Yoga Retreat Journal

love

It only takes one night of hugging the toilet to really appreciate the simple things in life that are so easily taken for granted, like clean water, effective sewage systems and trash collection, to name but a few. I am aware that what we consider necessary rights, are luxurious privileges that only a small percentage of the world enjoys. I consider myself well travelled and conscientious of this fact, however, one has to be reminded of it firsthand once in a while for sympathy to become empathy. I can really only say I have had a small taste of what most of Mexico (and Africa, Asia, S. America, etc…) swallows every day, and is used to. If traveling is good for anything, it is to open our eyes to the manner in which others live and see the world, to give us a perspective on our own strengths and weaknesses, and not only to be grateful for what we have, but to give something back for what we have received, in order to make the world a little bit sweeter for everybody.

After about six weeks of being super careful about what and where I was eating, I guess I got a little lax about it, and the ubiquitous tummy bug caught up with me. Or, maybe it was just a matter of time. It is not just foreigners unaccustomed to local bacteria that get it, gastrointestinal issues just a part of life here. In fact, the average Mexican is used to taking a heavy anti-parasite medication every six months! San Cristobal is one of the cleaner cities in Mexico, but like everywhere, the population is outgrowing the infrastructure and that does not help the sanitary issues we face. Anyway, I managed to escape with an herbal remedy from a local plant, without having to take antibiotics. Within a couple of days my symptoms were gone and within a week I my digestion was back to normal.

I am almost recovered from the exam I had to take last week too. As you can imagine, academic Spanish is an entirely different animal than casual conversation, or light reading. It takes me about an hour to read (and really understand) 5-10 pages of text, and I usually have about 50 pages of reading to do each night. It also takes quite a long time to write an intelligent response to what I read—and that is with help from my Spanish Word program and Google translate. So, when I had to answer several lengthy essay questions in class, within a restricted time frame, my stomach started doing somersaults again. I have two more exams coming up this week, but have I been studying this weekend? No.

Chicas Czechas

I took the opportunity to join my Czech neighbor and her visitors from the Czech Republic on a rainy-day adventure to some lakes and Mayan ruins a couple of hours away.

It was a day of Czech immersion within the Spanish, a smattering of Tsotsil, a Mayan language,  vicariously through the driver of the van, and a little bit of English to fill some gaps. Despite the rain, we had a great day exploring the small archeological site and the turquoise lakes, and eating fried bananas, quesadillas with tortillas de mano and frijoles de olla, fresh salsa and a warm chocolate drink that tasted like the fire it was cooked on.

Chocolate. Yum. I have become mildly obsessed with chocolate since I have been here. Not the candy, the hot drink made from the local harvest. Here they often make it with water and then add a little milk afterward, which is the method I prefer. I started to wonder if it was healthy to drink it every day so I began to investigate it further. There is actually a chocolate museum here. Chocolate has its origin in this area: southern Mexico, Central and parts of South America. It, of course, was considered a ritual beverage and divine offering. Cacao beans were also used as currency at one time. It is an energy food, but it does not contain caffeine, and the oils in it are a non-saturated fat. With all that in mind, I feel great about drinking chocolate everyday (as long as it is fair trade chocolate, as the labor practices in its harvest are otherwise basically child slavery)! If you are at all interested, this website has a plethora of chocolate info: http://www.xocoatl.org/harvest.htm#fair

Chocolate makes no claims as a youth serum though. Not that I have ever been concerned with that, but being in a classroom full of twenty something-year olds does make me a little bit more aware of my wrinkles and graying hair! Sometimes I feel like I am in a science fiction movie playing someone who has the vocabulary of an eight year old, trapped in the body of a señora at a frat party! It is a fun party though, and one of the best movies ever. There are a few students in my classes who are probably in their late twenties to early thirties, and really, the age factor doesn’t matter at all. Everybody is very friendly and open, and I am happy to have my life experience to bring to my learning, and to share with others. I am also learning a lot from my class mates who are from various parts of Mexico, including many indigenous communities (Ch’ol, Tseltal, Tsotsil, and even a Kuna from Panama), some of whom also have Spanish as their second language, although have long since mastered it.

