Following the Energy

Blessings all,
I am not sure every will be surprised by our news, our last post did indicate that we were feeling our way into this incredible paradise in a very deep and rich way. Alyssa and I cancelled the rest of our journey and intend to stay in Bali for another month!!! As of today we actually have no ticket home, but that's just because we are looking for a good deal. We have both moved into such a realm of grace and allowance in this place. Manifestation, living with intentions, the beauty of not only the land but the energy of this place is like no other. I have thought of telepathy before, but Bali is actually a place where one could really move into that kind of gift. I use that as a small example of the very "unreal" way things work here. The reality that exists here is unlike the day to day for the rest of the planet and it is the perfect place to play with the flow of life, or to play with how life is flowing through us.
Our connections have continued to grow and our circle of friends includes some very open, inetelligent, transparent, forward thinking, globally minded, service oriented, and creative personalities.
Alyssa and I are amazed by the company we keep. We get the joy of reflecting to each other the wonderful projections that this company is. We had no idea that the University of Santa Monica would play such an important part of this time in our lives. The "third year" is still unfolding.
The energy of Australia and New Zealand yielded to the peace, grace, beauty, and inspiration of Bali.
We moved from one incredible villa to another which is located in the rice fields where we can watch the farmers work the field as a meditation in and of itself. We are still meditating and have hosted our third Anahata meditation at a local yoga studio. It is a wonderful loving meditation, simple and powerful where each participant takes turns sitting in the middle of the circle receiving the loving of everyone in the room. JUICEY!
For the past two days I have had mixed emotions which generally come in time of transitions. I am so grateful for the opportunity to do whatever it is I want to do and I do so miss my families back home. I am eternally grateful for my travel partner who has taught me as much about myself in these past months as the travel itself.
Alyssa continues to read, write, play, and dance her way through the days. She has gone slightly raw these days which is admirable and yet not quite inspiring enough for this southern girl to give up her cooked food. Cutting back on the fried has been hard enough.
I am buying a mac today to begin working on a writing project that can no longer be contained. We intend also to work with some of the projects we have found in Bali, to what degree we don't know. Start where you are. That is what I am doing.
So much love to each of you my heart breaks the boundaries of my chest....
If you have thought of us these past months, sent good thoughts, love, well wishes, curious inquiries, feedback...we have been truly grateful for the connections. The energy between is all there is...
Love is the energy to follow, let's see where it will lead...
Laurel & Alyssa

Some of Thailand

Bali Bliss

Bali, natural beauty, manifestation, heart and soul connections, transparency, the flow of life, easy breathing, warm rainstorms, sensual food, peace of mind, living meditation, dancing 5 rhythms, tantra, exploring new friends. Our villa M is more beautiful than the ideal scene we had created in our minds. We host our first Anahata meditation tonight and will allow the love to flow as it already does with wonder and beauty between souls. (I know this is poetic, it is the mood I am in right now ;-) ) Feeling each of you as you call us into your minds, we say hello with the sweetest hug of appreciation and love.
Bali has touched each of us in a deep way and we are considering making some changes to our plans. It is too soon to tell.
Only in Bali can you go to dinner in the middle of the rice fields, eat a slow wonderful meal and have the staff say, "we are going home now, stay as long as you want." Only in Bali.
We have reconnected with old friends here and are grateful for the new friends who have blessed us.
I have danced here in ways that I did not know where possible and have opened to the mystery of life that animates us all.
There are some amazing humanitarian projects that are calling both Alyssa and I. We are exploring.
A spiritual fast in India, a physical fast in Thailand...revalations both inner and outer, Bali is a place to balance and to harness the power from within to manifest a positive influence externally. We are ready.
Much love and gratitude for the support.
All is well, all is well.

xo
Laurel & Alyssa

Wasting away

It's hard to imagine 5 gallons of coffee water going up your bum twice a day for seven days, but that is part of the process we went through in Thailand. The most chiseled Greek man instructed us on how to insert our own private poop wand and also how to manipulate and massage the colon for maximum results.
We drank a psyllium and bentonite shake 5 times daily to help with fiber and detox issues. We drank carrot juice and coconut juice once a day (thus leading to Alyssa's new affair with the fruit) and we took some warm broth at "dinner time". We also took 6 pills 5 times a day. We had daily massage, God bless Pa and her 67 year old awesome self, a daily herbal sauna, and the best team to support what was a slightly awkward experience.
I had no idea someone could still be pooping 7 days after eating nothing while taking twice daily "colemas"!
It is possible.
We each lost nearly 10 pounds. I had already lost quite a bit in India and my body sort of went into freak out mode. I was so grateful to be eating again and our first meal of watermelon was awesome.
We had a wonderful friend, Drew, who brought us a chocolate cake that we really were not suppose to eat for another four days. I dipped my finger into the chocolate sauce in the morning and by afternoon I committed to one full bite. Alyssa was incredibly disciplined and she skipped the chocolate. Her will power is still in high gear.
I highly recommend a detox program and if you want a good environment check out Thailand.
So many new adventures...inside and out.
much love,
A & L

Thai Life

Big hugs and love to all of you. I haven't written in awhile because I was too weak from my fasting and detoxing. Potent is one word that comes to mind. Alyssa had the idea to do a detox and as usual I was up for something. We found a wonderful resort that had yoga and detox. Agama/Ananda on the island of koh phangan and that is where we spent our time in Thailand. It is an amazingly beautiful island, with lush vegetation, friendly people, clear water, and perfect beaches. We met, once again, an array of wonderful souls some of whom we had connected with in India. Our idea of a short fast turned into a 7 day program, details to follow in another post. Needless to say we each lost weight and each have gained some insight into our relationship with food. I have never done anything like this before and was completely intrigued by the process, but by day 5 I was super weak with barely enough strength to slather on the sunscreen to head down to the beach to chill out. The fast and detox was a good success and we have been happily eating again for over a week now.
We rented a motor bike on the island which allowed us great freedom and we played everyday with each other and the friends we made. Exploring the island was one of my favorite things.
I continue to be surprised by all of the support we have received along the way. A simple shout out to Spirit has always left of better off.
We stayed in only two bungalows on the island and it was nice to feel more grounded than in India. The sunsets were perfect and once we started eating again the food was worth the wait. Alyssa has gone wild for coconuts and will eat one at any time of day.
We have continued to meditate but not vipassana style. I have also taken us through some yoga and Alyssa sometimes calls me her teacher. A big shout out to my teacher, Manjula, for all of her wisdom.
We have each grown in our intuition and are more deeply connected not only to each other but ourselves.
Continued gratitude for all of the love and support coming from home. We plan to find a house in Ubud and get even more settled. Hopefully that will become more clear with more writing. Much love to you all. Big hugs and kisses.
Laurel & Alyssa