My Dad — A Tribute

By Rupert Tull de Salis

Our Soglio yoga and meditation retreat was a success beyond imagination.  Here is how it came to be…

Tastes, sounds, smells and images can sometimes transport me back to some long-forgotten memory from childhood. Growing up in the West of England, I became so familiar with the people in the paintings on the walls of our house, that I took them in as just another part of the real world. They were there, accepted without question as I bounded up the stairs at top speed on some highly urgent mission - usually involving the dismantling of a toy. Sometimes I would ask questions about those people pictured in those paintings.  I would turn them over in my mind, and conjure up all kinds of possibilities out of whatever I heard. Now I live with my wife in Ann Arbor, MI; I still dismantle things, but now, instead of toys it’s more about my attitudes, beliefs and perspectives.

Among landscapes, boats and portraits of our forefathers, there were scenes from a village in a remote corner of southeast Switzerland called Soglio. They represented the glories of bygone years, when my ancestors were said to have ruled over their neighbors  and – of course – were the unquestioned heroes of any conflict in which they took part. A grand white palace, with shutters and red terracotta tiles, dominating everything around. A village washing-pool, stone built under a slate tiled roof, with rustic locals cleaning their clothes on wooden boards and sharing gossip in the morning sun. A whitewashed church tower, against a background of deep green evergreen trees across the valley, grey-white mountain peaks and a clear blue sky above. In my mind, these images helped build an imaginary identity, in which my family was exotic and endowed with historical greatness.

As I grew older, I learned - from books on our shelves – that our ancestors had, indeed, exerted considerable influence in their region, their power rising from the first historical records in the year 1060, through exciting changes in the middle ages and reaching a peak in the late eighteenth century. In about 1812, however, the family’s glorious history came to an abrupt end at the hands of the evil Napoleon Bonaparte, who apparently took a personal, vindictive pleasure in destroying my family’s wealth and influence. This version tied in perfectly with the history I was learning at a provincial English primary school—or did, until my last teacher at that school, a stern man named Saunders whom we respected greatly, took an interest in my tales of our glorious past, and borrowed one of the books from our shelves. He took it home and read, and on returning it, he announced, “so basically your family were a bunch of mediaeval bandits.” I was too shocked to respond, but I internalized those words and later in life, came to see his point. I also came to realize that some of the idiosyncrasies of my immediate family had more to do with psychology and family dynamics, for which we needed to look only one or two generations back: and that not everything that was unusual about us should necessarily be celebrated or encouraged.

Family holidays, previously limited to camping in England and Wales, led us eventually to Switzerland and to Soglio, the village in the pictures. My thoughts about the village  then became dominated by its awesome mountainside beauty. Remnants of family history were easy to find; large houses dating from about 1600-1800, church memorials and place names familiar from those dusty books. We met distant cousins, but none from the old valley – like many others, the Salis family had long fled the rural economy, in search of good jobs in the north of Switzerland. But their neighbours of old – the Giovanolis, Pools and others – still remained, continuing the traditions of mountainside farming, gathering hay for cows, goats and sheep, and – more recently – nurturing rare herbs, for more sophisticated local products such as cosmetics and massage oils. Tourism is present but not obtrusive – Soglio is far enough off the beaten path that the enthusiasts who visit are mostly experienced hikers, who know this as a welcome stop on their day-long hikes over the Engadine mountains.

When I first brought Jody, my American wife, to Soglio, I was pleased to show her such a beautiful part of the world, where small-scale farming could still be observed all around. This tiny village, smaller than a modern apartment complex, sits perched on the side of a mountain, and only a hundred years ago the only access was by a steep, stony path. But Jody’s reaction took me off guard,  – “ I absolutely must share Soglio with my yoga students!” she announced. And she did.

That first year, a Mercedes minibus crept uncertainly up the cobbled street to the village square, very nearly scraping the walls on both sides, and delivered a dozen American adventurers for their week of yoga in paradise. The coffee cup in the driver’s hand was shaking slightly as he set off back to Zurich – and then the van was gone, and the adventure began.

It was a success beyond imagination; gentle walks down into the valleys, one day northwest, the next day southeast into Italy, and bus rides back home. Cow bells in the morning, and a cool, clear chime from the church clock, announcing every quarter hour with an echo across the valley. Some of our guests spoke Spanish, and found it surprisingly easy to get along in the local Swiss-Italian dialect. Cool morning air as the sun rose over the peaks, so our eyes, closing in the dark for outdoor meditation, opened again to see the first daylight skimming over dew-covered grass.  All left saying they’d come back again next year.  Most did.
The second year, we found our way up to a clearing directly above the village – about an hour’s climb, but well worth it for the views, the peace, the air and the unparalleled quality of the Engadine light – which draws painters from around the world; Segantini called Soglio “the gateway to Paradise”. As we returned, year after year, we came to know the residents better, and we learned more about the real life of the village. Great care is taken to husband every last blade of grass, for winter hay to feed the livestock; and it goes without saying that the Swiss look after their land as carefully as their own houses – not a scrap of litter can be seen anywhere. Goats and cows and sheep are moved progressively up the mountain so as to use the grazing land wisely through the year; cheese is made in the village, milk is drawn and used locally, unusual mushrooms and herbs are cultivated – and all kinds of food are produced from an abundance of chestnut trees, whose golden leaves light up the entire valley towards the end of summer. This organically grown, free range local produce is, of course, now in great demand at St Moritz and the other exclusive resorts at the far end of the valley.
We were alarmed last year when we left an expensive camera on a public bus; but we had no need to worry. The camera was handed to the driver, and given in at the bus depot. When we called, the staff then arranged to pass it from driver to driver and deliver it via a specific bus that, we were informed, would pull into the village at 4:11pm that afternoon. So at exactly 4:11, the bus arrived and we retrieved our camera! None of this, for Soglio, was the least bit unusual.

Our sojourns in Soglio allow us to get to know, admire and appreciate hard-working and wise people who resemble those in the pictures hanging on the walls of my parents’ home.   They’ve added a fully human face to my imaginary family homeland, and for me, that expanded perception is a kind of yoga stretch and an important rite of passage. For Jody’s students, the experience of Soglio’s fresh mountain air, natural beauty, and pure sensual pleasures also give new depth to their experience. The sound of a church bell on a still afternoon, small-scale organic farming and a people paying attention and working hard to bring the best out of the land, long after others had left for stressful lives in cities filled with pollution and processed food -  these are very much related  to the wisdom sourced and necessary in the practice of yoga. For all of us, yoga in Soglio has been and continues to be, a homecoming.  Retreat limited to only 16 participants.  Register now at www.shapingsound.com  to reserve your spot in the August 23 – 29 2009 retreat.

Tags: Yoga in Swiss Italian Alps