Kwan Yin: The Bamboo Dancer

Hong Kong is massive crossroads for business. Super simple to enter into this extension of China; it felt like anyone with a credit card and a smile on his face could get into HK.  We flew into HK for business as well: Ryan needed a computer and I was trying to get a visa to enter into the mainland of China. By the grace of God, we also had a volunteer position at a local boarding school for children; otherwise our journey would have been filled with too much city smog and not enough smiles.

Being at the school and working with the children was hands down the highlight of our 5-day trip in HK. The first night I presented “Alaska” to a group of a couple hundred hungry eyed Chinese

children. Many messages were lost in translation, but the pictures projected on the massive screen spoke for themselves. The second night, Ryan and I gave an ukulele/flute/mantra concert for the
children. Wahe Guru! We played “Ong Nama/Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Bubble Tea,” “Mango Song,” “Om Namah Shivaya,” and “Jai Te Gang.” Feet were stomping and hands clapping during our chant to Shiva. The children enjoyed it so much that they requested to learn it.

 The following evening, we met with their entire musical ensemble. First, they put on a show for us. Massive drums in sync led by their fearless leader on a djembe, a group of boys strumming their guitars, singers, and a classical guitarist. Wonderful! We were honored to join in a jam session with them. As requested, we taught them the chords for “Om Namah Shivaya” and the lyrics. A few boy

s huddled around a microphone, guitars and drums; we made the house shake! The twinkle in these children’s eyes as they played music gave me a well of inspiration that carried me effortlessly through the next days.

In between music and presentations, we met with groups of children individually. They could ask us questions or just listen to us as a way to help them practice English. I had fun with a few groups, but one group of girls specifically stands out in my mind and heart. They were so eager to experience life, ask questions, and incredibly respectful when I spoke. We began speaking about “love,” and I uncapped the filter and began spilling as much truth as I could in our short time together. We shared the “Hunab Ku Handshake,” they practiced lotus/heart/healing/Buddha mudras, the breathed through alternate nostrils, they shared stories of their parents using mala beads and the meaning of mantra (Om Mani Padmi Hum), and we shared many smiles and laughs. I left the group with a great responsibility to begin changing the world one hug at a time, one smile at a time. With every breath we take, we can choose the path of love.

On the business side of things, Ryan got his computer and I was rejected to receive my visa. After visiting the visa office numerous times with all sorts of documents from China, I began feeling like I was swimming upstream. I decided to let go and follow the water course way. Within a few hours of Ryan’s plane leaving, I bought a ticket and got ready to go to Bali!

I am quite familiar with this island, as a great friend of mine from the Caribbean, “Bali Bob,” spent a large portion of his life here. Bob is a fellow pirate, Larimar lover, merman, rainbow spirit, and beach volleyball junkie; we have similar taste! I also know that this island is a major chakra point on the Dragon ley lines of the earth. In fact, it is known as the purification island of the earth. Looking back on my journey, I might have started on Mt. Fuji in Japan and followed the Dragon lines up through Asia to Glastonbury.  Luckily, I caught the wave at the right time and fell in sync with my journey.

Ryan had an agenda right when he got off the airplane. He had been planning on coming to Bali for a week or so and made connections with friends that were on island and have been here before. He was determined to get a motorbike and a surfboard the first day upon arriving. Figuring I was in Bali with a surf instructor, I may as well give surfing my all. I followed suit and scooped up a bike and board.

Riding a motorbike in India is crazy, but there is something about biking in Bali. The first night we were forced down opposite streets and both got lost in Kuta trying to find our way out of the one way street paved hell. Our couple hour trek to Uluwatu the next day with a full backpack, Ukulele, and surfboard was even crazier! Highways, roundabouts, no lights, left side of the road, thousands of scooters and cars, and only a slight idea of where we were going.

