Tag Archive for: Bali

How You Make Your Day in 17 Seconds

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yellow bird in pink flowers in Bali

“Garden of Light” from the Connection Photography Collection in my shop.

What do you wake up thinking every morning?

How do you feel?

Did you know you had 17 seconds to set the pace for the rest of the day?

And if that snowballs to 68 seconds (17 x 4), you’ve created the vibrational pull for the Law of Attraction to kick in.

Like attracts like any time of the day. But your vibration in those first 17 seconds are the most powerful. I learned that from Abraham Hicks.

 

Born New Every Day

I love the fact that sleep is a reset button. It’s like being “born new” every day. Isn’t that great news?!

But I’m not mastering this 17-second co-creative opportunity.

I’m told I used to wake up singing when I was a young child. And I’d keep singing in my crib until my mom came to get me. My inner child has a lot to teach me.

Now I wake up with my running checklist in my mind. And if I reach for my phone and see it’s past 5am, stress kicks in. There’s no practical reason for it… I’ve just run that program for so long that it’s on auto-pilot.

My mental checklist has boggled people for years.  It’s set a very productive tone for my days, but not a relaxing one.  I’m still learning to have fun…

For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been aligning with Source Energy more first thing in the morning. I’ve developed the habit of singing my mantra “Love, peace, joy, health, wealth and happiness. Love, peace, joy, healthy wealth and freedom.”  It’s catchy and my brain is catching on.

How to Build Momentum For Your Day

Awareness is the first key. Take the next few days to notice what you’re thinking about upon waking. If you don’t like the momentum you’re building with those thoughts and feelings, change them.

Focus is the second key.  It doesn’t just happen.

You have to decide to be happy to build the positive momentum to create it.

There are days when I wake up in total appreciation for how quiet it is. Traffic and construction haven’t started yet. It’s blissful. When that’s my first thought and feeling, I naturally continue thinking of everything I’m grateful for.

Appreciation is one way to focus and create momentum.

Going straight into meditation instead of reaching for the phone is another.

Can you think of more? I’m open to ideas. Please list them below in the comments.

17 Seconds Throughout the Day

The 17 second rule isn’t only true first thing in the morning. That’s just the most powerful time.

Notice your thoughts and feelings throughout the day. Put a chime on your phone to remind you to pay attention.

And if you’re going to focus on anything negative, complain, or wallow during the day, keep it under 68 seconds. Remember, like attracts like.

Yikes! Now it’s 6:30. Time to get on with my day.

Ooops. Cancel that.

It’s only 6:30 – I’ve got my whole day ahead and have already written today’s blog post!

Was that under 17 seconds?  🙂

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Power of Now Oasis in Sanur – Last Bali Post

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Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_IMG_7151Apart from my time photographing Sanur’s beach and relaxing at Kolonial House (see previous post), I spent a lot of time at The Power of Now Oasis. In fact, in 3 days, I partook in 5 of their offerings.

YOGA:

I definitely benefited from the 2 very different 8am yoga classes I chose. Since I was a guest at Kolonial House, the first one was free and the second at a reduced 80,000 Rupiah ($8 Cdn).  Luckily, the open upper floor of their building was naturally breezy, and the fans added to the coolness there. On the first morning, Dana taught a movement, breathing, and meditation class to live music. I’ve long enjoyed hang drums – in this context, their music was just perfect.

On Monday, I participated in a pranayama hatha yoga class with Ibu Dayu, my massage therapist from the day before. This was a beautiful class and I plan to keep using two mudras (hand positions) I learned to help balance the 5 elements in the body. I can do this waiting around or whenever I have time – as long as I remember them – thank goodness I took pictures.

I wasn’t able to do all the yoga postures in class – nothing new there – partly due to the weather and partly to my own physical limitations (strength or nerve damage in my arms), but that didn’t matter. As the sign says at the entrance of the room, yoga is not a gymnastics competition. It’s about doing what’s right for ourselves. There are so many kinds of yoga and I believe that it can be extremely beneficial, especially when we find the a kind that resonates with us. After over 30 years of practicing on and off and trying dozens of styles, I definitely have my preferences.

SELF-DEFENSE WITH A SMILE:

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_3461On Sunday, a father and daughter team and I attended a special self-defense class. The teacher, Robert Hagen – a psychologist and karate instructor, spent many years researching the topic of violence in Scandinavia. He wrote a book and collaborated on a movie on the topic. In Norway, hundreds attend his classes, but here, where he lives part of the year with his Indonesian wife, he has a hard time drawing a crowd. Although selfish on my part, I much preferred the smaller group.  The workshop covered how to manage and prevent all sorts of conflict as well as emergency techniques to stop possible violence if needed.

In Scandanavia and most likely in other parts of the world as well, most aggressors (not robbers) know their victims and are violent out of fear. We don’t think of big strong men as scared of tiny women, but in the case of violence, they almost always are. They perceive that the actual victim is too powerful and want to assert control over that perceived power (whether it be a spouse or someone they see walk by every day). Helping potential aggressors feel comfortable around us is the first way to prevent violence. Basically, love is the answer – talking and listening to people – being accepting of them so that they never feel powerless. Just think of school shootings – if those kids had never felt rejected, they probably would have never acted out in such a violent way.

If things start to escalate, however, it’s often possible to stop a violent act by getting the person to sit down and talk – with a big smile. It’s also important to be ready for an emergency.  After talking about various scenarios where violence exists in all age groups and situations, we then drilled some basic moves from a standing and sitting position that both surprises and disarms the person. Basically, lean in, go for the weak joints, twist them, and swing with the hips to bring them down. It took a while for me to get some of the moves which would require more practice, but when I did, I was able to bring down a very strong (and very attractive) guy.

  • Crime in Bali:

As I had been reading the Sanur English newspaper downstairs before class, I asked about how safe it was to live or travel here in Bali. Hearing about the whole Kuta cowboy thing that went wrong (see a previous post) had also opened my eyes to a different side of Bali. In the paper, there was an article about a gang that basically moved into and took over a hotel. It had been going on for a while and the police and village chiefs were involved in trying to solve the problem, but the gang was still there. The management had to leave and staff/visitors lived in fear. Supposedly, this also happens in people’s homes. Can you imagine someone showing up on your door and saying – get out, this place is now mine? Yikes.

According to Robert though, there’s hardly any crime here. Violence is just not tolerated. He told me that in the 90s, thousands of Indonesians disappeared without a trace – and that this is still fresh in the psyche here. Authorities have a lot of power and aren’t afraid to use it. What surprised him, however, is how authentically loving and happy most people are despite this shared traumatic past. His experience with his in-laws has taught him that.

When I told him about the girl from the ashram who got pulled off her bike when two guys tried to steal her purse, Robert said that if they were caught, they’d likely be executed… perhaps even on the spot.  I was surprised as I also heard those drive-by thefts were quite common. Here in Sanur, a gang of men including a police officer (mostly from neighbouring islands) had been involved in a series of crimes. Once they were identified, all 6 were executed on the beach nearby (I’ll bet not on the tourist section). Although he certainly didn’t agree with the crime prevention methods, Robert said Bali was probably the safest country to live in – motorcycle accidents notwithstanding. When I left class, I noticed that most bikes outside had locks on them, but weren’t even locked.

  • The Power of Fear:

I’ve definitely feared being attacked when out walking on my own in many places in the world (not surprising considering North American movies, TV shows, the news, society, etc.  Some cities I’ve lived in definitely have a safer vibe than others, so it hasn’t been a constant thing.  But the fear is often there – in the back of my mind even if I’m aware that focusing on something draws it in (what we resist persists).  That’s why I chose to explore how to reduce fear’s effects on me in this class.   As the Osho book I leafed through before class described, you can’t fight darkness with darkness. You can’t fight fear with fear. That only escalates it. You simply need to let in the light – to let in the love. So I’m glad I took this self-defense with a smile class. It definitely helped me understand how fear escalates a conflict – either in my mind or for real – in petty situations or major threats.

AYURVEDIC MASSAGE ($45):

On Saturday at 3pm, I had a wonderful ayurvedic treatment. It was expensive for Bali, but I decided it would be an excellent follow up to my consultation in Ubud.  Ibu Dayu took my pulse and confirmed that my Pita was still out of balance. She adjusted her treatment and oils accordingly. For 1.5 hours, I basically slept while she rubbed oil into me – these treatments are much softer than usual massages. They work on the level of blood circulation, not musculature. I’m amazed I slept. Ask Cheryl Fenk, my friend and masseuse at Embrace Wellness in St. John’s… getting me to actually be quiet (in body or mind) during a massage is quite the task, especially when it’s being given by a friend I enjoy socializing with. This time, however, I woke up almost 20 minutes after she was done, just as she was about to go upstairs to teach yoga. She even massaged my face while I slept. The thick coat of oil all over was the evidence. I basically let it soak in, got dressed, and headed to my room for a couple of movies in bed before falling asleep yet again.

  • Sunrise Photos:

As a related aside, I do feel much more mellow than even a week days ago. At the airport, instead of rushing to the check-in counter to be first in line and through security 3 hours ahead of time, I wasn’t phased by being about 50th in line instead. Same at the gate. Trust me, that’s progress!  I’ve since had a few more telling experiences that prove that my internal systems are more in balance- yay!

ACCUPUNCTURE ($20):

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_IMG_7156On Monday, after yoga, I had an appointment with Sinshe Tony Liem for an acupuncture treatment. I’d had some in the 90s in South Korea and felt that it would help with my nerve issues in my arms and neck (carpal tunnel syndrome). It turns out it was for much more than that. It’s strange to say, but I really enjoyed our hour together even if I was getting needles stuck in me. Believe me, I’m really not into pain. Only one out of about 20-30 hurt though – the one right in the liver point. It burned and I got a bit over-dramatic until he put a calming hand on my lower back and explained what and why it was happening.

