Welcome

I am writing to first and foremost wish you the happiest of holidays and a magical new year!

I am also writing to share a bit about my year and a message I feel called to share. This message is really a reminder, as you already know it deep in your self, your soul. In short it’s a message about intuition, a message about slowing down, letting go, and listening.

Why? So you can get crystal clear and intentional about what you are bringing in to this New Year. I have no doubt that if you are anything like me, you are contemplating what to call in next.

First, however, I just want to relate, since I haven’t blogged in awhile, what a year it has been for me – graduating from an amazing life coaching program, traveling to many places including Bali, Turkey and Hawaii, moving out of my home in Denver, then living out of a suitcase for 6 months, and experiencing so much! The ups and downs of this year were trying at times but the graciousness and compassion of my community and family has been overwhelming. This year was significant in so many ways. I celebrated finding my soul mate. We were married on October 22 in Berkeley, CA amongst our closest family and friends. I can say without hesitation, that was the most magical, joyous day of my life so far.

I also moved forward with more training – I completed my Level I training & certification with Magis Group and ONE Freedom which allowed me to present their transformational model at a women’s retreat to 30 combat veteran women! I learned more in that week than I quite possibly did this whole year about the human experience, about the soul, about what is needed in the world… and just how simple and attainable it is! I also became angry when I got to see how brainwashed many of these women were about their “condition”. I realized my voice, and the message I came to present of how one can heal and transform themselves, do not align with the world’s current status quo in health and wellness. I also learned that it’s ok. Not only is it ok, it is wonderful and it is important to speak up, to speak my truth. For I would not be where I am if it weren’t for those voices speaking their truth that shaped who I am now.

While I am, in this moment, more grateful than I have ever been, I also feel joy knowing what is possible, not only for myself, but for everyone! More and more, it is clear to me that we can create ANYTHING we want. We must, however, be crystal clear, in our hearts more than anywhere else, about what it is we are creating… what it is we truly want to create.

So how do we do this? How do we get clear? How do we dissolve the old to create something new?

Well, first, don’t worry! I’ve come to realize the “Universe” guides us whether we know it or not. So, even if we do nothing, we are guided. We are lead to those opportunities that open our eyes, ears and hearts all the time, over and over again. And this path is perfect, not necessarily the most intentional, but perfect! Be warned however, this path can also be quite traumatic. Indeed, this may be the ultimate purpose of trauma – to wake people up! When we don’t get in the driver’s seat to slow ourselves down, the universe often does it for us, sometimes through illness, sometimes through a terrible accident. My husband had to crash into a mountain and nearly lose his life to slow down enough to realize that what he truly wanted to experience in life is love. To this day, he believes he was given a 2nd chance at life to experience love but he had to get crystal clear about his heart’s deepest desire first. Weeks on end in the hospital, being still, learning to walk again, provided the space in which he could call forth what mattered most to him – love, family, feeling his heart.

This leads me to the message, the reminder I feel called to offer out to you, and to myself – as we often teach that which we must learn ourselves:

1) Slow down, Slow Down, SLOW DOWN!!! You must slow down just enough to be still, long enough for the ripples of your life to slow down too, so that you can gaze into that body of water that is your life, your heart, and see with clarity what you must see. For me, that means minimizing external commitments & maximizing internal commitments. MEDITATE!! Taking 5 – 20 min a day to sit before a candle or some sacred symbol from a world that inspires you. If you don’t have experience meditating, have fun and try different forms, learn about different schools of spiritual practice and find what resonates with you.

2) LET GO!! Let go of what you think you should be doing. Let go of what you haven’t yet accomplished. Let go of those relationships that did not or do not work or serve you. Let go of any attachment or desire that brings desperation or contraction into your energy and emotional field. More and more I’m realizing, those things that we have to work hardest at – contrary to popular belief – are the things we are least aligned with. So if it feels like work, I know this might sound crazy, but don’t do it! Or… transform your relationship with it so that it doesn’t feel like work. Indeed, I’m discovering it is possible to have it all and be happy. When we are aligned with what we are doing, effort ceases to exist and when effort ceases to exist, time ceases to exist and then we can seemingly, miraculously, engage in juggling as many balls as we like and do it with ease & with grace!

