Every Day's a School Day...

Vehicle for higher . . . mountainside Merkaba Love Bus is available as holiday retreat accommodation

From BECKY MAY, Yin Yoga Instructor and Merkaba Guest

It’s a pleasure for me to be writing this week’s blog update for Merkaba community.  Chris, my partner, and I arrived here in our old Mercedes campervan nearly a month ago now and we feel incredibly grateful that we happened across this magical place.

There is something very special going on in this sleepy corner of Portugal – as I’ve watched the ebb and flow of arrivals and departures, I see that everyone has been drawn here for their own particular reason. Perhaps it’s because the place sits atop a mountain with large quartz seams running through it, a mineral well-known for its healing properties, but I see that this is a place where people come to heal and to advance their personal journeys towards self-knowledge and love. But, more than that, it’s also a place where people come to share their gifts and passions with others.  We all benefit from each other’s teachings, insight and wisdom, and we all support each other’s journeys. Together we are stronger and it is a beautiful process to behold.

Feed your face . . . Jamie and Hannah enjoy the benefits of sodium bentonite clay on the Love Bus yoga deck

Last week we said a fond farewell to Tommy Holgate, who has moved back to the UK for now, to harness his unique brand of positive energy and compassion towards shaking up the UK political scene and we’re all rooting for him – prime minister’s question time had better watch out…!  Before he left, he gave one more tai chi class and taught us all to body-pop, which morphed seamlessly into a night of dancing underneath the stars, beautifully soundtracked by Matt Mckinley, a regular at Merkaba, who recently returned and has been taking us on fun-filled and often profoundly moving musical journeys since he arrived with his decks.

Sky high . . . a sunset view from the nearby village of Monsanto, a regular jaunt on the Merkaba 'itinerary'

We also said au revoir to Merkaba long-termer and legend of the kitchen, Kerry Oliver – she’ll hopefully be back for a few days this week though, before she goes on to begin her own Portuguese adventure down the road – check out her facebook site for her upcoming holistic cancer care retreat, Sirona.

Food of lovers . . . (l-r) Stefan, Nina, Rosey, Matt, Dan, Luke, Elizabeth and Katrina await a healthy serving

Other new arrivals have included Nina Pach and her partner Stefan, from Germany – we all benefited from a fun sunset yoga class from Nina, with lots of games and comedy sound effects, as well as her pranic healing sessions (see Nina’s website for more info). Plus Stefan’s gardening knowledge has been a real boon for the burgeoning produce of Merkaba. The hundreds of young fruit trees are beginning to bear fruit, the herb garden is flourishing and the seedlings in the veggie patch are definitely getting bigger rather than smaller, so watch this space!

Permaculture enthusiast, Luke McSwiney, has been staying for the past fortnight, and has facilitated some pretty intense breath-work sessions – I knew the breath was powerful, but the process kind of blew my mind!  Rosey Simpson arrived recently and her psychic chanelling abilities and links with ETs are causing a stir – it almost seems as though the skies have responded, as we’ve had some spectacular cloud-scapes, rainbows and shows of shooting stars at night.

It's a sign . . . the wonderfully energetic Nina stands underneath the Merkaba 'gateway'

Elizabeth arrived from northern Portugal yesterday and has already treated us to an intimate violin performance, which she cleverly combined with constellations work – for those who are unfamiliar with this, it’s a group therapeutic technique where someone in the group outlines a problem or issue, and others in the group are chosen to physically represent certain elements of the issue, so that the person with the problem can look at it from an external perspective. But, of course, it’s much more than this – the particular energetics that come from working together in a supportive environment are another form of magic. I found the process fascinating and am inspired to explore this technique more.

Stars trek . . . Merkaba guests join stalwarts for a hike in the beautiful Pena Garcia

So, as you can see, there’s always lots going on here at Merkaba – and I haven’t even mentioned the other long-termers here, who all have their own amazing gifts to share, such as Jamie’s amazing life-coaching sessions, as well as everyone mucking in every day to help out with cooking healthy, vegan meals, feeding the chickens, ducks and dogs, general upkeep, as well as growing the community – for example Dan, Jezz and Chris have been working hard to create more accommodation here, ready for Merkaba’s first official retreat season starting this September – exciting times ahead!

So, if you’re intrigued and find yourself musing about a visit here, I would definitely recommend that you leap at the chance. Destiny is calling you, and Merkaba wants to meet you, learn from you and trade gifts and wisdom with you. And you will find yourself growing and healing here in ways you probably weren’t expecting – it is a magical place indeed… ;)

With love from the mountains.

Becky x