Camino de Santiago – What is it and why are we walking it?
The Camino de Santiago is more than just a hike; it’s a journey of self-discovery, spirituality, and adventure – at least that’s what we’ve been told. We actually haven’t been on it yet. But those aspects of this ancient pilgrimage convinced us to take a month and a half out of our lives just to walk miles and miles each day.
What is the Camino de Santiago?
Before we get into our why, let me explain what the Camino de Santiago (St. James Way in English) is.
It is a network of trails stretching across Europe. They come together and lead to the tomb of St. James in the city of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. There are many different routes, with the Camino Frances being the most popular.
During the Middle Ages, this was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages along with Jerusalem and Rome. People have been walking from their doorstep all the way to Santiago de Compestela for more than 1,000 years! It was not only a physical, but also a spiritual journey. Completing this crusade would pardon a pilgrim for all of their sins.
Today, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims or peregrinos reach the Cathedral of Santiago by way of foot, bike or horseback. At the end of the Camino, you can receive the Compostela certificate. This proves the Camino de Santiago was completed. You must get two stamps a day on your Pilgrim Passport for at least 100 km on foot or 200 km on bike or horseback.
While many people still walk for religious reasons, others do it for personal reasons. The Camino de Santiago provides a physical journey with time and space for self-discovery, too.
A little about our background
Not only are we yoga teachers, but also avid hikers and backpackers. The Camino de Santiago perfectly blends our two passions: introspection & hiking.
Growing up, I would spend every summer camping out in the wild with my family. As an adult, I fell in love with backpacking: spending days hiking surrounded by nature, time for self-reflection, and quality time with my closest friends.
When I took Alejandro on his first backpacking trip, he loved exploring places that could only be accessed by foot, connecting with nature, and getting a physical workout.
What gets us back to the trail time and time again is being able to disconnect from our daily lives even just for a few days at a time. It allows us to truly be in the present moment.
So, why are we hiking the Camino de Santiago?
When we moved to Spain in 2022, the Camino de Santiago was a big dream that seemed far off.
Last summer, we were on a sunset walk in Pilar de la Horada. We passed a plaque that said (translated from Spanish) “The Camino de Santiago Southeast begins here.” I looked at Alejandro and said this is our sign we have to do it!
Of course, we couldn’t drop everything for a month and a half to hike. So, we went forward with the plans we did have. We worked at Dragonfly House, a yoga retreat center in the mountains of Andalucia for the summer. Then, we moved to Málaga to work as English language assistants for the school year. And what an incredible experience it was!
We had everything sorted out to stay in Malaga for the following school year. We even planned to teach yoga classes at the beach during our summer break.
However, life had other plans for us. The rules changed and we could only stay until the end of June. What would we do for summer? We can’t work with our visas and have no idea where we will be placed for the next school year. No job and no place to live.
And just like that, two months before departure we commit to hiking the Camino de Santiago!
Our plans
It feels surreal that a lifelong dream can become the next right step.
We will hike the Camino Frances from St. Jean Pied de Port, France to Santiago de Compostela and continue to the coastal city of Finisterre, formerly known as the end of the world during the Middle Ages. This trek is about 1,000 km (600 miles). We will be hiking about 20 to 30 km each day for about 40 days, with some rest days in between.
This is our first pilgrimage or thru-hike and will be a great learning experience.
My intention for hiking the Camino de Santiago is connection. I want to connect with myself, connect with Alejandro, connect with other pilgrims, connect with nature, and connect with history.
We are most excited to offer yoga classes to fellow pilgrims. It will be a physical journey for all of us and we want to be in service in any way we can. We will offer a morning warm-up to reduce the risk of injury and an evening cool-down to reduce soreness. While hopefully building community along the way.
While we were training for the hike, we decided to create a program to help other hikers prepare for their adventures as well – whether it be the Camino de Santiago or not. Check out our Training for the Trails Program if you are looking to get into hiking shape.
I will be writing about our experience in the coming blog posts for those who would like to follow along! We will also be documenting each day with a short video blog, links below.