Luna and Rowan (6/17)

Luna and Rowan (3/17/16)

Today we woke up to Bernardo pounding on our door because the time change had us confused, even though this was our fifth day. For breakfast we had black beans, eggs and fresh squeezed orange juice. Today was our guide Alan's birthday! The night before we had gone to Oxxo to purchase snacks and some people pooled their money to buy Alan a nice tiara. We wanted to make sure we wouldn't forget about his birthday, but in the morning we came to breakfast without the tiara and completely forgot to congratulate him. Thankfully, Dr. Stogdill reminded us. We ran back, got him his tiara and sang to him. He wore it for the rest of the day on top of his hat.

After breakfast we were lucky enough to get a tour from Omar, a shaman in training. He walked us around the hotel garden and pointed out which plants had medicinal uses and what they were.  First, we tried a leaf that was incredibly bitter. Omar explained that when one has a sickness in their stomach the plants that are the most bitter and foul tasting are the ones most likely to help you.  We also learned about the different types of cacti and how they all have similar benefits but differ in intensities. We were glad to hear Omar say this because the night before we found ourselves desperate for some aloe for our sunburns and ended up using one of the cacti. It was refreshing to hear Omar mention some plants that we were familiar with. Some of these plants included lemongrass (for stomach aches, high cholesterol), orange leaves(relives anxiety), pitaya(type of cactus, used commonly in smoothies)

After our tour we returned to the dinningroom, where Omar gave us a presentation on the different chakras. The first chakra was the first root chakra, represented by the color red. It dealt with connectivity to the earth. Next was the sacral chakra, represented by the color orange. This chakra helped with feelings of sexuality and self worth. The third chakra was the solar plexus chakra which helped with confidence and feeling control of your life. The fourth was the heart chakra which was represented but the color green. This chakra was used for expressing love and compassion. The fifth was the throat chakra, represented by the color blue. This was used for communication and helped with self expression. The next one is the third eye chakra used for broadening perspectives and keeping an open mind. Omar told us this chakra has deep cultural meaning in India. He said in India they put bindis where the third eye is believed to be. The last chakra is the crown chakra, represented by the color white. This chakra is supposed to help with the ability to be fully emotionally, physically, and spiritually connected with ourselves and the outside world.

After hearing about the different chakras, we got to try tinctures that affected each of the different chakras. For many of the people in our group, this was a particularly moving experience. The medicines we were given brought up old emotions and memories and even reduced some people to tears. It was surprising how each tincture we tried really did affect the area the chakra was associated with. After this experience, we used the tinctures to create micro-doses of each medicine. In all, we had 7 micro-doses, one for each chakra. We also learned how to make gels and balms. We are taking home with us the micro-doses, a balm for dry skin, and a gel for inflammation and sunburns.

Our workshop ended at 2:30 and we were all ready for lunch! We ate rice with a chicken soup and guacamole. It was delicious! After lunch we took a brief siesta and put our medicinal kits away in our rooms. We took this opportunity to relax and play cards on a balcony with a beautiful view of the ocean.

After the down time, we drove out to a community center to learn about sustainable living. There we met a woman named Inez who talked to us about all of the workshops and programs the center has to offer. She gave us a tour of the center and all of its facilities. We learned about how they teach people to garden, cook, and reuse materials sustainably. The highlight of our tour was their compostable bathroom which uses heating to transform waste into rich, nutrient-filled soil. Tomorrow we will be helping Inez to finish building the bathroom next door. We also learned how to mix alfalfa, clay, and water to create a mixture we could use to fill in the walls and keep the sun out. Tomorrow we will be using this technique to build a wall for the main office.

After our time at the community center we returned to our hotel for some relaxation. A few of us went swimming in the beautiful pool. Then we got dressed for dinner and headed out to eat at La Casita, a restaurant that provided a mix of many different cuisines. We had warm bread, an Asian salad, a pesto brushetta, and then finally some sushi. After dinner we returned to our hotel and hung out for a little while longer before going to sleep!

Adios!

Luna y Rowan