Bali Blog will call you.....Come to me, you special writing...

This last week, I have fleshed out a wild hair, and no, I didn't need tweezers.

I used the week as a culture soak of a sort. Imagined myself immersed in the culture, environment and sites and experiences of being in Indonesia. Bali, specifically.

The place conjured up tropical vistas, luxurious weather, colorful clothing, different religious practices and foods!

Why not go and immerse myself on a Creative Learning Experience of my own choosing?

This week I watched hours of "Trekking the World- Discovering the Earth's Most Awe-Inspiring Places". A 6 CD disc collection from my library about fantasical REAL places that just oooooze spiritual goodness. I would HIGHLY recommend it.
Harry and I enjoyed it very much!

I went to 2 different cuisine restaurants that I've never tried!

Thai Food at "The Bankok" in Liverpool, with Lynn & Mike and the most decadent curry puffs, deep fried tofu, freshly delicate spring rolls, a big bowl of coconut curry with scallops (the broth was unbelievable at the end!) and banana pastries with coconut ice cream and Jasmine tea. Soooo delicious!

The other restaurant was "New Century" Vietnamese food on Kirkpatrick St. Syracuse. Went with a big bunch of foodies! Mike and Linda, Tim and Dani, Polar, Tom and Harry! A big group of interesting and fun friends who love to eat!
I learned much from them!
Most of us were there for the Pho Soup. A gigantic bowl of brothy deliciousness made with your choice of meat. You add the veggies, sauces and herbs that you like. At the end of the bowl, the broth that has marinated is just amazing!).

Also tried Vietnamese egg rolls and ginger chicken wings. One delightful find was Vietnamese Coffee. So thick, creamy and sweet. More like hot chocolate with a rocket fuel kick!

Oh MY. How DELICIOUS!!

I will be going back to both of these places again and again!

I found that I behaved in my "Bali" a bit more deliberate in my choice during the day. I thought about cooking in the morning for the evening, rather than coming home to it at night ravenous. When you cook with whole grains, it is more of plan ahead style that is helpful.

When I thought I wanted to read, I devoted myself totally to it or any other thing I wanted to do. I really tried to live IN THE MOMENT.

I learned a LOT about Buddhism and Hinduism as well as learned about Holy places and Sacred Temples from that area.

And about their Holy Men and Women

Very different, and yet fascinating.
Also, that these two religions do live peaceably together in certain parts of this big world.
That was comforting and encouraging to hear too...

Yes, I had my regular work to do. I'm also in the midst of several large projects for my business and home as well as at my different jobs.

No Matter! I'm trying to add some Zen Quality of NOW into my existence.

Went to Nirinjan Kaur's Kundalini Yoga Workshop and Chanting program and her music concert for afters last night as my Bali finale.

(Say that 5x fast. Bali Finale, Bali Finale, Bali Finale, Bali Finale, Bali Finale :)

It was very heart opening, enjoyable and totally different in Yoga training as well as music style. Think CHANTING. Think Chakras. Think of "OM" ......in a group for 2 hours.

It was fun to do it with my friend Christine too, who was also into it. Ok, and I admit, some of our Healthful Spiritual Outing had a Marguarita's name all over it :)

Here is one particularly enchanting meditation, to open and enliven the Kundalini energy. We did this mantra for about 10 minutes there.
Click these words to Check it out!
I found it to be totally addictive and it could've gone on longer for me.
Or maybe it did. I wasn't really aware of time....

As a musician, I also very much enjoyed this very different musical presentation, sitting cross legged in front of a microphone leading it. Very different. Very Spiritual.

This was the song that made me want to go see this group....Click here to listen.
We are all Spiritual.
We have to look upon all being as such.

Anyways, it was a week to enjoy my body, pampering myself, working thoughtfully, relaxing consciously with no guilt and enjoying life and my choices.

I hope your week was just as Grand!

This is as an idea was really interesting and I will try again in the future as a good experience to become aware of others' cultures.

A readiness to learn teaching experience of Art, Music, Food, Theology, Culture, Fashion and Environments!