3) Now LISTEN… Shhh… Be Silent. In that sacred space where you have slowed down enough and let go enough, there lie the answers to every question you could possibly have. It’s taken me years, too many years, to get to the point of realizing the wisdom within and trusting it. My hope is that my clients can get to this point more quickly than I did. We need, now more than ever, more people turning inward to the light that holds that wisdom. It’s the same light that threads us all together in this matrix of life. Some call it the collective conscience or the collective unconscious. Some call it love or divine spirit. Whatever it is, it needs to be acknowledged and given the same reverence and respect given to all that we know through science & technology. It’s time to balance the two worlds if we are going to find harmony in this world.

Slow down, let go, and listen. It’s called intuition, the language of the soul.

From this place, make it the most powerful, authentic, new year’s resolution(s) you have ever made and brace yourself for the ride of your life! May this year be the most magical, wonder & miracle filled year of our lives so far. And may love be the force all your resolutions align with. May you continue to move closer to your Truth and to Universal Truth.

Happy New Year!! Here’s to a year where so many calendars of the universe seem to converge! A year when it may be most critical for each and every one of us to slow down, let go, and listen.

Love to All!

Dr. Jinju

Transforming the Wounded Warrior Goddess

I was honored to spend the last week in service to 30 women combat veterans at an all women’s wilderness retreat created by The Women’s Wilderness Institute of Colorado. Days later, I am still sitting with a whole new level of inspiration and awe by the power of the human will, not only to survive situations many could never even imagine but also, to blossom and gravitate toward creating the deepest of heartfelt connections.

It truly was an honor to be there. I was not planning on being there. Sometimes the universe has a way of orchestrating pieces of your life to come together in ways you would never expect. For me, I never once thought my military upbringing would be one of those pieces that would come back around to play a role in my career. However, when I got the call for this opportunity, I couldn’t say no.

I served on behalf of ONE Freedom, a Colorado nonprofit dedicated to helping people not only navigate lives impacted by stress and trauma but more importantly, how to discover the strength within to allow people to move through a challenging life with grace and with ease. Part of my role involved presenting their model, called BASE-R, which is designed to educate people about the neurophysiology of stress and to provide hands-on skills to help people get in the drivers seat when stress arises.

As I listened to the stories these amazing Goddess warriors shared and as I watched them engage exercises in trust, it got me thinking. Well, actually, first it got me feeling… so much compassion for what many of them have experienced and inspiration by courage demonstrated on extraordinary levels. And then, it got me thinking, about how many women, and people in general, have similar stories – whether it’s on a military battlefield or any other kind of battlefield. So many… indeed, I know only a few people who have NOT been impacted by some kind of trauma in their lives. I then began asking myself, what is the universal nature of trauma and why are some people’s lives more impacted by it than others? More importantly, what are the best ways to help people significantly impacted by it?

Creating a safe container in this case, in the wilderness, held by skilled, compassionate facilitators, is definitely one sure-fire way to make a difference. Educating and providing hands-on skills are also very important ways to help. Another way, as I got to observe, seemed to be relating and connecting to one another, forming new bonds, and simply sharing their experiences with each other. And my personal favorite – music and dance – I’ve seen a lot of opening up and healing happen on a dance floor in my time. There are many ways to make a difference, and, at the end of this retreat, there was one word that kept running through my mind – Perspective.

How is trauma viewed by different cultures? How do we view trauma in our own culture? How is trauma viewed by different institutions and by different therapists? One of the most inspiring perspectives I’ve ever come across on this topic has come from working with ONE Freedom. I remember being at one of the trainings for Magis Group (the parent company of ONE Freedom), and listening to this man, really more like a human light beam from the heavens, talk about his work in the field of trauma. This man, Dr. David Bercelli, turns out to be one of the world’s leading experts in the field and the founder of a revolutionary and unique set of Trauma (or Tension) Releasing Exercises (TREs) that help release the deep chronic tension created in the body during a traumatic experience. David has actually traveled extensively around the world teaching TRE’s to hundreds of thousands of people impacted by trauma, especially in disaster-torn or war-torn countries. As I listened to David speak one day about his work, it was a profound perspective that perked my interest and sparked my soul.

