Pack for Mexico

Passport + 2 Copies

• Keep a color copy of your passport in your luggage and carry-on.

Clothing *Weather varies from cool to warm… pack layers!

• Pack a beanie, scarf, etc… evenings can be cool!

• Yoga layers for cool mornings & warm evenings

• Pants, shorts, sundresses, tanks, t-shirts, sweatshirts

• One evening outfit dressing in White for a special dinner

• Bathrobe if you wish

Swimming Stuff

• Bathing suit

• Wrap

• Sun hat

• Sunglasses

• Sunscreen

• Summer read

Footwear

• Tennis shoes with tread for hiking

• Flip flops for the beach

Yoga Props:

• Mats and all props are provided at Xinalani

Miscellaneous:

• Type F plug adaptor

• Water Bottle

• Coffee / Tea mug so you can bring your beverage to the beach or to your room

• Bandana - perhaps the most forgotten and useful accessory

• Mosquito Repellent

• Digestive enzymes and probiotics

• Journal to collect your thoughts and memories from this euphoric trip

• Curiosity, awe, and enthusiasm

Art Supplies for Art & Yoga Retreat

Below is a list of art supplies from Gayle & Jennifer:

•The main supplies you need for the class are listed below. We also encourage you to also bring a few of your personal favorites.

Jennifer’s favorites art supplies:

https://www.augustwren.com/blog/2022/2/5/my-favorite-supplies

Gayle’s favorites supplies:

http://gkabaker.com/new-blog

Paper:

Sketchbook Strathmore Mixed Media 500 series and/or Muji Sketchbook for sketching and notes

Gouache:

Turner Acryla Gouache (a basic set of 12 ) We have some favorite colors besides these in the set, its fun to pick out a few more that you love.

Jennifer’s fave colors:

Winsor Newton Designer Gouache: Perylene Violet; Linden Green, Opera Pink

Gayle’s fave colors:

Turner Acryl Gouache: Japanesque Strong Orange, Beryl Green, Permanent White Winsor Newton Designer Gouache

Brushes:

Princeton Brushes /Round size #2, 5 and 10 or just a small and a larger one. Please bring you favorite brushes too. For a brush splurge we love Escoda Perla Travel Set.

Watercolor Pencils:

You only need a few colors but this is a very nice set and you can use them for sketching. If you have others of a different brand, bring those too.

Palette:

For mixing paint. We both use a paper palette, Any brand is fine. You can also use a ceramic dish or plastic palettes

Dip Pen:

If we mention a dip pen. E+M nib pen is really nice, but you can use any brand with a thin tip

Pack for Greece

Passport + 2 Copies

• Keep a color copy of your passport in your luggage and carry-on.

Clothing

• Layers for the plane, including a scarf which can become a sarong!

• Yoga clothes for warm weather… whatever you like to move in!

• Shorts, sundresses, tanks, t-shirts, sweatshirt

Dress for dinner

• It’s lovely when guests change out of their yoga clothes for dinner ~ it creates a wonderful, celebratory atmosphere.

Swimming Stuff

• Bathing suit

• Wrap

• Sun hat

• Sunglasses

• Sunscreen

• Summer read

Footwear

• For the beach and for exploring

Electric Adapters

Type F plug adaptor

Water Bottle:

• Doing our best to be mindful of our environmental impact even when traveling and most airport have hydration stations these days!

Digestive enzymes & probiotics

• Many people, including experienced travelers, notice that after a long flight and the excitement ahead, it takes a few days for their body processes to return to normal. Digestive enzymes + probiotics can help keep you normal… constipated yoga is no fun.

Yoga Props:

• Mats are provided at the hotel

Miscellaneous:

• Bandana - perhaps the most forgotten and useful accessory

• Mosquito Repellent

  Journal to collect your thoughts and memories from this euphoric trip

  Some curiosity, awe, and enthusiasm..

Leonard Cohen & Greece

Anyone who loves Leonard Cohen the way we do at Euphoria, knows Cohen lived for a stint of his 20’s on a little isle in Greece off the mainland called, Hydra. Iconic poetry and inspirations for songs like “Marianne” come to mind when we conjure images of Cohen living on this then little known Greek island. To fill in some of the details - and let your mind expand into the romance and dream of the beauty of Greece, have a read of this pictorial article: “Leonard Cohen’s Hydra.”

Days of Kindness

Greece is a good place
To look at the moon, isn’t it
You can read by moonlight
You can read on the terrace
You can see a face
As you saw it when you were young
There was good light then
Oil lamps and candles
And those little flames
That floated on a cork in olive oil
What I loved in my old life
I haven’t forgotten
It lives in my spine
Marianne and the child
The days of kindness
It rises in my spine
And it manifests as tears
I pray that a loving memory
Exists for them too
The precious ones I overthrew
For an education in the world

— Leonard Cohen

Hydra, 1985

“The Sea” by Pablo Neruda

I need the sea because it teaches me.
I don’t know if I learn music or awareness,
if it’s a single wave or its vast existence,
or only its harsh voice or its shining
suggestion of fishes and ships.
The fact is that until I fall asleep,
in some magnetic way I move in
the university of the waves.