Namaste. (which means "Salutations to you. I honor the Spirit with You.")

Time for some Self Love and priority to Focus on it!

Tomorrow is the day that I start my self imposed wild hair "DIY~ Bali Retreat Staycation."

A time for some insight, pampering and structure for me, along with rest, dance and armchair traveling through music, movies, books and tapes.

I'm glad you are along for the ride! I love adventure. The ideas that I have take me to many new and wonderful places, full of goodness, creativity and expression. This week I've prepped by buying some wonderful fruits, veggies, ingredients and new and wonderful curries to cook with!

But what I need to first implement is STRUCTURE for my schedule. You see, as a self employed minstrel,
I wear many hats, and have many jobs. My life is flexible due to the nature of my work. My life is written in dry erase markers. But for this week, I will be implementing some actual structure and routine in my daily schedule.

I've been looking online at retreats round the world and schedules are very important to be able to accomplish some personal time.

I also will be putting in elements of creativity and surprise into my day.
Into a jar, I will be putting in strips of paper with ideas for pampering (facial, manicure, pedicure, self massage, oil treatment, hair treatment, etc...)

And into another I will be putting ideas for creative expression (journal, drawing, vision board, music, dance, photography, etc)

I intend to surprise myself every day with something FUN and Good for me!

 I am setting a schedule for myself to be able to find the time I need to do what is important to me this week.

There will be time for Yoga, Mediation, Creative Expression, Walks, Swimming, Tanning and personal care, as well as naps and reading time.

I intend to have fresh made juices for breakfast, and will be cooking with more whole grains. A detox tea will be enjoyed in the morning, and Golden Milk (Turmeric Milk) will be savored in the evening. (Recipe follows at the end)

This is not about losing weight, but living more deliberately. Less media and a news fast will be an important part to me. Focusing on the good in people, blessing others with Love, offering forgiveness to the Spirit, and meditating on my own life and purpose. Being grateful. Enjoying music and harmony and giving thanks to the Universe for my body and how well it serves me.

 So this much I will do:

I start this week of my personal retreat, by leading a Church service in Syracuse for a big congregation tomorrow morning at the FUU (First Unitarian Universalist Society).  I am honored to be asked to build the service, lead the sermon and to also perform and offer my music for the congregation. It is a service for Peace, Remembrance and Forgiveness for "Forget Me Not Day", for "Veteran's Day" and for the month of November which is "Drumming Month". I think the timing is beautiful for a kick-off! I have asked for Special Friends of mine to also offer their gifts and talents of music as well for a healing program. I am very much looking forward to it!

This week, I will also treat myself to dinner out to some Thai food (as close to Balinese cooking as it gets around here, locally, I think). I've never been exposed to it much, so I am looking forward to learning new things and tasting new delights!

During the week, I intend on enjoying some new cooking recipes, some movies ("The King & I", "Eat, Pray, Love", "South Pacific" and "Anna and The King" to give me that "Bali feeling").

I will also try to go swimming and get some extra rays!! I will wear some lively colors, batiks or clothing that I have not worn in awhile. I will feel good in my skin!  I choose to feel good about myself. I love me. It's not vanity, vanity comes from the Ego. Ego is a liar. No, real self love, loves "warts and all" as it were.
(and no, I don't have warts, it's just a saying. But even if I did....I would love them :)

The end of my week, next Sunday, I will (after practicing Yoga daily all week) be attending a Yoga Workshop and Concert by Nirinjan Kaur and look forward to it as my grand finale for this week of personal growth, spirituality, and physical gratefulness! The timing on this workshop and concert is also perfect!

I hope that you have a wonderful week ahead!
I will try to blog daily, as my Gift to you and to give you my updates as a Gift to myself.

Namaste. :)
 

Golden Milk

Heat 2 cups of milk (I use Almond milk) with 1/2 - 1 tsp turmeric powder, a pinch each of fresh grated ginger, sugar or honey to taste, and 1 cinnamon stick. You can also add cardamom if you like. Cook until the milk comes to a full boil. Drink while it's hot.

