Inaugural

c o n s c i o u s n e s s | cre ativity | commu nity the inaugural issue

Welcome to our first issue of Inspired Bali We are thrilled to share our Inaugural Issue with you.

Inspired Bali is a new magazine for those drawn to the magical island of Bali, who are seeking more than predictable vacations or mundane lives.

As seekers and travelers, we gather together within the pages of this new publication to share our collective wisdom. Here you will read about healing, holistic living, yoga, meditation, living foods and a host of other related topics.

We will publish four times a year and focus on community-based content that authentically represents your accomplishments, joy, insights, struggles, bliss and transformations while on this glorious island.

In our first issue, we are delighted to introduce the Living Food Lab, who will be guiding us with recipes and tips on preparing raw food. In our opening issue they introduce South East Asia’s super spice, offering three ways to include raw turmeric into our diets. On the topic of raw food, if you are interested to know what fuels our editorial team, we share with you on page 40 our favorite snack, raw truffles.

We also have an in-house foodie – Norma Jean – who, in this issue will introduce you to Jalan Goutama in Ubud. Next issue, who knows where she will go… but in the meantime head over to this groovy lane and size up her reviews. Imagine, if you will, how delightful it would be should they ever decide to close this street off to traffic on weekends!

In our cover story, we dive into the hearts of two flying yogis to find out why they practice this unique style of yoga. Suzi Zoe’s sharp photographic eye captures the magnetism of this inspiring duo, complemented with an interview with both yogis.

Our profile with ‘Inspiring People” is about Natalie Perry, a tireless crusader for children’s rights here in Bali. We glimpse into her own childhood to reveal where the seed of giving was planted within her.

Several talented writers share their journeys into dreams, healing, meditation and reflection. Expect more of these types of stories in future issues, as we explore more deeply the healing arts. In future issues, we will be adding new sections as we find our path, our feet and our way on this adventure.

We would like to thank all of our contributors, writers and sponsors for their patience. Publishing a magazine takes more work than we thought! A special thanks to Scotty Ze for his early enthusiasm in the project and Peter Wall for his unwavering support. Thanks also to Lynn and Rachel for their editing and attention to detail.

We look forward to serving you in the coming years and welcome your feedback, ideas, story ideas, and art. Be in touch!

With Gratitude & Grace, The Inspired Team www.inspired-bali.com

Photo by Steve Mason

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04 November . December . January 2012 - 2013

The Inaugural Issue

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EDITOR.IN.CHIEF editor@inspired-bali.com GRAPHIC editor@inspired-bali.com SALES sales@inspired-bali.com ADVERTISING advertising@inspired-bali.com PUBLISHER publisher@inspired-bali.com

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FUEL THE GREAT PROTEIN QUESTION Daniel Aaron

PRACTICE SWAPPING MIRRORS FOR MANTRAS Melinda Chickering

BREATHE BREATHING MY WAY BACK TO LIFE Amit Janco

TASTE OUT TO LUNCH Norma Jean

FLY FLYING YOGA Suki Zoe

NOURISH TURMERIC Living Food Lab

DREAM DRUMMING UP A DREAM Jane Carleton

MAKE RAW CASHEW COCONUT TRUFFLES Sarah Eve

MEDITATE TRATAKA Arun Goel

PEOPLE SACRED CHILDHOODS FOUNDATION Natalia Perry

FIVES TOP 5 LISTS FROM LOCALS IN THE KNOW

COVER

Cover photo of Bex Tyrer and Carlos Romero by Suki Zoe Cover Design by Blair Robins

the great

protein question

by Daniel Aaron

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O

r more often it’s the great protein debate. The first question I usually hear when someone finds out I choose a cruelty-free lifestyle, a vegetarian diet, is ‘how do you get your protein?’

It’s a good question. And whether one is choosing a raw, vegan diet or a cooked one – or even if someone chooses to eat meat – being smart about our protein ingestion is helpful. If we’re into bodybuilding, the question is even more important.

While most people’s protein needs are usually less than they think, anyone engaged in building muscle – and you’re either building it or losing it (anabolism or catabolism) – needs more than the average person. Like everything in life, we’re either growing or decaying, living or dying - we’re either part of the solution, or part of the problem.

Let’s get right into the good news. For those of us choosing a diet that minimizes harm in the world (vegan), and specifically raw, the protein we ingest is is much easier to assimilate than cooked and/or meat protein.

Body building nutrition recommends approximately 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day; some say more, some say less. In other words, a body builder who weighs 150lbs would consume more than 150 grams of protein per day. That’s a lot.

Part of why fitness nutritionists recommend so much – whether they realize it or not – is because cooking instantly renders 50% or more of the protein unusable. Plus, protein

that comes from animal source is very difficult for the body to utilize. The amount of energy (and enzymes) required to breakdown animal flesh and make it into energy for the human who consumes it is phenomenal.

What about regular people (not body builders)? The truth is most people need far less protein than we think. An essential truth for everyone – regardless of what we eat – is that everyone’s nutritional needs are different. It’s called bio-chemical individuality. We all need different amounts of protein in different ratios to how much carbohydrate and how much fat we need. Moreover, we all respond differently to different sources of protein, carbs and fats (macronutrients).

To enrich the discussion further, important factors such as how much we eat, how frequently – and key: How we eat – determine a great deal about our health, digestion and assimilation. As Hippocrates said, “Man is not nourished by what he swallows, but by what he digests and uses.” Or, put more crassly, instead of “we are what we eat,” the saying ought to be ‘we are what we don’t poop.’

By eating smaller meals more frequently, we maximize our protein assimilation. By chewing well and eating slowly we increase it more. Approaching our meals in relaxed and grateful state makes a huge difference in nutritional absorption, and in nourishment in general.

While most people eating a raw diet will automatically get enough protein, especially if we are paying attention to how we feel, to how foods affect us, it’s worthwhile knowing about some nutritional powerhouses that

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can add some insurance. With protein – and with nutrition in general, including considerations of phytonutrients and minerals – I find superfoods are a fantastic way to ensure (health insurance) that I’m at optimal thriving.

We live in an exciting time when the world’s most nutritious superfoods are available to us instantly. By including a few of these highly digestible, protein-dense, superfoods, you ensure that your protein levels stay high. My favorites are spirulina, bee pollen, hemp protein, sprouts and raw brown rice protein.

Spirulina may be the most protein rich food on the planet, with a protein content of approximately 70%. Full of antioxidants, natural beta carotene, mixed carotenoids, chlorophyll, vitamin B12, gamma linolenic acid (GLA), riboflavin and other phytonutrients, spirulina is certainly one of the top most nutritious foods.

In addition to a high concentration of amino acids (approximately 66% protein), bee pollen also contains as many as 60 trace minerals, putting it in the nutritional elite class.

All nuts and seeds contain concentrated protein. Some more than others. Hemp seed – in addition to being a perfectly balanced source of essential fatty acids, omega 3 and 6 – is packed with protein. Eating a freshly powdered form of it, which is often called Hemp protein or Hemp powder, maximizes digestibility and protein.

Sprouted nuts and seeds, including grasses, not only contain a great deal of protein, as well as phytonutrients, they are easily made in any climate. They additionally provide extra vitamins and minerals.

For most who have experimented with protein powders and supplements over the years, there’s been dissatisfaction with the results from both soy and whey based products. The introduction of a completely raw, vegan protein powder is exciting news. It’s become a staple for me and many high caliber athletes and nutrition gurus.

Including even a small amount of any of the protein rich superfoods will virtually guarantee that you’re getting more than enough protein.

What are the more ordinary sources of protein?

Nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, goji berries, sea vegetables. Less than great sources of protein include all soy products, as the detriments outweigh the benefits. Like with so many nutritional considerations, education is helpful, and the bottom line is that we all have to experiment and find what works for us. If we’re eating whole organic foods, especially vital ones that haven’t been cooked, we will naturally come into our perfect balance.

Daniel Aaron is the founder of Radiantly Alive Yoga Studio in Ubud

www.radiantlyalive.com

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A breathtaking journey to • Spiritual soul stamina • The truth of who you really are Because you matter: infinitely, cosmically, personally.

