In Completeness

Aloha everyone!

Wow, it's been awhile and the things I have to share are bubbling to be told! Hmm I think I'll just dive right into it!

This may be the 30th time I've posted about Ecstatic Dance but I really love it to no end. A couple weeks ago the Invocation was done in the style of a Kirtan. A kirtan is a call and response chanting in Sanscrit (I don't know much about the history, maybe looking up a video might give you a good idea of what it's like!). There we were maybe 100 gathered around a woman and a man who led the kirtan. While he drummed, she sang and the entire body of people responded, just thinking of it gives me chills now. I didn't know the words, didn't know what they meant but they held so much conviction and ancient power to be draped in their sounds was elating.

This past weekend was my last Ecstatic Dance at Kalani, but it may have been the best one yet. I came down after the invocation and could hear the EMAX vibrating with music and whoops from dancers. The energy inside was fantastic. I usually sit for a short time to center myself, come into the room, and then wait to be moved - it did not take long this time. I sat down and instantly felt red, orange, yellow, strong, inspired, energy. I danced and danced, looking around brought a smile to my face and boundless uninhibited movement energy to my body. I looked up and the DJ was completely zoned out (or in) moving like water behind his computer...such a blessing to be in this boiling pot of inspired release.

It's quite easy to get comfortable here, going to the same classes, eating with the same people, but the great thing is it's also very easy to try something new... for me it was aerial dance! Wow, I had so so much fun. Aerial dancing is climbing, hanging, posing, moving on cloth silks hung from the ceiling. It also encompasses dancing on a hanging ring and swing. It's extremely trying on the upper body - lats, triceps, abs were burning for a bit (a bit as in days) - but so rewarding to be able to move and explore in the air with something as beautiful and expressive as fabric.

Ah! Next thing! An exciting last Friday. My friend Amanda and I decided on a whim to rent another volunteer's car for the day and just explore. We gathered whoever was interested and headed off to the nearby tide pools. Let me add that the car was a tiny slightly outdated white convertible which made the trip that much more fun! The tide pools are not as magical on the outside as one would expect, more like a lava rock field with pools here and there - but inside the pools was absolutely magnificent. Angel fish, cat-like fish, tiny bright blue and yellow fish wove among the brightly colored twisted coral.  Such awe, being able to peer into the underworld of sea life.

As we rolled on, top down, six of us piled in the car, listening to a jazzy rendition of 'Jingle Bells' with  palms trees and piles of lava rock zipping by, joy washed over me. I am exactly here.

Next stop was Pahoa, the nearest town. Kinda funky/barren/weird vibe there; composed of two hippy coffee shops, a couple boutiques, an awesome book store, sparse banks/necessity stores, an Island Naturals food store, and a handful of empty storefronts.

Fast forward to Friday night! Look up: Medicine for the People. They're a fantastic band based between the Big Island and Portland, Oregon with real momentum behind their songs (style... alternative indie?). They played at the local Kava Bar, which was just bustling with energy and bursting with lively souls. A really wonderful experience, dancing and jumping, listening to real live music followed by a sleepy ride home.

Next adventure? My trip with my dear friend Hanna. This past Monday we decided to take off in her car to camp at Hookena (pronounced Ho-oh-ken-nah) a beach on Kona side - South west side of Hawaii. It felt really good to be road tripping, off in the car, watching the scenery pass and talking on a plane of understanding. Hookena was small with black sand and possessed an unspeakable peacefulness, unknown to the rocky crashing waves on Puna side (where Kalani is). We swam, snorkeled, ate what we had (granola, spiky fruit, cucumber, and chocolate?),  and talked as a drum beat in the background, accompanied once and a while by the sounds of harmonica and guitar. The night was cool and we ended up like cocoons in our little tent. I woke up around 4:00AM, looked up through the mesh ceiling of the tent, thousands of stars.

The next morning we kept driving north up the coast, went through a couple of towns (Kona, Hawi...) each with it's own strange Big Island vibe. Got some much needed eggs with veggies and ketchup at a place called Rebel Kitchen, ate in the sun. Kept driving, on one side huge fist-like mountains, sometimes covered in greenery and cows, sometimes in brush and lava rock, on the other side the ocean, expansive and wide. We stopped at Hapuna beach, beautiful white sand, blue waters, more fun snorkeling (gliding through mini-underworlds inhabited by alien fish), twisted sun-bleached and weathered drift wood lining the beach and reaching towards the sun. We made a wrong turn and ended up at a scenic point overlooking Polulu Valley... wow. The coastline was made up by jaw-dropping cliffs, behind it the valley was soft and green, rolling and dipping in sensual earthy folds.

The trip ended with us racing to make dinner Tuesday night, all that was left was rice but with some sweet and spicy sauce it was the perfect filling dinner. The trip occurred at the perfect time (as does everything), it gave me the promise of excitement in the future. It felt good to have a backpack and to be moving freely again.

So here I am, wrapping things up at Kalani, so deeply grateful for my experience here. Deeply grateful. What has allowed to be seen here will be with me as I travel on. I keep on living now with this experience in my back pocket, a stamp on my passport, something has been opened that will never close and I move forward open and accepting of that which is infront of me.