What about the Spiritual (in all this)?

On the day I travel from Nerja to Jorox in the Andalucian mountains I wake early to make one last sea exploration... at 7am I climbed over some rocks to reach one of the little bays along this stretch of beach/coast. The sun had not risen fully and the sea was wild, roaring, it looked dangerous, worse than the pervious day, I daren't go in... This was ok because I planed exploring belly lying (lying on my front) on the sea shore. Inspired by movement explorations in 'Land to Water Yoga' (2009) by Sondra Fraleigh which focus on our development from water to land (land back to water) exploring the many yoga posture that resemble developmental movement in this process. I plan to move exploring stages 3-4 of the 5-part sequence of 'Land to Water;' third stage; sitting & fourth stage; front lying.

Playing in front lying on the sea shore, breathing into my belly, into the earth... being thrown around by the sea as it's waves move energetically in and out from the shore.. being tossed amongst the stones and shells, I am nothing against it's strength, against it's force, it's energy.. the sea simply brushes me aside as easy as blowing dust from a surface. I only have my own centre, my body's centre, rooting in my centre keeps me from being pulled away, tossed aside... I connect with the earth, with the sea and it begins to hold me, to mould me, I tune into it's energy, motion and movement patterns to support my movement exploration, I'm not working against it but with the sea, with the earth.. I am of the water, alive and awakened to it..

I sit for a while reflecting on my few days here.. I look up at the mountains standing still and strong, overlooking the coast, overlooking the land below, its people and the sea.. they are mysterious, like Gods and the great unknowns, the mysteries of our universe..

I think of my explorations and how I found, got to these bays; climbing over rocks or swimming in deep waters... I remind myself of some of my research into the fluid systems of the body, explorations and movement that stimulate, support different fluid systems.. I remember Olsen's writings in 'Body and Earth' (2002). 'Walking to your place, notice which fluids are engaged.. leaping precisely from one rock to another. Any movement of periphery, focusing on accuracy and correctness, engages lymph.' I believe I leaped here with accuracy and correctness, whilst my actual being here in Nerja, being in my body, exploring myself, dance, the earth in this way, well that may have something to do with destiny, something other than me - and I question 'so what about the spiritual in all this, in my explorations, experiences, practice-as-research, reflections? Back home in the UK I return to the books finding some resolution to the question although, perhaps only the beginning of such inquiry.. I again drawn on Olsen to help summaries my thoughts..

'Spirituality can be described as that state of spaciousness and receptivity that animates the body and connects us to the mysteries of earth. Our attention is drawn to the foundations of existence and our place within the cosmos... Perhaps our deepest spiritual desire is to regard ourselves as an integral part of nature... Through direct experience with the natural world, we engage other-than-human intelligence, powerful and mysterious qualities... Nature is immediate, dynamic, beautifully formed, and unpredictable, reflecting our own wild nature back to us...'

'Reflection on body and earth reminds us of our wholeness.'

Olsen, A. (2002) Body and Earth an Experiential Guide  Middlebury College Press, University Press of New England: Hanover and London