It’s not simply the shells crunched
as if some shivering planet
were giving signs of its gradual death;
no, I reconstruct the day out of a fragment,
the stalactite from the sliver of salt,
and the great god out of a spoonful.

What it taught me before, I keep. It’s air
ceaseless wind, water and sand.

It seems a small thing for a young person,
to have come here to live with his own fire;
nevertheless, the pulse that rose
and fell in its abyss,
the crackling of the blue cold,
the gradual wearing away of the star,
the soft unfolding of the wave
squandering snow with its foam,
the quiet power out there, sure
as a stone shrine in the depths,
replaced my world in which were growing
stubborn sorrow, gathering oblivion,
and my life changed suddenly:
as I became part of its pure movement.

Pack for Switzerland!

Passport + 2 Copies

• Keep a color copy of your passport in your luggage and carry-on.

• For the plane: ear plugs & eye mask, water bottle & healthy snacks. Hand lotion & eye drops if needed.

Clothing

• Mountain temperatures vary, so pack layers

• Bring a rain poncho or light jacket - or buy one in Verbier if it’s needed

• Scarf or beanie for plane ride over and evening mountain walks

• Yoga layers for changeable weather… we will do yoga inside and out in nature

• Shorts, pants, tanks, t-shirts, sweatshirt

Shoes

• Sandals for going to yoga and pool

• Light hiking shoes (depending on your comfort with mountainous terrain, you might like heavier support and/or tread)
  Be careful not to bring brand new shoes that are not worn in or comfortable.

• Pair of comfortable dress shoes for dining or evening attire.

  
  
  Dress for dinner

• It’s lovely when guests change out of their yoga clothes for dinner ~ it creates a wonderful, celebratory atmosphere.

Swimming & Sun Stuff

• Bathing suit, wrap, sun hat, baseball cap for hikes & sunglasses

• Sunscreen, summer read

Electric Adapters

• Type F plug adaptor

Water Bottle:

• Doing our best to be mindful of our environmental impact even when traveling and most airport have hydration stations these days!

Digestive Enzymes & Probiotics

• Many people, including experienced travelers, notice that after a long flight and the excitement ahead, it takes a few days for their body processes to return to normal. Digestive enzymes + probiotics can help keep you normal… constipated yoga is no fun.

Yoga Props:

• There are basic yoga mats. You may want to bring your own to go on top.

Miscellaneous:

• Bandana - perhaps the most forgotten and useful accessory.

• Small hiking back pack for carrying on hikes, we will pack a lunch a few days in your pack

• Journal to collect your thoughts and memories from this euphoric trip.

• Some curiosity, awe, and enthusiasm..

Lisbon • Tips

Where to eat + sleep in Lisbon,

Alternatively, you can view Anton’s Lisbon City Guide,

Hotel Dear Lisbon, a curated collection of apartments + boutique hotels.  

Hotel Valverde. chic!

Breakfast Heim Cafe. in the charming, less-touristed area of Santos.

Lunch Comoba. young crowd, clean aesthetic, solid food.

Coffee Copenhagen Coffee Lab.  best cappuccinos in town.

Wine Black Sheep. Enjoy natural wine in the park. 

Fado Tasca do Chico. music starts at 8pm. casual.

Cocktail A Cevicheria. in the trendy area of Principe Real.

Sweet Manteigaria. Pastel de Nata, the most delicious sweet you’ve ever had. 

Explore Portugal Excursions

Enjoy perusing some of the adventurous outings you can experience on your Portugal Yoga Retreat!

Surfing

Retreat groups have a few different options for surfing. Guests can rent a surfboard and wetsuit, and go out on their own, or they can have a lesson. There are a few different spots where people surf. The most popular area is Praia Malhao, which is a 17 minute drive from Cocoon. Furnas Beach is also a nice beach to surf. 

At Praia Malhao, you can rent a board + wetsuit, or you can arrange for a lesson. Surf Milfontes usually offers a lesson or two each day. Surfing is best at low tide. The timing of the lesson depends on the tide, so it’s best you arrange a day or two in advance. Max 8 guests per teacher, they have a few teachers. Surf Milfontes has mostly foam boards, and a few proper surfboards. 

Cocoon’s manager can arrange a surf lesson with Surf Milfontes, or you can arrange directly with them. You do not need to arrange a surf lesson before you arrive in Portugal, you can arrange with our manager in person once you arrive. If you want to arrange directly, please call or WhatsApp Antonio +351 926 900 891. They are our friends so you can tell them we sent you. Surf lessons are €40 per person, including board, wetsuit, 1.5-2 hour lesson. Surf rentals are €30 per person, including board and wetsuit 

Horse-back riding

Moita Nova Equestre is a wonderful equestrian center near us. They clearly care for their horses, and operate their business with integrity. Their place is a 10-12 minute drive away, just right before the Cabo Sardao lighthouse. The ride is an hour, which can be longer if the group desires. Beginners are okay to ride, however their ride will be more like 30 minutes getting to know the horse, and 30 minutes ride. Five guests maximum at a time. Anna leads the ride. The ride goes from approximately Cabo Sardao lighthouse to Almograve. Best to book a few days or a week in advance, especially in high season wear jeans, sunscreen, strong shoes. Horseriding is really best in spring and fall - when it’s hot in summer, it’s hot! 

