As some of you already know, after Christmas I traveled to Ecuador.
During the first week, my partner and I discovered the volcano’s road, we hiked up the Chimborazo and the Cotopaxi and visited some cities.
Then, we joined a group and we flied inside the rain forest where we spent almost 2 weeks immersed in the green!
Our aim was to get more in contact with the lung of our planet, its inhabitants and its energy so to better perceive the importance of its protection.
It was an amazing experience! We found out that the rain forest is not only the lung of this planet. It is also one of its hearts.
Traveling into the wild is not comfortable: it rains, the trails are super muddy, bugs invite them selves inside your luggage, you sleep on a tiny pad and nothing, I say nothing, can stop mosquitos…. And of course, you sweat. A lot.
So what is so amazing about that?
First, to observe a rich and fantastic Nature: trees, 3 thousand different kinds of green and shape, wild animals, the energy of the earth.
Second, to be inspired by a different culture where people start the day around 4am drinking tea and sharing their dreams so to determinate the activities of the day or the topic to discus in the community.
Third, to not react against the lack of comfort.
The combination of these 3 elements allowed me to have a quieter mind. To feel more grounded. To feel grateful like a kid on Christmas day to still have a shower and coffee in the morning. To feel good despite the mosquitos bites. To feel a stronger connection with Nature. And at the same time a stronger connection inside my self.
This experience of being connected was shared by all the heterogeneous participants, matched with a strong sense of love for life.
Normally, we don’t experience this kind of love because we give too much focus to what could be different in terms of quality and quantity. We are busy with different fears of loosing people, job or propriety. We find our selves disconnected from our bodies, from other people and of course also from Nature. Because of that, we experience the strong need of having more stuff to compensate dissatisfactions and fears and that pushes us in the hamster wheel of consumption.
Nourishing your aptitude to be more present is the greatest way to strengthen your satisfaction and gratitude for being alive.
My suggestion is to take a bit of time during your daily life to observe a tree, a bird, a cat evolving outside his house, a flower, the lake, the river…
Breathe and relax, don’t listen to the thoughts inside your head but instead focus on your body’s sensations.
Breathe a bit more deeply and let go a bit more.
Try to tune in to the beauty, the aliveness, the energy of what surrounds you. It is also one of your own companions on this Planet!
Picture of Massimo Martino