CIELO FARMS
Malibu, CA
Breathwork Might Be Better Than Wine.
We took Pacific Coast Highway at the end of the day, when traffic is light. The smell of saltwater was a refreshing change from the fumes of the city. We turned onto Kanan Dume Road, across from Point Dume. After a few minutes of going up the winding road, we reached the entrance to Cielo Farms, a Malibu vineyard with wine tasting. On this particular day, Cielo was hosting our local meditation studio for a breathwork workshop and we were on the guest list.
We arrived early, and chose to wait in the picturesque outdoor patio. The place reminded us of Napa valley, yet it’s only an hour away from almost anywhere in LA. Many umbrella’d tables were laid out on a green patio that overlooked an expansive valley below. We’ve lived in Los Angeles for decades and had no idea this magical place was here. Green peaks littered the valley, some topped with flat plateaus of rock.
A server brought us cool glasses of ice water. As we sipped the cold water and took in the view, we felt as though we were already on our way to enlightenment.
Soon we followed some of the arriving meditators and strolled down a walkway with a view of the valley and overhangs of pink flowers above. The workshop was on a flat outcropping with meditation chairs aligned in a circle. It seemed to be tailor-made for this occasion. We chose our seats and tried to be as still and calm as we could as the others arrived. Music played with lyrics like “relax…” “you are whole.” Not usually our chosen tacks, but in this setting it fit perfectly and put us all in the right mood. Codi, the lovely Mindry guide leading our workshop, gave us all simple instructions for the meditation: breathe into the stomach, then the chest, and let it all out through the mouth. We laid back on our mats and began.
During the following hour, we encountered what we usually do when we try to sit still for long lengths of time without being entertained (sadly a product of our environments.) We fidgeted and our minds bubbled with thoughts, but with Codi’s guidance, we were able to continually bring our attention back to the breath.
We were finally guided to open our eyes, and as we did, we were greeted by a pink sky and setting sun. Its golden light reflected off the nearby vineyard. We felt new, refreshed, some people were even hugging. Baptism by nature. Most of us lingered and watched the final rays of light disappear. And as we walked out, feeling a lightness we had not felt for a long time, we had the realization that if we did this often, our lives would surely change for the better.
