A thick bank of dark clouds has cut the sunset short. The daunting cloud wall is creeping slowly over an ocean as calm as a gigantic puddle of mercury. The air is heavy and filled with an anxious, waiting, energy. I am captivated as I imagine the scene before me as an angry Poseidon, the Greek God of the ocean, emerging from the depths of the sea. Dusk turns to night, and lightning bolts hauntingly illuminate the steep jungle ridges that drop to the ocean. The accompanying booms and cracks grow more powerful as the storm approaches. Suddenly, after six months without rain and without even a single warning drop, the sky opens and pours torrentially. A hard rain falls on my palapa roof for hours and my nerves gradually calm as the lightning and thunder pass. I sense a new energy in the jungle… the energy of revitalization and rejuvenation. The rains on the Mexican Pacific have finally begun.

A REVITALIZING RAIN

Both for Mexico, and for myself personally, these rejuvenating rains couldn’t be more welcome at this moment. Mexico has taken some pretty hard hits in the last few months—the drug wars in the border towns, the swine flu and the economic crisis. It is my hope that the summer rains and change of season will not only refresh and revitalize the jungle, but Mexico as a whole.

Here in the jungle at the Tailwind lodge, these various issues have certainly impacted us, but on the whole, we’ve had a wonderful season, with visits from many intrepid travelers. In fact, we’ve enjoyed this season so much, that we’ve decided to stay open longer than usual! In the past, Tailwind has closed for the rainy summertime (end of May to early October). This year, I have decided to stay at the lodge on my own and keep our doors open until mid-July. Some people seem to think I’m “poquito loco” for staying in the jungle during this time. Most sane gringos (Americans) head north during the hot, humid, rainy and very quiet (socially) summer months. So why am I staying?

a) To revitalize myself with the rains. The media loves to talk about spring cleaning and this is my version of that trend. Like many women in this modern era, my life has been moving at high speed and I feel continually behind, always struggling to catch up. Consequently, I feel that I’ve lost touch with myself in many ways.

b) For the challenge. Yes, the athlete in me has trained me to like challenge. I’ve never seen the jungle in the rainy season and I’m approaching the summertime here as I would approach any endurance expedition. It’s not going to be easy, particularly in the beginning. However, everyday I will become stronger and learn something more about myself and the world around me.

c) To allow more adventurous Tailwind guests to come and experience the rainy season and to share in the rejuvenation and adventure!

I woke up this morning at 5:30 am, giddily excited about… rain! After 6 months of aridness the sound of the drops on the palapa roof simultaneously calms and invigorates me. I roll out my yoga mat and begin a practice of vinyasa flow. As I’ve integrated yoga into my daily routine my body has come to crave it all the more and I am motivated further by the progress that I’m making. Throughout the practice I can feel the energy flowing through my veins, enlivening every cell in my body. Between postures I watch as rain drips off the palapa and mist floats around the dimly lit jungle ridges outside. Yoga, jungle and rain = bliss in my life.

If the jungle is so beautiful in the rain, then why does everyone leave during this time of year? Is it just the rain that scares people away? The rain is certainly part of it; many people seek sunny skies. However, a few other reasons are becoming clear to me rather quickly: Heat and humidity, mud, and isolation.

For many people, this list of circumstances is rather unwelcome and avoided. In the past, I have thought the same. However, with rejuvenation and revitalization in mind of late, I have acquired a new, purifying perspective on the realities of the summer.

Heat and Humidity. Everyday of the summertime the weather here seems to tell a slightly different version of the same story. The mornings are clear and sunny and the humidity builds throughout the day, culminating in big storm clouds in the late afternoon that climax with pouring rain beginning around dusk that often lasts through the night. So, what does this weather cycle mean? Lots of sweating! Not exactly glamorous, I know. Sweating begins pretty much as soon as you step out of the shower. My perspective on this? Sweating is part of detoxification and cleansing.

I’m discovering that in the jungle, there’s hot, and there’s HOT and humid. This heat is a new experience for me. As always, I am amazed at the power of my body to adjust and adapt. Each day I become more comfortable with the heat. As I sit in the shade of the palapa with the afternoon jungle breeze cooling me I am actually delightfully comfortable. Any movement beyond turning the pages of a book or typing makes me sweat instantly. I have to admit that I’m actually embracing the body’s natural cooling mechanism. I drink nearly a gallon of water a day and as I sweat I can feel my body ridding itself of toxins that may have accumulated. Many detoxification programs actually do recommend regular saunas for detoxification. Another fun bonus is that I’m also discovering the intensity and joy of hot yoga — no heated yoga room necessary!

Mud. Remember playing in mud puddles as a kid? Well, the hilly three mile long jungle road from San Pancho to Tailwind becomes a daunting series of mud puddles (or small lakes rather) and ruts in the summertime. I’ve yet to see what mud around here can look like after weeks of rain, but Tailwind has a Jeep Wrangler (George of the Jungle) that should help get me through the mud.

My perspective? I get up in the morning and roll around in the mud as part of the cleansing process… just kidding! Actually, as part of my cleansing process I’ll be embracing the theory, “when the road gets rough, go back to the basics”. I’ll be leaving the Jeep behind and hiking the road into town as much as possible. In the afternoons, the mud dries just enough to be easily passable on foot and I have the time, so why not? Running in the mud season is out of the question due to the heat, but hiking is practical and will fulfill my exercise addiction!

