Travel the worlds, within and without
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My journeys without led and lead me deeper within. As I began to travel deeper within, I saw and started to understand Change even more...
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Highlights of 2014
/2014 was not only the year of the Horse but also the year of Love and, WOW! How many great, magical and life altering moments and journeys I got to experience! Here is my attempt to summarise my travels within and without from 2014. Enjoy and please share your stories in the comments below!
1. Around Costa Rica and across Worlds
Starting the year off in one of my favourite countries, and one of the two I currently call “home”, by purging and cleansing and working in various traditional shamanic ceremonies such as the Temazcal (sweat lodge) and the meeting with Ayauaska. Many great journeys within oneself and between worlds are made in traditional ritual and ceremony, personally one of my favorite ways of traveling. I also got the chance to travel around Costa Rica together with my best friend and show him the magic of the country before heading on to the next adventure: Yoga Teacher Training in the desert! The adventures, travels and challenges were overlapping each other these first months of 2014! Thank you all – new and old- friends and family that helped make these voyages MAGICAL!
2. Space of Love
As I got back to Sweden in the start of summer, I was guided to visit a Yoga Festival on an island outside the east coast. Little did I know how those 2 weeks would continue the flow and journeys that started in Costa Rica and, at the same time be a trigger point for what would come next. It truly is a Space of, for and with Love. I met long lost friends and lovers- new to this lifetime, served the fire, encountered Grandfathers from the North and traditions completely new to me, and I experienced Love in ways I never knew of. Love, Connections and Journeys within and without with guidance from the medicines of song, dance, yoga, ceremony and human beings with big hearts. Thank You ALL!
3. Summer Love Tour
I continued the summer by touring Sweden together with my best friend. We had no plans as how to transport ourselves or where to end up on our way to the North and my family house. We packed yoga gear, food, a tent and all the necessities for camping- yes, we carried more than ever before on our backs! – and we hit the road. There is a special beauty and inspiration in traveling only by intuition and bare feet. We found ourselves creating connections on a yoga camp in the forest of Småland, catching up with old friends, and finding Light in the church. I taught yoga in the park and we got on buses and trains not knowing where to end up. We helped a shaman constructing a Shamanic Museum, danced with the drums and walked bare foot around Dalarna in pouring rain. We visited the native people of the North and learnt more about ancient wisdom; we camped with reindeers and created songs. And somewhere on the road we fell in love.
4. Skattungbyn
All the meetings and connections that were made during the sunny summer months led me further and towards new adventures. One of them being the Yoga Festival in Dalarna in October where I got to, once again, experience the magic of the deep forest and wild rivers, connect through love and rhythm, and share the wisdom of my drum and the ancient roots. Guiding a Yin and Drum class for about 50 people was incredible beyond words. I am so very grateful. Thank You Thank You.
5. Liverpool & Wales
What seems to have started in July, with our Summer Love Tour, came to somewhat of a peak in early December. Me and my best friend went to visit the fairytales of northern Wales and my dancing soul sister Anahí. We watched a psychedelic Christmas parade, had a chat with the Hatter, followed the White Rabbit and we got engaged on the hills of the Welsh coast where the seals have their playground. Indeed, 2014 was a year filled with Love and magic, guided by the great Horse. Thank you all for participating in the ride!
I ended my highlights of 2013 by saying: “My intentions for 2014 are to continue deeper into my spiritual journey, wherever in the world it may take me.” Summarizing 2014 showed me that I really did dive deeper into my spiritual journeys and practices and in ways and places I never could have imagine. I am grateful for everything I experienced through feelings, vision(s), hearing, touch, taste and smell. And I am grateful for being guided by the magic flow of life, always taking me to new challenges and journeys - within and without. I set my intentions for 2015 to be even more profound; deepening my spiritual practices and, thus, share the wisdoms with the world(s) even more!
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Skattungbyn, Dalarna: Nomadic Yogi
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It's something special about flying, isn't it? Sitting down in your seat, feeling the dry air inside the plane and sensing the smell of adventure; soon to be above the clouds. The airplane is the muggles’ version of a Portkey- a way to transport yourself from A to B by holding on to an object while spinning in between worlds and clouds. Somehow always exciting and somehow always the start of something new, regardless of where you're headed. It is worryingly easy to fly domestically in Sweden. The airport busses in Stockholm and other big cities take you directly to whatever airport you need to go to. You do the check-in yourself and drop off the baggage. The lines are short, there is no fuzz in security, the tiny airplanes have free seating and the transportation time is short. In addition, most departures are way cheaper than the correspondent train ride. There are several options when flying between Stockholm and the south, such as the airports in Växjö, Kalmar, Ronneby, Malmö... And it'll only take you about 50 minutes compared to the train's 3,5+ hours.
