As many of you know, I was given the opportunity to photograph in Bali for the Sacred Circularities Hoop Dance and Meditation Retreat this past March. I’ve been reminiscing a lot lately about that unique and magical experience.
This blog post if from my first blog, which has since been disabled. But I felt the need for a re-post so here it is!
I’ll be updating this blog with more content from the month as often as I can. I can’t believe I’m just now having time to share these photos!

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The mornings are magical, the nights are surreal. The day after Nyepi, Caterina and I walked across the street to see the sunrise. I never could have guessed that the view would bring tears to my eyes. With the sun rising over the volcano, and the volcano overlooking a gorge of rice paddies, and with the clouds brewing storms in the distance, and with the most beautiful display of colors I’ve ever seen, the magic of Bali filled my heart. It was the best way I could imagine beginning the day after Nyepi.

Preface: We have one beautiful, large, bright blue bird on the property that we see every so often if we pay enough attention.

That evening, I shared a truly inspiring moment with my friend, Shaheen. Shellie was finishing up her Circle Sutras workshop when I glanced outside to see yet another brilliant display of colors. I motioned for Shaheen to come with me and we ran down the stairs, and up to the rice fields and with a sudden halt, we stood in wonder. After having our silence together, as the sun set behind the horizon, we shared with each other what in life brought us here, to the best hula hoop retreat located in the Balinese Jungle. I shared my story with him, and he said to me, “You know, they’re always here. You can feel them everywhere. Just pay a bit of attention. And they know that you’re always with them as well.” I held my hands to my heart and took a deep breath, and just as we broke eye contact to catch the last light of the sun, we saw the mysterious blue bird; but this time, he brought another beautiful blue bird friend with him. They swept down, grazing the top of the water together, greeting Shaheen and myself. Those blue birds, my friends, gave us a moment we will treasure forever. It’s a good thing we were paying attention.