Creating Space

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Clearing. Chopping. Raking. Cutting. Lifting. Moving.

The muddy jungle soil covers my face, my hands, and fills the space underneath my nails to make me understand we are one and the same.

Moving rocks from one place to another; creating paths and openings. New beginnings. Release.

Ticks are biting and crawling all over my legs and up the ass, biting again even harder this time. Itchy, muddy sweaty and part of it all.

Open circles opening the heart. And we become spirals and trees.

Openings  

Openings  

 

Mama Jungle says:" Lift your head. Raise your eyes towards the tall trees. Rest here. In the space you created."

 

We share the silence of focus. Snakes bless our work. We are welcome here. She gifts us bamboo trees and we chop them, flatten them and build a bridge.

We build a bridge to unite the people.

Raking and clearing. The wheelbarrow fills up: what is not wanted in one place gets an important role somewhere else. Paths are made. The secret passageway in the jungle starts to show for the one who looks.

We create paths across the worlds.

And you are welcome here,  dear one. We are all welcome here.

Indiana Jones hanging bridge

Indiana Jones hanging bridge

 

 

I am blessed with having family in many parts of the globe. It is with deep gratitude and humility me and my husband offer our service to Mother Earth. To create and hold ceremonial space is such profound work. I and we are happy and grateful to be part of this creations work; to plant seeds of community and to share the tales of ancient traditions. Everywhere we go, we will carry this work in our hearts and our feet. And we invite you to join the feast!

More tales will come, the land will expand.

Thank you.

Ometeotl

Cantantes and Tatarahuehue

Cantantes and Tatarahuehue

Yoga Teacher Training Costa Rica

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Guanacaste province is located in the northwest of Costa Rica. This province is the warmest in the country and between November and April there is hardly any rain (dry season), resulting in dry forests and a desert like climate.

During one of these hot months is when I decided it was a good time to do a Yoga Teacher Training. It happened to be located just outside of Tamarindo, which is basically as far as you can go from Puerto Viejo (southeastern corner of the country). And it was indeed hot, even I used air-condition! And, occasionally, I really missed the green jungle and all its sounds, movements, rain and humidity. I was surprised, however, that the howler monkeys woke us up around 5 am still, and they were close! Strolling around the surrounding areas showed me the many mango trees and it started to make sense why heaps of monkey families were hanging around in the desert.

Sunset Playa Negra, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

We started late in the mornings (6:45), when the sun was already up, making the sun heat the shala to a boiling temperature by the end of practice (9:30).  Everyday we also practiced teaching, had philosophy class, anatomy class and Yin Yoga. In total, we did more or less five to six hours of physical practice everyday. I truly enjoy that kind of intensity every now and again. The regularity takes my practice to new levels and the wisdom from the physical asanas (postures) grows deeper inside me. For anyone wanting to experience profound transformation, I recommend trying longer retreats (no matter what level you’re at on your path). And of course, I recommend joining me and Yoga By Magie for any workshops, classes and retreats :)

Reversed Prayer. Sunset Jaco Beach, Puntarenas province, Costa Rica

Every seventh day we had a day off. If you’re a yoga junkie, it’s hard not to do any practice at all, even though the body really needs some rest to process what it’s learning. I kept my morning meditations, in addition to going with some of the girls to Playa Negra to try Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga for the first time! We went to an empty beach where the ocean was quiet enough to not knock us of balance. Doing yoga outside can be challenging, but if you’re used to it and have a good drishti (focus) you will enjoy SUP yoga. My favorite part was lying in Savasana (on my back), hands touching the water, looking up to Father Sky and Grandmother Moon, noticing the shore with its trees in the distance while the sun was setting over the west coast of Costa Rica. Big hug to Naturalbeautyyoga who showed us this place!

I am grateful for having met such a beautiful group of strong, independent and open-minded women. Already a couple days in, I asked to experiment with them by guiding them through a drum meditation and ended up doing another one the week after. Thank you all for being so receptive and for everything you shared during these weeks!

Me and two of the girls drove down to Jaco for a couple of nights to get a different scenery and some beach. While they headed back home to Canada, I went visiting another yogini in San Jose and together we bussed down to Puerto Viejo to watch the craziness of the last Easter days. That is to say, I am now back in the buzzing jungle doing yoga, writing on the porch, doing sweat lodges and work at the wellness center.

Sabeena, Megan, Magie at Jaco Beach, Costa Rica

What did you do for Easter?

