My adventures at Bali Spirit Festival

The way into the Bali Spirit festival is lined with colourful flags and a beautiful Ganesh statue decorated with flowers greets you at the entrance (along with a smiling volunteer to check your wrist band). It's a lovely welcome and I'm very excited to be here, my first session is with Tiffany Cruikshank, a Yogini famous for her knowledge of anatomy and crazy arm balances.

In hindsight it may have been better to ease into things....

Even at 8am the weather was warm and humid, we started with a discussion on core anatomy (I actually would have loved a bit more detail here) and then back to our mats to do a sequence focusing on each of the muscle groups mentioned, it was great flowing between the cerebral and the physical, feeling what was happening with those muscles after thinking about it. We also flowed through some great fun standing vinyasas, using a deep squat called 'skater' to change sides. I also loved her practice kick up to handstand, starting from 3 legged dog, stepping one foot all the way forward and the other half way. You never feel like you're going to tip over backwards (since the second leg stays bent), but can definitely feel when you hit the balance point and how that second leg could straighten up in the future. All these handstand kicks and standing postures on a hot humid morning (even at 8am), soon had me drenched with perspiration, which made the arm balances even more challenging. My sweaty slippery arms kept sliding off my sweaty slippery legs (leggings tomorrow) and i'm
not the most adept arm balancer at the best of times but it was pretty inspirational to sit
back and watch some of stronger practitioners take flight.

The energy in my next session Gwynn Williams was totally different, he combines his knowledge of Chinese Medicine, shiatsu, Thai massage and osteopathy into a flowing playful practice. Our session was based on the kidney and bladder meridians, the focus was intention and awareness. Lots of free flowing movement, massage and partner work (including a couple of postures that were new to me and felt fantastic). The festival had a really friendly vibe and working in groups was a great way to interact and connect with other people there. The whole session felt very nurturing, Gwynn spoke a lot about practicing from a place of loving kindness, although there were still some stronger movements in the mix. Funnily enough even though Gwynn and Tiffany come from completely different backgrounds they both used the same bicycle navasana core strength sequence (I'm definitely bringing that one home).

My highlight of the day was the Capoeira class was Mestre Bira, he bought such a exuberant, playful and supportive energy to the workshop. The group energy was a big aspect of this practice, at the end of the session we all got a chance to 'play' capoeira, with two people within the circle and everyone else around it, clapping, drumming and singing, feeding energy back and forth between the circle and the players within. It really helped that there were about 5 other teachers and lots of senior students there to help- there was always someone there to help and it was really inspiring to see how the basic moves we learnt could be embellished with acrobatic amazingness. It was a really fun end to the day and I'm really keen to keep learning Capoeira back at home.

My first session on day 2 was with Simon Low, he had a wonderfully poetic way of weaving detailed anatomy and energetic instruction into the practice. It was great to have a powerful teacher who really held the space in a festival environment (lots of potential distractions). He also bought a wealth of knowledge and experience and introduced me to a completely new way of practicing warrior 2 which felt more powerful and more comfortable for the spine. I found Simon Low so inspiring that I did two of his sessions, Yin and Yang yoga and Crouching Tiger. They both had some beautiful sequences flowing between deep squats and Qi Gung style flowing movements, intricate arm mudras and 'traditional' asana like down dog and trikonasana (although usually with an instruction or perspective that was new to me). I really had to shut down the part of my brain that wanted to jot down every gem of wisdom, and just be present in the flow of the practice and soak that information up in my body rather than file it in my mind. Although I still wrote down lots of notes at the end!

