Tag Archive for: yoga

Portrait of a Yogi – Meranda Squires Shares Her Personal Practice to Freedom

July 6, 2021/in Inspiration

I recently traveled to the Tree of Life Sustainability Project & Retreat Centre with its co-founder, Meranda Squires. She had asked me to record a couple of yoga classes for her and to take some yoga pose portraits for her business – The Lotus Centre in St. John’s.

This turned into some nature photo/video play which, once back home, turned into the 11:11-minute video above – “Portrait of a Yogi – Meranda Squires Shares Her Personal Practice to Freedom”.

Having witnessed the love & beauty manifested through Meranda, I wanted to know even more.

In this interview, Meranda shares even more. Enjoy!

Interview with Meranda Squires

What is yoga?

Yoga is a state of consciousness where you don’t see division – you don’t see others as separate from your yourself. The physical poses are only the tip of the iceberg of what yoga is.

The whole practice of yoga is to dissolve the duality and the illusion of separateness so that the truth that is already there – unity consciousness – gets to be experienced by us and through us.

There’s nothing to protect anymore. There’s nothing to save or attack. So we can relax inside.

That’s the side effect of unity consciousness. There’s nothing that your ego needs to defend.

What is the meaning of all the physical poses?

My practices may look physical, but from the inside, it’s not physical at all.

Divine has chosen the physical world to express itself, so we make up yoga poses. As we do the poses and the pranayama (breathing), channels get opened up.

Stuckness and tightness start to release. Everything starts to flow and move because these exercise are designed for that purpose.

When I do poses and others start to do them, they get that effect. The meditation exercises and practices all help.

Eventually, there’s a dissolution of the physical, and you’re in the divine realm of oneness.

But you do need to start on a physical level and let the physical transform the body – so the pranayama and the stretching & holding of poses strengthens and opens you. There’s a transformation that happens over years.

There are two effects of yoga poses. There’s the immediate effect and the long term practice effect. After years of practice, something starts to open that you probably didn’t even know would get opened.

Different poses are part of the creativity of yoga. Nobody has to be perfect in all of their poses.

The yogis have decided to become a master in their field of practice. It’s not so that a person, on an ego level, can look good in a pose in a picture.

By practicing those poses, there’s a training of concentration and one-pointedness and a massaging of the ability to hold breath – and all of this is needed for the transformation of the energy.

It’s not superficial – in fact, if you decide to master these things, that’s where transformation takes place.

What has been your yoga journey to freedom?

Yoga must have come from a previous incarnation because the drive for freedom was very strong from a young age.

That’s probably why I had the parents that I had and grew up where I did, at the Ferryland Lighthouse.

That gave me the experience on a physical and family structure level of what freedom can be like. It opened my soul, my inner eye towards what the ultimate potential of freedom can be.

I have naturally been drawn to yoga and meditation since I was very young. My mother was a meditator. I was inspired by her.

When we moved to Toronto, I started investigating yoga. My first class was in the basement of a church in 1980.

From that point on, I met some people who had a guru and lived in India. They had an ashram in Toronto.

The first time I went to their yoga class, the teacher asked us to listen to the sound of silence. At first, I didn’t know what he meant – that there’s an OM sound and it’s always there. And so I finally had to let go of all the external noises. When I heard the OM, I had this epiphany, like “Ahhhhhhhh Wow!”

These little insights kept me inspired . “Oh my God, there’s so much more.”

I saw there was a lot to do with the body – I was already involved in dance, so yoga was natural for me.

I left for India when I was 20 in 1983. I stayed there for 17 years.

It became my new lifestyle. I felt I had come home to myself to be growing and interacting with other like minds, all devoted to personal transformation through meditation and yoga philosophy.

I had a teacher that I could access when needed. Truly, it’s so special to have this type of guidance.

I lived in a small apartment I rented from an Indian family. I went to Satsang, our daily gathering, twice daily.

My teacher spoke knowledge, we asked questions, we learned to public speak.

We sang chants, learned the scriptures, had beautiful walks in the mountains, had potlucks with my spiritual friends, and meditated a lot; hours and hours a day.

After 17 years of personal work , I knew it was time for me to teach.