I learned so much. He’s about to open a school and I can tell he’ll be an excellent teacher – he had a very loving, clear way of communicating, tailor made to both my learning style and personality type. At one point, with a big smile, he said that because of how I learn, it would be better if he drew a diagram for me after our session was done. He did and I got it. He gladly talked to me the whole session, explaining things for me to understand what’s going on in my body, but also to distract me, I’m sure.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_IMG_7157 It turns out I have an internal imbalance involving too much fire (no surprise there). Indeed, I’ve got too much yang (fire) in my liver and not enough yin (cooling effect) in my kidneys. The result is (or is from – I can’t remember) weak lungs (a chronic condition). They’re all linked. This, he says is the cause of my skin issues – my lungs. I’d read long ago that those with asthma often had eczema or psoriasis or the other way around. I had felt grateful I didn’t have asthma, but had pondered about the link with my weak lung capacity. In other words, it’s the lung’s job to protect the kidneys and the kidneys’ job to protect the liver. Since my lungs were weak, the other two suffered and got worse with time resulting in skin issues and oversensitivity (or vice versa). This all made sense and definitely complimented what my other Bali healers had said.

According to his Chinese medicine system, it’s not all about bringing the fire down. It’s about bringing the yin up too and looking at the cause for these imbalances. He spent the hour helping me balance these with disposable needles quickly inserted in key points on my body (we have over 400 points that can be targeted). Those he placed in my back were directly for the organs. He heated a few of these up with moxa (burning mugwart) to stimulate the flow of energy in certain regions. Those on the front were in special points on the meridians for general health. He then recommended I follow up in a few weeks with another acupuncturist to raise my energy once things have balanced out. I wish I could see him again though – he’s not only an acupuncturist, but also uses energy work and more to help people.  Plus at $20/hour, you can’t beat it. Someone just told me she was quoted $150 here in Vienna…

Tony also explained that my specific combination of imbalances is a result of chronic emotional issues that probably started in childhood. He talked about how I was likely often disappointed, but kept all that in instead of expressing it– pent up emotions. He also talked about how I was likely way too oversensitive to all the stimulus coming my way and that I was likely easily overwhelmed in situations (you already knew that if you’ve been reading my blog). He compared me to a tomato tree that swings back and forth emotionally and needs something to grip onto to stabilize my body, mind, and spirit (meditation, chi gong, etc.)  If I didn’t have that, imbalances would cause me to panic easily.  It’s all linked – the elements, the organs, the emotions – basically, the body, mind and spirit. I certainly agreed with him and shared in this belief – thus why I’ve spent so many years exploring routes to both inner and outer balance.  I’m doing quite well, but now I have even more self-understanding and tools to live a happier and more balanced life.  All good!

MORE PHOTOS OF SANUR BEACH:

The Power of Now Oasis is located right on the beach, next to the Mercure Resort.  Even during class, I could gaze at the oceanic horizon.  Beautiful!  Here are my last photos from Sanur.  My next post will be about life back in Austria – there’s already so much to share after just a couple of days… Hee hee.

 

 

 

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Final Stop in Bali: Sanur Beach

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Note: I’m posting this from Vienna. I’m at my school’s directors’ house until I can move into my new residence room this afternoon.  OMG! What a difference high speed Internet makes. I’ve just uploaded in 10 minutes what took me over 24 hours and several retries in Bali!

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_3041More Drive-Bys:

After a month inland in Ubud, spending a couple of days near the ocean in Sanur was a great idea. Of course I spent half the drive there with my lens out the window having fun capturing images with a super high ISO that allowed high speed shooting without blur.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_2848Lots of throw-aways, but plenty good ones to provide another glimpse at drive-by Bali.

 

It’s really amazing how many art galleries and statuary shops there are here– often dozens in a row for miles on end. It almost makes me wonder why I need to paint when there’s such great stuff out here for so cheap. Then I remember that I paint first and foremost for myself. My excellent driver Ketut ([email protected] ,mobile : +6285205506104 ) says that the artists in Ubud are suffering because of a chain of humongous 24-hour art supermarkets called Hare Krishna, that have opened up around the island. He says they’re really busy at all hours. Unfortunately, Ubud, the traditional cultural center of the country, is no longer attracting as many art buyers because of it.

Kolonial House:

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_2994Here’s a good example of how expectations and assumptions can lead to disappointment – at first, anyway. In the end, it all turned out great. When I got to Sanur, I was surprised that Kolonial House wasn’t closer to the beach, on the same property as the Power of Now Yoga Oasis. They’re owned by the same people and they advertised them as being 5 minutes apart. I imagined a walk through gardens or on a sandy property between the guest house and yoga space. The first time I walked it, however, it took more like 20+ minutes along a few streets, through a parking lot, and a short alley of vendors with their “Please madame, come look at my shop” pleas. My idea of walking in peace and beauty from my room to the beach in my bathing suit quickly disappeared. I soon figured out, however, that there was a shortcut through the luxury Mercure Resort – not quite 5 minutes, but close.

When I emailed the yoga centre looking for peaceful yet affordable accommodation recommendations, they also gave me the names of several nearby places to check out. I took them up on that after I saw Kolonial House’s Standard Room at $50/night (quite expensive for Bali). It was right against the street and because it was built to buffer sound, it lacked natural light. My heart sank when I walked in and my throat ceased up as it had just been fogged against mosquitoes. The smell was really strong, so I decided to go exploring other places. It was hot at high noon and nothing felt quite right (price, location, my mood, etc.) What can I say, I’m a budget traveler with a need of peace, quiet, and comfort. Not sure why I was feeling so fussy, but I was. It happens. Transitions aren’t always the easiest for me, even if I’ve lived on several continents and across Canada.

After spending time looking around and gathering information at the Power of Now Yoga Oasis on the beach, I was overheating. When I returned to Kolonial House, Putu, the manager, took one look at me and brought me to the very back of the resort to a small pointed thatched roof private bungalow in a secluded area and offered it to me at the same price as their Standard Room. What a relief and such a blessing. It was actually smaller than the room by the street, but the feng shui of it felt great – even the outdoor washroom in the back appealed to me for some strange reason. As you can see in the photos, the pool was right in front of it and also a large private living room and a small kitchen (not in photo). Thanks Putu! Funny thing is that I’m actually writing this blog from the first room (as they let me stay hours past check-out as I flew out at 10pm, but my second room had already been booked) and today it feels great – spacious, clean, etc. It just goes to show how we can (OK, I can) stress myself for no good reason at times.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_2997Anyhow, I did enjoy my private room at the back. I also enjoyed the pool shared by the few occupants within that secluded area. I even enjoyed the outdoor washroom. I was glad, however, that after my first swim, I initially kept my bathing suit on. I ended up making eye contact with the young men who clean the place – they were taking their break on the 2nd floor of the building opposite. It’s a strange feeling making eye contact with strangers during your shower… I have no idea what went through their minds though as I’ve talked about the difference in privacy bubbles here in Bali. They may not have been peeping Toms. All I know is that I only finished my shower once they had moved on. I’m also not sure how I felt after I found them rummaging through my garbage after I had moved out of my room. I could understand them checking to see why I threw out an umbrella (which had stabbed me a few times too many with its several broken spokes). I couldn’t understand why they had retrieved and what they may be saying about my discarded sketches from the life drawing session back in Ubud. Again – perverts or appreciators of the level of drawings I judged worthy of the trash. Hmmm…. I choose to take it as a compliment as I’ll never know. Again, the mind is in control of perceptions and can make a huge difference in our experience. So that decides it. These two young men were simply appreciators of true beauty 🙂  .

Creatures:

The washroom was actually very nice with its bamboo trees, stone sculptures, and new fixtures. Thank goodness, the fogging at Kolonial House seemed to work – I didn’t see any mosquitoes. It is odd though to take one’s clothes off outside at all hours after spending a month covering up to protect against both the sun and disease-baring mosquitoes. As I sat down for my morning business at 5am on Sunday (with the dim but warm illumination of a tungsten light bulb), I got pleasantly distracted by the beauty of my surroundings and its natural sounds (excluding mine). I had gotten quite used to the movement of adorable little geckos everywhere– love them and the fact they eat bugs. This time, however, I enjoyed watching toads of various sizes jump around. Did you know they climb walls? I sure didn’t. Straight up, just like geckos. Impressive! I wondered why they hadn’t made a comic superhero called Toadman…

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_2998The second morning though, still in the dark, I wasn’t so excited. You see, the night before, on my way to the kitchen in the other part of the complex to refill my water bottle, I’d made eye contact with one of four big rats that scurried up from somewhere below. As our eyes locked, I recalled an article I’d read in the English Sanur newspaper the day before about the epidemic of rabies and the consequent euthanasia of dozens of purebred dogs that people had tried to smuggle into Bali. Poor dogs. Anyhow, the thought of rabid rats certainly took my mind off mosquitoes as I myself scurried in the dark to do my business. Every little toad became a huge hairy rat with blazing red eyes…. it was early! Hee hee.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_3586There’s one more creature worth mentioning here. On my last afternoon, I went to the Flames restaurant across the street from the Mercure resort. I had already packed and just wanted a quick lunch before doing some writing. As I walked upstairs, my eye caught a movement in a nearby tree and I gasped. It was a bat the size of a cat, almost within arm’s reach to one of the tables. I could see its crew-cut hairstyle and perky little ears. This fruit bat, it turns out, hangs out there (yes, pun intended) every day and is named Rasta (not sure if there’s a link to Reggae music or not). I took lots of pictures of it as it did its yoga – constantly in slow movement, hanging from both feet, or a combination of a foot and a wing, each equipped with a long hook. I felt scared, yet excited. It seemed to be fanning itself or doing some sort of devotional heart pounding with one of its wing. I was surprised it wasn’t sleeping since it was daytime – can’t say I’m an expert on bats though. I also thought they were blind, so when I decided to use my flash, I was shocked that it cranked its head backward and made full eye contact with me through the lens. A bit of a déjà vu from the night before. A bit freaky. After that, I left it in peace, but kept observing it from a few tables back, alone on the terrace. I wanted to shout to tourists walking by below on their way back to the Mercure luxury resort – “Hey! You’ve got to come see this bat!” Instead, I’m sharing it here with you.