Moita Nova Equestre 

moitanovaeq@gmail.com  / Anna +351 967 218 594 / €40 person for an hour-long ride (cash only)

Secret swimming hole 

Pego Das Pias is a secret freshwater swimming hole, about 20 minutes away from Cocoon. It’s the perfect place to take your whole group for an afternoon picnic. 

Here is the Google Map for how to get to Pego Das Pias. Please note there are two entrances to Pego Das Pias. If you just search “Pego Das Pias” on Google Maps, it will direct you to the second entrance, which is bumpy and not nice to drive on. We recommend you take the first road, which is the exact point on the map link that we provided, above. At that point on the map, you’ll turn right onto the dirt road. Stay left on the dirt road following the river until you reach a gate with a small makeshift parking area. From there it’s a lovely 12 minute walk to the swimming hole. You do not need to arrange this trip in advance of arriving in Portugal. You can simply tell our farm manager when you arrive, which day you want to go. We will pack your group a wonderful picnic lunch.

Wine tasting @ Cocoon

We can organize a wine tasting at Cocoon. This is subject to availability, please ask our farm manager when you arrive. 

Our friend Joaquim will come to Cocoon to serve your guests Alentejo wines from Adega do Monte Branco. Typically he serves 3 tiers of white and red, a vinho verde, and rosé. This is a great addition to pizza night served right from our wood fired brick oven. Cocoon can pair with local Alentejo cheeses and olive oils for a small additional charge. 

€15 / person 

€20 / person w/ cheeses 

pay the day before to our farm manager, cash only 

Wine tasting @ winery

Take your car or Cocoon can arrange transport for your group to Vicentino Winery, about 20 minutes south of Cocoon. St. Vicentino are a staple producer of the coastal region of Alentejo and many of the local restaurants serve their wines. 

(SUP) Stand Up Paddle

15 minute drive away, in Vila Nova de Milfontes. SWSUP offers SUP board, wetsuit, and paddle rentals as well as guided tours. Timing depends on the tides. The Mira River is gorgeous and one of the cleanest in all of Europe. They also offer 90 min SUP yoga classes with an experienced instructor several times per week. You can call them directly at +351 963 551 232 

€15 / person for 1 hour, €25 / person for 2 hours 

€20 / person for 90 min SUP yoga

Kayak or Catamaran Tour at Lagos

Drive an hour south to the Algarve’s most beautiful town, Lagos. Lagos is famous for it’s limestone cliffs, Ponta da Piedade. You can rent a catamaran for your group for the afternoon, or get more adventurous and do a kayaking tour around the caves of the Ponta Da Piedade. Discover Tours is a well known tour operator, and there are plenty more companies you can quickly search on google. Most groups do morning yoga, have breakfast, and then leave for Lagos at 11am. Spend the day in Lagos, have lunch on the boat, and come back to Cocoon in time for dinner. Typical costs below: 

€35 / person for a 3 hour catamaran tour 

(this is for a large 70 person catamaran with other people, not private) €35 / person for a 3 kayak tour 

Southwest Charters has a private catamaran (max 16 guests) approx €1000 to rent their boat for the day 

Hiking

The southwest coast of Portugal is famous for its stunning coastal hiking trails. The Rota Vicentina is divided into three major routes: the fisherman's trail, the historical way, and circular routes. The breathtaking day trips that we recommend are along the fisherman’s trail. According to Conde Nast Traveller, the fisherman's trail is one of the 6 most beautiful coastal trails in the world. The trail is a single track along bluffs, accessible only by foot. Some parts of this trail are just 10 minutes drive away from Cocoon. The official site for these hiking trails is Rota Vicentina. 

Our two favorite trails are from Zambujeira do Mar to Carvalhal, and the trail from Cabo Sardao to Almograve. Both hikes are moderate, and take about 90 minutes one way.

Towards a Healing Yoga

by Jane House

Leader of our Portugal Yoga + Writing Retreat

I remember a time when the coolest yogis in San Francisco would return from India with stories about how some famous yogi or another had manipulated their bodies so well and with such force that they were now transformed. Their energy was now moving in enlightened ways! Fear had been released! Maybe they were limping, but they were healed! They hit the pavement and started saving up for their next ticket to India.

As a bodily seeker, I was lucky to avoid some of the madness of yoga in the west. I have my yoga teacher, Angela Farmer, who resides in Lesbos, Greece, to thank for that. Angela found the courage to break from rigid alignment doctrines. A little voice inside of her (underneath all those grand backbends) said, "Wait, wait... what I really want is to trust my own self." She helped me get quiet enough to listen to my own body, hear my own voice, and find my own grief. Gentleness, nature, and non-manipulated sensation are the guides and master-teachers of this practice I have learned to love.

When we submit to "power-over" dynamics in our bodily practices, we inevitably feed that hungry control monster that lurks in us all. We pass those patterns on in a thousand directions, hard to see. In this modern age, we are being asked to take responsibility for our "power-over" way of relating to our own bodies, our own families, and to the whole of humanity.

Can you sit on the ground with everyone else?

Can you drop your armor and your roots?

Relax your jaw… What are the images that want to arise from your body’s deepest intelligence?

Will you let them?

Let, let, let….

Let yourself.

Let yourself learn yourself.

Can't wait to be on the ground with you.