 We were graced to find a little house in the jungle to rent only a few minutes from one of the best surf breaks in the world. Without hesitating, we put our gear down, grabbed our boards and made our way to Uluwatu. In order to get out to the wave, you must paddle through a crevice between two cliffs over coral reef. Up to this point I had only been on a surfboard a handful of times. Following Ryan’s lead (who has chased waves for years and instructed), I paddled out to the wave.

It became obvious to me real quick that I was the only beginner on this wave. I got smashed. I tried by best to keep up, but it was not happening. I took one nice eater and sliced my thigh on the coral. Deciding it was time to get out, we paddled to shore with sunburns that caused both of our backs to completely peel off.

I had heard of a smaller wave on Padang beach not too far away, so we dropped our boards off and went to explore. Ryan noticed many people weren’t wearing helmets, and asked me “are you going to wear one?” Reluctantly, I said “Yes, I promised Anais I would…” I am still not sure what really happened when I crashed, but I am damn happy that I was damn happy I had my helmet on when my head skipped across the asphalt. I picked my haggard bike up out of the woods, looked at my bleeding body and ripped out toenail, hobbled towards the road to try and shake it off. A couple of locals stopped to help me out. One of the older guys took my bike to a local mechanic to get the flat tire and fender fixed. After about an hour of hanging my head on the side of the road, Ryan joined me and assured me that the wave was rideable at Padang.

From this experience, I began to realize that something was out of balance. I took a day to rest, build an altar and begin a personal sadhana to connect to my truth. For the next couple of weeks, I got in a pretty nice routine. I would wake up around sunrise, do a yoga/meditation practice, then grab my board and go to Padang to surf. About midday, I would go to a wonderfully healing masseuse that was helping my body to heal. Sometimes I would go back to the waves, or I might feast on durian and play music to the setting sun.

We had internet access at our house so I had the opportunity to connect to some wonderful people and research a bit about this island. As it turns out, there is a path of purification on this island, and it begins in Uluwatu. As I visited local Warungs to eat food, I began running into many people who also experienced motorbike accidents. I felt like I had gone through an initiation on my first day. Every time I entered the water to surf, my body burned from the accident. I spent hours in pain on my surfboard, but kept reminding myself that I was purifying!

I began to be called by the rest of the island as there is a great yoga community in Ubud and diving in Amed. In Uluwatu, Ryan and my path began to separate. We surfed in different spaces and our life out of the water was also different. I put a shout out to anyone who knew of a volunteer position I could get for the Bali Spirit Yoga festival happening the following week. I got some great feedback!

Joel put me in touch with his buddy Peter. They were flatmates in Australia and both committed yogis. Peter had an open room in his villa and invited me to his space with an open heart. We immediately began sharing our best practices with one another. Experiencing 5 element form, kriyas, vinyasas, pranayamas, meditation, and chanting together. Our space is EPIC! Lush vegetation in our gardens, a marble floor with an open roof for yoga, a kitchen, and a quiet zone among the rice fields for music and study.

With the help of Peter, his partner Rene, and my good friend Raul from my level 1 teacher training, I was able to get up here and go to the Bali Spirit Festival. Thank you three with all of my heart.

The day before the festival, Peter and I took a trip to the base of Agung mountain, the highest mountain on Bali and another purification point. We visited with the High Priestess Jarawayu. Her temple is tucked away in a bamboo forest, filled with birds, flowers, flowing water, and sweet mantra. Peter had been here before for ceremony and explained to me what might happen. We did not have a translator, but we understood as best as we could with our hearts. Jarawayu performed a ceremony with rose water on us before entering the sacred temple. The rest is a dream.

After a meditation, Jarawayu let her hair down and embodied Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Compassion and Love. She invited Peter and I to dance with her. “Kwan Yin is like bamboo. Kwan Yin is dancer,” she whispered to us. I was a bit tripped out at first, dancing with an Indonesian priestess at the base of a sacred mountain, but the moment I let my hair down and all inhibition go, I was flooded with love like I never experienced before.

