Caribbean Islands & Mindless Thoughts for the Yogi
I went on a little adventure to a nearby Caribbean island, with Johanna, a volunteer who has been with us for almost a year now, working & caring for our horses. She's a great young Swedish girl with a love & passion for horses and the warm Caribbean air.
We took a bus to the Panamanian border, crossed over, then another ride to the harbour of Almirante, from there it was a boat trip to Bocas del Toro, the islands lying off the mainland of Panama. We stayed 3 days, as Johanna was on a visa run, meaning she has to leave Costa Rica every 3 months, stay out 3 days and come back. So we made a vacation out of it. Mission, TO DO NOTHING! Practice being in the moment, at all times. We had to do NOTHING, except walk, ride bicycles, sit on the beach and get lost in the mountain jungle of the island, eat, sleep, meditate & some Yoga. We became very good at it. All of it, even getting lost in the jungle and sinking up to our knees in the bogs!
It was very restful. Lying on the beach under the shade of a tree, reading, writing poetry, sleeping, snacking and swimming. No duties that needed to be done. I felt as a guest, a kindred spirit, might feel when they come to our retreats. Living each moment at a time, with nothing more to do but BE.
I am a Yogi, a Yoga teacher, a healer, I meditate, I live with the horses in peace, but I too can get caught up in the daily routine of life, the shoulds, the musts, the cannot waits. This was a good moment for me to stop moving and just BE.
So sitting on that little log on the wild beach of Bastimiento Island, I was inspired and wrote a poem.
Today I found me.
In the stillness of the moment,
Under the shade of a sea almond tree
The warm golden sand beneath me.
I found me.
The original me
Not the one of many different versions of me
The true me.
An island with blue waters and lagoons
Sunlit waves and gentle breeze
The quietness of my fellow traveller
Kindred spirits in this moment of now.
Doing nothing yet finding everything
In peaceful meditation I was serene
Letting go of what never was,
I became me of this moment.
Now, home again, back to our beautiful horses, the dogs, the cats, the parrots, my daughters, friends, home, I take time to remember this and practice the Art of Being in the moment with everything I do. Wether sitting with my horse, training, eating, answering the phone, writing an email, writing this post. I stop, take a breath, be aware of this moment and what I am doing. I catch myself from wandering into the future and worrying about things I have no control of.
I made a promise to myself, to live in this moment, like it might be my last. I am not great at it yet, not perfect, its a journey, its my life, but I am getting good at catching myself and bringing my awareness back to here, right now, this moment.
