DAY 3 – Mon, Aug 31st 2015
Up early, feeling amazing, I headed to a Yoga Therapy Class at Yoga Barn which was led by a lovely knowledgeable lady named Tina. This type of class was new to me, but basically it’s focused on different parts and organs of the body. This particular 1.5 hr session was targeted at the Spleen and Stomach. The energy lines for these run from the toes to the neck / face. I kind of expected that it might be similar to Restorative Yoga, but no, it’s definitely a work out. My quads were shaking like I had never seen before! I’m not sure if it was due to this particular class per se or just that my muscles were already tired. Either way, they were having their own dance off big time.
Straight after that I busted a move to my next class back at Radiantly Alive. Fly High Yoga – another new experience. A trainee teacher stepped in for this one and she did a fantastic job. It was easy to tell that she was thoroughly enjoying herself, and that’s a must have quality in a yoga teacher in my books. Unfortunately though, I had trouble locating my inner child and felt very hesitant and fuzzy headed hanging upside down. My boring adult voice kept saying “The ropes cutting into you, it might drop from the roof, why do you call this fun?”. It was a lot of fun though and I’m glad I did it, but I also have to admit that it wasn’t for me. Usually I would have gotten on a bad buzz if I encountered something which I absolutely sucked at, but I walked out of there perfectly fine with a big smile.
Walked back to Yoga Barn for lunch and then attended the very popular 1.5 hr Tibetan Bowl Meditation session. I was a bit distracted by outside noise and the heavy/wheezy breathing of my neighbors so I kept drifting off in my thoughts. I even twitched a couple of times like I was about to fall asleep! But I did have a few beautiful moments throughout the hour where I reached a meditative state and the noise of the bowls vibrated and tingled through my body and mind, especially when Aaron (the music maker for want of a better word) hovered the bowls right over to my head. Afterwards I felt very relaxed and at peace with a quiet mind.
To top it off I decided to get a full body massage at the fantastic Zen Spa next to Yoga Barn. Why not right?! My body deserves it.
I finished the day by attending a free health talk at Yoga Barn led by the wonderful Andrea. She has a lot of passion in her work, knowledge and beliefs and it was captivating. I’m currently doing an online Nutrition Course back home and am on the path of learning how to nourish my body and mind with my diet as well as meditation and exercise/yoga. What we eat is SOOO important – it has the power to influence our emotions, our thoughts, how we physically feel, our energy levels and it ultimately decides whether we are healthy or ill long term. Food heals. So this talk was very worthwhile for me and perfect timing in my true health discovery.
DAY 4 – Tues, Sep 4th 2015
This day the was universe trying to test my relatively new gained spiritual lesson that essentially nothing “bad” happens. Everything that happens to us in life is a lesson (good and bad if we need the label) and happens for a reason.
As I was having too much trouble writing my blog on the tablet, I headed to an internet café which was meant to open at 9am. I patiently waited 45 min until the sleepy owner opened the doors. That didn’t bother me, I’m in Asia after all. It did mean though that I only had half an hour to work on my blog so I didn’t even get close to finishing it.
Trotted off to Radiantly Alive for a Pilates class with Acacia. I would have to say that she is my favorite teacher thus far. I love her teaching style, her quirkiness, her passion, her flow and grace in asanas and the content she chooses to teach. I thoroughly enjoyed the 1.5 hr class that was a fusion of Pilates, Barre and Yoga.
I had planned on spending a few hours by the pool after that class, which is something I am yet to do since arriving in Ubud. But instead I headed back to the internet café with the intention of updating my blog and sharing my journey with the world. Unfortunately, on this day, it was not meant to be.
I spend almost 2 hours writing out my experiences and was feeling very proud of my words. A lot of passionate inspiration went into it. Then that fateful moment…. The website timed out and I lost it all. My stomach dropped in disbelief. Just breathe. Close your eyes and breathe….
I started writing again and got half way, and then lost it all again. Ok Universe, what am I meant to learn here? I began to get frustrated that I had just wasted 3 hours of my day when I could have been relaxing by the pool. Not to mention the time I lost in the morning as well. Then it snowballed to thinking shit, I’m almost half way through this trip. How am I going to fit writing my blog in AGAIN, with all the classes I want to do, AND find time to sit by the damn pool and relax? Then I started structuring the rest of my days and comparing class time tables and shuffling things around and getting more and more agitated. I was feeling exactly how I feel back home with how busy I am all the time. Back home outside of work, yoga/exercise/meditation, sleep, chores, and study, I barely have time to spend having fun with my husband, my puppy Jasper and friends, let alone relaxing with a good book or switching my mind off and doing nothing. There is my lesson.
Funny thing to happen to draw that conclusion isn’t it? But it worked. It brought the issues I have in my everyday life to the present moment even though I’m on holiday. I obviously need to change my perception of how I spend my time. Everything I do is a choice. I can either stop doing them or I can enjoy every moment that I spend doing them and remain present at all times. I only get frustrated when I start looking at the bigger picture – ultimately, the future. If I take one step at a time, and be aware of how I feel at that moment and be relaxed towards my to-do list, everything will get done eventually. I have to let go of trying to control when. (Obviously some things have deadlines but in that respect it’s a matter of accepting that it’s necessary at that moment).
It was time for my next 1.5 hr class that I had ticked on my list to attend. Roll and Release led by Sanna. Funnily enough it’s exactly what I needed at that moment - physical pain to distract from the inner fight between the ego wanting to be pissed off and my higher self wanting to be grateful for the lesson. We used hard balls and blocks to target the connective tissue that is tight in our feet, along our IT band in our leg, our backs and our necks. It hurt. But it was so good. Great way to end the day.
DAY 5 – Weds Sep 2nd, 2015
Most mornings I’ve been getting up at 5.30-6am to enjoy a lazy couple of hours on my balcony before classes. This morning I watched a video of the great Wayne Dyer (who just passed away) giving a spiritual talk at a Wanderlust festival. Truly inspirational man. Great way to get into a positive head space.
I was really looking forward to trying out James Vinyasa class but Noga ended up having to fill in for him. She is a fantastic teacher but I have to admit that her teaching style isn’t my favorite. Still, I enjoyed my 1.5 hr practice with her.
Straight afterwards I did another 1.5 hr class. This time with Acacia – Arm Balances. So much fun! I had a great time. The way she described how to get into the difficult poses was excellent. I was feeling much more secure in my inversions (despite the hard floor, which I am getting used too). The other students around me were lovely too. We were all helping each other out and cheering each other on. It was a fantastic vibe.
Afterward working on my blog for a bit, I went to Yoga Barn to have a Eslan full body Massage. It's a very different technique of massage using long deep strokes at different angles as well as healing the energy flow and blockages throughout the spiritual body. It was very gentle and I felt incredibly relaxed afterwards. Went straight to a free Astrology talk from there and then called it a day. Phew.