So I returned to Newfoundland and set up the Lotus Centre in 2000. I have been teaching and learning ever since, and now I’m training others in this deep spiritual work.

Have you achieved the unity consciousness you described?

I would say I’m living the essence of yoga most of the time now.

But I still have karma and things that I’m working out.

Living the lifestyle that I live and teach, I’m still learning lessons in all of that.

But I’ve made some choices that have made my life a whole lot easier to live. My state of consciousness is able to maintain that level that I want to live in. I’m getting better and better at it as I get older.

I feel that I’m opening up to a potential that all human beings have. The yoga lifestyle has been my key. I decided that I was going for it.

That freedom, that access to unity consciousness is all there, all accessible. Yoga helped me improve the condition of my personal life, so I can live that state.

I remember when I came back from living in an ashram in Montreal, my mother here in Newfoundland asked me “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I said, “enlightened”. She replied “Oh! that’s a different kind of profession!”

Why do you teach yoga?

Yoga is my lifestyle and my profession – living the enlightened state and being an example for others.

Everyone has the potential. They just have to set themselves up to make that condition work for them.

That’s why I want to share it. Because in the same way I was lit up, I love watching other people get lit up – with this practice, with dedication.

I’m emotional thinking of how it can be passed on to others; how others’ hearts can experience a freedom that can not be experienced living in their normal everyday life.

People can live a normal everyday life, but yoga is the addition that is the freedom while living in an everyday life.

Why were you open to sharing your practice in this video?

There’s nothing more beautiful than sharing something that is so meaningful and valuable to me (spoken with tears in her eyes).

To be inspired by the Light, by divinity and to share that.

Thank you.

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Every Moment A Teacher – A Story of Love and Fear

October 10, 2017/in Inspiration, Paintings

“Balancing” (12″ x 36″) Acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas. SOLD

From great horror often rises stories of great courage, selflessness, and love. On the day I heard about the shootings in Las Vegas, I was moved to watch the movie “Patriot Day” -about the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon. It amazes me how love manages to rise above fear for some people in extreme times.

I have no idea how I’d react in such a situation – and God willing, I won’t have to live through one to find out.

But I do know that – on a much smaller scale – every day offers us opportunities to learn how to act out of love instead of react out of fear.

Becoming aware of how fear feels in our bodies increases our awareness of the power of our minds and the power of our hearts.

Here’s the story of love & fear I shared at last month’s MoMondays – monthly motivational events happening across Canada featuring real people, real stories, real inspiration.

Accompanying me on stage was this new painting, “Balancing” (12″ x 36″), which honours the many ways love, peace, and balance can be achieved on a daily basis. It also celebrates the yin (feminine- receiving – being) and yang (masculine – doing) working in harmony to achieve that balance in the journey of life.

Every Moment A Teacher

Back in 2003, my husband of 10 years and I mutually and lovingly decided to let each other go.

Our journey together had been rich and intense. His life & death health challenges in the later years had brought our love to a new high – teaching us the true meaning of unconditional love. We learned not to sweat the small stuff as major issues triggered fears on so many levels.

This time also offered me great gifts. I had to call on every inner and outer resource available to keep me strong – plunging me into the world of personal and spiritual self-help teachers, whose tapes (remember those?) I played over and over again as I walked to my several jobs, trying to keep us afloat.

Once the crisis was over, both my husband and I continued our journeys of self-discovery, supporting each other as best we could. We eventually realized (and accepted) that to remain true to our Selves, our journey as a couple would need to end. Wanting our own and each other’s happiness meant letting the marriage go.

No regrets.

Vipassana Meditation

Before moving to Calgary and diving into my Masters of Education for Teachers of English as a Second Language program, I decided to spend the summer in a series of solo retreats. I needed “me time”.

One of these was a 10-day silent Vipassana Meditation retreat in Sutton, Quebec.

This kind of meditation is great to develop the Observer Self / self-awareness. As we sat in meditation, we were taught to scan our bodies from head to toe to feel the subtle vibrations.

By Day 9, when it was time to break the silence, I didn’t want it to end. I’d reached such a state of inner peace.