The environment and earth loving being inside of me struggles with this conflict.
What is the solution, really? A vast improvement of the trains and railway system? Something that can actually compete with cheap tickets, short hours, motion sickness and all together pure smoothness when traveling...
However, this story is not about the amazement of Portkeys but of the adventures lying on the other side. On the other side of a 4 hours train ride, some good ol’ catching up and a 6+ hours road trip lay stories about Love, connection, fairies, and sisterhood, newly found brothers, sublime nature, and Dance. The Nomadic Yogi went to the North once more: this time to attend a yoga festival in Skattungbyn, Dalarna, to guide a Yin and Drum workshop. Many inspiring creatives from all over Sweden were gathered to share delicious Ayurvedic food, yoga asana classes, songs, dance and shamanism. The event felt like a gathering of catching up with old friends, family, light workers and roots. The entire area around the mythical lake Siljan showers me with inspiration and remembrance every time I visit.
Blessings and Thanks to all that together made it happen! And to those of you who weren't there, I herby invite you to come travel with us.
Travel in stories, times, movement, sound in the body, mind and soul!
Featured
The Nomadic Yogi part II: How To become a Traveling Yogi
/Bhakti Fest Oxelösund
Rolling out my mat in cramped spaces is no longer an annoyance (if it ever were) rather a part of life, a way of living. These last few months, I have been traveling all over Sweden with my mat on the back, rolling it out in every park I’ve been to and even using it as a sleeping mattress! My yogic and my traveling journeys are, since long, the same. One big, spinning, delightful, life-enhancing, joyous, colorful RIDE of worlds, asanas, music and dance. Both- merged together- take me further and farther- the light is constantly expanding: Travels within and without
And so it were, that this Summer Love Tour led me to Bhakti Fest in Oxelösund, Sweden, in the beginning of September. It was one of those early autumn weekends: the sparkling sun warmed our feet during the days and the crisp air gently tucked us in at night. We sang early morning sadhana followed by pooja’s magic to start the day, had delicious meals, and tried various workshops in yoga, dance and mindful kayak paddling. Food By Magie contributed in the kitchen and Yoga By Magie donated a powerful Yin and Drum session to start the festival Friday.
We shared music, tears, laughter and love. We created new bonds and tied new knots; we weaved the web bigger and wider. The web of Light, of Travels, of Joy and that of Companionship. Oneness. From there, new roads, paths, signs and worlds will show. Always. And that, my friends, is the simple answer to this post’s heading “How To Become a Traveling Yogi” :
The more you expand, the more will unfold before you….
Eka Pada Raja Kapotanasana - Pigeon Pose - in the park
How To Travel Without Money in Sweden
/Or How To Travel the World for Free
We got in to Luleå early in the morning, where we spent the day in nature together with yet a magic yogi friend. As the late afternoon came closer, we got on the local bus to Överkalix, where we were to spend the coming week in the mythical wilderness of the Northern forest.
The saga-like Light shines its glitter over us where we stand in awe in the deep forest. Nowhere but in the North will you find endless forests, swamps and light like this.
From here our story takes a different route as we decided to buy a car and name it Björnen (The Bear)- bringing with us some of the medicine from the north! And even though traveling by car might be the cheapest way to get around (and most definitely the easiest!) Sweden and the North, it is part of another story. So, let’s summarize How To Travel Cheap in Sweden for ya:
Transportation:
Combine sightseeing and transportation Like we did with Inlandsbanan
Combine transportation and sleep There are few over-night travel options in Sweden, but in the North is where you can find them. Sleep poorly while transporting yourself and you save one night worth of lodging, like we did between Umeå and Luleå.
Use local buses Harder to find and time consuming but generally cheaper, offers a lot of fun through random countryside experiences and take you further than you might think. Even across county borders, like when we traveled Dalarna!
Hitchhike might be time-consuming and expensive in terms of buying shitty food and snacks in every gas station you end up at in between rides. However, when wanting to get around a certain area (i.e. shorter rides and without the heavy packing) I recommend giving it a go, like we did in Rättvik.
Drive freerider cars Especially good when you want to get from A to B quick and B is really far away, like the first part of our trip.