After working with so many people impacted by trauma, David noticed that there are basically two kinds of people on the planet. There are those who become painfully contracted by the trauma, and those who miraculously expand into more loving, compassionate beings than they ever could be before the trauma (and I’m sure there’s a few people in between as always it seems!). He doesn’t claim to know what makes one person one way and another a different way, though I got the sense that he believes it’s possible for all people to be positively transformed by trauma. He also makes an important point about the fact that trauma is actually a natural part of being alive and our bodies are naturally built to recover from trauma. In that sense, the more we all know, the bigger the support system can be, especially during times like these. In support, the TREs are simply a way of allowing the body to do what it already knows how to do.

I can’t help but agree with David. I see it all the time, I think we all see it – people who get their whole world turned upside down only to have their perspective of life turned right-side up.

When the women arrived to the retreat, they arrived with their own various perspectives about trauma. When they arrived, there were tears, laughter, sadness, anger and rightfully so, after hearing their stories, I can’t help but feel some anger myself. Often, no matter what emotions paint the backdrop, protective walls can be hard to bring down. And deep down, many people who are impacted by symptoms of post-traumatic stress wonder if there is something intrinsically wrong with them. Many don’t realize what they are feeling, while challenging, is merely a dysregulated nervous system and nothing more. And the good news is that our brains and our nervous systems can be and are constantly re-programming and re-shaping into whatever it is we choose to practice.

It was exciting to watch so many women soak up so much – knowledge, tools, friendships, and the beautiful Colorado wilderness. As each day went by, I watched as one by one, breath by breath, each and every woman slowly began to open up. Not only did they open up, but they also stepped up and into some of the most radiant beings I have ever been surrounded by. And by the last day, like butterflies, they all transformed into love and light fluttering about. For some it was a remembering of how life was before going to war, for others, it was a discovery into a new way to be in the world. For everyone, there was a sense of gratitude and for lack of a better word… magic.

On the last day of the retreat, we circled up and the director of the retreat (whom the women affectionately and respectfully referred to as the commander in chief) passed around a sacred talking stick to give each woman an opportunity to share a few last words. I remember the words of one woman, “To love and be loved… this is what I want for my life.” As she spoke those words, I could feel in them the universal cry of every human soul on this planet. My eyes began to tear and I felt a tug at my heart. A few moments later, another woman boldly directed our commander in chief and the team of facilitators to step into the middle of the circle and stand at attention. She then stood up tall, looked our commander in the eyes, pulled her hand up to her brow, and proudly saluted us. We saluted back to her and then saluted the others as the entire room burst into clapping and whistling.

Days later, I’m still sitting here… amazed. Those Warrior Goddesses taught me a lot about courage, sacrifice, strength, skill and most of all about honor. Veteran’s day will never be the same for me. Coming home to visit my family, who are largely former military, will never be the same.

This post is dedicated to those women, and all the brave souls who have served in some way. And to organizations such as ONE Freedom, Magis Group, and Women’s Wilderness… I salute you all!

May you all be blessed with freedom to live, love, and laugh through whatever life brings.

In closing I would like to share a mantra that was called in at the retreat:

Ong Namu… Guru Dev Namu

A call to infinite possibilities! I bow to the divine teacher within myself!

Aho! and Namaste!

Jinju

When I was a little girl
I dreamed of becoming a dancer
And somehow, somewhere
I ended up becoming a scholar
Hungry for more and more knowledge and information
I lost sight of the wisdom within
Seems the more I kept dissecting
The more I disconnected
I lost touch with my Fire within

Then one day, surprisingly
The very system I became a scholar in
Prescribed me a pill to get me reconnected
To numb my starving soul

Forcing me to take a closer look at my place in this world

While waking up to the big picture was not an easy thing to do
In the aftermath, it gifted me the fuel to continue down a different path
And since then I have learned to dance
Like I have never danced before

