EACH year, people find more and more ways to connect body and soul. Yoga, meditation and massage all work best in natural surroundings. Even more so, if those surroundings are breathtakingly beautiful.

In western civilisation, the concept of the human being is based on the separation of the physical and psychic world, that is the split between the soul and the body.

International and prestigious historians such as Leon Poliakov believe the great emphasis in the distinction between the psychic and the physical is an ancient human terror of being assimilated to animal. A terror which has become increasingly stronger since Darwin formulated the evolutionary theory.

This strong dichotomy of the mind and the body has been further encouraged by the need of some human beings to feel superior to nature, to animals, and finally superior to other men.

What is important for them is to justify the concept of domination and upon this fallacy the basis of western civilization has been constructed.

These days, such ideas of superiority of man and the strong separation between the body and the soul are no longer quite so fashionable.

It will take decades to eradicate them completely, but they are dwindling, and bit by bit we are less hampered by old strategies of domination.

The century of meditation
The 21st century is putting an end to the idea of a disconnection between mind, body and spirit.

These ideas took root in the powerful regions of Europe, in Europe’s cities and philosophical circles, and by extension, in conquered America.

Neither the eastern world nor Africa shared this vision of a radical separation between the body and the realm of ideas, intuitions or feelings. Nor did rural Europe, where there were multitudes of practices associated with health, nature and spirituality connected with the land.

Today, few people worship at the feet of our consumerist society that promises happiness with the purchase of the latest mobile phone or a brand new car. It appears that a digital gadget or a shiny new motor will not give people the revitalisation they seek and we must look to boost our personal welfare through other means.

When? Chiefly during the holidays, at that time we can spare the personal space to explore new roads and take up new activities.

Where? A variety of locations throughout Spain offer holistic options, all loaded with positive energy and proposals for very diverse activities.

Lalita in Cáceres
Extremadura, on the border of Spain with Portugal, is one of the most beautiful regions of the country and still quite unexploited.

In Acebo, (Cáceres) scarcely 15 kilometres from Portugal is Lalita, a centre of creative activities dedicated to personal growth (www.lalita.net).

The founders, a small harmonious group, have integrated low-level buildings to perfection in this small fertile valley of immense beauty, surrounded by oak trees, chestnuts, olive trees, gardens and orchards. The result conjures up a welcoming landscape, irrigated by natural streams (second photo).

Nearby, though half-hidden, is La Charca de la Cochina, or Pig Pond, where the clay has therapeutic properties for the skin.

In Lalita, Anubuddha and Anasha, the creators of the field of meditation known as Conscious Touch, have developed their basic course (5-20th August, 2008 with an advanced course from 10th-22nd July).

Participants can enjoy the marvellous settings, while learning to listen to their own bodies.

Son Rul·lan on the island of Mallorca
Son Rul·lan is situated in the municipality of Deià, on a hill between the sea and the mountain, on one of the most beautiful coasts of Mallorca.

It is a 14th-century farm, spread over 8 hectares of bancales (terraces) planted with ancient olives.

At its heart is a beautiful house that was once a monastery. In Son Rul·lan you can breathe in peace, silence, and pure nature.

Son Rul·lan enjoys spectacular views, especially as it gets dark, when the sun disappears, and you can just make out the peninsula of Sa Foradada.

In November and December, Son Rul·lan offers the possibility of lodgings in exchange for work harvesting olives.

You will find nature, tranquility, good company, incredible views, great lodging and food, in exchange for 5 working hours a day.

A minimum stay of a week is ideal, although they also allow shorter visits. Visit: www.sonrullan.es – Tel. 648 123 671.

Passionate about the healing arts

Anubuddha (third photo, left) and Anasha (third photo, right) live in Dénia, Alicante. They have been involved in meditation for 30 years. In the last 18 years they have created the ARUN Conscious Touch meditation system.

Why are more and more people taking up meditation today?

Anasha: Because love and awareness are disappearing. In all areas of life and culture, we see tension, fear, aggression, etc. and a totally new kind of education and vision is needed in the world. An essential education, where people are re-introduced into silences of the heart. In other words, into meditation, or ‘watching inside’, where everyone is trained to be compassionate and aware of their own body. Unless you are compassionate and aware of your body, from deep within, you cannot, and will not, be loving and open to others.

You have created ARUN Conscious Touch. What is this?

Anubuddha: It is simultaneously a deep self-learning process, an inner cleansing and purification, and similar to a complete Osho meditation camp experience. This training will radically change and expand the understanding you have of your body and the human touch. With ARUN, you learn a new, vibrant way to live in your physical body; a more creative and positive way to use your mind and brain. You learn to allow your natural feelings and sensitivity to flow, moment to moment, in all areas of your life. The ARUN basic and advanced training provide multi-dimensional keys for transforming your energy, as well as teaching you how to creatively work and share with other people, through conscious touching and meditation.

In the ARUN training, an emphasis is placed on developing ‘presence’. What is presence?

Anubuddha: Presence is being ‘in the moment’ with acceptance of what is, including everything (good or bad) with an open, silent heart, without judging, analysing, comparing, or expecting. Authentic life flows through us in moments of presence, revealing its mysteries.

You speak also about responsibility. In which sense?

Anasha: We mean that only you can take full responsibility for your own body. The root meaning of responsibility is the ability to respond, moment to moment. You just need to learn how to listen to it and allow it to talk to you. As I used to say: “Let life knock at your door. Learn to clean and open the senses (your doors to perception) in order to receive the throbbing, pulse of life.” Within our bodies, the craniosacral rhythm and tides, the breath, the heartbeat, and the electro-magnetic field (or aura), are all gateways into the moment and they can all be utilised consciously for meditation, relaxation, health, and inner vitality.

For more information: arun_tcons@yahoo.es.