Here’s a little story of my time in Norway in June 2019 with photos at the end. Enjoy.
After final preparations to be away for three months I checked my emails at 10.30 on the morning of my departure to discover Emirates had rescheduled my flight to the next day due to maintenance issues. Needless to say this was a little annoying but best to travel safely in the sky. This delay also gave me one more day at home with loved ones – yippee!
The departure from Brisbane airport was a particularly strong heartfelt one; as I stood on the escalator and descended to the lower level an intense and nearly overwhelming sense of pain infused my heart – what was I doing going away for three months and leaving my new found loved one behind. Tears trickled down my cheeks but I continued to follow the golden thread forward of my trip to Norway.
Albeit very long and tiring the flights and stopover in Dubai went smoothly. For those of you who attended some of my final classes before I left you’ll laugh with me when you hear that while sitting on the plane in Dubai waiting for take-off the local radio station played Norah Jones’s song ‘Come away with Me’.
Some thirty hours after leaving Gympie I arrived safely in Oslo. My body was feeling strong and aligned but in need of some good rest to recuperate after the travelling, I was jetlagged.
After arriving in Oslo and settling into my friend’s home I had a nourishing evening meal, a good freshen up and a replenishing nights sleep. The next morning I fell down some stairs of the spiral staircase in the house. I was surprised by the number of expletives came out of my mouth in response to the excruciating pain….. my right foot and ankle twisted and then there was a very loud pop and immediate intense pain at the front of my left ankle, then I fell hardly onto my left hand and gave myself whiplash protecting my head from hitting the ceramic tiled floor. Eventually I made it back up the stairs and immediately focussed on taking care of the injuries. I was in shock, what on earth just happened? I had just arrived in Norway and now I had fallen down some stairs!
My personal self-care yoga practice adapted to meet the needs of my shocked and injured body – working to maintain integrity and balance of core strength to ensure my gait was minimally affected from the injuries, incorporating mudras to replenish energy and activate my innate healing powers to soothe my soul, nervous system and heal my body. Over the next few days I began to go for small meanders around the direct vicinity of the home.
The architecture and design of the homes and buildings were a feast for the eyes. It was also delicious to walk by the gardens and trees, there are plenty of green areas nearby where I was staying. Being out in nature was healing and therapeutic but my ankles were very sore and still in need of rest.
So my first week did not go according to plan. With gentle determination I managed to carry out my yoga therapy work plans during the second week. The work was demanding but very rewarding and I look forward to working with Donna again in the future.
After work one day I went for a swim in Lake Songsnvann, a beautiful picturesque lake nearby the work venue. My being needed an immersion in nature, a fluid experience for the water to hold me, for me to be held. Oh golly gosh the water was cold but it was oh so good to be immersed in water and feel weightless and free.
After the week of work I visited the public accident hospital in Oslo to confirm I had no broken bones and my neck was okay. I had sustained a lot of soft tissue damage to my ankles so the prescription was more rest and to take it steady. Oh dear, I had planned to go walking and adventuring in Norway for the next ten weeks – what an emotional roller coaster.
A trip to The Pulpit Rock – Priekestolen
After some good rest and healing to feel a bit better, with courage and determination I managed one of my planned adventures with Hege, a most amazing woman who exudes joy and vibrancy. This adventure entailed a one hour bus trip and an eight hour train trip to Stavanger (unfortunately I became travel sick after the first hour so I spent seven hours with my eyes closed meditating on the train). Once we arrived in Stavanger we walked to the motel, I had a good rest and then Hege and I went to dinner at a café called Eg en Du which translates as Me & You. The ambience, food and service was divine, nutritious and welcoming.
After a good night’s sleep we took a ferry trip to the base of The Pulpit Rock ‘Priekestolen’. After our arrival we set off at a steady pace to walk to the top of The Pulpit Rock. Part of the way entailed steps right at the edge of the cliff and a step over a gap – oh my goodness. I’ll let the pictures speak the rest of the words. This challenging walk took four hours in total but the stupendous views of the fjords from the top were worth taking one step at a time. Here’s a link to a video of the Lotus Mudra Sequence at the lake at the base of the climb.
Thank You Oslo & Coming Home
After four weeks in Oslo my heart and soul guided me back to Australia. The time in Oslo was an intimate journey with myself, one that really tested me and one where I learned so much about myself, others and the world.
The physical injuries knocked me around on top of being jetlagged right from the start of my trip, but I still managed to have some wonderful times. It was such a splendid time exploring Oslo, The Pulpit Rock and spending time with friends and I am especially grateful to Hege, Ingrid, Liv, Donna, Annette, Marit, AK and Julia for their kindness, care and hospitality.
Since coming home I have been spending quiet time resting, healing and replenishing by embellishing the glorious winter days in the sunshine by the ocean.
Perhaps I will return to Norway again…..
Oslo homes in Norway
Community of homes in Oslo
Teacher Assisting at Donna Farhi Intensive, Oslo 2019
A swim in Sognsvann – Lake in Oslo with Liv
Swim in Sognsvann with Julie & Hege, Oslo
The Spiral Staircase
The Pulpit Rock, Norway ‘Priekestolen’
Making Love with Hege on the edge of The Pulpit Rock ‘Priekestolen’, Norway
View of the Fjord on the way up to the edge of The Pulpit Rock
A gap to step over to the top of The Pulpit Rock
The ledge of The Pulpit Rock
The lake at the base of Priekestolen
The day after connecting with the elements of nature.
The Bee of Oslo, Norway
Gardens of Oslo, Norway
Statues of Oslo, Norway
Statues of Oslo, Norway
Coffee in Norway
Palace Garden, Oslo, Norway
Fuscias of Norway
In March 2018 myself and two other local yoginis adventured to Nepal for three weeks, experiencing it’s diverse rich spirituality, expansive vistas, deliciously fresh food and welcoming people.
