October in Iceland · Into the wild within
Here I am back in Iceland chasing waterfalls, in between resting and recuperating after having led another group expedition for Into the Wild Within. It is the fifth time we are doing this work with Joren here in Iceland, and I must say it keeps getting better and better. On a personal level, witnessing the transformation that occurs for each and every one of our group, wherever they are in their own individual process, is truly profound. Every time I’m with the group out in the winter sub-arctic nature of this island I’m reminded of the power and beauty that exists all around us, and by learning and teaching how to be at ease with it I see the same power and beauty within myself and every single one of our participants.
It’s not easy coming to an expedition like this; on the first day we ventured out for our first cold water immersion, temperature was close to zero and the wind…oh the wind was razor sharp, making it feel more like -7 deg celsius. Nevertheless we headed to the lake, the waves were crushing onto the volcanic rocks on the shore and the group ready to face the full power of mighty earth while being gentle and relaxed, able to breathe at ease. Everyone did it, as always, but of course the impact of a situation where you may think at least for a moment that you might die, is one that can bring up a whole lot of emotions, fears, beliefs, and with it all powerful insights. In the course of six days we journeyed deep into self-awareness, mind body connection, shadow work, allowing for suppressed emotions, strategies for self-care, and last but so not least the power of togetherness.
To illustrate how crucial community is in what we do, I often bring this up with our groups; when do you ever get to spend a whole week living so closely with other people? And on top of this, go through some very tough physical, mental and potentially emotional experiences (such is the power of cold nature immersion). In our everyday, mostly urban, lives we tend to live alone, or with our partner, somewhat excluded from the intimacy of sharing parts of ourselves with other people in community. In the case of couples, what a whole village would provide in terms of emotional support in the not so far past of human community culture, is now expected to be filled in solely by our partner - as I heard Esther Perel talking about in one her audiobooks, and I’m sure a lot of you can relate as I did when I first heard this. The lack of community around us not only reinforces the self-limiting idea that comes from our culture that ‘you have to do everything alone in this life’, but it is also putting a lot of strain on our closest relationships. When living in community even just for a few days, undertaking strenuous physical challenges that require the ignition and sustenance of some serious mental strength, and can result in the release of emotional blockages and a renewed outlook on life, sharing these moments with others is crucial to keep going, understand that we are not alone, that what we are going through is ok, it is normal, everyone around us is just like us, and by coming to the same frequency we can support each other.
I see this in our groups over and over again, and that is why we often say that these expeditions are not even about the cold as such, they are about coming home to yourself, opening your heart, engaging in like-minded community, strengthening your mental capacity, and yes, absolutely, doing all this comes with physical renewal and simply feeling amazing.
Around our expeditions, being in Iceland for me is a total rejuvenation experience due the immensely healing power of this place. A big part of it all is the unspoilt nature you can easily witness all around; outside the city there’s generally very few people, development and human activity of any sort. It’s a kind of a sleepy landscape, slow, like a cold desert. I love driving around and experiencing the vastness of space all around, something I miss dearly in heavily urbanised places like in Holland or big cities everywhere. The need for space and nature is undeniably one of my most tended to lately, and I’m so grateful for the work that we do that allows us to experience this so often. Opening up to this healing effect of being in nature is something I love to pass on to our groups, we don’t just use nature to achieve what we want - health, happiness, whatever it is; we strive to make nature and its qualities part of ourselves, who we are. It is my intention that this serves as inspiration for people to change their lifestyles, spend more time in nature, appreciate nature, therefore care and value its prosperity. We can’t care for nature if we don’t care for ourselves first.
Some of the ways we take care of ourselves when we are in Iceland are about eating locally, immersing in nature either that is cold or hot (yes thank you Iceland for also having hot rivers and springs to dive into), chasing the northern lights and all the stunning nature elements in the form of waterfalls, glaciers, mountains and volcanic beaches. We also love to dress naturally and always advise our groups to do so as it is the best way to keep warm and it also environmentally sustainable.
Food:
Old Iceland | hands down our favourite place to eat when in Reykjavik, family owned and run, serving local dishes using ingredients like spices and herbs grown wild in Iceland. We love restaurants that source wild local ingredients ethically and sustainably, and we look out for them wherever we go.
Shopping:
Geysir | Icelandic lamb wool (and meat) is everywhere and for a reason, as sheep run wild and free all year round here. Also wool is the best thing to wear in such cold climates, but even in less so like at home in Amsterdam. Switching to solely wool garments in the winter for me has been a total game changer on how I feel in the winter. As a student when I lived in Edinburgh I used to buy synthetic jumpers and all that micro plastic fabrics, as I had no idea about the importance of wearing natural threads, and especially in the winter to keep warm (and also they were cheap and back then I didn’t have the awareness of cheap is not necessarily good). Geysir is a famed Icelandic brand of woollen goods, from the classic blankets to ready-to-wear for men and women. The shop in Reykjavik also stocks many amazing northern European brands appropriate for this kind of climate living that also use sustainable manufacturing methods and natural or recycled materials, though I’d say the menswear brands are much more interesting than the women’s, sadly for me but works great for Joren!
Wellness:
With an abundance of hot water running from so many springs all around the island, going to the spa or finding a natural hot pool or river to dip into is really not hard at all in Iceland. Spa culture is big and there are myriads of places to choose from with a large concentration of them in Reykjavik where most Icelanders live.
We love the wild feel and sustainable design of the Ion hotel not too far from Reykjavik. The natural hot pool is to die for and the restaurant is full of beautiful Icelandic dishes with local ingredients.
ABOUT ELENA & LIVING ON SOURCE
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I am a former Googler reborn as conscious living advocate, transformational mentor, conscious business advisor, yogini, sound healing practitioner and workshop & retreat facilitator.
I help people connect to their authenticity and harness their innate power so that they can manifest the life they truly desire through individual sessions, group events and retreats.
It is my passion to inspire people into reconnecting with their true desire; I write regularly on the Living on Source journal and curate events to bring the LOS community together in London & Amsterdam.
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