 

Pura Vida

 

Famous sunset Jaco Beach, Costa RIca. Foto: Magdalena Larsson

Famous sunset Jaco Beach, Costa RIca. Foto: Magdalena Larsson


How To Get Rid of a Jungle Bug (or Parasite)

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What To Do When You Get Sick In The Jungle

Sometimes when travelling you get sick. I’d say almost always when you’re visiting the countryside or more remote areas in a country. Like here, in the Costa Rican jungle. Costa Rica is a clean and healthy country. Puerto Viejo also has amazing food and the overall cleanliness is high. Yet, coming here you will experience some stomach troubles: diarrhea, vomiting, pain, fever, or all of it. There is a little jungle bug that wants to clean your inside. I say: let her do it! Don’t fight it or you will feel worse. However, there are things you can do to ease the process and get well again. I’ve listed some of them here. First off, in this article I talk about parasites/stomach problems and not for instance dengue fever, which also is somewhat common around these areas.

The Jungle Behind Town, Puerto Viejo Costa Rica

The Jungle Behind Town, Puerto Viejo Costa Rica

1.     Find a medicine woman/man or Shaman of the area who knows about the local plants and treatments. If you plan to stay for a while, I recommend doing this straight away so that in case of illness you know who to call for bush medicine. 

2.  Make sure you drink plenty or you will have to go to the hospital due to dehydration (if you’re the travel mate: make sure your friend drinks a lot)! I am talking about water, tea and coconut water- not coke! (this is nothing like the stomach problems you grew up with in Europe). The carbonic acid in sodas makes the stomach problems worse by adding a lot of air/gas to it, which you really don’t need more of. If you want sweet, I suggest making some sort of ice tea/warm herbal tea instead, or drink coconut water which also helps you stay hydrated. Chamomile is an acknowledged and widely used herb to treat various stomach/digestive problems and fever, among other things. You can find it in regular food stores all over the world. Make it a habit to always carry some with you. 

3. Let it all come out. In the Caribbean tradition as well as for instance Ayurveda, the body and digestive system are to be kept clean or disease will occur. And in case of illnes, a washout or cleanse is necessary to heal. 

Pills such as ibuprofen or Dimor only stop the symptoms- they don’t treat the problem. Avoid these as much as you can, unless you want it to get worse (or are on a bus). 

4. When you want to start eating again, try some stomach stabilizing fruits like papaya and banana with cinnamon before moving on to rice. Papaya is a digestive agent and banana is a well-used plant to treat diarrhea. In addition, cinnamon is a wonderful herb used for many things, including digestive problems, nausea and vomiting.

Last night a banana three fell outside the cabin, let's hope the platains are ready to eat soon!

Last night a banana three fell outside the cabin, let's hope the platains are ready to eat soon!

5. If you’re sick for a long time and the bug doesn’t want to go away, consider seeing a doctor to get antibiotics. Chances are that your belly won’t be happy taking a lot of pills though. Antibiotics can cause fungal infections for instance. Furthermore, you might end up not getting rid of the bug at all but carry it with you back home and having to go through several rounds of antibiotics. No fun :/

And yes, this post came into existence due to some vomiting around the house. We are now eating again and I have received clear messages that I should stick to the purest food possible from now on. Like this bowl of brown rice boiled with turmeric and culantro, carrots, broccoli, avocado, lettuce and pejibaye. 

Organic veggies from local farmers in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica & Chamomile tea

Organic veggies from local farmers in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica & Chamomile tea

Do you have any Being Sick On The Road stories? Or more suggestions on what to do when you are sick with a parasite? Please share in the comments below!

Pura Vida

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

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I have homes everywhere, many of which I have not seen yet. That is perhaps why I am restless. I haven’t seen all my homes.

–Steinbeck

Citatet från Steinbeck är en god introduktion till dagens inlägg som till stor del kommer handla om att känna sig hemma. Jag vill passa på att varna känsliga läsare (såsom min käre David) redan nu att detta inlägg med största sannolikhet kommer spåra ur i yoga-nörderi och vad vissa skulle kalla ”hippie-flum.”

För några veckor sedan hade vi en hel veckas ledigt. Amerikanerna åkte på tur till Panama i sann turist-anda (chartrad buss, hotell, ej umgås utanför gruppen och dyl.) medan jag och Ellen besökte den karibiska kusten i Costa Rica. Vi stannade hela veckan i den reggae-vibrerande byn Puerto Viejo (de Talamanca). Tanken var yoga, veggo-mat och snorkling. Eftersom vädret inte levererade till fullo avstyrdes snorkelplanerna och dagarna fylldes istället av yoga, fantastiska möten och inre resor.