• Breathwork • Spiritual Coaching • Intuitive Readings

www.ayami.ca

Dianne Tharp

Dianne is a skilled facilitator, staff trainer, intuitive counselor and spiritual coach. She is a certified breath practitioner and emotional intelligence therapist, specializing in deep emotional release and compassionate counseling. Her sessions and programs are the perfect way to tap into observing the process of one’s life, inner knowledge and higher purpose.

Mobile: 081 339 442 494 • oneinherself@gmail.com sponsored by Wakan Enterprises

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Mirrors for Mant g n i p p ras a w By Melinda Chickering S

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A

few months ago, I came across an article in The New York Times about a yoga competition. Yoga competition? Isn’t that an oxymoron? I thought.

So I sent the article to my best friend in the States, who also practices (daily), teaches (sometimes) and writes (weekly) about yoga.

She didn’t seem shocked in the slightest at this news of a yoga competition. This made me wonder just how out of touch I have become with my culture of origin, living overseas as I do. She lives in Washington, D.C., where competition is a way of life.

My friend has also visited India, where yoga and competition are widely considered compatible. Indeed, yoga competitions are commonplace in the sub-continent, and yoga is widely practiced there as sport.

In yoga competitions, a panel of judges do just that—judge. One competitor’s asana is better than another’s—stronger, more poised, better aligned. The whittling down of yogi egos continues until someone comes out on top—the Best Yogi!—who is crowned the winner.

But is the competitor who wins first place really the Best Yogi?

A blog written by one such competitor points out helpfully that these are yoga asana competitions. She enjoys the opportunity to challenge herself and to display the results of her hard work and commitment to yoga.

Yoga is much more than practicing a series of asansas, though, isn’t it? The expert display of even the broadest range of asanas does not necessarily represent the heart of

the deepest yoga practice.

The practice of yoga is motivated by different priorities for different people. Most of us practice for some blend of physical fitness, physical-spiritual integration, stress relief, personal discipline, and preparation for meditation.

Yoga competitions focus on the physical fitness aspect of yoga first and foremost, an aspect of yoga practice that features more or less prominently in the motivations of most yogis.

Rajashree Choudhury is the founder of USA Yoga and wife of Bikram Choudhury, who copyrighted the Bikram sequence of yoga asana. Her aim is to elevate (or denigrate) yoga to the status of an Olympic sport.

The yoga asana competitions she supports have gained momentum in the USA over the past decade but enjoy a long tradition over many generations in India. Yoga competitions now take place in about 15 countries around the world.

Learning more about yoga competitions has me reflecting on the idea of competition as it meets my own yoga practice.

As one who came to yoga from dance— and ballet, in particular—rather than sport, I was initially accustomed to comparing my body hypercritically to others’ in wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling mirrors. While not focused on jumping higher, throwing farther or reaching the finish line first, my mindset was competitive, as it was filled with judgment.

Am I stretching deeper or holding my balance longer than the yogi next to me? How do I compare with that girl on the other side

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of the room? Under the guise of reviewing my proper alignment, I took more than a few opportunities for both smug celebration and harsh self-criticism while checking out the legions of bodies in the mirrors.

Now I practice in a room without mirrors, grateful for the billowing breeze and rice paddy views replacing staid walls with glowering mirrors.

More and more, I practice with my eyes closed. That’s because I’m more interested in connecting my body with my mood, my thoughts with my emotions, my movements with the energy that’s flowing both within and without.

Life in Bali, it seems to me, is more processoriented and less goal-oriented than plenty of other cultures. Our yoga culture around here follows this general feeling as well. Physical fitness increases in the process, but it isn’t the primary goal of most yogis here, I would wager.

Most yogis practicing in Bali seem to be motivated by aspirations to deeper self-

knowledge, personal integration and inner peace as much as physical fitness. There is more than enough madness surrounding us, and we want to cultivate our cores (spiritual/ physical) to be as whole and centered as possible!

“This present moment is enough,” our yoga teacher repeated today throughout class, suggesting that we repeat it to ourselves as a mantra. I want to believe this even more than I want to balance my crow or equalize my triangle.

Today in yoga class I felt tired, but I tried my best to greet this with an attitude of acceptance rather than frustration and judgment. Some days I feel energized and strong, when my chataranga feels almost weightless.

Other days are different, and I need at least eight limbs to get me to the floor without a loud thump.

I’m grateful for a yoga practice has taken me through some twists and turns, even if few of them would impress the judges.

Melinda has been practicing yoga regularly for three years and appreciates the psycho-emotional benefits as much as the physical benefits of her practice.

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Breathing my

way

back to

by Amit Janco Once upon a time, I played tennis, jogged, sweated it out in aerobics classes, worked out on treadmills and elliptical machines, cycled on treacherously icy streets in subzero weather, trained for a half-marathon, and competed in dragon boat races. Like most athletic types, my breathing reflected my efforts; the harder I pumped myself, the shorter, quicker and harder I breathed. This, I thought, was the best way to move - and to live.

Then, a few years ago, feeling physically fit and yearning for a change, I took a break from work and flew to Asia - where I lugged around a heavy backpack, sat perched atop trucks or huddled in boats overflowing with cargo, and, while trekking in the Himalayas, scaled peaks and tiptoed tentatively along precipitous edges. I was never aware or appreciative of my body’s ability to respond and push itself to the limit; my limbs simply followed my mind. I never paid attention, never

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listened...

By the end of January 2009, I had been traveling solo around Southeast Asia for just over a year. After a week’s stay in Siem Reap, my plans were to head south to Phnom Penh, then travel further, into the more remote north-eastern parts of Cambodia. On the way, I decided to hop off in Battambang, a city I’d never heard of, despite it being the country’s second-largest city.

The day before Chinese New Year dawned to a city abuzz with an air of festivity and celebration. I rented a bicycle and set out to explore and take photos. From afar, I noticed what appeared to be a pedestrian bridge spanning the Sangker River, so I approached.

Just as I started to pedal across the old iron railway bridge - closed for repair by authorities, I learned later, then illegally re-opened by the villagers - I suddenly found myself riding onto two narrow wooden planks laid along the length of the rails, leaving no room

Intuitive Flow Yoga Studio photo by Neil Harrison

to maneuver a bicycle. In a flash, it dawned on me that I couldn’t stop nor turn around.

With nowhere to go, I suddenly veered off the planks, blacked out as I flew over the handlebars, and tumbled headfirst through a wide opening in the iron structure. I fell at least ten meters, landing amidst dirt and weeds on the rocky river-bank below. I lay unconscious on the ground, reviving for only seconds, but long enough to see many locals standing on the bridge above and around me - including a man videotaping the scene.

Waving him away, I promptly blacked out again.

That day, I hit rock bottom – literally. Miraculously, I survived – but just barely. Even with numerous broken bones and a host of other injuries, my body remained intact. After six weeks of hospitalization in Battambang and Bangkok, I was flown back to Canada to begin my slow road to recovery.

Two years of rehabilitation encompassed

a full spectrum of treatments, ranging from pain medication and physiotherapy to cranio-sacral therapy, osteopathy, acupuncture, deep-tissue massage, and copious amounts of bed-rest. Writing, art, visualization and meditation boosted my spirits. And I learned to breathe. Really breathe – into and out of my pain and numbness.

Daily walks, though laborious and painful at first, also became an integral part of my rehab regime. And less than two months after my accident, despite near-immobility, my friend Shelagh convinced me to get into a pool; lowered into the water by hydraulic lift, mostly floating and gliding alongside the edges of the pool with Shelagh’s help. Simply being in the water was a gift, much-needed relief from the interminable pain. In time, I was making strides, swimming laps and bringing strength back to my body.

Moving in water was therapeutic for my body and soul - but I needed to move on

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land too. Some friends and my sister suggested yoga. I hesitated at first, sensing that my body was far from being limber enough to do hand-stands and downward dogs. But I relented because I realized that my body needed more. My spirit too.

Looking for a studio nearby was not easy, but eventually I stumbled upon a restorative yoga class at a local community center.

The first day I tried the class, the teacher immediately noticed me limping into the room on crutches and approached to ask about my injuries. Michael kept an eye on me as I took baby steps, slowly learning asanas and modifying poses (with his guidance) that otherwise might have pushed my body well beyond its limits.

