It’s the first step to enter into conscious relationship with the environment: here’s what unites Yoga and Permaculture
Autosufficienza Farm from its beginning, in 2009, has been designed in permaculture with the objective of becoming the change we would like to see in the world. The purpose of the design is to self-produce everything we need for our survival and at the same time maintain balance in ourselves and the ecosystem that surrounds us. Permaculture deals with the design of human settlements sustainable over time and bases its principles on three fundamental ethics: care for the earth, care for people and sharing the surplus. In Italy certainly, but perhaps abroad too, many confuse permaculture with an agro-ecological technique for creating vegetable gardens and green spaces.
The original idea of the founders David Holmgren and Bill Mollison was in fact to promote a new way of cultivating that is lasting, that endures over time, without the need for continuous working and care. Over time, however, the word “culture” has taken on the main connotation of “body of knowledge” and not only therefore “cultivation”. Permaculture today deals with the entire field of action of the human being: from education to agroecology, from economy to architecture, from social relationships to healing, from nutrition to spirituality, seen through the three ethical principles. That’s why a good permaculture manual always starts from zone “00”, namely from the person’s primary needs and health.
One of the main teachings of permaculture is that everything is interconnected
Zone 00: ourselves
We can easily live more than a month without eating, a few days without drinking, but only a few minutes without breathing. Breathing is life and is the basis of our health. Through conscious breathing we can expel toxins, connect the central nervous system to the vegetative one, maintain correct blood pressure, massage our internal organs, but above all we can reach that mental clarity which, today more than ever, is essential in every area of life.
Physical movement is also fundamental for our health. Keeping our body active allows us to feel alive and toned, oxygenate cells more, reduce motor deficits, positively stimulate the cardiovascular and nervous system. Movement, moreover, increases cognitive abilities, memory and performs a protective activity on the brain.
We could continue like this talking about nutrition, rest, sun exposure, immersions in nature, but it should already be clear to us why at La Fattoria dell’Autosufficienza much space is also dedicated to yoga and other practices that don’t strictly have to do with agriculture. Cultivating the land is essential to self-produce food, but being in excellent physical and mental health is essential to work and design the land well. One of the main teachings of permaculture is that everything is interconnected.
Sharing the change we would like to see in the world
Autosufficienza Farm is not only a farm, in fact it is a place of experimentation, sharing and training. From its birth, when there were still only abandoned fields and ruins, the farm has been open to everyone thanks to courses, open days and guided tours. In 2017 a further step was taken in terms of hospitality with the opening of the organic farm stay, to which were added, in 2020, the inauguration of the farm camping and the octagonal temple for yoga and meditation.
The design of these spaces, as permaculture teaches us, was not random: the relationships between buildings, the exposure of windows, water movements, risks of possible erosion, environmental impact were studied at length. Particular importance was given to the choice of materials for construction and energy saving. From this last point of view the octagonal temple is certainly, in Italy, one of the most cutting-edge buildings.
A place of healing
The large hall was built entirely with natural materials starting from wood, straw and lime-hemp with which the walls were made, arriving at the finishes in raw earth, the solid oak wood floor and the large wood stove. The cooling of the hall occurs through natural intake of external air which cools thanks to passage underground and ventilation is guaranteed by the large windows as well as by mechanical fans for support. The openings to the South and East are protected by a pergola covered with deciduous climbing plants so that in winter sunlight warms the hall and in summer instead coolness is maintained thanks to the shade of the plants.
The octagon represents the constructive balance of forms, temperaments and cosmic energies. The number eight is universally the number of cosmic balance and is the number of cardinal directions united with intermediate directions. Geometrically, the octagon stands as an intermediary figure between the square, which represents the earth, namely the human dimension, and the circle, the perfect figure which represents the sky, the divine dimension. Inside the hall one comes into contact with the energy of wood with which the floor and roof were made, with the energy of earth with which the plasters are made, with the energy of fire thanks to the large stove, with the energy of air thanks to the incredible panoramic view of the mountains and with the energy of the sky thanks to the positioning, shape, symbols and intent.
We are aware that the true temple is our body and that if one is centred and connected one can practise even in a railway station, but it has often happened that people who deal with health, after a few hours spent at the farm, told us: “this is a place of healing” and so we are even more convinced that a good practice in such a place can transform into a truly unique experience.
Written by Francesco Rosso and Giulia Sama. This article was featured in the magazine Vivi Consapevole 61, June/August 2020.
