June 6, 2015

Bali is beautiful, abundant and resplendent with the creativity of nature. The air is sweet with the scent of flowers and offerings are everywhere. Bali is Shri.

The culture here is built around devotion to the three pillars: nature, family and God and grounded in the cultivation of gratitude. The people here in general seem to live their beliefs in a way that is fluid, compelling and easy — at least from my external vantage point. I look forward to sharing more about the beauty of Bali through the rest of the time here.

Just to fill you in our experience to date, our trip started off with minimal fuss and the travel connections worked well. Oscar and I landed in Bali on time (just after midnight on Tuesday June 2nd) and with minimal travel stresses. Throughout the trip, I had a definite sense of embarking on a pilgrimage. While we didn’t encounter the apparent obstacles I often think are part of pilgrimage, the effort to prepare for the trip and the endurance the flight requires had shades of the commitment I imagine a pilgrimage involves. Yet I think of a pilgrimage as having a clear and defined intention and I am not clear on mine. I imagine it will arise through my time here. Bali had called my name for many years and I look forward to hearing what she has to say now that I am made it to visit her.

As I said, we landed around midnight on Tuesday June 2nd here which was mid-day Monday for Montreal. After a few hours of sleep at the hotel which is the site of weeklong retreat, I left Oscar there and headed to the north-west corner of the island. There I had 3 days of professional development there with a small group of other teachers and Carole Baillargeon, a senior teacher living in Australia.
The drive north was spectacular. We drove through the middle of Bali, over mountains, along rice fields and through small bustling villages. Sadly I was too busy catching up with Carole to take any pictures along the way. I think Oscar and I will head back up there later this month, and if so, I will make sure I take some photos. The professional development setting was a small retreat site set about a kilometre back from the beach. The site is made up of three villas with a common yoga studio. Each villa has 3 rooms, their own infinity pool and kitchen. Our villa (one of the three) was spacious and lovely with ocean views off in the distance.

The training was intense, full and enriching. It is rare to have the chance to study within a small group context and where the content is driven by our questions. This was the special situation for the three days of training. The group of 5 teachers and Carole bonded easily and we were able to ask questions, work on advancing poses and spend our whole day talking yoga. So great!

These experiences was also always a firm reminder of all the challenges of being a student: the moments when I feel perfect in the eyes of the teacher and the moments when I feel deficient. I think the yoga practice is designed to bring up these moments, to periodically ask for a recommitment to the path and to show moments of the perfection of our true nature. All of those were present in me over these three days. In the final sharing, all the teachers acknowledged how those range of feelings were present for them. We might have had the feelings arise in different moments and yet collectively there was this unified experience. I am reminded that as much as I still assume I am the only one having such an experience, again it is pointed out that the disease of terminal uniqueness does not exist. We have as much the same experience as different ones.

On Thursday evening, I returned to the hotel that is the venue for the retreat. I have had a day off here with Oscar to settle in before the retreat, which starts on Saturday. Oscar and I walked through the nearby monkey forest and along one of the main streets of Ubud. Ubud is a town that reminds me of towns in Mexico. It had similar vibe that balances activity and a sense of not hurrying. Certainly, the heat makes it hard to hurry! This pace is one of the things I love about Mexico and I am grateful to encounter it here.

Back at the hotel, this afternoon I had a chance to practice on my own (first time since arriving) and I love how my asana practice settles and grounds me. The shifting around since leaving Montreal meant that in some ways, I had not yet had to the chance to fully arrive. Now, I am anchored and ready for the retreat week ahead. That starts tomorrow and more about that soon.