YOLO Journal Issue 12 - Flipbook - Page 22
Passing the noisy strip of Tulum
Beach heading south, the tourist crowd
thins and the loud traffic vanishes.
The beach on the left side of the road
grows wilder as it leads to the entrance
of the crystalline and lush Sian Ka’an
Biosphere Reserve.
Somewhere along this road, hidden
amongst trees, is the unmarked wooden
door of Naga Tulum. Rafael Chaman’s
peaceful and mystical sanctuary in the
Mexican jungle is dedicated to yoga, meditation, ancient wisdom and sacred music.
Here, he gathers a community of sound
wizards, musicians, healers, yoga teachers
and travelers from all over the world, who
merge their talents to shape a healing
adventure amidst the mangroves and
ancestral Mayan sacred cenote waters.
22
Naga is centered around a sandy
garden, where Rafael has built a large,
Balinese-style wooden house and four
elegant beach huts. In the yard, a fire
burns continuously under the religious
care of the hombre del fuego, spreading
holy smoke and relaxing scent throughout the day and shedding its golden
light at night. “Just as fire transforms
wood into ash, it burns our emotional
pollution and mental noise,” Rafael says.
Nearby, a domed structure shaped from
curved sticks is draped with colorful
handmade blankets for temazcal days; a
stone altar overflows with offerings of
candles, seeds, flowers and copal cups.
It is serene down here in the lush
jungle, walking barefoot, gathering
around long tables for organic-vegan •
