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Mountaineering to places that may only be accessed on foot is one of the immersive ways to experience nature. The sacred reveals itself in these unspoiled landscapes where all you hear is the crunch of your boots, the sound of your breath, and the wind singing its ancient stories.
On a recent trip to Patagonia, Chile, I experienced pure moments of peace within the forests, exhilaration on mountain peaks, and revelations—subtle and significant—along the best way.
(Photo: Ingrid Yang)
Patagonia is a region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. Once I asked my guide to clarify the geographical borders of the Patagonian region, she responded, “It’s not a spot, it’s a culture.” I nodded knowingly, but I wondered if my Spanish translation had failed me. I didn’t really understand what she meant, but I remained quiet and refocused my attention on descending a dusty trail of loose rocks.
(Photo: Tessie Vukovich)
Our group hiked to the famed Three Towers in Torres del Paine, the national park that’s central to the Chilean side of Patagonia. From the rocky summit of the three granite Towers, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I took within the incredible topography created by glacial erosions tens of 1000’s of years ago. As a gust blew back the hood of my jacket, a sutra emerged as a melodic chant in my head.
“Bhuvanajñānaṃ sūrye saṃyamāt.”
There are various interpretations of Sutra 3.27, however the one I all the time gravitated to most is Sri Swami Satchidananda’s translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra: “By samyama on the sun, knowledge of the complete solar system is obtained.”
Samyama refers to dharana, dhyana, and samadhi–concentration, meditation, and divine union. As I looked in awe on the vast steppe of the Patagonian landscape in Chile, 1000’s of miles from where the Yoga Sutras were conceived, I wondered why this sutra got here to mind.
(Photo: Ingrid Yang)
With a conscious awareness of my surroundings, I gazed past the big boulders of the Torres del Paine’s mountain passage, and followed the downward slope which revealed lenga forests dissolving into fields of prairie grass ribboned by crystalline streams.
(Photo: Ingrid Yang)
I spotted a sentinel guanaco, cousin to a llama, perched on the hilltop, able to warn its herd if it spotted a preying puma. An Andean condor soared overhead, displaying its incredible 10-foot wingspan (twice my height!). One other blast of wind startled me to attention and pushed me to proceed.
We entered a forest of lenga beeches, trees which can be native to the southern Andes range and thrive within the subantarctic forest. Sunlight peered through their jagged leaves and we were welcomed by the singsong call of native birds, as if we had stepped right into a storybook.
I believed back to the sutra, which focuses on the theme of interconnectedness. It tells us that, upon contemplating this universal knowledge, and arrangement of the sun after which the moon (Sutra 3.28), the interconnectedness of all beings is revealed. In this manner, we could also be provided insight into our very existence.
(Photo: Ingrid Yang)
Walking on the terrain where nomadic tribes once journeyed did feel like a spiritual sojourn, the paths we hiked creating a typical thread between us and people who walked these paths way back.
“It’s all connected,” I whispered to myself.
(Photo: Ingrid Yang)
Good calafate flowers offer a burst of color against a backdrop of mountains and rolling hills. Legend has it that anyone who eats a calafate berry can be certain to return to Patagonia.
Taking a look at this landscape, I believe I understood what my guide meant when she explained that Patagonia is a culture, not a region. By definition, culture is a lifestyle. In Patagonia, this revolves around a connection to and reverence for nature. The culture grows out of a communion with the environment. It recognizes that wisdom unfolds in the form of each calafate flower, within the seemingly chaotic movement of bees around their hives, and within the dignity of the mountains that stand majestically against the never-ending wind. It’s in these complex simplicities that we feel the interconnectedness of all beings, drawn along with the vital force of prana.
(Photo: Ingrid Yang)
Patagonia is commonly called “the tip of the world” since it is the southernmost a part of the American continent. On this place, an actual half-world away from where the sutras were transcribed 1000’s of years ago, I felt a deep connection. The wind played a symphony around my ears that week while I continued to chant “Bhuvanajñānaṃ sūrye saṃyamāt,” as if the breeze were singing it to me. Had it been carried through the years, on the trade winds, to me at this very moment?
(Photo: Ingrid Yang)
After each long day of mountaineering past petrified fossils and glacier-made lakes, we returned to EcoCamp Patagonia’s compound of geodesic dome structures, sustainable lodging for adventure travelers. My legs felt heavy, my toes begging for liberation from my shoes after the climb. But I felt a spiritual lightness in my heart, Sutra 3.27 still singing in my head just like the wind circling past my ears.
Bhuvanajñānaṃ sūrye saṃyamāt.