Vi började med att hyra cyklar och gav oss ut på en tur i lätt duggregn. Havet följde oss på vår vänstra sida och regnskogen på den högra. Luften var ren och klar och emellanåt passerade en bil, men i övrigt hördes endast vrålen av howler monkyes bland trädtopparna. Vi cyklade förbi yoga shalas, ashram, hotel och restauranger på vår väg mot Manzanillo, ca 1.5 mil bort. Väl framme vid den nästan öde stranden åt vi picknick medan vi blickade ut över de guppande båtarna på havet och den vita sanden.

Sunset Puerto Viejo

Redan på eftermiddagen var det dags för vårt första yoga pass. Hatha yoga. Två timmar var allt som behövdes för att reducera smärtan i kroppen och oron i sinnet. Höfterna öppnades och ryggen rätades ut. Savasana gav även intressanta insikter och efteråt blev jag inviterad till en sweat lodge som skulle hållas senare i veckan.

OM viva el momento yogashala

Morgonen efter testade vi på Shakti flow som var ett värmande och tekniskt pass med både halvmånen och diverse armbalanser. Shalan består av ett vackert dekorerat trädäck, omringat av regnskog och utsikt mot havet. På bakgården odlar de ekologisk choklad som säljs i caféet under shalan. Vi passade på att avsluta morgonens practice med en shot av varm 75 %ig cayenne-choklad.

OM

Vi hade ett till två yoga-pass om dagen och testade på stilar som Hatha love, Forest yoga och Ashtanga vinyasa. Jag är otroligt imponerad över Ellens motivation och ork under hela veckan! Framförallt vinyasan var krävande, även för min del, eftersom större delen av passet bestod av olika varianter av huvudstående. Jag fick med mig många intressanta och lärorika tips och övningar från vår vecka på OM viva el momento.

Puerto Viejo town

Efter två dagars fastande och byggande av sweat lodge, kom så dagen för ceremonin. Jag hade mött Rachel några dagar tidigare och ceremonin skulle hållas i hennes Hidden Garden mitt ute i regnskogen. Rachel är en otroligt intressant och inspirerande kvinna som jobbar som shaman, healer, naturmedicinsk läkare och yoga-instruktör. Traditionen vi skulle utföra kommer från Mexico, där Rachel tillbringade 4 år med indígenas för att tillslut få sin pipa. Denna tradition utförs vanligen vid fullmåne och är det feminina svaret till Soldansen; Baile de la Luna. (Min sydamerikanska blomma var så klart med på ett hörn med andra ord!)

Adho Mukha Svanasana, Puerto Viejo beach

En sweat lodge är alltså en hydda som fungerar som en bastu, men blir mycket varmare eftersom stenarna ligger i en stor eld i flera timmar och hyddan är väldigt liten. Vi hade fyra ”doors”, d.v.s. fyra omgångar av nya stenar. Sammanfattningsvis så ber man till Moder Jord om balans mellan kvinnligt och manligt på jorden, genom olika mantran och sånger. Svetten forsade, kläderna vara dyngsura och jorden vi satt på blev till lera som smetades ut över kroppen allt eftersom man bytte position. Efteråt låg vi i gräset, på den svala marken, framför den varma elden och tittade på den stjärnklara himmelen ovanför de höga träden. Det var en kärleksfull och fantastisk upplevelse tillsammans med nyfunna vänner.

Som om det inte vore nog med detta så bjöd P.V. dessutom på kulinariska lyckorus, svalkande hav och vänliga människor. Attityden är en helt annan på den karibiska kusten; istället för att ropa ”I love you mamaciitaaaa” efter gringas så hälsar alla vänligt på varandra, oberoende av nationalitet. Jag och Ellen träffade även en man som har en volontärorganisation, där han och hans fru hjälper ursprungsbefolkningen (indígenas) på olika sätt. Bland annat har de soppkök tre dagar i veckan och på lördagen var jag och Ellen på El Puente för att hjälpa till.

Cocles beach

Veckan var givande på flera nivåer och jag lämnade med löften om att snart komma tillbaka. Jag kan inte minnas senast jag kände att allting jag tar mig för är helt rätt. Det är så det ska vara.

Puerto Viejo fick snabbt en speciell plats i mitt hjärta och jag har en känsla av att det kommer bli ett av de ställena jag småningom kommer hänga min hatt. Rastlösheten reduceras.

Pura Vida