Astrid Amalia: BALI SPIRIT FESTIVAL 2013

Astrid Amalia at Bali Spirit Festival 2013

This is my own personal opinion about Bali Spirit Festival 2013 and other things that come with it. My interpretation on the event might be different from others' interpretation. So, just open your heart and mind when you read this, and enjoy the story as much as I enjoy the festival :-)

Astrid Amalia is practicing yoga at BSF 2013

Bali Spirit Festival is a vibrant and uplifting festival of yoga, dance and music which awakens and nourishes each individual's potential for positive change within, leading to positive change in our homes, our communities and around the world.

Bali Spirit Festival 2013

This was the third Bali Spirit Festival that I attended (http://astridamalia.blogspot.com/2012/04/bali-spirit-festival-2011-2012.html)

But this time was a bit different, because I didn't just attend, but I also participated as a volunteer in the Bali Spirit Festival 2013.

A month before the festival began, I suddenly signed up as a volunteer in the festival. After that, the great journey began! Yeay!

Astrid Amalia as Spirit Team at BSF 2013

I arrived in Ubud two days before the festival started to join the orientation day for the volunteers. This also gave me time to reconnect myself with the Ubud I knew when I stayed there for almost 2 months for my Yoga Teacher Training in 2012. (http://astridamalia.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-journey-at-yoga-energetics-teacher.html)

Ubud is still Ubud, a nice place for some people to contemplate and rearrange their life. I always love Ubud, as I find many secret discovery there.

Orientation Day at Bali Spirit Festival 2013

When the orientation day came, I just realized that I was the only Indonesian person in the group that day. Amazing! As a volunteer, my job was to check the wristband of the people who attended the Music Festival at the ARMA. The job sounded OK until I really did it! Was it fun or something? I will tell you the story later on. Be patient, okay :-))

YOGA, LOVE & COMPASSION!

First of all, let's talk about the yoga classes in Bali Spirit Festival 2013. As always, there were too many great yoga teachers in the BSF. The BSF team placed so many great yoga teachers at the same time. It was just hard to choose! Aaarrrggghhh! So I could only attend two to four yoga classes from around 35 yoga classes scheduled in a day. And how I wish I could separate my body in five or six parts so I could attend all of the classes. LOL!

Bali Dance at Bali Spirit Festival 2013

Beautiful flower arrangement at Bali Spirit Festival 2013

On the stories below, I try to digest the philosophy and lessons from the yoga teachers and I might receive them not in so right way. So, just like what I said before, please, have an open mind and enjoy the stories.

Simon Park (Prana Flow Yoga – USA / Korea)

Astrid Amalia with Simon Park

Simon Park is practicing yoga with a friend at BSF 2013

Simon Park is the student of Shiva Rea. His class is focusing on energetic alignment and fluid movement.

I heard about Simon Park from Meghan Pappenheim when I met her in Jakarta. So I tried to look for more information about him by browsing at the internet. His pictures that I found were so cool. So that was why I was so curious to come to his class.

I joined his Prana Flow – Surfing the Vinyasa Wave class. So I expected many Vinyasa in this class! A perfect way to start the Festival! Yeah! Simon Park arranged the class in circle and he was in the centre of the circle, so everyone could see him at almost the same distance from every corner of the room. His class was amazingly a challenged one. The class was flowing like our breath. Inhale and exhale as our body moved around. One breath and one pose at a time. Yep, that is what Vinyasa is all about. And when we were ready, we could jump and do handstand or any other inversion poses. What amazed me was that Simon Park could do those inversion poses in such a light way. His movements were so fluid like water in the ocean that ran so peacefully. Hhhmmm!

One thing I can learn from Simon Park in this class is that if we warm up our body properly, we can do those inversion poses lightly. Get the heat and fly! Thanks, Simon Park, for the lesson!

Simon Park also helped me to do the backbend from standing position by holding my hips! Yes, he is such a great helper, because I often met him outside of his class during the festival when he helped other people and some yoga teachers, like Les Leventhal, to get a deeper stretch in their yoga poses. He didn't only teach yoga, but also shared the kindness of his hands through yoga! What a kind heart! Thank you, Simon Park, for such a great fluid class and for being a good example about being a good yoga teacher inside and outside of the yoga class! The inner happy side of mine is happy to meet the cheer up side inside your soul.

