Love by Inspired Bali

BALI

Inspired

The Love Issue

january february march 2014 Inspired Bali 2014 | 1

2 | Inspired Bali 2014

Inspired Bali 2014 |

CONTENTS: insidealways

Inspired by:

For The

In The

Loving

The

Margot

Love Of

Street:

What Is:

Island

Anand

Batu Bolong

Maureen Gilbert

Love Stories

A Day In Bali:

Glowing From

Coffee

Knowmads:

Norma Jean

The Inside

Lover:

Renee

Belenky

Out:

Janet Nicol

Martyna

Elaina Love

4 | Inspired Bali 2014

CONTENTS: thisissue

Researching

Drink Pick:

Love It, Alone:

Looking

Love Letters:

Romance:

Jamu

Janet Nicol

Back:

Jamie

Desak Yoni

Woodall

Jeff Benson

Film Views:

Born To

Idealist

Bali

Favourite

Uma Anwar

Love:

Interuppted:

Spirit Festival

Five

Melinda

Renee

Chickering

Martyna

Inspired Bali 2014 |

mistakes+letters Lives Lived This past August, long time Bali expat resident Allard De Jong passed away. Alek, as he was known, co-founded the Ubud Community Magazine and wrote many articles over the past 20 years on expat living. Originally from Holland, his family cremated his ashes and scattered them at the beach in Sanur. He will be missed by many. This past December Ubud lost another long time expat resident, Kerry Pendergrast. A charismatic woman who was well known for her singing, her painting, and her passion for life. She well be missed by her beloved husband Pranato, their two children, and her many friends.

Oops 1. Photo correction for the Recovery Issue - Madeline Stine took our shark photo Page 22. 2. Mispelt: Loch Soulōist Page 80.

6 | Inspired Bali 2014

Readers Letters Hi Inspired! I recently visited Syan where I found a copy of your magazine! I loved it and brought it back to Australia with me. I’m not normally a magazine girl. In fact its safe to say this is the only magazine I’ve read in 2013. Do you send copies to Australia? I’d love to read more! So inspiring!! Cheers, Ruth Delautour

, Hi Guys, Congratulations on starting up the BEST magazine in Bali! My partner and I have read both issues cover to cover, and are impressed with your ethics, and the quality of writing and design. Many thanks, Ames Starr

Hi Inspired Bali team, I picked up a copy of your March - May issue in a falafel cafe in Seminyak and just want to say how happy I am that I did. It has been many years since I read a magazine cover to cover. You know how sometimes you feel you’re on a quest to find “your people” - well it felt like that reading Inspired Bali. Bradley Hook

, Thank you Inspired Bali for reprinting Maureen Gilbert’s “Random Acts of Unkindess”. I’ve had a very rough year and I wasnt even done reading the article and was brought to tears and truly touched. I needed to read these words on this beautiful Sunday morning. Thank you for publishing it. Stephanie M. Soler

Photo by Lokah Photo

ontheisland UPCOMING

With Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day come expectations of expressions of love and romance during the month of February, but be forewarnedâ&#x20AC;Ś It is not an auspicious month for getting married in Bali! The Balinese Saka Calendar, which is based on the lunar cycle with 12 months of 30 days, indicates auspicious dates for activities ranging from planting rice to proposing marriage. The new year 1937 will begin on the Saka Calendar with Nyepi on March 31, 2014. Auspicious dates for marriage include the following: January 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, & 31 February 12 March 3,6,12 & 31 Auspicious dates to propose to a woman fall on: January 6 February 5, 15 March 3

Inspired Bali 2014 |

ontheisland UPCOMING

JANUARY

MARCH

Maulid Nabi, also known as the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. January 14. Also known as Mawlid al-nabi in Indonesia, where Muslims comprise the majority.

Nyepi or Balinese New Year. March 31. 3 to 4 days before Nyepi, the ritual purification of Melasti takes Balinese families to the sea. Sacred objects are purified and sacred water is acquired from the ocean. The day before Nyepi, ogoh ogoh are presented publicly and paraded through the streets. Ogoh ogoh are representations of demonic spirits created with materials like bamboo frames, styrofoam, foam rubber, paper and paper mache. Some banjars set the ogoh ogoh alight after it has roamed the streets on the shoulders of its human carriers. On the day of Nyepi, devout Bali hindus practice self-reflective silence from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the following day. This includes several restrictions, including no sound, fires or lights, no use of electricity, no work, no entertainment, and no travelling. Some Balinese people fast. Nyepi is the only day of the year when Bali’s one international airport is closed the only in the world that ever closes, along with all roads. Only emergency medical traffic is allowed. The day after Nyepi, activity quickly resumes its usual frenetic pace on the island. Families visit their friends and neighbors asking for forgiveness for tresspasses and celebrating the new year. On April 1, 2014, the Balinese New Year 1937 begins.

Chinese New Year. January 31. Celebrated as a national holiday across Indonesia, which has a sizable ethnic Chinese population. In 2014, we usher in the Year of the Horse. The days surrounding Chinese New Year always bring increased tourist arrivals to Bali as Chinese people around the globe and across the archipelago celebrate.

FEBRUARY Valentine’s Day. February 14. This western holiday, though not widely celebrated by local Balinese, is gaining currency among young people as a fun opportunity to celebrate their affection for each other. A local Balinese interpretation called Tumpek Klurut falls twice a year on the Saniscara Wuku Klurut day of the Balinese lunar calendar. While no major ceremonies are held in observance of Tumpek Klurut, this Bali Hindu version celebrates divine love manifest as affection for everyone and all living things.

Bali Play Circus and Flow Arts gathering. March 24 - 29. Kerobokan. The second Bali Play event is a non-profit gathering to benefit arts education at Sunrise School and raise awareness in Bali about the joys of juggling, circus, and movement. Each evenings activities will feature a different theme— open stage, cabaret, kid’s day, fire jams, renegade show and grand gala show. The whole family is invited to learn, play and enjoy. For more information, including programs, venue and tickets, visit: www.baliplay.yolasite. com.

Inspired Bali 2014 |

ontheisland PREVIOUSLY

Balinale International Film Festival. October 4-10, 2013. Indonesia’s only international film festival wrapped up its 7th consecutive gathering, featuring films from across Indonesia and around the world. Highlights included 50 award-winning features, documentaries and short films from 20 countries, with several world and Asian premieres. For more information about the 8th Annual Balinale International Film Festival to be held October 12 - 18, 2014, visit www. balinale.com.

Galungan. October 23 and Kuningan November 2. Twice a year on the Balinese lunar calendar, the island celebrates the triumph of good over evil on Hari Raya Galungan and, 10 days later, Hari Raya Kuningan. Prayers, feasts and offerings for Galungan welcome the ancestral spirits of each family to visit the earthly realm. Streets all over Bali become lined with new penjor (tall bamboo poles in front of each family home, decorated with offerings). On Kuningan, the spirits return to the spiritual world.

Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. October 11-15, 2013. For the 10th year, this festival convened writers, readers, artists, performers and visionaries for a celebration of life and literature. Highlights among the 200 invitees in 2013 included American novelist Lionel Shriver, British novelist Sebastian Faulks, Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler, Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho and over 50 Indonesians writers and thinkers including Goenawan Mohamad, award-winning writer Ayu Utami, bestselling writer and celebrity singer Dewi Lestari, celebrated filmmaker Garin Nugroho, Laksmi Pamuntjak, and Ahmad Fuadi.

UNESCO World Culture Forum. November 24-27, 2013. Eminent invited speakers included Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen, UNESCO Director General H.E. Irina Boskova, and journalist Fareed Zakaria. Six themed symposia included Holistic Approaches to Culture in Development, Civil Society and Cultural Democracy, Creativity and Cultural Economics, Culture in Environmental Sustainability, Sustainable Urban Development, and Inter-Faith Dialogue and Community Building. A complementary Social Programme included a People’s Carnival with representation from 5 countries, celebration of Indonesian ‘Best of the Best’ Carnivals from various cultures across Indonesia, a culturally-based Film Festival, and nightly World Ethnic Music Festival capping off the conference each evening. For more information, visit wcfina.org.

The main program hosted over 26,000 participants in 2013, a 26 percent annual increase in attendance, and nearly half of the participants were Indonesian. The UWRF 2013 contributed approximately USD 1 million to the local economy, according to an economic impact assessment conducted by festival organizers Beyond Ubud, the UWRF presented the annual Fringe Program in Denpasar, and toured the Women of Letters events and workshops to Jakarta and Yogyakarta. The 2014 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival will be held October 8-12, 2014, with the theme Saraswati— Wisdom and Knowledge. Keep your eyes on www. ubudwritersfestival.com for more details as they become available.

World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meetings, Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center. December 3 - 6, 2013. The top decision-making body of the WTO usually convenes member countries and customs unions every two years. They consider and decide rules regarding multilateral trade agreements affecting a broad range of trade in goods and services around the globe. For more information, visit: www.wto.org

Inspired Bali 2014 |

ontheisland Slow Food Bali hosts events to celebrate good, clean and fair food on the island of Bali, hosting events about once a month focussed on education as well as enjoyment. Most events are open to members and non-members alike, though at different rates, with members receiving a discount. SFB also sponsors the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Snail of Approvalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; program recognizing Bali restaurants that demonstrate their commitment to quality, authenticity and sustainability through their practice of slow food principles. For more information, including past and future events and how to initiate or renew your membership, visit slowfoodbali.com.

Left photo by Mila Shwaiko, Cheese by Mary Jane Edelson

ONGOING

ontheisland ONGOING

By Heather Bonker

latin dance MONDAYS Delicious Onion Seminyak – Band & DJ. Salsa class: 7 pm Indus Restaurant Ubud – Live band Buena Tierra. Salsa class: 8 pm Sector Bar & Restaurant at Grand Bali Beach Hotel, Sanur. Tango Milonga: 7pm

THURSDAYS Sector, Sanur – Band & DJ. Salsa class: 8pm

TUESDAYS Batu Jimbar Restaurant, Sanur. Salsa class: 8pm Bahiana, Seminyak – DJ. Salsa class: 10pm

SATURDAYS Batu Jimbar Restaurant, Sanur – Band. Salsa class: 8pm Bahiana, Seminyak – DJ. Salsa class: 10pm Redroom seminyak Band-DJ. Salsa class: 11pm The Straw Hat, Seminyak. Tango Milonga: 7:30 pm

WEDNESDAYS EcosFera Bar + Restaurant, Canggu – DJ. Salsa class: 8pm Redroom seminyak Band - DJ. Salsa class: 11pm

FRIDAYS Cafe Havana, Ubud. Salsa class- 8pm SOS Bar, Anantara Hotel, Seminyak. Salsa Class: 6pm Cafe Artista, Seminyak. Tango Milonga: 9:00 pm

SUNDAYS Mago Restaurant, Sanur – Band. Salsa class: 8pm

Inspired Bali 2014 |

MICHAEL FRANTI

What is Do It For The Love foundation and how do musicians get involved? Franti: Do It For The Love Foundation is a nonprofit wish granting organization that brings people in advanced stages of life threatening illness, children with severe challenges and wounded veterans to live music concerts. Anyone who would like to get a family member to a show can contact us and explain their situation. Every week we are growing. More and more musicians are joining us by providing tickets and meeting with the families before the shows. All the musicians need to do is just say they are happy to be a part of it and our office does all the logistical work to make it happen. Where do donations go and where do they come from? Franti: Since we started in August of 2013 weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done 7 fundraisers in private homes of generous fans, as well as received donations from individuals on our website. Donations go to employing our office team and providing travel expenses to families attending the concerts.

How can people in Bali get involved? Franti: People in Bali can get involved by writing to us if they have a family member who wants to get to a show. You can also help us by donating online or by spreading the word about the foundation to others who may have family members in need. If you were diagnosed with a terminal illness, what musician(s) or hero(s) would you connect with? Franti: When my appendix ruptured four years ago and I came close to dying, it was music that got me through the difficult process of healing. I remember listening to a lot of U2 at the time, and imagining that if I did die perhaps I could meet Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown and John Lennon. I think if it was really my last days Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d want to see a group of my family and friends playing in my living room, singing, dancing, cooking, eating and sharing good vibes. ,

Do It For The Love was founded by Michael Franti and Sara Agah www.doitforthelove.org

Inspired Bali 2014 |

Inspired by Margot Anand

Talk Tantra

We all want great sex. Strangely, with this on the minds of many, we resist the work we need to do to manifest it. Instead we look to porn, sex toys and lingerie to fulfill a longing to connect more deeply and intimately with each other. Author of the seminal work “The Art of Sexual Ecstasy”, Margot Anand has spent the better part of twenty-five years exploring, researching, teaching and manifesting what so many of us desire. With a mission to plant the seed of sexuality around our world, Margot has passionately shared the traditions of Sacred Sexuality, or the art of connecting sexuality with spirituality, with thousands of students worldwide. She has lead a fearless life as a teacher, lover, role model, public speaker, author, traveller and tantra practitioner. Not afraid of controversy or mainstream public opinion, Margot is the woman men want to know, and the woman many women dream to be. It all began in the 1970s at the age of 18 when her first sexual experience made a strong and lasting impression. She describes an outer body experience of bliss and consciousness expansion that was so transformative she went on to study psychology and philosophy in university. She wanted to understand the connection of the mind, body and spirit during orgasm. This lead her to tantra, introduced to her by her teacher Osho, the Indian mystic and teacher. She is a crusader in her belief that tantra goes well beyond satisfying sex, but that it teaches that giving and receiving pleasure helps people get past fear, ignorance, religious and racial bigotry and limitations.

16 | Inspired Bali 2014

Inspired Bali sat down with Margot to talk What is tantra and why is it unique? Tantra is the science of awakening and has been around for 5000 years. It is unique because it one of the only spiritual traditions that includes sexual alchemy in its teachings. Based on my years of study, I developed a mystical path called SkyDancing Tantra*, which is now taught in many countries. What advice would you give to young people embarking on a sexual life? Each person is unique and there is no menu for what is right and how and when to have sex. Everyone needs to make their own research and explorations, and draw their own conclusion. It’s good to explore things with a variety of partners when you are young, and be free with your sexuality. Eventually you will find one person and I recommend you stay with that person and go deeper, especially if you want to create a family together. It’s also important to take care of you body and your health. Make yourself feel good! Clear the patterns inherited from your parents so that you avoid projecting your father onto your boyfriend, “When we meet we for example. Programs like ‘fall in love’ the Hoffman Process (www. however we need to hoffmaninstitute.org) can really ‘rise in love’” help with this. I suggest people practice yoga with their partners- and study and learn about tantra. For example in my organization one of our wonderful teachers (Vasanti in France) leads seminars targeted for younger people starting out on a sexual life.

Photos by Suki ZoĂŤ

Inspired by Margot Anand

If you had a magic wand and could have anything right now in the world, what would it be? I would say that I wish there was dignity and respect between men and women, but especially from men towards women, regardless of race and religion. I also wish that the world understood how wonderful sexual energy is. I believe violence and wars are the direct outcome of unexpressed, frustrated sexuality. What brings you back to Bali? It’s in Bali that I discovered a social life where I was able to drop everything, for the first time, and build organic friendships that were not connected to my work. I stopped teaching and painted for 3 years (2007-2010) but eventually I went back to work outside of indonesia.. Look, there is much to learn from the Balinese and I am their student! They marry young and this is wise. When these marriages work, the family is linked together through the banjar (village) and the family compound, and this is a great way to channel love and care for others. It gives the Balinese a sense of stability and community that is lacking in the west. However, sometimes I wonder if they are imprisoned by the structure, which they may feel if it isn’t working. I do feel that things are changing in Bali and I sense a big shadow is growing. I wonder how long the Balinese will be able to bear the wealth discrepancies. I worry about theft in the future. I worry about this shadow. There is a unique relationship with the spirits here. There is ongoing cleansing of the spirits and this we can all feel. The dedication to the healers here is also so amazing. For these, and so many other reasons like the beauty and the nature, is why I keep returning to Bali. As your magazine theme is about love, I would also say that love is what I see shining through the Balinese eyes. Last fall there was much backlash for the twenty-yearold musician Miley Cyrus for her performance at the

18 | Inspired Bali 2014

MTV Music Video Awards. While performing with Robin Thicke, she stripped down to a nude colored bikini and acted out explicit sexual moves on herself and him during the performance, that many thought degraded herself and women. What was your response to the controversial performance? Fantastic! The more sex and sexuality, the better. Power to her! Do you have children? I decided not to have children but instead to work. I decided to be the mother of thousands, as oppose to having one. I have never regretted this choice. What is your main mission in your teaching? My goal, besides helping people, is the re-education of western tanta and the unraveling of the misconceptions. Sometimes, couples come to spend time with me for private coaching or to deepen their meditation and spirituality. In the popular mind, tantra has become equivalent to indulgence in orgasmic group sex. Nothing could be further from the truth. SkyDancing Tantra, the Path to Bliss, that I teach, is a unique pathway to spiritual awareness. It teaches that lasting pleasure, comes not from physical objects and attachments, but from within. I see tantra to be a door to enlightenment and that it is a spiritual path, a meditation, a discipline. I want others to understand this too. I also want to teach about the one-hour orgasm. What is your biggest desire in life right now? To develop meditation skills to take me all the way to Samadhi and beyond. Is there something to love in aging? Oh yes! The maturity to live with patience and compassion, and allowing my inner soul to radiate without fear. Are your books available in Indonesia? So far, no.. A friend presented one my books, “The Art of Everyday Ecstasy”, to a major publisher in Jakarta. They liked it and said “yes” to publishing it... and then when they

discovered my website and products, they said “no”. I think it’s because of my association with teaching about sexuality that remains the issue. What are some of the blocks that you see in love? Frustration and resentment are the two blocks that stop the flow of energy. For desire to flow, the heart must be open. But to bring the heart and lust together is also a challenge. I think in order to be in love one must choose with awareness what brings you joy, and this will open the door to your spirit. With the active practice of awareness we learn to be the witness to our responses, thoughts, and words. When we can take that distance of the watcher, we are free. Free because we don’t identify with every little thing that happens in our lives. We need to understand that on some level what is happening is an illusion. ,

For more information on Skydancing Tantra and Margot, visit: www.margotanand.com *Skydancing Tantra (as designed and trademarked by Margot) uses a variety of therapies and techniques like music, visualization, massage, breathing, visualization, yoga, movement, sexology and metaphysics (a study of the transcendental sciences) to help guide students on a transformational path: from sex to bliss and from bliss to Unity with all that is. Photos by Suki Zoë reprinted with permission from www.qito.co.uk

Inspired Bali 2014 |

fortheloveof SURFING

Sonny Perrussel “Surfing. It’s like the mafia. Once you’re in, you’re in. There’s no getting out.” Kelly Slater on surfing

Photo by Bruno Veiga

Over six years ago Lorraine Allen handed over her son to the ocean. After one surfing lesson at Double Six Beach, the waves mesmerized this young piscean and both mother and son were changed forever. Now, following thousands of hours in Bali’s southern waters, at twelve years old, Sonny is rated among the islands top young surfers.