But it hadn’t always been that way. Day 2 and 3 were hell!

On Day 2, I was convinced everyone was purposefully trying to annoy ME. I got to witness how my mind took soooooo many things personally – from how loudly one participant stomped down the stairs in the middle of the night to go to the washroom to how the one in front of me in the lunch line took the last of a platter I’d been eyeing.

It was both laughable and sad, but it helped me shed a layer of suffering that comes with thinking the world revolves around us. Those participants had all their own stuff to deal with – it had nothing to do with me! Wow! What a great lesson! Don’t take things personally!

Day 3 was worse. I realized how my mind created fear and ran with it. During the session of the day when we were encouraged not to move a muscle, I heard a vehicle outside. We hadn’t been allowed to drive all the way up to the centre, so I convinced myself (while sitting there looking very zen) that some drunk local yahoos had come to the conclusion we were a cult and were coming to shoot us all down. My heart was racing and I broke into a sweat. I remained completely still on the outside, but I was experiencing terror on the inside. Memories of a photograph of piled bodies from a war museum in Cyprus that I’d seen as a very young child came back into consciousness. I had it all planned. As soon as I’d hear the door open, I’d throw myself under the bloody body of the person beside me and play dead.

While fear took on a life of its own, my Observer Self lovingly reassured me that the noise was probably a grocery delivery truck. Didn’t I want more of that delicious vegetarian cooking? I had a choice: keep putting myself through wringer in body, mind, and spirit by running with fear, or choosing love – for myself and in my perceptions of the world. Witnessing the power of the mind and its effect on my body was powerful. And why? Because I’d heard a car. Yikes!

I came out of that session discouraged from seeing how clearly I created my own fears. But I also came out of it feeling liberated and determined to choose love more frequently – questioning the truth behind fear.

The rest of the retreat was bliss!

My Action Research Study

By the time I got to Calgary, I was on solid ground again, glad I’d taken the time to come back into my Self – more loving, more mature, and ready for the next chapter. I’d shed so much of what no longer served me and was ready to dive into my studies.

When I’d registered for my Masters, I had no idea that the Education Department had a Spirituality & Leadership branch. Can you imagine? Reading books by Don Miguel Ruiz, the Dalai Lama, Sai Baba, Byron Katie and so many more spiritual leaders as homework?! School at that point had always ever been to get the degree I needed for the jobs I wanted.

So every elective course became a further opportunity for personal awareness and spiritual growth.

My Action Research course was no exception. Are you familiar with the term?

According to Wikipedia,

“Action research is either research initiated to solve an immediate problem or a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a “community of practice” to improve the way they address issues and solve problems.”

My study was an extension of my Vipassana Meditation practice. While teaching English as a Second Language to a group of young adults, I’d pay very close attention to the subtle sensations within my body that indicated fear. After class, I’d journal about it to train myself out of fear and back into love.

I was amazed at how often I was afraid in the space of a class. I got quicker at recognizing the signals and acting instead of reacting.

I’d always been great at the doing of teaching, but not so much at being a teacher.

You see, with my background in recreation, I loved organizing memorable successful learning events. My classes were planned to take the students from the recognition of a problem and working through the challenge before experiencing an aha moment that increased their understanding and skill ability. But the classes depended on successful time management.

I was afraid that something would happen to take the class off course. I didn’t want to get to the end of our time before we got to the end of the lesson. I dreaded the possibility of students leaving feeling frustrated with the challenge instead of elated by their success and progress.

I’d also be afraid of being found out as a fraud if I couldn’t answer questions confidently. I felt a slight twinge in my stomach if students raised their hands (especially in grammar class since I’d skipped that elective for another spirituality course).

Grammar questions triggered issues of “not being good enough”. After all, we didn’t have Google in the classroom back then, and aren’t teachers supposed to have all the answers?

By the end of the study, I became very good at recognizing the physical signals of fear, quickly identifying the root, and either self-correcting a reaction or choosing a more loving response from the get-go.

What a valuable training for all of life!

From Fear to Love

The journey to unconditional love – for myself and others – continues.