In the next moments, I realized that we all have the ultimate potential to grow a lotus flower in anything we wish. The moment you see the lotus in anything, it reflects love to you, unconditionally. The moment your mind tries to figure it out, or doubt it, the magic disappears. It is like being a child and imagining everything is a lotus flower. Wahe Guru, everything becomes beautiful. When you sit on a lotus, see your lotus crown and lotus palms, then love radiates off your being. Everyone feels it and is affected. This can be one of the greatest services we can give one another: the experience of divine love.

Like many of us, I have frequently been scared to be “too bright.” I never wanted to make anyone feel “bad” or for anyone to think I am “superior” to them. But this is all bologna. Shine baby, shine on! As I was experiencing ultimate divinity and oneness in this temple a little boy walked in. He sat next to Peter and I and began chanting the Gayatri Mantra with us. Singing like a bird greeting the sun, I opened my eyes to see his unwavering stare on me. At first I thought, “O man, he must really think I am a weirdo.” The moment I thought this, his face turned puzzled. I quickly imagined lotus flowers sprouting out of his head, fell back into the buzzing of my heart, and began singing stronger. His face brightened, a smile came back on his face, and I could feel his heart flutter. Experiencing this young boy’s innocent reactions to my own trip provided me with confirmation to let my wings out and fly like an eagle. Wahe Guru!

Peter and I attended the Spirit Festival, but we didn’t go for the yoga; we went to dance. Spreading the message of Kwan Yin and Bamboo we twirled and shook our hips for hours and hours everyday. After falling deeply in love with my own heart, my purification fired up big time. My entire back broke out in massive pimples like I have never experienced before. Woa, what was happening?!

Somewhere on my path I got the idea that it was OK for me to eat meat. In fact, I began to think it was better for me. So, when I went to Taiwan I opened the floodgates for the first time in 8 years and ate anything that came in front of me. Not only did I put on a few pounds, but I also craved food and felt like I needed it more. I ate a lot of weird food between Taiwan and Hong Kong. Gross.

Now, I am at a yoga festival with all these beautiful beings, and all I want to do is take my shirt off and dance because it is scorching hot here, but pus is leaking out of my back. Eww. Ugh, gross. Absolutely disgusted with myself, I began a green juice fast for the next 4 days, followed by a colonic and probiotic treatments for my skin. Within 4 days, my skin totally cleared up.

Yogi Bhajan has been coming to me very strong in these past days. I am dedicated and committed to his teachings now. I have searched, went to many festivals, experienced many forms, traveled around looking for something else, but I keep coming back to Kundalini Yoga. There is such an incredible depth of teachings that Yogi Bhajan shared with us, I feel like it is going to take me many years to fully experience his teachings. Thank you Yogi Bhajan for sharing this technology with us. Wahe Guru!

I dreamt of my father the other night. He was murdered in my dream and the killers were coming after me to wipe out our bloodline. Shook up by the dream, I completed my sadhana and went to ecstatic dance. During the dance, Led Zeppelin came on. This surge of Rock N’ Roll energy shot through my veins and filled me with divine expression. I can feel my dad smiling down at me from heaven. He was greatest hero when I was growing up. His example of his life has provided me with the greatest lessons I could ever ask for. I am in deep gratitude for his life. During his last years of life, he showed so much faith and support in me. He always spoke sincerely about longing to be sober and create a sober music venue as an alternative. I support his vision.

The only thing I have right now in my life is my Sadhana, my spiritual discipline. For the first time, I finally accept Yogi Bhajan’s greatest teaching, “DO SADHANA!” When you do sadhana, everything else flows. This life is limitless, infinite. We can do anything, but we must be disciplined. I am committed so I can serve the children of this earth to my highest potential. To serve Mother Earth in the way she deserves to be. I am not perfect; I am a human. I must be disciplined and put in serious work, just like everyone, to reach harmony inside myself and with the environment. If the day comes when you see I need help, please remind me of this blog entry so I can find strength to continue my sadhana. In all humility and grace, thank you from the bottom of my heart.