Detour to mystical Aussie
Sunrise as seen from our meditation spot, near the easternmost point in Australia
Walking like a bush turkey under the spell of the didjeridu, eating a juicy mango under the moonlight on a fragrant beach, meditating with the crashing waves at the easternmost point of a continent - those were the highlights of a "side-trip" to Australia I did in late February / early March.
Brent and I had just completed our mountaineering course and while we were bummed we didn’t do a proper mountain ascent during the course for weather reasons, we were really excited to have booked another summit attempt in mid-March with Dave, a mountain guide working for Alpine Recreation.
Much like most of the adventures in 2018, the trip to Australia was a delightful co-incidence - or a “cooperative incidence” that I created with my friend Delamay Devi. Delamay is one of those special people that you feel like you’ve known for a long time, even though you’ve spent a relatively short time together. I met Delamay when I went to India in 2015 with Shiva Rea - our common teacher and founder of Prana Vinyasa. Delamay was Shiva’s assistant but I quickly discovered that other than assisting one of the world’s preeminent yoga teachers, she’s also a force of her own. Originally from Byron Bay, Australia, Delamay is a yoga teacher and trainer, a leader of workshops, retreats and other programs, a creator of beautiful jewelry and clothing and a prolific entrepreneur. Delamay was also living a nomad lifestyle, splitting her time between Bali, Australia and a few countries in Europe. To get a sense of all her talented offerings, see Delamay’s website.
So as soon as Delamay found out that I was going to be in New Zealand in the beginning of 2018, she invited me to “hop over” to Byron Bay for a little reunion with the yoga tribe and Shiva Rea, who was coming to Australia on her way back from India. I was delighted at the synchronicity and booked my flights over to Aussie.
Volcanic rock with the beautiful Aussie red hues
I had been to Australia once before - Sydney and the North Beaches, but this time I flew directly to Gold Coast. Flying into this area of Australia, considered a world-class “surfer’s paradise”, I could see a built-out row of hotels which reminded me of Cancun or Honolulu. It’s a place with lots of resorts and entertainment where families with children would stay for the water parks and the amenities. Thankfully, Byron Bay, an hour by car south of Gold Coast, was quite a different place altogether.
Infused with a strong feminine energy, Byron Bay is full of birds, flowers and greenery. In the 70’s it was a destination for hippies (of which Delamay’s mom is one) and even to this day, with an infiltration of richer homes, still feels quite quaint and bohemian. A lot of the long-time locals earn their living primarily through the weekly farmer’s market where they get a chance to sell their produce and crafts to the visiting tourists. The Yoga Centre, where we stayed for our retreat, is an example of what Byron Bay is about. Set in a lush jugle-like forrest, it had strictly vegan food and no alcohol. You would wash your own dishes and clean up after yourself. Everything was either organic, compostable or solar-powered. Byron is a mecca for the vagabond surfer, as well as for all kinds of musicians, yogis and free souls who want to express themselves and be free of the burdens of the city life.
The beautiful fine sands of Byron Bay
Taking care of artists, including buskers, is the spirit of Byron Bay
Truly a surfer's paradise
Our humble but comfortable tent cabins in the Yoga Centre - I slept with three other women in the second one from the left
Full moon over the Australian bush - as viewed from the Yoga Centre
And that of course made it a perfect setting for a retreat with Shiva. The whole retreat has been in the making for a few years and it’s a testament of Delamay’s dedication and commitment that it happened and it ran so smoothly. My main concern when I was coming over from New Zealand was whether I would be in time for a “Welcome to Country” ceremony Delamay had organized with the local Aboriginal tribe leaders. “Welcome to Country” is a traditional ceremony and in our case involved the female tribe leader of the Bundjalung people of Byron Bay and other tribe member who played the traditional didjeridu. Most of the attendees were Australians and all of them had seen some version of a “Welcome to Country” before. But all of the ones I spoke to later agreed that this was the most authentic and heart-felt welcome they'd experienced.
