Massage for the Heart
It was the end of the day – well actually only three in the afternoon, but four days into the festival and I felt like I couldn’t possibly do one more yoga class. But after all, but it is called the BaliSpirit Festival and something in me took my feet around the eight different venues looking for a workshop that would be physically and mentally possible. Spoilt for choice and unable to decide I ended up laying on the grass next to the lawn pavilion, trying to allow myself to simply be…but two things happened.
One I found myself laying next to a very good and equally tired friend, and two, Gywn Williams was teaching his beautiful massage and partner flow. Friend and I complained that we wish we had it in us to join his class as a massage was what we both needed, but to give felt too much. However, before long some of the magic vibes from the lawn permeated up and I found my exhausted friend sharing a massage with me which somehow gave me the strength to return. As I did Daphne Tse, who is an old friend of mine from the early days at the Yoga Barn, began to sing her beautiful melodies about love and God and I found my eyes and hands following Gwyn’s sequence, which is a unique blend of Zen Thai and Shiatsu.
He spoke about the importance of “perfect fit” and the “more contact the better” as he demonstrated the sequence on what he described as “Bali’s best massage table” – a elevated patch of grass. Working through a simple sequence in side position (including one of my favourite moves, ”the banana” I found myself singing and moving in the healing trance like state that massage allows, and eventually moved down the hill to join the circle of practitioners for one final song of love and devotion.
It was one of the most precious classes of the festival, and one that had not only found me by chance but also kind of snuck up on me as I had no conscious desire to participate. That was until Gwyn’s soothing voice and expert guidance from decades of teaching experience pulled me in. Also in the spirit of the festival, the natural inclination to want to give and share also rose up and I left feeling a full heart – not from being instructed how to “open my heart” in what has now become standard yoga talk, nor from any clever backbend sequencing, but from simply sharing loving touch with someone I care about, and in a vibe of pure healing and ancient wisdom flowing through.
Thank You Gwyn, Daphne and of course, Friend!
Written by : Bex Tyrer