The BaliSpirit Festival Blog Series – #2 The BaliSpirit Tribe

There is so much that makes the BaliSpirit Festival special, soulful and spectacular. In this series of blog articles, I am excited to explore the many facets of it, taking you along on my personal experience of it. The intention is to keep the BaliSpirit alive, long after you have left the festival grounds. And for those of you who weren’t here (yet) I am hoping that this text spreads the spirit to you as well, giving you an impression of this fascinating festival.

The second article is about one of the most important elements of its magic: the tribe! The BaliSpirit Festival attracts spirit seekers from all over the world, uniting in healing, heart and high vibes.

#2 The BaliSpirit Tribe

When Vibe and Tribe Unite

You’ve probably heard the quote that ‘your vibe attracts your tribe’ and this definitely applies so perfectly to the BaliSpirit Festival, anyone agree? Session after session, as we land more into our true being, our personal energy strengthens and we attract those people that ‘vibe’ with us. New connections, creations, collaborations are born.

It also seems to be a reunion of what I love to call the soul traveling tribe. The tribe that on the one hand travels within, to connect with soul, and on the other hand physically travels to those places in the world that have soul. From Boulder to Byron Bay, from Ibiza to India, from Mount Shasta to Marrakech, they can especially be spotted at beautiful and conscious gatherings such as the BaliSpirit Festival.

There Are No Strangers, Only Friends You Haven’t Met Yet

And as we navigate our way around the purposeful playground of the BaliSpirit Festival, we are surrounded by an abundance of these ‘tribe members’ and potential friends. Of course, we won’t connect with everyone, but some (Bali) Spirit has an ingenious way of bringing the perfect people onto our paths. There are those people for instance who are:

• Angels – They show up at the perfect moment to lead you to the right workshop, introduce you to the right person or do the right thing for you at the right moment, from an encouraging word, to a reminder to rest, a heartfelt hug or a book recommendation. They bring little miracles into your day, or life. 
• Meant To Meet – Some people are what I jokingly refer to as ‘mtm’ connections, meant to meet. They are the ones that you seem to bump into all of the time. They are usually there for a reason, and most often it has to do with an (energetic) exchange. Whether it’s a smile or a familiar face from time to time, sharing sacred space in a partner activity, exchanging your expertise or co-creating a new project. 
• Friends For Life – Some people turn from BSF connections to BFF connections. They are those friends you know you’ll be connected to for life. They are the ones that feel familiar, like home, the moment you meet them. You may share a similar sense of humor or outlook or experience or background. You feel more like yourself after connecting with them. They are the ones to which this beautiful quote by Hafiz refers: ‘Your heart and my heart are very, very old friends’.

Did you experience any, or all, of these connections?

Spotting The Spirit Tribe

When speaking of spotting the tribe, I am not referring to those of us walking around with yoga mats, tote bags with consciously cool quotes on them, Klean Kanteen bottles and green juices (although we love our conscious lifestyle!). It’s about the attitude we wear on the inside, a way of living and looking at the world, which unites us.

Any of these sound familiar?

• You realize that ‘we are the ones we have been waiting for’ whether it comes to preserving the planet, relating to others, or to ourselves, you lovingly lead from within 
• You’re determined to live your dreams and make the most out of your precious life 
• You get high on vibes and don’t need alcohol or drugs to have an amazing time 
• You let ‘spirit’ lead, letting your intention and intuition guide you through life 
• You love to travel, and chances are you take your work along with you? 
• Yoga has caused a (small or substantial) shift in your life 
• You love high vibes, hugs and heart connection 
• You love to dance, especially if it’s ecstatic 
• You follow the flow, wherever you go 
• Free Spirit anyone?

And we are here to connect.

Or as one of the wise women beautifully put it during the spectacular ceremonial night, called ‘Lighting The Fire Of The Heart’, which was ‘a ceremonial night of ritual storytelling, song, and dance featuring many of the festival’s incredible women’:

“We are gathering a tribe from all over the world, creatives, healers, yogis… the rainbow tribe”

Reminding us that we are all walking each other home, igniting the flame inside each other’s heart as needed and spreading the fire, best summarized by Rumi:‘Set Your Life on Fire and Seek Those Who Fan Your Flames’.

Trusting The Truth Within

So how do we ensure that we get these experiences of being at the right time at the right place, meeting the right people? Of course, by following our inner guidance, it never leads us astray. This was also the theme of a powerful Kundalini Yoga class called ‘Trusting the Light That Shines Within’ led by Rebecca Pflaum, also known as Chakra Ma, on the second day at the festival.

And speaking about the soul traveling tribe, Rebecca also happened to teach at the Sound & Silence Gatherings in Greece last Summer. She was one of the (at least) ten people I met here at the BaliSpirit Festival who were also in Greece last year! Such a small world.

Back in Greece I already loved Rebecca’s humor, lightness and at the same time the depth of inspiration she brought to her class (‘get off the internet and tune in to the inner net’). She has a way of weaving whatever happens in the moment, into her class. In this session, it happened when musician Punnu with his band showed up to make some music, which then turned into a full-on Bollywood (or Baliwood) dance party. The atmosphere was amazing!!

So were the pearls of inspiration that Rebecca dropped during the class, as she shared about the importance of being our own guru, and how Kundalini Yoga can assist with that, which she describes as that potent, creative energy which enriches and supports our life. But, as she goes on to say, it is equally important to bring that energy down to earth, embody it and take action. In order to birth our dreams into the world, because as she beautifully quoted Maya Angelou:‘A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song’

Takeaway: It’s so easy to be swayed around by people’s opinions or believing that someone else knows better what’s good for us than we do ourselves. Since the BaliSpirit Festival brings together so many inspirational and transformational teachers, it’s important to remember the message (which by the way all of these teachers also beautifully transmit) and which Rebecca reminded us of time and again: ‘The Guru is Within. You are the Guru, don’t let anyone make you feel small because you’re not’. And of course, to dance with whatever the moment brings, especially if it’s Bollywood music!

“The mind can lie, but the body and the heart never do, 
so trust the light that shines within” -Rebecca Pflaum

Always Follow The Flow

During the Kundalini Yoga class, I met a friend I still knew from last year in Bali and we reconnected and relaxed over a green juice on The Great Lawn. We were both still figuring out where our ‘flow’ would go, since a workshop we were interested in was rescheduled. Then we realized for both of us the same workshop stood out:

Shakti Mystical Goddess Flow

Anything with the word flow in it sounded good to me, and this class taught by Sarah Jane Perman (whom I had been introduced to in Goa two years ago, again, the traveling tribe!). It ended up being a beautifully soft and at the same time powerful journey through four different Hindu goddess archetypes, Lakshmi, Durga, Kali and Saraswati. Invoking the essence of these goddesses with dancing, mantras and a gentle yoga flow. I loved the fact that there were also some brave men who decided to call upon their inner feminine.

Takeaway: the goddesses are archetypes that we can call upon to assist us in our daily lives to bring forth part of our personalities that we are usually not connected to in our daily lives.

Article by Nicky de Koning, Social Media and Soul Coach, Supporting Soulful Entrepreneurs to Shine Online at www.nickydekoning.com