Ironically, perhaps perfectly
That fire within is now the fire I spin
Around me
As I dance to the beat of my own drum
Pulsing from my heart
A message loud and clear
To Love
To Love and Be Loved

And now I dream of a world where everybody dances
And I look forward to the day when our precious scholars
Publish data that sets a new stage
For a new world
A new health care system
The day they all step back and ask, “Who knew it could be so simple?”
That so much can be healed through love and compassion

Who knew our hearts hold so much wisdom?
Wisdom that burns like a fire within
Which is now the fire I spin around me
As I dance to the beat of my own drum

This piece was inspired, written and shared recently at a women’s yoga workshop I co-facilitated in Denver, CO with Alex Cordoba

First, can I just say… I am so grateful my life! When I look back at my writings from 10 years ago, they are a far cry from the blissful gratitude I exude in my writings today.  I often wonder what has made the biggest difference in my life and while it’s hard to say, I believe the following – never giving up, learning to love & be loved, learning to trust in something bigger, and plain old practice, practice, practice all contribute significantly in creating a truly magical, inspired life.

Speaking of ‘Today’, I woke up realizing that in the last 24 hrs, I experienced nothing but one manifested dream after another. From being immersed in a training program for two amazing organizations making enormous differences for the world up in Boulder, CO, to being invited to perform some fire dancing at a venue in Denver, to then waking up this morning to a sweet, loving fiancé followed by engaging in a heart-opening, thought-provoking coaching session with a client… I had to take a few minutes to just stop, smile, and be grateful for a life that keeps evolving into more and more sweet, flowing goodness.

The next few minutes delivered a sudden surge of inspiration to write and to share with my readers what I shared with my client this morning.

This client was sharing with me how frustrated she was at herself for not being a ‘morning person’.  Specifically, she shared how she has been trying so hard to establish a routine that would have her waking up by a certain time every morning. We took a few minutes to explore various layers of her interpretation of her experience.

We explored and explored until this question came up,  “Have you ever visualized or imagined exactly what it would look, feel, and be like to wake up early and as joyfully as possible?”

Her answer was No.

In that moment, I remembered another conversation during a random meeting at an airport. A friendly, intelligent professor of Sociology began sharing with me how he has been struggling to gain weight for over 20 years. I asked him the simple question, “Have you ever imagined yourself being 20 lbs heavier? Have you ever seen yourself that way in your mind’s eye?”

His answer was No.

In both cases, it got me wondering, how many people are struggling to create something new in their lives and have never stopped to really imagine and feel what it would be like to experience this dream.

This past weekend I attended a training program for an amazing organization, Magis Group LLC, and in our training, they emphasized Simulation as one of several crucial skills to develop in many situations ranging from peak performance to conflict/event resolution.

How is simulation different from visualization? It’s actually very similar except in simulation, you aim to engage as many of your senses as you can (i.e., smell, touch, vision) to create a strong emotional connection to the experience.

One of the most compelling pieces presented by Magis Group to support the power of simulation was offered in data published by The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (Ranganathan, et al., 2004). In this study, scientists separated 30 young, healthy volunteers into experimental groups to test the effect of pure mental training on muscle strength. They had one group perform ‘non-physical’ mental contractions of the little finger abductor while another group performed physical training of maximal finger abductions. Compared to controls, they found that (after 12 weeks) while the physical training group demonstrated a 53% increase in the finger abductor strength, the non-physical mental training group demonstrated a 35%  increase in their finger muscle strength.

Let’s say that again. They found it is possible to increase muscle strength by 35% with mental training (e.g. simulation) alone.

The best examples of utilizing simulation for peak performance really come from the athletic world and sports psychology (Corbin, 1972; Feltz & Landers, 1983). Ask any professional or extreme sport athlete if they simulate, and I’d be surprised if any of them said no.

It all really makes sense. How can we really expect to accomplish anything with ease if we have yet to imagine it first?

Whether it’s our physical appearance, quitting smoking, getting a new job, a new yoga pose, a fulfilling romantic relationship, writing a book, generating financial abundance, or being cured of a dis-ease, is there any goal in your life that would not be served by some simulation?

