I was skeptical about Harbin Hot Springs. Jen said that it is her favorite place on earth and that it is magical - the food, the hot springs, and the people. Whatever, I thought, it can't be that great. Harbin has restrictions - no meat, alcohol, smoking, and technology, to name a few. We didn't arrive at Harbin until 10:30 in the night due to forest fires blocking roads. My first impression of Harbin was that hot spring goers are bigger hippies than I am. I felt like I didn't fit in. I judged them. I undressed them. Oh. Wait. They already were. So then I took it a step further and undressed their minds.
It took about 15 hours for me to surrender my judgmental thoughts and to fall into the Harbin flow of yoga, sauna, hot HOT spring (112f), cold pool, repeat, repeat, repeat. They say this is one way to awaken your kundalini and honestly, I felt like I was levitating for a few moments in time. I was in purification bliss. Once I was in this flow I realized I am just like the hippies I was judging earlier. Soon I was having conversations about trees, travels, and what it means to be wild with yogis, Europeans, and hippies alike.
For me, being naked is not hiding who I am and not being ashamed of my body and what it reveals of my inner world. When I showed up like this it seemed to attract others with the same intentions. And although I initially resisted Jen's description of Harbin, it is indeed a magical place of acceptance and freedom.
The morning of my departure I hiked up to the Harbin tea house - an old wooden dome overlooking dry California landscape. A man was just leaving and said, "It's all yours." Yes. It was. And although I was alone, I walked into a thickness of prayers and intentions. There were small flags, old journals, alter gifts, and a spirit that felt like peace originated there. At that moment I knew I fit in. It was exactly where I needed to be.
It took about 15 hours for me to surrender my judgmental thoughts and to fall into the Harbin flow of yoga, sauna, hot HOT spring (112f), cold pool, repeat, repeat, repeat. They say this is one way to awaken your kundalini and honestly, I felt like I was levitating for a few moments in time. I was in purification bliss. Once I was in this flow I realized I am just like the hippies I was judging earlier. Soon I was having conversations about trees, travels, and what it means to be wild with yogis, Europeans, and hippies alike.
For me, being naked is not hiding who I am and not being ashamed of my body and what it reveals of my inner world. When I showed up like this it seemed to attract others with the same intentions. And although I initially resisted Jen's description of Harbin, it is indeed a magical place of acceptance and freedom.
The morning of my departure I hiked up to the Harbin tea house - an old wooden dome overlooking dry California landscape. A man was just leaving and said, "It's all yours." Yes. It was. And although I was alone, I walked into a thickness of prayers and intentions. There were small flags, old journals, alter gifts, and a spirit that felt like peace originated there. At that moment I knew I fit in. It was exactly where I needed to be.
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