Julie's top 10 packing tips

Reflecting on our recent Camino Frances walk of over 800 kilometers (500 miles), there isn’t one thing in my 12-pound backpack that I didn’t regret packing. Nothing was left behind that I missed enough to wish I’d carried it. Mitch and I walked through rain, sleet, snow, wind, desert heat, spring sunshine, historic cities, and cooling cathedrals. The temperatures ranged from 0 degrees Celsius to plus 25 C. I learned a few tricks over the year, and on frequent trips to Thailand, but the Camino brought next-level packing efficiency. I hope these tips give you the confidence to lighten your load: 

1. Aim for two;  every item in the bag ideally has at least two purposes. i.e.; the ultralight umbrella kept me dry in light rain, and cool under intense sun. A sarong served as a towel, picnic blanket, yoga mat, and privacy screen in a dormitory bunk bed.  If you like to wear shorts or a shorter skirt, pull a sarong out of your day bag for a modesty wrap when visiting cathedrals or temples. 

2. Merino is magic For socks, underwear, and t-shirts or base layers, there’s nothing like Merino wool for stink-free coziness, body temperature regulation,  and quick drying time. Consider various fabric weights for the climate;125 g/m2 for a light warm weather tee, and 150 g/m2 for a more sturdy and versatile everyday tee. Layer them up when it gets chilly. You can wear merino wool for multiple days before they need a wash. 

3. One to wash, one to wear Plan on two sets of everyday clothing and perhaps a special piece when you want to step it up a notch. Including my travel clothes for the flights, a couple of days in Paris, and a train journey to the starting point of our 33-day walk, we had two sets of clothes to walk in and a set to lounge/sleep in. It was all we needed. Consider Three tops: two short-sleeve (one doubles as sleepwear), and one long-sleeve. Three bottoms: 2 long, 1 short, or zip-off trousers. I like one pair of zip-off trekking pants, one pair of leggings, and a light skirt for maximum versatility. 

4. And a wee bit more If you followed suggestion #3 and you have room in your bag, add a few “luxury items”; an extra pair of underwear, socks, a light dress or a dressier shirt. But don’t fill that bag just because you have space. 

5. Buff it up! When my neck is cold, I’m cold. A scarf or ‘Buff’ neck tube is not only cozy, but it doubles as sun protection when pulled up over your nose and cheeks, and can be used as a hair band/wrap and an eye mask. 

6. Cycling sleeves; no cycling required. Cycling sleeves or UV arm protection sleeves come in handy for sun protection or added warmth. Wear them with a short-sleeved tee for a chilly morning, and whisk them off for when things heat up. Or maybe when your jacket comes off, the sleeves go on for sun protection.  Look for breathable fabric, like…wait for it…merino. 

7. Solidify and sail through security From chewable toothpaste tablets and shampoo bars to laundry strips from Tru-Earth, lighten your load and fly through airport security with fewer liquids.  I use Rocky Mountain Soap Co’s juicy orange bar as a face wash. Just slice the bar of soap thinly and tuck a few in a zip lock bag. Bonus tip: Contact lens cases are ideal storage solutions to sleekly slide into a bag or pocket. I keep a set on me with tinted sunscreen in one compartment, and regular sunscreen in the other. If you don't wear contacts ask someone who does. It will keep theirs out of the landfill, save you buying a set and your friend will appreciate the newly found purpose in the cases. 

8. Zip it up A snack-size zip-lock bag or two will stow a soggy soap bar or a handful of snacks; a sandwich-size for electronics and one for your passport. Large freezer bags keep clothes sorted and easily identifiable while weighing less than travel-specific cloth organizers. On the way home use those bags to seal that cheese from France, or quinoa from Peru. 

9. Shoes - just do it. It’s not easy, but just do it; stick to one, versatile and comfortable pair of shoes and one pair of sandals. On the Camino, I had a pair of trekking shoes, and almost weightless, slide-in sandal-style Crocs to go out for dinner, wear in shared showers, and to use as slippers in hotel rooms. 

10. Hats - your head is closest to heaven To top it off, consider the climate and whether you will need sun protection, warmth, or both. For the sun, look for a wide brim, possibly with detachable flaps to protect the ears and neck. For warmth, a lightweight ‘toque’ as we say in Canada, or a beanie will do the trick and will take little space in your bag. On the airplane, snuggle into your beanie and roll down the brim for soothing darkness. Just as 'less is more' in purposeful, functional, therapeutic movements, so it is with packing! That’s a foundation for your formulations. Please share your tips with me.

