 My third visit to Bali was on this year in March. I stayed for 5 weeks and started my vacation with working as a volunteer in one of the biggest yoga, dance and music festival in the world, called BaliSpirit Festival. Festival lasts 7 days and program is full of yoga-dance-breathwork workshops and dharma talks from 7am till 7pm. In the evenings there are bhakti nights were you can listen beautiful world music or dance till morning comes. The line up of the festival is impressive. Although they reveal the final program just a couple days before the festival (so Balinese style), there will be top yoga teachers - presenters, you have probably seen only in social media. Last year there were for example Ana Forrest, Tara Judelle, Tymi Howard, Tyrone Beverly, Laura Buckhart, Eoinn Finn, Katchie Ananda etc. And there are so many yoga styles presented: vinyasa, jivamukti ashtanga, hatha, kundalini, embodied flow, poetic flow, yoga dance, yin, afro flow, yoga for core, hips, inversions, hand balancing and etc. Even pirateyoga was in the schedule! Daily- programme is so concentrated, that there are even 3 workshops happening on the same time you can choose from. In the night programme you find lot of beautiful world music, but there is also ecstatic dancing almost every evening, plus beautiful ceremonies (for example cacao ceremony) taking place. Between the workshops you could get most delicious food from dharma fair (vege or non vege, glutenfree, lactosefree options as well) or buy organic products, (yoga) clothes, jewellery or accessories. Spirit festival has even the healing zone, where you can meet healer or get a palm/tarot reading. This year the festival was happening in two different places: daytime venue was about 30 minutes drive from Ubud (they had extremely well organized shuttle-service) and night time venue was in Ubud, beautiful place called Arma museum and Watergarden. So this year I decided to go to Bali on the same time the festival was happening. When I was looking out festival tickets, it was too much for me, because plane tickets to Bali are ca 450-1000 euros (depending on offers) and I was planning to stay there 4 more weeks to travel around. So I decided to apply for volunteer position. Bali Spirit team looks every year over 100 volunteers (if I remember correctly) to help them out. The recruitment starts already in September, when you have to apply for the position. When applying, you have to fill in the form, where you give overview about your previous career, strengths, weaknesses and experiences, also choose your preferable role (there are many roles available, like hosts, ticketing, gate guards, shuttle etc) and working hours (options are: morning shift 7.0-12.00, afternoon 12.00-17.00, evening 17-22.00). Not everyone is accepted, and no one guarantees the role and shift you preferred. So if you want to help as a volunteer keep eye on their webpage http://www.balispiritfestival.com/get-involved/applications. As I didnt know my plans so early, I applied in January and kept my fingers crossed that there will be more openings. So one week before my flight, in the beginning of March, I got an email that I was accepted. I paid an impact fee (each volunteer must pay 50 dollars that covers expenses like t-shirts, meals (you get one meal per day during your shift), shuttle etc) and was ready to go. Before arriving to the introduction day for volunteers, I knew that I will be in the office assisting (obviously because in my previous life when I was an office girl:), but when I was checking in, it appeared, that I will get the daytime shift 12.30-6 in the kids zone (maybe because I have graduated from educational sciences and can teach yoga for kids). Introduction day was a bit messy, we had to be there at 7, but programme started at 9. So I organized myself a driver (no organised shuttle this day) and hurried to the place. We were given overview about the festival and we met our team leaders (we had 3 bosses, which made things sometimes little bit complicated), who briefed us about our responsibilities. Everything was simple and clear, besides the fact that everyone didnt have breakfast, so people were mostly wondering about food. When we finally got to the place they offered a lunch, it was soooo crowded with hangry:) people. So next time bring your own food:), just in case. As my workday started already at 12.00 , I could only take yoga classes starting from 7. Woke up at 7, had a little breakfast in my homestay (I organised myself a homestay in Ubud on Hanoman near to Cocomarket shuttle stop), rushed to shuttle, about 20 minutes drive and I was there. After checking in (volunteers have to check in every morning and out after shift), I could take 2 yoga workshops 8-10 and 10-12. Quickly crabbing team lunch (very nice bamboo leaf packed rice with toppings) and went to work. Kids zone had big 2 -level playground, equipped with many ladders (made of bamboo), trampoline, lot of books, craft materials and things to play with. And they kept on building, so on the last day of the festival we had super safe, kid friendly, locked zone:) In addition, there was pre-planned programme for kids, including yoga, t-shirt, crown making, singing-dancing workshops, henna tatoos, you name it. Only problem was that there werent so many kids around or they didnt want to stay there a whole day. On first day, when the festival was open for community, we had so many kids, I couldnt count, so lot of fun and responsibilities (I pay all my respects to the kindergarden teachers working with children daily!!). But most of the days we had only 3-5 kids on the same time and 5-6 volunteers in the shift. So there wasnt so much to do, besides keeping the children inside the zone (most difficult task, because they wanted to run out and meet their parents) and babysitting the little ones (sometimes they were so little, 2-3 yrs, couldnt talk and missed their mommies). We couldnt go to workshops as well, because it was our shift, so we did something to fill in the time. Sometimes, our bosses let us to go to workshops, we were desiring to go, but we had to work longer or change the shift. One time, I even could go to the ecstatic dance during my shift:) We never ended our workday at 5, usually 6 o clock, so I never got the chance to check out from my shift, because everyone had left already:) At home I was around 7, so it was little struggle to get to the concerts that started already at 7 on night time venue, but if there is a will, there is a way:) Anyways, it reminded me early days of my career at the office, when I had done all my tasks (because I was hard-worker:), but couldnt go home, so I just sat there, waiting the end of a workday. But I can understand their perception as well, there could be kids coming at any time and you have to be ready for that, so you need staff be around. Our team was super supportive, very international and fun and kids zone was so well organised and equipped. Hopefully there will be more children next time:) To sum up, do I regret volunteering at Spirit Festival? Not at all, really. I am more than grateful all over, that they accepted my late application and I could be there, volunteering in the kids zone, because I got back so much more. I met so many beautiful people, I ate most delicious food. I danced barefoot every day for hours b. I listened beautiful music. I drank much coconut water. I loved the vibes and there were good vibes, only. Met wonderful yoga teachers around world, got so much inspiration for my yoga practise. Learned so much about myself. I cried many times in the end of a yoga class and I never cry in the yoga. I cried because I was so happy, because i had this chance to experience all of that. So it is all worth it and I could do it once more with joy and enthusiasm! Sellel aastal õnnestus mul olla vabatahtlikuks Bali Spirit Festivalil. mis on üks suurimaid jooga-tantsufestivale maailmas. Festival kestab kokku 7 päeva ja programm sisaldab endas hulganisti jooga- tanstu- hingamise- meeleteadlikkuse töötubasid hommikul kella 7 kuni õhtuni välja. Lisaks toimuvad õhtuti bhakti-ööd. erinevad kontserdid, tseremooniad (näiteks tee ja kakao tseremoonia) ja ekstaatilisne tants kuni hommikuni. Kuigi festivali lõplik programm avaldatakse
0 Comments
|
Archives
January 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