Sanur Beach:

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_3039I’ll be writing more about some of my experiences at The Power of Now Yoga Oasis in the next post. For now, I just want you to see how beautiful the beach and ocean are. I spent a few hours here on all 3 days. There are several resorts along the beach and each has its own area for lounge chairs in between the restaurants, spas, and water sport vendor booths.

These stretches of beach seem reserved for the tourists, each with its security guards. The first stretch of the beach, however, near the parking and food vendors, got quite crowded at times with Balinese families.

I enjoyed spending time here too, especially at the small pavilion at the end of the partition that divided the areas.

There, I could be in the shade and breeze while listening to the water, simply being or chatting with the locals, and watching the young tattoo-covered locals fishing. The tonal contrast of tattoos on darker skin isn’t as high as on white folks, but perhaps that I why I liked them better. The designs contributed to that feel too – same as on the old temples – gods and monsters mixed with modern imagery. Interesting. I’ve never been into tattoos, but I grew to appreciate them more here.

I’m sure some of the tourists never leave the resort areas– there’s a whole different world just steps away. I took the longer route home on my last day to find a crowd gathering for an organized cock fight. I didn’t stay to watch, but prayed that some Balinese woman wouldn’t lose her home because of it. I found out women can’t own property here. So if the husband gambles it away or passes away, they’re at high risk of being homeless. I hear it’s not so uncommon.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_3572 On Sunday morning, I was on the beach at 5:45am, in time to see the subtle pre-sunrise colours and observe workers cleaning the incredible amount of garbage that the tide had brought in (a mix of plastic bottles, food containers, and flip flops mixed in with the more natural prayer offerings and seaweed).

I liked walking there in semi-darkness, barely able to see the dozens of lumps on the beach – the sleeping dogs that would soon rise to play together before it got too hot. Later in the day, you’d find them motionless in holes they’d dug on the beach, under tables in restaurants, under boats or any other shady spot. One time, I admired a white one under a table at a restaurant in deep sleep despite my camera clicks nearby. When I looked a few minutes later, a couple was sitting at that table, but the dog hadn’t moved a muscle. I can only assume they had seen it. since it was inches from their feet. It didn’t seem to matter to anyone. Cool!

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_3262Early mornings also saw a change in mosquito brigades – from small bats that zoomed overhead to swallows or a similar small bird with a v-shaped tail. I do like my early mornings.  (I’ll share more of my sunrise photos in my next post.)

By 7am, however, the light was already too bright and the sun too hot for me, so I made my way to the yoga center for my complimentary huge bowl of fruit, muesli, and yoghurt (not ayurvedically friendly for my out of balance Pita, but delicious nonetheless). I would then relax in a hammock or on a couch flipping through spiritual books opened at random for messages about love and fear – some very appropriate – before partaking in their programing (more on that in my next post).

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_3281Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_3069If given a choice between living near a mountain or near the water, I’d definitely choose the water. As a Scorpio, I’m a water sign. No matter the reason or size of the body of water – it just soothes my soul …. despite the tsunami evacuation signs (they only scared me for a minute).

I am so grateful I chose to go to Sanur. It wasn’t part of my original very structured plan – but that may have made it even more special. Plus it was closer to the airport and didn’t add too much to the expenses of my trip. Yay!  Ketut, the driver that had brought me here, who had been highly recommended by a friend, sent a relative for the taxi ride back to the airport – he got me to the airport nice and early.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Sanur_DLH_3082

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“Eye of the Spirit” Painting Week in Bali

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My week in the Eye of the Spirit Visionary Art painting group with Philip Rubinov Jacobson, Mantra Cora, and Wolfgang Widmoser is over. It’s been quite the week with lots of highlights and lowlights. I’ve decided to share both as they’re all part of MY story. I’m sure it was different for everyone.  I don’t regret choosing to attend half this workshop, but I was ready to leave this morning.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Arjana_DLH_2586There’s a lot to say after a week of not blogging. I also didn’t take many photos of the workshop and participants –  luckily, Ashley Christudason, one of my classmates, was really into taking pictures and graciously allowed me to use some of his for my blog. I’ve identified those sections.

Arjana Bungalows 2 & Neighbourhood:

For $18-20/ night, this place is a good deal. Sure, the rooms lack the charm of my other locations (any charm, really), but it’s got its pluses:

  • nice big swimming pool for daily dips– I liked the occasional floating limes and frangipani flowers from the abundant trees around it.
  • spacious rooms with floor space for yoga, good fans, and laundry racks on the veranda. I didn’t mind the old stained and shredded bed linen, but wasn’t fond of the musty towels, even when freshly replaced. Interestingly, unlike other places in Bali that ask you not to flush your toilet paper, this place only has one garbage outside the cabin, so there’s really no option but to flush. It felt strange after 3 weeks of not doing so (unless I forgot, that is … especially in the middle of the night).
  • nice big breakfasts – since I don’t like eggs unless well hidden, I had their banana pancakes in honey syrup and fruit salad every morning. Delicious! – not ayurvedically recommended, but delicious!   I didn’t get my usual earaches from these bananas and actually found them quite delicious after years of not enjoying bananas. Actually, my tummy was quite happy until this morning when things weren’t quite…. normal. That could very well have to do with the fact that I accidentally drank the water for our paint brushes (stored in normal water bottles that I distractedly left on my table, where my own drinking water with electrolytes usually is).  After a few sips, it dawned on me that it didn’t have the usual lemon flavour, and so I went to my room to take a double dose of grapefruit seed extract.  Perhaps 2 doses of that and 2 doses of acidophiles could have had that effect too.  Anyhow, they tell me their water is well water and should be OK.  It may be even better than the big tank of drinking water at reception that comes out of a very dirty mossy tap…  Whatever the case, I’m fine now – I hope.
  • the staff knows your name and although they don’t all speak English, they’re friendly and helpful.  The owner/manager? wasn’t too friendly though – more on that later.
  • the breakfast room (open pavilion) that we took over as a studio was very conducive to painting, even during storms (loved those).  I confirmed that I enjoy working on the floor or tables much more than on an easel.  That pavilion is also the only location for wi-fi, when it’s working. My computer wouldn’t hook up to it though after the first day for some strange reason, so that helped me relax on the blogging and picture-taking and be more present to paint;
  •  Arjana 2’s location next to the rice fields was ideal – my occasional morning walks nourished my eyes and soul. All that green!
  1. Early in the morning, I would get to see some of the locals working in their fields and picking coconuts (you have to be hyper-vigilant though because if you don’t see the men climbing the trees or hear them rustling up there, you may get a nasty surprise when branches and coconuts start falling from the sky. That could kill you! I also now understand how one of the men who was cremated last week (see a previous blog)could have fallen out of a tree. Seeing them climb barefoot, with or without a makeshift rope around their ankles, is quite amazing).
  2. I finally got to see a duck! Sounds strange, but I had been wanting to all week. From our studio, we could hear a whole bunch of them in the rice field across the way, but I never saw them. One morning I stood on a path, listening to them quack away and splash in the water of the rice fields, looking at the green stalks swoosh back and forth, until finally, one poked out to go to the next row and disappeared again. Yay! Mission accomplished!
  3. On the last morning of class, I recruited Shia, one of my classmates, to help me with a photo shoot project. I wanted to participate in Kaliyana Artwear’s Facebook travelogue, and so I put on her anti-suit and went strolling through the rice fields. I’ve worn Kaliyana clothing for over 20 years and have 8 pieces with me on this trip, so it would have been a shame not to do so. Hundreds of photos later (all before 7:30am) and a few near-falls into the wet paddies, I have a few that I’ll submit. Thanks Shia! Oh – can you find the blooper?
  • Although at the end of Kajeng Jalan road, away from main city roads, it’s not as quiet as it first appeared last Sunday when I wrote my last blog. The noise level went on boost as of 8am on Monday. Luckily, I’d been up for hours, but if you like to sleep in and are considering Arjana Bungalows 2, be aware. First, there was the megaphone announcements somewhere nearby. Next there’s an open-air school pavilion right next door and the children were being worked through drills and songs with great enthusiasm. Then, there was the constant stream of motorcycles revving up the little hill right below our classroom. After the true quietness of my other 3 retreats, this was very noticeable. Not a huge deal though. If you’re a good sleeper or higher up in the resort, that won’t be a problem. I could still hear the natural concert of creatures morning and night – something I’m sure to miss when I leave Bali.
  • There are lots of little restaurants nearby on the small road to town. Cheap too – finally the $2-3 meals I had read about. The quality plummeted, however, when we ordered take-out for lunch from some of them and had it delivered to the classroom. Suddenly, Roda’s rice noodles were dry and without any vegetables …so sad. Packaging was always intriguing.  Some ordered juice, which came in a plastic bag, same as curries that you would pour over the rice on the banana leaf on a paper stapled at the top.  The whole dine-in experience was simply better.  Still, I admired, their efforts to not use too much plastic.  When we got one in Styrofoam, that didn’t feel so great either.  Ah, there’s no pleasing foreigners.  🙂
  • Close to downtown: After a few days, however, I got bored of eating nearby and going to bed at 7 or 8pm. I decided to venture out since we finished at 4 instead of 6pm. It’s only about a 5-10 minute walk to the end of the street where the noise, traffic, and people of downtown Ubud are plainly evident. Our bungalows are well situated that way. Wow! So many taxi drivers and vendors wanting your business! I had avoided the busy-ness of the city for most of the month, so it was interesting to explore, once I was in the mood. The market was nearby and so many shops. I only went into one to buy a token Bali souvenir clothing item – a black and green dress bargained down to $10 – in a pattern I’d seen before and found very attractive. Love it! That was enough shopping for me. On Wednesday, I wanted to walk back before dark because even though there are sidewalks in places here, they’re quite treacherous. The sewer grates every 10 steps are big enough for your foot to go through, if the grate is there at all. Then there are the gaping holes between lifting tiles, etc. I saw a few tourists on crutches and wondered if they’d injured themselves simply walking around. Crossing the street is even trickier – especially if you forget that they drive on the opposite side than in North America and can be 5 deep on what you think is a 2-lane street. The next night, I decided I was awake enough to join the group for a later dinner, but no one in town seemed to know the restaurant by name. So I let go of any attachment of finding them and just wandered the streets, following my intuition, and ended up being the first one there. We had a nice dinner together and I walked home with one of the girls while most of the others went out dancing and drinking, as they did most nights. I prefer getting up early to do some yoga, swim, or walk in the rice fields. There’s lots of options no matter if you’re an early bird or a night owl here in Ubud.

