Lessons from the Jungle

Featuring a man bun

A picture says a thousand words, right?

Well, here’s another thousand on my learnings from this incredible work exchange experience and what my inner knowing has elucidated as my next steps in life.

Let’s start with learnings from the man-bun donning, kombucha-making, jungle hippie.

I spent the last 16 days in the jungle of Costa Rica as part of a work exchange program. In exchange for 4-5 hours of work per day, I was given accommodation and delicious vegetarian food.

I mostly did landscaping, which involved a variety of tasks using a machete (yes, I’m basically a ninja now). I also surprised myself and produced this overview video to attract more work exchange people to the property. Who knew what me, an iPhone and iMovie were capable of? 

The experience was unreal for many reasons and came with a ton of learnings, but to keep you interested and my hands from developing arthritis, we’ll just stick to one: the importance of nature.

I experienced life in its purest form, far removed from any sign of society. For every single second of those 16 days, I was breathing nothing but fresh air and listening to the sounds of nature (yes, even when I was sleeping since the windows and door to the room were always open). There was no street traffic, no noise pollution… nothing.

And it was bliss.

The result? The most regulated my nervous system has ever felt. In English (😜), this would be described as a deep sense of inner peace or a feeling that everything is perfect, just the way it is.

Somatically, this was a soft warmth in my chest and a relaxed energy in my head. This was so palpable that I started noticing it just hours after arriving on the first day.

The message? This was exactly what my body needed. And craves daily.

Surprised? I certainly was… and I shouldn’t (😳) have been. I had forgotten where I’d come from… that at the end of the day, I’m just an animal in a symbiotic relationship with nature.

And I think most of us have (which is okay btw).

But I don’t blame us, or myself really. We just have really powerful minds (aka egos) that can get the better of us sometimes. And through development of society, we’ve lost touch… well, at least I had.

Ultimately, this experienced showed me — largely through felt experience — that nature needs to be more a part of my life. In case I needed any more confirmation that NYC was not the place for me (now), this was it. Taking it further though, I very much want to be living immersed in nature and I can see a future like that.

While this part of the lesson was beautiful, the others weren’t as glamorous.

First, with bugs. A lot of them. Everywhere. All the time. And second, with the elements aka heat and humidity without AC.

Re bugs, I’ve always had a fear of bugs, but had never questioned why. Sure, they’re scary looking and the flying cockroaches unlocked a whole new fear, but why? I sat with this a lot over the last two weeks and realized (like most fears) it was entirely irrational and another way my ego was attempting to control for safety (which is not “bad” or “wrong” btw). Surprisingly, after meditating on it a few times, the fears softened. I’m sure the immense exposure therapy played a part too.

Re the elements, I slept in 80°+ each night with only a fan. While it was tough and I often went to bed sweating each night, I think it actually helped me get closer to nature. This probably sounds weird, but being without artificially cold air gave me a deeper sense of connection with the land. It was also another great lesson in how adaptable the body is (and brought me back to sandy tent days at AfrikaBurn).

While not as glamorous, these were just as important experiences that I am really glad I had AND highly recommend other people seek out if they’re looking to connect more deeply.

Which leads me to the final piece from this adventure: a connection with my inner knowing and a download from what I’d call source.

I was seven days into the stay and had started my morning routine: meditation, journaling, and drinking cacao with my feet in the river (insane, I know).

Just the day prior, I journaled “I’ve never felt so alive.” I was tapped in and feeling really good…. and that’s when it hit me:

Denver had the two things I love most in life, psychedelics and EDM. Why not move there?

As I had this thought, I was met with the same warmth in my chest before Yoga Teacher Training in Cape Town. It was my inner knowing speaking to me once again. And it felt so right.

In that exact moment, I knew that Denver would be my next move. Seemingly out of nowhere, I had directional clarity for the first time in months.

Is it crazy? Yeah, probably. But you know what’s crazier? Denver is known as the dubstep capital of the world and they just legalized psychedelic therapy. Unreal.

So, that’s the direction. Still without a plan, I am trusting it will unfold exactly when and how it’s supposed to. And while that’s hard, it feels right in my body… specifically my heart.

The longest journey in life is from your head to your heart. Just 18 inches.

Love you all,

Jacob

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Pics

Nauyaca waterfalls

Working the land

Fam photo

Some of the amazing food I ate

Harvested and ate raw sugar cane

Here is part of the morning routine:

And here is me harvesting cacao:

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