The Yoga of Pilgrimage

The practice for stepping lightly through life

(Deutsch) (in English: special Santiago text not yet in German) (Espanol)

In the vast repertoire of energy practices inherited from the ancient traditions there is one which stands above the rest by its all encompassing nature. The practice of pilgrimage is the most misunderstood of the spiritual steps. It is often mistaken as simply traveling from spiritual place to place. The yoga of pilgrimage is the crucial step in personal development where we put to the test everything we have learned and bring completion to all the situations from our past which have been left unfinished. In the I Ching one of the first advises given to the beginning yogi is to finish whatever it has begun. Whenever we start something we set in motion an energy cycle which has the primary goal of seeking completion. If left unfinished the energy remains engaged with the cycle, limiting our vitality and reducing our effectiveness in whatever we set out to do. When a pilgrimage is conceived the first thing that is done is to go over all unfinished situations and resolving them before leaving. This is done because the yoga of pilgrimage is a preparation for dying. In India the pilgrim is called `the walking corpse’ because before setting out it has paid all debts, resolved all disputes, made peace with enemies and communicated whatever was pending. The pilgrim is ready to leave this world without strings attached to the physical plane. The yoga of pilgrimage is the yoga of liberation from bondage and through it we have an experience of freedom unlike any other in our lives. A second equally important step in pilgrimage is establishing personal vows of conduct which help strengthen willpower and boost self-esteem. The primary vow empowering pilgrimage is the vow of completing the pilgrimage regardless of the hardships encountered. The fulfillment of this vow becomes a model of utilizing perseverance in difficult situations. In this class we will learn the fundamental steps in the yoga of pilgrimage from conceiving a pilgrimage, clearing the past, choosing vows, power walking great distances without tiring or becoming thirsty, practices at power spots and how to dedicate the tremendous positive energy which arises when a pilgrimage draws to a close. This class will be of use for those who either intend to do a pilgrimage in the future or simply would like to lighten `the luggage of the unfinished past’ seated in their armchairs.

Juan Li began the yoga of pilgrimage in 1996, when he became 50, with the Taoist pilgrimage to eleven sacred mountains in China. In 1998 he walked 700 miles along the Celtic-Christian pilgrimage route of Santiago in Spain. In 2000 /2001 he did a seven-month-long Hindu pilgrimage to the four sources of the river Ganges in India.