What captured this young boy’s heart to hit the surf morning and night, day after day is simple. Passion. A passion for adventure, for challenge, for the sheer joy of life. Surfing has a mystical power that captivates something deep within our beings and this boy caught the fever. Now at Canggu School, Sonny surfs seven days a week and is preparing for prestigious competitions around the world Sonny himself sees little compromise in the life he leads. “Can’t wait to go to bed at night so that I can wake up and surf” says Sonny, while tossing back his long golden hair. For Sonny, it’s no big deal to be up at the crack of dawn before school to train. His schedule is packed with the surf squad and video shoots before the crowds descend upon the waves. After sundown he is busy editing photos and videos, making sure his sponsors are kept up to date with his latest shoot or competition result: A full immersion schedule that suits Sonny just fine. Sonny is sponsored by O’Neill surf label. They have been instrumental in getting him exposure in the media and sponsor him in international surf competitions, crossing their fingers he wins. Sonny has not disappointed.

20 | Inspired Bali 2014

fortheloveof FOOD Shanti Allen Young Shanti made a mess. A big mess. Playing with her mother in their kitchen she spilled, stirred, burnt, mixed, mashed and experimented with everything she could get her hands on. Growing up in a Swedish vegetarian commune the mess was tolerated, the creativity encouraged and the community supported her. Today we give a big thanks to those tolerating Swedes. Because of them, Bali has one mighty delicious place to dine. This single mother of twin four year old boys is the gifted artisanal raw food chef behind what is now a ‘destination’ in Ubud.

Photo by Ruben the Human

Alchemy Bali.

Her culinary path took some unexpected turns. Starting out as a traditional chef in five star European restaurants, she put in many years of baking sugary desserts and making meat dishes with creamy rich sauces. However, she found the restaurant industry stressful, repetitive and uncreative. More disturbing to her was that the people who worked in them were predominately unhealthy. Shanti’s love of food dissolved. To rekindle her passion and reconnect to her vegetarian roots, she dove into the world of whole food cookbooks. Here she stumbled across the idea of raw food which she was initially quite skeptical about, as any pastry chef would be. Soon after, this rural girl found herself in Bali and four years ago she completing a certification with Elaina Love’s ‘Pure Joy Academy’. The rest, as they say, is history!

Inspired Bali 2014 |

fortheloveof MOTORBIKES

(I Wayan Darsana) Unlike many Balinese men, sports and roosters never did much for Wayan. Many of the traditional Balinese customs of his home village of Penestanan also left him searching. Family traditions and Balinese village life did not alignment with Wayan’s expectations of what life should be all about. Something else captured him. It started in 1979. Wayan Dogler had a neighbour who changed his life. Wayan was asked to help him piece together a collection of discarded motorcycles parts; frames, accessories and engines. Without any power tools, but with Wayan working night and day by his side, six months later, two shiny, big, proud Harley Davidsons materialized. Young Wayan was hooked. On an island where scooters are functional forms of transportation, for Wayan, riding bikes became his passion, his life. With the love of motorcycles on his mind, but without a clear path of how to turn this into a business, Wayan pursued other forms of employment for many years. However, fourteen years ago, on a trip to Australia, he stopped by a Harley shop to see what was on display. A sales guy told Wayan, “You will never ride a Harley…dream on kid”.

22 | Inspired Bali 2014

Wayan assumes the young Aussie told him this because he was a skinny little Balinese guy, but the fire was ignited. This experience motivated Wayan to work hard, save money and to focus on his goal. Four years later Wayn bought his first Harley Davidson. Today, Wayan estimates there are about 2000 Harleys on the island, most in the garages of wealthy, Balinese men over 40 who don’t ride them. Harley Davidsons (the God of motorcycles) are out of reach, financially, for most Balinese and it is hard for them to justify buying them. For this reason, Wayan started modifying smaller, more affordable bikes (Tiger and Scorpio), customizing them into vintage looking Flat-trackers or ‘cafe racers’. This makes them more reachable for Balinese and the growing group of Expats, who like to ride a ”real bike” (bike with a clutch). “I love motorcycles because they represent freedom and fun. I love the feeling of being in control. I don’t feel trapped, like I do in a car. When I ride my bike I feel that I am much more connected to nature. When I work on a bike it’s like a meditation, time flies by: It’s very zen experience, I have no concept of time or space. It’s absolute bliss.” Today Wayan is turning his hobby his life’s work. He specializes in rebuilding, reconstructing and designing vintage bikes.

Photo by Helena Adelstorp

Wayan Doler

fortheloveof MUSIC

Kevin James

Photo by Marnee Zamora

Some refer to it as Kirtan; others, devotional Bhakti. To newcomers and family folk, sing-alongs. They are powerful, sacred and transformative. For Kevin James they are HeartSong circles, and they are growing bigger, stronger and wider, and can be heard here in Bali, across rice paddies and over valleys. Playing music for 25 years, Kevin paid the bills working as a plumber in Byron Bay, Australia. He twice started a career as a musician and ended it because he couldn’t resonate with the pub and club music scene in Australia. He felt that music was becoming too passive an experience and he wanted to engage people in something deeper, off the stage. So he frequently gathered friends at his home and around campfires to share in his singing circles. It was a something he started doing after a trip to India at age 21. It fueled his soul and he loved it, but he never dreamed his hobby would blossom into what it is now. Six years ago Kevin was invited to bring his songs to The Bali Spirit Festival. After his performance, invitations from around the globe came in requesting his presence at festivals and concert halls. Not long after his Bali gig he left his job, sold his home, car and possessions and embarked on his new life. A self

described nomad, Kevin now roams our planet, working, often by donation, gathering an average of 300 guests to each singing circle. Unique to his nomadic approach, Kevin includes local and indigenous musicians to join him. As a self-taught musician who doesn’t read music, he travels with his guitar and harmonium, settles into his new surroundings and allows his music to summon other musicians to join him, without rehearsal, at his performances. Ideally a local priest or tribal person will also attend, to lead an opening ceremony. Joining one of Kevin’s song circles does have that campfire warmth. He provides a platform for participants to express themselves through the power of voice and what is often felt is a great sense of warmth, community and love. In his own words: “Music is love, expressed through the vehicle of sound and, like love, it reaches it’s fullest expression when we share it with each other.” No previous singing experience is necessary to join him. He blends together some ancient mantras with simple, English translations, making the whole evening accessible to all. , www.kevinjamesheartsongs.com

Inspired Bali 2014 |

inthestreet Batu Bolong

BALI IS under rapid reconstruction. There’s a sidewalk building frenzy in Ubud. The super toll road linking Sanur to the airport and Nusa Dua is right out of Singapore. Many shops are upgrading to an ‘all window’ contemporary look, and internet access without a password is becoming the norm. Land prices are going up by the month, and many of us residents are wondering if things are going pop. Does it ever end? Amongst all the brisk change, its nice to find a street that is taking its time to evolve at a pace that is more in keeping with Bali. With the sweet smell of ocean air, and a gorgeous beach at one end, Batu Bolong is slowly unfolding as one of the islands coolest streets. Buzzing with potential, activity, innovation and vision, it brings together the best of Bali, all in under 2 kilometers. This street is best traveled by scooter, slowly, so that you can start and stop as you fancy. Begin inland and spend your day shopping, eating, horseback riding, patting cows, sipping coffee, surfing and then catch a sunset dinner. Inspired Bali explored and here are a few places we recommend:

EAT Old Man’s - Beach Front It’s casual place where you ‘pay before you eat’. There’s occasional live music and on Sunday morning it’s busy with the surf crowd, families and dogs. PICK: Cakes made at their sister restaurant, Petitenget. KakiLima - Beach Front Stupendous beach front lawn with a funky

24 | Inspired Bali 2014

decor that is groovy and comfortable. Get there at 6:00 to watch the spectacular sunset, bring your kids and a ball. It’s child-friendly. PICK: Grilled prawns. Ametis Villa Home-style hospitality combined with luxury, this new resort offers elegant rooms and the fantastic Eternal Restaurant menu full of locally sourced fish and food, from the cool hills of Bedugal to the seafood market at Jimbaran Bay. Each guest is assigned a personal butler to ensure everything unfolds to your individual needs. PICK: The hotel’s Ruby Spa, Asta Sidhi Massage Pis Bolong This organic eatery and beer garden is a wonderful addition to this blossoming street. With great music, great coffee, solid wifi, laidback atmosphere and fantastic prices, this hot spot is quickly becoming the most popular destination on the street. PICK: Delivery right to the beach! Bettlenut #60 Known by locals as the “saviour of Canggu”, this place is breezy, beautiful and feels like old Bali. Get in early to grab a table before it fills up for breakfast, lunch or dinner. PICK: Green drinks (and the best priced wheatgrass in Canggu, granola cups, gluten-free cakes. Canteen #34 A locally run and owned cafe full of good food and a feel good vibe. It’s decked out in a funky retro surf style with lots of memorabilia on the walls. PICK: Feta on gluten-free toast, veggie Laksa. Monsieur Spoon Great fresh baked bread from imported wheat, makes it fluffy and fresh. Their croisInspired Bali 2014 |

inthestreet Batu Bolong

sants have upped the weight of every Canggu dweller since they opened! PICK: Chocolate macarons & almond croissants. BJ’s #63 Fun and colourful burger and fries joint. Owners Glen and Ivan are on site to check everything is running well. Is that original art work by Picasso on the walls? PICK: Beetroot burger & hand-cutfries plus an interesting salad bar.

Health Goldust Famous for its signature 24k gold eaf facial and it’s soothing environment. PICK: Waxing, mani-pedis, luxury gold dust facial. Bali Healing: Natural Health Care Center Comprehensive health clinic run by Dr Peggy, a German homeopath and naturopath. They offer detox and liver flush propgrams. PICK: Live blood analysis.

SHOPS Nad’s (next to Canteen) Named after Nadia, the owner’s daughter. Nad’s has a good selection of bags, shoes, clothes and jewellery. PICK: Cowboy boots for 1.5m - 3 weeks order time. Flow and Yonder #58 Very steep climb (hold off if you have vertigo) but worth it for their great array of surf wear and ecletctic sunglass brand. PICK: O'Neill T shirts. House of Alaia #27B Jewellery and art classes that specialize in silver smithing. PICK: Classes for kids

26 | Inspired Bali 2014

STAY Coconuts Guest House #92 More of a five room hotel than a traditional guest house, this place is suited to families and mid-budget surfers wanting a nice place to stay near the beach. Great choice for longer stays as you have access to a full kitchen. PICK: A drink on the rooftop garden at sunset Tugu Hotel Stunning beachfront hotel with an old Javanese style lobby. Great to lounge on their day beds at sunset with good cocktails and nibbles and cosy blankets. PICK: Mantra Massage.

AND High Tide Surf School Known as the best place on the island to learn to surf, this innovative school puts the focus on fun, technique and fitness. Headed up by the dynamic Brazilian surfers known as ‘David’, it won’t be long until you are riding the surf like a pro. PICK: Children’s classes. Temple Take a moment to peek in the gates the Pura Desa, the village Balinese Hindu Temple and the center of religious activities for this community. Pura comes from the sanskrit word which means 'walled city'. The only way to enter the temple is through the gates that are locked unless there is a ceremony (odalan). If you plan to attend you must wear ceremonial clothing. ,

Thanks to Janet Nicol, Lorraine Allen and Suki Zoë on Instagram for your collective input.

Inspired Bali 2014 |

loving what is (with gratitude to Byron Katie)

By Maureen Gilbert

THE GOAL is universal. Some might seek it through love or success, others through security or accomplishment and still others through joy or serenity; but, while the means may differ, wouldn’t it be nice if, no matter what was happening in the world around you—inside, you just felt good? The temptation is to try to manage our elusive “inner okay-ness” by trying to change our external environment. Our consumer society, of course, exploits this by tapping into our uncertainty and insecurities – buy this clothing and feel sexy; drive this car and feel successful; use this face cream and look younger. Even if we are consciously aware of the fallacy of using some “thing” to feel better, most of us are victims of the delusion that if only we had this “stuff,” we would feel better inside. Similarly, we mislead ourselves into thinking, “if only this person or circumstance in my life was different, I would feel happier”. While I personally can attest to the neurotic pleasure of blaming someone else for how I’m feeling, ultimately this does not reward my well-being. When we cede our power to forces outside of ourselves, whether material or human, it leaves us abjectly vulnerable. The Buddhist solution to finding your “inner okay-ness” is non-attachment – if you can release yourself from all expectations or attachment to outcomes then, in theory, you can achieve a “peace that surpasses all understanding.” (Philipians) While the wisdom and ref-

28 | Inspired Bali 2014

uge of Buddhist teachings resonates deeply, the cynic in me will note that Siddhartha may have achieved enlightenment but his wife, Yasodhara, who he left behind with their child did not. (It makes me want to write a book called: “Buddha Never Lived with a Three Year Old”). Is there really a way to achieve equanimity of emotion or a feeling of inner rightness in the midst of raising children, maintaining relationships, holding down a job? For me the solution presents itself by finding a balance between the joy of creation and free will and the serenity of accepting life on its terms. This isn’t a static state of awareness but a fluid dance between my ego and the “god of my understanding.” It is tempting to think your ego thinks it knows what is best for you (and everyone else for that matter) and wants it in your timing and in the way you’ve envisioned it. This is very popular in New Age circles that proffer the ability to manifest a mansion, new car or dream job with the correct amount of visualization. We all want to believe that we can use our energy to manipulate our environment, and thereby exert our desires on the Universe. All of us, however, will eventually run into something we can’t control - the first chink in the self-will amour. This first experience of powerlessness is rarely pretty. Our ego’s don’t like to grapple with the limits of our ability to control and create our reality.

The other extreme could be called “surrender on steroids” where we are letting God or the Universe direct the show: accepting what is. This is where you don’t necessarily get what your personality wants but you receive the help to want what you’re given. This is an advanced state of awareness —the PhD program so to speak—to trust so deeply in life that you can find grace and meaning and goodness in the worst that life has to offer. I personally tend to vacillate between the extremes of self-will and surrender. This is when a spiritual practice becomes really important. That’s why I love the Serenity Prayer—asking for the courage to change what I can; acceptance what I can’t and have the wisdom to know the difference. We all know that in the end there is only so much we can control in our outer environment. If life is like a pendulum, it swings up to the left and we experience all the good of life and its corresponding emotions of—joy, happiness, passion—but then it must swing in equal measure to the right, bringing with it negativity and suffering. The law of physics demands both sides.

