Camino Reflection

Most of you know that I spent last week in Spain, walking the final 120km of the Camino de Santiago. Interestingly, the one distinguishing difference between my two Camino experiences is my regular practice of yoga. The last time doing the Camino I was a dabbler of yoga and desperate for direction and peace in my life.

Back then I was entrenched in the ‘doing’ way of life, fully subscribing to the belief that faster and stronger were somehow better. My measure of a good day was how efficiently I completed that leg of the trek.

It’s hard to say this without sounding overwhelmingly cheesy or even frightening to some, but my intentions this time were to commune with God and share this sacred journey with friends.

In my previous message, I shared that no baggage was necessary on this trip, and ironically, my luggage was delayed by four days (most of my walking days). Living so sparsely each day actually freed me to be fully present to the experience, not my physical trappings. It was shaping up to be a true pilgrimage through and through.

I felt very powerful energy on this path which has held the hearts of millions of people, most of whom who have been in a similar search for divine connection. I realized that it is the energy of an unconditional divine presence that lured me back again.

Since I was on a Christian pilgrimage, I decided one day that my contemplative practice would be to imagine that I was starring into the eyes of Jesus. This experience became very real, gradually morphing into the eyes of my husband. With tears streaming down my face, I allowed the power of devotion and love to consume my heart, realizing that the divine shines through in the eyes of our loved ones each day.

I delighted regularly in my new pace, meandering down the trail so mindfully that it almost irritated my comrades. I noticed how much my priorities have changed; I am no longer striving for first place, but instead making way for the mystery of life.

This reminds me of a poignant story I once heard of a man who had trained a very long time for a bike race. In the lead with his dreams of victory just moments away, a Blue Heron with a magnificent wing span flew in front of his handle bars. In complete amazement, he stopped riding and allowed himself to be deeply touched by the grace and majesty before him, a feeling he had been searching for his whole life.

Afterward, when asked why he gave the race away, he replied “I didn’t lose the race, I left it.” Hmmmmm.

Warmly,

Jenny

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my Camino journey on Friday.