We are woken each morning at seven-thirty by the chimes of a bell that Angeline uses to signify the start of each day. I am amazed that these chimes resonate within the forest, but the natural surroundings are still rather quite at this time of day. I assume that the birds have better things to do than perch around and watch a handful of humans dwell amongst trees, but maybe that is giving too much credit to their social lives. We are to be silent from the sound of these chimes until our Asana (yoga) practice starts at 8 - this is done to allow time for each of us to focus on the upcoming task and not become sidetracked with conversations that can wait until later in the day. Obviously Robyn and I struggle to remain silent while stretching our limbs and aligning our vision in order to meet the day, but we respect the process and speak very little. The bell is rung again at seven-fifty and that is when everyone is supposed to be seated and reflective for a few moments before we begin, but Robyn and I typically use this time to panic and run around, finishing all last tasks that we need to (teeth brushed, bathroom attended, etc...). We are usually the last two seated, just in time to begin. We are supposed to warm up on your own between the bell-chimes, but that policy has been abolished it seems in light of the fact that it is plainly not going to happen.
Asana is performed for two hours, from eight to ten in the morning. Apparently it is ideal to practice yoga before eating anything for the day, as an empty stomach allows you to go deeper into the stretches without having to circumvent a bloated stomach. Luckily I have yet to feel light-headed within one of these. I have competing thoughts on yoga at this point, but must caveat that, including the three sessions in the forest I have now attended four total sessions. On the one hand, I acknowledge that it is a cleansing and energizing undertaking. The postures and movements are difficult but not extremely strenuous, and at the end of the two hours I do feel limber and full of zest to seize the day. On the other hand I find myself constantly wondering how much longer it is until we are finished and I am repeatedly demeaned - not by the instructor, but by the other women posing beside me: I am a tall and have a low center of gravity. I have played hockey my entire life and my physique reflects that. Also, I have not been blessed with Herculean upper body strength and my joints are about as flexible as the ten commandments. Needless to say, I am not the ideal yogaist (yogi for those in the know). Practising beside me are three women who are all petite, two of whom have been practicing for years and can probably bend their femurs if needed. The other female is Robyn, who by some miracle of genetics can easily slip into the most difficult postures with a wry smile and a ‘no big deal’ muttered just loud enough for me to hear, in order to taunt me as I try to master the infant version of the same. It is emasculating, but maybe that is the whole essence of yoga? I will soldier on and hopefully, by the end of these ten weeks, I will be able to hold Crow posture while explaining the central tenants of Hindu philosophy.
After yoga is finished it is breakfast time! We get a fire going (from now on referred to as WGAFG) and cook the first meal of each day - porridge. Each morning we supplement the porridge with a different variety of fruit. We also bring with us some natural, solid, boiled can sugar, which is a lot like molasses. This is also added to the slop each day. Although this meal sounds lackluster, my body is craving it by the time the oats are rolling and so I am not complaining. I have been eating vegetarian for a little over a week now (writing this on April 15) and I have noticed a difference in my body’s approach to food lately: I can more readily sense what I am craving from a fuel standpoint, and the food that I am eating has taken on a new level of deliciousness as my system understands and appreciates the sugars, fats, proteins, and carbs that I feed on. With a lack of refined sugar in my diet, the natural sugars in fruit have become more vibrant. Also, I have not found myself craving meat or really even a snack between meals, which I would have scoffed at if I had been told, before this adventure, was a possibility. That being said, I am not likely to adopt a pure vegetarian lifestyle, instead opting for meat in much more moderation, because I know that if I try to deny myself something I will end up craving it to no end.
After breakfast we have a short time to digest (reading, sitting in sun) and then we have the day’s session. A session is a two hour block of time in which we are to learn about that week’s topic, which range from yoga and meditation to Spanish lessons to First Aid. This past week we learned about the philosophy behind yoga and meditation. I will not regale you with what we studied, but I did find it very interesting and ancient. Some of the concepts seem extremely foreign to us right now, but we are keeping an open mind and taking it all in. For the record, I was partly drawn to this expedition for the chance to learn and practice meditation, so I am especially interested in this area of study.
After our session it is lunch time. It is amazing how much time and effort goes into the setup, prep, consuming, and clean up of meals while camping. Our days do revolve around the meals. WGAFG and eat a mix of vegetables and beans or vegetables and rice of vegetables and tortillas cooked in a large pot over the camp fire. The food is good but I fear monotony.
Lunch is followed by a chunk of free time, where we are allowed to do as we wish. Free time was compressed this last week because we were slow to perform all of the other tasks and there is only so much daylight, so our personal time fell victim. We are assured that as we become outdoor experts our free time will expand greatly. Robyn and I typically spent our free time talking, using the time to discuss everything that is going on around and within us at the time.
End of free time. The sun is starting to droop and it is now time to meditate. We have an hour of meditation from five to six each day, and it may become my favourite portion of our schedules. We sit cross legged on our yoga mats with as little movement as possible (this still causes great aching in my ankles and knees, but I am learning how to Pranayama breathe into the areas of discomfort. We are told to clear our minds and not attach emotion or story to any thoughts that cross our minds. The effort is to be present in the moment and allow our mental space to clear out, in order to slow down and listen to ourselves, which can be difficult to do otherwise. I seem to have a knack for this and am able to conjure up vivid, fluid visuals within the darkness of my closed eyelids. I was even able to experience an extreme sense of lightness near the end of one of the sessions, and it had nothing to do with the duration that had passed since lunch. I am thoroughly enjoying this aspect of our journey and hope to incorporate some of the techniques we learn into my daily life moving forward.