We can’t eliminate the negative without shutting down our capacity to experience all the joy and beauty on the rebound swing. So ultimately, day by day, moment by moment, I get to make a choice about my inner okay-ness. If I hang out at the bottom of the pendulum I am choosing to experience life as a fearful and somewhat nauseating ride between the extremes or I can stay closer to the top of the pendulum and consciously choose to “love what is”. Life will still have its full swing between yin and yang, good and bad, joy and pain but the movement at the top is not so extreme. From this vantage I can see the pendulum swing as “joyful participation in the sorrows of this world “ (J. Campbell)—or as Zorba the Greek says “wife, kids, house—the full catastrophe”. That’s it. Everyday—every moment—no matter what is happening you get to decide will I respond to my life with Fear or Love? Choose Love. , Maureen is a Certified Bio-Energetic Therapist, Money Coach, and Colon Hydrotherapist. She works at Radiantly Alive in Ubud. To book an appointment contact: www.radiantlyalive.com

Open 8am - 12pm Cocktail Hour 5-7 Tailored Beats & Soulful Sounds

ROUND BAR UBUD P. +62 361 97 67 38 J l . P e n e s t a n a n K l o d , S a y a n U b u d B a l i 8 0 5 7 1

CAFE BAR LOUNGE Mention this ad to receive one free sml bintang with every pizza valid mon & tue from Jan-Mar 2014

roundbarubud

Round Bar Ubud

A hidden sanctuary discreetly tucked away in the heart of Ubud

d’Omah Hotel

P: +62 361 976622 Jl . P e n e s t a n a n K l o d , S a y a n U b u d B a l i 8 0 5 7 1 www.domahbali.com

P O O L RESTAURANT SPA Mention this ad to receive one free 1hr massage per booking Valid Jan-Mar 2014 DOMAHHOTELBALI

D'OMAH HOTEL UBUD

esearching oma nce

The science behind happy marriages

By Jeff Benson “I am a newlywed. Thank you for your hearty congratulations. There is no need to start an office pool to guess the year of our divorce because you will lose. I met my wife in November of 2012 and we quickly fell in love. Five months later, we were engaged. Our friends were happy for us, although a few raised their eyebrows, suspicious that we should move so quickly. “When you know, you know,” we told them. Apparently, we don’t know squat. So say the good men and women of science. What my wife and I took for love was merely the chemical equivalent of a ‘Jagerbomb’ at the bar—two parts dopamine, one part adrenaline, chased down with a shot of serotonin. This was the rush we felt when falling in love. In the first few months, couples can easily overlook their differences in opinion and behaviour because they are in the throes of chemical attraction. Somehow, pack-a-day smoking habits and other nonstarters seem trivial when placed next to the majestic beauty of the greatest love the world has ever known. But just like the day after a binge drink, these chemi-

32 | Inspired Bali 2014

cals come with a hangover. That’s okay because our brains feed us with the emotional equivalent of Tylenol and a greasy breakfast, dishing out oxytocin and vasopressin to keep us around after the “honeymoon” phase is over. We get oxytocin when we kiss, hug and have sex. The only problem is that we tend to stop doing these things as often when we realize that our Prince Charming’s refusal to floss is not adorable but is, in fact, disgusting. When the initial rush of chemical attraction subsides, we simply don’t want to be as cuddly as before, so we give less oxytocin and vasopressin to ourselves. This is why, while chemicals can kickstart a romance, they aren’t reliable for sustaining a relationship over the long-term. Romantic love usually fades into friendship and companionship. Most couples manage to forge a friendship because they have shared beliefs, which is probably how they met each other in the first place. Studies show that couples who share religious beliefs are less likely to divorce, which relates to sociologist Emile Durkheim’s notion that religion is an integrative force. As the authors of the study “The Impact of Religious Homogeneity on the Rate of

Divorce in the United States” put it: “Participation in religious communities subordinates personal desires while enhancing collective goals, thus promoting stability” (Larson and Goltz 1989). “Both partners regularly attending religious services and claiming a same or similar religious affiliation are key elements in decreasing the likelihood of divorce” (Call and Heaton 1997). Studies of religious homogamy suggest that having a partner with the same or doctrinally similar religious beliefs increases marital stability. Unfortunately, my partner and I are not on the same page of the scriptures. Her beliefs are of the yogic variety. Mine are in the “none of the above” category. So, not only are we less chemically attracted to each other than we used to be, but our spiritual differences also make it harder for us to transition into companionship, increasing our chances of divorce. The study does not indicate whether these couples with “collective goals” are any happier than others, only that they divorce less. Even though my wife and I do not share a religion, we do have a collective goal, and it is a bit more ambi-

tious than merely not wanting to get divorced—we want to be happy. This, we thought, was a testable hypothesis. Like most couples from our background, we decided to move in together before we ever got engaged. If we could be happy living together outside of marriage, surely we could be happy living together once we got into it. After all, in either situation, there are bills to pay, dogs to feed and houses to clean. According to Tina B. Tessina, PhD, author of “Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage”, research shows that couples that live together before getting married are actually more likely to divorce. The suggested reason is that many couples move in together for practical reasons rather than due to romantic commitment. Those bills are easier to pay when you’re splitting them, plus you have someone else to watch the dog. Couples who move in together out of convenience often find themselves taking the “logical” next step of getting married because it is easier than disentangling from a shared life. Cohabitation ceases to be a bargain when you are also splitting the therapy bills from an unhappy relationship.

Inspired Bali 2014 |

Are my wife and I married because we followed up an initial dose of love chemicals with a hasty decision to save on our electricity costs? And is our union destined for not just unhappiness, but, gasp, divorce? Maybe, but I don’t think so. And for once, there is scientific research to back up my optimism. Dr. John Gottman is a psychologist known for his ability to predict with over 90% accuracy whether a couple will be together five years in the future. According to research conducted with his partner, Dr. Julie Gottman, successful relationships have nothing to do with similarity in worldview or opinions, or somehow squeezing out a few extra drops of dopamine. Instead, the indicators of a successful marriage are mutual respect and trust. The Gottmans posit the quite reasonable hypothesis that people interact to get attention. Giving attention to your partner is a sign of respect. Asking for attention and receiving it builds trust that your partner cares about your needs. So, if you are trying to get attention and your partner responds by making eye contact, asking questions, or even making a joke, you will stay together longer than you would if you are greeted with sneering, eye rolling or a blank stare. It’s that simple. Creating a lasting relationship boils down to treating your partner with the same respect you want to receive. You don’t have to be a pair of blissed-out, non-cohabititing Christians to know that’s one rule worth following. ,

Jeff Benson feeds himself by working as a senior consultant for Mango Tree, a Ugandan company that creates educational materials for low-literate audiences. When not eating, he is writing his first novel. Check out his essays at serialmonography.com

PURE SIMPLE LOVE UTAMA SPICE NATURAL AROMATHERAPY PRODUCTS

utamaspicebali.com

SANUR UBUD Jl. Danau Poso No.57 (100m from Jl. Tamblingan)

Monkey Forest Road Inspiredfrom Bali 2014 | 35Entrance) (100m Forest

Community coworking space in the heart of Ubud book a tour at team@hubud.org facebook | twitter @hubudbali www.hubud.org 36 | Inspired Bali 2014

PA R T N E R S

Hubud is realizing its mission to foster peer-to-peer entrepreneurial support in a multitude of ways. At the ‘Hubud Hackathon’ in October, existing local businesses presented their problems to 25 Hubud members. Those members then divided into teams, and spent 24 hours trying to help those businesses improve. In November, a local ‘Mastermind’ group sprung up spontaneously from some of Hubud’s more experienced entrepreneurs. This invite-only group meets to discuss their current projects and future plans. There’s also a new weekly ‘Think Thank’—an open group that gets together to brainstorm solutions to members’ business challenges. For Susan Allen, who runs Yellow Coco Creative Nest in Ubud, it means a chance to connect and collaborate with other entrepreneurs: “Really, all of us really want to help each other, and the way our world is structured these days, we are very separated. So this is one answer, this collective space, and ‘Think Thank’ is one tool to allow us to share and focus on our business challenges.”

Benjamin Holman Richards IV was a rock star. Or, more accurately, Ben was almost a rock star. His Australian band got signed in America and was on the verge of making it big in L.A., but things just never came together. Ben turned his attention to online development work and, this year, he set-up in Bali to combine his life’s work—music, with his newest passion—technology. Working out of Hubud, Ben created and launched ‘Gigroom’, an Airbnb-for-bands. The idea is bands can be booked for House Concerts directly through the ‘Gigroom’ platform. Ben says Hubud has been integral to his project: “There is just something about the constant evolving, fresh nature of the people coming through the door at Hubud. Everyone is coming in, super-excited about what they’re doing. And that keeps you excited about what you’re doing and able to see the forest through the trees in the daily hours that sometimes you have to grind out.”

Inspired Bali 2014 |

minumandrink

Jamu Feeling a bit gassy? Overwhelmed by fatigue? Plagued by hemorrhoids? Suffering from dysentery, malaria or the flu? Need to recover your shapely figure after giving birth? Or perhaps you would like to improve your sexual prowess? There’s a jamu for you! There’s no time like the present to start your jamu routine, as prolonged regular use is advised for the most effective results in curing almost any bodily ailment. Perhaps you’re feeling just fine? You should still have a daily dose of jamu for prevention of cancer, liver cleansing and taming your inner free-radicals. Jamu is a traditional Indonesian elixir, originated in Central Java centuries ago and now readily available across the archipelago. There are dozens of different tried and true formulas, with recipes passed down over generations. A handful of jamu formulas are most popular and consumed by the majority of Indonesians daily for health and wellness. Jamu recipes draw on the treasure trove of indigenous botanicals available in Indonesia including leaves, seeds, bark, roots, rhizomes, fruits, flowers and stems. Ingredients like cinnamon, fennel, mint, turmeric are added for flavourful as well as medicinal qualities. Jamu often tastes quite bitter, so it’s not for everyone. A hearty dose of honey helps. The most common jamu usually includes lots of turmeric, giving it a rich, orange opaque appearance, and honey or palm sugar to lend sweetness. These are suspended in boiled water. and mixed

38 | Inspired Bali 2014

with fresh lime juice. Jamu is generally available for purchase in dry, powdered form as sachets to mix with water or pre-mixed by the bottle or glass. Jamu ranges from the humble homemade variety to fancy concoctions available at some of the fine restaurants around Bali. Jamu has been blended and sold on the streets for hundreds of years by women carrying bottles in baskets on their backs called jamu gendong.

STREET Look for jamu gendong Pak Urip at Sri Wedari in Ubud, next to the cobblers’ between 7 a.m and 10 a.m. daily. He sells jamu including jamu kunyit, geling, rabus and madu, adding herbal pellets he keeps in his pocket. Urip’s jamu will set you back Rp 3,000. Nadis Herbal Store on Jalan Suweta, No. 15, north of the palace in Ubud sells hot or cold jamu freshly made daily by Grandma, alongside owner Lilir’s many award-winning herbal health and beauty products. You can buy a 600 ml bottle for Rp 25,000 that suggests users consume 150 ml three times a day.

Dining Casa Luna restaurant on Jalan Raya Ubud serves “Janet’s favorite jamu” made according to the recipe endorsed by owner Janet DeNeefe. A simple blend of lime juice, turmeric and honey, this delicious drink sells for Rp 25,000 a glass. ,

Photos: Glenn Chickering & Lokah Photo

Inspired Bali 2014 |

LOVE it

Alone

By Janet Nicol

THERE’S A crazy downpour when you’re about to leave and you just can’t get out the door. And then your mom calls on Skype. A village ceremony closes the road and there’s traffic gridlock. It’s just one of those days. You’re late for class and you know that rushing to yoga is counterproductive. So you don’t go. You miss your favorite teacher, your favorite timeslot and your favorite activity. Your whole day is thrown off kilter and you now have ninety minutes of unscheduled time. Maybe today is the day? You’ve always wanted to. People rave about it. But you just haven’t felt “ready”. You’re dressed, your stomach is empty and you own a yoga mat. There’s space on the floor if you just move that chair to the left. A day like this is when people who feel dependent on attending a class feel the inspiration to begin a self practice. Millions of yogis around the planet begin their day this way, likely including your own teacher. With a little willpower, commitment, motivation and structure, you can too. Practicing yoga on your own offers many benefits

40 | Inspired Bali 2014

beyond the obvious financial savings and logistical issues of travel. It gives you the freedom to explore poses that you find challenging, perhaps by staying in them longer or doing them multiple times. You have the option to adjust your practice depending on your physical or mental health, without having to explain anything to anyone. You can practice where you want, when you want, and how you want. Practicing on your own also helps develop intrinsic motivation and self-discipline, which increases our overall sense of accomplishment. A self-directed practice offers valuable quiet time to integrate all that is taught in class, which sometimes can just pass by so quickly we miss the opportunity to grasp the teachings. These insights “Home practice says a lot about then stay with us off the mat, to be an individual’s strong motivation shared with others. and high level of commitment. At the same time, you’re developIt’s a luxury to go to a yoga class ing skills to live in and practice. home practice alignment with the philosophical develops character.” Tim Miller teachings of this

“I encourage people to take classes, but mainly for ideas and inspiration— to pick up a few new tools for their yoga tool kit. Then I tell them to go home and use these tools to enhance their personal practice. I see classes as an adjunct to home practice, not vice versa. Yoga truly becomes your own when you rely on the strength of your love and dedication primarily and not on the structure of a class.” Sarah Powers tradition. In the quiet of your home space, without the distractions of a studio - music, smells, body shapes, and egos - yoga comes to life. We learn to trust our own ability to guide us down a path that is healthy, balanced and loving and that the guru (one who leads us from darkness to light) is not outside, but within. How To Get Started, Alone You may consider transitioning to a home practice using podcasts or online videos. For a local teacher in Bali, tune into Daniel Aaron’s weekly inspirational and dynamic vinyasa podcasts (www.radiantlyalive. com). For a global selection of styles and teachers, visit Yoga Journal (www.yogajournal.com) or YogaGlo (www.yogaglo.com) for hours of audio and visual guidance. Once you feel comfortable on your own, turn down the volume and let your own voice take over. You’re ready to begin your self-practice.

Simple Tips: 1. Try to practice in the same physical space in your home, ideally at the same time of day. Bali is beautiful and cooler the early hours. 2. Let your family/roommates know about your practice and ask them not to disturb you. Turn off your phone and close your door. Consider turning on some soothing or inspiring music (tip: music is a great way help put distracting sounds in the background, like kids if you’re a parent). 3. Roll out your mat! Start slowly, perhaps just sitting and breathing. Don’t worry if what you are doing is “right”, focus more on how you feel. 4. Starting with a few Sun Salutations helps warm up the large muscles of the body and get you breathing. There are so many variations of Sun Salutations, you can’t go wrong. Begin in Mountain Pose (Tadasana), lift the arms, then fold over, then step back. Let the rest unfold based on memory from class and what your body wants. 5. Give yourself permission to forget and make up poses. Setting short practice sessions when you start, like 15 minutes, supports the process. 6. If it helps, create pre-existing sequences on a piece of paper and place it beside your mat. Stick people are a wonderful way to remember the shapes of poses. 7. Give yourself credit for whatever you have done. 8. Don’t skip Savasana, ever. Never. Obviously, a self-practice does not have the collective energy of a group class. You miss the guidance of someone with experience, insight and expertise. In a class setting questions can be answered and new territories of the practice can be explored under a teacher’s guidance. Staying at home doesn’t build community with like-minded people either. So, don’t stop going to class, just learn to balance the two, understanding the value of both options.

Inspired Bali 2014 |

Repeat each of the sentences at least once, to yourself. Go through the four sentences and then start again, replacing the pronoun. For the second round, think of someone specific and name the person you are sending the love to. For the third round, include your family and community. For the last round, direct your thoughts to all living beings. Metta Meditation (Loving Kindness)

In the Ashtanga tradition, as developed and taught by Pattabhi Jois, a unique style called Mysore is practiced. Mysore (named after a town in India) combines a personal practice within a classroom setting. Students come together and practice a pre-set sequence at their own pace, under the supervision of a senior yoga teacher, who offers individual instruction. In Bali, check out Ashtanga Yoga Bali Research Center www.ashtangayogabali.com. ,

May all beings be safe and protected May all beings be healthy and strong May all beings be peaceful and happy May all beings be free of pain and suffering.

Artwork by Phillip Novak

Janet is on hiatus after ten years of teaching yoga and twenty years of taking classes. She is currently cultivating her home practice, writing, leading yoga retreats and teacher trainings.

42 | Inspired Bali 2014

Desak Yoni:

Looking Back

WRITER DESAK Yoni was born in the early 1970s and grew up in a small village near Ubud. She has lived, loved and learned in Australia and Bali. Her cross-cultural training included two decades of living between the two islands and earning a Masters degree from an Australian University. Since her return to settle here, Desak says she is able to put theory into practice here in Bali. Desak’s new novel “Reflections of my Soul - The Story of a Balinese Woman” is based on her experience of love, marriage and sex. The book highlights challenges that arise between different ways of life not only in faraway lands but also amongst the rapidly changing cultures of Bali. Inspired Bali sat down with Desak to hear her reflections on love, relationships and traditions in Bali and the west. What messages about love, sex and/or marriage did you grow up with in Bali? Love grows once we live with the person long enough and reconcile our differences, learn to accept one another and live everyday without any specific plans, just slogging along through a simple life. Messages about sex - I grew up without any talk about sex. It was a taboo topic. There was no sex education at our schools. (I’m not sure whether the schools offer sex education now in villages.) Growing up in the village, I learned that sex was more like a wifely duty to fulfill whenever the husband wants sex or having sex simply to have kids. It was a man’s world in a patriarchal society in small villages of Bali. Men were getting their satisfaction from home and elsewhere. The wife was to accept that extramarital affairs were normal in

44 | Inspired Bali 2014

villages. Wives were even expected to agree to polygamy. People were very open about who was having an affair with whom, as long as the affairs didn’t end up as a marriage. Most wives tended to accept their fate in my village neighbourhood. What was your parents’ model of marriage and love? My mother was more concerned about her duties as a Hindu woman than her marriage and love life. Being from a poor family, she used to say, “I have two kids now. I’m happy as long as my husband feeds us.”