Love,

Jane

Packing for your Portugal Retreat

Passport + 2 Copies

• Keep a color copy of your passport in your luggage and carry-on.

Clothing

• Layers for the plane, including a scarf or beanie.

• Yoga clothes for warm weather… whatever you like to move in!

• Shorts, sundresses, tanks, t-shirts, sweatshirt

Dress for dinner

• It’s lovely when guests change out of their yoga clothes for dinner ~ it creates a wonderful, celebratory atmosphere.

Swimming Stuff

• Bring a sarong or turkish towel with you.

• Bathing suit, wrap, sun hat & sunglasses

• Sunscreen - or buy some in Lisbon

Footwear

• Think coastal hikes. We recommend a pair of light walking / tennis shoes, flip flops, and maybe some water shoes for the ocean, comfortable style evening shoes, that works well on cobblestones and uneven ground.

Electric Adapters

• Two round pins, at 230 volts and 50hz frequency. The Portuguese wall plug has two round pins.

Water Bottle:

• Please bring a reusable water bottle with you. Great to fill your water bottle at morning breakfast time to be prepared for the day.

Digestive enzymes & probiotics

• Many people, including experienced travelers, notice that after a long flight and the excitement ahead, it takes a few days for their body processes to return to normal. Digestive enzymes + probiotics can help keep you normal… constipated yoga is no fun.

Leave your yoga mat at home:

• We have all the props you would expect from a modern studio. You may want to bring your yoga mat cover.

Miscellaneous:

• Hat or baseball cap

• Extra love - Special tea from home and journal

• Mosquito repellent

• Bring your own shampoo, conditioner & lotion if you have one you love

• Chapstick

• To go coffee cup

• Travel pack for excursions

Musings from the Mountains

What is Yoga?

by Svetlana Negashova

Yogi & Trip Leader on our Switzerland Hike, Spa & Yoga Retreat:

I found myself back in one of my secret power places to practice, high in the Swiss Alps above my home. To reach it, I hiked barefoot on high alpine flowers through snow and icy glacier streams. There was still much snow left here at 2400 meters. I began practicing without restrictions, total freedom. Just flow.

Things always flow. Everything changes. We don’t need to make anything flow. We need to release stagnation, open up and there is flow there already. We don’t need to create it. The only way to integrate it into our lives is through practice. 

Why must we do so much practice? What’s the purpose of it? The words hatha and yoga mean effort, control, hard work. Qigong means intensive work with Qi. Gongfu means hard effort over a period of time.

Continuous, uninterrupted, joyful, stable effort over a period of time in yoga and qigong will change you. It will alter the functioning of the endocrine system, then the nervous system, the energy flow, the electromagnetic signature of the whole body-mind, the cells, and the ability to receive and send information.

A healthy body, well-functioning organs, long life, strength, power, flexibility are only side effects of a balanced practice.

Stillness, quietness, and detachment of the mind release a huge amount of energy into the system. Your intention guides that energy wherever you wish.

Yoga and qigong are just tools for fine-tuning. As the patriarchs of Taiji say: “All movements are motivated by I (mind-intention), not external form.” 

Everything in nature takes time to grow and mature. The same is valid for the practice and its results. The longer and deeper the practice is the longer and deeper the results will be.

I am eternally grateful to the countless generations of the masters who passed along these practices through so much effort and hard work.

I don’t know how it works. I only know that it does work. I trust the practice completely.

We live the lives we create ourselves.

Gayle’s Pandemic Playlist

Pandemic Playlist: A chill beat with DJ Sol Rising, DJ Drez, Coldplay, 1 Giant Leap and a little old school rap.

I made this playlist back in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic when I was spending several hours a day in my yoga studio just trying to wrap my head and body around all the uncertainty going on in the world.

This playlist both calms my nervous system — and gives me good vibes and energy when I really need it. May it soothe and energize you too.

XO, Gayle

This thing you’ve dreamed up.

by Jane House

Yogi and Euphoria leader of past Portugal Yoga & Writing Retreat

I love this idea I've heard passed around that the moment you decide to take a journey of any kind, that journey begins to work on you. Because you've decided to SAY YES to big adventure, the adventure starts to re-organize your days at once, as if you are being prepared to meet this thing you've dreamed up and placed on your calendar.

Last week, I could feel this phenomenon happen in my body around our June 2022 Poetry of the Body retreat in Portugal. We launched the retreat, a good handful of people signed up (great people)...and something lit up in the very center of my body. It felt like the stuff of life itself. Or, maybe it felt like coming back to life after a long, long, treacherously long covid slumber.

What is this thing, this light, this excitement, that makes us feel so awesomely human? So alive? I heard David Byrne say this about performing again after a yearlong break,

'I realized that these experiences changed me as a person. I realized that there is something about this coming together that works as a sort of collective ritual going that is somehow healing for me, and also for everyone involved.' I feel this way about our dream of Poetry and The Body in Portugal, with you.

This invitation to become part of a group that is larger than just "I" is a potentially life-changing, liberating experience.

Friends, have you watched the youtube video about our spot? Cocoon, in Portugal? I have viewed it several times, trying to imagine the magical group of people we are already gathering in this exquisite place. To be far away together. To be on farmland, near an inspiring coast together. To eat delicious, fresh food together. To SAY YES to the wonderful opportunity of dropping into our imaginations and into our bodies together. THIS is the dream that's working on me.