Come to think of it, meeting my fiance quite literally happened 3 days after a coach had me simulate (in writing) exactly what I wanted and dreamed of in a loving, romantic relationship.

Now, I will be the first to admit I have no sound scientific data to support the implied hypothesis that my simulation resulted in the manifestation of a partner who was everything and beyond what I simulated…. but I also have no evidence to support the contrary. So my invitation to you is to let your imagination run wild and invite your biggest dreams to unfold in your life. You can literally lay down the neural pathways for whatever you want by simulating… and never giving up!

Namaste

Jinju

Corbin, C. B. (1972). Mental practice. In W. P. Morgan (Ed.), Ergogenic aids and muscular performance (pp. 93–118). New York: Academic Press. Corbin, C. B. (1972). Mental practice. In W. P. Morgan (Ed.), Ergogenic aids and muscular performance (pp. 93–118). New York: Academic Press.

Feltz, D. L., & Landers, D. M. (1983). The effects of mental practice on motor skill learning and performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Psychology, 5, 25–27.

Ranganathan, V.K., Siemionow, V., Liu J.Z., Sahgal, V and Yue, G.H. (2004). From mental power to muscle power – gaining strength by using the mind. Neuropsychologia 42: 944-956.

I had been waiting for this documentary to come out for months. When I saw the
trailer, I had the sense it was something we have all been yearning for. I get so tired of seeing all the same heart and soul dissolving flicks come out every year from Hollywood. I got so tired of it a few years ago, I took it upon myself to start a documentary film project that was about something different, that would bring pieces together from many different disciplines that would speak to what I believe is most needed in our world today – Love, Connection… doing less and being more… dissolving judgments and being curious about our differences and celebrating them! At times I have felt too naive and tender to live in this world, like maybe I’m the one who just doesn’t get it. When I was a teenager, it made me so sad & angry – I’ll never forget wanting to take my own life at the age of 16 – not because I felt sorry for myself, but because I saw so many souls dissolving around me, ticking through their days like machines, rarely taking a moment to smile or say hi to a stranger… So many people racing to get so much done… but why?

Asking the question Why was probably the most important question I ever asked and my sadness was my friend that kept me striving to make a difference.

22 Ways 2 Love You became a project and a tool to create a space for people to pause… to reflect on life… specifically on love, as this is truly the foundation of life.

This past weekend, I went with my fiance to see this documentary and it floored both of us! About a third of the way through the movie, with tears of celebration running down my cheeks, I couldn’t believe I was watching one my greatest dreams come true!!! To create a film that speaks to the most fundamental aspects of our humanity and sparks the kind of awareness that is needed to really create a global shift… so many have tried… but Tom Shadyac really pulls it off! And he’s actually the perfect person to bring something like this to the masses. I used to think it would be someone like Gandhi or the Dalai Lama… but no… we have to meet people where they are at before we can go anywhere different.

I applaud this man for the courage & determination it took to create something like this. I am deeply and forever grateful for this man and all the forces that were involved for making one of my biggest dreams come true. I also thank him for leaving us with the message about what’s right in the world. Life is so precious and beautiful… we are more miraculous than we could ever imagine!

Click the link below to see the Trailer!

I Am The Documentary

Namaste
Pearl

… As I am currently learning it through Newfield (www.newfieldnetwork.com)

I haven’t blogged much about my training in this program and I don’t know why… because it’s simply amazing! Today it hit me how powerful this approach can be when delivered effectively.

Up until a few months ago, most of my coaching sessions involved a lot of talking. They were great sessions, progress happened – and talking is important – but what I realize now is that our bodies speak louder than our words. The thoughts that we have access to depend on our moods & emotions. And the moods & emotions we have access to depend on our bodies – Period. We can talk about the possibility of change all day long or we can experience the power of creating change in a moment, simply by using our bodies.

This morning, I had a new client walk in with tears welling up in her eyes… and she walked out with a spark & a smile so big, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes! In the past I’ve held back with new clients thinking it might be awkward to get them to move their bodies and play some song, and dance a little bit – silly of me since music & dancing is exactly what hooked me into Newfield’s Ontological Coaching program! And still, I could hear a little voice in the back of my mind wondering how professional is that!?! But more and more, as I experience for myself the power of combining music, movement & meditation to move through my stress or anxiety and into joy and endless possibility, the more I see our bodies as the key to healing and creating an amazing life. Of course there’s other components to address, but without this, we can only do so much.