EYE OF THE SPIRIT:

Let’s start with the great.

I’m so glad that I was able to ease into this group after they had already been together for a week. Arriving on Sunday and socializing with a few was a good thing as people were focused on their work on Monday and it would have been quite different had I met everyone then. There were some very lovely beings in this group creating some very beautiful and powerful work. I am grateful I could be a witness to all that.

Ashley_ Bali_Arjana_IMG_4156I’m also actually amazed with what I created. I wouldn’t have been able to do so had I not had 6 months learning the Mischtechnik at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art. That’s for sure!  Because of the short time and the heat and humidity, we used several coats of underpainting in acrylics and then only the final glazing in oils and final highlights in tempera. I had planned to do the whole thing in acrylics to see how it compares since that’s what I’d like to keep working with once I get home. By the end, however, Phil and Ashley gave me some of their oils so I could try those out. I was repeatedly told that we just can’t achieve the same results with acrylics. I may convert to oils after all. I reserve the right to make that decision later. The idea of doing just one layer of oils instead of all of them with long waiting periods in between is already more attractive. We’ll see.

Here’s what I did on Day 1.

1 –used a sketch I had designed in Vienna as my starting point.
Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Arjana_1_IMG_69652 – used pencil to draw it on my gesso board and then waterproof blue ink on top.
Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Arjana_IMG_69493 – used carmine red and a bit of burnt umber acrylic paint with medium and water to do a wash on top – 3 coats in different directions.
Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Arjana_IMG_69514 – used white acrylic paint to put in the highlights.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Arjana_IMG_69525 – got Philip Rubinov to help me correct the raccoon eye…. (notice that I got rid of the second one behind some hair? I couldn’t get it to work freehand).

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Arjana_IMG_69556- used a primary yellow acrylic wash to glaze the whole thing.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Arjana_IMG_6958 7- went back in with the whites.
Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Arjana_IMG_69618 – used burnt umber to do the shadows.
Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Arjana_IMG_6963 9. Used whites and darks with my fingers to apply texture to the background.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Arjana_IMG_6967

Here’s what I did during the next 4 days:

I did as much as I could on my main painting in the first 3 days for it to dry on time to take away. There’s still more I could do with the hand and face to bring back the highlights I lost with my oil glaze. I’m not sure I remember all the steps as I didn’t take notes after Day 1 (I really let go of blogging), but I applied washes of acrylic colour on everything. Then I did a glaze in oils to feel the difference… not convinced yet. Philip then sat down with me to show me how to use oils on the veil in a way that I’ll admit, wouldn’t be possible with acrylics. Philip really knows his stuff and I definitely learned from him during our short chats.  I also got a glimpse of how good his how-to lessons could be, especially if delivered a little slower.  He gave a quick lesson on how to draw a face for the whole group, after I requested it. It added to what I had learned from all the others I had made the same request to.  I was just glad that everyone else also encouraged him to slow down.

Phil Rubinov Jacobson

I also finished my 2 other abstract paintings after a couple of days of working on them before and during group time. One changed a lot – I liked it better a few layers back, but am glad I dove in and tried some of the techniques Mantra had demonstrated, even if they didn’t quite work on my already very textured grounds.

Bali Showers:

As Yet Unamed – any suggestions?

In addition to her demonstrations, Mantra shared her knowledge on Max Ernst through a Power Point presentation – similar yet different to the one I had heard in Austria. Although what she demonstrated wasn’t new for me, it was a great reminder.  Mostly,  it was wonderful to witness some of the other students light up at the freedom of expression possible in this less traditional way of using fluid acrylic paint. Mantra was definitely the go-to person for abstract grounds. She also had an amazing smile that came out through her eyes. These photos are all by Ashley.

As for Wolfgang, he was great to consult on colour. Although I didn’t resonate with his way of delivering information – philosophical and technical monologues without any visual examples – he was helpful when presented with specific questions about a painting in progress and was key to some of the decisions I made for my more abstract pieces. He’s obviously a wealth of knowledge, artistic skills, and spiritual journeying – he’s a very valued mentor to Katia, so I know there’s so much more than what I experienced during our few short hours together.  He provided an abundance of links to videos and other resources on our Facebook group – I look forward to exploring some of those in the upcoming months. By the way, he studied with Ernst Fuchs and Salvador Dali, so definitely connected to my world in Vienna. I’m sorry I missed the visit to his studio the week before.

Last Day:

On our last day, we had a friendly constructive feedback session. The artist would walk away for a while and we discussed the strong points of their work and things that could be stronger. One person would record the comments and then report them anonymously upon the artist’s return. This was done very well and turned out to be very helpful. I got a lot of feedback on my voice/delivery, a reminder that I would enjoy voice acting …  something to look into again when I get back to St. John’s.

Most people weren’t finished their pieces and so these comments will no doubt help in their process. Some of my painting buddies had been there for 5 weeks. Most had only been there for 2.  Some only showed up occasionally. Some worked late nights and early mornings in addition our days together. So everyone had work at different stages and we shared it all during our feedback session.  My iPhone didn’t do a great job with these photos, but it will give you an idea of the variety of styles and expertise. Some had been drawing/painting their whole lives while one participant painted for the first time in this workshop. I was definitely impressed by these artists!  Although I was only there for a week, I could easily see that our program was well suited for artists of all levels.  You could get as much or as little as you wanted from it – depending how dedicated you were to your work and how proactive you were in seeking help and advice. Overall, people seemed quite happy with their time here.

 

Elisa Corcoran

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Arjana_IMG_7073After clean-up, we all went to a really fancy dinner with open pavilions overlooking small rice paddies – the Dirty Duck Diner. The food wasn’t very good and quite inconsistent (between folks who ordered the same thing). Their prices were expensive, but the atmosphere was superb. I went home right after, at 10pm, while the others went dancing and drinking at what they called the mushroom bar.

Alas, some lowlights:

The reasons I experienced challenges this week with external factors is that I’ll admit, I’m too sensitive. I take a lot in and need to learn to remain in a state of equanimity despite my environment. That is my lesson. For once, however, my difficulties had nothing to do with my internal art learning process. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m more mellow after 3 weeks in Bali or if it’s because I wasn’t attached to the results – but I worked quickly, loosely, and without the usual psychological baggage around drawing. Yay! There’s progress.

Still, I experienced definite challenges.  As an events organizer by background, the contrast between my week here and my week with Flora Bowley was significant and started before I arrived, highlighting my own preferences.  For example, I found it inconvenient to have to hunt for and bring a long list of supplies (many of which simply couldn’t be found in Vienna, adding to my pre-travel stress). Flora charged us more, but I didn’t have to deal with any of those logistics during my very busy weeks before arriving to Bali – which overall felt much easier). I understand the reasoning behind both approaches, but the differences in my experiences is helping me identify what works for me.

There were much bigger issues than that though, some of which were in the control of the organizers and some not.

  •   Environmental Discomfort: almost everyone in the group chain-smoked – a real shock to my system after 3 weeks with almost zero exposure. This week, however, I became a smoker – there was just no getting away from it. I also witnessed ashes falling on other people and on/near artwork. I’d say I did pretty well under those circumstances – didn’t let it affect me too much after the first day. In fact, I chose not to say anything about it – my choice.  I figured the comfort of the majority was more important and, having joined half way, it was up to me to adapt.  There was also alcohol in the studio – but I’m in no position to say if that helped or harmed. It was just different.
  • Dramatic events in our creative space:  I’m so used to my studio being a positive sacred place for personal and spiritual growth – something that was continued in Vienna and also in Flora’s workshop. All the drama and negativity here were hard to handle (although also useful for my growth, I’m sure).
  1. It started on Monday when one poor gal collapsed after spending the previous day doing water sports and suffering what she thought was hypothermia – she was helped back to her cabin for the day. Thankfully, she returned the next day healthy and strong. This is where being so empathic doesn’t serve me… the drama was in me – I recognize that.
  2. Then, there was some talk about a participant who suddenly left half way through  (before I arrived). I purposefully kept my curiosity out of it – none of my business, but it made me aware of tension and gossip.  Other personality conflicts became apparent towards the end of our week together – again, hard for me to witness as I feel too much for all involved.  Fortunately, the overall feeling between participants was loving and harmonious. Wonderful bunch!
  3. Also on Monday, while we were attempting to get into the flow of painting, there was a lot of business dealings being conducted in the studio, including conflicts between the organizers and the hotel manager about money, rooms, etc. This was followed by lots of complaining between the various organizers.  At one point, it looked like we were about to be evicted from the studio. It was done relatively quietly, but next to me. Being a context dependent learner, I couldn’t tune it out as it went on for hours. I should have brought my earphones. From my overly sensitive point of view, it was ugly – right in the midst of our creative space. I wished they had done so out of the studio. I had been so spoiled (ie sheltered) in previous weeks that the negativity and questionable business practices in my new home were surprising. At one point, I just left my station and had to sweep myself energetically, only to find another girl doing exactly the same thing. This led to a beautiful conversation and a change in the energy.
  4. The week ended the way it started with more conflicts to do with organizational issues that I won’t get into here. I just hope all works well for everyone in the end because it sure was uncomfortable while I was there and I hear the story isn’t over.  Indeed, I pray it all gets resolved quickly and smoothly.

