Mindfulness on the go

It's nice to practice mindfulness meditation where there are no disturbances, like home (with no small children), but another story is to practice anywhere, especially on the go. At least I am making the experience while hiking. The park trails I've walked are changing all the time, like everything else in the Universe. So, I started to realize every time I go it's like a whole new trail over again.

This is an interesting experience because when walking on a new trail, the walker has to be very alert, checking everything, all the senses awake, the mind sharply aware of every detail. Where does the trail go? What's the slope? And these stairs? Which path do I take when there are diversions? Is it dry or muddy, soft or slippery? Is that a stick or a snake? Sensations on the skin? Mosquitoes or horseflies? Then I notice that not many walkers have come lately, the spiders have had time to build their webs across the path, now they are stuck to my face. There is the constant buzzing noise of the cicadas. Then the sweat is coming, it itches, it runs inside my eye and other places.

It is humid and muddy from the recent rain.

There are loose rocks and my shoes give in sometimes.

Stairs in the woods?

And yes, lots of wildflowers because it's Texas after all. Time to stop and quench the thirst. 

This is the moment when I realize my mind is not thinking anymore, I am just in my body, experiencing it, experiencing the here and now, what is and is not. Just living alive. And it's a wonderful discovery!

Amor y vida

Amor que ensanchas el pecho,
te desbordas en todo lo visible,
que derribas fronteras.
y enlazas riberas,
y estás en la flor, en el fruto,
en la raíz y en el tallo,
en la rama verde y en el árbol seco,
en el loto y en el miasma.

Amor que vives en el niño y el anciano,
en la cuna y en el último lecho,
que mutas al gusano en su crisálida,
para darle alas y elevarlo.

Amor que iluminas y oscureces el alma
para develar el misterio de tu fuente,
que estás en el sol como en la luna,
en el aire, en el fuego y en el agua
para crear, formar y destruir,
para nacer y morir y volver en miríadas.

Amor que invades con tu música el alma
del que te escucha
que llevas de la mano al que te sigue,
que vives y eres todo lo que es,
que al morir los seres, no dejas de ser,
porque nada te destruye ni lastima,
desciende sobre nosotros tu caricia,
ayúdanos a verte
ayúdanos a oírte,
ayúdanos a sanar nuestras heridas,
a reconocerte en cada átomo, en cada nacimiento,
y en la muerte,
fortalece nuestras piernas desfallecientes,
ayúdanos a estar presentes en cada momento,
como tú estás siempre presente.

(Dedicado al nacimiento de Pilar).

Drinking from the source

The Mediterranean sea is technically a lake with no tides, albeit its water is salty. So the Corsican has to rely on creeks and small rivers. These are the crystal clear waters of the Ota river which I dare to drink from.

However, people mostly have used drinking water coming out of the rock. Water from the mountains' snow percolates the rocks and comes out in different places. Then they usually build a tubing system and an end point where one can go to collect it for one's use. This next one was on the mountain road, don't remember the exact location but, I think it's on the way south to Ajaccio.

I did often go with my bottle, filled it and had my drinking water for the day.

Next one is the one at Evisa, Aitone. It is in town, sometimes the central square was built around it, with its "required" pétanque court.

There is a great variety of constructions, this one was build of pebbles and river stones at Partinello. 

Next one is at Porto, where I used to refresh my feet after a long walk and fill up my bottle too. Deliciously refreshing!

So you believe me when I say we drank from them, not only me, but people come out to the mountain roads and fill up their containers, as you can see next. This one is near the village of Porto going south, if I remember correctly.

I hope you enjoyed the visit to Corsica with me. Leave your comments, please.

Ile de Beauté (continues)

The best part of it  all was learning about their cuisine. Their gastronomy is based on sea fruits, sweet chestnuts and their flour, honey, figs, and a fresh goat cheese called brocciu.
Their seafood now comes from everywhere, but they have some specialties like red mullet, conger, red lobsters, prawn and mussels boiled in a salty soup and served mainly with fries.

Grilled Red mullet at Le Cyrnée Restaurant.

Corsican deli meats assortment at Le Cyrnée,

Mussels with fries.

Here I am with the Cyrnée neighbors, from Les Flots Bleus.

 

My favorite was the bakery (Boulangerie de Rossi) where I bought the bastelles, a sort of salty pastry with their corners folded in and stuffed with chard and brocciu. Absolutely 

delicious! Then, I hope you all know about the famous French sweet pastries, croissants, pain chocolat, frangipane, Saint-Christain, and palmiers. All mouth watering staff a tourist in France can't avoid since bakeries are located in every block and the smell is always under your nose.  Corsican specialty desserts are the fiadone (sort of flan au brocciu) and a cake made with the popular chestnut flour and brocciu -of course, this cheese is never absent!- and beignets also with chestnut flour. 

On my way to Evisa, Aitone, I had the unique opportunity to see the sweet chestnut trees in bloom, the fragrance was overwhelming for the sense. I stopped and stunned by the view and the sweet air, didn't want to keep moving. 

Next chapter on Corsica I'll share my passion for its spring water fountains or sources.

L'île de Beauté

Several years ago, thanks to the generous hospitality of Madame Poggioli, I had the opportunity and the privilege to visit Porto, to stay and visit l'île de beauté, (Corsica) for a month. There, I enjoyed the most enriching vacation of my life. From the first moment, I was in static awe in front of this view.

Corsica is a mountainous island in the Mediterranean, pertaining to France. Its roads are sinuous, narrow and dizzying, where tourists buses have to pass one at a time, but goats, pigs and boars can go in herds, and cows can even nap.