Of the friends I have made here, my two closest are Alba from Oaxaca and Lucia, my Czech neighbor. Alba has Cella’s birthday, and Lucia has, of course, Lucia’s name. It is something to take note of that I gravitated towards these ladies with resemblances to my two favorite girls! Speaking of my two favorite girls, their lucky dad, my rad husband, David, is on his way to visit me! I am counting the days until our Mexico honeymoon in April.

ice cream stripes

I hear the marimba music now, coming from the neighborhood plaza. It must be Saturday evening. Despite the lack of the aforementioned services, there is a richness here that can hardly be described with words. Thanks for hearing me out. Here is a link to my latest favorite song and video. Please enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkFJE8ZdeG8&feature=share

With Gratitude and Light,

Sonya Luz

I have had a chance to visit Zinacantan and Tenejapa, two of the autonomous indigenous communities nearby. In an attempt to give a briefing of those trips, I’ve decided they deserve their own posts. So, if you have any more reading left in you, and are interested, see the previous two posts.

Classic

The LGAI program of UNACH’s Oral History and Tradition class took a field trip to the Carnival de Tenejapa on February 16, 2012. The festivities last for 12 days and we arrived on a Thursday morning, about mid-way through. Carnival, as it is celebrated around the world, is a time when the world is thought to be upside down, a time when everything is in reverse, and anything goes. The Mayan descendants may have readily adopted this originally Christian-based festival because of when if falls in relation to their calendar. According to my limited understanding, the Mayan calendar consists of 18 twenty-day months, which makes 360 days in the year. That leaves 5 days unaccounted for. These five days, in and around Carnival time, are the five days in between years. It is during this time that certain rituals and ceremonies must be carried out in a specific manner to insure the continuation of the cycle of time; to be sure the next year will follow and bear fruit.

There are many rituals and roles involved in the festivities: advisers, musicians, women’s roles, characters played, prayers, singers, children, flag bearers, mayordomos, and the bull and cow. Our group paired up into teams, each team researching one area. Nigdily and I were in charge of the Torro (bull) and Vaca (cow).

We started out in the church, where a group of men, alfereces, dressed in red satin, straw hats covered in ribbons, and carrying red flags on long poles were reciting prayers, which turned into jokes. Jokes and joviality are an important part of every aspect of the rituals, it seems. The joke was on us when one of them offered us some posh and said that if I learned Tseltal he would marry me. Another one of our classmates, who is originally from Tenejapa, was also in the church. One of the alfereces knew her father, so they invited us all to accompany them as they left the church and paraded around the town pursuing the Torro.

The Torro and Vaca are made out of straw mats covering a wooden frame. A genuine bovine tail is attached to the backside, and horns crown the top of the arch shaped figure. A man is inside maneuvering the beast. The Torro has lighter colored horns and a darker tail. The Vaca has the darker tail and the light colored horns. She dances more suavecita, gracefully, and the bull más fuerte, stronger.

¡ baile, torro, baile!

We followed the parade through the plaza and along dirt streets, past corn fields and stopped in front of a house. We all made a circle around the Torro, who danced while the musicians, dressed in black furry tunics, played flutes. More posh (fermented liquor) was passed out in what were once glass votive candle holders, and a warm corn drink they called posole, was also passed around in a gourd. It was only about 10:00 in the morning so we passed on the posh, but enjoyed the posole.

It went on like this, stopping at houses along the way, and back to the plaza. There was another group pursuing the Vaca, who was also dancing while musicians played.

telling jokes

On the plaza two sacerdotes, or festival priests and advisers, sat. A row of women in white tunics embroidered in red geometric designs, sat under the portal serving chicha, another corn beverage, also slightly fermented and refreshing. The Torro and Vaca would occasionally stop to exchange jokes with, and perhaps receive advice from the sacerdotes.

It was from the sacerdotes that we obtained most of our information. The Torro and Vaca are constructed by all the participants—two cargos of 42—on the Monday following the first day of the carnival, when the red flags are brought out, which is always a Sunday.

Posh

The beasts are representations of the “devil”, and that is why they are being chased throughout the festival, to rid the community of negative aspects for the year to come.

There are three or four men who take turns carrying the Torro/Vaca costume. At the end of the festivities, the Vaca and Torro are dismembered and pieces are given to members of the community as blessings for their homes. On the last day of Carnival a real bull is chased through the streets and killed. The meat is parceled out to community members.

