Great female adventurers in history
A little inspiration goes a long way! I feel like today is a perfect day to take a glympse back to the past and commemorate some corageous ladies who deserve the title of great female adventurers for they changed the history of travel and adventure. When I read about them, I feel inspired to put my ideas into action, planning new adventures, accomplishing great projects, breaking sexist barriers which still today prevail. The fight for equality is not over yet. I would love to dedicate this little space to the great female travellers and adventurers of all times, from the beginning until today, for anything that makes you feel brave is great. Amelia Earhart 1897, Kansas, USA: a writer, equal rights advocate and pioneer in aviation was born. Amelia was the first woman in history to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger, only to later become the very first woman to fly solo crossing the Atlantic in 1932. Five years after her intrepid adventure, and in the company of Fred Noonan, she aimed to be the first woman to fly around the world. After a stop in New Guinea, they flew towards the end of their journey which unfortunately became the end of their known whereabouts. Weeks before her fortieth birthday, Amelia, her travel partner and their plane disappeared, never to be found, somewhere in the Pacific, and close to the islands Howland and Baker (known to be the first to see the new day). After so many years, such strange event continues to be investigated and considered of public interest. Amelia wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences, promoted commercial flying, and was an essential figure in the creation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for women pilots. Egeria As I am a little curious, I want to see everything Spanish stamps collection dedicated to Egeria Known as the first great female traveller and pilgrim, and the first to document her adventure, Egeria (Eteria or Etheria) travelled from Europe to the Holy Land, using the Bible as her guide for an adventure of thousands of kilometres. She is considered pioneer in travel literature. Her writing -fresh, simple and personal- reveals a cultural sensitivity that transcends time; she shows genuine care and interest to know about local customs and traditions on every stop. From the fourth century, and of Hispano-Roman origin, her manuscript, Itinerarium ad Loca Sancta, is written in vulgar latin, common in her times. She describes places, her way to travel and where she slept, many times accepting the hospitality of the locals. Her journey took place between 381 and 384, departing from what now is France, through Northern Italy, crossing the Adriatic, to arrive to Constantinopla. It is believed that being of high class and educated, she must have had a safe-conduct or some sort of official document which allowed her to cross frontiers and get military protection in dangerous areas. She travelled through Turkey, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Siria, visiting places like Mount Sinai, from where she wrote on Saturday, December 16th 383: and early on the Lord’s Day, together with the priest and the monks who dwelt there, we began the ascent of the mountains one by one. These mountains are ascended with infinite toil, for you cannot go up gently by a spiral Elizabeth Jane Cochran 1864, Pennsylvania, USA: an equal rights advocate, pioneer in undercover journalism and traveller was born in a family of fourteen siblings. Pinky, as some called her for wearing that color often, abandoned university after one semester due to shortage of money, and wrote a letter to Pittsburgh Dispatch regarding a sexist column in the newspaper. The editor who hired her as a reporter and writer, gave her the pseudonym for which she’s known, Nellie Bly, because of Stephen Foster‘s song with the same name. After some time, she moved to New York, where she worked for Pulitzer, at the New York World newspaper. Her first job consisted in writing an article on Blackwell’s psychiatric house. To write it, she practiced her acting skills and pretended to be afraid and suffer amnesia while staying at a pension. They immediately took her as a crazy person and got her into the madhouse. She exposed herself to the real conditions and abuse that patients suffered, and wrote about her experience in Ten Days in a Madhouse, reporting the administration behaviour and pushing for an official investigation turning into drastic measures of change. And thus, she became the very first investigative journalist. Her style, articles, and feminist view of the world pushed her to embark in adventures and projects that would normally be reserved for the men. She proposed the newspaper she was working for to make Julio Verne’s novel a reality. After getting a negative for an answer for being a woman and needing too much luggage, she communicated that she would just pursue her goal with another newspaper. Then, they decided to support her. She travelled with a dress, a coat and some basic needs goods for about forty thousand kilometres, most of them on her own. One of her stops was in Amiens, as Julio Verne and his wife had invited her over to meet her and hear about her expedition. In 1889 she established a new record going around the world, arriving to New York 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes after her departure. After these endeavors, Elizabeth took charge of her passing husband’s business, carrying out health, hourly and salary reforms; she wrote, and became a World War I reporter in Europe, becoming one of the earliest known female war correspondents in history. Elizabeth Bessie Coleman 1892, Texas, USA, to an African-American mother and Cherokee father, the tenth of thirteen siblings was born. Elizabeth grew up with her family and going to church, helping at home and at the cotton fields, and walking six kilometres and a half to get to the segregated school she attended. When she turned eighteen, she studied at university for a year, having