As part of this story, I learned about the seedier side of Bali. I learned about Kuta-cowboys. I couldn’t help but be a little curious this time.  It turns out that one of the participants from the previous group had been dating a local Balinese who had tried to blackmail our organizers. From what I was told, Kuta cowboys are men who displace their wives to other villages while they basically service foreign women, taking them into their villages and families. Everywhere they go (shops, restaurants, etc.), they get a cut of the profits as commission. This one turned out to be really abusive and crazy. I didn’t want all the details, and tried not to imagine them. He tried to blackmail our organizers though and threatened them.  This could have led to some of the trouble still affecting them.  This is certainly a side of Bali I hadn’t seen or heard about before. Kuta is the big party beach town that I’d been warned repeatedly to avoid – also where there was a terrorist attack a few years back.  Not my kind of scene, as you may have guessed.

Fortunately, I’m now at another beach town near the airport that doesn’t appear to have Kuta’s bad rap or crowds and am not in the market for a Bali cowboy.  I’ll write about my new home later. I’m sure this is enough for one post.

If nothing else, writing about both my highlights and lowlights has helped me process my week.  Again, I don’t regret my decision. I was meant to experience all of this. This blog is just as much my journal as anything else – authentic in all my human-ness.   Obviously, I’ve got so much further to go to live harmoniously and with equanimity in this world. If I had reached a state of pure unconditional love, nothing would phase me. I would not re-act or experience fear in the presence of conflict.  I’m not there yet.  It is still my intention though.  Indeed, this is all part of my process of exploring and expressing my love of beauty and the beauty of love…

More photos by Ashley:

Tessa’s doodling – amazing!
Katia
Anisha & Phil
Mantra and I
Phil and Divya
Shia’s
Tessa and Divya
Tessa’s
Karin
Elisa’s
Mantra by Phil
Phil by Mantra
Tessa
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Bali Chapter 4 at Arjana Bungalows

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Dominique Hurley_ Bali_DLH_2446

It’s amazing what happens when there’s no Internet in the room. I woke up at my usual 4:30am and did my restorative yoga practice, showered, took a walk in the rice fields, and had breakfast.  It’s still before 9am and class starts at 9:30am, so here I am.

Sunday:

My driver drove very slowly along a very narrow road to the very end, where one sign indicated no cars beyond that point and the other said “Arjana Bungalows”. Yes! This is another retreat center in a small village on the outskirts of Ubud, surrounded by nature. Perfect.

My private little bungalow (we each get one at $20/night) wasn’t ready yet as I arrived at 9:30am, so I headed up to the studio pavillion by the pool and met a few of the workshop participants. One German gal was on her way to the neighbouring rice field for her daily coconut water, so I joined her. CocoWayan’s little stand surrounded by rice fields and his organic medicinal herbs garden was just lovely. This is only about 3 minutes heading left into the motorbike-only zone. It was the best young coconut water I had had so far – $1 if you don’t keep the bamboo straw. Even better, however, was Wayan’s welcoming smile and stories. Coconut water is on my Ayurvedic prescription and has lots of electrolytes, so that was a bonus.

Later, I went out for lunch with my previous guide and her sister, who is also participating in the workshop. We turned right outside our complex and headed down the lane, past a few shops and into Rumah Roda’s Restaurant & Guest House for an absolutely delicious meal – and this time for the $1.50 I had heard about before coming to Bali. The restaurant is on the second story and accessible once you enter the family compound. Nice place and very welcoming – a book was written about the family and their home. As it was Sunday, we returned there for their Balinese dinner buffet – a feast for $4. The food was definitely freshly cooked as the table was usually empty by the time I got there (all 3 times), so I waited and piled stuff on top of my banana leaf plate when it arrived. It wasn’t as tasty as the other buffets I had been to, but still good.

In between lunch and dinner, I relaxed, sketched a little, swam in the spacious pool while the thunder started rolling in, and went for a long walk along the tiny path through the rice fields once those clouds had passed. Not sure if you’re tired of rice field photos yet, but I’m not tired of taking them. So beautiful… and quiet! Yay!

 

The only disadvantage I see so far is that there are tons of mosquitoes here compared to the other places. They fog, but I guess it’s been long enough for a new crop. I’ll be using up my DEET for sure. Better DEET than hemorrhaging to death because I’ve had dengue fever once already.  OK, that’s a bit dramatic. The doctors can stop that if it’s caught fast enough. I don’t plan on testing that theory though… DEET it is.

 

 

 

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Feathers and Feelings – More Bali Adventures

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Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Petulu Herons_DLH_1502It’s getting late on this, our quiet day of Nicole Lawrence’s extension to Flora Bowley’s Bloom True workshop. Not surprisingly, even if we’ve slowed down a bit in the last 2 days, there’s still so much to write about.  I’m sitting on our terrace after several heavy rain showers alternated with the jungle concert of creatures and drummers/chanters somewhere nearby.  Enchanting!  The girls have gone out for dinner, but I was in my creative flow and decided to stay put.  It’s good to know what we need and to do just that.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Petulu Herons_DLH_1587I haven’t painted at all this week. Two of the gals found time yesterday and today to do a bit.  Instead, I was more interested in creating images from my shots from last night at the Petulu Village Heron Sanctuary.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Petulu Herons_DLH_1500But let me backtrack before I share more of these photos.

Life Drawing in Ubud:

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_DLH_1267On Wednesday morning, Nicole took those who wanted to Pranoto’s gallery for a life drawing session.  I almost didn’t go. After 6 months of studying drawing at The Vienna Academy of Visionary Art, I still can’t say I enjoy drawing.  But I will eventually enjoy what I can do with my drawing skills on canvas, so I went anyway.  There were about 20 other people there, sitting on the floor or on mini-stools in a circle around the model, a local woman wearing a sarong around her waist.  The light was almost straight above her, hanging from a rod.  The one thing that amazed me was that I could clearly see the highlights and shadows on her because of the colour of her Balinese skin.  What a difference!  The highlights truly shined.  As per usual, my first 5 minute sketches were a good reminder that constant practice is needed.  By the end, with the 10-20 minute poses, I did better.

I still can’t say I enjoy drawing, but I see some improvements for sure.  During our last pose, I spent half the time admiring the work of the man who was running the session.  He just went at it with charcoal on large sheets of paper and created such beautiful stylistic pieces in such a short time.  I preferred those to anything on the walls. Wow!  If you’re planning on going though, make sure to go to the washroom before – I ended up holding it in until I got home because I was strongly discouraged to even go in there if I wanted to keep my pants dry (from the bottom up, vs. the other way).

We were supposed to go to a temple in the afternoon before heading out to see the herons and egrets, but we all voted to postpone that visit as we were feeling too rushed.  Instead, I had a nice swim after lunch (I know… not recommended, but that’s my version of living on the edge.).  There’s nothing quite like floating on your back with the open sky above you and the world going quiet. Even my mind quietens down when my ears are under water.  I need that.  It gets sooooo noisy in there.

Petulu Heron Sanctuary:

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Petulu Herons_DLH_1499After a quick ice-cream break, we headed to Petulu village, home to the heron sanctuary.  The village charges a $2 entrance fee to have access to their one street when the birds come home to perch in the trees for the night.

Nicole’s husband Paul learned traditional Balinese dance from the head of this village.  It was part of his music studies here sometime in the past. We went to his house after spending a bit of time on a path in the rice field where a sign advertising the “best viewing of bird” led to a little food stand / store.  I didn’t actually make it to the warung. I just stood there on the path looking up and taking zillions of photos – knowing full well that I’d be a horrible sports photographer.  I had lots of fun though – thanking the inventors of digital photography.  Whether I took 50 or 500 shots (guess which), it was all the same price.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_Petulu Herons_DLH_1610I also had fun speaking Czech to a couple that came along – friends of Paul.  They’re from a small town near Brno, but are now living in Australia. I became much more extrovert around them – funny how that happens with Czechs.

The village chief then took us to the flat roof of a nearby building to get a better view of the birds. We were as captivated by the cock fighting training going on below as we were by the egrets above.  It takes a lot of skill, we were told, to train roosters.  They are pampered (special leg massages) and trained so that they can kill or be killed.  Luckily, we didn’t see that.  We only saw some teasing and short training bursts.  Poor roosters…

I much prefer the village’s relationship with the egrets and herons.  They are truly appreciated, and I don’t believe it’s only for the tourism value.  Not sure though… We heard a few stories about ceremonies that brought them back after their disappearance for a few months, the abundance of feathers that fell from the trees when they needed them to make special costumes, etc.  I only caught part of these stories, however, as I walked around the roof with my nose up in the air, yet fully aware of its 2-storey drop.

Obviously, I spent quite a bit of time today in Photoshop layering some of my photos as the clouds and the egrets never seemed to be lined up in real time.  Here are other photos of Petulu from street level.

Traditional Healer:

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_DLH_1735

Today, on our day off, Nicole took a few of us along for her 8am visit to a traditional healer she has seen before ($25 a visit).  What an experience!  When I asked about putting his name and photo on my blog, he didn’t want any promotion (but the photo was OK).  I therefore don’t even know his name.  I can certainly understand.  After “Eat Pray Love” came out, life for almost everyone in Bali changed and I hear the services from the healer in Elizabeth Gilbert’s story have been quite compromised by it.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_photobyJen

photo by Jenifer Swaringen Reynolds

We all sat on a bamboo mat in his office – an outdoor covered platform like those we’ve seen everywhere here.  As the healer worked on each of us in turn, the others sat and watched (we were all OK with this – we could have gone indoors somewhere if we had wanted privacy).  The only time I wasn’t comfortable with our group session, was when 2 other foreigners joined us and one lit up a cigarette.  That was the first time I breathed in cigarette smoke since I arrived – I’ve been swimming in incense, but I’ve so appreciated the break from the other kind of smoke.