My next session was with Michiko Minegishi, vinyasa flow to the beat of Japanese drums, the session was titled 'bridge to Hanumanasana'. It was in the upper level of a bamboo pavilion, with a beautiful view out onto tropical gardens but we were packed in mat to mat and I had the most distracting neighbour ever. The Bali Spirit festival has a laid back vibe (it's definitely not a retreat) the teachers always welcomed late comers, you could often hear music and conversation floating into the open walled pavilions and lots of people took photos or recorded sessions. I'm not bothered if someone wants to take a discrete picture, it's a beautiful setting- I took a couple of pictures before class. My neighbour was not discrete. She got out her iPad and took a photo of every single pose. Both sides. Sometimes wielding the iPad in while in a balancing asana, sometimes keeping hold of it in the flow between asana. Midway through class, her friends mobile rang, she took the call had a long conversation and then booked the appointment into her calendar. I really didn't know what to do. If it was my class, I'd give them the option of switching off the phones or leaving, but it wasn't my class and the teacher either didn't notice or didn't mind.

Was this a lesson from the universe? I'd been alternating between trying to be present in class and trying to remember all the juicy bits and here was someone who had definitely chosen the 'file it all away' approach. So I tried to keep my focus on my own practice and my own mat and also to see the funny side of the situation (I couldn't resist giving her a couple of filthy looks though - hopefully those pictures don't surface somewhere online).
The class itself was great, so many cool variations on parigasana (gate pose) and deep lunging postures that all gradually opened up the hips and hamstrings in slightly different ways. She bought in a couple of crazy partner postures too- like one person laying back in supta virasana and someone else walking on their thighs (which didn't feel as intense as I thought it was going to). And warrior 1, with one helper pulling the front leg and someone else on the back leg (which felt just as intense as I thought it would).
After finding the iPad photography so distracting all through the class and not wanting to make a scene and call her out on it during the session, I'd kind of decided to say something to my neighbour at the end of the practice- but I would have had to wait in line behind the guy who came up to give her his email address and ask if she could send him the pictures.... Surrender....let it all go....make sure I'm nowhere near her in any of my other sessions...

There was no chance of getting distracted in my next session, as it was with Jocelyn Gordon - Hoop Yogini! She's kind of a vitality super hero, standing a head taller than everyone else, muscles gleaming, beaming, laughing and singing as she teaches all the while flowing with effortless grace (she has danced for 20 years and considers her dance moving prayers). Jocelyn teaches that the cultivation of a joyful life is a spiritual path and that transformation can be fun. I went to three of her workshops and they were all super fun, playful, inspiring, booty shaking, sweaty and transformative!

Playing with a hula hoop is usually a fun thing to do, but Jocelyn interwove yogic philosophy in a beautiful way. We used the hoop as a tool to observe the mind- if your mind wandered off generally the hoop would drop mirroring your drop in focus, but at the same time if you tried to rigidly hold the hoop there would be no flow. We cultivated an observers perspective from within the hoop - observing our habits of thinking and how they manifested into patterns of movement. Jocelyn had her own take positive thinking and mantra in the hoop. There were times were we formulated our own mantras and movements to embody them as well as a vinyasa like flow between sequences were we lifted the hoop up and exclaimed 'LIFE IS AWESOME' then drew down saying 'OH YES IT IS'. That one has stayed with us through the trip, Rane and I have been saying that to each other and he didn't even go to the Workshop - that's how powerful she is. She taught each session with a playful wink, but straight from the heart and since she was so invested and encouraging, everyone really committed to the process. Many of the exercises could potentially have felt awkward or cheesy, but instead felt really joyful and authentic and elevating really simple movements into individual expressions of intention that felt and looked amazing.
She encouraged everyone to tap into their own personal power and self expression and the ability to move with grace and strength in the hoop translating to moving with grace and strength through life.