Today – I remember a dream, a dream I’ve had for so long – I’ve dreamed of a day when people with anxiety or depression can go to a doctor and be prescribed Love instead of a pill. And still, I dream of a day when it is considered common knowledge that we are the creators of who we are and how we feel, when our children go to school and learn about the miracles that they are, about how to connect with other human beings, and how to dance with each other instead of compete with each other.

This morning when I saw the tears in my client’s eyes, I felt them as a plague of the modern world, of a culture that is breeding anxiety, stress, and depression into future generations. As much as I know there is a shift happening, sometimes I don’t know if it’s happening fast enough. When I took what I’ve learned about Ontological Coaching and showed this young woman what becomes possible simply by moving her body, I realized that the scientist in me, is finally convinced that it’s really that simple! I took her through a few somatic (body) exercises and got to witness my client experientially learning how the body, mind and emotions are all connected – that what we think is possible for us, for the world, depends on our bodies, our energy, and the beliefs that we have engrained into our bodies, into our cells and our DNA.

Our bodies speak louder than our words… Our cells live only what we truly believe, not what we pretend… and I believe anxiety and depression are simply symptoms of misalignment. Getting ‘aligned’ with our minds, our spirit, and our bodies… may be the most important thing we do in our life!

If you want to learn more about Newfield and especially about it’s founder, Julio Olalla, click the link below and watch this 1 min video – What Julio has to say, and what this organization is up to gives me so much hope for this world!

www.newfieldnetwork.com

Namaste,

Pearl

One of the highlights of this year was going to Bali for a Playpoi yoga & poi retreat. Play, laughter and dance are key elements to a balanced and healthy life. I can’t emphasize this enough to my clients, my friends, and the world. The following video (beautifully edited by Karen Ng) highlights this wonderful experience. If you have any question or are interested in learning more about these retreats, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Purnati Cultural Center

After two days of settling into Ubud, it was time to begin what brought me to Bali in the first place, a Poi & Yoga retreat.

With this retreat, which you can check out at the PlayPoi website, I have managed to combine several of the greatest loves in my life all into one experience – travel, poi, dance and yoga.  This retreat has been heaven on earth for me & the other participants who have traveled from all over the world to be here. I have been waking up with the roosters at 6:15 am every morning for a daily 2 hr morning yoga and meditation session followed by breakfast, which is followed by 2 hrs of poi & dance lessons, followed by a short break with lunch & pool time, followed by another hour of poi and a late afternoon yoga & meditation session. Every evening there is dinner either here at the center or in town followed by music & open play time in the evenings to practice what we’ve learned…  or to play with a new toy – like the flow wand which I have also fallen in love with – and just to connect with the other adventurous circus souls at the retreat.

Pool time at Purnati

It is quite an experience. I have never been surrounded by so much talent within such an intimate setting. Quite a few people here are without a doubt some of the best poi performers in the world. A little intimidating at times but the openness of everyone and the eagerness to share and to teach quickly dissolves any sense of competition or judgment and creates this amazing environment to simply play and learn.

Poi Friends!

I started playing with poi a couple of years ago just as a hobby and it quickly transformed into a sacred ‘space’ I would frequent whenever I hit a mental or emotional block that had me spiraling into some dark direction. Dancing with my poi was my way of moving, literally, out of one reality and into another. And now, it is evolving into a whole new world… like any sport, it has become a metaphor for life in that it presents opportunities to unlock certain patterns and create new ones.  We all need something like this, I believe, to bring the essence of learning & life back into the body, to be able to move through those challenging times with some vitality & lightness.

I am learning so much here! I am learning about yoga, about poi, about dance, about

Yoga time...

myself, about this culture and in conversation with the others, about the world. The intensity of learning is sometimes overwhelming but I am open to it and doing my best to accept all that I cannot absorb.  I think the most fascinating aspect of my learning here and in general as I get older is the way more and more dots begin to connect. Even the two most seemingly irrelevant concepts are always connected at some level and the more we expand the observer that we are, our ability to see, the more possibilities emerge for life. And most importantly, I am being reminded of the importance of play, and learning to not take myself and life so seriously.