Nicole was the first to be treated.  It was remarkable.  He pressed on a lymph node on her leg and the indent remained long after.  It didn’t on the other leg.  After he did his thing, he pressed again and there was no more indent.  It’s impressive when the results are so visible. I soon followed after her as I wanted to get it over with.  In addition to obvious intuitive skills and a quick yet effective visual scan of the body, he spends time feeling the head and face, using pressure points to assess our condition. Painful spots is what he’s looking for.  He then moves to the feet and pushes several points on several toes with a special stick-like instrument. Each point is associated with various organs, etc.  Everyone writhed in pain at different points and didn’t budge at others. I even found myself using the double tap wrestlers use to break a hold (I watch a lot of movies). The amazing thing is that after he finds the spot(s), he does quick energy work using his magic wand over the specific meridians (I may not be using the language he would) and then tries the acupressure spot again.  Miraculously, there was no more pain at all anymore.  This happened time and time again with everyone.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_DLH_1732For some, he looked at the person and before they had time to report all their ills, he would say – sit down and confirm with his hands what he had assessed at first sight.  Sometimes, he would say – here’s your problem. I can fix that.  For me, however, I was told I would have to do the work myself (or the play, really) – the story of my life. He explained that my creative center (root and sacral chakras; sex organs) are closing down as I near menopause and I’m holding too much of the fire inside.  Basically, I have smokin’ ovaries, and if I don’t let some of that fire out through passion and creativity, mental issues (memory, confusion, fear, etc.) as well as my skin and nerve issues in my arms (carpal tunnel, etc.) will just keep causing me problems. I always thought my problems with my arms were a call to creativity – I was right – both skin and nerve deep.  Although he didn’t talk to anyone else in terms of Ayurvedic elements, he confirmed that my issue was too much fire that I’m keeping in and not releasing. He told me to be more creative and passionate (but not to complain when I get strong emotions) ]. He also gave me a breathing / visualization exercise to do several times a day.  I’m to visualize all the fire in my first two chakras and move it up to my heart and then to my throat.  I need to pause it there until I feel the saliva in my mouth – savour the sweetness of that creativity and passion, smile, and breathe it out. Sounds simple, but I did it a few times and it’s quite nice indeed.  It’s all about controlling my inner fires and lightening up and out.

Dominique Hurley_ Bali_DLH_1739Now you’d think that my life was all about creativity. But if you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that this year of learning hasn’t been a year of playing. I haven’t really let loose like I can sometimes do in the studio.  I’ve never really been good at playing, actually.  That’s why I took a 4-year degree at university to become an expert at organizing events for other to have fun at. I’ve always been too serious. One healer told me in Hawaii that my spirit was from the star Sirius and it was no use wishing I was from the planet Palladium.  I just am the way I am.  I still am. When out of balance, however (as the Ayurvedic doctor reported earlier this week), I am not only introspective and focused, but overly controlling and just not fun. Flora noticed it. Other participants in the workshop have noticed it.  My classmates in Vienna and teachers there have noticed it.  Basically, I’m not the most easy-going person and can be quite harsh on myself at times.  I’m much more relaxed than I was decades ago, but still have a ways to go to be happy in my skin – litterally.  So although I’ve devoted this year to the arts, I need to figure out the best way for me to have fun and creative with it.  I need to let go and let loose so my volcano doesn’t implode.  Hopefully, between my Ayurvedic medicine and new breathing exercise, I’m on my way there.

Creativity is one prescription.  So is passion.  Although the doctor didn’t say it specifically, I’d say that’s a confirmation that it’s time I find my life partner.  Thing is, I’m not one to settle.  It’s always been 0 or 200%. I want a man who is committed to learning to love unconditionally (and is already quite good at it). That’s also where I want to be when I enter into my next relationship.

If he’s read this blog, he’ll know he’ll need a good capacity for love and willingness to grow into that.  There are lots of delightful aspects to who I am -really!   I just don’t believe in only putting my best foot forward here. This blog is not all about marketing. It’s more important that I be authentic.  You get to know all sides of me here as I travel through life exploring and expressing my love of beauty and the beauty of love.

I’m sure there’s a compatible mate out there for me – I just haven’t met him at all these events I enjoy that only attract women.  Being an early up and early to bed person hasn’t helped my social life either.  Oh well. I’ll keep on working on myself, following my guidance, and living to the best of my happiness all the while having faith that when the time is right, I’ll meet someone with whom I can add another element of love and passion to the mix. After all, it’s doctor-recommended.  I’d rather do it while my pitta / fire is balanced, however, not to attract someone else who is out of balance. Until then, I’ll enjoy being single and learning to be more truly loving to myself and others.  That’s always a good thing.

OK – off to bed. Big day tomorrow and it’s almost 11pm.  Time to enter the magical wonders of dreamtime.

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New Bali Chapter at Pugig House

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Bali Chapter 3 is well underway and my new home for it is great. Two chickens just chased each other at my feet and are putting up quite a ruckus – fun! Originally, when Nicole Lawrence advertised her extension week for Flora’s workshop, we were going to stay at Swasti Eco Cottages, where I was all of last week. But when only 2 of us signed on, she asked if we’d be willing to go to Pugig House homestay instead – a German owned complex run by a Balinese family.  It consists of a few houses, apartments and a swimming pool in the village of Penestanan, next to Ubud. This is where she usually stays. It’s great! After a week in one location, I was ready to experience something new in a new neighbourhood – plus it’s less expensive here.

my room
my window-
Amy’s room
Amy
outdoor kitchen

Once again, I had asked to share a room to reduce my costs, but ended up having my own small (yet plenty big for my needs) single room on the ground floor of a shared house. Amy is upstairs in the stunning suite with an open-air terrace. We share a bathroom. It’s quite perfect, really.   We’re now 6 participants in this workshop and all but one are in rooms in buildings around the property. We’re surrounded by jungle – that’s how it feels. The daylong concert is incredible and gets even better in the early mornings and evening! There’s a valley right below us with a spring where the village used to get their drinking water. I haven’t been there yet – instead, we walked 3 minutes up the road to Cafe Vespa, where I had one of thier Ayurvedic drinks – the Pitta one, of course.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Pugig House_DLH_0271On our first night, we walked down little alleys and even smaller footpaths that seemed to go nowhere, but ended up at shops, yoga studios and the Yellow Flower restaurant. What a feast! Sunday nights are their buffet night. It was similar to the one on our last night at Swasti, but the food was much tastier. We do eat well here! There are also many other resorts, spas, etc. around – as for everywhere I’ve been so far in and around Ubud.

Morning Walk:

On Monday, we left early and were dropped off at the beginning of a trail that went along the ridge where 2 rivers meet. It was just lovely – and being with a group of visual artists meant that we were all at a very slow speed, taking all the natural and man-made beauty in.   Stunning!  This is one area where they collect the grass to make thatch roofs.  Before pesticides, those roofs lasted 20 years.  Now they last 3.

At the end of the trail, Nicole treated us to morning tea on the lower terrace of  Murni’s restaurant & spa – beautiful!. I had a coconut drink with bits of rice jelly in it and a piece of cashew pie. It was delicious, but reminded me of why I avoid having too much sugar in my system.  Nicole taught us “drawing with a breathing tone” – a method she used to teach children how to draw in Waldorf schools. Instead of drawing outlines, something I still do, you start by moving your pencil from the center out while constantly moving. You start by making organic shapes and then change them as you go.  That’s not a great explanation and I can’t find a link on the Internet to share, but I feel it may change the way I draw.  I’ll try it on Wednesday at our live drawing class.  It was a great follow-up to the fantastic children’s book that Flora read in her workshop -“Ish” by Peter Reynolds.  That story had moved me to tears after years of battling my “I can’t draw” demons.

ATM Problems:

Our driver met us at Murni’s and brought us to one of the supermarket complexes. One of my goals was to take money out. My original spending estimate (and cash I had brought) was based on reported meal prices that are harder to find these days. Apart from meals, 2 massages and a batik class, I hadn’t used my money for anything else. My Ayurvedic consult was paid by credit card. Still, I was running out of the cash after half my time here. Fortunately, ATM machines are everywhere here. There were 5 at the supermarket, all affiliated with different banks. One didn’t work for anyone – the screen would go blank after we’d enter our PIN. The other worked for 2 and not for the next. One man warned that some ate cards. Another girl said her machine only gave very small amounts instead of the maximum 2,500,000 Rupiahs ($250 Cdn). One of our participants got the message that her password had been changed. Yikes. Although I was able to enter my PIN and ask for money, I didn’t succeed at any of those machines. Our driver then stopped in town and I tried 2 more. No luck. We were dropped off further along for our afternoon event and I tried 3 more – no luck. It was very strange as it actually allowed me in the system, so I knew my card worked. I have plenty of money in that account, so that wasn’t the issue. I tried asking for smaller amounts – $100, but again no luck. Thankfully, I still had a 50 Euros bill that I had brought to ensure I could get back to town from the airport when I get back to Vienna. But that won’t last the week. It’s pretty scary being in a foreign country and your access to your own money isn’t working. President’s Choice Financial (my online bank) had told me they didn’t guarantee their debit card would work in other countries. It worked fine in Austria though.  I simply underestimated how much cash I would need here. Luckily, there is a solution. Nicole, our organizer, took money out for me and I’ll repay her by Paypal. Hopefully $300 will be enough for the next 2 weeks, including all meals, taxis, and my ride back to the airport. I’m not concerned. Had I been traveling alone, however, that would have been a pickle. Credit cards aren’t accepted everywhere, not even at the fancy resort we were at last week.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Ubud_DLH_0454Sound Healing:

Before I came to Bali, someone from Saskatoon had recommended I stay / visit the Yoga Barn. It’s quite the place. I’m glad, however, that I only got to visit and not stay there. There are lots of foreigners and energy moving through this popular place in the middle of a very noisy busy town. There are times when that would be great, but I was much more in the quiet ashram-retreat mode this trip. Still, I was grateful for their huge list of offerings. The one 4 of us from my group chose was a very soothing sound healing session with Shervin Boloorian. His special guest was a Norwegian musician who brought beautiful kirtan chants into the mix. I had had the great fortune of experiencing this kind of thing before. It’s truly wonderful – I had moments of bliss and lots of journeying as 65 various instruments were played by 2 musicians while a third person walked around our lying bodies introducing essential oils. I could have stayed there for several more hours.

