HEALTH Strings Under the Big Sky - Explore Big Sky

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56 June 29, 2012 mental health explorebigsky.com explorebigsky.com a wilderness meditation pilgrimage by Charles wolF drimal big Sky weekly contributor SAN RAFAEL SWELL, Utah—A cascade of clear, piercing whistles invites the first sign of dawn. The sun’s rays have yet to touch the depths of Dirty Devil Canyon, but to a canyon wren—the melodic harbinger of morning—there is no reason not to sing. Each ensuing note falls in tone, slowly settling across a sand desert floor held cold through the dark by clear spring starlight. More than 600 miles from my home in the Northern Rockies and five days deep into a wilderness meditation expedition with Absaroka Institute in south-central Utah, my perspective has shifted. From the comfort of a sleeping bag, I feel a slight air current brush across my face. The canyon wren’s early morning inspiration to rise has habitually become my own. Unlike past backcountry trips, which have brought me immediately to a stove for breakfast, tea and conversation, my first movements of the day lead to a meditation cushion, the lighting of incense and the sounding of a bell. As I take the cross-legged position, the encompassing shrine of ancient sun-scorched Navajo sandstone, cottonwood leaf chatter and distant creek babble all arise and fade in my perception. An unceasing effort for the next 40 minutes directs my awareness to my own breath. Thoughts of last night’s dreams come and go. A changing light warms my skin. I straighten my posture and sink my knees into the substratum of stone, grounding myself. A raven’s call overhead reminds me to return to my breath. The natural world of mountains, rivers, deserts and forests has been a place of healing and a source of insight for the human psyche since time immemorial. Removed from society, spiritual seekers, priests, shamans and saints trace moments of awakening to prolonged sojourns in wild country. Reclusive hermits of Asian peaks and plateaus, Native Americans seeking visions on hilltops, Australian Aborigines on walkabouts, the Buddha’s enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, and Jesus fasting in the Judean desert all exemplify a common orientation of the soul. People from all walks of life have recognized the power of an untrammeled landscape. The renaissance of the modern day urbanite’s magnetic pull toward remote wilderness areas throughout this continent and beyond is no aberration to human behavior. Likewise, there are explanations beyond deep powder turns, cold beer and a paucity of romantic partners for bucolic, pennypinching ski bums to eke out a living near Western wild lands. The natural world holds the power to mirror our struggles and ignite our inherent potential. Influenced by both wilderness travel and meditation practice, the human condition may be catalyzed to realize that the world around and the world within are not separate from one another. Through close study of the mind, we develop the capacity to know our own freedom and self-induced suffering. Often associated with Buddhism and Hinduism, meditation can be found in faiths as diverse as Taoism, Sufism, Judaism and Christianity, as well as in contemporary psychotherapy practices. Today, in the U.S. alone, more than 10 million people practice some form of meditation. Worldwide, the number of practitioners enters the hundreds of millions. The practice is just as extraordinary in simplicity as it is challenging in execution. An effort must be made to bring full awareness to the breath. As thoughts arise, one must acknowledge them, let them go, and return awareness to the breath. This practice can be repeated for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour, or throughout a long walk in the mountains or desert. The cultivation of this skill leads to stress reduction, Big Sky Weekly Photos Courtesy oF Charles wolF drimal expanded awareness, clarity, momentto-moment presence, recognition of shared commonality, and many masters would add, the realization of life as intimate flow. There is no better place to explore this practice than on a wilderness pilgrimage. A week of walking sandy creek bottoms and watching the sun and moon track across the sky becomes a flowing movement that meshes the boundaries of earth and mind. Time told by shades of red sandstone and nomadic blue firmament offers a welcome inheritance to any agenda. Through extensive meditation under swaying cottonwood trees planted by the weathering of remote canyon corridors, I’m reminded that human existence is a process itself. We are more verb than noun. The ever-changing nature of the physical body, of thoughts, feelings, perceptions, responses—all is in flux. With each passing backcountry day my mind grows sharper, more observant of the nuances of inhalation and exhalation. With time and practice, assumes its own lead. Like a canyon creek carried forward without hindrance, there is a time in meditation to simply let go. When the mind as we know it is no longer in charge, the breath experiences this world of canyon and sky with an intimacy previously unknown. Charles Wolf Drimal is an ecopsychologist, wilderness guide, conservationist, Zen Buddhist practitioner and a poet. He leads wilderness meditation expeditions for the Absaroka Institute and advocates for public lands conservation with the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