“So Much Magnificence” by Kabir

The darkness of night is coming along fast,
and the shadows of love close in the body and the mind.
Open the window to the west, and disappear into the air inside you.

Near your breastbone there is an open flower.
Drink the honey that is all around that flower.
Waves are coming in: there is so much magnificence near the ocean!
Listen: Sound of big seashells! Sounds of bells!

Kabir says: Friend, listen, this is what I have to say:
the Guest I love is inside me!

– Kabir
translated by Robert Bly,
The Kabir Book (Beacon Press)

How to Practice Bhakti Yoga

by Lauren Lalita

What is Bhakti Yoga?

Bhakti Yoga is the spiritual path of love and reverence for the divine. You don’t have to be a super yogi, advanced meditator, or chanter of Sanskrit to bring these simple rituals into your life. It doesn’t even require a yoga mat or yoga poses. 

Why would we do this? The more we live with reverence towards something higher than ourselves, the more love swells within us. The more time we spend in love with all of creation, the more joyful and loving we become. 

Learn more about yoga as a whole and all four paths of yoga.

Bhakti yoga is one path of yoga in which we seek union with the divine through devotion. It is the yoga of the heart. It is all about what you feel. We seek the vibration, the feeling of awe and love that wells up inside us. 

The bhakti yogi enters into a relationship with the beloved divine. Your beloved divine can be a diety with a specific name and form. Or your beloved divine can be a general idea of the universe as energy. The particular shape that you give to the divine is up to you. 

Some people think of the divine as a mother, nurturing all of creation, like the goddess Durga, who rides on a lion. To some, a fatherly Yahweh resides up in heaven. The divine energy of creation can be a devoted lover like Shiva or an innocent babe like the Christ child. For Rumi, the Sufi mystic, the divine was the Friend. 

The mystic Sri Ramakrishna said “Many are the names of God, and infinite the forms that lead us to know Him. In whatsoever name or form you desire to call Him, in that very form and name you will see Him.”

It’s hard to know the unknowable. To make it easier, we give a personality and a face to the divine, then tell myths and stories about them. Choose what inspires you. No matter the form of divinity, they are each a valid manifestation of universal consciousness. 

I’ve walked down many paths, but I’m busy these days. Done regularly, woven into my daily life, I have found these simple bhakti practices to be sweet and swift, an open road to spiritual experience. 

1. Establish an altar

Create and adorn a dedicated sacred space where the energy of your Beloved can reside. Perhaps add an image or form that reminds you of the divine and inspires you. Your altar is a place to meditate regularly, where you can always come to be in a relationship with a higher power. 

2. Sing or say the names of the divine

Saying, chanting, or singing the names of God as devotional practice shows up all over the world - from Benedictine monks to dreadlocked rishis in the Himalayas. Repeating mantras on a mala as meditation, praying the rosary, or singing the names of God is a beautiful way to connect to our Beloved Divine.

Singing, chanting, praying, or playing an instrument, all help raise your vibration. Whether a traditional kirtan song, a church hymnal, or a folk song, choose a tune that moves something in your heart. You don’t have to sing well. Let the feelings well up. It does not matter what it sounds like, all that matters is the emotional quality, the bhavana. Get out of your thoughts and step into your feelings. My shower has received a lot of divine vibration over the years in the form of devotional shower singing!

Rather learn how in a group? Look for a local kirtan - simple call and response singing. Or join me on retreat in Bhutan or Greece to lift our voices together. Sing in the car or join a church choir. There are many ways to sing love songs to God.

3. Make offerings

Offer the best of what you have: fruits, flowers, food, incense, and candles to God, either on your altar or out in nature. Puja, a ceremony of offering to the divine, can be as simple as lighting a candle or pouring water over a stone. Make your offerings with love and intentional care, giving a treasured gift to your Beloved. If your offering is edible, you can eat the leftovers afterward and draw the raised vibration into your body as a yummy bonus.

4. Pray

Whether sitting down at your altar, before you fall asleep, or any old time of day, try out old-fashioned prayer. The world over, talking to a higher power is one of the most time-tested traditions of bhakti. Praying is one of the most straightforward ways of entering into a relationship with your Beloved.

5. Bless your food or say grace

Make a regular practice of taking a few deep breaths and sending out a prayer of thanks for the abundance before you. Eat every meal in the spirit of joy and gratitude. 

6. Nature as a spiritual experience

Go into wild places and hold reverence in your heart for the beauty and splendor of creation. Focus on your feelings of awe and wonder. Let the feelings grow. Seek those landscapes and terrains that have always inspired you. For me, it is in the mountains, the high places. It could be a deep, lush forest or even the sky that lies open above you. Spend time there. Meditate there. Let it fill you up. 

This is one of the most powerful parts of doing our physical yoga practice and meditation on retreats. Taking our practice to a pristine coastline or a mountain top, it is easy to connect to that higher vibration. 

7. Let go

Don’t overthink your little rituals of bhakti yoga. Trust your instincts and your feelings, as this is a feeling path. Get out of your thoughts and move into the eye of your heart. Then continue on, even through the inevitable phases of doubt. 