Denise Payne (Power Hatha / Yin Yoga – USA)

www.onesongyoga.com

Astrid Amalia with Denise Payne, her son and Robert Wolf Petersen

Denise Payne is a yoga teacher who lives in Ubud and teaches yoga classes at the Yoga Barn.

I knew her from the previous BSF when I attended her Yin Yoga Class. This time, her class was about Inversion and Arm Balances. This was not just a yoga class! Denise made this class just like a workshop. Great! She shared many techniques and secrets about doing the right Bakasana (Bird Pose), Pincha Mayurasana, and any other inversions and arm balances. One thing Denise said that I agree with was when she said there were many yoga poses that looked good for photography purpose only, but actually they were not the right yoga poses. This really opened my eyes! One of my favorite yoga poses is Koundinyasana, and I always lift up my back leg when practicing the pose. For Denise, it might be better if the back leg is in line with the floor, so we can keep the prana inside. As I tried it, it was harder than my usual Koundinyasana, but yes, I felt so stable! Wow! Thanks, Denise, for the sharing! You are always awesome!

For me, Denise is like a combination of water and fire. At her Yin Yoga class, she can be an angel that blows the nice wind to calm you down. At her more powerful class, she can be a candle that fires up the room smoothly. I just love this kind of personality!

Other interesting one in this class was the assistance of Denise, Robert Wolf. He helped me to do the Pincha Mayurasana with my elbows down and my palms facing up. For the first time, I felt the opening on my shoulder. This was good! Thanks, Robert, for a brand new sight on that yoga pose!

Simon Low (Yin and Yang Yoga – UK)

www.simonlow.com

Astrid Amalia with Simon Low

Simon Low is the Principal of the Yoga Academy in UK. His class is focusing on principles of Chinese medicine, energy work and a complete and balance yin and yang yoga practice.

I had seen his name a lot at the previous BSF. But in those times, I still didn't have the call to come to his class. In the BSF 2013, the calls to come to his class were so strong that I attended three classes of Simon Low. Wow! I learn that everything will come in its beautiful moment. Yes, this was my right beautiful time with Simon Low! Yeay!

As I danced in my Yoga movements with Simon Low, I discovered that the slow Yoga movements could really calm me down. Slowly and mindfully!

The yoga practices with Simon Low were all about Yin and Yang, how you activated the feminin lines in you and how you calmed down the Yang lines in you through the Yoga movements that felt like a dance. I felt that the Yoga with Simon Low was a mix of Tai Chi and Yoga. Of course, he didn't say these words. These were only my own personal interpretation about his yoga style. I felt that his yoga style really centered myself slowly and deeply. Each time I finished his yoga class, I felt the calmness ran to my blood and my muscles.

And I guess, the personality of Simon Low is not that far from the soul that he brings into the class. I had some times to have a chit chat with him, and I felt that Simon was like a deep ocean that calmed my soul as I dived in to his pacifying ocean. Such a calm personality!

There was one time at his Yin Yoga class that I stopped moving because of the pain on my hamstrings, and I sat down to take a deep breath before I returned to the next poses. Simon Low came to me and asked if I was fine. That attention was so special, as I sat at the very back of the class and he walked to my direction from the front side of the class. That far! Thank you, Simon Low, for your kind attention and the dance at your classes. I hope that I will be able to dive again into your deep mysterious blue ocean at the next BSF :-)

Gwyn Williams (Zen Shiatsu & Traditional Thai Massage – Australia)

www.zenthaishiatsu.com

Astrid Amalia with Gwyn Williams

Gwyn Williams is teaching his class at BSF 2013

Astrid Amalia in the middle of Andrew Wilson and Gwyn Williams

Gwyn Williams, Astrid Amalia, Eoin Finn at BSF 2013

Gwyn Williams is an oriental physiotherapist who explores the traditional healing arts of Zen Shiatsu and Traditional Thai Massage. He is the author of The Zen of Touch.