Mom and Dad used to fight a lot, as my dad would have an affair and spend his money on the affair instead of us. If only the money was staying in the family, mom would not complain about an extramarital affair. Now that my parents are old, I think they seem to be happy. Dad seems to focus on family, such as their grandchildren (my sister’s kids). Mom is quite happy with day to day duties as a housewife such as taking care of cooking, offerings and ceremonies. Love is devotion to her god. In their model of marriage, the husband is free to do whatever, as long as he brings food home for their children, ceremonies, and so on. What were your mother’s teachings about love and sex? How (if at all) did she talk with you about these matters? We don’t talk about these things openly. My mom always said, “Let your husband have his way, and stay quiet for the sake of the kids.” She only ever talks about love towards the kids, never about love towards the husband. I have never seen my father and mother being affectionate towards one another in an open space. Balinese people don’t hug (my parents’ generation especially), let alone kiss in front of other people. There is no emotional expression of love that I can see. We often see other emotions like sadness, happiness and anger being displayed in the family and surrounding neighbourhood. My parents never hold hands in front of me or my sister or anybody. I prefer western cultures with lots of emotional expressions of love towards one another. We can hold hands, kiss in public, and be affectionate to our partners/husbands.

How have other members of your family coped with the developments in Bali around love, marriage and relationships? There are a lot of challenges for younger generations like my little sister as she has been overseas but continues to live in the village with my parents. She has seen lots of western movies and westerners being affectionate towards one another around Ubud. She wants to be affectionate towards her husband, but they also want to maintain cultural traditions and respect in the village. It is a huge difference from my life, as I no longer live with my parents but instead in my own private villa in the middle of rice paddies, away from villagers. What has been your experience with extramarital affairs? HIV/ AIDS? Domestic violence? Extramarital affairs alway create friction for any marriage. Life is difficult enough with all the usual daily activities, commitments, work that each individual has to deal with. When a husband/wife is seeking love elsewhere, then the marriage is broken. There is no longer a bond in the relationship; the attention is being divided; the money is being divided; then the worry of catching HIV and trust disappearing. It is very hard to keep the marriage together in one piece. It is one fight after another, which often turns into violence and rage, which is very bad for the children to witness. It is dangerous for all involved and certainly very damaging for everyone’s mental condition. The neighbours deserve some peace as well! When there are extramarital affairs, then the marriage bond is no longer a solid commitment amongst two people with the same goals. Inspired Bali 2014 |

How do you or your generation cope with these differently from your parents and their generation? My generation is less accepting towards their husbands’ affairs. Balinese women have careers and are able to look after their own children financially. I see a lot of them put up a fight in court these days to win their rights with regard to their children and their right to be respected as human beings. Balinese women in my generation are becoming more independent and educated. We’re working on compromise instead of simply following orders from men. In my parents’ generation, there was no such thing as divorce. If the woman dared to leave, then they would never see their children again. In some cases, if she was going to leave her husband’s family compound, her own original family would never accept her back. What was the woman supposed to do, other than accept her fate? In my mother’s generation, most women couldn’t even read or write.

How has your understanding of yourself and your place in the world evolved? We certainly have the strength to continue growing and understand the human dilemma. I realize we are complex and evolving creatures. There is no way we can all conform to traditional cultural norms. Returning to my roots and revisiting my childhood in Bali certainly gave me some clues regarding my choices in life. Looking at my mother’s blind devotion to spiritual and social matters helped me realize that I’m so lucky to have choices by being both an insider and an outsider at the same time. I can live in both worlds in Bali – traditional and modern at the same time, each and every day. I discovered forgiveness. I forgive myself in a lot of ways and forgive people around me and have a deeper understanding of why things are the way they are. I have become more patient, less angry with the world and with people. I feel less burden on my shoulders knowing that no matter what country we live in, there are always struggles to deal with. ,

“Renditions of My Soul - The Story of A Balinese Woman” is available from Ganesha Bookshops (3 branches in Bali: Ubud, Sanur and Kuta) and can be purchased from their website, Ary’s Bookshop - Ubud, Kafe - Ubud, many Periplus location, Books & Beyond (2 branches Ubud and Kuta). An online version is also available from smaswords.com.

46 | Inspired Bali 2014

By Jamie Woodall

Kathmandu, June 2000 SHE SAT quietly on the stone steps in the courtyard, watching the throngs of crimson clad monks circling the imposing Buddhist temple. The dusk light set the golden eyes of the stupa alight, and the prayer flags whispered in the dusty Kathmandu breeze. ‘Perhaps this was a mistake?’ she thought frantically, pressing a little further back against the wall and scanning the foreigners walking past. She briefly considered leaving, but her curiosity prevailed. Everything had been so perfectly serendipitous up until this point, that a face-to-face meeting seemed unwise. She thought back to their chance first meeting almost four and a half years ago... Kathmandu, April 1996 It was a day like any other. Now on the tail end of the monsoon season, an endless cobalt blue sky covered the roof of the valley. After her painting class, she made her way through the bustling cobblestone streets to her favorite little hole-in-the-wall chai shop for lunch. Walking by the guesthouse which had first welcomed her to Nepal, she spontaneously decided to stop in and say hello to the friendly Tibetan owners. It had been far too long since her last visit. She momentarily wondered about old Ama-la’s health as she passed through the carved doorway. Sitting in the dark lobby was a Tibetan friend, a hearty soul named Dolma. Beside her sat a clean shaven young man waiting for a taxi to the airport. Evicted from his room at noon, with a 4:00 pm flight, he had time to kill. After a brief introduction, she learned that he had just spent the past few months doing charity work with an organization providing aid in the Mustang Valley. A big pot of tea was ordered and for the next two hours they exchanged stories about the trials and tribulations of their adventures, and the lives to which they would each soon return. Ideas and words moved effortlessly between them as if they had long been friends. The taxi arrived with an obnoxious honk and a frenzy of

48 | Inspired Bali 2014

porters vying to carry his single backpack. In those days, email was still on the horizon, so they exchanged snail mail addresses. After a quick hug, he walked out the door to the decrepit looking cab, looking back with a friendly wave. It was April 20th, 1996. The first letter came a few weeks later, an update really, about life back in the UK. He had found his way into her thoughts often in those few weeks since his departure and she was happy to have been remembered. It was as if something unfinished lingered between them. He had nicknamed her Jess, taking a liking to her middle name. The short, hand-written note was a (semi-benign) update about the rigors and folly of academic life. He, now back in the UK, was working through a Masters degree in Sociology and living in “halls of residence.” She pictured him - this curious new friend - sitting down to write to her in his cramped little room, books piled high in unstable stacks. She re-read the final line of his letter. “I hope to see you again some day.” For the next four years, they wrote to one another. She travelled back and forth between North America and Asia, straddling two worlds, studying Nepali language, apprenticing in Buddhist thangkha painting and guiding travel abroad programs in the Himalayas for American teens. It did not take long for her to recognize his love of deep philosophical debate, so she easily adopted the Tibetan name given to him - Dorje - meaning “thunderbolt of enlightenment”. Both coming and going from the region on a regular basis, they never crossed paths. But, as the number of letters traveling between them began to increase, so did the depth and profundity of their content. (1996) Dear Dorje, ...I am sure that wherever my crazy path carries me that I will find happiness and beautiful people like you along the way… Their stories began to unfold through their hand-written philosophical ramblings, reflections on spiritual readings, and contemplation about relationships and life. Layer by layer, formalities were slowly peeled away, giving space for a new depth of authenticity. She loved the fearlessness and vulnerability that seemed to become readily available in the safe space of letter writing. (1997) Dear Jess, I have a deep respect for you. Part of that is based on what I see you doing with your life. I know that is a bizarre thing for someone to say who has spent so little time in your company. Your communications to me have been a blessing. You are a resource to me, maybe more so than you realize. I have recounted our meeting a hundred times and remember it vividly. I receive these things from you Inspired Bali 2014 |

and you are nourishment for me. Do stay in touch. Letter after letter, plastered with colourful and exotic stamps began to make their way around the globe. India. Tibet. Canada. Australia. Nepal. Thailand, and the U.K. The opening of his letters became a ritual, requiring a quiet space, a cup of tea and her full attention. (Feb 12, 1998) Dear Dorje-la ..I am always flattered by your words. You too pass through my thoughts surprisingly often... Inside hand-made paper envelopes came painted watercolours of landscapes, temples and travel maps. Dried leaves and pressed flowers arrived from the Himalayan foothills, the Colorado rockies and the damp forests of Devonshire. Photographs of epic climbing trips and yellowed antique postcards arrived in jam-packed post-restante mailboxes. Silver stars, incense and sand found their way into the ever-lengthening letters, spilling out onto each other’s unexpecting desks. With each letter, another layer of distance dissolved. What had been born as the simple correspondence between two strangers, had evolved into a deep-rooted spiritual friendship. It was an old-fashioned courting of two souls in a modern day world. Both of them weaved in and out of relationships, reaching out for support when there was heartbreak. It seemed that they always found their way back to one another. He would remind her of her strength and her worth, chastising her boyfriends who didn’t. She longed to protect him when the women in his life hurt him. Through the written word they held space for each other. With the arrival of email, correspondence became even more frequent. Although devoid of the handmade envelopes and paint, there was a new sense of proximity. (1998) Dearest Jess You little beauty. I do miss you Jess, well, only in a funny sort of way really. I just love the fact that you’re at the other end of this PC. Maybe one day we can meet up? For now, I shall take those thoughts away with me and whistle. If you listen hard enough I know you will hear me. You are my soul sister; our universes are next door to each other and just beyond that star above and to your left is me, whistling… By 1999, she had filled a shoebox with his letters. Each envelope held a story - a place and experience - every sense translated into the written word. In one, a thick cardboard coaster, still smelling of Guinness, with a poem scrawled in a dark pub and then translated into Gaelic by a tipsy bar mate. Another, composed shakily in the crowded compartment of a third

50 | Inspired Bali 2014

class train while racing across the vast plains of India, was stained with sweet cardamom tea. Provocative excerpts torn carefully from the pages of Krishnamurti. Tucked under her bed, this box held a thread that tethered her to him, wherever he was. She waded through his thick philosophical ramblings as he navigated the heady works of Nietzsche and Goethe. Up in the wee hours eating beans and toast, battling the pounding music of his college neighbors, he fiercely procrastinated writing his essay by writing them to her. (Feb 1999) Anyway, I am probably mad Jess. I suggest that you have nothing further to do with me and change your e-mail address before you find out any more of my nonsense! (March 1999) Dear Jess, a rain drop fell on me today. It is now returning to source and will soon visit your continent. When it next rains, think of me and let a drop touch your brow. That will be a millilitre of peace and love bestowed upon your soul from me. And then, in early 2000, a note arrived in her inbox. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I might be in Kathmandu this summer at the same time as you. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meet.â&#x20AC;? It seemed an absurd idea - an invitation to potentially ruin everything that was perfect and sacred about this long distance connection. In her mind, the beauty lay in the space between, that place of the unknown. In Tibetan Buddhism, the bardo - that space between death and rebirth or even sleep and wakefulness - is the space where people are most receptive to wisdom. Perhaps they were meant to remain in this in-between state - learning and growing together, but apart. But always, her heart and mind returned to that persistent question of possibility. What if? What if? And of course, eventually, what IF? She found herself checking for his emails more regularly, with some disappointment when she found her inbox empty. There was a new sense of longing for something more tangible than this ethereal connection. How had so much trust and love been cultivated between two people who had only met in a hotel lobby for two short hours? With hundreds of letters having passed between them, it was hard to know what to expect. Not lovers, yet there was love. It was an intimate friendship forged on opposite sides of the globe. Two people who had welcomed each other so effortlessly into the secret corners of their lives through pages and pages of dark confessions, euphoric revelations, the unveiling of fears and dreams, and above all - honesty.

Inspired Bali 2014 |

After some discussion, it was decided. They would meet. In the final months leading up to their reunion, something shifted in the tone of the letters. A flirtatious thread began to weave its way in, fueled by increasing curiosity and anticipation. (April 2000) For Jess What to do - what to do? As ever you are so far away and yet so close. I only hope that soon our souls can meet our bodies, that I can look you in the eye and smile. (May 27, 2000) Well Jess…. That was quite a day for me. I can safely say that I have not thought about much else today apart from you. I have some interesting and important realisations that I need to share with you. I am not sure exactly what is going on with me - in many respects I am still processing this so please forgive me if I do not speak with total clarity, but what the hell? Between us, there is no judgment. I think I am realising the significance of our relationship. What I am trying to say is that my head appears to have been carried away with the purity and the romance of our communications. I wonder sometimes whether there is meant to be anything more between you and I? Whether there ever will be? I wonder about YOU Jess. Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my life? Why you? I am very happy with our relationship - it is the source of so much content and spiritual strength. But, today I was rather needy after our conversation. I wanted to sit with you and have a cup of tea and look you in the eye, to share some peace and see that twinkle. That’s what you’ve got, Jess, a twinkle. I know your spirit...we are so compatible. I hope I haven’t said anything that offends you Jess, I feel a little nervous sending you this. Please share your thoughts with me because I would like to be there for you. I AM THERE FOR YOU. I care a great deal about you and I will (if they haven’t done your head in) send you some more of my thoughts. These are only preliminary tinkerings with the full depth and breadth of ground concerning this issue. I guess its not to be taken lightly, but then you’re probably way ahead of me anyway... (2000) Dorje-la Who are you to have entered my core? Every day I ask myself this...WHO ARE YOU? There are no limits - no walls - to contain us. The world is awaiting the manifestation of our visions, our dreams. ******************************************* Kathmandu, June 30th, 2000

52 | Inspired Bali 2014

He had spent the last month in a monastery, studying shifts in the monastic community of the Gurung ethnic group. She wondered what he would be wearing, picturing the same clothing he wore in the hotel lobby. Now, sitting here at the temple, she closed her eyes momentarily to calm her nerves. And when they opened, there he stood before her, smiling awkwardly with four years of history and intimacy rushing between them. His head was badly shaven (from his time in the monastery) and he was in rough shape - emerging from a few bouts of dysentery and riddled in bed bug bites. His worn shirt hung off his thin frame as he slung a clunky bag over his shoulder. He stood there, shifting his weight awkwardly, and then looked straight at her. They hugged, as she began speaking a mile a minute to fill the space. He had kept every one of her letters, she learned, envisioning an overflowing shoe box of all of her secrets tucked underneath his dormitory bed. She did not let him know that she had done the same and, more recently, often pulled them out to read when she could not sleep. It was a balmy summer night and their paced slowed, comforted by the smell of jasmine blossoms and the sounds of the prayer wheels turning. Moving off into the cobblestone streets, listening to him talk of his travels, she momentarily lost his words,and found herself simply sinking into their sound. There she was again - in another time and space - sitting in that same hotel lobby, listening like they had never been apart. In 24 hours, they had fallen in love. Final note: In August 2013, Jess and Dorje celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary. Their daughter was born April 20th, 8 years to the day after that first chance meeting, and was given the name Maya, which means â&#x20AC;&#x153;loveâ&#x20AC;? in Nepali. Their son, was born three years later. ,

Inspired Bali 2014 |

Bali Love Stories MARRIAGE IS challenging. Cross-cultural marriages, doubly so. From the obvious differences that are apparent to the outside world, such as skin colour, to the endless subtle nuances that unfold over time and illuminate differences, couples uniting two cultures require an abundance of compassion, patience and understanding. All cross-cultural marriages share challenges around citizenship, identity, customs, extended family, raising children, finances and more. Here in Bali, cross-cultural marriages have some unique challenges related to family compound living, gender division in Balinese ceremonies, religion, emotional expression and arguing, the concept of vacations, commitments to community, and learning Balinese language. These four couples are finding their way through.

Photo by Bruna Rotuna

Hillary Kane, USA I Made Janur Yasa, Bali Both Hillary and Janur were living in Taos, New Mexico, a town named by a Native American tribe as “place of red willows”, however, their paths never crossed there. Their initial encounter with each other happened only years later through mutual friends in Ubud, Bali. Their love was initially fuelled by their shared interest in travelling and the hobbies they enjoyed in Taos, especially the outdoors and trekking. On their first date, they climbed Mt. Agung, and have since tackled the Himalayas and beyond. These world travelers have lived in Africa, Asia and North America. “I think our similar ability to live in and appreciate other cultures on a worldwide level certainly contributes to our strength as a couple from different worlds,” says Hillary. In addition to their shared love of trekking, biking, swimming, and simply being in nature, these two also love cooking (together, or for one another) and more recently, creating a home together with their twins. “Our differences abound, too—sometimes along

54 | Inspired Bali 2014

cultural lines, sometimes just as two different people-but in most cases one balances the other in a sort of yin-yang symbiosis.” “Our strength [as a couple] comes from our ability to allow one another’s differences,” says Hillary. “Our love springs from the potential to help one another become more fully, wholly, and beautifully ourselves as individuals.”