But the ambience in the studio, far from being supportive, calm and healing was distracting – and extremely noisy. The class was usually comprised of fifteen to twenty women, many in their 50’s and 60’s, who appeared to equate yoga class with socializing. They talked amongst themselves, complained about momentary discomfort and dashed off with their Blackberries in hand seconds after rising from savasana. More than once, Michael had to resort to disciplinary tactics.

Despite the absurdities and distractions in class, I managed to focus inward - on my body, the poses and practice. But I was stumped; I’d heard and read about how transformative and healing yoga could be.

Was this it?!

Two years to the day following my accident, I was mobile and determined enough (though still in considerable pain) to get on

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a plane back to Cambodia. I returned to visit the bridge through which I had fallen; met the couple who were instrumental in saving my life and volunteered at the hospital - Emergency Trauma Centre - where I had been treated… for free.

Then, while visiting a friend in Malaysia, a group discussion about wellness and alternative remedies turned to the topic of Bali.

Her friends suggested: Why don’t you go and stay a while in Ubud? You could visit healers, have massages and do as much yoga as you want. Spending time in Bali will help you in your healing process…

I felt I had no choice – or rather a choice was served to me on a silver platter.

And so, I came to Bali because I simply had to slow down even more, I had to listen to my body and let it guide me back to myself - but a more balanced and centered sense of self. So I went to healers. Deep tissue massages became a necessary part of my bi-weekly routine. And I embraced yoga right from the start, sensing that it would also be integral to my healing.

Shortly after I arrived in Ubud, I began taking classes with Linda Madani at Intuitive Flow Yoga Studio in Penestanan. During the past year, under Linda’s watchful and caring guidance, I’ve been moving, watching, seeing, meditating, hearing and listening to my body.

Through yoga, I’ve learned about the breadth of my breath.

Yes, my breath. My breathing. It reminds me daily that I am blessed to have a body that, despite the trauma it sustained, despite the lingering pain, is still - as Linda of-

ten reminds us in class - whole, perfect and complete. A mantra - for my body, for my life.

How can I not be grateful for the gifts that yoga has brought me?

Whereas once I competed and pushed

myself to extremes, I am now content to let my body lead the way to its own edge, guided - with patience and love - by my breath and spirit, rather than my full-steam-ahead mind.

Amit has been healing and thriving in Ubud for over one year, and is installing an all-natural labyrinth at a meditation retreat center – apparently the first on the Island of the Gods.

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photo by Hero Aditya

Out to Lunch with Norma Jean:

An Afternoon on Goutama Street INSPIRED BALI |17

photo by Norma Jean Belensky

an impromptu game of Jenga Having first come to Bali in January, I followed some friends to Ubud, which I now like to refer to as Ooh-Food! And I haven’t looked back. For the inaugural issue of Inspired Bali I thought it would be best to feature not only my favorite town to eat in, but the best street on which to do so.

Goutama Street is an Ubudian gem. Hailed

by Lonely Planet and the like, it’s a throwback to the Ubud that most come here to find; artistic, alternative, charming, and off the beaten path of large tour buses (yet still central enough to navigate on foot). If you are crossing Jalan Hanoman from Monkey Forest Road it’s the last, little street you’ll see if you cut through Dewi Sita Street. This one, little block will take up an afternoon if you let it.

Here are my favorites: ASU Art Attack: Approaching ASU Art Attack, most people don’t really know what

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to think. From the outside it appears as a bunch of locals and backpackers sitting on benches, biding their time, and occasionally playing music in front of a colorful little shop. Wrong-O! You have actually stumbled upon THE place for up-and-coming artists, designers and musicians in Ubud. The owners, Hero, Cleise and Fajar, from Java, Brazil and Sumatra, respectively, bring their own unique spin to all they create, from paintings, to bags, t-shirts, murals and everything else under the sun. You’re guaranteed a good time if you take a seat, check out the community notice board for upcoming art happenings, introduce yourself and jam for a few minutes!

Devilicious Warung: As Ubud becomes more and more popular, the demand for some things will never cease. These are the things that Devilicious has in spades. The

menu is vast, offering something for everyone, with great Indonesian food - their sandwich page alone covers everything from Cajun Po’Boys to Philly Cheese steaks! For this reason it’s also a great place for many budgets, with entrees from 20,000Rp- 90,000Rp. I love going on Cajun Fridays for one of the best burgers I’ve had in Bali. The beef is so tender and juicy, cajun spices tickle your tongue, there’s bacon, cheese, the toppings are piled high, and the bun is fluffy and soft.

Pair it with a cold Bintang and some cheesy fries and you’re in heaven! Its not 5 Star gourmet, but the food is genuinely GOOD, made with love, there’s something for everyone from carnivore through to raw vegan, and the service is super-friendly. More than that, (and why it’s my pick) is that Devilicious is one of those local watering holes that provides connection for all who enter. Whether you’re coming in for a light lunch, big dinner, or late night beer, it’s the place you want to be!

A bit further down on G-Street is Warung Saya. This enchanting little place is run exclusively by Amier, so if he’s making someone else’s order, its probably not the best place to go if you want to eat quickly. The good news is, it’s worth the wait. The food is remarkable, budget friendly (with most entrees ranging from 20,000-40,000 Rp.) and the menu consists of well done Indonesian, Indian and Thai dishes and is choc-full of vegetarian options. The Soto Ayam is what I like best here – something offered everywhere, but done impeccably and with love, as well as

having the best Chai tea in town (served with palm sugar and milk!)

After lunch it’s time for a bit of shopping, and there’s a few good ones conveniently situated directly further down. We all love the buys on the main drag, but for things a bit more unique or upmarket (in the 150,000300,000 Rp. range), I’m inclined toward browsing the shops on some of the smaller streets. My current favorite on Goutama is Charity By Design. Started by Natalia, who founded The Sacred Childhoods Foundation, everything is new and every item sold gives at least 20% of the sale price directly to charity. Suchi, her own line of ethical clothing that employs under-privileged single mothers, is gorgeous, carried there and gives 50% to a great cause!

If you’re feeling like a pick-me-up just before heading back to the main road, Bar Luna, the intellectual, literary hub of Ubud and home of the Ubud Writer’s festival in October, is a great spot. They have one of the better coffees in Ubud, nice, healthy, cleansing juices and a fantastic 2 for 1 happy hour.

My favorite is their Banoffee Pie! For those of you unfamiliar with this delectable dessert, it’s cookie crumb crust, dulce de leche, sliced banana and fresh whipped cream, A.K.A. a delicious way to end the afternoon!

Norma Jean is a singer, songwriter, thrower of birthday parties, foodie, writer, and ecstatic dancer. She’s here in Bali doing all those things, and more!

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Fly me

by Suki Zoe

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Acro Yoga (or Flying Yoga) blends together acrobatics, traditional yoga and elements of Thai Massage. Developed in the last 10 years in Canada and the US, it is practiced in two’s (base and flyer) or three’s (spotter). Growing in global popularity, especially here in Ubud, I sat down with Yoga Barn’s flying yogis Carlos Romero and Bex Tyrer to find out more about this latest craze.

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What’s the difference between Acro Yoga and Flying Yoga?

Bex: Acroyoga is a yoga practice created by our teachers, Jenny and Jason, who are based in California. Carlos and I are in the final stages of our Acroyoga certification and until we are certified, we call our classes “Flying Yoga”.

What is the certification process like?

Bex: The journey to become an Acroyoga teacher takes time, but its super fun and there is much to learn along the way. Before you can seek certification, you must first apply for training. To qualify for the training you need to be a yoga teacher, massage therapist and have had acrobatic training. You also need to have attended a minimum of two Acroyoga five-day immersions, as well as training with the founders, Jenny and Jason. Only after you have completed these steps are

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you eligible to apply for the Acroyoga teacher training. Currently there are only two trainings a year. In August, I will be attending the training in California and, in October, Carlos will be taking the training in Mexico.

Wow, what a process.

Bex: Students are provided with accessible building blocks to practice skills and confidence. This breaks down the practice so it’s very accessible to all students of different levels of experience.

Do you encounter students who have resistance?

Bex: Occasionally, so we support the student as much as we can and, if they are uncomfortable working in groups, do our best to provide icebreakers and a fun atmosphere.