Learning to love isn’t linear. It’s like a labyrinth. The intention is there as you journey through the many twists and turns of life to the very centre of your core. There, you find a space to pause, reflect, connect, and collect what it is you need to bring it back out into the world with you.

It may be a cliché, but it’s become one because it’s so true.

“Success is a journey, not a destination”.

Balancing love & fear in our lives is a dance – one that gets better and better the more aware we are of it.

What every day situations trigger your fears?

Can you see how your mind runs with untruth to wreck havoc on your happiness?

How does fear feel in your body?

What practices can help you become more self-aware?

Your mind is powerful.

So is your heart.

With greater self-awareness, it’s possible to shift

From darkness to light,

Fear to love,

Separation to unity consciousness.

May the loving voice of your Higher Self ease you through your fears to teach you to be more loving towards yourself and others.

Namaste.

Dominique

“Balancing”- 12″ x 36″ – acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas – SOLD

Click To See All Original Paintings

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Chakra Yoga Painting

September 26, 2017/in Paintings

What a fun project! And balancing too! This 7-into-1 piece painting entitled Chakra Yoga came into being for my “Union” exhibition at Moksha Yoga St. John’s.

Truth be told, this painting was also inspired by a need to de-stress.

It was the last painting created during the rebuilding of my online shop in July. You see, when I’m stressed, I paint.

Painting is a very fruitful way to destress and yes, procrastinate… much better than one of my other habits – Netflix & chips.

I needed this focus on the chakras – energy centres – to help me come back into my power so I could cope with technological issues. After all, I used to be a technophobe…

Fortunately, I also received much needed help from a web-designer friend and my online shop is now happy to serve you.

The Meaning of Chakra Yoga

There are 7 small attached canvases that make up Chakra Yoga.

Each canvas includes the symbol for that chakra on the colour that represents it.

Its yoga pose is one that helps open that chakra. I used glass beads on these figures, so they glow when lights hits them.

Presented as it is, Chakra Yoga is both a teaching and energetic tool to open and balance your chakras.

1- Root Chakra – Red – Warrior II Pose
2- Sacral Chakra – Orange – Goddess Pose
3- Solar Plexus Chakra – Yello – Bow Pose
4 – Heart Chakra – Green – Camel Pose
5- Throat Chakra – Blue – Plow Pose
6 – 3rd Eye Chakra – Indigo – Child Pose
7 – Crown Chakra – Violet – Tree Pose (which is also good for grounding and therefore the root pose)

Chakra Yoga (30″ x 53.5″)
Acrylics & glass beads on gallery wrapped canvases
SOLD

P.S. I was the first artist to exhibit on Moksha Yoga St. John’s gallery wall in 2012, and I’m happy to be back until December 7th.

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A Prayer for Your Transformational Journey

April 14, 2016/in Inspiration, Paintings

“So Be It…” (9″ x 12″) – $357

Are you experiencing huge shifts these days?

Do you feel that when you’ve dealt with one challenge, another presents itself?

This is called the Year of Mastery in spiritual circles. That means it’s also a time of accelerated growth.

You’ve no doubt heard that by saying “yes” to the transformational journey, it presents you with limitless possibilities to see, accept, love, release, and grow from life and all it has to offer.

Don’t get discouraged. Focus on the gifts that are birthed from your process.

You know the expression “ignorance is bliss”. It’s also a choice.

But knowledge is power. And the more you know yourself, the more empowered you are to act in alignment with your true values. The more courage you’ll have to shine as your True Self.

Here’s a prayer I offer you, inspired by my new painting “So Be It…”, one of the chakra jewels series from my painting marathon (more on it here).

A Prayer for Your Transformational Journey

May your Light shine
Through the darkness
Of your Days and Nights.

May all that you’ve lived
Hold space for you
As you grow more fully
Into your Self.

May you feel tall & strong,
Flexible & adaptable,
As the winds of change
Flow through you with ease & grace
No matter the weather,
forever more.

So be it…

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Yoga Bliss and the Body Temple

April 12, 2016/in Life By Design, Paintings

honouring the body temple through yoga painting -anjaneyasana

“Yoga Bliss” (9″ x 12″) – SOLD

I confess… the only yoga I did during my painting marathon week was on canvas.