Fredrik Gadd, Germany Ni Putu Yanti Purnamasari, Bali

Photo by Ola Lantz

Ni Putu Yanti Purnamasari met Fredrik Gadd through a mutual friend on a beach in Bali. Putu hails from Warnasari, Jembrana, Bali and Fredrik from Ängelholm, Sweden. They were together for a year before marrying in January 2008. They are raising their two sons close to extended family in Negara, West Bali. “People in Bali have a much stronger social network of family, relatives, neighbors, village, banjar, and friends,” says Fredrik. “Our neighbors and family bring us food all the time. The Balinese are very generous and helpful, more relaxed, less stressed.”

ing kids. It’s too stressful because the kids and parents are home together much more, so the kids often get what they want.” While parents in Sweden are more strict, in Bali they’re more flexible, says Putu, “The best is maybe somewhere in between.” “We respond differently when we have a fight,” offers Putu. “Fredrik wants to talk, and I want to go away and be alone.”

“Balinese prioritize life differently, spending time with people and having time for reflection. Maybe the biggest difference is that Balinese generally do not show anger. They swallow almost every injustice with a smile... up to a certain point.” “We take care of our kids differently,” says Putu. “For example, at bedtime, most Balinese children often go to sleep whenever they want but Swedish kids often at a certain time every day. Maybe it’s best to get the kids in bed so they are not too tired in school but also let there be exceptions so that they can enjoy evenings with guests and family sometimes. Another example is with sweets and teeth. Most Balinese kids get sweets whenever they want and rarely brush their teeth. Swedish kids often have sweets one or two times per week and have to brush their teeth every morning and evening. The Balinese way is not good for the teeth of the children, but the Swedish way can lead to many conflicts. In Bali, the kids are treated as kings, but in Sweden the parents always decide. The Balinese do not want to be around whining and cry-

“Relationships between locals and western people are different,” says Putu. “Fredrik and I appreciate each other more. We talk about everything and have more physical contact. If we have problems, we always try to solve it. If Balinese couples fight, they often just walk away without solving it.” Inspired Bali 2014 |

Paul Davidson, Australia Putu Eka Budayani, Bali Paul Davidson came from the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Australia, to Bali a few times a year to go surfing, and stayed at the same hotel each time in Legian. Putu Eka Budayani from Singaraja, Bali, worked around the corner and would sit outside reading the morning paper. “We began to casually say, ‘Hi’,” recalls Paul. “After a year and a few trips, I invited her for coffee. After 3 months, she said yes. During 2 more trips to Bali, we became close friends. She would meet me at the airport and on her days off we would travel around the island together.” “Fortunately, one time my plane was cancelled for 5 days due to volcanic ash from Java. It was Galungan [a Balinese festival celebrated every 210 days], so Putu had some free time, too. We spent that week travelling around together and also visited her family. Back home in Australia, my phone bill began to cost more than a trip to Bali. It was time to follow my heart. I booked a one way ticket to Bali 4 years ago, and the rest, as they say, is history.” Putu and Paul have been together for 4 years now and have welcomed their daughter Ni Luh Jessica Jay Davidson into the world. “It still amazes us how much alike we are,” says Paul. “We share the same sense of humour, honesty and loyalty, as well as our

56 | Inspired Bali 2014

appetite for nasi (rice). We both enjoy a simple life of family and friends and just hanging out together. We also love to travel and both have large, very close, loving families both here and in Australia.” “The biggest difference [between the two of us] would be Putu’s patience, resilience and understanding. Balinese people are masters in this area. Sing ken ken (no problem), as she says, and nothing ever is.” “I have learned to understand more about people from different cultural backgrounds, an understanding that we are all sama sama tapi berbeda (all the same but different),” says Putu. “Early on, I also thought it would be hard sometimes for my husband to understand Balinese culture, but I think he must have been Balinese in a past life. All my family thinks so too. He took to my culture like a duck to water, even becoming Hindu.” For Paul, becoming Hindu was necessary to legally marry in Indonesia, as both parties have to be of the same religion. “My wife offered to change her religion to mine, a non-practicing Christian, however, I felt her religion was more spiritual, gentle and sincere and that for Balinese people being Hindu is not just something you choose, but it is a part of you since birth.” The family of three offers traditional Hindu blessings for their home, family, car, bike, food, and each other every new moon and full moon at home. They also participate in all special Balinese ceremonies throughout the year in Putu’s family village.

“I just really like the simplicity of ceremony and giving thanks,” says Paul. “My wife even does ceremonies for my guitars and surfboard. It’s amazing to watch our daughter at 15 months hold her hands clasped together to drink holy water during a ceremony. It truly is genetic for Balinese people and, as a family, keeps tranquility and harmony in our lives.”

“I’ve learned to be more patient (sabar, sabar) and to accept things the way they are,” says Paul. “I’ve also learned what a committed loving partner I have to share my life with.”

Meghan Pappenheim, USA I Made Gunarta, Bali

is that I could shift my reality regularly while Dek could stay in the same pattern for years. Past life experience dictates our current comfort levels.”

One day in Ubud, I Made Gunarta (Dekgun) walked into the classroom of New Yorker Meghan Pappenheim (Meg), who was working to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in art history, anthropology and Asian studies. He walked out a changed man. “He gave a lecture to my class about how we students should not be ‘schtupping’ the locals,” recalls Meg. It seems she chose not to follow his advice, and they have been together since October 1992. They have lived together Bali, Alaska and New York, have had two children and created a variety of successful businesses together, including The BaliSpirit Festival.

Over two decades in relationship together, Meg says, she has learned, “Patience. Compassion. We each are individuals and need to have our individual lives within the larger umbrella of the family unit.” Meg offers a warning to lovers who consider accepting Balinese traditions to live here with their beloved. Balinese families traditionally co-sleep, meaning that the family can curl up together like a pile of puppies in a shared bed. “Don’t sleep with the kids if you want to get some nookie!” she says. ,

Meg and “Dek” share a commitment to the prosperity of their community while respecting local culture, fair trade and the environment. “In New York City, we have space and anonymity even on a crowded subway,” says Meg. “Living in Bali, there is absolutely no space nor privacy in the confines of our Balinese compound.” “We are both artistic and entrepreneurial. We are both dreamers and manifesters,” says Meg. “One big difference

Inspired Bali 2014 |

1 school within a network of 488 schools in 30 countries with 320 000 students A gateway to college studies in France and worldwide

20 extra-curriculum activities opened to students from any school in Bali

Applications and intakes accepted any time throughout school year

All nationalities Welcome

BaccalaurĂŠat + TOEFL = IB

A network of 480 schools around the world 100% reat alau c Ba c ces rate c su

Above, Oana Deac by Heather Bonker. Below, Eiji Han Shumizu by Suki ZoĂŤ

ON MARRIAGE Kahlil Gibran

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.

Photo by Lokah Photo

Inspired Bali 2014 |

A Day In Bali By Norma Jean Belenky

A FRIEND of mine once told me that everyone falls in love in Bali - be it with a significant other, the divine or simply themselves. The most rewarding relationship one can have is with oneself, and this is partially maintained through the art of self-nurturing. With the understanding that the only person who can truly make you happy, is you, it’s best to foster that relationship wherever possible. Lavish yourself with the rigorous love and attention similar to that shown to the rice paddies of Bali’s exquisite landscape. As a singleton in my twenties, I know how inherently selfish this may seem. But, life is a bit like flying in an airplane. In order to be capable of strapping the oxygen mask onto the person next to you, you’ve got to secure your own air first. In other words, you have to take care of yourself in order to best help those around you. Bali, and Ubud specifically, are synonymous with selfcare and healing. Here are some ideas for a day in Bali, jam-packed with the best ways to treat yourself right. Start the day with a Balinese breakfast. Available

62 | Inspired Bali 2014

almost everywhere, bubur injin is a sweet, black rice porridge that will ensure you’ve woken up on the right side of the bed. Best enjoyed with Bali coffee for that java jolt most of us need in the morning (pagi in Bahasa Indonesian), Atman Kafe (Jl. Hanoman, 38) in Ubud, has one of the best versions of this dish, served with warm and delicious coconut cream. Their lattes are also legendary. After breakfast, it’s time to burn off a bit of the bubur and stretch those legs. Go ahead, get out of the grind and have a traipse through the rice paddies and lush greenery. A great walk is in Sayan, off the main road and down to the Ayung River. Starting on Jl. Raya Sayan you can pretty much find an access point every few hundred meters - towards the river. There are quite a few stairs down the steep hillside, so be prepared to sweat. Challenges aside, the view is absolutely worth it. This is where many of the 5-star luxury hotels are perched, and yes, it’s the same epic view of cascading rice paddies and a dramatic winding river below. And, if you happen to take the right set of stairs back up, you just might be lucky enough to end up at Gaya Fusion Gallery (also on Jl Raya Sayan), a fantastic art gallery that also boasts Bali’s best gelato! Have a well-earned scoop and check out the current

exhibition. The passionfruit icecream trumps all. Post-hiking, you’re going to want to relax and recharge. A good massage is an excellent way to hit the “reset button” and release the toxic stuff that we hold in our bodies like tension, blocked emotions and stress. Some of my favorite spots in Ubud are Iman Intuitive Bodywork (Sri Widari, 63x) and Bodyworks (Jalan Hanoman, 25). For beauty treatments, the local faves are Skin Spa (Jl. Gootama), Milano Spa (right next to the soccer field) and Sedona Spa (up from Bintang Supermarket). Sedona’s “Bali Fruity” treatment is perfectly indulgent, with the therapist covering your body in yogurt and then papaya. Be sure to make time for a nap after this. Hopefully, it’s a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday when you wake up. In fact, let’s say the whole day has been a Friday. It is a great time to move your body at Nia

Dance - an aerobic bliss-fest and dynamic combination of rhythmic jumping, dance steps and free expression. The talented Sapphire at Desa Seni Village Resort, in Canggu (just north of Seminyak), teaches Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm. Life is all about balance, so you may want to indulge with a cocktail (or two). Mingle (Jalan Dewi Sita, Ubud) and their 2-for-1 vodka cocktails is a great place in Ubud, or perhaps head down south and spend the evening at Deus ex Machina (Jalan Batu Mejan 8), in Canggu. They have EPIC food, drinks, art, surf boards and apparel, at this infamous hub for hipsters. No matter what you end up doing, remember to relax, enjoy and fall in love - with yourself, others and the divine - here on the island of the gods. ,

Norma Jean originally came to Ubud to record her album now available on iTunes - The Devilicious Sessions. Since then, she’s been singing, ecstatic dancing, eating, writing, reading and loving her way through Bali.

Glowing

from the inside out By Elaina Love

If you’ve ever been in love, you know what it is to glow from the inside out. It appears like a constant smile, laughter at the simplest things and an endless energy and optimism which comes from somewhere deep inside. You don’t need to fall head over heels for anyone else to experience this “love glow”; you can just further cultivate a love of self. It is easy if you just make a commitment to adopt some healthy habits and drop some that are no longer serving you. You can choose to feel this great sense of renewal, where everything seems more fresh and alive. One great way to find your inner glow is to cleanse your body. After eating heavier and processed foods such as grains, sugar, meat and dairy for a long period of time, a cleanse can help to remove old mucoid plaque from the body. You will become more alkaline, giving you more energy, mental clarity, improved complexion, softer skin and hair, a boosted immune system and that beautiful, natural radiance that already exists within you. There are wonderful, bustling morning markets which offer a variety of freshly picked local produce and plenty of health food stores for specialty items such as Bali Buddha and Alchemy. You can also find organic farmers locally: Har’s Organic Garden, Ariesta and Sari Organik all deliver and their prices are very reasonable. With all of this at your fingertips, what’s stopping you? There are a number of ways to cleanse… 1. The Detox Diet: Choose only cleansing fruits such as papaya, pineapple, noni fruit, and the inner flesh of aloe vera. Eat vegetables and salads for one to four weeks while drinking a lot of water. Eliminate all caffeine, dairy, meat, butter, chocolate, beans, eggs,

64 | Inspired Bali 2014

corn, soy, salt, sugar, grains, nuts and oils. Once you get the hang of it, it’s really quite easy. Whole fats are fats which have not been removed from their fiber i.e. oils. You can eat whole fats such as sprouted sunflower and pumpkin seeds or avocados blended with vegetables and spices and/or seaweed to make salt free dressings. Eat lots of green sprouts like pea shoots, sunflower greens, buckwheat greens, alfalfa sprouts and clover sprouts which are amazingly high in protein, vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Drink plenty of water, too. Another fantastic product to add into your cleanse is a protolitic probiotic (PP). PPs help create friendly flora in the bowels which makes for better digestion, convert proteins into amino acids, clean and strengthen the colon, reduce food and sugar cravings, moisturize the skin, and help our bodies to reverse the aging process by breaking down undigested proteins. An excellent way to eat probiotics is by making kefir and enjoying it in your salads or over fruit. 2. An Intestinal Cleanse: This is a deeper cleanse and can last up to 4 weeks. It involves taking herbs and cleansing shakes, and eliminating meals. This removes mucoid plaque which blocks absorption of nutrients, removes toxins which are stored in the tissues and fat cells, and reduces stress on the organs which help to clean the toxins from the blood. Colonics are a great addition to this process as well. 3. A Fast: You can fast on juices or on water. Fasting on water one day a week is an excellent way to give your digestive system a break and help your body to detoxify. 4. Skin Brushing: Since the skin is the largest of all the eliminative organs, dry skin brushing is a sure way to get rid of toxins and debris within the body. We often overlook the skin, but telltale signs that your body is crying for help are things like dry, blotchy skin, skin rashes, eczema, rosacea, and dermatitis. You will need one brush for your face and one for your body.

For your face, use a small, soft brush and work your way from the forehead down, making circular motions. Continue brush the rest of your body with a slightly firmer brush. Just 10 minutes every morning will tone your skin, improve your complexion, stimulate your immune system and your acupressure points, and regulate hormones along with a long list of other benefits. 5. Oil Pulling: Oil Pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic remedy to draw out toxins from the body. It is an effective and inexpensive technique for restoring and maintaining overall health. Essentially, it is the process of swishing oil (unprocessed sesame or coconut oil) around in the mouth, which pulls toxins and impurities out of your body as a natural way of detoxifying. Before brushing your teeth in the morning (on an

empty stomach), put one tablespoon full of sesame oil (for Vata or Kapha Ayurvedic types) or coconut oil (for Pitta or Kapha Ayurvedic types) into your mouth and swish around for 20 minutes. Move oil slowly in the mouth, sucking and pulling through the teeth. This process makes oil mix thoroughly with the saliva which activates the enzymes, drawing toxins out of the blood. The oil should NOT be swallowed, as it has become toxic. As the process continues, the oil gets thinner and white. If the oil is still yellow, it has not been pulled long enough. Keep on pulling until it is white, thin and frothy. Spit it out and wash your mouth thoroughly. Consume at least one glass of water afterwards. You can perform this detox 2-3 times per day, and can try walnut, sunflower, avocado or olive oil. You can also add a drop of clove oil or Thieves oil for even more healing benefits.

Recipes This cleansing beverage works wonders—it’s not very difficult for most people to consume and it’s also easy to digest. This formula is a lower-glycemic version adapted from the original: The Master Cleanser Formula • 2 Tbs (30 ml) fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice • 1-2 Tbs (15-30 ml) pure 100% maple syrup, honey or stevia to taste • 1/8 tsp (.6 ml) cayenne pepper • 1 cup (240 ml) pure water Make a concentrate of the juice, and add water when you’re ready to drink. Use the sweetener to taste. Store the mixture in glass, not plastic.

Drink this cleansing beverage liberally (8 to 12 glasses) throughout the day. Also rinse your mouth and teeth with water after drinking to lessen the risk of lemon pulling calcium from your tooth enamel. The perfect liver food, lemon is a great body cleanser, containing vitamin C, potassium, and other minerals. Its astringent nature helps to tighten up tissues, loosening and clearing out toxins. Syrup or honey adds wonderful energy and nutrients. Cayenne pepper helps clear the blood, eliminating mucus and toxins. Enjoy this tasty, spicy lemonade for 1-3 days with no other food to feel a glowing sense of renewal.