Remember, the most important relationship we are seeking is our relationship to the divine within us. The Beloved exists as much in here as out there. The goal of bhakti is to establish the kingdom of the divine within our own hearts. 

The more love we give, the more we become love. 

LOVE,

Song of the Sea by Rainer Maria Rilke

Timeless sea breezes,
sea-wind of the night:
you come for no one;
if someone should wake,
he must be prepared
how to survive you.

Timeless sea breezes,
that for aeons have
blown ancient rocks,
you are purest space
coming from afar…

Oh, how a fruit-bearing
fig tree feels your coming
high up in the moonlight.

How to Practice Karma Yoga

by Lauren Lalita

As we have been exploring in our Four Paths of Yoga series, the ancient yogis of the Indian subcontinent taught that there were four paths, or margas, of yoga towards union.

Learn more about yoga as a whole and all four paths of yoga.

One of these four paths has risen to the forefront of our collective consciousness - Karma Yoga, or the yoga of action and selfless service. We are bearing witness to another moment of rising activism for racial justice and lokasamgraha, the peace and harmony of the world.

What is the Yoga of Action? 

The word karma comes from the Sanskrit root for the word action. In karma yoga, we act to serve our fellow humans and the planet. We treat all beings as not separate from ourselves. The more we work in service of union with all creation, the more in union with that creation we become. Our activism becomes a part of our spiritual practice. 

Being spiritual does not mean only focusing on positive energy and the light. Being spiritual does not mean ignoring human struggle and suffering in order to avoid “negative energy.” Only when we acknowledge the dark can we work to become the light. 

Saints and sages have walked a spiritual path of action, facing human suffering and working tirelessly to alleviate it. Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, the Mahatma Gandhi, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., and many of the holiest among us have been Karma Yogis. They illuminate the path of action in the world as a path of spiritual liberation. 

A Path of Liberation

Karma yoga recognizes the oneness of humanity and the divinity inherent in creation. We don’t practice karma yoga because we feel sorry for people who are less fortunate. We also don’t practice karma yoga because of a promise of reward in the next life or praise in this one. Through repeated action in service, we embody the spiritual realization that no one can be truly free while another is bound. 

Throughout the ages, yogis have taught us that yoga means to join together, or to unite. The process of Karma Yoga starts in separation and moves into union or Oneness.

1. We start with selfless service or seva. When we are performing selfless service, there are three separate parts: the actor, the action, the recipient. I, do this action, for you. Though I’m serving you, I am still separate from you. 

2. When the fluctuations of the mind disappear, we completely de-center on ourselves and become absorbed into the action. That is when we have Karma Yoga, and there are just two parts: the action and the recipient. My mind is so serenely focused on acting in service of you, that there is no longer an I, there is only: action, for you. 

3. Then, as we fully absorb our awareness into the service of others, we enter into union. The actor, the action, and the recipient, all merge into an experience of universal Oneness or samadhi. 

Karma Yoga as a path to spiritual awakening moves from three, into two, then there is only one - the All.  That’s the theory anyway. How on earth do we begin to put that into practice?

8 Ways to be a Karma Yogi

1. GO DEEP RATHER THAN WIDE 

Choose the cause to which you will dedicate your actions. You can still vote for, speak out about, amplify, sign petitions for, and donate to many causes, but when it comes to action and organization, invest your time deeply rather than widely. 

Pick one cause (perhaps two: one local and one international) where you will go deep and make an impact. Build connections in that community. Become a lifelong learner in your field of action. Build alliances and develop a nuanced and nimble understanding of how best to serve those impacted. 

We know that choosing one meditation practice and sticking with it will yield more results than trying a new style of meditation every month. Choose one field of activism. Swami Satchidananda advises seekers to dig one deep well that will reach cool water rather than many shallow holes in the dirt. 

2. ACT TOGETHER 

Sit down with your friends or family and choose a locus of action that is meaningful to all of you. Or be deliberate about forging new relationships within your selected cause. In all spiritual pursuits, the community, or sangha helps a lot. We can support each other when things get hard, when our inspiration wanes, and when we become discouraged. 

3. FOLLOW OTHERS’ LEAD

If you’re new to your cause, someone is most likely already doing that work, so throw your time, strength, and action behind them. Your impact will be greater if you put yourself in service to an existing organizational structure rather than starting from scratch. Listen, financially contribute to, and observe the experts in your field of action, without creating extra work for those people to teach you. Educate yourself and follow the guidance of reputable leaders. To avoid developing a savior complex that only serves to strengthen our ego, take your direction from those to whom you are in service.  

As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The wide gulf between our good intentions and the actual impact of our actions is why it is vital to take direction from existing organizations run by the actual people you are trying to serve, rather than going it alone. 

4. LEAN INTO YOUR STRENGTHS

Everyone has a different self-nature, or sva-bhava. Some karma yogis have been out on the street protesting since the sixties. Some people are excellent at organizing letter-writing campaigns or anti-racist book clubs. Some are taking deep dives into local politics. Some karma yogis are working quietly in food banks. If you are good at sales, consider becoming a fundraiser. Creators are knitting protest hats, painting protest art, or singing activist anthems. 

Find a path of action that aligns with your own self-nature. Do what you do best, just do it for others in service of their own goals. 