Ganang Kawi

Ganung Kawi

In addition to poi & yoga, we are taking a few excursions. A few days ago, we went to visit a beautiful temple, Ganung Kawi. What can I say – I LOVE Temples! And if I could I would have several built in every town & city in the U.S. and beyond… Someday, my coaching ‘office’ will be a Temple. After exploring the temple, we were blessed with the opportunity to visit an orphanage. A couple of sweet souls in our group made arrangements to do a bit of a clown show for the kids there and invited the rest of us to come watch. Suri, of

Illuzao

, who specializes in circus & fire shows, has been involved with various humanitarian projects around the world, and has touched my heart and this entire retreat with her magic & creativity.

Kids at nearby Orphanage

Suri & Banyan performing for the kids

It has been a FULL week. Indeed, I have managed to fill up in 32 Gig card with photos & videos in just one week!

Kids preparing for Ogoh Ogoh Nyepi Parage

Today is actually a very special holiday in Bali, called Nyepi – a day of Silence to welcome the New Year and to convince the evil spirits that this island is uninhabited.  Last night, we went walking through the village to see the Ogoh Ogoh paper mache monsters that get burned on the new moon evening before Nyepi. Today, the entire island is basically shut down and tonight we will sit in the dark. Planes are being re-routed and even the airport is closed, though I can hear the voices of children in the distance and somehow sense we are taking this holiday more seriously than the locals. Either way, what a great opportunity this is to take on a day of silence & introspection with thousands of others.  I am grateful for this time to process all that I have experienced in Bali so far and have been writing all day.

I hope you have enjoyed what I’ve shared so far. Love & Light to All! Happy Nyepi!

Love & Smile from Bali

Lotus flower

Stay tuned for more Bali Revelations…

BALI REVELATIONS

Bali Beauty

Visiting Southeast Asia has been one of my biggest dreams since I was a little girl. Often, geographical Gaia points call on us, just as angels and teachers do in human form. Or perhaps, these special places and souls simply respond to our call for growth. Either way, I believe that when we open up to a new adventure we open up to a new matrix, a new stage on which we get to engage in some of the playful magic of the universe. And if nothing else, we get to hit a certain kind of human ‘reset button’ so we can clear the residue that has built up on the lenses through which we have been observing and interpreting the world. When we leap into the unknown or the unfamiliar, we get to somehow wipe the lens clean of the sticky gunk that has held us in some familiar patterns (for better of for worse) for months, maybe years. When we travel to a new place, we get to remove those cues that tend to trap us in a state of remembrance and constant association and if our senses allow, we get to see the world again for the first time.

Bali Revelations Part I: Beauty beyond Belief

Ubud, Bali

This experience of suddenly seeing with new eyes is exactly what happened on my first day in this remote part of the world. My senses were overwhelmed. I traveled for 25 hours across the globe and was suddenly born into a foreign place my physical self could not recognize. Of all my senses, my vision was the most disoriented. My visual field was saturated with more beauty than it could absorb. I never knew that was possible! I mean quite literally, every square foot of my visual field here is filled with intricate, breathtaking detailed beauty, both man-made and natural. And my brain just couldn’t process it fully. I mean, I could literally feel my neural circuitry rewiring itself to figure out what was real. I think my mouth was hanging wide-open most of my first day in Ubud, the town I’ve been staying in.

Bali Smiles

I learned quickly that Bali is unique from all the other islands in Indonesia for many reasons, one of which has to do with the large-scale migration of Hindu artists escaping the Muslim authorities taking over all the other islands. I haven’t been to the other islands but I have traveled many other parts of the world, and aside from the seemingly unrivaled concentration of art that uniquely characterizes Bali, there is also a seemingly unrivaled joyous Spirit living through the smiles of nearly every Balinese soul I have encountered. I have never been to a place where I can walk down a busy street or remote country road and have every single person I pass smile back at me. Being someone who feels somewhat self-conscious for smiling too much, this Bali smiling frenzy tickles me to my core! My retreat teacher had mentioned in an email before we arrived that ‘Bali is the safest place in the world to get lost…’ and now I’m beginning to believe it.

