Part 244 - Continue - yoga mind body camino joy

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Part 244 - Continue

Keep going.

· yoga,mind,body,camino,joy

Today is a great day.

Today is another chance to strike out on your journey. You should feel excited today. You should feel happy. Today is a day to continue - keep going.

I put this video together using snippets and pictures from the Camino de Santiago in 2013 and 2015.

In 2015 Kim and I planned to spend two nights in Pamplona. It was a pre-planned day of rest. Having trod that path just two years prior and knowing the pain of the first three days of pilgrimage, I thought it might be smart to take a break before the body revolted. As you can see in the following update from the Camino, what we chose to do was continue. We kept going.

Diary Entry - 19 April, 2015
Dear mom,

To say that our hotel last night,in which we planned to stay two nights, was a dump would be an insult to dumpy hotels. This was by far the most depressing room I've ever spent the night in. More soul crushing than the bug infested cinder-block affair in Seine Bight in Central America. More despairing than the Admiral Benbow in Memphis, with its bucket for a toilet. More – and this really brings it home – more depressing than the Homewood Suites in Midland Texas. This place was simply discussing. Soiled-sanitary-pad-left-in-the-medicine-cabinet discussing. The story of how we ended up here is one that will need a few weeks to process and suss out the funny bits … I'm sure there is something funny to tease out of the tale, but … It's too soon.

We did, however (most likely due to sheer exhaustion), manage to sleep a long and quite sleep. In this room filled with darkness and silence … and just the slightest hint of souring death, Kim and I snuggled in to sleep the slumber of the truly tired.

7:00 found me wide awake and ready to walk. I ran the idea by Kim, “How about we just … I dunno … walk on … and not stay here another night?” We were packed, suited, and on the trail by 7:45. We were on top of Alto Perdon, just west of the city of Pamplona by mid morning. It was windy and cold and lovely.

Today was magnificent. Lots of up and down. Lots of views. Lots of cafés con leche. Kim discovered “ciruela sin hueso,” which translates literally, “boneless plum.” You would likely know them by the more common name, prunes. We ran into a couple of friensd at the private albergue in Puente La Reina. The pilgrims menu was a buffet in the nicest restaurant in town, which ain't sayin’ much. Six of us sat at the communal table. Everybody chattered about their day, their pain, their … [silence] Once food hit the table, total silence.

I'm in the bottom bunk now. I'm tired. More when able.

H

Today's practice takes us to the place where the path of the wind crosses that of the stars. You're going to love this place.

Today we move through the poses with strength and ease. Today we are pilgrims. Today we walk. Today we take in another day of yoga.

Today is a great day.