I knew Gwyn from the Yoga 108 Mala class at BSF 2012, when he ended the class with his lovely Thai Massage. But long before that, I had heard about his name from a friend of mine who recommended him. That time, I was just fine with his class, not too much interested in it. But this time in BSF 2013, my feet kept walking to his classes. For how many? Three times! Oh wow!

Yes, he is an amazing motivator and philosopher. And the massage at his class was always awesome!

He always started his class with the conversation and preaching about love and life. Uuuhhhmmm.... This was really interesting. A bit of sexy ones :-))

He then continued his class with some yoga warm ups without any yoga mats. So, our feet touched the grass on the ground. It felt so fresh as we felt the nature on our feet. The yoga warm up was always about togetherness as we practiced the yoga movements together with the other participants by toucing each others' hands, shoulder blades and thighs. Gwyn said that the light touch could be special if we did it mindfully. Hhhhmmmm..... Sounds a bit arousing, right? Okay, I am getting warmer now :-))

The rest of the classes were amazing as he asked us to practice Zen Thai Massage to each other after he demonstrated it first. Yes, we needed to find a partner to do the massage. On his classes, I had many partners that really taught me a lot about life.

The first partner was a Malaysian woman who massaged my body so well that I almost fell asleep when she did it to me. With her, I found trust as she massaged me gently and mindfully. It was a nice lesson of the exchange of giving and taking.

The second one was a foreign woman who could not speak English very well that she didn't even understand what Gwyn said. I guess she was a France woman. So she asked me to translate what Gwyn said, and we talked to each other with our body languages. Interesting one! At least, I learn that language should not be the barrier to communicate with others, especially if we still have our body. LOL! Yeah, so fun to do this!

The third one was a big guy who turned to be a best buddy during my BSF 2013 time. His name is Willo and his weight was two times of my body weight. But as he laid down on my back with the right technique from Gwyn, back to back, I just felt so nice. I still could breath while he was on top of me. Another good lesson for me about the beauty of life that no matter how heavy the pressure is, if we know how to manage it properly, then we can enjoy the pressure. Yeah! Awesome!

During the classes, Gwyn was preaching about so many wonderful philosophies. All of them were so good that I felt like having a retreat with Gwyn. One of the messages I received from Gwyn was all about the art of giving and receiving. Between giving and receiving, there is a grey area that we can put our trust, love and compassion about life itself. As always, the more we give, the more we receive. And.... Three classes with Gwyn were definitely not enough. I want more and more and more :-))

So I had so much fun in Gwyn's classses, with Gwyn himself and all the partners in the classes.

Big thank you, Gwyn Williams, for being such a deeply touching preacher of life and a warm teacher with the smile that never leaves your face. Thanks for teaching me those great tricks on the body massage and all the philosophy about life. After I finished this BSF 2013, I use the massage techniques that you shared in your classes for my yoga sessions with my clients. And they love it! Oh yes, I am deeply grateful to learn it from you. Namaste!

Cat Kabira (Yoga Energetics – USA)

www.catkabira.com

Astrid Amalia with Claudia and Cat Kabira

Cat Kabira is teaching her class at BSF 2013

Cat Kabira is a practicing CranioSacral Therapist, a graduate of the Open Doors School of Energy, Reiki II Certified and has studied firewalking and Shamanism.

Attending her Yoga Energetics Asana Flow class was the reunion for me after those fun moment with her at her Yoga Energetics Teacher Training in 2012. Yes, everyone, let me introduce you to my Leading Yoga Instructor, the one who built my teaching ability and the one who brought up the best in me, so I could teach the yoga classes and face the world with joy.

As always, she started her class with the core exercise that made our belly go crazy. Yep, her exercise was all about the power in the core. Cat also demonstrated the dancing hips when she turned around her hips while making some movements at her belly. This was not my first time to see this, but still, it was still amazing to see her doing that!

