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july 2017yogajournal.com.aufelt the gentle pull towards experiencing
them for myself.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
During our first morning break,
Gwyn shared his coconut with me as
he recounted the romantic history of
our training centre. Gwyn and his
wife Gaia had been introduced to a
lovely local Balinese couple, Mr and
Mrs Komang, in the late nineties
through a mutual friend. Years
later, when the Komangs were in
danger of losing their current home
and were being forced into a tiny
compound, Gwyn and Gaia decided to
support them by purchasing a small
piece of land on the edge of the rice field
overlooking the inspiring Mount
Agung. Here they created a family home
and yoga and healing centre. This
would serve the purpose of bringing
Westerners to Bali to experience the
richness of this simple fishing village
as well as providing a home for the
Komangs. As the retreats continued
to evolve, Gwyn and Gaia purchased
an additional property nearby.
This beautiful space overlooking
the ocean became the main home
of our training retreat. All of this
was located in Pantai Jasri, a
small village with surf, ceremony,
a chocolate factory and an
abundance of traditional Bali. It felt
like home.
JOURNEY TO FLOW
By the end of the second day I was in
the flow — up at 6am for meditation
and yoga, enjoying a nourishing
breakfast, sitting in group discussions,
practicing incorporating the
philosophies of Zenthai flow into my
own teaching with my fellow student
teachers, enjoying long, lazy lunches
by the water, then blissing out in the
partner yoga and bodywork sessions
after lunch. I loved the connection, the
touch, the giving and receiving. After
only a couple of days of experiencing
Zenthai Shiatsu massage, it was official
— I was in love. I’d never felt more in
my body, and for a head-centred
person, that felt pretty special. The
learnings were happening fast, and
I began to see how much I would be
taking home with me, and how much I
would be able to incorporate into my
own practice and teaching.
Boundaries began to effortlessly
dissolve as we found ourselves forming
a family — our similarities slowly
becoming more apparent than our
differences. I felt so incredibly
fortunate to be having this experience,
and Gwyn and his team’s complete
acceptance and approachability made
me feel held within the valleys and
peaks of the course.METAL – LET GO
During our first yoga practice of themetal element with Gwyn, he told us
the story of a man at the top of a tree,
his arms tied as he held onto a branch
with his teeth. A Buddhist monk stood
below the man and asked him to utter
the word that would save his life. The
man was terrified to let go, finding
comfort in the holding on, instead of
enjoying the free fall towards the end.
“We don’t know when the end is
coming. It could be in 50 years, it could
be in 50 seconds. The free fall is your
life. Let go and enjoy,” Gwyn said as he
laughed.“There is a crack in
everything. That’s how
the light gets in.” —
Leonard CohenGwyn infused all his teachings with
stories, keeping us engaged and able to
grasp the philosophies associated with
the elements.
After a few days, I was beginning to
feel a little cracked, and the whole group
was visibly drained. The nature of the
work, the interaction with each other
and the consistent introspection was
taking everyone beyond their everyday
monotony and propelling them into
growth. We were starting to ease into
this new bubble of a life, and the shift
was palpable. As we ended the day in a