The first few days in Kathmandu were interesting, chaotic and colourful. We attended Hatha yoga classes with one of the most authentic hatha yoga teachers I have met. In just a short period of time he helped me learn so much about myself, which is not what I expected to happen so quickly after landing on the other side of the world. I felt warmly welcomed to Nepal and connected to a deep sense of peace, notwithstanding the mayhem of Kathmandu.
View of Kathmandu City from Stupa
After becoming familiar with the lay of the land we visited some of Kathmandu’s famous sites including Boudha Stupa, Swayambhunath Temple and Pashupatinath Temple. Traveling on the roads in Kathmandu was chaos but everyone appeared to know how to remain safe. Being in Kathmandu gave me an opportunity to live my yoga more deeply every moment of the day, drawing upon my inner reservoir of calmness and trust within to know that I was going to be ok here in this place.
After a few days we traveled by plane to Pokhara to attend a yoga retreat which was a truly positive experience, both personally and professionally for me. I finished the retreat with a deepened sense and connection to my personal yoga practice and understanding of hatha yoga principles.
Yoga at Australia Base Camp to the backdrop of the snow capped Annapurna Ranges
Trekking was in the plan, however a sprained ankle on day three of the holiday curtailed my capability to just an overnight trek. We set off late one afternoon towards the Annapurna Ranges not realising we would see the sunset over the ranges on the same day we had witnessed the sunrise over the ranges from Mt Sarangkot (from where we paraglided back down to Pokhara). Wow! The next day we watched the sunrise and then meandered our way along the trekking paths, observing nature and wildlife to the backdrop of the Annapurna Ranges. We returned to Pokhara with tired legs, hungry bellies and expansive mountain vistas etched in our memories and hearts.
Circumstances lead us to serendipitously discover Ayurveda Health Home in Pokhara. Aspects of the science of Ayurveda has played a role in my life for many years and I studied this in more detail during my yoga therapy course last year. Immediately when I arrived at the Home I felt I was in the right place and that I needed to be there. This was not in the plan but I stayed for six days. The practitioners and therapists made me feel safe and supported. I yielded to receiving and experienced a depth of richness to my life and precious healing of my heart, mind, body and soul. This has been a true gift to me.
After returning to Kathmandu we traveled by car to Namo Buddha, one of the most sacred Buddhist Pilgrimage sites in Nepal. We had the honour of staying at the Monastery and being given a private tour of the school. After a game of basketball with the student monks we visited the classrooms and interacted with the students, teaching them a little bit about Australia. We were asked to sing our national anthem and luckily the three of us were able to remember all the words. To our surprise one of the youngest students we met knew the song “Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree”. What an absolute delight! I was invited to share my teachings of yoga with the students and found this to be a most cherished experience.
Yoga with Lynette on Mt Sarangkot in Pokhara. Love Yoga. Love the Annapurna Ranges in the background.
Like the snow atop the Annapurnas, this account is merely the tip of a far deeper and expansive journey that was my three weeks in Nepal.
For many years I have wanted to go to Nepal and if you asked me why I wanted to go to Nepal I couldn’t really give you a reason. I suppose my mind was curious, but I feel it is my heart that drew me to Nepal, and I am so glad I listened to my heart. My senses feasted upon new sites, new sounds, new smells and new tastes, a delicious experience indeed. I plan to go back to Nepal in March 2020. I’m not sure what this next trip will look like, but I know my heart knows what it will feel like.
Perhaps your heart is curious to explore Nepal too…..
Sue and fellow health practitioner, Rowena Witham, owner of Meditate for Health & Wellbeing, hosted a screening of The Connection documentary film on 20th April 2016 to a sell out crowd of 400 patrons at The Heritage Theatre in Gympie.
Sue and Rowena have both had profound personal experiences using the mind body connection and believe this is possible for everyone. They felt passionate about bringing the film to Gympie as they believe the film will create a greater awareness in the community of how important the mind body connection is to health and wellbeing. From this awareness people will realise how this connection can create choices and self-empowerment to live a happy, well balanced life. The Connection is a film featuring world leading experts in mind body medicine and compelling true stories of recovery.
The inspirational night started with heartfelt music by Ziko Hart and the screening of the film was followed by a live Skype session with producer, Shannon Harvey. This was followed by drawing the lucky winners of Supporter Gifts kindly donated by event supporters. Channon Lawrence Dental, Kahuna Mist, Little Haven Palliative Care, Gympie & Yoga & Relaxation Centre, Gympie & District Women’s Health Centre, Go Vita Gympie, Epiphany Cafe, Akiki Wellbeing, All Ages Physio and Sunshine Health. The evening finished with refreshments and plenty of conversation.
The Connection is a film about how frontier research is proving that there is a direct connection between your mind and your health. Producer of the film, Shannon Harvey was diagnosed at age 24 with an autoimmune disease. Her immune system had become hyperactive and was attacking normal, healthy tissues. Her muscles and joints were inflamed and she was told if her disease progressed she could end up with organ failure, or wheelchair bound. In search of a cure, Shannon tried everything from drugs to alternative therapies and everything in between. But she was still sick. There was one thing she did know. When she was stressed, she got worse and with a background in journalism, Shannon sought answers in pioneering science. On her journey to getting better, Shannon realised that in order to change her health she needed to change her mind.
Sue had the honour of meeting Shannon Harvey at the Yoga Australia Conference in March.
-
-
Sue & Rowena at The Heritage Theatre, Gympie
-
-
Sue meets Shannon Harvey at Yoga Australia Conference