As usual, Cat likes to share the magic of her hand's work at her class. Yes, she is also a Reiki Master. She approaches people who need extra healing in their body with the touch of her hand. Sometimes, she doesn't even touch the body. Her hands are just being near to the body to send the warmness of love from her hand. And.... How can you say no to the friendly healing hands? Definitely not :-))

There was one moment outside of the class when I massaged her head and shoulder together with Murni from the Yoga Barn. I guess this was the moment when she deserved a hand work after she gave her magic hand work so much to other people. I just hope that she enjoyed my hand work, eventhough mine is not the healing one yet :-))

Thank you, Cat, for such a great class that I am familiar with! Yes, I miss you and your class a lot! I miss you as my great teacher and my great mentor. Thank you for the healing works too that you always do in the class. Like teacher, like student! So that is what I do too in the yoga class that I teach. Teach yoga, share the healing works and spread the love. Yeah! The same like when you demonstrated the work of your healing hands at our YETT, I still can feel the vibration of your healing work from far away. This little dragon puts her head down on the ground and shut down the fire in her to sense the love vibration on your hands. Dear Cat, I love you and honor the soul in you. Namaste :-)

Simon Borg Olivier (Yoga Synergy – Australia)

www.yogasynergy.com.au

Simon Borg Olivier

Simon Borg Olivier is teaching his class at BSF 2013

Simon Borg Olivier is the Co-Director of Yoga Synergy in Australia. The Yoga Synergy style is based on deep understanding of yoga anatomy, yoga physiology and traditional Hatha Yoga.

I came to the class of Simon Borg Olivier about How to Use Your Legs in Yoga. I felt that I needed to go to this class as I needed to strengthen my legs. And it turned out that I came to the right class as he opened the class with some sharings about the techniques in his yoga that really solved some legs problems in my yoga practice. His techniques were really different from the ones that I knew. And amazingly, the techniques that he discussed were so easy to be applied in our everyday yoga. It is all because the techniques were existed in our body normally.

One technique that I remembered so well was about sitting down properly. Simon Borg Olivier said that the right technique was to rest the tailbone down nicely and let the spine to round normally, almost like when we do cat pose. Turns out that it was the nicest sitting position that I have ever had! When I tried it, I felt the core works in my belly even when I sat down. Wow!

Simon Borg Olivier closed down his so called workshop with some nice yoga movements that felt like doing a ballet. We dance together with him in his movements without any instructions from his mouth. There were only his yoga dance, the yoga music and our dance following his dance. Nice one!

Thank you, Simon Borg Olivier, for the rare and crazy yoga techniques that you shared!

Les Leventhal (Vinyasa Flow Yoga – USA)

www.yogawithles.com

Astrid Amalia with Les Leventhal

Les Leventhal is practicing yoga with Simon Park

Les Leventhal is a student of Ana Forrest and Tias Little. His vinyasa flow classes and workshops are steeped in the Forrest tradition and filled with basic technique and alignment cues for all level.

This was not my first yoga class with Les Leventhal, but his class was always like a hidden gift. There were many surprises in the class. Not just ordinary ones, they were crazy ones! Yeah, that is the Les Leventhal I know. If I hear the sound of pop, rock and R n' B music at a yoga class, then I can assume it is his yoga class. Yes, Les Leventhal and the loud music are like a twin. They can not be separated. LOL! From here, then you know that there is always a craziness going on in Les' yoga class. Watch out, people! You will be addicted to it ;-))

His class that I attended was about Arm Balancing and Inversions. He opened the class with some powerful yoga poses that truly brought up our energy. Heat was on and our sweat dropped like rain! His yoga techniques and the hotness of the sun in Ubud were a perfect couple! Oh yeah!

He continued his class with some inversion poses that taught us to face the fear inside ourselves. No matter how afraid we are, just do it! If we can handle our fear, then we will not have any problems with the inversions that we do. Sounds easy to say, but it was so hard to do it. I didn't know how many times I fell off to the floor while my head and nose were kissing the ground. Ah, those sweetest pain in my life only happened in Les' yoga class :-))

After his class, my body was wet, my muscles were tired and stretched, but my heart was happy. Crazy feeling was all I had :-))

Thank you, Om Les, for such a great class that really challenged my fear, so I could be brave for myself and the others. That was also a good training for the strength and endurance. My muscles were happy and my body felt great. It is always nice to attend your crazy class, Om Les :-)

Louisa Sear (Yoga Arts / Vinyasa Yoga – Australia)

www.yogarts.com.au

Astrid Amalia in the middle of Louisa Sears and Daphne Tse

Louisa Sear teaches the principles of Tantric Advaita Philosophy and specializes in Yoga Teacher Trainings.