What is essential in community in your opinion?

All photographs in Fly Me by Suki Zoe Bex: Cooperation, compassion, communication and truth. The yoga of relationships is the real practice and in Flying or Acroyoga class we practice in groups of three, technically the smallest number for a community.

I believe that if we learn to communicate our fears, what feels good, what doesn’t feel good, and we do so with metta (loving kindness), then we can expand that into the wider community. This can bring about social transformation.

A big percentage of wars and social disruptions, in my opinion, are caused by a lack of understanding and or miscommunication. In Flying Yoga there is no room for that. It is also about how you can make someone else feel better. As I said, it is really putting the practice of yoga into practice.

How does Flying Yoga connect with your other yoga practices?

Bex: Physically, it helps my other practices - the training that we have to do - a lot of inversions and core work - strengthens my own practice and has helped me understand more about the teaching of inversions in my regular yoga classes.

The yoga of relating, or relationships - it taught me so much. It helps make the other yoga more relevant in my life.

And how has other practice has helped with the Flying Yoga?

Bex: First, through being a teacher—you know how to get people in their bodies and cue them in certain ways and you know how to create a safe space that students feel comfortable to explore the poses and sequences in.

What do you hope for the students to receive?

Bex: To feel joy, share joy, get over their

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[ Hub-in-Ubud ]

Coworking space coming soon to Ubud.

For now join us for community events including Ubud 20x20. facebook + twitter/hubudbali

C R E AT I V I T Y

Our mission to the community is to be: honest, insightful, edgy, encouraging, challenging, enlightening, creative and of course, INSPIRING! Our success will be measured by the number of our readers who put down our magazine and feel empowered and thus try something new: perhaps sip a green juice, sign up for a retreat, take a day of silence or an all day bike ride, practice yoga, visit a healer, get a massage, taste some new food, volunteer, or perhaps renew an old commitment to oneself and others and step forward in a new direction.

We look forward to hearing your stories so please stay in touch at: editor@inspired-bali.com Our next issue will encompass the theme of GRATITUDE. Look for it in February 2013.

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MEANS

MOTION

fears and feel better in their bodies. There are also the therapeutic benefits of Flying Yoga, the Thai yoga that we often practice at the end of each pose, to each other. That is what Flying Yoga is, a combination of Acrobatics, Yoga and Thai massage — every class is unique. In therapeutic flying, the flyer just needs to surrender into relaxation and trust.

The base is full metta. We work different techniques by incorporating gravity and tension along the spine. It can feel really good for people of all ages — even if they’re not “flexible”.

It is very empowering to support someone bigger than you and it helps cultivate a sense of being grounded, stability, strength and focus. As the base, you can’t daydream. You have to be present during the practice at all times.

Why do you teach it?

Bex: It is a way to allow us to share the practice of yoga and, for me, connection is really the meaning of life. This is not a practice to be done on a separate piece of rubber mat. It is about opening up to one another and overcoming fears, ultimately bringing joy and connection with one’s own body, allowing the spirit to play and sharing with one another.

One of my dreams is to continue to share this practice with people who don’t necessarily practice yoga. Before I moved to Bali I used to work with children living in conflict areas, such as the occupied Palestinian territories, Nepal and Kolkata. I have seen fantastic results from teaching Flying Yoga to trafficked girls and the children of sex workers.

By allowing these children and young people an opportunity to share joy through sharing yoga and by providing a safe space for contact and overcoming fears, Flying Yoga offers the potential to help heal social and emotional traumas.

I really want to travel back to the occupied territories in Palestine, where I used to live. I would love to share the practice with the kids in refugee camps, giving them an outlet for their energy and bringing in some joy. It is a powerful practice on many levels and one that I have a lot of faith in for community regeneration and building a global kula, based on the shared values of Ahimsa and metta.

Thanks Bex! Carlos, what attracts you to Flying Yoga?

Carlos: It is a joyful vibration and it is always natural. It is a different way of practicing yoga. Most of the time, we practice in a very individual way. Through Flying Yoga, we have the opportunity to share our inner connection with others and to get into a place where we can leave the boundaries and all the tension that brings us away from home — our center. By finding mutual support with people, people that you don’t even know – boom - you become friendly with them in this beautiful journey, sharing joy, love and happiness.

What does this practice mean to you?

Carlos: This is a practice that can draw us into ourselves — both alone and in the presence of other people. Freedom comes from one’s self, definitely, but we have the opportunity to support one other in our journey to become happy, to become free from pain

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For more information on Suki and all our writers please visit our website at www.inspired-bali.com 26 | INSPIRED BALI

and suffering — we all have this beautiful gift of healing by our touch, by our smile, by our attitude in life and this practice stimulates you to go in that way.

It allows you to take that step forward and touch someone to make them feel happy — to use our hands to support each other.

Through this practice, we also find joy within ourselves. When you see someone smiling in front of you or see someone who is fulfilled by being in a challenging pose, then you also feel happy; especially if you are in that role of basing or spotting that person.

What’s your favorite—flying (on top) or basing (being the supporter)?

Carlos: I like both. With flying, I can be super high off the ground in someone’s feet and hands. I can empower my practice also there are many different levels of enjoyment physically, as a flyer, you empower yourself through all the acrobatics and inversions.

We have so many mental boundaries as human beings — and when you have someone that is below you and supporting you, then you can have that confidence to say, “Ok, I’m going up, I’m getting really high and someone is supporting me so that I may reach a state that maybe, I couldn’t get to on my own.”

With basing, I can be there for other people.

What do you receive from this practice?

Carlos: Spiritually, it is super beautiful, getting into a state of Shiva: Strength, support, and willpower, as a base; and, as a flyer, the presence of the Shakti shines through. It is beautiful. Energetically it is very strong, because we can feel where we are in the moment and we can see our own limitations -

accepting what it is in the now, you have the opportunity to communicate with the other person where you’re at - “I have so much fear and I’m sharing with you my fear.” After that, you are understood and you can hold the space for each other to go to the next level of trust and connection.

When was the moment that you got hooked?

Carlos: I was in a park in Venezuela one day and I saw a group of friends in amazing positions, supporting one another and doing incredible acrobatics. I saw their transitions, soaring high, with really good vibrations, whilst also going to the opposite side of mellow and therapeutic, a gentle and loving touch with each other — relaxing their bodies.

When I saw both these aspects of the practice and that yoga was created “in between” two of them — THAT hooked me. Definitely my path of yoga is the path of integration acrobatics, healing arts and yoga. That moment was an amazing confirmation that this is the path I want to lead and to share with others wherever I go.

What is the relationship between your flying practice and your other practices?

Carlos: My Flying Yoga practice improves my Asana practice by committing to acrobatic principles, giving me greater strength and flexibility.

My spiritual practice is a practice committed to chanting and listening to Vedanta.

These two practices have helped me to keep the yoga in between. How can we go back to the center and not take any moment for

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granted?

Part of my practice is bodywork, healing and Thai massage. Thai massage is a way that I can explore how I can be of service to others. The fact that it is part of this yoga practice is perfect for me.

The most powerful element is gravity. With gravity we can open the spine and create more space. There is so much benefit derived from being upside down.

What are five things you love about Flying Yoga?

Carlos: 5 things I love about Flying Yoga: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

It is empowering It develops community, Sangha It is joyful practice It brings worldwide connection It is a practice of bringing peace all over the world.

What is your vision for Flying Yoga?

Carlos: I want to bring the practice into other places that may need the extra support, such as working with poorer communities. Currently, I have this project to bring

these teachings into Africa—it’s called the Africa Yoga Project. You can read more about it at: http://www.africayogaproject.org/ Next year I would like to join this group and bring Flying Yoga to Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Ethiopia and South Africa, to name a few. I feel deeply connected to Africa, as it is part of my family roots, and I have a deep calling to reconnect and give back to the African people.

Central and South America and Bali are where I divide my time now, teaching all kinds of yoga and giving Thai massage treatments.

I bring the wisdom of Bali to Latin American and then come back and share the joyful Latino vibrations in Asia. Acroyoga helped me find my true full path, my Dharma.

It is like sunsets, especially when it is super cloudy and you close your eyes and you just ask, with no expectation. When you open your eyes, the clouds give you an opening, a gap to enjoy the sunset and then the clouds float back again. We sit, center, and allow.