Pondering Purpose

Post-retreat contemplation in Thailand revealed something "off" around my personal sense of purpose. Who am I to know what life wants of me? Is it mine to know? Did you notice "I, "me" and "mine in the last three lines? The elephant in this room is Ego. Ego, that circular pattern of thinking that endlessly tries to define me, says "Your purpose is to love, be loved, to help others connect to love." Ever quick to judge, ego adds "how noble!" Rather than buy into self-affirming judgment, I notice good ol' Ego spinning an autobiographical story, as she does. How sweet! It becomes clear that the sticky feeling of 'something off' holds a cautionary message: A sense of purpose, formulated by "me", is embellished by the limited ego. There might be something more here. With Ego's narrative acknowledged, I drop the question of purpose into not knowing; into feeling. Sitting with the question of purpose without trying to answer it, attention descends from my head and joins my gut and heart. The feeling might be described as 'connection'. It feels authentic, familiar, and at the same time, fresh. It is the place of potentiality and possibility. We might say that purpose expresses from the depth of the impersonal. Aligned with this depth, feels like a ship cutting through the ocean surface; the feeling is steadfast, empowered, and present. In pure presence, just being is purpose enough. Ego might weave a tapestry of stories that we can understand and that inspire us in daily life. If we don't know our purpose in words, we can still know we matter. We don't need to be able to explain why we are on this earth. My offerings this year will underscore a connection to purpose. Consider a private retreat or private session if you'd like to take a deep dive into the pearl of purpose or into any "stickiness" showing up for you. Contemplative questions: What does connection feel like to you? What if you become familiar with this feeling showing up in your life, as if it were your inner GPS, giving you direction and sense of purpose? How would your actions and choices be affected?

The Great Myth

There's something about the field (in the photo below) near Calgary. (Can you find my pup Pika in the photo?)

On one level, it is a "nothing special" sort of place. Yet, it is here that a glimpse of what I can only describe as Stillness - even as winds gusted - that woke me momentarily from the slumber of perceived separation. No matter our ideas about reality, spontaneous moments like these bust the biggest myth of all, and we never look at the world quite the same again.

This great myth spanning humanity, regardless of location or language,

tells us we are separate from all else.

Understand "self" as separate from "other", is the seed behind feeling inferior, superior, alone, anxious or that we don't belong.

The human potential to dismiss, diminish or harm others or our planet, feeds on this illusion of separation.

In the immediate sense, our bodies are separate, our personalities are unique, individuality is real. You can feel that, yes?

This sense of distinction (hello ego!) is a natural function with a purpose; to divide and experience the world as we do. It's not something we have to transcend or obliterate.

Ultimately, nothing is separate or outside of Interconnectivity, Essence or what we might call the Dynamic Stillness of Pure Consciousness. We are it.

Interconnection is a central core of many world views. First Nations, Inuit and Metis refer to this as “All my relations”.

From yoga, Sri Swami Satchidananda: “We are interdependent, cells of one universal body.”

Albert Einstein, “A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and his feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.

Physicist Nick Herbert, author of Quantum Reality; When we don't look at it, the world exists in some strange state that is indescribable. Then when we look at it, it becomes absolutely ordinary, as though someone was trying to pull something over our eyes. The world is an illusion.

These statements pique curiosity, but it is only through direct experience that we come to know them as our Truth.

Everything I offer; from a private session to reduce pain, group yoga classes, intimate retreats, or one-on-one co-meditation, is intended to bring forward wisdom from pure consciousness (that you already are), inclining your life to more ease. Here, the illusion of separateness can move to the background. A clarity exuding love and a deep sense of well-being, no matter the situation around us, moves to the foreground of your life.

I'm willing to bet you glimpse Reality often. If you don't know that yet, it is likely that they come and go unrecognized.

Here's the thing, to bust through the Great Myth of separation and recognize Wholeness:

- You don't have to subscribe to any system of beliefs.

-You don't have to be anyone other than who you are right now

-You can't "do" it, you are it

I'd love to support your recognition of this Essence. If you'd like that too, Join me online or in person, or pop me an email.