The domes’ aerodynamic structure is designed to withstand Patagonia’s strong winds (which may reach as much as 250 km/hr). It allows the wind to maneuver gracefully over its curves, allowing air and energy to flow into without obstruction.
The form is a tribute to the indigenous people, who used to maneuver from one place to a different, constructing and removing dome-like dwellings. In ancient Persia and the Hellenistic-Roman world, domes were related to the heavens; a dome over a square base reflected the geometric symbolism of perfection, eternity, and the heavens.
Because domes are concave from below, they will reflect sound and create echoes. Contained in the dome, I could hear the winds whirring across the partitions–a sound that appeared to echo spirits past. It was the sound of the universe. The sound of indigenous individuals who migrated through this land, and of the philosophical seers who studied the sutras half a world away. It’s all connected.
(Photo: Ingrid Yang)
Each evening as we filed into the yoga dome—the one one in every of its kind in Torres del Paine—we shed our layers, leaving a litter of shoes and jackets scattered across the entry. One after the other, we entered the light-filled space with quiet reverence. The big window within the dome revealed a setting sun, with the sky turning an excellent pinkish orange against the silhouette of mountains. Streaks of sunlight jogged my memory of the sutra translation: “By samyama on the sun, knowledge of the complete solar system is obtained.”
(Photo: Ingrid Yang)
In each yoga class, I deepened my breath and felt more grounded and awake in my consciousness. As we moved together under the dome, our bodies synchronized in slow, deep stretches. The subtle points of our interconnectedness was shared within the movement of our bodies, just like the dance of the wind. As each breath invited soothing waves of warm air into my nostrils, the connection of all things unveiled itself, there at the tip of the world.
Bhuvanajñānaṃ sūrye saṃyamāt. Life unfolds in ever-changing and infinite ways to manifest awareness inside us.
Having returned from this extraordinary place, I’ve found that the connections stick with me. The magical energy of Patagonian culture—revealed in ways each subtle and significant—revealed my connection to all things. It happened in a way that may’t be explained but fairly felt here on the “end of the world,” where the journey each begins and ends.
Bhuvanajñānaṃ sūrye saṃyamāt.
(Photo: Kelly Bruno)
What it is advisable to learn about traveling to Patagonia
Traveling mindfully cultivates deep connections—to others, to nature, to the universe, to those we meet, to past and present. Attending to the practicalities of travel is an exercise in mindfulness as well. Listed below are things to pay attention to if you travel to Patagonia.
When to travel to Patagonia
High season is November-March, when the weather is warmer, however the winds are also stronger. Consider the shoulder season (October and April), between peak and off-peak seasons, when it’s somewhat cooler however the winds are calmer.
get there
Select an in depth flight. The gateway cities to the Chilean side of Patagonia are Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales (5 hours and a couple of hours from the doorway of Torres del Paine, respectively). Flights into Puerto Natales from Santiago are limited, costlier, and only run during high season, but when you can snag one, that’s your best bet for a convenient arrival right into a small, charming town that caters to international travelers.
Where to remain
EcoCamp is the world’s first geodesic hotel, a compound of geodesic dome structures which can be designed to be strong, light, and energy efficient—ideal for somebody on the lookout for sustainable lodging. It has three day by day yoga classes in its one-of-a-kind yoga dome. Practicing asana before and after mountaineering helps rid your muscles of lactic acid and provides you one other technique to fill your lungs with mountain air.
Essentials to pack
A requirement of mountaineering in Patagonia is ensuring you’ve got just the suitable variety of layers to manage your body temperature. The temps can fluctuate from lows within the 40s to the mid-70s in the course of the day. What you actually need to arrange for is the wind, which may make it feel much colder. Be sure you equip yourself with windproof every little thing. My guide wore this jacket and really helpful it for its windproof and waterproof capabilities. Below are links to other items that worked well for me. But, after all, select the gear and equipment that can be most comfortable for you.
Layers, layers, and more layers
Balaclava for the wind
Windproof and waterproof jacket
Insulated jacket (down is often the warmest)
Waterproof shoes to wear on the campsites
Gloves to guard your hands from the wind but additionally with flexible grip in your mountaineering poles
Mountaineering boots
Day pack
Travel backpack that matches 5-7 days of clothing (when you’re mountaineering the W trail)
Hardcase luggage (when you’re checking a bag)
Foldable mountaineering poles
Travel water bottle
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Ingrid Yang is an internal medicine physician, yoga therapist, and published creator. She has been teaching yoga for over 20 years and is the creator of the books Adaptive Yoga and Hatha Yoga Asanas. Dr. Yang leads trainings and retreats all around the world, with a special concentrate on kinesthetic physiology and healing through breathwork, meditation and mind-body connection. Discover more at www.ingridyang.com.