DIY~ Bali Retreat Staycation....Prepping for takeoff

Let me preface this by saying that overall, I take pretty good care of myself and my Mate.
But I hate taking vitamins.

I also am a big one for Self Help books, tapes and videos. I love learning new things. I read and cook and do...all the time.

But in advance preparation for my "DIY~ Bali Retreat Staycation" (done here at home) I've been ordering a lot of library books, DVDs, CDs and also gathering what I have here at home.

But first....
the vitamins. Dr. Andrew Weil, offers some amazingly honest and practical info on health and diet.
I like him. He looks like Santa and I trust him. He is also not rail thin, nor pumped with over the top muscles, but is a healthy fit man.
Dr. Weir says that everyday we should take:

~A multivitamin
~ C
~D
~E
~Fish Oil
~Calcium
I am also throwing in a supplement for my Adrenals.

And that's a LOT of pills when you look at them.

They also make me feel queasy when I take them...and fiddle farting around with them and all those containers makes me feel really peutrid.
So... what I did to alleviate this conundrum......I bought one of those compartmentalized pill/vitamin dispensers at the Dollar Store. Sat down last Sunday night for 5 minutes and made up a weeks worth of vitamins.
I take them with my breakfast meal....(or the dinner meal if I forget :)
So far so good....

 

I am also prepping my cupboards and larder for more "Whole Food" cooking once again.

Or "God's Food" as I call it....and less "Man's Food" (processed). 

I'm also taking this opportunity to learn about another culture, foreign to me. "Readiness to Learn" if you will. And I found out that the Balinese eat a diet heavy on grains, fruits and veggies. Meat is added TO something, not as a main dish. And I've been eating a diet much the same for the last year.

(ok, with some chips from time to time... :)

So, I took the time to shop, and cleaned out and organized my pantry....

Bought more real grains, beans, seeds to cook with. Will buy some tropical fruits next week, along with some more avocados and odd veggies. I haven't really ever had Thai food before...

but am willing to try new things. 

Like....I intend on trying this Peanut Sauce...and taking myself out for Thai or Balinese Food next week.
Who wants to go out to eat with me? Mike? Lynn? :)

 Also got a hell of a deal on Hummus at the grocery store....
buy 2 get 3 free! That will help with munchies and wraps...

Also, I'm planning on having some Detox Tea every morning...and Turmeric Milk in the evening.

Am fighting an earache, so am also going to cleanse with my Netti Pot daily, as well as Hot baths, Scrubs, Oils, Massage, Swimming and Tanning....

 So, for the rest of this week...

I'm finding my Yoga and Pilates DVDs, and CDs...

Also lining up some movies....

Like "The King & I" and "Anna and the King"...."Eat, Pray, Love"....

"South Pacific"....and setting aside some Yoga/Meditation/Chant sort of music for relaxation therapy.

And trying to get all the laundry and yard work done...

(I will still have to work, and practice Christmas music...and we are recording a Kids CD too...) in between times...

but am making the time for ME coming up and I'm excited!!

How are you doing out there??

DIY~ Bali Retreat: Special Treat for Finale!

What could be more perfect to end my week of the "DIY~ Spiritual, Whole-y, SelfFILLness Bali Retreat" than with going to this event!

Kundalini Yoga Event and Concert Nov. 17th, 2013!

My friend and I just bought tickets to both the Workshop and the Concert, which coincidentally (? :) is the same day as my designated end to my wild hair idea for the Bali Staycation!

Coincidence?
I think NOT. :)

I first heard Nirinjan Kaur's music that came to me in a link from my Youtube channel. It was on the same page with Doreen Virtue's trip to Glastonbury. So, yah, I clicked on it. I guess the link came to magickally from something I signed up for on a Yoga binge :)

I LOVE this song. It is so meditative.

Give it a listen.

Nirinjan Kaur Singing "I Am" at Sat Nam Fest East 2013

Join Me? :)

$45. tickets. Get them now, or they'll be gone....

DIY~ Bali Retreat : Acquiring the materials

Hey Ho my friends and fellow virtual travelers!

Have you been thinking on the Bali Retreat Idea?