Without much thinking, it just starts to happen.

Suki Zoe ran away to NYC after finishing art school in London. There, she discovered colon whispering and a passion for cleansing. She now runs her own practice at Alchemy in Ubud, guiding people through juice fasting, juice feasting, and raw food transition.

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Turmeric Southeast Asia’s Super Spice

Hi! Welcome to the first in our series of Inspired Bali articles, where we profile some of the world’s most amazing, delicious and life enhancing foods. The Living Food Lab team believes strongly in the restorative power of organic whole foods and has made it our mission to get people to think, talk about and understand their food choices better. To your health!

The Living Food Lab is located at Green School in Sibang Kaja.

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Turmeric is a glorious ingredient! This is long, and the scientific research so vastly no shy or subtle spice. Its vibrant yellow documented, it is hard to do it justice in orange color seems to blast an announce- this brief introduction. Suffice it to say that ment of its strong flavor and abundant me- turmeric offers abundant gifts to our boddicinal qualities. A rhizome in the ginger ies as a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflamfamily, turmeric is as earthy as the soil it matory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal is pulled from, with a peppery, warm and and anticancer agent with the potential to mildly bitter flavor and a fragrance slightly address numerous chronic illnesses. Indoreminiscent of orange and ginger. Turmeric nesians even use turmeric topically on cuts grows plentifully in hot, wet climates such and sores due to its antiseptic qualities. as Bali’s and is a major ingredient in IndoOK! OK! How can I eat more of this nesian health tonics and cuisine.

Turmeric’s bright orange color indicates stuff? that it contains a high degree of beta car- Ready to up the intake of turmeric in your otene, the compound our bodies use to diet? Here are some easy and tasty ideas to make vitamin A. Turmeric is an excellent bring fresh, raw turmeric into your meals!

In Bali, turmeric is easy to find. Large source of both iron and manganese, vitamounds of turmeric are available in the min B6, dietary fiber and potassium.

Turmeric has been harvested for over pasar, or local traditional markets. Every 5,000 years; since the Biblical era turmeric little roadside stand, or warung, carries turhas fragranced perfumes, spiced food and meric and the grocery stores always have dyed clothing, and its scientific name, cur- a supply of fresh turmeric as well. Ask for cuma, is derived from Arabic. Written records of its use in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine go back almost 1,500 years.

Native to Indonesia and southern India -- in fact the bright red forehead mark worn by some Hindu women is created by mixing turmeric with lime juice -- turmeric has long been a part of the medicinal and Store fresh roots in the refrigerator, as you would fresh ginger for up to a week. Dried, the roots can be made into a powder culinary culture of the reand stored in airtight containers. gion. The list of health benefits turmeric provides is so

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kunyit. When purchasing, look for turmeric roots that are not shriveled and have a vibrant yellow-orange color when broken open. Store your fresh turmeric in a cool, dark place or in the fridge where it will last for at least a week.

Although it does not hold its rich yellow

color in the sun, turmeric has been long used as a dying agent. Just look at your fingers when cutting raw turmeric and you’ll immediately be aware of its potency as a dye. (Try white vinegar for color removal.)

This root is highly revered in Ayurvedic medicine, as well as general South Asian cuisine.

Native to Southern Asia, the name curcuma comes from the Arabic word “kurkum”, or “saffron”, and is an indication of its relationship to the vibrant orange color of both herbs. Since Biblical times, turmeric has been used to spice foods, make perfume and color clothing.

Living Cauliflower “Couscous” INGREDIENTS 1 medium sized head of cauliflower 1/3 cup, or 80 mL, of turmeric juice (just push turmeric through a juicer, skin and all, or finely grate a 6-7 cm piece of turmeric and mix with water) 1/3 cup, or 80 mL, olive oil juice of one lemon 1 handful of fresh cilantro, destemmed and chopped 1 handful of fresh mint, destemmed and chopped 1 handful of fresh basil, destemmed and chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced 1/2 cup, or 120 mL, green beans, chopped 2 cups, or 1/2 mL, cherry tomatoes, quartered (may substitute roma or heirloom) 2 small shallots, chopped (may substitute red onion) 1 clove garlic, minced sea salt to taste METHOD Roughly chop the cauliflower and pulse in a food processor briefly until the pieces resemble rice (or keep chopping if you don’t have a food processor). Do not over process or you will have mush. Place cauliflower in large mixing bowl and add the turmeric, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and toss. Stir in vegetables and herbs. Chill.

Serves 4

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Jamu Kunyit INGREDIENTS 100g fresh turmeric, juiced, or finely grated and strained 100mL fresh lime juice 1 1/2 tablespoons raw honey water METHOD Juice the turmeric and the limes. Mix with honey. Add cold or warm water to your desired dilution.

Stir and drink!

Serves 2.

This is a centuries-old Indonesian recipe for a jamu, or healthy elixir. Throughout Indonesia jamu gendong (those who, literally, carry medicinal drinks) wake up early in the morning to purchase ingredients at a traditional market and prepare their healing tonics. The jamu gendong pour their special liquids into various recycled bottles, cart the tonics in a bamboo basket on their back, and travel a regular route on foot selling their jamu door to door.

Creamy Yellow Salad Dressing Salads are our favorite food! Toss this dressing with a mixture of salad greens and freshly sliced raw vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

3 cm piece of turmeric, chopped

1/2 cup, or 120 mL, sesame oil

1 cm piece of ginger, chopped

1/4 cup, or 90 mL, virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/4 cup, or 120 mL, apple cider vinegar (replace

1 tablespoon tahini (use raw tahini if possible)

with white vinegar if necessary)

1 teaspoon sea salt

juice of 2 limes METHOD Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth for a creamy, pourable dressing. If a blender is not available, make sure you have chopped everything quite fine and then whisk with a fork or a wire whisk.

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Super Simple Raw Cashew Coconut Truffles truffles ingredients {{ {{ {{ {{ {{ {{ {{

1/4 cup (85 g) organic raw agave syrup/honey 1/4 cup (50 g) organic unrefined coconut oil 1/2 cup (40 g) finely shredded dried coconut 1/2 cup (100 g) organic raw cashews 1 vanilla pod scraped (1 tsp.)

Dash sea-salt Cacao, raisin, almonds, seeds, etc.

method

Soak cashews in room temperature water for 1 hour. Drain.

Blend cashews with vanilla and sea-salt, then add honey and oil. Place “dough” in refrigerator for 1-2 hours until firm. Roll into balls of desired size and then place again in refrigerator for 15 minutes before dipping in chocolate or rolling in nuts, seeds, etc. Be creative!

Yield: 12-16 truffles

dipping sauce ingredients {{ {{ {{ {{ {{

1 cup (220 g) organic raw cacao butter, finely chopped 1/2 cups (40 g) organic raw cacao powder 1/4 cup (85 g) organic raw honey or less- adjust to taste 1 vanilla pod scraped (1 tsp.)

Dash sea-salt

method

Place cacao butter in a double boiler pan over boiling water bath to melt the cocoa butter for 1-2 minutes. The temperature of the butter should remain under 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celcius). Remove from heat before all the pieces have melted. Add remaining ingredients to the pan and stir until smooth, then remove from water bath.

Take one truffle from fridge and place a toothpick in each. Dip each one into the liquid chocolate allowing the excess to run off, then place the truffle on a tray lined with parchment or wax paper.

When all are dipped carefully remove the toothpicks by twisting and gently pulling upward. In order to cover the toothpick hole add a garnish of a nut by dipping the nut in chocolate just enough to make it stay on top or place fine shredded coconut or cacao nibs on the top of each before the chocolate hardens. (If the dipping chocolate becomes too thick you may place it over the hot water for a minute or two). Once all truffles are dipped you can speed up the hardening process by chilling for about 10 minutes…but do not leave them in the fridge too long as they will form condensation when removed from the cold and this will leave an unwanted finish on the surface of the chocolate. If you run out of dipping chocolate you can roll the truffle centers in cocoa powder, finely shredded dried coconut, chopped dried fruit, seeds, etc. RAW CHOCOLATE love!