Sure, there are countless benefits of spending focused time in the creative flow. It was truly blissful in mind and spirit – which benefits my whole being.

Those marathons take a toll, though – whether they’re in the studio or at the computer.

I’m glad the mat called me back. Or should I say my body called me back – refusing to be ignored any longer.

It’s always the way. If I don’t pay attention to my body’s murmurs, it eventually screams until I pay attention. Why do I do that?!

Raise your hand if you’re as guilty of knowing how good it feels to stretch, to exercise, to honour your body temple in so many ways …. but don’t do it often enough?

Good for you if your hand’s still down.

If not, stop reading right now and make a commitment to doing something physical today. It’ll clear your mind and open your heart too!

I just stopped in the middle of writing this post and called a friend to go for a walk in the glorious sunshine.

What are you going to do?

Go ahead, write it in the comments below. Help us generate ideas.

So whether you end up in this low lunge yoga pose (anjaneyasana), dancing in your room, going on a group hike, or getting a massage, hourray to you for honouring your body temple.

You won’t regret it!

I mean, just go back up to look at my new painting “Yoga Bliss”. Can’t you just feel the happiness that comes from allowing the Life Force to flow through the body?

May you be healthy and happy – in body, mind, and spirit!

P.S. You’ll find “Yoga Bliss” and the other chakra jewels I created during my painting marathon in the Original Paintings section of my online shop.

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Life By Design: The Perfect Fitness Fit

January 9, 2015/in Inspiration, Life By Design

I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking about physical fitness during this time of New Year resolutions. The trick, I’ve found, is to find a formula that’s a perfect fit for YOU in THIS chapter of your life – for your schedule, constraints, personality, fitness level, social needs, location, budget, etc. The rewards of moving that uniquely beautiful body of yours are multiple: exercise enhances not only your physical, but also your mental, emotional and spiritual health. In fact, it’s a great way to counter the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), common at this time of year. Not everyone, however, is into team sports, outdoor adventures, group classes, gyms, or running clubs. So what’s the right fit for you? Here’s what I do to get my groove on.

Knowing Myself:

I’ll start off by saying that I am in no way an athletic person. The only reason I passed high school gym was because of the theory and flexibility units, as well as a wicked volleyball serve. I spent the rest of the time humiliated, panting with burning lungs far behind the rest of the class.

I did, however, love being in nature and taking long leisurely walks to fill my eyes with the wonders of the world. So throughout my life, I arranged to live at least 30 minutes walk from where I worked, ensuring at least 1-3 hours of walking a day on workdays. I’ve also never owned a car – which helped. Indeed, I’m a destination walker – I’ll gladly walk to where I need to go no matter the weather. I’m discovering, however, that I’m not so motivated to simply “go for a walk”, especially on my own, unless special scenery is involved (like on all those hiking trails in Vienna or the East Coast Trail here in Newfoundland).

New Chapter, New Program:

When I moved back to Canada in July, I chose to live in a great environment far from university, which unfortunately meant taking the bus to campus when I was teaching. I’m facing an even greater need now to expand my physical fitness program since I’m working entirely from home for the winter, mostly hunched over my computer or my paintings.

Knowing that my current hermit mode, early-riser schedule, financial priorities, and location aren’t conducive to yoga or dance classes that I may have enjoyed in the past, I’ve designed an at-home program that I just love. It has made such a difference in my days and nights as I had been suffering from the ill-effects of sitting cross-legged on the floor painting for 12-16 hours on some days…

So here’s my program:

1. Morning Kriya Yoga Energization Exercises (20 minutes)

I learned this routine last May while at the Ananda Center in Italy, where I was artist-in-residence for 10 days. It’s a series of 39 simple muscle tensing and relaxing exercises that help to consciously direct the life force to certain parts of the body, awakening the body, mind and soul. I did them for a while afterwards and then stopped, despite keeping the poster my friend Regine gave me on the wall. I’ve added this back in this year, at the beginning of my morning routine, sometime between 5-6 am. It feels great! If you’re curious, here’s a longer instructional video, but I now use a shorter one to follow along.

