Sep 5, 2018
In our enculturated western lives, we often neglect our relationships with nature. There is a lot we can learn about this relationship from the Andean people, who follow indigenous wisdom regarding their interactions with the Earth. Our ancestors all over the world lived as land stewards in harmony with their ecosystems and with the cycles of nature. The Andean people not only value their relationship with the Earth, but also those within their communities.
In the Andes, the Andean people practice Ayni, or sacred reciprocity which keeps life in balance. Ritual offerings, such as the sharing of coca leaves and offerings to the Earth, are beautiful means of connecting to the sacred in everyday life. Their ancient traditions are both practical and transcendent. Weavers literally weave sacred symbols into the mundane clothing and materials used in their everyday lives.
Cate, Caroline, and Annie discuss how we can learn from the Andean people by integrating indigenous wisdom into our modern lifestyles. A great place to start is through the practice of Ayni - honoring reciprocity in our relationships with people and the land. By additionally honoring and aligning to cyclical rhythms of nature and creating offerings, we can improve our connection to the land. These Andean ancestral tools grant us solid connections to each other and to the Earth, which deepens our ability to thrive.
What you’ll get out of tuning in:
- How Andean wisdom can inform our lives
- How to become a successful land steward
- Why Anyi - sacred reciprocity - is so important
Links Mentioned in Episode:
- Vibrant Peru Journey
- 2018 Schedule Peru Retreats/Courses
- Wisdom of the Andes
- Ayurvedic Wellness + Yoga
- Yoga Immersions and Teacher Training Programs
- YogiDetox Fall
Show Highlights:
- 7:45 - The Andean people have a dynamic and beautiful relationship with the earth, called Pachamama. Through practice, we too can develop a deep intuitive awareness that allows us to hear the Earth’s messages that we easily miss in our enculturated, modern lives.
- 14:50 - Being a land steward involves the practice of Ayni, or sacred reciprocity. By listening to the land and engaging in offering, we participate in a reciprocation of respect with the land, which becomes the basis of a balanced interaction and lifestyle.
- 29:20 - Traditions like weaving in the Andes show us how something can be at once practical and transcendent. Weavers literally weave the sacred into the mundane by the conscious act of weaving the sacred symbols of each community into their everyday clothing and materials.
Favorite Quotes:
- “How can we model our current way of living with indigenous wisdom so that as people come and experience it, they can bring that out into the world.” - Caroline Putnam
- “That reciprocity becomes the basis of a balanced interaction” - Caroline Putnam
- “The land instructs us.” - Cate Stillman
Guest BIO:
Carolina Putnam is a Louisiana native- and the founder & director of Reviveolution. For the past 6 years she has lived full-time in the Sacred Valley of Peru with her Q'ero Family, dedicated to sculpting a middle path between ancestral wisdom and modern innovation. Through sharing experiential education in retreats and courses, serving by her maestro's side in traditional ceremony around the world, and sharing Earth stewardship practices through ancestral arts & native nutrition, her work aims to support individuals and communities in healing and purposeful living. Connect with Caroline on her website and Facebook.
Annie Barrett is the founder of VibrantSoulful.com and Vibrant Living School. As an educator, public speaker, certified yoga health coach, yoga teacher, consultant, and teacher trainer, she models and teach folks how to thrive in body, mind and spirit, and how to live a purposeful and passionate life with Ayurvedic and Yoga wisdom and wellness. She has walked the householder yoga path for twenty five years, and has a gift for making the wisdom teachings of yoga fresh and accessible. She guides folks into knowing themselves more deeply, embracing themselves more fully, and evolving into a state of well-being and expansive freedom. As a Certified Yoga Health Coach, she is trained and practiced in the daily habits and health principles of Ayurveda. She coaches and guides individuals into up-leveling their health and reaching your full potential with proven habits for vitality, health and happiness.Her family spends their time between the evergreen forest on the edge of Olympia, WA and the Andes mountains of Pisac. Connect with Annie on her website and Facebook.