My backpack is loaded with my laptop and a bunch of fresh fruits and veggies as I begin the 3 mile walk down the dirt road home. As I settle into my hiking pace I consider the paradox of the last few hours if my life. I love the simplicity of walking to town for groceries. I love chatting with the young girl that helps her family run the little fruit and veggie stand in San Pancho and then loading the colorful bounty into my backpack. For me, if I’m not growing my own food then this is the next best thing. I contrast the simplicity and localness of this experience with the complex and global experience of the time that I spend on the World Wide Web in one of San Pancho’s cafes. As soon as I’m connected to the Internet the world around me disappears and I begin multi-tasking with multiple browsers, researching, e-mailing, exploring new marketing avenues, working on the Tailwind website and newsletter. The Internet is a phenomenal tool, but it certainly changes the way that I perceive the world. A bead of sweat drips off my nose as a truck slows to offer me a ride, I decline, telling him that I’m enjoying the walk, and the Mexican driver looks at me like I’m crazy and then continues on. Okay, so I’m a bit crazy, but this is a crazy world we live in!

Isolation. Not many people stay in the jungle during this time, namely because of the factors mentioned above. As well, for many, the idea of isolation and miles of jungle with no one else around is an unwelcome prospect. From my perspective, this isolation translates to being given the invaluable gift of time. Time in the jungle in the summer is abundant. It is true that Mexico already functions on it’s own clock—“mañana” mode. However, in the summer this is taken to a new degree. Being unaware of the date, or even of the month is the norm rather than the exception. Time is an essential part of rejuvenation and cleansing—to reconnect with myself, to listen, to reflect, to sift out the lessons I’ve learned in the past months and to prepare myself for the coming chapters of my life.

THE GIFT OF TIME

Time is a wonderful gift to have been given at this point in my life. I love being busy and constantly on the go, but this can become a dangerous addiction. Right now, I have time to catch up and listen—to the world around me and to myself. With this time I hope to gain more insight  with mindful ‘activities’ like…

Listening to myself. I’ve finally had the time to begin learning about and understanding the different layers/sheaths of one’s self (known as Koshas in Sanskrit)—physical, vital energy, mental, wisdom/awareness and bliss body—we all have these many amazing layers to our beings. As an athlete I’ve always put a lot of focus on the physical body and likely will always do so. How am I reacting to my daily yoga session? How is my body reacting to what I just ate? However, lately I often find myself focusing on my body’s internal conversation. What kind of energy am I projecting today? What am I thinking about and how are these thoughts affecting my mood? What are my bad habits and how can I get rid of them? Am I happy? In my hectic life I don’t have a chance to listen to signals and be aware of the layers of myself. Lately I’ve had a chance to listen and my journal is keeping track of everything I hear.

Researching. Long, open stretches of undistracted time are also exactly what I need to do the Tailwind market research and development that I’ve been trying to get around to for years! With such a hands-on business there is little time to step back and do some homework. Thanks to the World Wide Web I’m able to conduct my research from the quaint little town of San Pancho! I’m developing Tailwind’s website, press kit, newsletters, learning from other eco-lodges, envisioning the future of the lodge. The Internet is truly an overwhelming tool that can be both incredibly useful and terrifically overwhelming! In free moments when not working on Tailwind I find myself doing everything from researching the nutritional properties of various fruits and vegetables to checking the surf report!

Reading. The image of me lounging somewhere (hammock, on my bed shrouded in a cascading bug net, on the roof top deck, etc.) with a good book in my hands is one that I use to get myself through long days, as a reward for my hard work. For me that image represents a moment of relaxation, entertainment, erudition, and enjoyment. Unfortunately this reading reward has been an illusive moment in my life over the last few years. For me, the gift of time in the rainy season means time to read. Yippee! The jungle is a reader’s paradise. What’s keeping me company in the hammock right now? Barbara Kingslover’s Animal Vegetable Miracle, 14-Day Herbal Cleansing by Laurel Vukovic and Thomas Freedman’s The World is Flat. All of these are wonderful, unique books, that offer very different aspect of this modern crazy world; most definitely food for thought!

JUNGLE EPIPHANY

I’ve been living in the jungle for several years now, but in many ways I’m seeing it for the first time. Having been caught up in the whirlwind of my entrepreneurial pursuit for many years I have fallen behind in many aspects of my life. Now, with the closing of Tailwind’s second season as the rains begin to fall, I’ve taken a step back to return to the basics of life and slow things down a bit. Not only do I feel like I’m seeing the green of the jungle for the first time as the rain replenishes the life around me, I also feel like I’m seeing my life for the first time.

I seem to have finally developed a sense of place that so many nature writers tell about. I feel present, clear-minded and connected to my surroundings. With this new and welcome grounded sensation, I am also suddenly acutely aware that I’m exactly where I want to be, doing exactly what I want to be doing. I think I’m starting to understand my personal definition of happiness. Over the years, each day individually has been a bit clouded by the challenge of small tasks and goals. Yet, as I take time to pause from the daily regime, I see that collectively, all of the work my family and I have poured into Tailwind seems to have created something wonderful that is growing and thriving and that has touched the lives of many.

So, the verdict on my spring cleanse so far? My mind and my body are incredibly grateful! It’s taken slowing down, breathing, and listening to myself, to realize that this is perhaps the most challenging, but the happiest time in my life. I highly recommend taking some time for yourself this spring. Take a step back, and consider where you’re at in life. It’s worth it, I promise!

TAMARA JACOBI is the co-owner, hostess, website-designer, bookings manager, and expedition guide for Tailwind Outdoor, a family-owned eco-lodge and adventure tour company in San Pancho, Mexico. She is a lifelong athlete whose accomplishments include completion of 2 marathons, sea kayaking 850 miles down the Baja's Sea of Cortez, mountain biking 2000 miles of the USA's continental divide trail, mountaineering up Pico de Orizaba's 18,700 feet, and more. She is also a passionate trail runner and practicing yogini... {more »}

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