Inspired Bali 2014 |

Green Magic Smoothies Makes 2 servings 2 cups (480 ml) greens (such as spinach, sunflower sprouts, Romaine lettuce, etc.) 2 cups (480 ml) chopped mangoes or your favourite fruit Water or almond milk to blend (about 1 cup or 240 ml) Blend until smooth and drink. Drink within 24 hours of making. Fun additions: 1 Tbs (15 ml) goji berries, 1 Tbs (15 ml) protein powder, 1 tsp (5 ml) bee pollen, 1 tsp (5 ml) green powder (Wheatgrass, Barley Grass, Oat Grass, Moringa) Green powders give you that spark of energy that occurs when your body is alkalized by greens. Gorgeous Alkalizing Green Juice Makes 6 cups or 1 full-dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supply on a fast 2 cucumbers, cut in quarters 2 bunches of celery (about 20 stalks) 5 leaves kale 1/4 bunch cilantro or parsley 1 lemon, juiced 1 green apple (optional for sweetness) Juice all ingredients. Store in sealed glass jars, filled all the way. Alkalizing Green Juice will keep for two days if made in a slow-speed masticating juicer (Green Life, Omega 8002, or Samson) or 1 day if made in a blender or other juicer.

Natural skin treatments: Moisturizing Avocado Face and Body Mask (enough for 8 masks) 1 avocado 1 Tbs (15 ml) coconut oil

66 | Inspired Bali 2014

1 Tbs (15 ml) lemon juice 1 Tbs (15 ml) honey Blend all ingredients until fluffy. Apply on the face and body and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water. This luxurious mask will make your skin feel soft and smooth. The honey and lemon strips away old dead skin and pore clogging elements. The avocado and coconut oil help soothe and soften. Face Mask with Toning Cucumbers 2 tsp (10 ml) honey Lemon juice (just enough to mix) Thinly sliced cucumber, 1 mm slices Mix honey and lemon juice and apply mask to your face. It will help to dissolve old dirt and lighten freckles. Lie down and place cucumbers over your face for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Honey and lemon are excellent for cleaning pores and removing debris on your skin.

Exfoliating Peppermint Face and Foot Scrub (enough for 10 uses) 1 cup (240 ml) sea salt or fine beach sand Olive oil (enough to saturate the salt or sand) 10 drops of peppermint oil Mix well and massage/scrub into your feet for 10 minutes. Rinse in warm water. This refreshing scrub leaves you feeling smooth and invigorated.

Nourishing, Anti-Aging Seaweed Face and Hand Mask 1/4 cup (60 ml) soaked Irish Moss (soak 3 hours in water then rinse well) 1 cup (240 ml) hot green tea Blend the Irish Moss with the hot green tea until the texture is smooth. Apply to your face and hands and lie down while it dries. Rinse off with a warm wash cloth. Seaweed has long been touted as a skin detoxifier. It has amino acids, is rich in vitamins and minerals and is gentle. It’s all natural and antibacterial, which will remove makeup and sweat, prevent acne, and re-mineralize and soften your skin.

Apple Cider Vinegar Toner 1 Tbs (15 ml) apple cider vinegar (strained) 4 Tbs (60 ml) alkaline or distilled water Rub, spray or pat with cotton onto your face to clean and tighten pores. When you spend time loving your body, it will thank you by showing up more energized, beautiful and radiant. Our inner glow reflects everything we put into our bodies. A “high raw”, high plant-based diet with alkalizing, enzymatic ingredients including plenty of superfoods is a great way to nourish and love your body and soul. ,

Elaina Love is a professional Raw and Vegan Food Chef, Instructor and Lifestyle Counselor. She is the owner and director of Pure Joy Culinary Academy which focuses on a low glycemic, high raw and plant based food lifestyle program.

Juice photos for Alchemy Bali, by Suki Zoë

Inspired Bali 2014 |

coffee lover By Janet Nicol

MY MARRIAGE is almost perfect. I must accept the reality, however, that one key ingredient is missing. It’s something I must face each morning of each day, week after week, year in and year out. While I envy the millions of other couples around our globe doing it, making it, trying it, sharing it, I try to stay positive, see the bright side, not compare, and to let it go. I married a non-coffee drinker. Despite multiple offerings over the years of mind-blowing roasts, innovating brewing techniques, elaborate presentations and a variety of sweeteners and toppers, the response from my significant other has always been, “No, thanks”. He will never be converted. He just doesn’t have the palette, the constitution or the makings of a coffee drinker. This has left me barefoot and stranded most mornings, frothing milk, grinding beans, hovering over the the stove, making my brew, doing my thing - alone. He has diligently learned the basics of how to make a decent espresso and has even surprised me with coffee in bed a few delightful mornings a year. But it just isn’t enough. Being a coffee drinker hasn’t always been a smooth and easy ride. Since the Sufi’s began brewing things up in monasteries in Yemen in the 15th century, the pros and cons of the controversial beverage have been hotly disputed. From health reports to media frenzies, coffee has had to deflect some very strong forces. There is no doubt that coffee is not for everybody. One needs only to feel one’s body before,

68 | Inspired Bali 2014

during and after caffeine consumption to make ones own decision. If the internal green light flashes, then move forward with moderate consumption. If the stomach doesn’t feel right, the nerves are irritated or you dislike the taste, then please take a pass. Talk to my husband about it. He says coffee just doesn’t settle well in his body. No need to scold or judge others for drinking coffee because it ‘compromises their health’. Surely you have other things to bother with. After moving to Bali in 2010 with my non-drinking coffee family of five, I was a little concerned about the lack of independent cafes here. I knew Indonesia was the world’s third producer of coffee but upon arrival my heart sank at the lack of options. Where were the community coffee houses with harvest tables and people chatting? Where was I to buy coffee roasted within the last three days? What about accessing organic or fairtrade beans? Where was I to converse with the zany baristas I had grown accustom to chatting with back in Toronto? Where were my people? I am happy to report that in the last three years Bali has experienced a surge of cafés that have sprung up all over the island. My people have surfaced. We now have independent roasters, specially trained baristas, fair trade, almost raw, and even coffee tasting competitions. My people are pleased. I’m not here to tell you where to go for coffee in Bali. I’m here to give you tips for refining your coffee drinking skills so that you can choose the best places to fill your own cup.

Self-portrait by Suki Zoë

Tips for scouting: 1. If the person in the café or restaurant is doing anything other than just making your coffee, you can be pretty sure they are not a trained coffee barista. Stick to the food here, and go elsewhere for you cup of java. 2. Ideally, your coffee shop can offer information on the roasting date. It is recommended to use the beans roasted within one month of the roasting date. 3. Order up at the coffee bar if you can. The best coffee is the one you drink as you watch your barista make for you. Learn from our Italian brothers and sisters where you order your cup from a counter and take it back to your seat. This way you can connect with the creator and refine your order while simultaneously building a friendship.

4. If your cappuccino or latte spills on the walk back to your table its too watery. It should be thick and full bodied and the milk (or soy) should hold things firmly in place. 5. If you need to add sugar, it’s generally because the beans are stale. Fresh coffee is the perfect balance of bitter-sweet. 6. One sign of a sophisticated coffee shop is that it serves water with their coffee. It’s the sign of detail, refinement, care, simplicity, and understanding as coffee should always be followed by some fresh water at room temperature. 7. Unless your barista has extra sensitive hands, a thermometer in the milk while frothing must be used to avoid burning. ,

Janet Nicol is a self-certified coffee snob. She dreams of opening up a wifi-free cafe one day where people talk to each other about coffee, life and love.

Inspired Bali 2014 |

KNOWMADS

By Renee Martyna

YOU WOULD be forgiven for doubting that Agustinus Wibowo could have survived several months traveling alone in Afghanistan. Mild in manner, and almost deferential, he admits that his parents considered him a recluse as a child. “I was a bookworm,and they thought I might never leave my room. So in the beginning, they were quite happy when I wanted to study abroad. They thought I was brave for pushing my comfort zone”. Their elation turned to terror when, after several years of study in China, Wibowo plotted a trek overland from Beijing to South Africa. Their fear was not without reason; his early days were rough. His friends tell him he must have had “Rob Me; Rape Me; Rescue Me” on his forehead. Of course, adventures of that nature go well beyond anyone’s ‘comfort zone’. Clearly Wibowo is tougher than he looks. But that doesn’t answer the question: why did he do it? Augustinus Wibowo is a Knowmad. That is, not just a traveler, but a creative who has transcended the expectations his culture of origin set for him, someone who longs for a wider canvas on which to paint his identity and his craft, whose very sense of self is informed by his interactions with the ‘other’. ‘Otherness’—be it

70 | Inspired Bali 2014

the high-tech world of Beijing or the warring world of Afghanistan—taught him a lot about his own values. He wasn’t long on the road before he swapped his computer job for the life of a photojournalist. “Most Indonesians travel for fun, for vacation, or to relax, but that is never what motivated me. I wanted to see the outside world, and make my living doing it.” It is not just where he travels, but how he travels and what he writes about that makes Wibowo an iconoclast in Indonesian society—where an increasingly affluent and mobile population is wont to see travel as a mark of luxury rather than life-altering experience. Hailing from Lumajang in East Java, Wibowo was not raised with wealth, and has had to struggle for every rupiah that finances his adventures. He has had to overcome bureaucracy, corruption and decidely unfavourable immigration policies to pursue his dreams, not to mention the disdain of those who ‘just don’t understand’. Many Indonesians view his choice of travel as a trade off against the security of their finan-

cial future. “When you are young, the feeling is that you should be working and saving, not traveling.” He budgeted only $2,000 USD for that first marathon trip through Asia in 2005. He has never stayed at a five star resort or flown first class, nor does he aspire to. He would rather meet locals on the road—and he rightly points out that you don’t meet many of those in fancy hotels. Wibowo’s signature is his exploration of the psychosocial aspects of travel. In Selimut Debu (A Blanket of Dust) he chronicles his journey in Afghanistan. In Garis Batas (Borderlines: A Journey Through Central Asia), he explores borders and the search for national identity. In Titik Nol (Point Zero), which will be translated into English next year, Wibowo debuts the ‘knowmadic’ genre in Indonesian travel writing by allowing readers to experience the writer’s physical, spiritual and emotional journey along the way. It is more than travel; it is transformation—because a Knowmad longs to change the world, but is equally changed by it. With every experience—even the “rough” ones—he gains much wider and deeper perspective on the world, and his place in it. Wibowo no longer considers East Java his home; he feels a stranger there. “Home is not a place, it is a feeling, the situation of your heart.” This dislocation is not uncommon for Knowmads. Having seen the outside world, he finds himself more critical of the traffic jams in Jakarta and the expense of a bureaucracy laden with corruption and nepotism. Yet like many knowmads he remedies this with his connection to that which defies borders; nature, and the deeper parts of himself. “Many people complain about the corruption in Indonesia... but I come back and see the beautiful things too… the lush green land-

scape, the economic growth, the clear blue sky, and the people. When we look outside, we cannot forget to look inside, too”. He advises us that there is no need to go far afield to discover this. “It’s not about going far. It’s about getting a new perspective”. He hopes that his Indonesian readers can have the same experience “in their own house, or with their neighbors“. Perhaps that is why his next adventure is slated to be in the hinterlands of the archipelago. In a country as diverse as Indonesia— with borders artificially erected by colonial edict, comprising over 300 unique ethnic groups, his call seems especially poignant. Wibowo is a Chinese-Indonesian who has faced discrimination himself, so he feels the urgency of cross-cultural understanding quite personally.

Wibowo also reminds us that in this digital, hyper-mobile age, the very nature of travel is changing. “We cannot all be Marco Polo. You will never be the first to discover anything. Even the Moon has been explored. Travel is about the inward journey as much as it is about Inspired Bali 2014 |

KNOWMADS

going outside your country. Travel writing is not about the story, but how the story is told, and who is telling it. “ When asked about how he had been changed by his travels, Wibowo is lyrical: “The first thing I learned was how to lose myself. But in the end, it was how to see myself everywhere. The more you connect with people, the more you see your reflection. You see your fears, you see your anger, and you see your worries. It’s like your eyes cannot see your own face. Traveling has become my mirror.” This kind of humility is probably what kept him sane through the lonelier, more dangerous moments of his explorations. “I realized I needed to clean up my identity a bit. I am not there to teach my hosts anything, but to learn from them. You become like the empty glass that can absorb everything.” The greatest misconception about being a Knowmad, he believes, is that it is about escaping. “Anyone who has tried it knows there is no escape. Your life is always there, with the same struggles for money and mobility, and you need to work hard, and sometimes struggle, to stay afloat. It’s true that I didn’t like the life I was he was leading as a computer programmer before I left, but my life followed me wherever I went”. Just like any Knowmad, it is Wibowo’s ability to lean back to see through the wider frames of life-- beyond nationality, creed or culture-- and his love of adventure, good or bad, that helps him persevere. Most people would have given up after having been repeatedly robbed, for example, but Wibowo’s optimism and determination saved him: “I figured: well, this must be the worst that can happen, so I should be ok from now on”.

Renee Martyna is a perpetual Knowmad, a wife to a serial social entrepreneur and a mother to two third culture kids. Meet more people who live, work and learn between worlds at www.knowmadsland.com. Augustinus Wibowo’s website is http://agustinuswibowo.com

72 | Inspired Bali 2014

Photo by Lokah Photo

Seems like a better set of labels for his forehead might be ‘Been There, Done That, What’s Next?’ ,

I Kissed You Beneath the Orange Sky By Novie Tourisia

I knew from the first glance we had, that I would never own you, as in the fact that I’m not willing to be owned by anyone, anything, except the universe. The dust—the remaining of the dry season, along the trail in the forest, in a smooth transfer, gifted us something called romantic agony. “Love is fun”, so you said, and yet I disagreed, for love too can be the root of loneliness, absurdity, and again — agony; it is fun when it is fun — time is the owner of love in most stories. Somewhere, in your eyes, I was dragged, swirled, tickled, cuddled, spoiled, embraced, loved, and eventually left behind. The anger, the love, the jealousy, the sadness, the unspoken truths we showed only through silence and motion. That day, the day where you’re about to leave, the sky was too beautiful to be passed by, and there we shared more than we had ever shared before, loved deeper than the depth we had ever reached. And I knew that even though we’d be away, that nothing would separate us in spirit, not the map, not even the ticking clock. The day I kissed you beneath the orange sky, I knew that I love you for love, for the root of everything.

Novieta Tourisia is an Indonesian writer who has been living in Bali for 3 nonconsecutive years. www.literatourisia.wordpress.com

Inspired Bali 2014 |

Amour: An Existential Drama By Uma Anyar

“Amour” challenges us to consider the toughest decision two lifelong partners would ever have to make. For example, if a loved one asked us, would we be capable of merciful euthanasia? And, that question leads to others. What is more important - our personal needs or the needs of our mate? This emotionally challenging film is about real love, not romance. Anyone who has been blessed with a long and happy marriage dreads the loss of their life partner more than they fear dying themselves. Director, Michael Haneke, decided to make “Amour” after his ninety-two year old aunt asked for an assisted death to end her suffering. He is a courageous filmmaker because he has dared to look at a loving and long lasting marriage and present the ultimate challenge of enduring love. We have all seen so many cinematic love stories and contrived sex scenes that we don’t quite know how to

process a film like “Amour”, which explores the dreadful cost required of those who have loved one person deeply for a lifetime. If the price of a great love is its unbearable loss, then death is the only cure, and perhaps, we should be grateful for that. Haneke’s “Amour” gives us an undaunted portrayal of the terrible process of dying by concentrating on the final weeks of a cultured octogenarian French couple as they come to terms with the end. And, in case you forgot, “There is no such thing Haneke will remind you that “there’s no such as a happy ending.” thing as a happy endDorothy Parker ing”. There are far more dramatic love stories than this one but there is no film that has done such an excellent job of portraying this painful experience in such an authentic way. The film opens with French police breaking down an apartment door and entering a bedroom where we see the dignified corpse of an old woman in a simple black dress surrounded by wilted flowers. Ostensibly, the body has started to decompose and one of the dark-suited officials covers his nose and mouth as he makes his way through this domestic death scene, opening one window after another. I, too, held my breath - in anticipation of the story that led to this outcome. Haneke is a philosopher artist. He wants to remind us that all of our stories end in death. And, it is the story that matters. It is in a filled concert hall that we enter the world of Anne and Georges, an aged but capable and cul-

74 | Inspired Bali 2014

tured couple who have spent their lives together as music teachers. The camera, which feels like it is set center stage, shows us an audience waiting for a performance to begin. It scans the audience and discov-

ers Anne and Georges amidst all those strangers. It is a brilliant strategy that sets us up perfectly for their story. The camera never cuts to the pianist, as one would expect it to do but remains steadily on the audience. It is a subtle perturbation to our expectations. For a brief moment it feels as if one audience is watching another. Is Haneke implying something about the nature of audiences? Something about how we are both observers and participants? Isn’t this what we do in real life? Do we not watch and tell stories about ourselves to ourselves and to others? Aren’t we all spinning reality into existence in an unaware sort of way everyday of our lives? An audience is a collection of individuals gathered for a performance. But this unassuming scene is

also a postmodern deconstruction of the illusion of film and its ability to reproduce reality. “Amour”’s strength is that it is about old age told from the point of view of old people. Anne and Georges are not cute or charming or cranky oldsters who still have something heart warming to learn about themselves or life or others. No Hollywood sentimentality enters their Parisian apartment. Instead, we watch two of the most impressive and brave actors of our time performing a script that is undoubtedly close to home, as both actors are in their mid-eighties. Anne is played by Emmanuelle Riva (“Hiroshima Mon Amour”, 1959) and Georges by Jean-Louis Trintignant (“A Man and a Woman”, 1966). At age 85, Riva was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress, and won that title at the 2013 Bafta Awards. “Amour” is about a marriage that is tested when Anne suddenly has a small, silent stroke at the breakfast table while her husband, not noticing, putters about with the saltshaker. Dread hits as you watch Anne stare into thin air as Georges waves his hand in front of her blank eyes. We recall that the night the couple returned from the piano recital to discover their door lock tampered with, implying that intruders might have entered their private sanctuary. Now, the intruder is not someone from the outside but something from the inside. Anne’s stroke has ushered in another terror that many of us may have to face - serious illness, disability or other health issues that may burden our families. The process of aging distances parents from their grown children. Georges’ daughter, Eve (Isabelle Huppert), insists on offering silly and useless advice then returns to her world of consuming normality and protective busyness. It is clear that Georges finds his daughter more of a hindrance than a help. Dying is not a family matter even if family is involved. It is very personal. Love is not about how you feel about your partner but about what you do for your partner. Youth is about reaching into the future that is always ahead of you while old age is about maintaining what you have for as long as possible. I admire Haneke’s films because they feel like parables in which the daily life of ordinary people are meaningful and even mysterious. He is not a magical realist filmmaker but he does not eschew the fantastical from this movie. At one point, after Anne’s death, we watch her washing plates in the kitchen. When Georges enters the room, he does not ask her how is it possible that she is washing dishInspired Bali 2014 |

es if she is already dead. Everything is just the way it was before she had a stroke. “I’m almost ready,” she says and he puts on his shoes as they they are going out. Always a gentleman, Georges helps Anne on with her coat. It is the most matter-of-fact scenes and one of the most significant. Anne pauses at the door and gently reminds him to bring his coat. As they leave the apartment, we realize that Anne and George’s souls are leaving this world and, that they are leaving together. we do not know how Georges died but we know that Death did not part them. With tears running down my cheeks… I cheered them on. In recent years, the seventy-twoyear-old Austrian filmmaker (right) has been honored at the Cannes film festival with two Palm D’Or awards: one for “The White Ribbon” (2009) and one for “Amour” (2012). The latter received an Oscar for best foreign film in 2013, not bad for a Director who thinks it is an “artist’s duty to step on people’s toes.” Haneke does not think filmmaking is about entertainment and deplores the commodification of violence in mainstream movies.