International Day of Yoga
We are back with yet another international day. Where do I get these from? Actually, they are official! The United Nations, under their motto «peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet«, declares international days to give room to and create awareness on matters of general interest, such as the protection of human rights, sustainable development or health. As you may already know, travel, sports and health are subjects that greatly interest me, and I enjoy writing and sharing about experiences that mark my everyday life and my life of travel. I recently published an article on superheroes (that I think you should read, and invite you to do so!), and today, 21st of June, we celebrate a new interesting day: Happy international day of yoga! I find it somehow funny that I remember getting really bored during some yoga classes I took about ten years ago in some gym. And for that reason I was really surprised when I got hooked on yoga during quarantine… I could not stop learning, meditating and practicing! Perhaps at this point in my life I was really prepared to receive all the wisdom that this discipline entails, in such a holistic way. Physical activity needs to keep happening! (I said to myself) So I surpassed the acquaintance status with the building stairs and paid my daily visits to the rooftop for training sessions and dancing under Mister Big-vitamin-D. Back on my computer, I randomly found a yogi girl who was offering short yoga guided lessons via youtube. I was curious. A few of my dearest friends told me how they practice it everyday, and I liked the way this online yogi talked in her videos: natural, with a smooth voice, without forcing or big ambitions for the newbies… just flowing. It was just a great way to connect with my own body, breathing and movement (just like freediving!), disconnecting from the frustrations and impotence of the lockdown situation, letting go, and becoming grateful and appreciative of the now and what I am and do have. I honestly cannot remember when it was that I first practiced yoga. Maybe it was when I was about five and started practicing rhythm gymnastics for so many years… the warm-ups and the stretches are so similar! It could have been before or after that. Perhaps that gym class, in high school or at university, or when I was training for my freediving competition! There was so much focus and attention on the body and breathing… I definitely recall studying and practicing while being the head of the PE department in a high school and preparing my student Lea for her GCSEs in yoga… It could have also been in the last few years, with my workmates during some of our fun free time. Actually, I could have also practiced without even knowing that yoga was the name of what I was doing! So when does one really start? I guess since the beginning. Who more is in the here and now than a baby? Anni Taskula So this makes me think. I don’t know even half of what there is to know about it. An idea popped up Who can tell best how yoga is lived but people who do it or have it as a lifestyle? I decided to interview a handful of beautiful people who I know and/or have served me as inspiration. Men and women from different backgrounds have dedicated some of their precious time to bring you, dear readers, a perspective on yoga that you won’t find in the books or navigating the Internet. So what is yoga? Yoga is more than a physical activity that comes from India: it is also mental and spiritual practice. That’s why it is an amazing practice for mindfulness! The actual word yoga means unity, as it symbolizes the union of mind and matter. Yoga is the ultimate practice for connection with our minds, bodies, and spirits. Patrick McConnell Yoga to me is a philosophy about unity; unity within myself, unity with the physical and energetic surrounding, unity through people – collective awareness and universal knowledge. Anni Taskula Yoga is a practice that makes me feel good and at peace with me and the world. Ricardo Ramos Yoga for me is recovery, healing, freshening, strengthening; exercise for the body and mind. Matt Richardson Yoga is everything: How you live your life, how you treat other people, how you treat yourself, etc. It’s a mindset that everything comes out of. Nuša Molek Yoga is my philosophy of life. Yassy MM A tool for taking care of the body and soul Jan J Yoga is a way of connection between my body, mind and soul. Julieta Virgili Yoga for me is a constant journey of learning more about how to live life in balance and harmony to create happiness within and with others. It’s a way for me to connect with myself and remind myself what is important in life and what makes me truly happy. Practicing yoga will never end for me, it doesn’t stop when I step off the mat as it is so much more than just the asana movements that a lot of people in the west associate yoga with. Cat Butterfield Yoga holds such significance that in December 2014, the United Nations recognized not only its universal popularity, but also the need to create awareness about its great benefits, emphasizing the importance of individuals and populations making healthier choices and following lifestyle patterns that foster good health. So the international day of yoga was created, to share the advantages of this practice, for the benefits and wellness of the worldwide population. Yoga practice generates this feeling of deep awareness of oneself and the energy one feels, through mind and body alignment, reconnecting within to then connect with the outside. Here are some of the benefits that my interviewees and myself thought of: Physical benefits Flexibility Strength Balance Agility Lung expansion Body posture Limbering