Yield: enough chocolate to dip approximately 24-30 truffles

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Photo by Steve Mason

Dream Catching: Have A Little Adventure Every Day

by Jane Carleton

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“The deepening dusk opens to a night blue need to have a relationship with my lineage. sky with stars and so much room. I’m sitting The dream brought deep healing and praction a park bench illuminated by a warm light cal information. It came to help me and had shining from an exotic lamppost from a long- the power to change my life.

We are born dreamers. We dream in the ago era. Talking to my brother about how we can have a relationship that is more enrich- womb, and research indicates that by the ing, I notice it’s not his face, but the hand- time we are eighty years old, we have spent some face of a much younger man, perhaps twenty years of our lives dreaming. This is a vital part of our lives that we don’t want to from a tropical land.” miss. Even though I wake up from dreams may be mysthis dream with a terious, scary, or we knowing; this is a big simply don’t rememdream, and I was not ber, there are gems of - Larry Page talking to my brother insight waiting to be in this dream. My uncovered. brother was named Dreams guide us, help us make decisions, after my grandfather, a man I never met and knew little about. My father was raised in remind us of things we’ve forgotten, tell us foster homes, and his missing family was a about relationships, show us what our soul mystery to me. This felt like an invitation, one needs to thrive, move blocked energy and help us heal. They warn us of challenges, I decided to accept.

So, in the bright morning, I did an online tell us about our physical and emotional Google search of my grandfather’s name. A health, inspire and entertain us, and bring photo from 1913 appeared, of a freshman creative gifts.

Dreamers have changed the world in prachigh school football team, and one of the players was my grandfather. As I recognized tical ways. Jeff Taylor is a dreamer. He woke the face I had dreamed the night before, I felt from a dream of a “monster “ job bulletin a blast of energy in my solar plexus and burst board and proceeded to write his idea for into tears, tears for the ancestors I didn’t re- Monster.com. Innumerable artists, writers, alize I needed to know in order to feel whole scientists, and other creative people have and to understand my place of belonging in used their dreams to enhance all of our lives. creative people have used their dreams to this world.

I embarked on a genealogical treasure enhance all of our lives.” Larry Page knows hunt that revealed three generations of my about the creative gifts of dreaming too. family, two generations of healers and their He claims the idea for Google came from a children, who lived in India, where my grand- dream. Your dreams may hold answers for father was born. The dream revealed my yourself and for the world, if you can only

“When a really great dream shows up, grab it.”

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remember them. Everything we’ve created was each other. Children love to tell their dreams.

Dreams are stories and learning how to bedreamed or imagined first.

Dreams are magic, and everyday life can be come a storyteller is one of the benefits.

Dreams bring information for others and this too. This is what your dreaming self already knows, that dreams come to inspire and en- is one reason to share them. Sharing dreams chant your life, to guide you. They serve you, builds community and helps us understand even the frustrating or scary ones, and some- them as we explore them further. Dreams times, the especially scary ones bring especially come to tell us things we don’t already know.

“I’m with a group of friends in a restaurant. deep healing. Your dreams are a reliable gauge A friend is holding his of what is gohead because he has ing on inside a headache. In the of you and dream I understand in the world he suffered a head inaround you. jury. I wake with an inAnd dreams ner voice telling me he are not just will heal from this, but for us individhe will need patience ually. In Bali, because it will be a important -George MacDonald (1824-1905) long process.” dreams are Two weeks later I shared with learned this friend had the family or the community, and dreams of beloved depart- been in an accident overseas and was still in ed loved ones are visits from the other side. the hospital with a significant concussion. I When the ancestors come calling in dreams, contacted him and told him my dream, and the family wants to know about it. They live in that I had a message for him that he will be fine sacred family temples in the family compounds, with time, to have patience and faith in his abilwhere one can communicate with them on a ity to heal. He deeply appreciated this message daily basis, in a tradition that goes back beyond and it gave him hope. He eventually recovered. memory. When an ancestor is reincarnated, A year later I was at the same restaurant as in many Balinese believe they are reincarnated my dream, with the same group of friends, and the dream unfolded in waking life as I saw my back into the family, and the cycle continues.

Dream sharing is part of the practice of be- friend holding his head in the same way I obcoming a skilled dreamer, and we can increase served in the dream a year before. My dream our connections with others this way. Creating was for my friend.

Researchers theorize the feeling of déjà vu, the space within our busy lives to share dreams within the family is a wonderful gift we can give that sensation we’ve experienced something

“As they went on, the moon rose and threw a pale mist of light over the whole, and the diamond drops turned to half-liquid pearls, and round every tree-top was a halo of moonlight, and the water went to sleep, and the flowers began to dream.”

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before as we are experiencing it in present time, is linked to precognitive dreams. We dream something and later it happens in waking life, and we get a sense that we’ve done this before. If you keep a dream journal you may find you have proof your dreams and waking life blend and the boundaries between the two are not absolute.

Dreams are ultimately creative. In order to discover more of the magic in our dreams it’s important to understand that dreams are not just about individual psychological processes, which many of us have been taught in the West. Although this too is a valuable approach for understanding dreams and should be a part of the dreamer’s tool kit for dream exploration, we can have so much more fun with them than just analyzing them.

Skillful dreaming is much more than psychology. It is about creatively and actively engaging with the real dream experience and looking for ways we can bring the creativity and the healing of the dream into waking life.

What we call a dream is a memory of a much larger experience our dreaming self has had.

It has validity in its own way, with its own logic, and is an existential experience this part of our consciousness has undergone. A dream memory is similar to a snapshot we may take of a vacation. It is a picture of an experience, but it is not the whole story. This is why we can open up dreams, go back inside them to have a look around, and discover new insights hidden in the dream memory.

In Bali, as in many cultures, dreams are journeys and we travel beyond the body when we dream.

While dreaming, our

dreaming self is exploring beyond the confines of our body and its limiting five senses.

We use other senses out there in the dream worlds and we can do anything.

In Bali it’s easy to have a waking dream, a waking experience that is rich with the meaningful symbolism of a dream, and that can lead us to the same kind of personal insight that a spontaneous nighttime dream can have. Moving through a day in Bali is often like moving through a dream, full of rich sensory experience and deep meaning. Some visitors to Bali remember fewer dreams while here because waking life is so colorful. And other visitors remember more vivid dreams here because the dreaming self is awakened and stimulated, sensing into the special magic of place. And when we leave the island, our dreams may keep us connected to her.

That “Aha” moment is a feeling of healing.

So it’s important to expand our definition of what is a dream. A dream is more than just what happens spontaneously during the night. Your imagination and dreams come from the same creative source. Dreaming includes imagination, daydreams, fantasies, meditation, reverie, moments of spacing out, inner voice experiences, images, visions, body sensations, intuitions, and anything else that expands our way of sensing the world. This includes waking moments that are dreamy.

We live in a world of symbols.

What does it mean to have a dreaming

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practice? Skillful dreaming is learned and practiced, like yoga, meditation, or hula hooping. It’s not hard to do and it’s FUN! It’s creative. What is trying to come through for you in your nightly forays into the deepest parts of yourself? What kind of adventure is your dreaming self experiencing? How are your daydreams, your imagination, your fantasies, your wise inner promptings, and your reveries informing your life? What about those funny coincidences you notice in your day?

They all have something for you.

When developing a personal dreaming practice you expand your awareness and meet a part of yourself that is ready to help

you live a richer life, with more vitality and a touch of magic. You receive guidance and catch unexpected ideas. You live a bigger life, one that includes more of your deep story.

Are you a dreamer? It’s romantic to be a dreamer. It brings in play and enchantment and a feeling of magic. With dreams we remember anything is possible. We remember things we knew when we were children.

Something in us becomes young again.

It all starts with catching your dreams. “But I don’t remember my dreams.” I know, but when you decide it’s important, and you provide yourself with a few tools to do this, you will begin to remember them.

“One of my favorite dreams is a recurring one, in which I’m behind the counter in a fancy pastry shop in Belgium, fork in hand, taking one bite of each of the beautiful and delicious cakes, the flavor very much alive, each bite different.

The taste is real and the experience is delightful.

Much as both dreaming and waking life can be.”

