Dear all wonderful human beings,
today is my first day back in Prague after the incredible and touching experience in Rites, Latvia. It is very hard to properly describe the whole week since most I am taking are good conversations, sharings, connections, and feelings. Which are intangible and hard to describe.
In this retreat of mindfulness I had the chance to work on my inner balance, to explore my needs, take time for myself and create rituals that keep me balanced and mindful in my daily life ( hopefully ).
Before that, I will just share with you a few pictures from Riga. Riga is a very calm town. If you visit, don’t forget to go out of the center, because in the center we were a little bit bored even if we did a great tour (maybe also because we slept only 2 hours the previous night)
Kai introduced to us every day one new principle from Huna Philosophy that was very helpful for us in order to think about our life, beliefs, problems, fears. Here they are:
IKE
You create your own reality (Change your beliefs and your world will change)
KALA
There are no limits (The only limit is your imagination)
MAKIA
Energy flows where attention goes
MANAWA
The moment of power is now (Karma only exists and operate in the present moment)
ALOHA
The love is to be happy with (If I am happy being with you, I am in love)
MANA
All power comes from within (Nobody can take your power, but you can give it away, or you can let others take it)
PONO
Effectiveness is the measure of truth (If something doesn’t work for you – try something elce)
LA LUNA ILLUMINA
LA LUNA, the dark of the night, the feminine mystery, the moon. Before this experience, I had never thought about the feminine energy in myself and how it influences my behavior. What does it mean to be feminine? Are all women feminine? Every one and each of us has feminine energy inside. Just in different proportions. Feminine energy is cyclical, intuitive, emotional, imaginative, inclusive, reflective, dependent, being, sensitive, reflective, receiving, providing, nature, chaotic. The Earth is feminine. She has cycles, receives what we give her, suffers silently and cares about us and provides life.
The fourth or fifth day of the week was dedicated to us. Women. We cleaned the space, cooked for us meal and took nice clothes. Some of you might think that it is not very open-minded using this “typical feminine” and “typically masculine” stereotypes. However, what we did was to explore the “feminine and masculine” energy. It was suggested to be split into groups of men and women, but everyone who didn’t feel comfortable in those groups could change. After eating the dinner we talked in the women circle and it was a really magical time. The question raised in the women circle was: “Why women developed so well the skill of communication?” And Rota (an amazing and powerful woman, fairy, who held together with Kai for us the space to explore ourselves and others) answered us: “If women didn’t communicate and didn’t understand well the community, they would be excluded”. We talked also about imperfections and how they influence us. We focus on them and restrict ourselves because of them. But what we actually cannot do because of our imperfection? Does everyone really see them? Where attention goes, energy flows.
ILLUMINA, the light of the sun. During this project, I realised how masculine is the world around me. Since I was a child I was led to think rationally, be independent, do things, thing analytically and be in order. And always look forward. La Luna Illumina and people there taught me that maybe it is not that bad sometimes just to “be”, receive, don’t do anything special or just flow through the day without any big goal.
The whole experience from this project is pretty hard to be described so I will just point out a few things that I have learned.
5 POINTS of Attention
Inner critic – how often it happens to us that we really feel like doing something but we just prefer to stay there where we are because our belief or stereotypes don’t allow us to do so? However, how often we actually regret that we DID anything rather that we regret that we DIDN’T anything and missed the opportunity?
Inner child – the energy inside of us that wants to play, to explore, is not afraid and ready to go wherever it feels like. How often we supress it. And how unacceptable it sometimes is in society to act like a child. We are afraid of being “childish”, considered as “not adult enough”, immature. Why?
Body – Erica introduced us to the basics of contact improvisation. I had already done a few of the movements in the past but I had never participated on the whole “lesson” before. I really loved that. The connection that one can have with other people even without touch is really amazing. Later on I also loved the part where we touched and were just laying on each other and moved in our natural tempo without any rules.
Intuition – What is it actually? Inner truth? Something that guides us to synchronicity. Is it the sixth sense that we have?
Pure Awareness – Now. Being present. Aware. That’s actually the biggest thing that I am taking from this amazing retreat. Be more here. Here where I am right now.
SOME QUOTES FROM OTHERS THAT I NOTED DOWN:
“Forget about traditions. The world is today so mixed that there are no traditions anymore. Tradition is for me what I believe in. There are 7 billions of traditions. As many as we people are”
“Energy goes where the attention goes. So if it is your phone..!”
“Never get stuck. Wherever you are don’t get stuck. Not even in your ceremony.”
“Our body is our temple. And whatever comes to our mind will show at the body”
“Share your story, not advice if you are asked to do so”
“The moon doesn’t shine from itself. It shined because it is illuminated. And the same with our emotions. They are dark and triggered from outside.”
(and the following one I noted down because we both shared experience from eating disorders and it actually pretty touched me that there might be some patterns that I still follow since the anorexia that I had never fully left me – in my head I mean)
“All those morning rituals are for Youtubers. All those small goals that you want to commit and have to do in order to be happy are just part of your anorectic patterns”
One of the things that were shared in the circle and I like was following sharing in a couple (on daily basis) that everyone can do:
Sharing of: 5 gratitudes, 1 desire, 1 learning of the day and 1 appreciation on the other person
So simple and nice!
Last thing that I really appreciate that I could dive into is the Wim Hof Method that I learned more about thanks to Juan. We started to do together breathing exercises and cold exposure. Especially those moments of breathing together were really valuable for me and I enjoyed to just listen to the forest and feel bit dizzy because of the lack of oxygen. We did following:
- Comfortable sitting
- 30-40 power breaths in fast tempo
- Empty the lungs and holding the breath as long as possible
- After the breath retention, taking deep breath in and holding further for 15 seconds
- Repeating 3x
And besides that I took every day a cold shower for at least 2 minutes and that is something that I want to make a habit unexceptionally.
Moments that will stay in my mind for loooong looong time:
- Slackline with Federico and listening to his stories about Rainbow Gatherings
- Laying in the treehouse in the night and observing the trees and talking about the hippie nation
- Getting a crystal and receiving all beautiful words around
- Love shower
- Fire ceremony
- Long, deep and inspiring conversations
- Sitting in the forest alone for hours and just observing the small movements of trees around me
- Being without a phone for days and really feel completely disconnected
- THE PEACE INSIDE OF MYSELF THAT I FELT
I am really grateful to get the opportunity to be part of this great retreat. Thanks to Rota and Kai for holding the space for us <3.