After meditation it is dinner time, but by then the sun has almost set and it would be classified as evening. As evening, in my books, is part of the night, it has no place in the description of a typical day. Luckily, you will not have to wait long until you can read my account of nighttime amongst the wildlife of the Guatemalan forest...
Asana is performed for two hours, from eight to ten in the morning. Apparently it is ideal to practice yoga before eating anything for the day, as an empty stomach allows you to go deeper into the stretches without having to circumvent a bloated stomach. Luckily I have yet to feel light-headed within one of these. I have competing thoughts on yoga at this point, but must caveat that, including the three sessions in the forest I have now attended four total sessions. On the one hand, I acknowledge that it is a cleansing and energizing undertaking. The postures and movements are difficult but not extremely strenuous, and at the end of the two hours I do feel limber and full of zest to seize the day. On the other hand I find myself constantly wondering how much longer it is until we are finished and I am repeatedly demeaned - not by the instructor, but by the other women posing beside me: I am a tall and have a low center of gravity. I have played hockey my entire life and my physique reflects that. Also, I have not been blessed with Herculean upper body strength and my joints are about as flexible as the ten commandments. Needless to say, I am not the ideal yogaist (yogi for those in the know). Practising beside me are three women who are all petite, two of whom have been practicing for years and can probably bend their femurs if needed. The other female is Robyn, who by some miracle of genetics can easily slip into the most difficult postures with a wry smile and a ‘no big deal’ muttered just loud enough for me to hear, in order to taunt me as I try to master the infant version of the same. It is emasculating, but maybe that is the whole essence of yoga? I will soldier on and hopefully, by the end of these ten weeks, I will be able to hold Crow posture while explaining the central tenants of Hindu philosophy.
After yoga is finished it is breakfast time! We get a fire going (from now on referred to as WGAFG) and cook the first meal of each day - porridge. Each morning we supplement the porridge with a different variety of fruit. We also bring with us some natural, solid, boiled can sugar, which is a lot like molasses. This is also added to the slop each day. Although this meal sounds lackluster, my body is craving it by the time the oats are rolling and so I am not complaining. I have been eating vegetarian for a little over a week now (writing this on April 15) and I have noticed a difference in my body’s approach to food lately: I can more readily sense what I am craving from a fuel standpoint, and the food that I am eating has taken on a new level of deliciousness as my system understands and appreciates the sugars, fats, proteins, and carbs that I feed on. With a lack of refined sugar in my diet, the natural sugars in fruit have become more vibrant. Also, I have not found myself craving meat or really even a snack between meals, which I would have scoffed at if I had been told, before this adventure, was a possibility. That being said, I am not likely to adopt a pure vegetarian lifestyle, instead opting for meat in much more moderation, because I know that if I try to deny myself something I will end up craving it to no end.
After breakfast we have a short time to digest (reading, sitting in sun) and then we have the day’s session. A session is a two hour block of time in which we are to learn about that week’s topic, which range from yoga and meditation to Spanish lessons to First Aid. This past week we learned about the philosophy behind yoga and meditation. I will not regale you with what we studied, but I did find it very interesting and ancient. Some of the concepts seem extremely foreign to us right now, but we are keeping an open mind and taking it all in. For the record, I was partly drawn to this expedition for the chance to learn and practice meditation, so I am especially interested in this area of study.
After our session it is lunch time. It is amazing how much time and effort goes into the setup, prep, consuming, and clean up of meals while camping. Our days do revolve around the meals. WGAFG and eat a mix of vegetables and beans or vegetables and rice of vegetables and tortillas cooked in a large pot over the camp fire. The food is good but I fear monotony.
Lunch is followed by a chunk of free time, where we are allowed to do as we wish. Free time was compressed this last week because we were slow to perform all of the other tasks and there is only so much daylight, so our personal time fell victim. We are assured that as we become outdoor experts our free time will expand greatly. Robyn and I typically spent our free time talking, using the time to discuss everything that is going on around and within us at the time.
End of free time. The sun is starting to droop and it is now time to meditate. We have an hour of meditation from five to six each day, and it may become my favourite portion of our schedules. We sit cross legged on our yoga mats with as little movement as possible (this still causes great aching in my ankles and knees, but I am learning how to Pranayama breathe into the areas of discomfort. We are told to clear our minds and not attach emotion or story to any thoughts that cross our minds. The effort is to be present in the moment and allow our mental space to clear out, in order to slow down and listen to ourselves, which can be difficult to do otherwise. I seem to have a knack for this and am able to conjure up vivid, fluid visuals within the darkness of my closed eyelids. I was even able to experience an extreme sense of lightness near the end of one of the sessions, and it had nothing to do with the duration that had passed since lunch. I am thoroughly enjoying this aspect of our journey and hope to incorporate some of the techniques we learn into my daily life moving forward.
After meditation it is dinner time, but by then the sun has almost set and it would be classified as evening. As evening, in my books, is part of the night, it has no place in the description of a typical day. Luckily, you will not have to wait long until you can read my account of nighttime amongst the wildlife of the Guatemalan forest...
No comments:
Post a Comment