One morning when I didn't know what to practice, so I went to her class. Her yoga class was about Slow Vinyasa – Freedom through Practice. Oh yes, it was the right morning yoga class as we moved so slowly in our yoga practice to wake up our body in the morning. I felt like practicing a gentle vinyasa yoga. One breath at a time and hold the pose for some more breaths. Nice!

Outside of the class, it was a hot morning! The sun was really happy to shine so hotly that morning and I placed my yoga mat right above the hot light of the sun. As we moved so slowly in our yoga practice, I could feel my sweat showered my body. It was nice to feel it. Such a sexy feeling I had! It was just like a nice relief after holding back something for such a long time.

Thank you, Louisa, for the nicest practice in the morning. The slow one sometimes is a good one :-)

Lynn Yeo & Sumei Shum (Anusara – Singapore)

www.spaceandlightyoga.com

Sumei Shum, Lynn Yeo and Astrid Amalia

Lynn Yeo and Sumei Shum are both Anusara-Inspired yoga teachers. They are meticulous teachers of alignment-based Hatha yoga, specifically in the style of Anusara yoga.

The class of Lynn & Sumei that I attended was Anusara – Explore, Expand, Evolve Back Bends.

At the beginning, I didn't plan to go this class and wanted to go to other class. But one day before the class started, Nick Heng, the Malysian based Master Yoga Trainer for the Fitness First, told me that they were great yoga teachers. So, okay, I tried this class. And.... Nick Heng was right!

The class was a detail practice about back bend. With the right alignments, the back bend practice felt so right.

Lynn and Sumei also taught us that we needed to move our shoulder forward a little bit at our side plank pose and really turn around our shoulders to achieve a perfect back bend. When I did it, it was marvelous! Yes, with the right technique, we could do the back bend poses easily. And, we had so much laughs in this class. Lynn and Sumei could be such funny teachers :-))

Thank you, Lynn Yeo and Sumei Shum, for such a detail practice and such an opener practice for our hearts. Now my heart is so opened to receive the kindness that the Universe offers :-)

Bridget Woods Kramer (Anusara Yoga – UK)

www.omshop.com

Bridget Woods and Astrid Amalia

Bridget Woods Kramer teaches regular Anusara classes in UK. She is a student of John Friend and also the author of numerous articles and books.

In her Joy to Your Core Breath and Asana class, Bridget was very detail in the core practice. Not so hard, but it hit the right spot. And the class was slowly intensed. There were a lot of Plank pose and Caturanga. And we needed to hold the pose for some million breaths. LOL! Bridget slowly turned on the heat in our body, so we were able to do the peak pose which was Handstand. Oh yeah :-))

The class also became a group session as three or four people gathered to help each others for the handstand pose. This was a very good session for those people who were afraid to fly. From here, I learn that there is always a safe way to fly. And if we are afraid, there is always a helping hand to support you that will make you go stronger and braver.

Thank you, Bridget, for the nice yoga practice. Om! Om! Om!

Twee Merigan (Prana Flow – USA)

www.tweeyoga.com

Astrid Amalia with Twee Merigan

Twee Merigan is teaching her class at BSF 2013

Twee Merigan is a senior trainer of Prana Flow yoga. She is a student of Shiva Rea.

I knew Twee Merigan from the BSF 2011. That time, she was pregnant. Right now at the BSF 2013, I met her again and she was pregnant again. Yeay! A sexy yoga Mama with her sexy belly :-)

She is always beautiful. I guess her yoga truly keep the beauty in her.

I came to her Returning H-OM to Your Inner Peace class. Her yoga practice was slowly moving from one breath to another breath. There were a lot of of three legged dog and pigeon poses. Such a great hip opening sequences!