But he resists the idea that he is making what some have called “message films”. Haneke decided to make “Amour” after his ninety-two year old aunt asked for an assisted death to end her suffering. He wanted to make a film about common middle class death in our modern era, a time when, for many people, mainstream religion offers only cold comfort while needlessly sanctifying suffering. Haneke wrote the script after Jean-Louis Trintignant agreed to star in it. “I wrote it with Trintignant in mind,” he said. Both Riva and Trintignant admire Haneke’s work and consider “Amour” their finest achievement as actors. Michael Haneke is a controversial director. Some actors and critics have placed Haneke in the pantheon of cinematic gods with Bergman and Fellini; other’s vilify him and abhor his work. Is that because he breaks societal taboos and refuses to conform to popular tastes? There was concern that a film which endorses euthanasia would be too controversial but Haneke did not back down. “My American distributor thought that the film might provoke hefty debate; but that’s exactly what films are supposed to do.” , Reprinted by permission from: www.umaanyarwriter.wordpress.com

76 | Inspired Bali 2014

BORN LOVE By Melinda Chickering

Jesus was born in a manger, we are told, welcomed into this human world surrounded by other mammals. Mary had followed a star that directed her to this humble place, where she felt safe and warm. There—unassisted, undisturbed and in surrender to her body—she gave birth to the son of God. The stories of the birth of Buddha and Aphrodite are also important parts of their legends. Buddha was born to his mother Maya in the Lumbini Garden among Ashoka blossoms, where she took rest from her travels. Aphrodite, goddess of love, was born in the sea, from the foam of the waves. Are the stories of their births important to these legendary persons who embody love? Yes, the details of their births are central to their characters as divine yet earthly emblems of love, argues obstetrician, researcher and writer, Michel Odent. Odent believes that the capacity to loåve throughout our lifetimes is affected profoundly by what he calls the “primal period”, which lasts from conception until the first birthday. Babies’ experiences of birth, and their introduction to the world outside the womb in the hours immediately after birth, affect their physiology and psycho-emotional responses for years to come. Odent refers to “the urgent need to develop respect for Mother Earth and other facets of the capacity to love. Humanity is at a turning point, when all our deep-rooted perinatal beliefs and rituals are losing their evolutionary advantages.”[i] What are our perinatal beliefs and rituals? Whether or not you want to call them rituals, modern practices around birth commonly include hospitalization, electronic monitoring of both mother and baby, drugs to

78 | Inspired Bali 2014

mitigate pain, synthetic chemicals to stimulate uterine contraction, episiotomy, Cesarean section, forceps, vacuums, cutting the umbilical cord immediately after birth, and separation of mother and newborn. What are some of the beliefs we might infer from these regular practices? Birth should be managed by doctors using technology, including drugs and machines. Sensation, including pain, plays no significant and constructive role in healthy, positive birthing outcomes. It is advisable to routinely manage birth with synthetic hormones, tools for pulling out the baby, and/ or surgery. The placenta “Civilization will start on and umbilical cord play the day when the no constructive role in a well-being of newborn baby’s health and wellbeing from the moment babies will prevail over the baby emerges from any other consideration.” the mother’s body. Birth is dangerous. Wilhelm Reich Chemistry and the Bonds of Love Scientific research over the past 20 years has given more attention to the chemistry of love and its role in the process of undisturbed birth, with increased understanding about hormones like oxytocin and endorphins. Oxytocin is often called the “love hormone”. It is secreted by the posterior pituitary gland and washes through us in experiences ranging from orgasm to breastfeeding. Oxytocin has a starring role in natural birth, as it signals the mother’s cervix to dilate and efface to allow for the birth of her baby. A feeling of being observed, monitored or coached usually inhibits

Photo by Lokah Photo

the flow of oxytocin (and can turn on the countervailing adrenaline) whether you are progressing toward orgasm or giving birth. The catch-all term “failure to progress” is the most commonly cited reason for unplanned Cesarean sections. Oxytocin also figures prominently in the bonding between mother and newborn baby. Some research suggests that oxytocin increases trust and inhibits fear.[ii] Endorphins are our bodies’ rewards system. Both mothers and babies are filled with endorphins immediately after a natural birth. In this first hour, mother’s and baby’s body chemistry are aligned to attach them, so they “fall in love” with each other. Disturbances that affect the body chemistry of mother or baby may inhibit this bonding. Cultural Practices Most cultures considered successful in the modern world have ritually disturbed the natural birth process. This seems an understatement given the many interventions that are typical in the western birthing model. For example, in the West the umbilical cord is clamped

and cut immediately after birth, without any medical necessity. This severs abruptly the most intimate initial bond a baby has to another person. One simple way to ease babies into our world more gently is to delay the cutting of the umbilical cord. Hours, minutes or even seconds can make a difference. Our birth practices, and the beliefs that underlie them, reflect our deep cultural values. It might benefit us all to reflect further on the most loving ways to welcome babies into our world and whether or not our current practices honour them. , [i] Michel Odent, “The Scientification of Love”, 1999, printed with revisions 2001, p. 27. [ii] Kosfeld M, Heinrichs M, Zak PJ, Fischbacher U, Fehr E (June 2005). “Oxytocin increases trust in humans”. Nature 435 (7042): 673–6. Kirsch P, Esslinger C, Chen Q, Mier D, Lis S, Siddhanti S, Gruppe H, Mattay VS, Gallhofer B, Meyer-Lindenberg A (December 2005). “Oxytocin modulates neural circuitry for social cognition and fear in humans”. J. Neurosci. 25 (49): 11489–93. [iii] Michel Odent, “The Scientification of Love”, 1999, printed with revisions 2001, p. 128.

Inspired Bali 2014 |

Idealist Interupted

Love in the Time of Bad Pop Songs By Renee Martyna Photos by Heather Bonker

As a teen I wholeheartedly believed that the 80s bands were right: Love sucks. World weary with grunge, punk and brit pop as I was, I almost gave up on it entirely. A quick survey of Top 40 hits in almost any era will explain why. On balance, the bulk of what has been written, sung or declared about love has more to do with pain, loss and betrayal than it does with delight. “Love Hurts” has more renditions than we should care to count-‘Emo’ boys bands notwithstanding. The story usually goes like this: person falls in love; person succumbs to blinding, self-deluded attraction to an unlikely ‘other’ (cue complete lack of judgment, and the temporary suspension of all friends, family and work); person gets burnt; person turns to heap of despair and self loathing; person tries to avoid ever loving again; person simply can’t help it (because we are all suckers for Love) and falls for someone else, BUT, person does so guardedly...and maybe never quite completely. Why are love songs so coloured with loss? Probably because it’s easier to sing about NOT having it, than what IT actually is.

80 | Inspired Bali 2014

So much of Love defies description anyway. And doesn’t too much detail cheapen it, somehow? The unsung side of Love, that which gets drowned out by the drama, our sense of what’s ‘cool’, and our need to protect ourselves, is that Love is an extraordinarily transformative emotion. Not weak or self-deluding, but the stuff that brings down empires, makes ministers out of drug addicts, and carries parents through the most impossible moments of rearing a challenging child. This isn’t the pop-song version of love we are talking about. That love is too ‘profane’-- transitory, and conditional-- to alter the course of anyone’s being. Poetry, literature and the wisdom traditions are where we find what the ancients called ‘Sacred Love’: a power that buoys us well beyond our human limits, giving us access to reservoirs of compassion, eros, agape and filial forms of love that we may never have imagined ourselves capable of. The trick is, Love like that demands our complete surrender. There is no such thing as a dance-card, playbook or score (despite what our multi-million dollar self-help industry would have you believe). Ultimately, you just need to trust. Sadly, even the smartest among us are

unwilling to risk it. And why are we so afraid? There it is again: Loss. The sad spiritual and psychological truth about Love is that it is ephemeral. It carries the promise of its own death even in the moment that it plies us with ecstasy. The rest of the time we are boxing with the specter of Love’s closest relatives: hate, judgment, indifference, resentment and the secret rage we feel when love has been thwarted. As uncomfortable as those are, they somehow feel safer, or at very least, familiar. The scariest part is when someone threatens to love you back. If Groucho Marx said that he would never belong to a club that would have him as a member, then I have wondered what kind of crazy person could possibly love me. Yet it is precisely that inquiry—to wonder what someone else sees in me and the willingness to live up to that vision—that has been my salvation with Love. That’s why I keep at it. Even my most troubled and toxic relationships are my access to some higher and more whole form of myself. (But geez, do I hate having to look at myself). None of

us is perfect. Intimacy begets our bald spots as much as our bliss but the ultimate reward is priceless—a deeper, more powerful connection to everything and everyone around us, the “other”, my friends and family, my enemy, and even me. For in the end, how could we look into the eyes of someone else and not see our own reflection? Love shows us that we share dreams, desires and wounds that cheesy pop songs—and even the highest forms of poetry and literature—can’t illuminate. Touching those demands that we risk everything to be truly seen by someone else. Of course, it’s not that easy. Dropping that guard can take a whole a lifetime, or even several, to do. But what better way to live? So today, this is what I would tell my angsty, world-weary, love-sick, teenage self: by the time you put a ring on your finger, hold your baby in the hospital for the first time or comfort a friend through a deeply troubled time, you will know why Love is worth it. Truth is, Love doesn’t suck. WE suck AT it. But at least we get some Top 40 songs out of the deal. Rock on. ,

Renee Martyna is conflict resolution specialist who is also the wife of a serial social entrepreneur and a mother to two third culture kids.

Inspired Bali 2014 |

and our thanks goes to We are extremely grateful to the businesses listed below for their financial support of Inspired Bali Magazine. Without them, we would not exist. We have consciously decided to be a ‘review free’ periodical so that we can express our views, free of any advertising strings. This is a bold move on an island of magazine abundance, however we stand by this choice and know that it will give our readers a more authentic and honest perspective. We ask that, whenever possible, you support these businesses as a way to support us. Let them know that you saw them in the pages of our magazine and please don’t be shy to say thanks. Help us grow. In gratitude ,

ACCOMODATION Abing Terrace Bali Silent Retreat d’Omah Bali ARTS Lokah Photo Ubud Writers & Readers Festival BODY & SOUL Bali Botanical One in Herself Sang Spa Sedona Spa Taksu Utama Spice

BUSINESS Aba Cargo EDUCATION Oddyssey Institute FOOD Bodhi Chocolate Bridges Coffee & Copper Eternal Kebun Restaurant Living Food Lab Round Bar Sushi on Wheels

FASHION/JEWELERY Aum Rudraksha Bali Spirit Yoga Shop Ompure YOGA Bali Spirit Festival One World Retreats Power of Now Oasis Yoga Barn WORK STUDY CULTURE Hubud Sepeda Bali Ecole Internationale Francaise de Bali

Inspired Healers Art of Life~Yoga and Raw Food Retreats: Oksana Sokol and Lisa Andersson Rhodiner Kick start positive changes with a week committed to rejuvenating your mind, body and soul. Staying at the beautiful Dragonfly Village, amidst the rice fields just a few steps from the cultural town of Ubud. Indulge in a week filled with yoga, meditation, gourmet raw food cuisine, local Balinese culture - a time to play, a time to just be. Fun inspiring lectures, workshops, dance and movement, exploring and learning techniques that empower your daily life. www.artofliferetreats. com / info@artofliferetreats.com / +62 (0) 81239389048 Private Counseling and Couples Therapy: Josh Wise. M.A. Josh provides a confidential environment for you to explore the parts of yourself that are ready for growth and healing. He is experienced in working with sexual trauma, relationship issues, depression, eating disorders, and the full spectrum of human experience. Blending tools from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive therapy, Somatic Psychology, and Depth Psychology, Josh draws upon an extensive base of therapeutic, spiritual, and academic experience. He has Master’s degrees in Psychology and Education and has been counseling individuals, couples, and families for over ten years. josh@wisemindbody.com / 082.147.018.891 Chakra Balancing, Quantum Touch, Sound Healing, Shiatsu, Psychic surgery & Pranic Healing: Punnu Wasu Punnu Wasu, a native of India, is an international healer and renowned kirtan musician. He treats his clients with compassion and sensitivity, working as a channeller of divine energy, allowing his body to be a direct vehicle. He is available for private or group sessions, and to lead kirtan sessions. www.punnuwasu. com / punnuwasu@gmail.com / 0852 3813 8169 Access Consciousness: Lela Thomas Lela is an Access Consciousness Certified Facilitator of The Bars and Body Processes and offers sessions that guide you to ‘knowing that you know’, empowering you to unlock blocked energy and holding patterns.

When you are ready to approach what you think is unchangeable in your life, and make some new choices, this healing modality is for you! TaksuHealingHaven.com / www.AccessBeingYou.com / Lela@Taksu.info

Wholistic Chiropractic Physician, Craniosacral Therapist: Dr. Brown, D.C. Dr. Brown uses Applied Kinesiology as a diagnostic system that uses muscle testing that enables the practitioner to ask questions of the body. AK is excellent for finding the cause of chronic pain patterns and digestive problems. Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle, but powerful hands-on healing system based on the subtle movement of the cranial bones and sacrum. Excellent for chronic injuries, emotional holding patterns, and spiritual integration. It allows the client to go into a deep, body-centered meditation where profound healing can occur. drbrown@gaiaclinic.com / 081-337-494-317 Craniosacral Therapist and Voice Coach: Lindsey Wise Lindsey creates a transcendent energetic and emotional healing experience. Her craniosacral sessions help to unwind, shift, and release. She offers fun and unique vocal techniques that allow you to remove blockages that keep you from expressing your voice to your full potential. To learn more and schedule your next healing session: Lindsey@Lindsey-Wise.com / www.Lindsey-Wise.com Tarot Card Reading: Noviana Kusumawardhani (a.k.a Budenovi) According to Javanese traditions and beliefs, life is in continuous movement and reality changes all the time. We need to learn to respect what is, and at the same learn to let it go. Budenovi has studied the ancient art of tarot card reading and has been guiding clients for years on their path. To book a reading (3 weeks in advance): www. tarotubud.wordpress.com / budenovi@gmail.com / 081339044380

ONCE AGAIN, we are blessed to have The Bali Spirit Festival return to our island this March 19-24. Featuring top international yoga, dance and movement instructors, as well as healers, artists and musicians, this year will be particularly powerful. Here’s a few of our picks!

YOGA Pimrat Swatewacharkul

Vinyasa - THAILAND Kru Pim’s is the Teacher Training course director of “Sukho Yoga Teacher Training” (in Thailand), which is a government project to encourage the people of Thailand to practice yoga across the country. She has practiced and taught many styles of yoga including Hot Yoga, Yin Yoga, Vinyasa, Hatha (with Anusara principles), Flow, Yin Yang and more. Her belief is that yoga is a lifetime journey where you connect with your mind, body and breath. Her classes are full of energy and happiness, encouraging a positive connection between every student and, of course, teacher to student. She is the owner of Yoga Space Bangkok.