- Jane E. Carleton

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How to Catch Those Elusive Dreams »» Make it Important: Decide it’s important to remember your dreams. This in itself alerts your dreaming self you’re ready to remember. Select and organize your tools by your bed: dream journal, pen, colored pencils, iPad, and or tape recorder. »» Incubate a Dream: Ask for a dream before you go to sleep. Do this every night, and be persistent; it may take some time to wake up to your dreaming self. You can put a slip of paper with a dream request, or any other symbol, under your pillow at night. Try doing this with a crystal, a little figure, a picture, or anything that will remind you of your dreaming self. Some people like the fragrance of the herb mugwort as a dream enhancer. »» Dreams are Experiences: Revise your concept of what is a dream. What we

call a dream is a memory of an experience our dreaming self has had. This dream memory is a glimpse of a larger event, and is similar in ways to the photos we take of a vacation, which gives us a view of something we’ve done, that is now a memory.

There is more there in the dream experience that is unseen and forgotten. Even a fragment of a dream can be expanded.

Fragments, snippets, and flashes are all bits of dreams that are valuable. »» Scan: Get in the habit of scanning your body and your awareness both before you fall asleep and when you wake, and even while moving through your waking day. Watch for images, sounds, emotions, body sensations, words, unexpected sentences, fragrances, and memories. Do this every time you wake. Pay attention to these gifts and write them down, draw or

INSPIRED BALI |41

record them. You may come to recognize the distinct physical sensation you experience when you wake, alerting you to start your scan. »» Stay Still: Don’t move immediately when you wake. Try to stay in the same body position you were in when you were dreaming. If you use an alarm, set it close enough to reach the snooze button without changing your body position. Dreams may linger longer if we keep our body still.

After we’ve scanned, more of the dream may return if we get into a body position we experienced in the dream. Try assuming the position of a dream character other than yourself and see what comes to you. Play at becoming that character. »» Add the Hypnogogic State: This is the layer of consciousness we experience briefly as we are transitioning from being awake into sleeping. Practice becoming aware of what is happening when you dip into this state. It is a richly creative initial phase of sleep and it brings images, ideas, words, advice, feelings, memories, and sensations. Try to sustain it and see if you can catch something. »» Include the Hypnopompic State: Watch what happens in this short period of consciousness we experience just as we wake, between sleeping and waking. Do you have a physical sensation of re-entering this world? Where have you just been, or are you still there? What does it look like? Is it day or night? Who are you with?

How do you feel physically? Do you feel any emotions? Do any words come?

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»» Look for Nightly Gems: Instead of expecting a fully formed dream story every night begin to look for some kind of a “gem from the night” when you wake. What did the night bring? Was it a dream, a memory, an image, interesting squiggly lines, a powerful word, an inspiring phrase, some words of wisdom, an idea, a deep knowing, or a good night’s sleep? »» What’s Happening in Your Day? Watch for coincidences and symbolic appearances in your waking life. Is a life question somehow answered? Does something happen that you dreamed previously? Do you experience a Déjà Vu feeling? You may find you dreamed the event before it happened, and these events can be very simple and mundane, or important and big. Look for these in your dream journal.

Precognitive dreams may be clear and unmistakable, or the precognition may be hidden in the symbols of a dream that looks nothing like what unfolds in waking life, but the tone, the feeling, of the dream is the same. Look for symbols in your day that have meaning for you, and engage with these in some way. »» What do you do with your dreams after you have a journal full of them? We’ll look at that in future articles. We’ll learn something about the anatomy of dreams, the layers of meaning in a dream, and how to work and play with them. Now that you are ready to remember more dreams, have fun, and have a little dream adventure every day.

About Jane Jane E. Carleton, M.A. specializes in dreams as an international consultant, educator, and workshop leader. She teaches Robert Moss’s Active Dreaming and other transformative dreaming techniques.

Jane is also a gifted intuitive facilitator of healing and personal transformation. She guides individuals on a fascinating cross-cultural experience of the power of dreams and imagination to enhance and transform daily life. She comes to Bali often to dream.

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Trataka a meditation practice for everyone

By Arun Goel, founder of HealthandYoga.com, a website dedicated to sharing the teachings of yoga.

T

rataka is a wonderful practice for everyone and especially for the aspirant of meditation. It is actually classified as a cleansing practice in Yoga.

What it is?

To put it briefly, Trataka - also called Yogic gazing - is a practice where the gaze is fixed on an object for some time and then that object is visualized clearly with the eyes closed, as an inner image at the eyebrow center.

Benefits Trataka has several benefits which would be helpful to every one and not only mediation aspirants: »» Trataka is believed to have a helpful effect in treating and even resolving several

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eye disorders such as weak eyesight. It improves the internal and external optic function. »» It improves concentrative powers and mental resolve. »» It helps in disconnecting with the noise and distractions of the external world.

This is deeply relaxing. »» In yoga, it is said to also develop the “third” eye - the seat of intuition or that associated with “psychic” powers.

How it Works?

At the physical level it is said to strengthen the eye muscles by exercising them to focus upon a point. Practicing Trataka on an object

such as the candle flame is said to provide a unique ‘balming’ effect to the eyes which help in eye health and in the alleviation of certain eye disorders.

At the pre-meditative level, it is necessary to stall eyeball movement for great benefits and experiences. As we are aware, eyeballs are constantly in motion even while sleeping in the form of REM (Rapid Eye Movement).

The aim is to minimize and eventually stall even this minutest of movement. Trataka is a wonderful practice in yoga to achieve this, as it helps in overcoming this by focusing on a point and then visualizing its after-image with the eyes closed.

Many of the hurdles in our personal lives and even on the path to meditation have to do with our inability to disconnect with the external world at will. In yogic terminology, this would mean the inability to withdraw our senses from the sense objects. Trataka, through the focus on one object, helps to make this disconnect more easily and prepares us to do so at will. This is relevant to almost everyone, but specifically vital for the meditation aspirant.

How it is done?

Trataka can be practiced on several objects, but the most popular and effective is trataka on a flame. This is because a flame (such as a candle flame) produces the best after-image that helps in easier visualization of the flame even when eyes are closed. This is the

desired effect of Trataka - wherein you can visualize and concentrate on the image even when the eyes are closed.

You should first be seated in a comfortable meditative posture or a squatting position with spine erect. If you have trouble squatting on the mat, you may raise the seating by a few notches.

A candle is placed in a Trataka Stand and the height of the stand is adjusted so that the wick of the flame is at horizontal eye level. The stand is placed at an arm’s length. Trataka is to be practiced with spectacles removed, so people with spectacles may have to adjust the distance between the stand and themselves, so that they observe a clear image of the candle wick without blur.

The focus should on the top end of the wick, as the candle burns. Keep your eyes relaxed while fixing the gaze on the wick. Try not to blink as blinking will interfere in the formation of a clear inner image.

This gaze is kept constant for some time and then eyes closed. With the eyes closed, you should try to observe the inner image of the flame at the eye brow center.

If you don’t see it, don’t be disappointed you should start seeing it with practice. Keep the eyes closed for as long as you see the inner image. Then re-start.

It can be safely said that the practice of Trataka is a powerful practice especially relevant in today’s stressful times and a necessary one for the sincere yoga aspirant.

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Inspiring People

After a tumultuous childhood, Natalia Perry first came to Bali at the tender age of 19. After climbing one of Bali’s sacred volcanoes, Mount Batur, she had a realization: she was in love with the island and felt a calling to make a difference. On top of the mountain, a voice spoke clearly from within: “You’re going to start a children’s charity here in Bali. This island has a lot to teach you, and the wisdom that you and the charity need will be nurtured here. Eventually, the charity will work in Africa”. A path of service was defined. Here, in her own words, is her inspiring journey:

Seven months after my first trip to Bali, a near-fatal car accident re-awoke my purpose. From that day forward I promised myself that if I survived, I would dedicate my life to helping children. In 2008, I set up The Sacred Childhoods Foundation in Bali. The SCF is now 4 years old, and is supporting approximately 350 children on 7 outreach projects in Bali and Sulawesi through a range of aid, trade, lend and teach programs.