It seems as if all the rituals and festivities were carried out as planed at the Carnival de Tenejapa, as the new year is going pretty well so far. Thanks for keeping it all in order, guys!

The sun was shining that day, which is an exception to the norm in this mountainous terrain where it is often raining, or overcast. We took a combi, a collective van, from San Cristobal de las Casas. Within a half an hour we pulled up into a crowded parking area, paid our 13 pesos for our ride, and entered the festival de San Sebastian, the patron saint of Zinacantán. Stands were set up selling snacks and drinks and two main stages on either side of the church anticipated the evening performances. Everyone from the community, men, women, children, were wearing tunics or shawls entirely embroidered with ornate purple flowers. One of our classmates is from Zinacantán. She dresses in this traditional traje every day, which is quite elegant, but to see hundreds, if not thousands of people crowded into this festival area dressed in this way was quite impressive.

Not everybody was dressed in purple flowers though. There were a few participants who were dressed up like jaguars. They climbed up a tree where squirrels (fake) were being thrown at them from below. I didn’t try to make sense of it, but did appreciate it as I reflected on the pole climb at Taos Pueblo’s San Geronimo day. Others wore white, furry tunics and ribbon hats and were riding horses and playing some sort of game where they had to knock a stick hanging from a cross beam. This didn’t seem to be such a difficult task, although, if you put me on a horse and asked me to do the same, it may appear to be a challenge. Most guys were pretty good at it, and when they knocked the stick it would spin over the beam and everybody would cheer. Some were not as dexterous, which could have something to do with the ritual intake of posh, a kind of local moonshine, prevalent at most, if not all local festivals. Meanwhile, there was a brass band playing in a gazebo as a popular salsa style band rocked on one of the main stages. Crazy, fun chaos! The one place of tranquility was inside the church.

I often get kind of spooked inside churches, like I might be in danger of being burnt at the stake or something. This church though, had a very peaceful feeling. It may be one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been in. As expected, it is a big hall with high ceilings, but lit with only the few windows and thousands of tiny candles placed on the altars and on the floor near the altars, by the reverent devotees. Much of the tile floor was covered in pine needles and there were huge bouquets of flowers hanging in ball formations from the ceiling. Flowers also adorned the altars where the various saints were represented. As in most of Latin America, there is a blending of Catholicism and Indigenous pantheistic spirituality. The early Christianization would have liked to wipe out the belief system they dominated, though it suffered greatly, it is so strong that it still persists through the guise of Catholicism. I am not sure that could be said of the wave of evangelism that has passed through in the recent century, but that is a whole other topic that could take me way off course here. All I know is that the devotion I felt in the hearts of the people as they offered their candles and humble prayers was something special.

It was an honor to be a visitor there on that special day. I hope to return one day, maybe with Juanita, my classmate, to get an embroidery lesson.

festival rituals

white tunic

[/

star flower

Whispering flowers

tion id=”attachment_90″ align=”alignleft” width=”225″ caption=”Cats up a tree”][/caption]

