I Followed MY BLISS
plus a pure Sattvic diet (eaten on a banana leaf, on the floor, with our right hand), and a 20-day Panchakarma Ayurvedic detox, I left the Ashram feeling completely healthy, whole and blissful again. I felt all my emo- tional anxiety wash away and I felt my light start to shine - I was ready to continue my journey.
My next destination was Bali.
Bali is a beautiful place, where you can feel the peacefulness and grace as soon as you arrive.
“I returned home real- izing how much I had healed and completely trans- formed I had been.”
I met up with a good friend and fellow Cape Town Yogi. For two special weeks we enjoyed the tranquil setting of Ubud, vari- ous Yoga classes and Balinese therapies at the Yoga Barn, cycling through rice paddies and discovering the surf of the Bhukit Pen- insula. We were free, spontaneous and living the dream!
Tis is probably the reason for the next part of my adventure. I was completely happy with life and glowing with delight…and so I met a gorgeous surfer boy from Hawaii. We lived in paradise — surfer huts on the beach. We ate from the earth — fresh co- conuts, mangoes and pineapples. We spent our days doing sunrise Yoga, surfing in the turquoise water of Balangan, and snorkel- ing over the reefs of the Gili Islands, and ended our days meditating at sunset, enjoy- ing Hatten Rose wine and wishing upon the stars. It was heaven. It was a fantasy. Af- ter two glorious weeks I kissed him goodbye and headed off to Australia.
Australia, for me, felt like coming home. I spent six months in that amazing coun- try, the country of my birth, and each day I felt as though I was reconnecting with my roots. Te people, the landscape, the veg-
I started off in Cairns, learning to scuba dive - and experiencing a four-day live-aboard dive trip on the Spirit of Freedom, working as a waitress to earn dollars, teaching Yoga and facilitating ‘Follow the Sun’ Yoga work- shops.
Ten I continued down the east coast – liv- ing with an Indian Swami and his family, visiting Noosa and friends in Brisbane, cre- ating my own Yoga retreat in Byron Bay and finally settling in Sydney for the last two months of my stay.
Sydney is an awe-inspiring city, which really resonated with me. I visited many Yoga stu- dios and experienced various international teachers and styles. I explored the Future Sound of Yoga in Paddington church, I did the Yoga Aid challenge for charity in the botanical gardens, I went to talks, medita- tion workshops and listened to Swami Go- vindananda share his knowledge of ‘Yoga philosophy beyond the mat’. What completed my Yoga pilgrimage though, was the week- end before I flew home. I joined the Fluid Power Teacher Training with Twee Mer- rigan, one of Shiva Rea’s master teachers. Completely inspiring!
However, my ‘Follow the Sun’ journey was not only about my personal mission but also to find some light and peace for others. It was also about raising Yoga awareness and doing Yoga for charity - for the rural chil-
etation, the hospitality and the warmth are very similar to my own home, South Africa. I also felt a sense of security, support and safety. I was welcomed with open arms and lived with Australian family friends and many ex-South Africans throughout my stay. I was blessed by these human angels and got to experience the ‘local’ side of Aus- tralia and what it felt like to live there.
60 INSPIRATIONAL WOMAN MAGAZINE
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