I have. I posted the elements yesterday that I wanted to include in my personal week's Quest.

So, now, I'm thinking on how to acquire them for little or no money. Remember, we can do this and draw it to ourselves, and make it happen if we really want it!

Here are some ideas that I've been amassing and implementing (shown in Parenthesis)

Juicing for breakfast  (have juicer, not afraid to use it! :)

Healthy meals eaten with focus (will feature more Whole Foods. "God Food" (if it grows...eat it... if not...don't)

Yoga (DVDs/Videos that I own or am ordering thru my Netflix or County Library card)

Nature walks (will make an effort to get to Beaver Lake and Baltimore Woods for a lovely fall walk during that week)

Listening to relaxing sounds (rounding up some Meditative music and Gregorian chant CDs. Also considering signing up for a Kundalini Yoga experience and concert on Nov. 17th. Have to get ticket yet!)

Playing music or drumming (easily done as a musician for me, but making some time for fun and not just practice)


Cleansing and pampering body techniques  (surfing online for home spa remedies)

Cleansing and pampering Spirit techniques  (Guided meditations, grounding and also going to watch some favorite movies, such as "Eat, Pray, Love" and "South Pacific" to get me in the Bali Mood!)

Swimming in turquoise water  (my work out of the blue offered its employees a "free week" at the YMCA coupon! I'm saving it for the week of Nov. 10-17 and will be able to go swimming! Also a 9am yoga class on that Saturday. I will stop in before the week noted and find out what all they offer!)

Sunshine (I already have a tanning membership. I need sunshine or else I suffer from SAD -Seasonal Affective Disorder. This week, I will up my dose a bit to go to the Tropics and imagine myself lying on the beach!)

Dancing- Yoga Body Movement (have some DVDs but I am going to make a selection and put it on my Spotify and dance at home daily that week for a bit!)

Fiiiiyaaaah  (an evening bonfire for a bit each nite in my firepit!)

Reading books and/or watching/listening to Positive Empowering lectures(have ordered MANY from the library and on Netflix)

Meditation (planning on starting my morning every day with this first thing for 10 minutes)

Disconnect from media (easier said than done, granted, but am getting my work email and only posting these blogs and will get right OFF when done)

Connecting more deeply to Inner Spirit/Intuition

Prayer

Vision board and Journaling/ Creative Expression

Hydrate (will increase my water intake)

Cool clothes/wraps/different fashion(taking more care about what I wear, and if I haven't worn something in awhile, I'm going to wear stuff I don't normally wear and feature fun stuff! Especially bright colors of the Tropics this week! Hot pinks! Turquoise! Yellow!)

A glass of good red wine savored.(ONE, Merlyn. ONE.)

Herbal Supplements 
For myself, I need more B vitamin (who doesn't?) I am also low on D. Natural green if possible.

Adventure- go someplace new. I'm thinking of the Art Museum to see some new exhibits.

and

REST/Good Sleep (bedtime of 10pm after a hot bath nightly) And naps if I can get them!

Just wanted to give you some ideas on how to implement!

How is your list coming along? Found some ingenious ways to add some tropical rest to your upcoming Retreat week?

DIY~ Bali Retreat Elements

Hey ho!

Been busy and need some downtime?  Me too. Time to refuel.

So, as in my last blog here, I put forth the idea of a "Do It Yourself Bali Spiritual Virtual Retreat."
Which basically is me (or you) imagining self in Bali at a Holistic Spiritual retreat and taking some of those elements and making it happen.


SIGH



Bali!

I am aiming for the target date of Nov.10 -17 that I can set aside for myself to disconnect and plug in. Granted, I still have to go to work, but my Intention is for it to be:
 a stay at home, turn within, pamper self, learning, empowering, fit growing time.
For ME.

For you, at your own place if you like. I'm supplying ideas here on what I'm doing on this my next fun wild hair!

SO,

my next step was to envision what things I would want to focus on, in order to do something like this "Staycation" at home.

