and lower our blood pressure, open and close our blood vessels, soothe our digestion and calm our nerves. If I lived the natural life of Julio in this land free of pollution I doubt I would ever need Julio's herbs.
On our return we cleared the dining area and Fiona led us through the 5 Rhythms of Gabrielle Roth.
These rhythms are flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness, so the movement starts gently and builds to the high energy of chaos and calms to stillness to finish. It is a powerful practice because as we move there is always hearing a commentary in our heads about whether this is right or wrong, good or bad and eventually those chattering voices disappear and we are left with a profound calmness. I dance the 5 rhythms in Tufnell Park on a Tuesday evening with a teacher called Sue Rickard and I always appreciate the way it changes me and allows me to see new sides of myself. For more information call Barry 0845 458 8251 or visit www.acalltodance.com

On Wednesday the sun was still hidden by clouds as we chanted our greeting to the day. Due to the chill we warmed up the body with some stepping coordination exercises to activate both sides of our brain. I often use these when teaching yoga to kids with special learning difficulties and it shows how the wiring in the brain is important to allow independent control of our left and right sides. This wiring is normally connected up when we learn to crawl, an important stage in our development. After breakfast we drove to a mountain village of Canar to start our walk. We followed a path hugging the contours of the valley and led to a beautiful waterfall.

Here we are enjoying a nut stop. As we ate Fi was constructing a bridge across the stream for us to cross. It was a balancing act, with sticks to steady us and lots of support we made it across. Some choose the refreshing option of removing boots and wading across through the icy water.

That evening our group split to eat dinner at their separate houses, it was a delicious curry cooked by Paul. What was intended to be a relaxed evening changed when Lilly the dog followed people over to Carmen's place and fatally attacked their goose. No one was to blame, the animals' nature were unstoppable, the group responded by consoling each other and Carmen, in what was a difficult situation as Carmen did not speak any english. Acceptance and coming to terms with death are two of the central teaching of yoga, the group at Carmen's were faced by these challenges and gelled closer together as a result.

On Thursday we were excited to see more sun and less clouds, our Sun Salutation must have been working! After breakfast some of the group basked in the sun whilst others listened to me talk about the Alexander Technique. I gave a quick history of FM Alexander, the basic ideas behind his technique and demonstrated what a lesson would look like . If you wish to find an Alexander Technique teacher near you look at www.stat.org.uk . The technique and yoga are closely aligned as they both encourage living life consciously rather than habitually.

In the dome we enjoyed again the Rishikesh sequence, our familiarity allowing us to go deeper into the practice. Some of us went for a walk with Fi while the others rested and read. Benita was coming along later to give some reflexology treatments for the lucky few. On our walk we followed the acequia through our valley, after a damp picnic we passed a delightful chapel with an amazing view of the mountains and fragrant roses. The afternoon got hotter as we descended into the valley bottom and walked into Orgiva for a well earned beer in a cafe.
After dinner we sat around the dinner table reading poetry, Benita had brought a number of her favourite poetry books. I am always amazed by people who can remember long poems learnt at school. Reading poetry can completely change the atmosphere of the group to bring laughter and sadness together and our culture of TV and radio has ment reading aloud to a group is not a leisure activity as it was for our Victorian ancestors.
Here are a couple of poems which stuck in my memory......

Please call me by my true names by Thich Nhat Hanh

Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow
because even today I still arrive.
Look deeply: I arrive in every second
to be a bud on a spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.

I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,
inorder to fear and to hope,
the rhythm of my heart is the birth and
death of all that are alive.
I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the
surface of the river,
and I am the bird which, when spring comes,
arrives in time to eat the mayfly.

I am the frog swimming happily in the
clear water of the pond,
and I am also the grass-snake who,
approaches in silence,feeds itself on the frog.

I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,
and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly
weapons to Uganda.

I am the 12 year old girl, refugee
on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean after
being raped by the sea pirate, my heart not yet capable
of seeing and loving.

I am a member of the Politburo, with
plenty of power in my hands,
and I am the man who has to pay his
"debt of blood" to my people,
dying slowly in a forced labour camp.

My joy is like the spring, so warm it makes
flowers bloom in all walks of life.
My pain is like a river of tears, so full it
fills up the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart can be left open,
the door of compassion.

for more information on Thich Nhat Hanh look at www.parallax.org .

Here is another poem by David Whyte, a Yorkshireman living in the west coast of America.

Easter Morning in Wales

A garden inside me, unknown, secret,
neglected for years
the layers of its soil deep and thick.
Trees in the corners with branching arms
and the tangled briars like broken nets.

Sunrise through the misted orchard,
morning sun turns silver on the pointed twigs.
I have woken from the sleep of ages and I am not sure
if I am seeing, or dreaming,
or simply astonished
walking toward sunrise
to have stumbled into the garden
where the stone was rolled from the tomb of longing.

For more on David Whyte visit www.davidwhyte.com .

So to Friday our last full day together, the sun is getting stronger and hotter each morning and I am pleased people have had at least a taste of the heat, doing the yoga was a different experience as the muscles and joints are so much freer. During the relaxation we used an exercise in mindfulness devised by Thich Nhat Hanh.

breathing in I calm my body (inbreath)
breathing out I smile (outbreath)
dwelling in the present moment (inbreath)
I know this is a wonderful moment (outbreath)

After breakfast there was another session on the Alexander Technique, I tried to give everyone at least a taste of the technique and we discussed one of its central ideas INHIBITION- defined as the ability to stop the habitual reaction to a stimulus. We played a game which illustrated how difficult this can be in everyday life which made everyone laugh. Then with some sadness came our final session of yoga in the dome.

After a few minutes walk we stopped for a picnic, a delight in the warm sunshine.

We walked in silence for about 15 mins to the centre passed the biggest prayer wheel in the world, the stupa and entered the meditation room for a sitting.

the prayer wheel

the stupa

Here is such a peaceful scene after we had finished our meditation. We walked back to the Landrovers to prepare for dinner and our flamenco evening.

Here we are sitting down for our last delicious meal. Afterwards we cleared the dinning room to make way for Jose, Maria and friends to share their fusion of flamenco with modern rhythms. How fitting that our week should end with a dance tradition that fused Europe to India through the gypsy people. Just like flamenco, yoga has also traveled across distance and time and has changed as a result. But time and distance are not an obstacle to understanding the wisdom contained in the Gita (which is over 3000years old) or the passion contained in the flamenco dance. These core values shine through as they are buried deep inside each of us.

It was very exciting to see the performers lost in emotion of their art, whether singing, clapping, drumming, dancing or playing the guitar. The two Joses playing guitar together with much improvisation allowed a freedom of expression which it was obvious they both enjoyed. A few times Maria encouraged us to dance and we loved it, trying to imitate the fine movements of hands and hips. When they has finished and departed that sense of freedom remained with us as we danced. The whole week for me was about this freedom, enjoying the nature of the mountains, the stillness created by the yoga, the expression of the 5 Rhythms, the joy of meeting like-minded people totally outside our normal world and realising this freedom is within us all the time.

To end I would like to extend my thanks to all who attended whose willingness to be open and try new things made the week what it was. Finally I would like to thank Fi, Paul, Gareth and Hannah on behalf of all the group for working so hard on the food and making the week possible.

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