Yoga and El Camino

The Camino de Santiago which I just completed the last 224km of on October 6th is a fantastic journey into the body and mind, and a beautiful opening of the heart.

It's just like yoga.

Challenging. Life changing. Difficult at times. Beautiful at other times. Yoga requires us to go to places inside ourselves that we might otherwise avoid. The Camino showed me places inside myself that I could not avoid.

I have an interesting story as to when I tried to take a shortcut. The day we had a 10km hike ALL UP HILL, our group leaders said, for some of you, you might want to take a horse instead. As an avid horse rider (and definately wanting to avoid the all uphill hike), I opted for the horse. Then on reaching the top of the hill, I dismounted and my horse promptly stood on my foot. OUCH.

I was left with a swollen (luckily nothing broken) foot for the next days of the Camino. And I can still feel the foot working out this gift of this incident even two weeks later. To deal with the issue, I bought a foot/ankle support, I used pain medication for the inflammation. And I got to see very quickly how compensation patterns took hold.

Each day thereafter was a very slow and sometimes quite painful beginning to the hike for the day. I was protecting the left foot which meant the right foot did more work. Not using my left foot properly also meant that my left knee started to flare up with soreness. And I just kept mindful of the whole process.

It was like an extended yoga practice.

As I sit on my mat I notice all my patterns. I see where things are hard, where I am avoiding issues. Where old injuries, accidents and tightness and tension in my body will reveal themselves the longer I am able to just be, without judgement, without fear, without worry about what or how these things will change.

On the Camino the same thing happened. Everything was so much easier when I was able to just walk. Just be, without judgement, without fear, without worry about what or how these things will change.

I see there are no shortcuts. Life will bring you exactly what you need. I needed to slow down. Be able to establish a good relationship to my left side (which represents feminine concerns, such as receptivity, intuition, creativity, and emotions.)

The Way.

El Camino does not stop now I am home.

The way continues to meet myself as I am in the here and now. With love, with kindness and to see the hundreds of ways that I am supported. I am super proud of having completed the Camino and it's with such gratitude and joy that I return to my mat and my practice, and continue The Way of love, truth and light.