Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.09.2015, Page 27

BOOK YOUR FLIGHT OR
DAY TOUR AT AIRICELAND.IS
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
ICELAND’S WESTFJORDS
ARE ONLY 40 MINUTES AWAY
Let’s fly
is
le
ns
ka
/s
ia
.is
F
LU
7
32
63
0
3/
15

27The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 14 — 2015 TRAVEL
Distance from Reykjavík
Around 103 km
So it's with anticipation that I head down to
the BSÍ coach terminal one bright morning
to take a trip with Breathe Iceland, a young
company that takes small groups out into
Iceland's landscape, not just to do some
sightseeing, but to practise yoga in the
fresh air. The tour will take a full day, and
includes a stop at Þingvellir for a medita-
tion and yoga session, a lunch break, and
then some more yoga at Flúðir’s (not so
secret) “secret lagoon.”
Breathing lessons
As we head out of Reykjavík, our guide
Arnbjörg tells us the story of how she
came to find yoga, feeling a magnetic pull
towards her own practise, and eventu-
ally, towards teaching others. Arnbjörg,
who has been an instructor for four years
now, seems to radiate kindness and calm,
speaking slowly and placidly. A relaxed
atmosphere settles over the group as we
listen to her story.
We pass Mosfellsbær and take a right
towards the Þingvellir national park, and
Arnbjörg begins to lead us through some
preparatory breathing exercises. She talks
about posture and tells us to try and be
mindful of our breathing throughout the
day—to take deep, slow breaths, rather
than shallow “automatic” breathing.
Not long later, we take a left from the
main road, heading away from the most
popular tourist area of Þingvellir. We pull
over in a craggy, wild area of the park, and
head up a short path to a grassy crevasse.
Arnbjörg carries a large case with her that
contains the gong for the meditation ses-
sion. We down our bags and spread out
between the rocky walls of the chasm,
starting with some breathing exercises
before Arnbjörg leads us through some
stretches and a gentle, basic yoga routine.
As we go through some of the com-
mon poses, my mind leans into a more
concentrated and present state, ceasing
to race with everyday jobs and thought
processes. Arnbjörg’s soothing voice
guides us through a series of smooth
movements, and as my attention focuses,
the colours and textures of the surround-
ing environment seem to become more
vivid.
IRL
But, as always, life provides distractions.
During peak season, Icelandic nature be-
comes something of a theme park, with
loud helicopters buzzing overhead—at one
point there are three visible at once, both
a pair of tourist ‘copters and a rescue air-
craft, presumably on an exercise. Shortly
after, a stream of Gore-Tex-clad tourists
appear, snapping photos, chatting loudly,
and eyeing us with curiosity.
While these things disturb the peace
of the moment, I’m surprised by how un-
selfconscious I feel within the group. It’s
not like the passersby are seeing us indi-
vidually; they’re just thinking “oh look, it’s
a yoga class.” They also offer a reminder
of the real challenges of yoga and medita-
tion—to let the noise of the everyday world
slide past, and to concentrate on quieting
the tumult of everyday thoughts.
This is what we focus on during the
gong meditation. We lie on the grass and
Arnbjörg starts to run the mallet around
the gong’s circumference slowly, creating
a resonant, organic droning sound. She
intermittently strikes the gong, in three
different chapters of rhythm, creating a
hypnotic sound that seems to draw us in
and silence all other thoughts. I drift away
into a dreamy, meditative place where I’d
have been happy to remain all day.
Tomato oasis
Our next stop is Friðheimar, a farm that
holds, among other things, a year-round
tomato greenhouse. We’re shown the
growing process, from the geothermal
water piped in for heating, to the environ-
mentally friendly biological pesticides, and
boxes of imported bees used for pollina-
tion. We sit on the sun terrace for lunch—a
fresh, tangy tomato soup that’s the best
I’ve ever tasted.
The final stop is the aforementioned
“secret lagoon” in Flúðir, a man-made
swimming pool filled with piped-in natu-
rally hot geothermal water. After paddling
around for a while, we gather at one end
of the pool for a final water-yoga session.
It’s hard to stay balanced with the water
gently buffeting us, but some exercises
that don’t require any balance feel good in
the pool. Arnbjörg employs floats to give
each of us a gentle massage in the warm
water, letting us float free blissfully.
As we start the homeward drive, I am
struck by just how relaxing the day was
in comparison to other tourist trips. By
spending some time focussing on our-
selves in the moment, instead of just snap-
ping pictures at each stop and moving on,
we got a more vivid experience. In contrast
to the default mode of tourist-as-experi-
ence-consumer, this trip offered a more
mindful and ultimately more memorable
experience of Iceland’s landscape.
Words John Rogers
Photos Timothée Lambrecq
For all of Reykjavík's obvious charms, ask anyone who's
lived in the city for a while, and they'll tell you that they
need to escape sometimes. In sharp contrast to larger na-
tional capitals, Reykjavík’s central island is a tiny area—
walking the same streets week in, week out can lead to
an odd kind of claustrophobia, even among people who
love the place.
Trip provided by Breathe Iceland:
www.breatheiceland.com
t r a n q u i l i t y