5. FOCUS ON OTHERS, AGAIN, AGAIN, AND AGAIN 

For activism to work as a spiritual practice, we must be mindful of the tricks of the ego. The natural human ego tries to make our own experience the center of the universe. On this path, the ego and the distractions of the mind will say:

“Hey! I did a good thing, I want to tell the world!”

“Well, I meant it well, but they took it the wrong way.”

Step back and recognize that these very human responses are all about you. Refocus your actions in the service of others’ goals. De-center yourself. Rinse and repeat. This is not about you. 

It is not selfless service if you require praise or recognition. It is not selfless service if you get defensive about the results. If your activism is about looking woke on social media or assuaging your guilt of privilege, it is not a spiritual practice.  Just as in meditation, we must relentlessly refocus our minds past every tantalizing ego-driven thought. The yoga of action requires us to continually train our minds on the service of others.

Adopt a single-pointed focus on acting for another’s benefit, according to their own goals. It’s the nature of the mind to have I-thoughts, yet we cannot reach union with all creation until we transcend the illusion of the I-ness. 

6. BE MINDFUL OF YOUR FEELINGS

The work of the Karma Yogi necessitates coming face to face with injustice and suffering. It is natural to have deep and profound feelings when bearing witness to this: despair, rage, shock, guilt, grief. Do not look away. Experiencing this is a healthy part of being human. Do not ignore, suppress, feel guilty for, or bypass those feelings. Sit with them, experience them, dig deeply into the fertile ground of human experience. 

However, when you need to vent, cry, or process your healthy emotions with others, do so with people who are more removed from the crisis or injustice you are working to repair.  

No one expects you to be unaffected while looking suffering in the face. Just process your emotions away from the center of the crisis circle, so as not to further burden those already suffering more than you with the emotional labor of caring for you. Then refocus on the work for others, again, and again, and again. 

7. STAY THE COURSE

Things are often easy at the beginning when we don’t know how hard it will get deeper in. When things get uncomfortable is exactly when real progress is made. When we fail or get called out, we must keep going. Do not give up digging your deep well because you have encountered rocks.

We do not expect to reach enlightenment after a couple of months of meditation. So too, the work of the spiritual activist is the hard, uncomfortable work of lifetimes. Settle in for the long-haul. 

8. FINALLY, LET GO

The karma yogi must relinquish any attachment to the results of her labor. The ego loves success, whereas the yogi acts for action’s own sake. 

We must offer our actions in the service of others’s goals freely without being attached to any specific results or outcomes. The karma yogi acts for the good of all without becoming discouraged if she does not achieve success. It is the action that makes it yoga, not the result of the action. Yes, we work towards alleviating a pocket of suffering, but the work continues, whether we reach that goal or not. Paradoxically, only by relinquishing our need to reach any goal can we ever get there. 

Detaching from the results allows us to keep acting for others no matter what, ever onward, ever deeper, in service of the All. 

We are all Karma Yogis

We are all Karma Yogis. Every choice we make is an action. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells us that action is inevitable. Even choosing inaction is an action. Choosing to do nothing or stay silent is still an action. How can we unite in oneness with all creation if we are silently permitting that creation to suffer? When we selflessly act for others as ourselves, we wear away the illusion that we are separate from anyone else. 

Whether our actions are in service of the Earth, animals, or humans, we offer the sweat of our brow to serve the well-being of creation. We experience the divine as manifest in each other, in those who are suffering, in all life. Karma yogis work for the good of the world while relentlessly focusing beyond the borders of the ego-bounded self. Karma yogis serve the divinity of all creation, and in so doing, enter into union with all that is. 

Like you, I am simply a seeker on the path, passing along the teachings that I am working to implement in my own life. My deepest bow to the teachers and yogis throughout the ages who have passed on their knowledge for the benefit of us all, in service of the All.

Sail Away by Rabindranath Tagore

Early in the day it was whispered that we should sail in a boat,
only thou and I, and never a soul in the world would know of this our
pilgrimage to no country and to no end.

In that shoreless ocean,
at thy silently listening smile my songs would swell in melodies,
free as waves, free from all bondage of words.

Is the time not come yet?
Are there works still to do?
Lo, the evening has come down upon the shore
and in the fading light the seabirds come flying to their nests.

Who knows when the chains will be off,
and the boat, like the last glimmer of sunset,
vanish into the night?

What is Yoga, Anyway? The Four Paths of Yoga

by Lauren Lalita

What do you think of when you think of yoga?

Are you thinking of flexible folks in stretchy pants making peaceful faces whilst twisted up on rubber mats? 

Me too! Yes, that is yoga! However, that physical part of the practice is a fairly recent development. Yoga poses can make you strong, flexible, repair postural imbalances, and feel awesome. While wonderful and beneficial, the poses, called asanas, are only one tiny part of the vast tradition of yoga. 

So if yoga is not just physical asanas, what else is it? 

As a system of philosophy and spiritual practice, yoga emerged as various realizations threaded across Vedic spiritual evolutions. The branches of yoga have split, changed, woven and evolved with the needs, traditions, and tastes of the people practicing it. Yoga has endured this long because of its ability to adapt, grow, shift and bloom.

