I realize I haven't written for a while. I don't seem to get online much these days, as the days flow by and one melts easily into the next.
I have been enjoying my time immensely while trying to find my footing after a month of intense yoga training, but things are opening up and flowing in beautiful ways. I have begun to offer free yoga and chanting sessions at my home and it's turning into a wonderful thing. My friends come at 7 am and we begin our day with offerings and prayers to the gods and goddesses, followed by chanting/singing and then an hour of yoga. People seem to enjoy it and I know I adore it. The people who come are from Bali, Holland, Spain, Italy and England (so far). The things we do are a mix of Hindu and Balinese traditions and it feels very right.
Yesterday I went with my friend Ketut to her uncle's art gallery opening in the village of Gianyar. It was fantastic. It was held at her family home, where her uncle has created a gallery. There were at least a hundred people there, including some of the people from the royal family of Bali. There were dances, singing, so much food and of course wonderful art. Everyone was so kind to me and treated me like family too. People are shy to try and speak English with me, but they heartily encourage their children to have conversations with me to practice. I end up talking to teenagers a lot and it's great fun. I am learning Indonesian little by little and can have very basic conversations. I will sign up for a class at the local library to learn more.
Today I went on a very long motorbike ride with 4 of my dearest friends to Padang Bai, a beautiful beach town. We swam in the ocean, ate fresh fish cooked by a sweet woman there and laughed and talked a lot. It was so sweet because 3 of them will be leaving soon to go back to their countries. I have spent the most time with Maurizio, Marcia, Marie Jose and RJ and I will miss them a whole lot. But we have all agreed that we will meet again in Bali someday soon.
When I got back, sunburned and back throbbing from bouncing around on the pothole laden roadways, I quickly showered the sand off me, got dressed up in my finest sarong, sash and kebaya to go to the temple with my friend Donal. There is a huge 10 day celebration happening at one of the large temples here and it was fabulous. It's like a county fair. All kinds of food for sale, rides and balloons for the kids, vendors selling clothing, cheap toys and kitchenware. There were at least 1,000 people there if not more. Everyone is so welcoming and so delighted to see my in my traditional clothing. I lost my friend in the crowd, but a sweet family quickly took me under their wing and we went inside to pray together. I am not intimidated as I was at first, now that i know how it's done. I bought some flowers for offering, some incense and brought my beautiful metal dish with a lid which holds the offerings.
When we go inside the temple, we sit with hundreds of other people while the priest rings a bell and we go through the prayers, which include burning a stick of incense in front of me, waving flowers through the smoke and then holding them between my fingers at the top of my head as I silently pray. After each prayer, the flowers are placed in my hair, or behind my ear. It's such a beautiful thing to do.
After the prayers, the priest comes around with holy water and sprinkles it on us. Then we take three sips from our right hand and are given some rice which is placed on the forehead and on the throat.
I continue to be amazed by the Balinese people and the rich culture that is here. They spend their whole lives in service to the gods which keep them healthy, happy, balanced, having good crops and nice animals and a good home, good business, among many other things.
The women carry huge baskets and towers of fruit on their heads as offerings. These are placed on the alter before the priest and after they are blessed they are taken home to be shared with family. The women are all dressed in their finest clothing and every one of them look like a goddess. Even the little girls. And the men all wear a sarong and cloth on their head. It's all so beautiful and everyone is always happy and smiling. I never see people get angry here and everyone helps each other in any way they can. I'd like to say it's a perfect society, but of course it's not.
The women in Bali do the bulk of the work, raising children, making offerings, running a business and doing all the manual labor like carrying loads of bricks and buckets of dirt on their heads at a construction site. Every Balinese woman I know is exhausted but she never shows it and never complains. They are incredible, strong woman and I admire them very much.
I have been enjoying my time immensely while trying to find my footing after a month of intense yoga training, but things are opening up and flowing in beautiful ways. I have begun to offer free yoga and chanting sessions at my home and it's turning into a wonderful thing. My friends come at 7 am and we begin our day with offerings and prayers to the gods and goddesses, followed by chanting/singing and then an hour of yoga. People seem to enjoy it and I know I adore it. The people who come are from Bali, Holland, Spain, Italy and England (so far). The things we do are a mix of Hindu and Balinese traditions and it feels very right.
Yesterday I went with my friend Ketut to her uncle's art gallery opening in the village of Gianyar. It was fantastic. It was held at her family home, where her uncle has created a gallery. There were at least a hundred people there, including some of the people from the royal family of Bali. There were dances, singing, so much food and of course wonderful art. Everyone was so kind to me and treated me like family too. People are shy to try and speak English with me, but they heartily encourage their children to have conversations with me to practice. I end up talking to teenagers a lot and it's great fun. I am learning Indonesian little by little and can have very basic conversations. I will sign up for a class at the local library to learn more.
Today I went on a very long motorbike ride with 4 of my dearest friends to Padang Bai, a beautiful beach town. We swam in the ocean, ate fresh fish cooked by a sweet woman there and laughed and talked a lot. It was so sweet because 3 of them will be leaving soon to go back to their countries. I have spent the most time with Maurizio, Marcia, Marie Jose and RJ and I will miss them a whole lot. But we have all agreed that we will meet again in Bali someday soon.
When I got back, sunburned and back throbbing from bouncing around on the pothole laden roadways, I quickly showered the sand off me, got dressed up in my finest sarong, sash and kebaya to go to the temple with my friend Donal. There is a huge 10 day celebration happening at one of the large temples here and it was fabulous. It's like a county fair. All kinds of food for sale, rides and balloons for the kids, vendors selling clothing, cheap toys and kitchenware. There were at least 1,000 people there if not more. Everyone is so welcoming and so delighted to see my in my traditional clothing. I lost my friend in the crowd, but a sweet family quickly took me under their wing and we went inside to pray together. I am not intimidated as I was at first, now that i know how it's done. I bought some flowers for offering, some incense and brought my beautiful metal dish with a lid which holds the offerings.
When we go inside the temple, we sit with hundreds of other people while the priest rings a bell and we go through the prayers, which include burning a stick of incense in front of me, waving flowers through the smoke and then holding them between my fingers at the top of my head as I silently pray. After each prayer, the flowers are placed in my hair, or behind my ear. It's such a beautiful thing to do.
After the prayers, the priest comes around with holy water and sprinkles it on us. Then we take three sips from our right hand and are given some rice which is placed on the forehead and on the throat.
I continue to be amazed by the Balinese people and the rich culture that is here. They spend their whole lives in service to the gods which keep them healthy, happy, balanced, having good crops and nice animals and a good home, good business, among many other things.
The women carry huge baskets and towers of fruit on their heads as offerings. These are placed on the alter before the priest and after they are blessed they are taken home to be shared with family. The women are all dressed in their finest clothing and every one of them look like a goddess. Even the little girls. And the men all wear a sarong and cloth on their head. It's all so beautiful and everyone is always happy and smiling. I never see people get angry here and everyone helps each other in any way they can. I'd like to say it's a perfect society, but of course it's not.
The women in Bali do the bulk of the work, raising children, making offerings, running a business and doing all the manual labor like carrying loads of bricks and buckets of dirt on their heads at a construction site. Every Balinese woman I know is exhausted but she never shows it and never complains. They are incredible, strong woman and I admire them very much.
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