What gifts Camino Gives You
In April 2019 I did my Camino journey. Pilgrims call it a “trip of a life time”, “an outstanding lifetime experience”, “life changing track”, because it indeed changes people’s life as Camino stays with you forever with all these endless gifts…
How often in your life do you take time and create space for yourself - just being by yourself, listening to yourself, and actually being yourself? We usually find many reasons not to do that: the life “happens”, we are busy with our jobs, taking care of our families, everyday routine, etc,. And what? What does it give us living this busy life day after day: waking up early morning, getting ready for 8 hours at work (that you might not even enjoy), waiting for the end of the day to pick up the kid(s), having dinner with the family, spending max 2 hours together, and then tired go to bed in order to repeat the same routine next day. Ah yes, we still hope that maybe vacations will help us to recover once or twice per year. That was my lifestyle couple of months ago. I am not saying it is good or bad, or assuming that everyone lives like that, but for those who do recognize themselves in this pattern I want to ask - where is that time for yourself, how we could find it and what it will give to us?
When I was planning next vacations, a lot of different things were happening in my life, and I felt that I needed some space for myself, some clarity and answers to my questions. I was still working in corporate, and I had only two holiday weeks left, so I started looking for places to go in Barcelona, and somehow my google search brought me to Northern Spain… Camino… the first time I heard about it two years ago - and suddenly I felt an urge to go there. I was quite surprised of that inner calling and decided to follow it.
I did Camino by myself, and now I really recommend to everyone to do it alone, for yourself. I walked 315 km from Leon till Santiago de Compostela, and additional 30 km from Muxia to Finisterre. That was brutally honest walk with myself, full of physical challenges and at the same time enormous gratitude to my body for quick recovery over each night, so I was able to complete my Camino even with the injured knee. Everyday I was testing myself, and was quite surprised that after couple of days I didn’t feel any physical pain, I actually found comfort in it. Yes, I felt all my muscles, even in places I didn’t know I had them before, but we are resourceful human beings, and could overcome any challenges on our way. After being back home I could confirm that it is very true that Camino stays with you. I still feel it - the lessons I’ve learnt, the answers I’ve got, the feelings and emotions I allowed myself to go through during this journey, new ideas and insights, - they are all alive, they are all still present, I am not shutting them down anymore, as I made commitment to myself to stay open and authentic to whatever happens in my life, no matter what… For me it was extremely important lifetime experience, perfect timing, just when I needed it the most, really deep, profound journey back to myself, to my "home". The first time in my life I didn’t plan anything ahead and had zero expectations: I didn’t know where I would stay each night, where I would eat, whom I meet. The only thing that was certain were my flight tickets, but even that I could easily change as I quit my corporate job one day before flying to Spain. I felt myself completely free and very open to follow what I need to follow - whether it is a person who is walking behind me, a place to stay at night, the route I choose for the day, etc. I gave myself permission to trust the journey and be surprised to whatever comes on my way, including thoughts and emotions that I was usually suppressing somewhere inside me…
Everyday Camino life is pretty simple: I woke up at 6am, had breakfast, started walking at 7am, usually was skipping lunch as I wanted to complete my walking km target per day, and only after I checked in the albergue, washed my clothes, had a shower, I had my dinner and went to sleep. On average I was walking 25 km per day, although couple of times I challenged myself by walking 40 and even 45 km (although not really recommended). Before doing Camino it is advised to walk at least five long distances before, but let’s be honest here - you do not walk 25 km per day in your normal life, so there is no need to train yourself ahead for that, as the real training and learning will happen on the Way. The only advice worth considering is your equipment: your backpack should be max 10% of your weight, good trekking shoes and socks, as those things really make a big difference for being healthy and comfortable during your journey.