Yes, the beauty is everywhere, in the flora, the fauna, the people and their Spirit.

Tagagalang Rice Terraces

Equally powerful, however, is the magic on this island. Sometimes I hesitate in using this word ‘magic’ but I can’t seem to think of any other word to describe this dancing vortex of telepathy, synchronicity, and an ancient wisdom that speaks to you through every leaf, every petal of every lotus flower, through every stone, straight into your awareness. I’d wonder if it were just my imagination except that everywhere I go, I hear stories of other people’s unexplainable enchanted experiences. I became aware of this ‘magic’ my first night in Bali, while asleep. I was asked a very powerful series of questions in my dream that revealed a very specific lesson I am here to learn. I was also shown a path for my coaching practice and specific groups of people I am preparing to work with. At 4 am I woke up suddenly with chills running up & down my spine. I did not go back to sleep. Instead I listened… and just kept listening until the roosters were cock-a-dootle-doo-ing in full force. Then I grabbed my yoga mat and went out on to the front patio as the sun was rising… and had my next Bali Revelation.

In the west, and in the modern world in general, we build our lives around work and

Balinese man offering coconut drinks

productivity. It’s all about what we are Doing, like we’re all a bunch of roosters cock-a-dootle-doo-ing our ways through each and every day, struggling to make time to be still, to simply just Be. Even 5 min is too much to ask for some and it’s fine. There is nothing inherently ‘wrong’ about this pattern but I have to wonder, why don’t more people stop to ask why or how did we get there? Or better yet, what would happen if we shifted the context of our purpose, our work, to create a new, more playful, joyous context.

What if we shifted the context of our lives to invite an element of sacredness to every

Offerings

breath, every meal, and every day? And not so much as individuals (because I notice that shift is quite present with many individuals) but more-so as a culture. That is something I am quite impressed with here, how unified the culture is, and it creates an environment conducive for connection and for ritual. One of the daily rituals I have fallen in love with here are the offerings of flowers, grains, and incense placed out on to the steps, in the doorways, and in front of statues. I was told these offerings, called Canang Sari’s, happen up to five times a day!

Bali Beauty

In my first few days here, I felt tempted to begin sowing the seeds to transplant myself, along with my dear fiancé (and my family & my friends all to Bali to eventually create a new life here. The more and more I think about it, however, I feel more inspired to begin sowing some seeds to transplant Bali to the West. And I wouldn’t complain if I were forced to live a good part of my life on this beautiful island… this Bali Bubble of Bliss!

My friend, Nyoman

On my first full day in Bali, I actually made friends with one of the workers of the Bungalow I was staying at. His name is Nyoman, which is one of the four names every man goes by on the island, designated according to what generation he was born into. Nyoman was kind, inquisitive, and there was an innocence about him that had me say Yes to an afternoon excursion out to some beautiful terraced rice paddies, to see flocks of these white birds, considered holy & sacred. If you’re lucky like me, you can be ‘blessed’ by overhead gifts from these birds. I was also blessed with a good burn from the exhaust pipe of the little motor bike we were riding on ? I wanted an adventure and I got it! That evening, he took me to his temple where I got to watch a Kecak trance dance and ceremony that he was actually a part of. I couldn’t believe I was actually experiencing a scene from one of my favorite films of all time, Baraka, and now I know where it came from. By the end of this day, I was exhausted yet blissed out on all the amazingness I had experienced in just one day!

Ciao for Now!

Bali Beauty

This is a special video I created for the 22 Ways 2 Love You project. In this ‘Director’s Journal’ Bit, I offer a glimpse of my travels through Mallorca and Barcelona, exploring questions about love and relationship across different cultures. In Mallorca, I went to visit one of my mentors, evolution biologist and world leader, Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris. After Mallorca, I flew to Barcelona to spark and document extraordinary conversations about love in this part of the world. Enjoy!