Note: This series was designed by Paramahansa Yogananda (author of “Autobiography of a Yogi”). When I was in Ottawa over Christmas, I saw that there’s a feature movie about his life in theatres now – unfortunately, it’s not currently scheduled for St. John’s.

2. Morning Rebounding (15-40 minutes)

I love to dance! As soon as I was old enough to go to bars, my friends and I went to a punk club called The Zinc and danced until 3am every weekend. It was the only place we could dance without being bothered; it wasn’t the typical meat market. While my friends danced, socialized, drank, and kept an eye on me, I would close my eyes and enter a blissful state, translating the music with my body for hours on end. Then, I would drive everyone home. I’m rarely awake past 10pm nowadays though and never liked the club scene after The Zinc closed down. I did, however, find a various types of yoga-dance classes / spiritual movement events in the many cities I’ve lived in. Since I’m currently not into classes, though, incorporating dance into my daily routine has become a priority.

I found out about the health benefits of rebounders (mini-trampolines) when I lived in Saskatoon, so I bought one and placed it in front of the balcony doors of my 6th floor apartment overlooking the South Saskatchewan River, trees, and the city. I would dance to a set of 3 kirtan songs (devotional songs in Sanskrit) every morning. I just loved how I felt physically and mentally after my sessions.

That rebounder stayed in Saskatoon, so I bought a new one a few months ago and use it daily in my studio, as part of my morning routine and anytime I need to step away from my art to contemplate its evolution. I bought a well-reviewed one – the Urban Rebounder. It has different settings and comes with DVD workouts, but I simply dance on it – nothing fancy, using the shuffle feature on my iPhone to select 3 kirtan songs that come up, fully trusting that this combination will uplift me (ha ha, get it?). Some of the songs in my collection are pretty long, so my rebounding sessions can last anywhere from 15 – 40 minutes. Once I get started, however, I lose track of time as I enter either a state of contemplation, devotion, joy, or creative flow (looking at my art or vision board, praying, singing, or thinking). I often get ideas or work out the details of projects during these sessions. It’s all good. Adding this video here is a bit of a stretch of my comfort zone, but just in case it inspires you – here it is (in a very authentic albeit a little self-concious, pre-shower, painting clothes state).

3 . Morning Restorative Yoga (36 minutes)

My back gets really tight as I don’t have a very good posture while painting or working on the computer (yes, I just straightened up and heard a bit of a crack). Although I’ve tried and enjoyed all sorts of yoga styles with the years, my favourite at-home routine is Jennifer Steed’s Hatha Yoga Class for Rejuvenation from her Dynamic Stillness CD, now on my iPhone (available through Jennifer) . I can do it almost anywhere and have been doing it almost daily since 2008. The first half is all done lying on my back with my legs up a wall or in various twists. It’s just the level of exertion I appreciate and the stretching feels soooo good – there truly are yoga types for all types of people. For folks in St. John’s, if you’d like to try it in a class, my favourite restorative yoga teacher is Cheryl Fenk, who also teaches a much-loved yin yoga style.

* Basically, I spend about 1.5 hours moving my body every morning before feeding the ducks, taking my shower, and eating breakfast. No matter what mood I wake up in, I feel great by the time my workday starts.

4. Evening Soma Yoga (1.5 hours)

I’ve just started this up again this week, using a CD that Meranda Squires from the Lotus Center gave me. Many teachers here in St. John’s teach this style of yoga thanks to her training. It’s another form of gentle yoga, mostly done lying down, using tennis balls and a tie. I find it very therapeutic for those ropes along the sides of my spine and other tightness – the side effects of my profession. My intention is to do this 1-3 times a week.

5. Occasional Walks

It may be winter, but I’ll keep walking to do as many of my errands as I can (although my housemate made me a key for her car recently and I’ll admit, I’ve made use of it a few times when walking would have been beneficial). This week, I walked to the library (1 hour each way – luckily with the wind at my back on my way home) and enjoyed a bit of a stroll by the ocean at Middle Cove Beach with my friend Leslie.

6. Skating

I sold many of my belongings in early 2013 as part of my fundraiser and preparation for my year overseas,. I held on to my skates, however, when I heard that they were building an ice loop in Bannerman Park. I haven’t been yet, but it’s on my list.