There were some inversions too in this class, but I didn't do it. This was the last class I attended at BSF 2013 before leaving to ARMA for the volunteer job at night. I felt a little bit tired, so I skipped some challenging poses and tried to enjoy the class with the remaining power that I had :-)

At the end of the class, when it was the time for us to do the relaxation or Savasana, I saw Twee approached one lady, grabbed her ankles and placed her feet on Twee's upper thighs. After that, Twee moved her hips one side to another like a slow dancing to give a relaxation sensation to the hips of the lady. Before putting down the legs, Twee grabbed the ankles again and made a circle to the left and to the right. Such a beautiful healing work done by Twee Merigan! Sadly, the lady was not me. Oh yeah, how I wanted to be that lucky lady. LOL! But yes, I could feel the healing sensation, especially to the hips part. That is what I call the beauty of yoga. How a simple movement can release and heal the body. And this is the reason why I love Yoga so much!

Thank you, Twee Merigan, for the nice last practice for me at this BSF 2013. Such a nice closing by a beautiful pregnant Mama! Bless you and the baby! And thank you for sharing the “healing hips” technique. I now use it for my yoga clients and they love it so much. Release and heal! Yeay!

Daphne Tse

www.daphnetse.com

Daphne is a soulful artist originally from Texas. She studied Kirtan with Jai Uttal in Guatemala.

Daphne is a great singer and guitar player. We could see her at almost all the yoga class in the BSF to sing the yoga songs for the class.

Her voice is like the voice of the Angels that caresses and tickles our ears :-))

She can sing softly and nicely without stretching her face. I remember my Dad used to say that a great singer can sing without screaming and change the line of the face. Oh well, how I want to tell my Dad that I just found one singer that matches his describtions :-)

Thank you, Daphne, for all the nice songs you sang at the BSF event. You make all the yoga poses, even the hardest ones, feel so beautiful. Doing the yoga practice with grace sounds so nice with your music at the background. Your voice is a great yoga exercise for our ears :-))

Eric D. Vaughan

Astrid Amalia with Eric Vaughan

Eric is a flute player. He mostly play the Japanese Shakuhachi. His works involves music for meditation and yoga classes.

I think, Eric blows anything that he can grab :-))

I met Eric for the first time at the yoga class with Simon Low. He played the flute softly that some of the people who attended Simon Low's class thought that it was a music from a CD. Woho!

Yes, his music was so peacefully great. It didn't sound like a live music. Very soft and tender, like the wind that blows to our skin and gives a fresh sensation.

I also met him at other yoga classes. And he always brings three instruments with him. What I remember is one instrument from America, and the other one is from Japanese.

Thank you, Eric, for such a soothing music you play. Please, don't stop blowing the goodness of your music...

Bex Tyrer & Carlos

Bex Tyler and Astrid Amalia

Astrid Amalia with Carlos Romero

Acro Yoga Class for Volunteers at Bali Spirit Festival 2013

As an appreciation for the volunteers, we deserved a free Acro Yoga class. Yeay! This time, some of the teachers in the class were Bex Tyrer and Carlos Romero. I knew them from my YETT. Yeap, another reunion with my teachers! They were the Dynamic Duo for Acro Yoga. As always, their Acro Yoga was fantastic. There were someone who became the base, the second person as the flyer and the third person as the watcher or guard to keep it safe. We learned about supporting each other using our body. It looked hard. But if you had the right alignment and balance, everything would be okay.

After the Acro Yoga session was over, we learned about Thai Massage. Wow! Another free massage for me. LOL!

Thank you, Bex and Carlos, for the nice Acro Yoga. Let's fly and let's support each others!

THE FOUNDERS!

I am not going to talk about how close I am with these founders. It is too much if I say I know them so well. Of course, everybody knows them. They are so famous :-))

All I want to tell here is about how these founders left very good memories in my head. How I am touched by the kindest personalities that they have.