Geneviève Laquerre

NAI’A transformational Breath® & Sacred Movement CANADA Geneviève is a yoga teacher, creator of the Transformative Vinyasa Teacher Training Program of NAI’A Project, assistant of Shiva Rea, Transformational Breath® Facilitator and Trainer, and therapist in Biomagnetism and Bioenergetics. Her mission is to inspire you on your path, so that you create your life one breath at a time, in harmony with yourself and your environment. Geneviève uses natural and simple ways to heal the mind and the heart. She shares her love of the Earth and her passion for sustainable lifestyles around the globe. Geneviève has a soft yet potent approach to healing

84 | Inspired Bali 2014

that roots into surrendering, trusting and letting go.

Lynn Yeo & Sumei Shum

Anusara Yoga - SINGAPORE Lynn & Sumei have been avid students of yoga for over a decade. They are meticulous teachers of alignment-based hatha yoga, specifically in the style of Anusara yoga, always teach together, and instruct with clarity and humour. Being committed to making yoga accessible to all, their classes are thoughtful, challenging, full of energy and fun. Lynn & Sumei teach because they want to share their love for yoga and also the joy they have experienced through their practice. Their deepest wish is that through a dedicated yoga practice, we will ultimately be kinder, more awakened beings who will make this world a better place for all. They are directors and owners of Space & Light Studios in Singapore.

Kiyomi Takahashi

Kundalini Yoga - JAPAN/USA Kiyomi Takahashi is a certified Kundalini and Hatha Yoga Teacher, as well as a Certified Holistic Health Coach based in Los Angeles, California. She founded Pure Vital Living where she combines her love for yoga with her passion for life, and healthy lifestyle and foods to assist people’s journey to stay vital, and connect with their inner most truth so they are able to bring forth into the world their unique light and gifts. Her Yoga classes are inspired by the teachings and daily practice of both Kundalini and Vinyasa yoga, her love for movement, surfing and hiking, and her great teachers such as Guru Singh and Annie Carpenter. Kiyomi creates a supportive, light-hearted environment where she encourage people to deeply listen, cultivate their inner stillness in dynamic movements so they can prosper and deliver excellence in all that they do off the mat.

Pau Castellsague (photo below) Acro Yoga - SPAIN Pau was introduced to the practice of Yoga by the light of his younger brother Wari Om. Meeting his teacher Soma in the Navarra mountains was the start of his spiritual journey. His path is full of joy and gratitude as auspicious teachers cross by him every step of the way: Jordi, Dolors, Laurino, Takis, Jason, Jenny, Soma, Dayalu, Goenka, Amma... As an AcroYoga teacher Pau’s main target is to bring the spirit of Yoga into every corner and through all layers of society. Pau currently lives in Barcelona but spends most of his time travelling around the globe. Since last year, together with his brother Wari and his sister Isis, they organize the Barcelona Yoga Conference, a huge celebration of Yoga.

Pete Guinosso

Forrest Yoga - USA After thirty years of running, cycling, and competitive sports, Pete was astonished to learn that his biggest challenge and adventure would happen on a yoga mat. Known for his joyful energy, compassionate guidance, and sense of humor, Pete creates a spiritual yet light-hearted environment for his students to uncover the deeper benefits of yoga.

YOGA Pete’s teaching style is best described as a Forrest Yoga Inspired Vinyasa Flow. His classes are designed to help you journey toward connecting your mind, body and spirit through breath work and awareness. Powerful sequences are designed to create a fluid practice of meditative movement, while also cultivating an awareness of alignment. Pete, is creator of Lighting The Path teacher training (Yoga Alliance registered 200hrs), Yoga for Change, Yoga Prankster movement, and travels internationally teaching workshops, conferences, and adventure yoga retreats.

Nadine Mcneil

Ethnochoreology - Jamaica Yogini. Humanitarian. Spirited. Compassionate. Storyteller. All of these words conjure up aspects that make Nadine McNeil aka Universal Empress the person she aspires to be: an evolutionary catalyst committed to global transformation.

Photo by Wari Om

Fully devoted to expanding the reach of yoga through what she refers to as the “democratization of yoga,” she designs and delivers workshops to a wide cross-section of communities who ordinarily may not be exposed to nor reap its benefits. In recent times, this work has brought her into the doldrums of Jamaica and Haiti. Inspired Bali 2014 |

A yogini aspirant for over a decade, McNeilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first yoga certification was received from the Sivananda Ashram in Nayyer Dam, South India in 2009. In 2012 her lifelong commitment to yoga as a tool for healing trauma, led her to being awarded a full scholarship to participate in Kripaluâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 200-hour yoga teacher training program and is also a Kripalu certified yoga instructor.

Anastasis (Athanasios Koutsogiannis) Zorba Spirit Dance - Greece A certified Hatha yoga teacher and massage therapist (osteo-Thai), former professional dancer (ballet and contemporary dance), began his yoga journey in 1994 in Varanasi, India. He studied Hatha, Ashtanga, and Anusara yoga,in India with B.N.S Iyengar in Thailand with Yonas Westring and in America with Richard Freeman. During this journey he has also shared his offerings at several yoga meditation retreats focusing on vipassana and insight meditation. His teachings are a synthesis of different traditions blending the grace, fluidity & beauty of the dancer, being grounded, lightness, determination of martial arts, and the spirit & expression of Zorba the Greek encompassing generosity, creativity, integrity, creativity, freedom, & celebration!

HEALING Lela Thomas

Access Consciousness - USA Join Lela Thomas, facilitating endless possibilities for you and your body. Lela has 40 years experience in the Sacred Healing ArtZ, Yoga instructor, a Reiki Master Teacher, Yoga and Eternal Breath Facilitator and many more modalities. With all the exposure, practice and facilitation of many amazing modalities, she is

86 | Inspired Bali 2014

Photo by Suki ZoĂŤ

still impressed by the simplicity and immediate results people experience with Access Consciousness hands on and clearing processes. Lela truly believes that these are tools that will change the face of Consciousness across the Planet in one of the most profound, simple ways available to us in this lifetime. The energy is neither radiatory nor magnetic. It is Acoustical. An Infinite Energy with endless capacity for creating more change and giving more Space in your body and mind than you have probably had the occasion to experience in such a simple and profound way.

Seminar Series Presenter Jamie Catto (photo below) Rebel & Creativity Catalyst - UK Jamie Catto, Creator, Producer/Director of the multiaward winning global 1 Giant Leap films and albums and founding member of Faithless is now leading uniquely transformative workshops and one-on-one sessions. Drawing from the richly diverse wisdom,

techniques and processes he has encountered during his ground-breaking filming, recording, philosophy voyages across all 5 continents, he is weaving these creative techniques and exercises to spark both Professional and Personal breakthroughs and offering up master classes at this year’s Festival. Experience 4 workshops full of techniques, processes and discussions gathered from Jamie Catto’s 20 years of making films and albums around the World to awaken your full personal and professional potential. Connect yourself fully to your Wholeness and Reawaken your playful and inspired genius.

Meditation & Philosophy Indra Widjanarko

Osho Dynamic Meditation - Lombok, INDONESIA & Shanghai, CHINA A loving and compassionate teacher, Indra has been practicing yoga for 15 yrs, Indra is well verse in many styles as accomplished her teacher training in Ashtanga, Sun Yoga for kids and has 500hrs in Yoga Therapy. In the late 90s, while living in Bandung, Indonesia, Indra discovered yoga as she was on the path to healing from poor health. At that time, she practiced

ART Pranoto (photo right) Born in Java, a long time ago Pranoto was born in a small village outside Solo, Central Java in 1952. He was driven to be an artist from an early age, so he moved to Ubud, Bali in 1974 to pursue his dream. He changed course from his background in batik to be a painter and nothing else. He was successful in his ambitions and has participated in solo and group exhibitions throughout Indonesia.

Photo by Desta Star

As an early arrival in Bali, he has been a support to many artists settling in Bali, also providing advice and guidance. Over the years he has collected his friends’ work, which is what led to the establishment of Pranoto’s Art Gallery in 1996. This has been a wonderful project, not only for the presentation of his collection, but for solo and group exhibitions, and the model sessions that take place twice a week at the gallery. Pranoto has always enjoyed experimenting with different techniques and media, constantly adding new skills to his repertoire. Pranoto’s work reflects his colour sensitivity and passion to capture the presentation of light, which creates a luminous glow to his figures.

Inspired Bali 2014 |

mainly chanting, meditation and karma yoga (doing service to others). While in Indonesia, she continued her practice in the Buddhist temple for years. Indra completed her first 200hr YTT with Lance Schuler of Australia and has been teaching ever since. Indra enjoys creating events and arranging workshops for her friends both in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia and now, in Shanghai, China, where she is currently based. Indra believes that sharing experiences from the heart is possible, the world needs more heart than money. Indra will be co-teaching yoga for families on Hari Cinta Keluarga at this year’s Festival.

MOVEMENT Kenoko Hermiaji A.K.A Graduado Noko/Tarzan Capoeira, Indonesia/Brazil Capoeira is a manifestation of Afro-Brazilian art form that incorporates martial arts, dance, game, gymnastics, and is executed to the rythm of Afro-Brazillian percussion, claps and chanting. Graduado Noko first started to learn Capoeira in the year of 2000 while a student in Jogjakarta, Central Java. A that time, studying under Capoiera Instructors Medusa and Contra Mestre Pedro Gatuno, Noko became a founding member of Capoeira Brincadeira (now called Senzala Indonesia). Since then, Noko has been a major force in promoting the tradition of Capoeira throughout Indonesia. In 2006 Noko moved to Bali, and, together with Instructor Medusa, he started the first established Capoeira group in Bali. In December 2007, they organized the first International Capoeira conference in Bali, Primeiro Batizado Grupo Senzala with special guests: Mestre Gato (Group Senzala, Rio de Janeiro) and Mestre Ousado (group Argola de Ouro, Singapore). Since going to Brazil, Graduado Noko has been invited to teach workshops at the BaliSpirit Festival (2008), in Hong Kong and more recently, in East Timor.

Jocelyn Gordon (photo left) HoopYogini™ & Bhakti Boogie®Yoga - USAJocelyn Gordon is the Creator of HoopYogini™ ~ Holistic Fitness with a Spin! and Bhakti Boogie® Yoga ~ Where Dance is Yoga. She travels internationally facilitating life transformation through dance, conscious movement, body-centered coaching and fun! An inspiring educator and lover of holistic fitness, Jocelyn is passionate about being fully self-expressed and helping others experience liberation from TraumaDrama ~ the stories that hold us back from experiencing our full potential.

88 | Inspired Bali 2014

Photo by Suki Zoë

MUSIC Susan Allen and Susiawan

Co-founders, Yellow Coco Creative Nest Wayang Kulit Performance for Kids - Bali, Indonesia Susan and Susiawan have over 40 years combined experience facilitating arts-based holistic education in a variety of settings with diverse communities in Canada, Indonesia and Japan. They combine their talents of incorporating nature and culture connections through expressive arts modalities of song, story, puppetry, movement, music, drama, tactile and visual arts, writing and designing. They co- created and co-facilitate unique Holistic Arts Programs through

Photo by Matthew Oldfield

their studio, Yellow Coco Creative Nest, Ubud, to engage, stimulate and support creativity, connection and well-being for all.

Susu Ibu (below)

World Music - Preserving and Enriching Balinese Art. Indonesia Pulsing with a transcendent current, Susu Ibuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music is rooted in tribal and shamanic traditions from lands as distant as West Africa, Australia and South America. With eclectic instruments and musical styles wedded with a modern touch of Electronica, Susu Ibu lives up to the meaning of its name, Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Milk for the Soul.

Try me, Love me. Send an sms with the text: Try me, Love me to 082.144.159.885 and we will bring you some free sushi to your house* Sushi on Wheels

*only for delivery in or near Ubud, one time only per family and delivery point

082.144.159.885 Delivery in and around Ubud Open from: 11.00 to 20.00 Sorry folks, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re closed on Mondays!

shi eels Su Wh On

FavouriteFive Where to go, eat, give, practice, shop and explore Bali by locals “in the know.”

Alex Malinsky 1. To keep me in a peak state, I get a minimum of two massages a week. I either go for a soft soothing touch, or firm reflexology at Sedona Spa (Jl Raya Campuhan-close to Bintang in Ubud) or Kush (Yoga Barn). 2. Grazing on delicious greens and healthy meals at amazing restaurants gives me endless pleasure. My favorite spots in Ubud include the clean and organic Down to Earth (Jalan Goutama) or the more affordable Dayu's Warung (Jl Sugriwa, 28) . 3. I like to often times jam out after-hours at Soma with friends, listening to Johnny beat the drums while sipping on a warm spiced ojas builder. 4. Swimming in the rivers and holy spring water pools of The Royal Pita Maha (Jalan Raya Desa Mas, Gianyar) a luxurious retreat centre 30 minutes from Ubud. 5. I dance anywhere I can get to. Friday nights and Sunday mornings at The Yoga Barn in Ubud are two wonderful opportunities I try never to miss. Alex Malinsky is savvy health entrepreneur from Chicago. He continues to be on the cutting edge of nutritional research and product development.

Lorraine Allen 1. A sunrise run along Echo beach, followed up with a green juice from Old Man’s Beach Bar’ at Tugu beach. 2. Lunch at Alchemy, a vegan restaurant in Penestanan, or a traditional Bali massage at Nur Spa (Jl. Hanoman, 28, Ubud). 3. MU Bungalow in the Bukit (Jl. Pantai, Bingin). Take a great book, some running shoes and chill out. A sarong is the perfect outfit for dinner under the stars. 4. Dinner at the Legian Hotel (Jl. Melasti, Legian). Ask for a table at the front pavilion and order their Ceasar salad and a glass of champagne. 5. Glow Restaurant at the Como Shambala Estate (www.comohotels. com). On the way home, top up the daily caloric count with some thyme and salted caramel ice cream at Gusto’s Ice Cream (Jl. Umalas, 2, Kerobokan). Lorraine is a Canggu resident who wishes Ubud was on the beach, as was depicted in Eat Pray Love.

92 | Inspired Bali 2014

Desta Polis Star 1. Working, learning, exploring and expanding my vision of what is possible in the world of business and social innovation at HUBUD (Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud). 2. Drinking coffee at Anomali (Jl. Raya, 88, Ubud). My Jakartan friends hang out here, which I appreciate. 3. Walking to work! Jalan Hanoman is always an adventure, with plenty of temple activities for the Balinese and lots of tourists and expats to watch. 4. Salsa dancing at Café Havana (Jl. Dewi Sita, Ubud). Ernesto is an awesome teacher and makes me feel like I can really dance like a sexy, Latino goddess. 5. Lathering up with Utama Spice products (on Monkey Forest Road. Desta Star keeps moving back to Bali for work and inspiration. When not dancing or looking at art, she can be found smiling on the streets of Ubud.

Daisy Sampson 1. Surfing at Seranang beach. 2. Shopping at the second-hand clothing market in Tabanan. They carry tons of groovy, retro and vintage clothes. 3. My favorite restaurants are all in Seminyak, but I especially love Queens Tandoor, (Jl. Raya, Seminyak), which is always delicious. They have tons of vegetarian options and it’s always full of East Indian diners, which I figure is a good thing. 4. I love to play at Mantra (Jl. Petitenget Raya, 77x, Seminyak). The sound is amazing and if we have a late night gig, there is plenty of room to dance. 5. Deus (Jl. Batu Mejan 8) is the place to be on Sunday night in Canggu. The live music is always great. The Gypsy Caveman, one of the most innovative and rocking bands on the island, often perform. Daisy is a grade 10 high school student. She is the lead singer in the band,Nasi Campur that recently toured India. Ernesto Labrada 1. A day trip to Padang-Padang beach on the Bukit followed by amazing fish tacos at Cacho’s Sunset Grill (Uluwatu). 2. Delicious pad thai or chicken curry at the quaint Warung Saya. (Jl. Goutama, Ubud). Amir, the owner, is a great host and he does everything! 3. Going out to Ryoshi, (Jl. Raya Seminyak, 15), for their Sushi-ShashimiMaki. They have great jazz music like Afronesia, one of my favorite bands. 4. A full body massage at Putri Bali Spa with the wonderful Made, definitely the best! (Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud) 5. Seniman Cafe, (Jl. Sriwedari, one minute off of Jl. Raya, Ubud), for ice cappuccino. They have magic equipment for coffee creation and now also teach the art of roasting and brewing in a new location across the street from the cafe. Ernesto teaches the hottest Salsa classes on the island! Find him at Cafe Havana, (Jl. Dewi Sita, Ubud). Inspired Bali 2014 |

Classes Raw food intro classes held every Saturday at the world famous Green School!

Catering Organic, unique and local creations for your next function.

Cafe We serve delicious, organic vegan food in Bali's most exceptional location.

www.livingfoodlab.com

Inspired Bali 2014 |

96 | Inspired Bali 2014