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I love hiking.
Not just for the views, as beautiful as they are. But for what happens when the body is pushed further than the mind thought possible. Something else takes over. You start moving. You stop thinking and start sensing. That is where I have learned the most about myself. On the road. On the mountain. In the body.

One day while I was staying in the Sacred Valley, I hiked on a winding road from Calca to Huchuy Cusco — little Cusco. There are two ways to get to these ancient ruins, either from the villages of Calca or Lamay. I chose the car road from the Calca side, which can be seen on the mountain. It is definitely the longest way up, but you have the company of the sacred mountain Apupitusiray all the way up and the view was completely indescribable.

On the way back I took the shorter path to Lamay. The view from this side was not as spectacular as the one from the road up from Calca. I chose the shorter way not because I gave up. But because I chose to listen to my body.

That practice of listening to the body is not only about being high up in the mountain. But in everyday life too. Knowing when enough is enough and when one can push a little harder over the limits.

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If this kind of movement speaks to you — the kind that teaches you something about yourself along the way — you might enjoy the work I do at Dhyana Donya Movement & Health. You can also find me on Instagram where I share small reflections and real moments like this one.