Indo, Let's Go

Sister Tin Yeu: Please everyone, let us begin by gathering in a circle. We are going to practice a song multiple times together to start our day.

My internal thoughts: We’re singing as a group? Ok, weird, groovy, not sure….just do it.

I am here, I have arrived
In there here, and in the now
I am solid, I am free
I am solid, I am free
In the ultimate, I dwell
In the ultimate, I dwell

We proceeded to sing the song about 5 times…..

We recently enjoyed a 1/2 day mindfulness session put on through our children’s school. Our guide for the day was Sister Tin Yeu (Faith & Love) of the Plum Village Monastic. Plum village was established by Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and emphasizes mindfulness, compassionate living and peace.

I (Shaun here) was doubly excited because this tied back to a tough period for me. Like many, being stuck at home, staring at hours of Zoom meetings a day for work, non stop pandemic talk, I started to struggle with anxiety. Talk about a new experience for me! Lucky for me the Salesforce CEO places a huge emphasis on mindfulness. Plum Village was featured at our company all hands (admittedly, felt a little weird at times) and Thich Nhat Hanh books were free to employees at our offices. These teachings were incredibly helpful to me and I was filled with gratitude that this opportunity to work with Plum Village was available to Amanda and I.

After our mindful group rock concert we set out across Green School’s expansive campus for a mindful walk. Couples were encouraged to hold hands for the walk. Off we went, hand in hand through the jungle campus. Each step is emphasized. Each breathe coincides with a step. You walk together…..slowly, very slowly. The sounds of nature becomes present. Breath in – step, breathe out – step, sounds of birds and cicadas surround you. Your heart rate slows tremendously. We felt very connected together as we walked along.

We crushed the mindful walking so much so that we lost the group. Guess we had mindfully hung a Louie when a Ricky was required, whoops! It’s hot in the jungle. We were now mindful that we couldn’t find a group of 50 people. We hustled up and down hills, over bridges, sweating, sweating. Finally, we were pointed in the right direction.

The aspect I was most looking forward to was next, group mindful meditation. It went something like this in my head…..

Focus on the breath. Oooh, that feels cold on the inhale. Ugh, I am dripping with sweat. Damnit, we missed the beginning I am lost, I can’t do it. Breathe in, breathe out. Count your breathes and just follow, relax. One on the inhale, two on the exhale. F*&K it’s hot. I’m irked we missed this part. Calm down, breathe in, breathe out. Ok, I can do this, I’m calming down. Breathe in, breathe out. I’m feeling better, lord it’s hot.

I’m confident Amanda’s inner dialogue was pretty similar. After a group share session it was time for the mindful lunch. A spectacular vegan spread was prepared. Beans, tempeh, rice, potatoes, mangos and more. The highlight was the sambals, spicy salsa you pair with your food. Oh how we love our sambals.

We entered the food line in silence. We remained in silence through the completion of our meal. 30 minutes, give or take. We attempted to chew our food 30 times before swallowing and moving onto the next bite. Harder than you think, try it. The experience was incredibly enjoyable. Sounds of the jungle, no talking, slow and steady eating of tasty foods. Yum, we loved it.

At the end of our day I mentioned Salesforce to Sister Tin Yeu. She lit up. She described how the financial support of Salesforce during the pandemic was a significant aid to Plum Village. It made me a little proud as a former employee.

We really enjoyed our day. One goal of ours in Bali was learning how to sit still, be present, do nothing, be a little bored from time to time. Our day of mindfulness helped provide a series of tools to do just that. Thank you Plum Village and Sister Tin Yeu.

Ok, off to kick back, sit down……and do nothing 😉