Grace and flow was also a big part of the session I did with Anastasis, entitled Zorba Spirit Dance. Anastasis had a very playful presence at the festival, he looked like he was in his 60s with tanned sinewy muscles and a big white beard, other teachers would shout out to him and get him up on stage at their sessions, once we saw him tearing down the road on his bike, beard flowing in the wind, he always looked like he was having the time of his life. So I was curious to check out his workshop, it was described as 'a synthesis of different traditions blending the grace, fluidity and beauty of the dancer, being grounded, lightness, determination of martial arts and the spirit and expression of Zorba the Greek encompassing generosity, creativity, integrity, freedom and celebration!
His session really felt like a celebration of movement and life. He started with baroque music and by explaining how Piña Bausch was one of his gurus and there were a few free flowing dance breaks during the practice which just felt like a continuation of the asana practice on a more personal level. Early on he also checked in on everyone's energy levels, we were pretty tired so the practice was challenging but with a rejuvenating, restorative focus and I got the feeling that he could potentially go much stronger. You could feel the influence of dance and martial arts in his movements, which all flowed with the breath often in patterns I'd never considered before. We also practiced some Egyptian postures (which I also did in a workshop with Danny Paradise), with the 90 degrees elbows and wrists like you'd see in stone engravings, a beautiful flowing lotus mudra in warrior 2, spreading the basmati rice in horse stance and the easiest entry into side crow I've ever experienced (although by now I'd practiced it in 5 different workshops- maybe all that practice was paying off).

As well as all these dance, hoop and martial arts inspired workshops, I went to some fantastic vinyasa sessions. Danny Paradise took us through his take on Ashtanga vinyasa with lots of fun variations I'm really looking forward to bringing home to class. Gayatri Sandhi Ferreira lead a great session of Jivamukti style adjustments. I also loved Les Leventhal's sessions, they were hilarious and heart felt. It was a really strong, sweaty practice, but his energy was kind and playful. It's been a while since I've been to a regular 'power flow' type class and I'd forgotten how much fun it was and how great you feel afterwords. Lots of ideas to take back home to my own practice and classes and luckily Les will be teaching a couple workshops in Melbourne in May (details on www.yogawithles.com) - I'll definitely be there!

Lila, meaning play was also the theme of Tara Judelle's workshop, where she playfully eased us into eka pada kondanyasana, gradually guiding us through hip openers, core strength and balancing asana, hearing her say 'now you've got everything you need to do this' made the journey up so much easier! She also gave a lovely description of our bodies being our 'conciousness pods' and our asana practice a way of keeping this instrument in great working order to help us skillfully navigate the universe. I was looking for this quote on her website (hoping to get her exact wording) and found this beautiful quote that just sums up the experience of yoga in Bali
" I cannot put words into the magic that is Bali. The kinetic feeling of the island, so magically placed in the midst of a sprawl of 13,000 Islands. The feeling of waking up in the midst of nature to uncover the teachings of yoga in a place where offerings are a daily feature of the Hindu culture. Surrounded by bird sounds and breeze, and temple prayers singing in the atmosphere...Bali will capture your heart and insinuate itself into the fabric of your yoga...when you are in your urban compounds, surrounded by walls and traffic sounds you will remember what it means to merge, effortlessly into a seamless fabric of nature. You will have an inner imprint, that will serve, and a recollection of our ground of being."

The teachings were an amazing part of the Bali Spirit festival, but the joy of this experience went way beyond what I practiced on the mat. This festival was a big treat for all the senses, the bliss of diving into the beautiful pool, the delicious veggie food and the live music. It's also really fun being at a festival with a big group of like minded, but diverse people, there was a really friendly vibe and lots of laughs. It was an indulgent experience but also a spiritual one. There was a sense of being surround by nature in open pavilions surrounded by lush tropical gardens and the sun and rain beyond them. We were also surrounded by the rituals of Balinese culture, beautiful floral mandalas were prepared daily, statues of deities like Ganesh and Shiva were also draped in flowers and always felt so welcomed into this culture. Richard Semarr explains it beautifully in his introduction to the festival guide

'When you come to Bali, free your mind for a time, study, observe, tune in and you will be re-inspired, your creativity opened, and bought to a place of peace within your own being.

Bali remains our protected temple, which allows us the possibility of relaxing and releasing the materialistic mind and entering the inner chambers of your own heart. The beauty and artistry is obvious. The fluidity and humour of the people delight the senses. Drop down a little deeper and you will feel a new burst of creativity awakening in your life, a taste of pure soul conciousness. The opportunity to drink deeply of this culture that will always be defended and protected by the Balinese"