A couple of days ago, when I was walking down Avenida Diego Dugelay, toward Calle Tapachula, I saw a sign advertizing, among other things, tacos and tarot. I thought that would be a good summary of San Cristobal de las Casas. This is Mexico—to the max—but there are things here that one may not find in another Mexican town. Because of the large extranjero population, there are services such as tarot readings, vegan cafes, tattoo parlors, and yes, yoga studios. However, this presence in no way overshadows the indigenous and ladino majority.
As I walk down the street, or pass through the market place I hear mostly Spanish, but also Tsotsil, Tseltal, and a sprinkle of European languages mixed with a little bit of English. English. The only time I speak English is when I am talking on the phone to someone back home. My previous grasp of Spanish has done me well, but I still have a lot to learn. Little by little it is getting easier and easier.
When I first arrived, late January 4, I was taken by taxi from the airport to Dona Teresa’s home. She gave me a cup of chamomile tea and tucked me in. The next morning I woke up to chorizo and eggs, and made my way to the language school, La Casa en el Arbol. I still have in my mind the vision of the purple wall of one building joining the yellow wall trimmed in green of the adjacent building, as I walked along a sidewalk barely wide enough for two people to pass, that alternated between cement, stone, and dirt, past cell phone stores, bakeries, clothing shops blasting music, women wearing furry black skirts and ornately embroidered satin shirts selling burlap sacks full of pine needles or moss.
The very next day I found an apartment to rent. Well, I found two apartments and had a very hard time choosing which one to stay in. Both were about the same price, one is a little ways out of town, which means it is quiet, and peaceful. The other, the one I chose to rent, is centrally located, so very convenient, but also noisy. The first week I was here I was moving into and in between two apartments, attending classes at the university for the first time, and taking Spanish classes in the evening. With all of the newness, swimming (well doggie paddling, but at least not drowning) in the deep waters of a foreign language, and the incessant rumble of muffled traffic and other city sounds, I thought my head would explode. The first three or four nights in my new apartment were filled with regret for not choosing the remote location of the contending apartment. I may not have slept at all those nights if it weren’t for the restorative yoga postures I have up my sleeve, and the Art of Flying collection I have in my music library; the sound of David’s voice singing sweet lullabies couldn’t have been more soothing. I also have a book by Ruth Lauer-Manenti that Jayne gave me which reminded me of what Patanjali says in The Yoga Sutra: “if we listen to sound without the chitter-chatter of the conditioned mind, free from our labels, if we listen to it as pure sound, then we will hear a symphony. We will hear AUM.” That is what I aspire to, but in the meantime, I learned the word for earplugs and the farmacia hooked me up with a good night sleep.
I am now weaned off of the earplugs and content with my little city apartment, which is enclosed in a lovely courtyard garden shared with two other apartments. My neighbor in one is a Czech woman working for UNICEF here. Two couples—Spanish and Argenitian– live in the other apartment. I am sitting at a small desk near a vase of jasmine flowers. I just received a load of wood for use in my little fireplace on chilly evenings. I get my drinking water in five gallon jugs from the trucks that pass by at least once a day—I just have to listen for the “raindrops are falling on your head” jingle, then run out to the street with my empty bottle to exchange for a full one.
The photos here are of the corner of my street where I walk up the hill to the bakery, and the market place where I but my fresh tortillas, beans, fruit and vegetables. Mostly, I am eating at home and enjoying the variety of fruits, fresh cheeses, herbs, chocolate, and bean tamales.
And, the whole reason I am here is to study, right? Yes. I just finished week two of university classes. I am taking four classes: Interethnic and Intercultural Regions, Cultural Projects, Oral History and Tradition, and Indigenous Social Movements. Other than the fact that they are all conducted in Spanish, the classes are pretty basic anthropology courses, but very interesting because of the context of this region. Studying in Mexico creates a bridge between my Southwest studies and Andean explorations, making for a well rounded embrace of the Americas.
Speaking of which, time to hit the books. I have about 100 pages to read by Monday and it takes me about twice as long to read in Spanish as it does in English. Also on Monday, January 23, I am happy to say, I will be spending my 41st birthday in the country of my birth. The key ingredient missing is my friends and family. Still, I am happy to be here doing this, and look forward to hearing from you via email, or phone (I have a Verizon plan which allows me to receive and place calls between the US and MX w/ no roaming charges! 575-776-7866).
Each day feeling more settled, and by the time I really start to feel at home, it will be time to go home! Lots of Love and Gratitude for this opportunity and all the support I have received. XO Sonya Luz

On the way to the panaderia

Papaya

beans and umbrellas

Dear Friends and Family,

Please join me in person, or in spirit on June 21 from 8:00 – 10:30 AM on Taos Plaza for 108 sun salutations in solidarity to raise funds for the Kusi Kawsay Waldorf-inspired Indigenous Elementary School in Pisac, Peru. Supporting this school promotes and celebrates traditional peoples of the world maintaining their cultures, and the importance of Indigenous Knowledge to a sustainable life on Earth.

As most of you know, the same year I became a yoga instructor, 1996, I took my first trip to Peru; performing yoga sun salutations on one of the most important days in the Andean calendar, the June solstice, will embody the essence of these transformational events.