7. Misc.

Then there’s whatever comes up with opportunity or inspiration. For example, my most memorable sports socials during my year overseas were skiing in Austria and cycling in the Czech Republic with my beloved friends. It doesn’t have to be a huge production though – I experienced great joy yesterday making snow angels in the backyard after 2 hours on the phone with a computer help technician (without success). What a great stretch! My favourite moment was having a few ducks fly up to join me and just sit nearby – heaven! (of course they were hoping I’d feed them a second time that day …).

Listening:

The most important thing is to tune into your body to know what’s right for you on any particular day. I’ve had to remind myself to be flexible in mind as well as in body this week when I decided not to do yoga one night as planned. I can get pretty goal focused…

However and with whomever you choose move your body this year – enjoy! May you find a fitness routine that’s a perfect fit for you.

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Happy New Year! Bali Style

April 1, 2014/in My Travels

Well it seems I’ve got a habit of flying on New Year’s Eve. I arrived in Vienna on December 31st and this time landed in Denpasar, Bali on March 30th – their New Year’s Eve. Before I tell you about that (and there’s lots to tell), let me say that being in airports and airplanes for 27 hours isn’t so bad when you’re a movie buff and people-watcher like me. I flew Qatar Airlines, and as soon as we took off, I noted the time in Bali to reschedule my brain and sleep. The trick is to forget what time it is in the country you came from. I haven’t had what I’d call jet lag, so I believe it works.

smoking booth in restaurant at the Vienna Airport

I got 4-5 hours sleep between Doha and Singapore and watched movies the rest of the time: Gravity, Captain Phillips, Philomena, 12 Years a Slave, and perhaps more. All were on my wish list and I recommend them!

Having someone greet you at the airport is a definite plus – I’m so glad I had arranged that with the ashram I’m staying at! Once I got through the $25US 30-day visa line, the customs line, the baggage pick-up area. and the money exchange counter, I found Rudi at about 8:30pm in the long line up of drivers with signs. It was a relief to see my name and such a friendly smile. As a follow-up to my last post though, I’ll say that one disadvantage of having been first in line before 2 groups of 50 at the check-in counter in Vienna is that my luggage ended up coming out last at this end of the trip. Oh well…

New Year’s Eve here was advertised online as a time for “communal debauchery” – so I can’t say I was sorry to miss most of that. I wasn’t really in the mood for more crowds. I did get to experience some of it, however, as we drove past hundreds of people sitting by the sides of the road in each town waiting for the parade of huge papier machée evil monsters – Ogoh ogoh – before these were burned. This was the beginning of Nyepi – the Balinese New Year Celebrations – the biggest religious ceremony of the year. As we made our way towards Ubud, ignoring the two lane markings on the roads while weaving among the countless motorcycles, sometimes 4 deep with whole families on board – some of which were heading towards us in our lane – we could also see where the parades had already passed.

Garbage littered the streets and small fires still burned unattended in the grass. I had my camera out, but focusing in total darkness while in a moving vehicle is a challenge. At one point, the main road to Ubud was closed and the traffic officer told us it would be a 2-hour wait. Luckily, we found out that we could probably bypass the parade further down the road, so after a couple of tries that had us U-turn amongst loads of folks sitting in the street, we made it. Once in Ubud, we stopped at the soccer field where I got out of the van to take a few pictures, once again in total darkness, before heading to the ashram.

Anand Ashram Ubud is a beautiful place. It’s just what I needed. At $20/night, it is perfect for my budget. More than that, though, it’s location 3km from the busy streets of town, its spiritual program, its food, and its facilities are all conducive to my needs right now. I’m so not in tourist mode. I’m in wind-down and tune-in mode. Not coincidentally, I’m sure, the whole country was in sync with that mode on New Year’s Day (more likely vice versa). Indeed, my first day here was what they call the Day of Silence – an enforced day of quiet, self-reflection, and darkness. You see, once they’ve burned effigies of evil monsters, the country comes to a complete halt in order to trick the true evil spirits into believing the island has been abandoned. That way, they’ll leave.