Food:
Travel with a portable kitchen, in that way you can cook your own food basically wherever you are and save in on a lot of money. Check out foodbymagie for tips and recipes on easy and cheap food to cook both indoors and outdoors!
Use Allemansrätten and the common fireplaces at resting areas near the roads and by the lakes. Just be mindful with the fire! Read more about how I used it and what it allows you to do here.
Learn the local plants, mushrooms and berries and just like that you have free food all around you! I will write more about this topic, if you are interested? In the meantime, check out foodbymagie and coming events and workshops here.
Accommodation:
Forest Camping & City Camping Travel with a tent in Scandinavia and you always have a place to crash. Read more about Allemansrätten and how we camped in Umeå.
Staying with friends & Couchsurfing We actually didn’t camp all that much, staying with good friends and locals always offer great experiences!
Work exchange Psst, there are cool work exchanges too, not just for accommodation, like we did on Yoga Camp and at Läkegården.
Hidden Costs: You know what I’m talking about; toilets, Internet, and most definitely where to store the bags when you don’t have a hotel/car or the like!
Library hangout: Good place to charge your devices + use the Internet for free. I’ve used the library both in big cities like Malmö and small towns like Kalix, you might need a library card in some places tho!
Toilets: The church. Even if you can’t find public toilets, you will find a church- go check their opening hours! In addition, I like to hang out in the often times very beautiful old buildings.
Backpack storage: Can’t find any lockers? No worries, locate the tourist information and ask if they have any suggestions. Both in Mora and Umeå they let us store our backpacks and bags for free!
Do you have any great tips about traveling without money you think I should add? Or a great idea you think I should try? Comment below!
Next post: about the sacred waters and mountains of Arjeplog and how we ended up visiting a Samí family.
Pura Vida!!
Summer Love Tour part IV (How To Travel Cheap in Sweden)
/Part IV: BACK TO NATURE
Read part III Read part II Read part I
Free sightseeing: Holmön- the sunniest place in Sweden
After some time in the middle of Sweden, we craved to see Mother Ocean and, thus, headed straight to the coast and Holmön, just outside Umeå. The ferry from Norrfjärden is free and takes about 20 minutes. We truly enjoyed the quietness and openness Nature offers on this magic island by strolling around the forest, visiting a light house (that is also a hostel actually) and cooked lunch on the bare rocks, overlooking the wind stroking the waves.
Free accommodation: Forest Camping
In the late afternoon, we caught the boat back and drove North East of Umeå to find a lake with a good camp site. During those days, we had a rental car- which is great when looking for a more quiet place to camp. It was beautiful to meditate with the sun dancing over the fresh water, swim in the warm lake and cook over the fire- much needed before heading in to town again.
Camping outside Umeå, Sweden
Staying with friends For the following nights, we stayed with another Sofia Magdalena- yet a very special Yogini who offered her love, her presence and Umeå's best view. Thank you -- much Love, always! <3
City Camping After having had my last Park Yoga in Umeå (for this year ;) ), we had a delicious Vegan meal at the-place-to-be 'Båten'. Following a tip I received from a piano-playing traveler, with eyes brown like the deer and deep like the forest, we wandered across a bridge through a residential area and down to the river (Umeälven), where we found a perfect place to camp. As the sun became redder (rather than setting), we sat watching kids play with their scooters in the water, the boat (Båten, where we just were) and listening to the ongoing Music Festival from a park on the other side of the river. Wahe Guru, magic light! When all was quiet, we put our tent up for a few hours sleep.
Traveling TIPS on free stuff:
Camping according to Allemansrätten
Allemansrätten rules
Library Hangout: To charge devices and/or use internet. In big cities you might need a library card (it's free to get one).
Toilets: The church. Good because you can see it from anywhere you are and it is open for everybody. And they have free toilets (remember to check their opening hours!).
Where do you store your backpack for the day? Keep in mind that most towns, especially the smaller ones, don't have lockers to store big bags at the town's station(s). However, try locating the tourist information office and ask if they have any suggestions. If you're only in town for a few hours (they usually close at 6pm), they'll most likely let you store the bag in their office for free.
Wahe Guru, Magic Light! By Umeälven in Umeå, Sweden
While in Umeå, we also dusted off a good ol' backpacker hangout: spending half the night at the train station. In Norrland during summer this is perfect 'cause it's never dark; it is warm and quiet. Add some quality company to that and you have some legit travellers' groove ;)
Umeå Train Station, Sweden
Did I miss any essentials? What kind of tips do you want me to write about? Send me an email or write in the "comments" below!
Love and Light
/OM