Robert Webber, Astrid Amalia, Kadek Gunarta and Meghan Pappenheim

Meghan Pappenheim (Director of the BaliSpirit Group & Executive Producer of the BaliSpirit Festival)

I met Meghan when I attended the my Yoga Energetics Teacher Training at her Yoga Barn in Ubud. I met her again when she visited a yoga studio in Jakarta where I taught regularly.

She owns many business in Ubud, starting from yoga studio, cafe, foundations, etc. With so many things on her head and on her mind, if she offered me a help on the night before the festival began, I took it as something special and nice. Thank you, Meghan. It was such a lovely help.

Besides that, Meghan is such a loving person for her friends and a loving Mom for her kids. You can find her among her friends and, some many times, with her kids around her :-))

At the Appreciation Night for Volunteers, I held Meghan so tight for just a few second. There was a feeling that I didn't want the BSF to end. And I could feel the warmness there when I held her. Very very very warm!

Again and again... Thank you, Meghan, for creating the BSF that has been a place for me to learn about yoga, love, compassion and life. Honestly, if I didn't attend the BSF, then I wouldn't become a yoga teacher. Yes, I had practiced my yoga for some times, but attending the BSF event was the trigger for me to find a yoga school with Cat Kabira that made who I am today. Love you so, Meghan! Namaste!

Kadek Gunarta (Festival Co-Founder & Cultural Liaison)

The same like when I met Meghan, I met Kadek when I atended the YETT at his Yoga Barn in Ubud. Mostly, we met at the parking lot right in front of the Barn. During those times, we talked about many things, especially about spiritual things that enriched my knowledge, like fasting, meditation, etc. It was nice to gain spiritual knowledge from this guy.

At the BSF 2013, something funny took place and I am still lauging about it. I was walking inside Purnati Art Center, where the yoga practice at the BSF 2013 took place. When I walked that day, suddenly a big guy gave me a brochure and offered me to take a massage service. I am trained to say no to that kind of services and walk away. That was what I did. As I walked away from the big guy, suddenly I stopped, because I thought I knew who the guy was. As I returned to the guy, yeah I knew who he was! He was Kadek himself! Dang, he fooled me. LOL! Ah yeah! He got me this time :-))

Behind the cool he uses to show people, now I know that he can be both a wise spiritual guy and a clown. I appreciate both of the personalities.

Thank you, Kadek, for all of our conversation about spiritual matters. I miss them so much!

And thanks the jokes. Again, you really got me there :-))

Robert Weber (Co-Founder & Musical Director)

Most of the time, I saw Robert's face at the guide book of BSF. Even when he passed the gate where I worked at ARMA at night as BSF Volunteer, I still didn't know who he was until a friend told me that he is a founder of BSF. Uuupppsss.... LOL!

When the Appreciation Night for Volunteers was held, I heard Meghan asked Charley Patton from the Yoga Barn to take pictures of the BSF Founders. There I saw Meghan, Kadek, Charley and Robert. So I approached them and asked if I could take a picture with them. The wish was granted. Yeay! So I was standing besides Meghan at the very left side. Suddenly, Robert said: “Hey, let's put her in the middle!”

Aaawww! He said that in a very friendly voice. That was sooo sweet. So, the picture looked so nice as I was in the middle of Robert and Kadek :-))

I had not the chance to thank Robert for the kindness that he offered me. So here in this blog, I would like to thank Robert Weber for being so sweet that night. I was a stranger to you, and I am still, but you brought me into your circle just like an old friend. That is, again, so sweet. Thank you very much, Robert Weber!

THE WORK!

Astrid Amalia as Wristband Checker at BSF 2013

Astrid Amalia and friends as Wristband Checkers at BSF 2013

So here it is! The story about my work at the BSF 2013. My job here was as a Wristband Checker. So my responsibility was to check if the guests that wanted to enter ARMA for the Night Concert had wristband with the right colors for that day. The job was interesting. I felt like a boss who can decide who could enter the venue and who can not. Woho ;-))

I found many interesting facts that I found there, like how some people would do anything to get into the concert. Yes, ANYTHING! Started from giving me sweet faces, forcing me to let them in, etc. Never mind! I am tougher than them :-))

Above of all, the joy to work there was that I worked together with such great people there.