Since that first trip, I have been closely associated with Pachamama’s Path, and the founders of this non-profit organization for cultural sustainability in Peru. The last time I was there in November, 2010, I got to see their latest and greatest project: Kusi Kawsay. Thanks to the support many of you have provided in the past, Kusi Kawsay opened its doors in 2010, offering an alternative to the public school system for Indigenous children in Peru. As an Andean leadership school based on Waldorf and Indigenous pedagogy, Kusi Kawsay combines academics with emotional and artistic development. All subjects are taught as they relate to each other through the Andean agrarian calendar (for more information on the Andean calendar, click here to read my article pg. 22-29 in UNM’s BSE). The school promotes traditional ecological knowledge while simultaneously empowering local populations with the skills they need to direct their own futures.

Kusi Kawsay is licensed with the Peruvian Ministry of Education and is affiliated with the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The teachers have been trained by the Peruvian public school system as well as in the Waldorf method and Andean cosmology. All are indigenous to Peru, and most speak Quechua. Despite this accreditation, there is no public funding available. Since the average worker in Peru only earns about $10.00 per day, students can barely pay tuition. All funding for the school, from the construction to the administration, comes from grants and private donors.

I am so impressed with the efforts involved in the creation of Kusi Kawsay as a means to promote Indigenous and ecological diversity, that I am compelled to support the cause any way I can. I do not have enough money myself to make much of a difference, but together, if we each give a little bit we could pay a child’s tuition or a teacher’s salary for a year, help build a playground, install solar panels or other infrastructure needs on the campus.

The sun salutations on Taos Plaza on June 21, 2011 from 8:00 – 10:30 AM is a community event to raise awareness and funds for this education initiative that will carry the values of ancestral knowledge into the twenty-first century and beyond.

If you would like to join me in this event, there are many ways you can participate:

• Sponsor each sun salutation with 10 cents, 25 cents, or 1 to 100 dollars.

• Join me in one, or all 108 sun salutations.

• If you plan to do all 108, recruit your own sponsors.

• Come by Taos Plaza on 6/21 to say “Hi.”

• Visit www.kusikawsay.org to learn more about the school and spread the word about this worthwhile project.

Levels of sponsorship:
$.10 per sun salutation = $10.80
$.25 per sun salutation = $27.00
$.50 per sun salutation = $54.00
$1.00 per sun salutation = $108.00
Any amount you are able to contribute is helpful and greatly appreciated.

TO MAKE A DONATION:
Send a check payable to Pachamama’s Path to: Sonya Luz Costanza, 6697 NDCBU, Taos, NM 87571.
Visit www.kusikawsay.org to make an on-line donation through Pay-Pal.
Call 575-758-8007

Please be sure to include your contact information so we can acknowledge your valuable gift.

All contributions are tax-deductible through Pachamama’s Path 501(c)3, and 100% of your donation will go directly to the Kusi Kawsay Elementary School in Pisac, Peru.

May your generosity reciprocate back to you in love, joy, health, abundance, and a Kusi Kawsay (a Happy Life).

Urpillay Sonqollay (Thank You),
Sonya Luz Hinton Costanza

Vara vena mridupani vanaruhalo channa raani
surachira pambara veni suranutha kalyaani
Nirupama subhaguna lola nirathajayaprada seela
Varadha priya Renganaaki vanchitha phala
daayaki, sarasi jasana Janani Jaya Jaya varavena.
–Praises for Goddess Saraswati

The Vedic tradition of India defines God as manifest in many different forms and energies. The Creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer are recognized as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. These are the male representations of these energetic universal forces, and each has their consort, or female counterpart. The female aspect of Brahma is the Goddess Saraswati, of Vishnu the Goddess Lakshmi, and Shiva’s counterpart is the Goddess Durga, or Kali. As well as being the female aspects of creation, sustenance, and destruction, this trinity of Goddesses also represents the three gunas, or energetic qualities that make up the universe: Saraswati carries satvic qualities of light, wisdom, and intelligence. Lakshmi embodies rajasic, energetic, dynamic, and frenzied  qualities, while the Goddess Kali employs tamasic, heavy, earthy, qualities for her job of decomposing and destroying in order to make room for the emergence of a new cycle.