My plan for Day 1 was to walk no more than 20 km, and I easily completed it before noon, so I continued walking till next village, and as the only albergue there was closed, I continued walking again, in total making 37 km on the first day (not recommended either). And I have got my very first Camino lesson that there is no such thing as coincidence, and that is why. I woke up at night and the hostess in our albergue told me that there is another Ukrainian lady arrived. That albergue never had someone from Ukraine before, so it was quite unusual that both of us arrived the same day, but separately. In the morning I met Natalia, we were so happy to see each other, talked to each other in Russian / Ukrainian languages, we hugged, had a breakfast and decided to start the walk together. Usually when I tell people that I am from Crimea, or that my husband’s family is from Lughansk, I share my pain and thoughts regarding the situation in my motherland. But that day Natalia surprised and touched me much deeper. She lives in Netishin, near Kmelnitsky, she also had her own personal goal in Camino, and besides that she was carrying the stone from Crimean seaside that she collected at cape Aya in summer 2013, before the annexation by Russia. She wrote “Crimea is Ukraine” on it, in order to leave it at La Cruz de Ferro - the place where you could put your "sorrow stone". This is one of Camino’s traditions - doing so you are saying goodbye to past sorrows as a gesture for the things that go wrong. I was extremely grateful to her for that, so touched, and so impressed and inspired by this woman. Furthermore, Natalia was one of the initiators, who in 2014-2015 helped our Ukrainian soldiers by delivering food, clothes in Donetsk area, sometimes going there by herself, risking her life, but helping people there... And although I was able to walk only 15 km on my second day, physically I was totally broken, but I felt enormous gratitude in my heart, something shifted inside, at that moment I was so connected with my country somehow, so hopeful that we can make a change. In two days I also reached La Cruz de Ferro, I put Ukrainian flag on the top praying for my country: for Crimea, for stopping the war, and hoping that my country will be well soon... and I had my first strong emotional moment. I was descending from the hill and experienced the whole range of strong emotions: I cried, strong wind was blowing into my face, I couldn’t brief freely, and I cried again, and then the fresh air helped me to breath, and I cried, and breath deeply again. In my mind I saw an image of those 19-20 years old boys who died in 2014 for defending my country. At the moment I was thinking: Ok, we could continue praying and hoping that one day we will win the war, we will return our territories, the political system will be professional and fix all the problems in the country, but we need to understand that we live today, our life is happening now, so the only way to create the life we want and make the change we want is not by putting responsibility on someone else (we had it a lot in our history), but start with ourselves first, changing our own life first. If everyone becomes self aware of who she/he is, what are the core values, what is his/her meaning and purpose in life, how we could help and serve each others, and also if we educate our kids in the same way, I believe each of us and new generations will be able to live the best version of their life on fullest, no matter what.
Every Camino day I started with the intention or the question. I especially enjoyed early morning hours when there were no many pilgrims on the way yet, so I had opportunity to walk alone, be with myself only. I loved watching sunrise, be surrounded by awakened nature, and smell the freshness of the spring. I didn’t expect to receive the answers on my questions immediately, but some of them came to me quite quickly, and I finished my journey fully complete, with all my questions answered. And something became crystal clear for me when I reached Santiago de Compostela: just doing Camino is already gives you that time, safe and courageous space for your yourself, it is like first part of the coaching process - only by walking in silence you listen and hear yourself, you get to know yourself better, you allow yourself to be who you really are, feel what you really feel, and understand what you really want. I went through that whole process during my Camino, my intention was to find my own foundation and grounding, and I found it. Now I am working with my own coach to move forward in my life, to implement all my learning, discoveries and ideas into reality, because only getting the answers and doing nothing with it will never bring any change in my life. And even if we are self aware and do really commit to the required actions, sometimes we are still unaware of the “blind spots”, that your coach could address to you. That is why I need my own coach to help me to grow and stay committed to “walk the talk”, to overcome what was holding me back and live my authentic and courageous life on the fullest.
I am so grateful for this profound experience in my life, for all the challenges and priceless gifts on my Camino way, that is why I am sharing my personal story. And if you also feel that you want to create some change in your life, do your own Camino. If you are currently looking for new physical challenge, or more meaning in life, more connection with yourself, with nature, meeting other people, one of the Camino Ways is waiting for you. Just walk it for Yourself, for you own learning and your own answers.
And for those who want to deepen the learning, forward the action and finally live the best version of your life already now, the life you really want, I have created Camino Francés and Camino Portuguese Coaching Programs, that combine two incredible experiences: walking Camino and getting individual co-active coaching on the way.