Yet, helping children who are living in impoverished situations was never my core focus. As a survivor of childhood abuse, I more passionately desired to assist those similarly affected. During the years that I worked as a counselor for children and adults, I heard stories of sadistic torture, murder, and even cannibalism. Part of my support role was to help those affected to work through their memories - memories which often continue to haunt me. But I continue to be motivated by the incredible strength and willpower that I witness in all survivors. Knowing what terrible things sometimes happen to children, and fueled by the strength I had seen

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in those survivors, I decided to set up Project COCAC –Combating Organized Crimes Against Children.

The COCAC project is still in its early stages, but is already gaining momentum. My team and I work closely with international law enforcement and local police to identify child sex tourists and expats who abuse local children. We also help authorities find the brothels that employ children, and are currently setting up a prevention and awareness program to tackle child trafficking, which is sadly a big problem in Indonesia. We are also building an eco-village called The Sanctuary, where rescued children will live and recover in safety. The Sanctuary will be filled with beautiful gardens and locations to grow organic produce, animals (including horses), and a very special team of dedicated foster mothers, therapists, and doctors. The children will be able to tailor their own individual class schedules, including Tai-Chi and Aikido, meditation, yoga, traditional psychological therapy, art, drama, music, dance, animal care and farming, as well as education and skills

training. If and when they are able to, we will also help them stand trial and assist the judicial system to combat those who organize and commit these crimes against children.

In the future, I plan to take Sacred Childhoods to Africa and create a worldwide network of sanctuaries for child soldiers, sex slaves, and many others. For now, I am gratefully living in Bali and nurturing my team, building our foundation on the Island of The Gods.

Natalie Perry is the Director and Founder of Sacred Childhoods

INSPIRED BALI |47

Top 5

where to shop, eat, give, practice, indulge and move from our favorite locals in the know Pak Oka I love going to th e beaches in East Bali, especially Bu near Candidasa. g Bug

Beach

Getting together with my commun ity and discussin culture, and som g religion, etimes politics. Ev eryday at 6:00pm cooking fire at m we light a y father’s compo und, and at 7:00 together. We all pm we sit down get exactly the sa me size portion, if you are a Brah it doesn’t matter man or high pries t, if you’re young It’s called Yassa, or if you’re old. which means do ing the same thin kind of like yoga g everyday, it’s or meditation.

I’m from Mas, a wo od carving village, so naturally I like Mostly I carve ro to carve. ots and recycled wood. It makes m very relaxed. e feel great and e water Tempul, th wn I love Tirta ng your o B temple. ri n er o d ti n u ca y fi a ri pu ur w nd make yo ll forms of a offerings a ng ins, releasi clean in the founta y washed a w a e m o .c ... ty vi ti a neg the spirit. north of Sand beach way day! e it h W to Go get a for a great Candidasa and young d n sa e whit Blue water, coconuts.

Ubud and no Salon in ack rub or Go to Mila di and a b e p i/ e. n a m get a e same tim age all at th ss a m d a e h Decadent! ade ous handm buy gorge e ... th ts t is a rt A rs r lo Fo ge of co n ra ll ll fu a tb the Foo a paper in utmak on T to t x e n . shop ewi Sita on Jalan D field on it’s ck l go to Bla Italian mea i...the h cc o n For a real g e ud. Try th b U nd the in a g ch n a Be is amazi ce u sa la gorgonzo stuff. is the real red sauce 48 | INSPIRED BALI

My family and I lo ve Ryoshi restau rant in Ubud. We special occasions save it .

for

The best mie (noo dles) in Bali are fo und in Denpasar called Mie Jakarta at a place . It’s owned by a Chinese couple wh own noodles. Th o make their e food is amazin g and well worth the effort.

Pak Oka is a build er, designer, and entrepeneur fro When he’s not ca m Mas, Ubud. rving, working or designing, he can drinking coffee an be found d smoking Malbor o’s at home with 12 month old so his wife and n, Gustu.

Brenda Ferreira is a multi-talented artist, dancer and counselor who resides in Ubud. She lives by her motto “ Live from the inside out. Do the next indicated step and trust your instincts.”

Peter Wall is a video-journalist and community builder. He is co-founder of HUBUD, a community co-working space in Ubud that will be opening soon. He’s coach to the Bali Boolay’s, the island’s only ultimate frisbee group and he is the proud father of three boys.

My weekly devotion at Temple dance, Sundays 11am with Charlie at Yoga Barn. It’s pure communion of body, soul and spirit that gets fueled with the combined energies of our incredible community – Blessed Blessed are we!

Salad at Alchemy – need I say more….. Simply the best live food in Bali. Thanks for the integrity and love you put into the food, its preparation, price point and accessibility. It is praiseworthy.

Bali Sunset from the Thallaso pool at the Ayana. I’m a sunset devotee and the sheer poetic romance of seeing the majestic purple pink skies framing a graceful slide down into the ocean from the healing water is an indulgence I thoroughly recommend – a delicacy made for two!

The secret hidden beaches of Bali. Go find them! They are pristine and 100% paradise. Whoever says Bali doesn’t have great beaches is just lazy. The joy is in the search and the languishing that one cannot help to do once whence found. Bliss.

Giving Back… don’t be afraid to open your hearts and wallets and give back to this island, her nature and her people. We gain so much and there is also much that we have the power to do so that she is restored, educated, cleansed and loved. Start small and local by picking up the rubbish, teaching those around you about the environment, find a charity or just change your point of view from what you can gain to what you can give. True wealth is in helping Bali maintain what treasures that cannot be sold.

Michaela Maria is a circus fairy who came to the island and never left.

Mother of Jetsun and Balistarz – the number one double knockout events company and photo production agency all under the same roof. Loving what I do, spreading magic all over the island and never worked a day in my life.

Mountain bike the volcanic ridge above Mount Batur: Head to the hills! Bali has some great mountain biking, especially in the Kintamani/ Bedugal areas. One of my favorite rides is the trail that runs on the ridge on the North side of the massive crater which surrounds Mount Batur. On a clear day you can see the North coast, Mount Agung and lake Batur sitting in the crater below.

Grab some cheap Padang food - the fast food of Indonesia. To the uninitiated, Padang Food is, well, unusual at best. It’s pre-cooked, and sits in bowls in the window of every restaurant, ready to be served. It’s also eaten with your hands, in the traditional Padang style. The food is spicy, delicious, and cheap. A great combo.

Stop for a minute and watch someone pray.

The Balinese are remarkable in their devotion to their religion. Every once in a while I stop and watch a local pray as they make an offering. Graceful and beautiful.

Get a treatment at Dr. Sujatha’s place.

Dr. Sujatha, an Ayurvedic doctor based in Nyuh Kuning who runs Amrtasiddhi Clinic.

One of my favourite treatments they offer is a full body oil massage, called Pizychil Rejuvenating.

Tennis at Maya Ubud. Tennis is my favourite sport, and the court at Maya Ubud, a hotel in Ubud, is great. It’s tucked away and surrounded by ivy, and they provide water, towels, and even racquets. We try to play INSPIRED BALI |49 before 10 in the morning, to stay cool.

Lyyli, a grade 9 student, can be found playing Marimba at Green School in her free time.

Eating ribs in Ubud at Naughy Nuri’s followed by Gaya Gelato.

They have the best gelato ever!

Going to Cantika Spa for a hair treatment and then wandering through the rice fields to Sari Organik for a yummy lunch.

Scootering up to the water temple (Titra Empul) for a purification.

Heading to the Gili Islands to release the turtles.

Hanging out at home and enjoying the day of silence on Nyepi, my favorite balinese holiday.

Myles and Austin Wall are 9 year old twins that live in Nyuh Kuning.

Join them on Sunday afternoons in the village soccer field playing ultimate frisbee.

Waterbom will always be the number one sacred place to go with our friends and relax after a long week of school.

The hot fondue chocolate and fruit dessert at Atman in Ubud is devine. I am sure it’s even better with ice cream, but our mom won’t let us order so much sugar at once.

Surfing lessons on Sunday mornings with our magical instructor Eduardo Petta who owns “Free Spirit Surf School” and is the best surfer dude in the world.

Eating hamburgers at Cinta.

Biking with my parents up the Sari Organik trail. It’s a bit crazy in parts (like you could fall down a big hill and maybe die) but that’s what makes it such a thrill!

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Lila Ripple and Ben Macrory at Green School’s Mepantigan Photo by Steve Mason