I had fun with Filipe, the other wristband checkers, as we were the front officers at the gate to welcome people with the right wristband and to let people with the wrong wristband to check in at other “payment gate”. LOL! We also had fun listening to the cool music from the stage inside the whole night! Yeah!

I also had a very nice back up from the securities who were behind us. They were easily cooperated and did the favor when the “order” changed in the middle. Thank you, big guys. Somehow, I think all of you are crazy guys :-))

A nice help came from Rino Sudibyo when there was a fact that some people created their own wristband to go inside the venue. LOL! He helped us to stand in front of the gate and watched over those who had that kind of wristband. Thank you, Rino! I miss the jokes we used to throw at each other there. I hope I can work together with you again someday!

Overall, the work I did was fantastic. I did a small thing for the BSF, but hey, I was so happy to do it. Will I do it again next time? Yes, definitely I will! For sure :-))

THE FRIENDSHIP!

Last but not least, this journey would not be the joy one if I didn't have my friends around me. They contributed some laughs and smiles too at this journey!

Chester Tan, Nick Heng, Iveta Ratarova Filipov, Riyo Fukunaga, Astrid Amalia, Valerie Ho

Astrid Amalia, Yingkai Chen, Chester Tan, Riyo Fukunaga, Nick Heng

Nick Heng (Master Yoga Trainer for Fitness First – based in Malaysia), Riyo Fukunaga (Fitness First Instructor in Malaysia), Chester Tan (a Fitness First Instructor in Malaysia), Valerie Ho, Iveta Ratarova and Yingkai Chen

I knew Nick Heng from his Yoga Master Class at Fitness First in Jakarta. I knew Riyo and Chester when I met them at the last BSF. And I knew the rest of the buddies at this BSF 2013.

Eventhough I met Nick, Riyo and Chester at the previous BSF, but we hadn't spent time together that time. In this BSF 2013, I could feel that I spend almost everyday with them. Yeay!

They journeys with them were so fun. Laugh, laugh, and laugh were all we did! The days with them were full with orgasmic conversations. Some kinda things that felt so uuuhhhmmm... No, trust me, I wasn't the one who started it :-))

We had Moji-licious night at Cinta Grill, did “kuda putih” at our hotel rooms, had piggy lunch at Ibu Oka Restaurant and had a caffeinated late afternoon moment at Anomali Coffee. These hot activities were orgasmically aroused our lips to laugh until we had numb cheeks :-))

But most of all, I appreciate all the discussion that we had. We discussed about many things, especially about yoga practice, yoga philosophy, yoga classes and yoga teachers. I received so many new knowledge about yoga, friendship and life from them.

These buddies also had brought up the best in me. How they accepted who I really was and how we enjoyed every moments with joy.

Thank you, guys, for taking me into your circle. Now I missed every moment of laughters that we did. I hope we can do this again at the next BSF!

Jen DiJulio & Bucky O'Neill

Astrid Amalia in the middle of Jen DiJulio and Bucky O'Neill

I met Jen and Bucky during the work at Concert Night in ARMA. This couple is sweet and romantic. I just had the joy to watch the things between this two romantic souls. A couple days before I left Ubud, Jen offered me to stay at her house for awhile. It turned to be a nice closing at this journey.

Jen and Bucky's home is a nice place to stay. A big house with many rooms that has large space in every room. It is a large one that I told Jen that she could open her own yoga studio :-))

The house is located between the rice fields and the monkey forrest. So, in the morning, there is a choice to enjoy the big green rice field or get the “good morning” kisses by the monkeys :-))

Jen & Bucky have two cats living inside the house. It is just sweet and cute to see how they talk to the cats and cuddle them. As the ones that really live in the house are the cats, somehow I think that the real owners of the house are the cats :-))

Thank you, Jen & Bucky, for the offering to stay at your house. I enjoyed the moments when I visited each rooms there and stayed there just to feel the warmness of the house. Just like what they say, home sweet home!

Okay, that is all my journey at the Bali Spirit Festival 2013. I realize there is always brand new exciting experience that I get each time I go to the Bali Spirit Festival. That is what my life is all about.