Western civilization is plagued with sedentary lifestyles and stressed-out minds. We have adopted and expanded upon the part of yoga that we most need: reconnecting with our bodies and our breath. Sometimes, after we connect with our bodies on our yoga mats, we discover these deeper layers awaiting us. 

Underneath the physical practice, there is a philosophical wellspring of insights and spiritual practices that lead to spiritual experiences. At its most basic level, yoga is a spiritual path that seeks union with the divine. 

The word yoga means to join, to unite. On this spiritual path, we are seeking union with the Self, the Atman, the universal soul. The root word for yoga, yuj, means to yoke or join together. The first time this word appears is in the Upanishads, in reference to yoking the breath for the purpose of chanting Om. 

Since that time, yoga has expanded as a system of philosophy and practice into four main ways to seek union with the highest self. These are the four marga or paths of yoga: 

Karma Yoga - Yoga of Action & Selfless Service

Jnana Yoga - Yoga of Wisdom & Self-study

Dhyana Yoga - Yoga of Meditation

Bhakti Yoga - Yoga of Love & Devotion

These four paths are not limited to yoga philosophy. Every spiritual tradition contains these aspects. Think of a church where the congregation studies scripture (wisdom), sings hymns (devotion), prays the rosary (meditation), and holds a coat drive for the homeless (action).

Karma Yoga

In the yoga of action, we practice seva, or selfless service. Whether that service is to the Earth, animals, or humans, we offer our hours and sometimes the sweat of our brow to serve the wellbeing of creation. We see the divine as manifest in each other, in those who are suffering, in all life. We serve the divine by working for peace and wellbeing in the world. Read more about Karma Yoga here.

Bhakti Yoga

The yoga of devotion is a spiritual practice of love and reverence. Through Bhakti yoga we enter into a personal relationship with divine reality. It is offering love to the divine, however, the divine appears to us. Bhakti practices can include poetry, song, myth, ceremony, and more.  Read more about Bhakti Yoga here.

Jnana Yoga 

The yoga of wisdom seeks union through sacred study and the pursuit of holy knowledge. Sometimes it is learning from teachers and masters who inspire us, whether in person, through texts, or story. However, the yoga of wisdom is not a cold academic study of philosophy. Jnana yoga is taking the great teachings of the ages and applying them to your own life. 

Dhyana Yoga

The yoga of meditation takes many forms. At the simplest, meditation is the practice of focusing our mind on something so steadily that our very being flows into the object of our concentration. When we meditate, the separation disappears and we eventually become one with what we are focusing upon. 

You may find yourself drawn to specific paths more than others. You get to choose what works for you. You will likely practice a blend of all the paths and go through phases where some are dominant. 

But do not box yourself in. Think of spiritual pursuit as a journey to the top of one mountain. 

People live on different sides of the mountain. They see different slopes, the sun moves around the mountain differently depending on their vantage point. Different villages may have different names for the same peak. If they live on the north side, the slopes are shadowed and verdant. On the south side, the mountain is sunny and dry. But it is the same mountain.

Yoga philosophy says that there are four main paths up this mountain. Each path contains practices and tips for getting up the mountain from their perspective. It gives us signs and waymarkers we may pass along the way, but we are all going the same place. 

The mystic Ramakrishna said there are “as many paths as there are faiths.”  

Karma yoga works in the physical body and in the physical world. Bhakti yoga works in the emotional realms of feeling and love. Jnana yoga is more cerebral, working in the mind. Dhyana yoga works in the spiritual realms beyond thought. Together, they represent a united practice that works on all levels of our beings: body, heart, mind, and spirit. 

All the paths are going to the top of the mountain. Combined together, all four of these paths are called Raja Yoga, or the Royal Yoga. 

The great secret is that everything, every step you take, is a path to the summit. There is no way to be off the path, which I always find to be a great relief. 

You’re on the right path, whether you like it or not. You’re on the right path, whether you know it or not. Any spiritual tradition, yoga included, is just tips and tricks that make the going easier for some.

The truth is that you are already one with the Self, the Universal Soul, the Atman. How could you fail at being that which you really are? You cannot fail. You cannot be off the path, because you are already there. There is nowhere for you to go after all. 

Yoga offers the pathways to climb the mountain while also reminding us that we have always been at the top, even if we did not know it. 

When we serve the highest with every aspect of ourselves, we become one with who we really are. We become what we have always been. That is union. That is yoga. 

The Precipice of Hope and Promise

by Minton Sparks

Poet and Euphoria leader on past Portugal Yoga & Writing Retreat

I'm officiating at a wedding this weekend. I spent all morning pouring over phrases that will fall across tomorrow's golden afternoon of gathered friends. It's one of my favorite things to do honestly, to be in the presence of lovers standing on the precipice of hope and promise. (Especially after having been separated for so long during the pandemic). I swear something mystical happens when seekers gather in beauty and open themselves to the ever-evolving relationship with life.

I have that same excited, near-reverent feeling when I imagine all of us together next summer at Cocoon in Portugal. In fact, I keep rewatching the video and seeing us as we share the beauty, the writing, the amazing food...and our special elixir of embodied stories. For me, there is no better way to feel fully alive than being in a gorgeous and exciting space that can both inspire and hold every aspect of our story. I cannot wait to meet everyone!!