Over the last 3 decades, Bali has held so many chapters for me. My teens were all about sneaking away from my parents when they were asleep to hit Gado Gado or Double Six nightclubs (remember that Bungee? I do..very well too lol.) My twenties were my MTV days there with my friends and VJ’s Nadya, Sarah, Mike & Jamie. Concerts, press conferences, drinks at Café Luna (owned then by Asse who is my dearest Balinese friend till today), dinner at Jimbaran (seafood coma) ...an indelible fun period. In my thirties, Bali was about the special time with my new little family. Always staying at The Legian (last time I checked we stayed over 30 times there!), those years always bring back happy memories for me.

In December of 2013, I experienced a totally different side to Bali, which also unravelled a more "simplistic" side of me. Berawa, Canggu, Uluwatu…areas I had never ventured to with their breath-taking beaches, views, rustic cafe's and "secret spots". That was followed by a year of being out of my “Bali box," and it was filled with adventures, yoga retreats, sunset chases, love and personal re-discovery. My "Magic' chapter I call it.

This week, I began another new chapter of my Bali story, The Ubud one. This one is about my journey to within myself, by myself. Learning to enjoy being with just me.

Ubud is place of such incredible energy, one really feels connected to Mother Nature and her power. I never thought that I was an “Ubud girl” because I just love being by the ocean. In fact I had only planned to be there for 3 days before what I looked at as “escaping” to Seminyak but once I got there, I felt so at home (thanks also to beautiful new cool & hip hotel Bisma Eight) and just didn’t want to leave despite the plans I had made to meet my friends in “town” and ended up staying in Ubud for almost a week.

Morning prayer at Bisma Eight's alter. #lordganesh #removerofobstacles #givingthanks

As much as I love the beach and sea, it is just such a different energy being in Ubud compared to being by the water. I feel that this stage of my life, that energy is what I am attracted to & I am totally in synch with all the offerings in Ubud such as the yoga, holistic healing, organic foods and there are so many interesting things to do and explore as well. One being my crystal bowl mediation class at The Yoga Barn.

Being passionate about & in the “business” of crystals, it was an amazing afternoon experiencing the power of crystals in another form rather than wearing them. A beautiful hour of meditation with "singing" crystal bowls made from Clear Quartz ("master cleanser"), Rose Quartz & Morganite ("love") led by Japanese master Yasu.

As we know, thoughts are energy forms. When thought energy interacts with the sound of crystals, those thoughts are changed to more harmonic forms, which change brainwave frequencies, showing shifts in consciousness. Thus, the power of positive intention or affirmation combined with the use of the sounds crystals brings peace, harmony & healing.

We all had to first lie down (cushions were provided although I brought my own yoga mat as I prefer to lie in a space with my own energy field on it) which was unexpected for me as I assumed I would have to sit up in meditation position for the duration which would have been challenging to do for 60 minutes.  Yasu then lead us through a ten minute tapping exercise, where we tapped into the body's hotspots such as the forehead, eye brow area, upper lip, chin, neck, shoulders and head. After that it began. During the meditation, the sounds of the bowls transported me into another dimension & I fell into a state of deep relaxation. The sounds were melodious & harmonious and I could feel them reverberate through my body. There were different frequencies of sounds played together, and they flowed so smoothly. It went by way faster than I thought and we were "awakened" from our trance with the sound of a bell.

I felt lighter, mentally clearer & more balanced after the session. I hopefully transformed some lingering negative thoughts & patterns and cleared any past hurt that I may have been carrying too. I must add that the sounds of nature around me are now crisper, and I feel very aware & attuned to everything, especially energies, around me. I highly recommend trying this the next time you head to Ubud.

I will surely have many more chapters in Bali, especially Ubud, and I really look forward to them. 

If you have experienced any sort of bowl meditations (such as Tibetan bowl mediations), I would love to hear your story too, especially the after-effects you felt, so please do leave me a message below here.

Thank you _/|\_ 

Shabnam ~ April 30, 2015