To say I was overwhelmed with everything for the 1st few days of my adventure in Ubud, Bali is an understatement. As my driver brought me to the entrance of the resort that was to be my home for the next 4 weeks, I was somewhat curious as I couldn’t see anything except rice paddy fields. Ahead of us were other cars arriving and I saw girls jumping out and being greeted with gorgeous smiles from the ever-loving Balinese. I noticed on a girl who had a guitar strung over her back and I thought to myself how amazing she looked… there was an energy about her that was different… and I was also reminded that clearly, I was going to be one of the oldest if not the oldest, of this group of girls.
As we navigated our way along thin cement pathways dividing the rice fields the buildings unfolded. I had been specific about paying extra to have a private room as I love my own space and so you can imagine my surprise when I was taken into a ‘private room accommodation’ which indeed did have its own shower (all included in the 1 room) and was part of a building that had 3 other similar rooms however none of the walls reached to the ceilings. The ‘openness’ made it clear that privacy would be limited so my anxiety started to rise up.
I put on my ‘big girl’ attitude and unpacked then went on a discovery tour of the resort, introducing myself whenever I could and realising more that yes I was certainly older than most! That evening was to be the welcome ceremony so as we all dressed in our finest white dresses, we entered the Shala greeted by beautiful sights, fragrances and a stunning set up of cushions in a circle. Picking a cushion and getting comfortable, I started to allow my anxiety to rest and my curiosity takes over.
In those moments I realised just how hard our ego works to make things seem uncomfortable…and just how easily our soul works to simply allow and be. The next morning was an early start and filled with eagerness and ‘nice anxiety’, I waited on my chosen mat in the Shala for what was to be the start of a huge awakening journey within.