old world The good waters of Bad homburg story and Photo by tyler allen big Sky weekly contributor BAD HOMBERG, Germany— Just north of Frankfurt, Germany is a town renowned for the healing powers of its mineral waters. Bad Homburg—bad meaning “bath” in German—has attracted people from around the world since remains of the old Roman baths were discovered 170 years ago. Its 14 therapeutic springs are used internally and externally to treat rheumatism, digestive and intestinal issues, circulatory problems, liver and gall bladder diseases and dermatological complaints. The town itself is a very prosperous neighbor of Frankfurt, which is the economic capital of the eurozone and is where many of the bank executives commute from in Porsches and BMWs. The town has long been a destination for nobility from around the world. King Chulalongkorn, who ruled the Thai kingdom for 42 years, was so pleased by a successful cure here that he donated a Thai garden pavilion to the town in 1914. Czar Nicholas II, one of many Russian elites to vacation here, built a Russian church nearby to serve his summer residence. King Edward II was a frequent guest of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who in 1888 made Bad Homburg his summer home. Today five spa clinics offer holistic aqua therapies including Indian Ayurvedic treatments. The Taunus Therme at one end of the Kurpark has a 15,000-square-foot water facility with mineral baths, Jacuzzis and a solarium. Across the park is the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Bad, built in 1890. This neo-Renaissance building houses the Kur-Royal Day Spa, which opened in 2002 after a lavish restoration. But the town is not just a vacation for the elites, as showcased by Kurpark— or “spa” park—in the center of town. Here, fountains cap numerous wells, and anyone can imbibe the healing waters lying beneath Bad Homburg. The most important of these is the Elizabethenbrunnen—brunnen is German for well—which is renowned for treating gastroenterological disorders. Its rich mineral water has perhaps the most active ingredients of any source in Germany. During World War I, Wilhelm II himself designed the ornate temple capping the spring. Each of the springs in the 109-acre Kurpark has a placard denoting the well’s depth and mineral content, and the maximum quantity a person should consume daily. Doctors here will prescribe patients a regimen of the different waters, depending on their malady or particular recovery needs after an operation. Strolling through the park tasting water from the different fountains— some salty, some metallic and one with an overpowering sulfur scent— it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to recover from an illness here. Instead of a prescription for synthetic pills from the pharmacist, a patient would be armed with a measuring cup and a list of the healing fountains to visit each day. A walk through the leafy, well-manicured Kurpark on a sunny day is therapeutic in its own right. Montana resident Tyler Allen visited Bad Homberg this past year. reCiPe olive B's Mango Barbeque Chicken: explorebigsky.com Big Sky Weekly Olive B’s, one of Big Sky’s newest and hippest restaurants, is run by husband and wife team Jennie and Warren “Bibber” Bibbins. Based in the Meadow Village, the restaurant's food and atmosphere both are a refreshing mix of refined and relaxed. Here, they share a recipe for Mango Barbeque Chicken from Olive B’s upcoming summer menu. olive B's mango Barbeque Chicken: Barbeque sauce: 1 1/2 c catsup 1 c cider vinegar 1/4 c worchestershire sauce 1/4 c soy sauce 1 c packed brown sugar 2 T dry mustard 1/8 c chili powder 1 T grated fresh ginger 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 T vegetable oil 2 c pureed mango For barbeque sauce: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat stirring often. Simmer five minutes. At the restaurant we use boneless breast and thigh pieces, but you can use any part of chicken you prefer. Baste chicken with sauce and grill. Serve with corn on the cob and ancho cole slaw. BIG SKY’S ONLY FULL-SERVICE WORKOUT FACILITY OPEN 5 A.M.-10 P.M. 7 DAYS A WEEK DAY, WEEK AND YEAR-LONG MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE VISIT OZSSAGE.COM/GYM.PHP FOR DETAILS 32 MARKET PLACE, MEADOW VILLAGE, BIG SKY (406) 995 4522 June 29, 2012 57
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