from mysore magic to bali bliss

26.2.15

PT
ao terceiro dia bateu. só hoje senti que deixei mysore, o shala, a Índia.  
deixar a Índia não é fácil. é mesmo assim. é outra dimensão, yogi, é ir o fundo das coisas, do que somos, da essência, do que se é, bom, mau, mágico ou não, espiritual. foram mais de 2 meses e teria continuado a busca, que é para sempre, não fossem as minhas filhas. 
e aterrei em Bali. no verdadeiro sentido, tive a pior aterragem da minha vida, pensei que morria e só pensava nas minhas meninas à espera da mãe no aeroporto e não me verem nunca mais. ooowww. como a vida é efémera e dois segundos bastam para tudo ser diferente. há que estar presente, o yoga ensinou-me isso. e é nestes momentos que sabemos onde estamos no processo da consciência e se se sente a tal paz... interior.
no preciso momento em que chegava à ilha dos deuses atravessava também uma espécie de tornado e o avião era como uma pena frágil num céu branco e ventoso. ao meu lado vinha um casal, Kevin James (que dá uns kirtans lindos) e sua namorada, vi que ela rezava, eu o gayatri mantra, a pensar no piloto dizendo-lhe que estava com ele, acontecesse o que acontecesse. quando chegamos a terra, bateu-se palmas, suspirou-se de alívio, o avião respirou, lágrimas foram choradas, só quis sair dali para abraçar as minhas meninas e mãe. o resultado foi que aterrei em bali, senti-me em terra e enraizada, como se os dois meses fossem de repente um sonho distante.
mas hoje senti, senti a minha prática diferente, que já não estou na energia do shala nem ouço a voz do guru, o corpo a adaptar-se ao novo clima húmido de Bali, o dia-dia. e agora, o que se passa depois? com levar para o dia-a-dia o que aprendemos no tapete?
obrigada mysore. obrigada sharath e a todos os meus antigos e novos amigos e like-minded people. não queria dizer nomes porque muitos estão no coração.. muitos mesmo... sim tu que lês estás e seria uma lista imensa e temo esquecer alguém :) mas a Sílvia e a Raquel com quem vivi o primeiro mês em frente ao parque e fizemos os melhores rooftops de mysore e a Si Au e Lleo, o Michael e Boris, da casa do chocolate man tiveram uma luz especial nesta viagem. as estrelas juntaram-nos para sempre. todo o meu amor.
photo credits to Tiago d´Oliveira, um fotógrafo fabuloso português que anda pelo mundo, de quem vão ouvir falar :)

EN
on the third day it finally hit me. just today I felt I left Mysore, the shala, India.
leaving India is not easy. because its a different yogic dimension, reaching the bottom, who are we, the essence of what is. for the good and bad, magic and not, spiritual. I refreshed my sadhana for two months but would have continued for the long-life journey if not for my daughters.
and landed in Bali. in the true sense, I had the worst landing of my life, it crossed my mind to die and only thought of my daughters waiting for their mom at the airport and not see me ever again. ooowww. life is so ephemeral and two seconds are enough for everything to change. so yoga taught me to just be and present... and it is in these moments that recon where in the process of consciousness are we.. and how close to feel the real peace ... within...?
at the precise moment that I was landing in the island of the gods a kind of tornado was passing by  as well and the plane felt like a fragile feather in a white and windy sky. next to me came a couple, Kevin James and his girlfriend (he gives this amazing kirtans),  and I saw that she started to pray and I began to chant the Gayatri mantra and sending energy to the pilo telling that was with him, no matter what. when we touched ground, there were clapping hands, sounds of relief,  the plane breathed, tears were cried, and I just wanted to get out and hug my girls and mom. at the end the result was that I landed in Bali, I felt rooted and the grounding energy made the two months seem a distant dream.
but today the feeling hit me. I felt I left. I missed the shala energy, the voice of the guru, my practice changed, my body adapting to the new wet climate of Bali. what to do now after mysore?
thank you India. thank you Sharath. and all my old and new friends and like-minded people. don't want to write a list because so many are in my heart and would be afraid to forget to write the name... but yes you that is reading, you are one. just a pm to Silvia and Raquel with whom I lived the first intensive month, we rocked with the best rooftop! and Si Au and Lleo, Michael and Boris, we ate maybe too much chocolate cause we laughed too much together. there was again a special light on this trip. the stars united us forever. all my love.
photo credits to Tiago d´Oliveira, an amazing Portuguese photographer thats rocks around the world.


