These Things Happened!
Swaying palm tree gateway, sweet motorbike parking attendants with a warm welcome, a stunning, grassy, rambling location, chain smoking ticket takers (hehehe), an official heart hugger, more volunteers than seemed reasonable, Zebra Yoga Pants For Men (best paired with a Captain America headscarf), Leather Arm Bands For Women, sternum tattoos, white people with dreadlocks, Balinese people with dreadlocks, visible nipples, the dreaded food ticket conundrum, two dudes who vaguely resembled Fabio, two others who could pass for Anderson Cooper, Whitwell Wisdom, Paradise Energy, Prem, Global Healing Chants, playtime in the pool area, West African Dance Bliss.
And a little bit of healing too – Shakti flying through Shiva’s hands…
I am still wet and the goose bumps are up on my skin but I can’t stop to find a towel or to change into my clothes because I have to tell you about the first time I felt that I was an acrobat soaring through the air, a firefly dancing in a cathedral, weightless, perfectly formed and capable of anything, Shakti flying through Shiva’s hands…
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Dispatches From Arma 2.0
After the national nightmare that was a virgin mojito, George was pleased to be sipping actual alcohol, in the form of a tasty margarita, on what amounted to multi-culti night at the Arma. Not just the crowd, which was more robust, wild, and ready to party than the night before and peppered with folks from at least a dozen countries. Last night was multi-culti night because of the headliners.
Adventures from the Healing Hut: Watsu
By Kristin (Wayan) Morrison
Imagine…Being able to climb into a comfortable, warm womb. (Yes, I said ‘womb’.) You melt into the softness and safety. You relax into the water that surrounds you. You float with a weightlessness that surprises you. You begin to breathe more deeply.
Opening Our Hearts to Gratitude
How do you thank the person who really opened your heart to gratitude as a way of life? How do you thank the person who helped you to see that life was filled with blessings, from the sun peeking through the curtains beginning the day through to the first smiles you receive as you enter the kitchen to the food in the fridge, the frogs on the floor (yes, I live in Bali) and even that knot in the neck is a blessing, and that once we open our hearts to gratitude life opens up even more, rains blessings down upon us.
For me, the incredible Kundalini yoga teacher Rebecca Pflaum was the person who helped me understand this, and it happened in the first workshop of hers that I attended at the BSF three years ago. I am not exaggerating when I say that since that time my life has never been so good.
So What Is Community Anyway?
If you’ve read any of my previous blogs you will know by now that I am super in love with the Bali Spirit Festival, and as I write this I have still not managed to make it to any yoga, dance or music. I have spent my brief moments off from child-related activities wandering around the dharma fair and indulging myself in healing sessions, engaging in wide-ranging conversations with people from across the world.
Dispatches From Arma…
Where a certain fiancé, George, of a certain reluctant blogger, mois, was served a virgin mojito when she ordered a double, and sipped it, annoyed as we listened to strange Cuban-Australian fusion and waited for Los Pinguos to take the stage.
Inspiration ~ A Daily Practise
Late for the festival! But I am inspired!! In fact I am so inspired that I’ve stopped en route to the festival and am scribbling this blog down into my diary parked at the road side on a scruff of gravel-grass (yep, new word! I can do that now…I’m a Blogger!) Scooter between thighs, yoga mat & laptop strapped across torso, helmet thrust onto wing mirror, pen flying wildly across the page, I am all but oblivious to the serenade of curious passing motors and their horns!
Sex, Bali and HIV/AIDS
So what are all the free condoms and HIV signs all about? I left the incredible night at the Arma museum with a substantial collection of lollipop condoms (lemon flavored condoms on a stick to be precise). Meanwhile Fiesta fans and HIV info is scattered all around the Dharma fair. So again – what is it all about? Why has the Bali Spirit Festival partnered with Spirit Paramacitta Foundation, Kerti Praja Foundation, and dan KISARA Foundation, a dynamic collaboration of organizations who are focused on HIV/AIDS issues in Bali?
Is Yoga a Service? Presenter JOHN OGILVIE Thinks So…
On Wednesday, March 23, I was blessed to have an in depth talk with the supremely gentle and knowledgeable John Ogilvie. He is the director and chief yoga instructor at Australia’s Byron Bay yoga center.
Rajastani Sufis Brought Hundreds to Their Feet in Celebration
By Music Blogger/ARMA Correspondent, Anthony Dunkley
Next comes Samandar Khanand from Rajastan, in full attire of reds and blacks. The crowd is well warmed up, and readies itself for the oncoming show as the group settles on the stage, cross-legged. There is an air of simplicity about, no fan fare, no electric instruments.
The Tribal Dance Raises Tempo at ARMA
By Anthony Dunkley
Well this might have looked sedate to some: chairs folded and put aside, the crowd in lotus on the floor, waiting for instruction.
Colorful and Gentle: Shanti Mission Sings Kirtan
From our music blogger/ARMA correspondent, Anthony Dunkley
Walking through the subdued and low-lit atmosphere of the Arma Gardens, it’s hard to imagine this impressive space soon to be filled with Bali Spirit. Going downstairs and across the little bridge, the hum of expectation can be heard by the crowd of a hundred or so waiting for the show to begin, chatting in groups, happy to be here for the event, and trusting that the spirit will come.
Yogasm
Tara Judelle, Anusara Yoga Teacher
By Kristin (Wayan) Morrison
I had my first yogasm yesterday at the Bali Spirit Festival.
Having practiced yoga for years I’ve gotten fairly close before.
But I’ve never quite gone to that full-on level.
For the record, my first one was off-the-charts amazing.
Tulisan ini dibuat di hari kedua BSF 2011
Mengapa tidak di hari pertama? Karena ide untuk membuat tulisan, untuk dimuat di blog, baru tercetus hari ini. Artikel dalam Bahasa Indonesia, maksudnya, karena sebelumnya semua artikel ditulis dalam Bahasa Inggris.