The Hubub of Ubud:

I was very mellow after our sound therapy and although very aware of the incessant noise and constant traffic in Ubud, it didn’t phase me. We walked along a street of shops and while others shopped, I created a little project of photographing statues and motorcycles –there are plenty of both here.  I didn’t see anyone carrying a mattress on their bike (as someone had reported), but I did see 2 ladies carrying a clothing rack. I’m so glad I don’t have to spend more time in town if I don’t want to – all 3 places where I’ve stayed so far were far enough to satisfy my preferences for a more peaceful and natural atmosphere.  I would have found it very stressful to stay in town much longer.  I’ll admit, I really liked some of the purchases folks came back with during my various retreats – especially the clothing – but I’m not in shopping mode this trip.

Evening Hunt for Food:

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Ubud_DLH_0676After a swim in our pool, I decided to join the girls for what turned out to be an adventurous hunt for food. I had eaten late in the afternoon and so wasn’t hungry, but the idea of an organic restaurant at the end of a long walk through rice fields intrigued me. Sari Organik had come highly recommended.  We brought our flashlights and were dropped off at the head of a footpath (that is also used by motorcycles, which I’m glad to report, are used to squeezing by pedestrians with a friendly “Hello, Thank you!” I’m sure the walk would have been stunning in the daytime. At night, it simply felt like an adventure. When we finally found the restaurant about 20 minutes later, past a few places where the rice field irrigation system had flooded the path, they were closed for the night. So we backtracked and ended up at another outdoor terrace where my companions had a lovely meal worth the very long wait. I just had a fruit salad so I could take my before/after meal Ayurvedic medicine. By the time we got home at 10:00pm, after a desert stop at Café Vespa just up the road from Pugig House(which stayed open late to cater us), I went straight to bed and slept very soundly. What a full day!

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First Impressions – Swasti Eco Cottages

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Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti Eco_DLH_9286Hi everyone! Just so you know, this is where I’m writing from – on my private balcony while a thunderstorm passes over Swasti Eco Cottages (all the while naked little children are still swimming in the pool).  But before I introduce you to my home for the week, which I’m doing now because I have no idea how much time I’ll have to blog once my Flora Bowley workshop starts, let me recount my day.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti Eco_IMG_6641This was the first morning I didn’t set my alarm (I had set it 2 days ago- I just didn’t set it right…).  I smiled when I woke up and looked at the time to see that it was 5am on the dot.  My internal clock is definitely working well.  I showered, finished packing, and went to 6 am meditation / fire ceremony / and yoga before a delicious breakfast of curried noodles and vegetable.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_DLH_9065 copyI am so grateful for my time at the Anand Ashram in Ubud. I definitely felt welcomed there and the blend of relaxation, spirituality, beauty, good food, and great people absolutely added to that.  This is my favourite photo from my time there – to me it represents all that the ashram offers – giving, receiving, mindfulness, natural beauty, peace, community, solitude, etc.

At 9am, Yuda and Herny drove me to my next home.  They offered to do so for 40,000 Rp ($4) after they strongly reacted to the “only 100,000 Rp” ($10) that my resort wanted to charge me to send a taxi to come and get me.  I really appreciated the savings, but also transitioning to the next chapter with my previous hosts.  They were as surprised as I was though, when turning onto one of the last public streets.  A man was stopping cars and charging them a toll ($2).  They wondered if it was because their car plates were Indonesian vs. Balinese and if it was another ploy to make money from tourists.  They had recently told me of the locals who started charging tourists to view the hundreds of egrets who come back to their nests at night – in a public location. They, however, were allowed to walk past them without paying.  Entrepreneurs…  Anyhow, we found Swasti Eco Cottages and Yuda graciously helped me with my bag as the long driveway into the place is only large enough for motorbikes.  With my art supplies, easel, camera, etc. I’ve got more than I could carry alone.

Wow!  The place is gorgeous! It’s not in the center of town and so I will continue to be blessed with nature and songbirds. Yay!  It was only 10am when I arrived, and so I knew my room wouldn’t be ready.  So I left my bags with reception and walked around for an hour taking photos of my first impressions.  The place consists of several cottages on a large property – each with their own garden and veranda.

There’s also an organic garden somewhere and, as it turns out, goats!  I was taking a photograph of the entrance ramp when I heard noises behind me.  I turned around in time to very quickly snap these shots and avoid being trampled (a bit of a dramatization – I do that) – totally unexpected!  Fun!  They were being brought out to pasture – I wonder where, and I’m glad I wasn’t on the entrance path with my suitcase as they went rushing out.

At 11am, I was shown to my room. It’s on the 2nd floor of a 2-storey building near the reception and overlooking the pool.  I’ve always liked apartments better than houses to live in, so this was perfect! In the photos below, it’s the top left room (from the front) and the top right from the rice paddy/entrance). I really appreciate simple living and can do with quite little.  But I also love luxury and the beauty of this room took my breath away.  I was even more surprised that there was only 1 bed.  I had requested a shared room to save on costs and was told I would be sharing.

top left balcony
top right – view from the road

I quickly looked around, took a few photos, changed into my bathing suit and went for a swim.  I’m reconnecting to my love of swimming here – always loved the water.  My skin, however, doesn’t like chlorine and my eczema is especially bad in this heat. This pool is salt water based and the itching afterwards was fierce, even after 2 rinses.  Oh well.  A few minutes of itchiness  didn’t take away from the sheer pleasure of swimming – something I don’t think I’ve done in the last couple of years.

What a relief, therefore, when my skin and whole body got quite the treat at 12pm during my complimentary massage (well, it was part of the retreat).  Amazing!  I hadn’t had a massage in 9 months.  My friend Cheryl from Embrace Wellness in St. John’s used to barter with me, and so my body really needed this after so many months.  Wow! 1.5 hour full body massage, Balinese style. There were some distinct differences from the many kinds of treatments I’ve been blessed with in my life. I truly benefited.  As I drank my delicious cup of tea afterward, I looked at their spa offerings – so many choices for under $20, so I’ll listen to that angel card reading I got in the Czech Republic 2 weeks ago and pamper myself a bit while I’m here and if we have time.  My body, mind, and soul could use it.

After my massage, I met Flora, Rachel and Nicole in the organic restaurant (the organizers).  We’d all been on Facebook together and I knew Flora from her 5-week e-course, so it was like meeting people I already knew. Nice.  They seemed surprised that I was in a private room when I asked them about it, and said they’d check into it as I told them I didn’t have the budget for a single one.  I was in quite the mellow mood after my massage, and so I headed to the cushioned area and ordered a Balinese salad with tempeh (with some ingredients from their organic garden) and simply took everything in (the view and yes, later the salad).  The prices are definitely higher than at the ashram or in town.  Breakfast, however, is included.  I must stop focusing on my budget, however.  Sure, I need to be reasonable while I’m here, but I’m here because I was guided and the Universe (and many of you) supported my vision with the abundance to fulfill it.  I can’t afford to be wasteful, but I can certainly afford to focus on being healthy, abundant, and joyful while experiencing what this place and my workshops have to offer.  So I let any concerns go and a few minutes later, Flora came to give me the good news.  I could stay in my room as we’ve got the whole place booked for ourselves and no one else was assigned to it.  Perfect!  I will enjoy my social time and would have adapted to having a roommate for sure, but I totally appreciate my having my private space.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_Swasti Eco_DLH_9212I can see that many of the folks from the retreat have arrived.  I’ve met a few, but am slowly transitioning to being more social after my week at the ashram and my amazing massage.  We’re all meeting at 6pm for our opening dinner and ceremony. I’ll be at my most extravert by then.  Still a couple of hours to relax and listen to the rain.  It’s coming straight down hard and so it’s not affecting me on my balcony at all.  Life is so very good.

P.S. They turned the Internet off during the storm and later the connection was very sporadic and weak – I had to start uploading photos only at 3am when I woke up to go to the washroom (I’m lucky my room is near reception as not all rooms have wi-fi) and by 5:30am when I woke up for good, it hadn’t succeeded in uploading them all – lots of false starts and retries until 9am when we started.  So I’ll have to let go of my blogging habit to be fully present.  No worries though – I’ll eventually have my photos online.  You too will have to practice patience 🙂  all part of the Balinese experience.

 

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I Guess I Wasn’t Ready… Perfect!

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Dominique Hurley_Bali_IMG_6526Those who know me well know that I’m a bit of a hyper planner – obsessed with details and with a very active mental check-list.  I had a good laugh at myself last night when someone’s Facebook post in the group for my next retreat alerted me that I may have made a mistake.  It turns out that I’ve successfully gotten into holiday mode – my days were all mixed up in my mind. I was actually booked to stay at the ashram one more day/night, so the title of my last post was wrong. Bonus!  So perhaps all that talk about transitions in yesterday’s post was meant to help me realize it simply wasn’t time to go yet.  I must really be mellowing out for me to make such a mistake… I seem to be making more with the years – a sure sign that I’m learning to relax.  🙂

So what did I do on my last day?

Dominique Hurley_Bali_IMG_6523First thing, I checked to see how the baby bird was that another guest and I pulled out of the pool last night.  I got to call on Saint Francis of Assisi again.  Thanks to Google (a modern day miracle?), we learned that it was only 3 days old (eyes open, but no feathers yet) and that the mother would come and feed it and take it away if we put it up in a little nest.  Had it had feathers, it would have been on the ground on purpose for supervised life training 3-4 days before it could fly.  This one was too young, so we knew it had fallen out of the nest by accident.  When I went to check on it this morning, though, our whole make-shift nest was gone. We found out that Yuda had found 3 other chicks and thought the mother had been killed, so had them in a box by the kitchen. Herny succeeded in feeding them bits of tiny wet noodles today (they refused the worm). Their plan is to let them go free in 3 days.  Supposedly, the rice paddies are filled with these apparently orphaned chicks.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_IMG_6517After that, I made it to meditation/ fire ceremony / and yoga at 6am.  Yay!