the spiritual journey

11.2.15





































its my second visit to India, the first time it changed me, this time became home. the magic of this place is real. might not be for everybody, certainly some people will think its a nice to place to spend some time and just "check it out", for others has been a temporary home for many years, for me became another home. ok my concept of home is quite opened as I am fortuned to have lived in many different places, i am a gypsy by nature and life. but maybe because of that not every place makes me feel home. India definitely has that love power over me. 

after growing up in Macau, and spending the 20´s in europe and discovering Africa, the 30´s brought me back to Asia. being in Bali for more then 2 years now i feel really grateful and blessed, it has been the most beautiful experience.. to live in such a spiritual place so full of love and beauty. 

India came later in my life, I don't really know why, guess I needed to meet West when everybody was discovering East... but it definitely came in a right moment, all comes when you are ready, right? I am grown up enough to know now what I resemble with. Bali brought me to the way and apart of my relation with the very healing energy there, not always easy, certainly fulfilling and heart opening,  India is different.
I know it is part of my journey, my spiritual discovery. that seeking of wanting to understand what I am doing here that was always present in me, wanting to know about that place where I know I will be myself and free! 
the last conference Sharath emphasised once again the importance of this path. its not just a trend, or a how-cool-is-to-be-a-spiritual-kind-of-person... he told to many students that come to Mysore nowadays, «the Bhagavad Gita says this yoga is not new, it has been there for millions and millions of years. all the rishis and the saints, the sadhus and the sannyasis, the spiritual people have been practicing for many many years to achieve higher Consciousness, to take us to the Divine, to understand this Life. this is Higher Consciousness. once you get connected to the Divine, that is  where Spirituality is» explained  Sharath. so where is that Spirituality, how can I get it? «its not just going to the Temple, sitting there and after doing bad things. Spirituality means the Transformation which happens within us». 
so discover it! you need to practice, do your Sadhana. and devote yourself to a guru. and keep going,   its not out there being sold in a market. you ought to feel it. and this is the real life, this is what life is about. and feels so good.

photo credits to Tiago d´Oliveira, a very talented Portuguese photographer living half in Mysore, half in England and other places, that captures special moments of the journey. my expression sums it all. 
for some reason i cant explain this post was written in English and I will just keep it like that.

Saraswati the goddess that changed the yoga

7.2.15
PT
coisas de facebook. uma foto com mais de um ano de repente alguém faz um like e torna passado em presente. uma foto, minha com Saraswati, mãe de Sharath, meu professor. há um ano entrevistei-a, uma mulher linda, cheia de vida nos seus mais de 70 anos, com uma energia feminina forte e sólida, maternal e protectora ao mesmo tempo. 
na entrevista deu muitos conselhos para nós, mulheres, que se podem ler no artigo, conselhos preciosos de uma das mulheres mais carismáticas do yoga contemporâneo. explica como seguir a prática de yoga e o importante que é para nós. e conta-nos como conquistou o mundo masculino da sociedade indiana num tempo em que dar aulas, por exemplo, era para homens apenas. um exemplo, uma inspiração. 
aqui deixo a entrevista publicada na máxima há uns meses. 

EN
facebook stuff. a picture with more than a year suddenly was "discovered" by someones like... and from a  minute to an other past becomes present. a picture of mine with Saraswati, Sharath´s mother, my teacher. a year ago I interviewed her, a beautiful woman, full of life in her amazing 70+ years, with a beautiful feminine energy, strong and solid, maternal and grounding.
the interview was published in a Portuguese magazine so it might be difficult for everyone to understand... Saraswati gave lots of advice for us women, how to follow the yoga practice, how important it is for us. and tells us how she conquered the male Indian society at a time when teaching was considered for men only. an example, some inspiration.