Within the past 48 hours (this was written on 9/29/10)I have experienced the death of a dear friend soon after she gave birth to two baby girls, and the delivery of a baby boy by another close friend, who, thankfully is well and happy. For whatever reason, Kali’s energy was needed to take Katherine away from us and her baby girls. It was her time to go so we give praises to Kali for helping her, and to Saraswati’s satvic energy which brings her to the light. Praises to Lakshmi for maintaining the health of Katherine’s girls Isla and Addison, their father Greg, as well as Christina and Christian, and their boy Kodiak. Hail Saraswati for the creation of new life, light, and opportunities for Self-realization.

Saraswati wears the satvic color white. The direction satvic energy flows is upward, so her vehicle of ascension is a white swan. She sits upon a white lotus flower, while playing the vena in two of her four hands and holding a mala in another, and a sacred book in her fourth hand. Her seat, the lotus flower shows that she is firmly rooted in Truth and supreme Reality (Parthasarathy 55). The vena, or Indian lute she plays represents the path of devotion that leads us to the ultimate Truth, or supreme Reality, as does the mala–beads for counting mantras in praise of the divine. The sacred book she holds expounds the philosophy of the Vedas, for those  inclined to the intellectual pursuit of their true nature, or supreme Self. “The four hands of the Goddess represent the four aspects of the inner personality of man namely manas mind, buddhi intellect, ahnakara ego, and citta conditioned-consciousness” (Parthasarathy 56).

Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, learning, music, literature, and fine arts. She embodies the power of the written or spoken word, so it is said that every word written or spoken is a gift of her grace. Knowing this, we should be mindful of our speech, to honor this gift. Every musical instrument embodies Saraswati’s potential, as do all sacred texts. We ought to treat these items with respect in reverence to Mahasaraswati. Like the elephant god, Ganesha, she helps to remove obstacles at the beginning of a new endeavor. When taking on a new field of study, especially in language, or the arts, asking for her blessing insures success. However, self-seeking worship bears no fruit. Seek refuge with genuine devotion, trusting that she knows just what you need, no more and no less. To Saraswati offer  white flowers, coconut, white colored sweets, and fresh fruits, humbly without selfish motivation.

Lord Krishna was the first to worship the Goddess Saraswati, who then blessed him with the ability to enchant and delight anyone who has the privilege to hear him play the flute (Gupta, Gupta 18). The poet Vaalmiki, who authored the Ramayana, was also gifted the grace of poetry by Saraswati. “She recognized the greatness of sage Vaalmiki at first sight. By her grace sage Vaalmiki came to be known as the First Poet of the World” (Gupta, Gupta 10).

Contemplating Saraswati’s satvic virtues purifies the mind, and invites wisdom to take root. Knowledge is required for creation, so together with Saraswati, Brahma “creates and enlightens the whole universe” (Gupta, Gupta 13). May all of our endeavors of pure intention be graced with Saraswati’s blessing! OM, shanti.

Works Cited
Gupta, M.D., and Prashant Gupta. Mother Saraswati. New Delhi: Dreamland Publications.
Parthasarathy, A. The Symbolism of Hindu Gods and Rituals. Mumbai: A. Parthasarathy, 2005.

The raffle drawing was held on October 1, at 12:30 pm on Taos Plaza. Myself, Jeanie (who drew the names), and four witnesses were present. I will not publish the winners here for the sake of their privacy, but if you are curious send me a message and I’ll tell you.

The Kusi Kawsay Elementary School thanks those of you who participated in the raffle for your support. I will be hand delivering your generous donations in November.

For those of you who had your heart set on going to Peru, it is not too late to sign up for the trip! Go to
http://sonyaluz.com/workshops.html for more information.

Many thanks and praises to each and every one of you for your contribution to the preservation of traditional Andean culture through the Kusi Kawsay School.

All of the raffle tickets have been sold. Check back next weekend for raffle results. THANKS EVERYBODY!!

Only seven tickets left. For more information about the raffle see the “Support a school, win a trip to Peru” post. To buy a ticket click the DONATE button below. Best of luck!

Only 18 Raffle tickets left! To purchase a ticket click the donate button below. Be sure to send me an email w/ all of your contact info so I can let you know when you win, and send you a thank you note! yoga@sonyaluz.com