The female tribe leader had a soft-spoken but firm voice and radiated strength as she regaled us with her gift of story-telling. It was early evening and we were sitting in the permanent tent, surrounded by the lush forrest of her ancestors. Under the sounds of the cicadas, we listened spell-bound as she would tell us about what this land meant to her tribe - everything from the rocks to the littlest of animals. You could feel the love and care the Aborigines have for their Mother Earth and how they feel honored to be custodians of such a bountiful place. To there beautiful people, their relationship with Earth is one of respect, love and complete surrender that feels so refreshing and different from the Western Person’s psychotic desire to dominate, subjugate and “own” the land.
We received a blessing and a promise that the Aboriginal forefathers will be there to protect us and take care of us while we were visiting the sacred land. After the blessing, the tribe leaders played with us - they told us that they often play with the Aboriginal children by naming an animal and then everyone tries to “embody” that animal’s sounds, movements and spirit. All of a sudden, the whole room of fully grown yogis turned into a playground filled with laughter. As the leaders would name the next animal, yogis from all around the world squat with our forearms extended and mimicking a bush turkey, or slither on the floor as a snake, or crawl like crab and just a second later hop like a wallaby. It was a great reminder that play and a curious attitude keep the heart open and receptive.
This is what the real bush turkey looks like
Like other global gatherings of Prana Vinyasa yoga teachers, this one had attracted some amazing men and women. To me, connecting with the Prana Vinyasa community is always so refreshing and reenergizing. I am always amazed at how authentic, courageous and unique all these wonderful and talented beings are. I got to meet and spend time with
Taru, the courageous Finnish goddess who had rock-climbed around Europe and Mandy - the Croatian Australian who combined yoga with her training as a therapist to help people with all kinds of problems. My roommates were Jules, a sweet and considerate soul from Melbourne and Theme - a sweet and beautiful South African who sources essential oils from indigenous tribes, shares a love of elephants with me and whose uncle and cousins are protecting the last of the rhino in South Africa in a fortified sanctuary (btw, the uncle’s name is appropriately David Attenborough). There were bright and independent women who had taught yoga to youth in prisons and crusty old farmers and who discovered the transformative power of movement and what happens when you see the beauty and potential inside of people.
One of the beautiful live mandalas in the middle of our practice space - note the offerings of native Australian plants and seeds
Lisa and Mandy
Yet another beautiful mandala
With Taru
There was also the talented young couple from Byron Bay - Lara Z, who does everything from paint beautiful mandalas for yoga studios, organizing worldwide yoga retreats and (I believe) giving the world’s best yoga hands-on assists. And her boyfriend Ben Tre, who is a highly talented, sensitive and beautiful artist. We were blessed to have his guitar and mystical vocalizations accompany and deepen our yoga practice and our meditations under the full moon in the Australian bush. The experience of his voice has been one of the most mystical experiences of my life. Ben also does something special - he has a wooden table instrument where a person can lie in stillness and he plays the strings under the table. I had the opportunity to experience it and will only say that feeling the sound vibrations throughout my body took me on a mystical and soothing journey to other realms.
There was another special musician to accompany our practices and rituals. The beautiful Deya Dova - an Australian artist who travels with her husband (who is also her producer) and their three girls around the world to music festivals. She is a true power of nature - brilliant smile and a powerful, soulful voice and sound. Dressed in white flowing dresses, barefoot, she feels like the white sister incarnation of a Native American or African shaman. It was a true privilege to practice with such talented artists joining us in live ceremony in the middle of the Australian bush.
My time in Byron Bay was short but full of magic. There was eating mangos on the beach under the moon light, singing, meditating and beautiful rituals with the yoga tribe at sunrise and at the full moon, as well as breath-taking (in more than one way!) training runs along the steep coast to the lighthouse and the easternmost point of Australia. I left the land of the Bundjalung with an overflowing heart and a soft spirit, ready to continue my journey through the magical landscapes of the Southern Hemisphere. Circling the skies on the plane over Christchurch on my way back to New Zealand, I had an unexplained and warming feeling of homecoming.
Byron Bay Lighthouse as seen coming up the steep path
Just under the Lighthouse - the official Easternmost point in Australia
Shiva Rea leading a meditation during the retreat