If I were to go to Bali on a Holistic Spiritual Retreat, I imagine that I would experience:

Juicing for breakfast
Healthy meals eaten with focus
Yoga
Nature walks
Listening to relaxing sounds
Playing music or drumming
Cleansing and pampering body techniques
Cleansing and pampering Spirit techniques 
Swimming in turquoise water
Sunshine
Dancing- Yoga Body Movement
Fiiiiyaaaah
Reading books and/or watching/listening to Positive Empowering lectures
Meditation
Disconnect from media 
Prayer
Vision board and Journaling/ Creative Expression
Hydrate
Cool clothes/wraps/different fashion
A glass of good red wine savored.
Herbal Supplements (in whatever way is necessary for you) 
For myself, I need more B vitamin (who doesn't?) I am also low on D, and I would also have some natural green. I mean, afterall, I'm in BALI.  It too is medicinal for me. 
Adventure- go someplace new
and
REST/Good Sleep.


Yah, so those are my Must Haves on my list!

Now the next step is to figure out how to get all those awesome things on my Wish List, while planted here in CNY during the oncoming winter season.

I am working on these ideas, and coming up with some awesome ideas!

Will share more next time!

How are you coming on your list? :)

Leave me a comment and let me know!

In the meantime......

A friend sent me this wee meditation.

Soak in this picture right NOW:

"Warm breezes fingering their way threw your hair. Hearing in the winds a soft melodious voice singing so, so soft and lifting - calling, calling us to enter in this harmonious joining of earth, sun, water, and sky-basking in its beauty. Salty air from the ocean wafting into the nostrils and helping us to breath in more deeply then ever before and slowly letting it out... tasting the salt in the mouth ever-so-slightly. Coconut tree's dancing, swaying with hot sand beneath your feet, until you walk into the water, and lay down at the waters edge letting the sand embrace you... and the water lap over you in gentle waves. While watching the water birds fly above and swoop down swiftly into the ocean getting their fish. Clouds drifting languorously, sleepy, like a dream that envelopes you gently and gives a gentle kiss to let you know no harm will be done. Being in the sweet harmony of nature, love, and light."

DIY Bali Retreat~

Ok, so I saw a website from a Healer that is offering a week of Healthful, Spiritual Retreats to Bali.

Think on that.  A WEEK in BALI.
Yoga, sunshine, turquoise waters, nature walks, healthful food, lectures, meditation, reading books and naps in the shade.

Yah, I would so love that. I think you would too? But Bali has to wait a bit longer for me at this point, yet there's no reason why we can't make this a bit of a reality!

I'm offering to you, at no cost, (just some of your own time invested in yourself in your own life) a

"Do It Yourself Whole-Y SelfFILLness Spiritual Healthy Retreat!"

We may not be able to actually board a plane for Bali, 

yet we can BLOOM WHERE WE ARE PLANTED!

I have picked a target week.  

Sunday November 10 through Sunday November 17, 2013

It's before the busy holidays for us to Ground and Center ourselves. 

It is the Changing of the Seasons. Always a good time for detox and taking some time to adjust.

Yes, I still have to work. I am trying to plan it ANYWAYS.

I will take you on this Journey Quest with me, if you want to read about it...

or you can actually pack your Spiritual bags, do the exercises as I do and go on your own Journey!

So to catch you up to date, I will let you know what I'm doing now to prep myself for it.

You can jump in anytime and join me (and anyone else who wants the adventure)

Exercise #1

Clear your plate.

The time is now, to start removing obstacles and clearing that week of anything but the absolute necessity. If you have to work, do so! I do too. How'ere, there's a lot of shite that I don't "have" to do, but end up doing. I'm using my time now till the November 10th date to get stuff done. Like clean my house, do the yard work, not schedule appointments for my target date and only commit to what is a "must do".

Exercise #2

Dream.

Imagine what a lovely Spiritual Healthy Retreat in Bali might mean to you, personally. Think of the elements that would: Inspire, Heal, Relax and Energize You. 

Make a List of all the things-whatever they are-and write them down. 

I will share my list with you tomorrow. 

Please feel free to share your list here as well.

In the meantime, I leave you with this song to get you started!

click this link to hear the song, "Bali Hai" from South Pacific!