The most prominent peculiarity is its people's contradictory hospitality. Tourists are received warmly and treated generously with the silent discretion of their pride of being Corsican. They practice a tacit "don't mess with Corsica" slogan whose evidence one can see in road signs like this one.

Then, I started reading this Corsican history book from the point of view of a Corsican: "Histoire de Corse" by Francescu-Maria Perfettini, and came to understand the things I was seeing around. The island had changed owners for centuries, either invaded, negotiated or given as a gift among the powers of the moment. People had been killed, raped, tortured, harassed, humiliated, repressed, forced to change identities, go hungry, just to mention a few of the vexations they suffered through history.  This historic suffering, the sense of constant insecurity, has force them to only believe and trust themselves for survival and safety. They are strong and solid like the mountain they inhabit, They developed their own alliances to protect themselves. It's a people that now see any foreigner as a potential threat from whom they need to take preventive measures. There is a general  yearn for independence, taken to the extreme by some radical groups that fight actively for it. 

I think their flag is emblematic and accurately representative of this sentiment. It's a black human head over a white background. 

(For the readers from the USA who may perceive a sign of racism in that, it has nothing to do with racism). The story goes like this: It represents a Moore's head girded by a white cloth tied on the back. It refers to the story of a Corsican youth from Aléria whose fiancee had been abducted by Moore corsairs and sold to the King of Aragon. This young man would have delivered her and killed the King's lieutenant when this one came after him to Corsica. The young man showed the lieutenant's head around the island. And that's the head that has become the official emblem of Corsica. In words, -since I can't deny I am a translator- the message is: "Don't dare to mess with us, you'll suffer the consequences".

I learned that they wrote the first Constitution in 1735, even before the 13 American colonies did, that established a democratic government organization based on "le droit des peuples à disposer d'eux-mêmes" [the right of peoples to exercise self-determination]. Nietzsche is quoted to have said later: "There are only three peoples in Europe capable of will: the Spanish, the English and the Corsican".

As the Corsican say themselves, they have been frequently conquered, but never submitted. La Corse, souvent conquise, jamais soumise, it's their slogan.

To keep vigilant on the sea, they built massive stone towers around the island, like the one on the first picture I share here, which is the one at Porto. Once someone would catch sight of a possible enemy ship, they would build a fire on the tower, then the next tower would see the light, and build a fire in turn and so on, the message would go around the island in 3 hours. [To be continued]

The power of sharing - commUNITY

Nowadays, when big money business together with politics have become so creative promoting divisive speech and actions, fear, antagonism, and consequent wars; and, as one can see, they have no interest whatsoever in ending conflicts, but on the contrary, fueling them; people look more and more and even long for building community, making connection, belonging, acceptance, togetherness, care, support, and bonding with other people to create something new and innovative. This is exactly what one can find in Folk Dance. I discovered this great activity just by "chance", (but I know, like Rumi says "what you're seeking is seeking you"), in Austin International Folk Dance .

As just an  attempt to describe what Folk Dance is all about, I'd like to point out a few traits and benefits I have experienced participating in the group. First, all cultures are welcome warmly. Yes, it is acknowledged that we are sometimes so different, but the connection takes place with what we have in common, all the while getting acquainted with the peculiarities and traits of the other. This type of connection promotes tolerance, appreciation, value, and much cultural enrichment with the exchange. After all, where would humanity be if it weren't by the fact that we've put our minds together creatively to discover ways of survival. Differences should always be welcomed this way, because they make us whole, and elevate us.

Second, deficits are compensated. People have different anatomies, body abilities, physical and brain skills, not all have a musical sense or can put together dancing steps skillfully or easily. There is always someone at my side willing to kindly show me the steps, patiently assisting me. Not because one is supposed to stand out, but for the interest of the whole group. When more dancers dance better, the group is enhanced and the joy of dancing is multiplied. So, when you're better, I am better, we're all even better.

Third, there is energy transfer between people holding hands. It's easy to picture one person as opposed to a hundred people trying to lift a one ton rock. When people dance and enjoy themselves, a huge amount of energy is involved; positive, creative, lively, oxygenated energy. This energy runs up and down the whole line of dancers. It is not surprising that  In this article from the Scientific American, they explain how "Synchronicity and exertion each raised the dancers' pain tolerance". I had the chance to experience this myself. Suffering from chronic pain for several years now, I realized that doctors, procedures and medicine can only support the patient, it's only the body that heals itself  when the conditions are met. After folk dancing for more than a year, I have suddenly noticed a huge improvement in the pain management. Is medicine more effective now? or is it that the body has the right conditions to trigger healing? That same article states that "Pain tolerance was the highest when the students both were in sync and had high energy, according to the study, published in October 2015 in the journal Biology Letters." And recently Steve Inskeep confirmed this in an NPR interview with Shankar Vedantam who says that "there were huge differences in pain perception before and after the volunteers [in a University of Oxford study] danced together".

Fourth, international folk dance also improves social skills through development of trust, self confidence, compassion, collaboration, empathy and tolerance. Trust and self confidence are necessary to share closeness with people one knows little. In order to share in the joy of music and dance, we also build empathy and compassion for the different other, because we connect at the common point, the pleasure of dancing. We learn to let our differences aside to achieve it. Additionally, to reach synchronicity in the dance, all the dancers cooperate with each other keeping up the pace, showing the right steps to the ones still learning, and tolerating their deficiencies.  I am convinced that "the social element of dance may also be playing a therapeutic role", as the article states; but not only that, it can help us develop a more positive stronger social relationships by helping the unskillful to improve his or her social skills. 

Voilà a complete workout for spirit, body and mind! Thank you Austin International Folk Dance group for all you've given me!