ChuChu Journal: My Journey to Finding Inner Peace 4

我訝異這次進入狀態的輕鬆。於是工作坊之後，便立刻捉著導師詢問要訣。她於是給我介紹了小木條——那條如柴枝般的小木條。雖然其貌不揚，但原來卻倒也來頭不小。

小木條的名字叫Palo Santo，是西班牙語，意思是神聖的棒子。因此在英語中叫做Holy wood，中文則稱之為聖木。它的學名是Bursera graveolens，是一種芳香的木材。原產於秘魯和委內瑞拉，棲息於南美Gran Chaco地區，跟乳香和沒藥是同家族的品種。

由於此樹木的香氣有鎮靜及舒緩情緒的作用，因此多個世紀以來，都被印加人用作情緒治療，驅除負面思想、安神、寧心，甚至有人認為會為自己帶來好運，或提升創意。 漸漸，許多歐洲和西方國家的人，都接受了它的療癒和淨化作用，還發展香薰精油，用於冥想、瑜珈、按摩，以至輔助入睡，都有不錯的功效。

她介紹完之後，便送了一枝Palo Santo給我。原本打算想跟她多上兩堂，但奈何她第二天便要飛往希臘，那只好自己練習了。

I was amazed at the ease of getting into the meditative state this time.  Right after the workshop, I caught up with the mentor for some tips.  She then introduced me to this ordinary looking, firewood-like wood stick.

The small wood stick is known in Spanish as Palo Santo, whose botanical name is Bursera Graveolens, means ‘Holy Wood’.  Native from Peru and Venezuela that inhabits in the Gran Chaco region of South America, it belongs to the same family as frankincense and myrrh.

This aromatic wood has both calming and soothing effect, therefore, it’s been used by the Incas for centuries for energy cleansing, spiritual purifying, reduce stress and anxiety; some even believe it will bring them good fortune and enhance creativity.  Palo Santo’s purifying and therapeutic healing power has eventually gained popularity amongst Europeans and Westerners, later also extracted as essential oil for use during meditation, yoga, massage, and to help unwind and fall asleep more easily.

Mentor then gave me a Palo Santo Wood as a gift.  If she wasn’t flying to Greece the next day, I’d love to take a couple more classes with her before practicing on my own.  Oh Well......

回到酒店之後，我依循著導師的方式，再做一次冥想練習。先燃點Palo Santo，使它產生微煙，放於陶瓷碟上。給自己一個舒服的坐姿，閉上眼睛，專注於呼吸，再放空思緒。然後，沒多久便入冥想的狀態。

由於自己獨自做練習時，都能夠相對輕易地進入狀態，於是我嘗試在睡覺前燃點Palo Santo，待香氣薰染滿房間之後，弄熄Palo Santo才進睡。結果，入睡容易了，睡眠質素亦好了。

我開始為Palo Santo著迷了。

待續

Based upon what I’d learnt from the workshop, I did another meditation practice once I got back to the hotel.  I lit the Palo Santo wood until it smouldered and placed it on a ceramic tray.  Sat comfortably, clo sed my eyes, focused on the breath and tried to empty the mind.  It didn't take long for me to enter the meditative state.

I found my meditation practice is getting relatively easier than before, so I tried burning Palo Santo before bed as well.  A sense of tranquility filled the space, and as a result, it helped improve my overall sleep quality.

to be continued