At 8am, I had another great breakfast! Yay again!

And then I decided to join 2 Edmonton gals staying at the ashram to spend the day at the neighbouring Wydia Batik Studio for some creative fun – it took me 7 hours instead of the usual 5, but I had nothing else planned so that wasn’t a problem. Oh, we weren’t offered lunch, so yesterday’s student must have pre-arranged that. Just so you know, it’s not part of the 400,000 Indonesian Rupiah (about $40 Cdn) cost for the day.  No matter. I really wasn’t hungry anyway and drank 2 liters of water with sports minerals (sugarless Gatorade, basically) – great in this heat, even though there was a breeze in the shade of the studio.  I’ve had heat and sun stroke a few times in my life and have to be careful.  Overall, I’m thrilled with my experience!  My piece has its obvious flaws, but I did most of it myself.  Still, I’d say it was a collaboration as the team there all pitched in at one point or another.

So here’s how you create a batik:

1.  Choose a design or make your own and trace it on a cloth.  I really liked this Balinese dancer and a bird, and so I combined those and free-handed roots and spiral tree branches to make it yet another tree goddess. Had I had more time, I may have ventured my own design, but for today, I was very happy for the pre-made designs to choose from.

2.  After practicing with the “chanting” (wax drawing tool)  on a scrap piece of cloth- dip, wipe, keep at 45 degrees angle, left to right, repeat after 10 seconds, etc. – I then waxed my entire design.  Note: this is where you can decide how much involvement you want in the process.  The 3 artists there did most of the wax work for the others.  I was like a 2 year-old … “I can do it! I want to do it!” and so they were happy to coach me and I had to live with the consequences of hot wax drips on my toes and on my design, etc.  This also meant that I was much slower in my process, but that’s OK.  I got the experience I wanted.

3.  Use the stamps and hot wax to create a border.

4. Choose your colours and paint them in using bamboo sticks.  The colour wheel with numbers helps here as the colours you see when you apply them are not what they’ll come out as.  Everyone did their own colours.  Unfortunately, these tools aren’t very precise and although the wax stops the colours from running, it won’t do that if you don’t paint within the lines or splatter drips all over the place. I’m so used to free intuitive messy stuff – still need practice being precise and careful …. is that a description for patient?!  Unfortunately, it’s that sloppiness that I wish I had avoided because the blotches on the final design really catch my eye.  Unlike with acrylics, you can’t just paint on top of them… Oh well…

5.  After that dries in the sun (long enough for the colours to dry, but not for the wax to melt), re-apply wax designs on top of the coloured parts to protect those.  That takes a long time and I’ll admit that after 5 hours without a break and my mind starting to wander, I did about half and handed it over for the guys to finish.  I was starting to make silly mistakes.

6.  Dip in the fixative to set the colours and rinse.  I think this is where the blues and greens actually turn blue and green.

7.  Dip in the yellow and then orange (which oddly makes red) and rinse.  Repeat that process twice to get a deeper red (or whatever colour you choose).

8.  Dip in the fixative again.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_IMG_66249.  Put in boiling water to melt the wax – the original lines become white and the next layer remains the colours you’ve chosen. The rest combines with your background colour.

10. Rinse and hang to dry.  If the sun has disappeared behind a building by the time you’re ready, you can also blowdry it.

I don’t guarantee I remember all that correctly, but know that the batiks you see in stores may have had 4-5 layers of wax and colour on them.  We did the fast and easy process. I think I may use gold paint or 3-D paint to add to it and to hide some of those obvious defects… I’m still thrilled with my day and totally recommend the experience.  It may not be a Balinese art (it’s from Java), but it’s a great thing to do while in Ubud.

I became a huge fan of batiks in the late 80s when I started collecting clothing by Kaliyana Artwear (in the days when she was more into that) – she still comes to Indonesia to work with the locals to make her more upscale line today though – beautiful clothing that I’ve been happy to wear for over 25 years.  I still have some of the original pieces from the early era and they’re perfect to wear here in Bali’s heat.  Here are a few that have traveled the world with me during the years – a blast from the past.  See Kaliyana’s online shop to see what she’s up to these days… inspiring!

Barcelona, Spain
Czech Republic
South Korea
Prague, Czech Republic
Holland
Sedona, Arizona -USA
Saipan – Northern Mariana Islands, USA
Newfoundland & Labrador
Vanuatu

I now feel completely ready for the next chapter of my trip. Spending a creative day near the ashram was just what I needed to help me transition to the next workshop and bigger crowds. Ah – the gecko in my room just squeaked in delight at my obvious personal and spiritual growth.  Yes indeed: good job Dominique!  Hee hee.  Now I just need to learn to be a mellow, go-with-the-flow gal while not losing those effective organizer skills I’ve come to count on (as have others..).  This time it’s true when I say that I’m leaving the ashram tomorrow…

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Slowing Down and Zooming In at Anand Ashram

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Dominique Hurley_Bali_DLH_8580I’ve always woken up early while traveling. In fact, I’d wake up at the usual 5am and try to pack as much as possible in a day: see everything, do everything, and get my money’s worth before time ran out.  Nothing wrong with being in tourist mode.  Nothing wrong at all, really.  It’s the contrast with my current experience that makes me smile.  I’m still getting up at 5am, but that’s so that I can go to Anand Ashram’s daily 6am meditation, fire ceremony and yoga class before breakfast and spending time walking the grounds with my camera before it gets too hot (around 9-10am).  I still feel like I’m quite busy with 2 other meditation sessions, 3 meals, photo editing and time in the library – but I feel so very relaxed, peaceful, and content.  This week is about slowing down and zooming in.  I’m very glad I was guided this way.

Gallery – The Ashram Close-Up:

After my day of photographing the grounds with my wider angle lens (see previous post), I decided to spend Wednesday with only my long lens, zooming in to the world around me from within the ashram.  Looking at the world close-up has always increased my sense of wonder at the beauty that surrounds us.  With a heart filled with gratitude and joy, I slowed down and wandered around looking – seeing – appreciating – connecting.  When I’m in nature with my camera or in my studio painting – those are my truest forms of meditation – my spiritual practice. It’s now my pleasure to share the results here with you. The best way to see these is on the blog site. Click on the first image and proceed to the next at full screen- you can’t always appreciate the tiny thumbnails in the galleries. Can you find the motorcycle with 5 people on it?

Gallery: Looking Outside from Within:

I’ve also just finished “Soul Quest- the Journey from Death to Immortality”, the autobiography of Anand Krishna – the one who founded these multi-faith ashrams.  How very inspiring.  I’ve read many such books over the decades, and as for each one before it, I feel blessed for the reminder of what being a spiritual traveler on this earth is all about.  Love, Beauty, Inspiration, Consciously Going with the Flow, and sharing what we’ve learned along the way. I found it most interesting how his life – this one and remembered past ones – is interlinked with the lives of many of those I have read about and followed in my own ways in my own time.  By reading his story, it feels like I’ve connected to my own more deeply and more peacefully.

Gallery: Artsy Photoshop Creations:

Dominique Hurley_Bali_DLH_8494Last night, as for every Wednesday night at the ashram, dozens of people (mostly Balinese from the neighbouring towns), came for an evening of Keertan (devotional call and response chants in Sanskrit).  Most of my music collection consists of this kind of chanting and joining in (thanks to the words on the screen) was blissful.  It was held in the open air devotional/yoga space below the Universal Mother Goddess temple while the rain fell outside and the djembe drums led us inside. Lovely!

 

 

Other memorable moments have been:

  • watching a firefly slowly walk down the mosquito net as I was falling asleep, with its traffic signal flashing on and off (reminding me of how thousands of its species had lit up the rice fields on the dark night of Nyepi – something I forgot to mention).
  • getting eaten alive under my mosquito net the night I decided to sleep with the windows open… by tiny small black bugs easily visible with my flashlight. I switched beds, had the linen changed the next day, fogged the room, and slept with the windows closed the next night without problems.
  • tasting 3 kinds of fruit after keertan last night – hairy rambutan, purple mangosteen, and duku (lanasium domesticum)  myum!
  • finding a tiny bird with its wing broken and bleeding at the top of the stairs near my door.  As I approached to see if I could help, it managed to fly down 3 flights to the ground in fear.  I’m not a Saint Francis… and I couldn’t find it after that.  It reminded me that it was not my place to judge whether this was a good thing or bad thing – it was just a thing – perhaps its injury would help the scrawny  kitten that recently moved into the gardens to feed itself.  My heart had reached out to it as well.

Dominique Hurley_Bali_DLH_8831

  • that sense of knowing that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing – being in the moment- and praying I remember that when more challenging times occur, as may this month with 2 eclipses and other astrological events.
  • the pleasure of simply showing up for meals without having to make any choices or pay each time – thanks to Yuda for his wonderful cooking – he learned on YouTube he told us. I enjoy hearing him chanting joyfully in the kitchen while I look at the birds and flowers around the outdoor eating area.
  • knowing I had fun taking about 30 photos of butterflies in flight even if I don’t have one in focus to show you 🙂
  • simply being here – thank you also to Herny, the ashram’s caretaker and fire keeper, for making my stay at this beautiful, safe, sanctuary so wonderful.
  • Still going with the flow, I had my first swim in the healing pool – refreshing!… how’s this for a selfie?! (thanks to my Otter iPhone crushproof/waterproof case)

Dominique Hurley_Bali_IMG_6468OK – now it’s 11pm.  Let’s see if I get up at 5am for meditation…. Goodnight!

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