So although I was relieved our pilots didn’t join in the international celebrations of Earth Hour by shutting down the power in mid-flight the night before, I was thrilled to be part of a whole nation’s 24-hour observance of even greater magnitude. I had already intended not to leave the ashram on my first day – turns out I had no choice. Neither did anyone else. The airport was closed for the day, and there was no traffic anywhere. Only emergency vehicles were allowed if needed. Also, no lights were allowed until 6am the next morning. As a I sat on the top floor of the ashram outside my room with a few folks observing the magnificent starry sky, we got to witness the town’s enforcement guards who made their way with flashlights to houses where lights had been inadvertently left on – soon it was totally dark all around us except for the starlight. Apart from these guards, whom I had read would escort any unknowing tourist back to their hotel, no one was allowed in the streets. All shops and restaurants were closed. Basically, the whole country goes within – some fasting and observing total silence for the day. Can you imagine 24 hours of darkness and silence in your country (and I don’t mean because of all the power blackouts because of the snowstorms Canada has had this year).

Quite a few Balinese had come to spend the weekend at the ashram, and so there was talking and I must say, lots of eating (enjoying the food so far!). I did, however, choose not touch my camera or computer all day (tougher than it seems, trust me) – although when I set my alarm on my iPhone that night, I’ll admit I checked my emails. Overall, however, I joined in a day of self-reflection and spiritual ritual and intend to continue this into my week here.

What a great first day after a comfortable night’s sleep in my spacious room on the top floor overlooking the rice fields. It was dark when I arrived on New Year’s Eve and still dark when I went to meditation at 6am on New Year’s Day- so my first glimpse of the surroundings was when I walked out of the Mother Goddess temple on the top floor of the main building at 6:30am. Wow! The rice fields are so green! They get harvested every 3 months, by the way. I didn’t know that. The idea of harvesting a crop more than once a year seems so abundant! Here are pictures of my room and the view from it.

On both days so far, I met some lovely travelers and locals. I participated in the daily 6am chanting meditation that was accompanied by cascading cock-crows and dog barks, and today a few motorcycles and honking. This is followed by a heart-felt fire ceremony and much needed gentle Kundalini yoga class before breakfast.

I then spent time in the library, where I was surprised (and not surprised) to find a large statue of St. Francis of Assisi – a sign that indeed all steps of my journey are related and that I’m on the right path (my next workshop after Bali is in Assisi). I chose to start reading “Soul Quest”, an autobiography of Anand Krishna, spiritual activist, prolific author, and founder of these multi-faith ashrams affiliated with the United Nations. I’ll admit, with the sound of the fountains outside the window and the cool breeze caressing my neck as I leaned back on the couch with my book, I did go into dream-state a few times …. very interesting visions as my story blended with his – but I refuse to believe it was jet lag.

I also attended the 12pm and 6 pm meditations – half an hour of sitting in stillness while listening to Sanskrit chanting. I wasn’t given permission to take pictures of the inside of the Mother Goddess Temple. It’s quite beautiful – an altar of statues and wall hangings dedicated to the universal mother goddesses of many religions – Kamakshi, Mother Mary, Kwan-Yin, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and more. To enter, we ring the bell 3 times as a greeting and to ask permission to enter – and do so again on our way out to excuse ourselves. I like learning about the various rituals of various faiths. Although Anand Krishna continues to be persecuted for his efforts towards harmony between faiths, his take on universal spirituality seems very much in line with my own philosophy. I’m enjoying reading about his life. In a way, I’m getting the integration of western and eastern cultures that was on the curriculum for the upcoming trimester at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art.

The weather was much cooler yesterday than today – by 10 am this morning, it was too hot to take pictures anymore and I retreated to the library again to give my body time to adjust. Although there’s traffic outside today, it’s actually quieter within our gates as most have returned home or gone out exploring – today is still a holiday, but stores are open. Actually, I was the only one who ate lunch today – the staff thought it was too hot … Tomorrow, I’ll go for a swim in the mantra and crystal infused healing pool. For now, I’m enjoying being in hermit and self-reflection mode after 3 busy months in Vienna and before 3 busy weeks here. So no pressure – it’s nice to find a balance between being and doing.