Yoga, rainforest and more!

We are going to end soon our 6th month of travel ! The time flies when you’re having fun.

Since the beginning of our trip we can say that the universe has been very generous with us and we feel so grateful of all the experiences we have had so far as well as the amazing people we have met on the road. We feel rich! We are healthy, have some money to travel and discover this beautiful world. We meet great people every day, we have been safe, and have our friends and family supporting us all the way from home. What else could we ask for? To be rich is definitively not related to money. We may not have million dollars at the bank right now but we definitively feel richer than ever. To be able to live our dreams is something big. To be able to travel with the love of our lives is something even bigger. But I would say that actually everybody can do it. We are the creator of our life. If our way of thinking is always positive, directing our thoughts toward our goals in life, toward what we REALLY want, there is no reason that our goals or dreams don’t get materialized. This is the power of the mind. Our mind is so powerful that to take time to reconnect with it and redirect positively our way of thinking would change already something in our life.We realize that having no expectation also allows the abundance to enter our daily life. With an open heart and open mind, the magic can occur. 🙂

After having finished our Ashtanga yoga teacher training course, we really wanted to practice teaching yoga. We didn’t know where and when. We said to ourselves that we will find a place sooner or later where we could do so. We went on helpx.net which is a great site and tool to volunteer in exchange of the accommodation and food.
After having made some research on it, we found out that a group of people in a village in the center of Bali would love to learn about yoga and be taught. We were very enthusiastic with the idea of teaching yoga in a remote local community. We sent an email to Simon, a young english man, living in the village and in charge of the initiative. Luckily the respond was positive! We were very happy and excited to discover a little more about the area of Banjar Anyar located in the district of Tabanan. We would teach in the beginning of December for a week.

Our stay in the rainforest – Banjar Anyar

After a 2 hours drive from Ubud, we arrived in the mountainous part of Bali, around the Mt. Batukaru, in a small village called Banjar Anyar. The area is simply stunning with countless rice-fields giving a view on the volcano Batukaru and Agung. The jungle is still intact as well as the Balinese culture. We didn’t know what to expect but it actually was a real cultural balinese immersion.

Our bungalow was literally in the jungle but had all the facilities needed. We were very grateful that Simon generated this project and allowed us to stay there. He has been living in the area for 3 years and built 2 eco huts in the heart of the forest that he rent to travelers. He also helps the local community in different projects including the integration of yoga in the life of a group of young guys.

Since the first day we got along with the people there and new students. They don’t speak much English but and we tried to explain and show them as clearly as possible what Ashtanga Yoga is all about. They would try after our departure to take over the class and keep practicing all together. Even-though we don’t speak the same language, the language of yoga stay the same so our classes had nevertheless a very nice energy and flow.
A class at 06:30 am and 5:00 pm were organized every day. We would practice together and give them a more gentle class in the morning integrating meditation and pranayama technics. In the afternoon we would have more young kids willing to learn but having some fun too. The class would be more dynamic integrating some active poses. We had a lot of fun doing that. After a week, a connection had been created. Between the classes we would also visit the area with them and talk about different things. Thankfully Simon speaks perfectly Balinese and Indonesian and could translate when needed.

We realize the culture in Bali is incredibly interesting but complex. We attended a ceremony on the first day in the village. They clearly separate the seen and the unseen life. They pray Gods and Goddesses and the spirits of the temples and places. We had to wear a “Saron” as a ceremonial outfit. Gifts and food were offered to the gods by women and music was played by men. Everything is actually organized as a procedure. It is the same in the community and everybody has a specific role. The local people are extremely welcoming and respectful. They help each other any time and treat each other in the same manner.

We have a lot to learn about the Balinese culture. We feel that back home we have kind of lost this connection of being a community. Here people stop by places without noticing, have a chat and a coffee and leave. We could never feel alone here. We found also a lot of spontaneity, love and compassion in this culture. Thanks to Simon and the universe, we are immensely grateful to have been able to live this experience and can’t wait to go back there to visit our new friends.

Speaking about friend, we are very excited to meet soon Ana, a friend of us coming to Bali for 3 weeks. During this time, Lydie’s dad and step-mother will be in Bali too. It will be really nice to share time with friends and family specially during this time of the year for Christmas and New Year. It will be somehow to be home away from home!

Suksma and see you soon 🙂