Pak Kadek Suambara was living the good life just a few years ago as a Balinese wood carver. He employed 125 carvers and was earning a good income, but admits that he was always stressed and not at peace, so he decided to become a Bendesa Adat – ‘Keeper of Knowledge’ in his village. During that time he learned several meditation practices which have helped him become a much healthier and happier person. For the first time in his life he discovered true peace and felt a calling to share this with many other Indonesians and foreigners from all walks of life.
People began to show up at Pak Kadek’s home in Nyuh Kuning for what Kadek fondly calls: ‘Mass Healing Meditation Practice’. Soon the crowd grew to such a large number, that he opened Taman Hati Bali Yoga & Meditation Centre in 2006. There are currently almost 300 members who regularly attend meditation and yoga practices that are held several days a week.
This year Pak Kadek organized a dynamic transformational healing and fire workshop with over 200 Indonesians who participated in a magical day of ‘laughter meditation’ ‘weeping meditation’ and ‘shouting meditation’. Pak Kadek stresses that we all need to laugh and be happy in order to stay healthy and free ourselves from stress. Crying is also important, as this allows us to release our sadness. Some of the workshop participants cried for the first time in their lives, while others experienced a profound release of their anger through ‘shouting meditation’.
Several months after this cathartic event the question must be asked, how have these new practices changed the participants’ lives?
“Everyone says they feel different since the workshop. They have become more brave and confident, because they have discovered their true selves. Besides this, they can now heal themselves. For example, one person had a problem with arthritis, but after he walked across fire his pain was gone,” says Pak Kadek.
The principle behind Pak Kadek’s meditation practice is that 80% of diseases are caused from our minds; therefore, if we can free our minds of worry, sadness and anger we can heal ourselves and stay healthy and happy.
“Most of the people who practice meditation here can heal themselves, because the goal of this workshop is to reach a state of happiness; when you are happy, all the negativities will go. Another goal is to help people balance their emotions and the energy of their 2nd chakra. If the emotions are balanced the energy will also be balanced.”
This intensive one day workshop incorporates light yoga with a focus on meditation. According to Pak Kadek, the most important thing is to remove the accumulated negativity in our bodies. For example, most people have a lot of anger, worry and sadness in their bodies which have built up over many years. The best way to remove this is through catharsis which takes place when people allow themselves to fully embrace their emotions. Afterwards, participants can experience great joy through dancing and singing.
Pak Kadek derives some of his laughter yoga techniques from the Guru of Laughter – Madan Kataria, who created many interesting variations, such as cell phone laughter, looking at your credit card bill laughter and wagging your finger at someone else while you laugh.
With all the different varieties of spiritual practices these days it’s analogous to a child in a candy store trying to choose the tastiest sweet. When asked why someone might want to choose Pak Kadek’s practice he says without a moments pause,
“This practice can be done by anyone; there are no rules. Many gurus teach people that they aren’t allowed to do this or that, but that’s not the case with this practice. Everyone can dance, laugh, cry or shout. It’s very simple, because there’s no connection with religion, so we just heal by returning to how we were when we were children.”
According to Pak Kadek, the most important relationships are the ones we have with our families. He feels children must love and honor their parents, and that parents must also love and honor their children.
This way of thinking is contrary to many western belief systems which are more focused on individuality, as families become more dispersed and alienated. When asked how he plans to address this disparity in his upcoming workshop Pak Kadek explains, “It is better to create a good relationship with our parents, because without our mother or father, we wouldn’t be here. The first people we should honor are our mother and father and then our grandparents. After that, is our brother or sister, our spouses and last our friends.”
The workshop will begin with balancing everyone’s emotions through yoga and meditation practices. After this, people will cleanse themselves of their accumulated negativities through laughter, crying and shouting meditations. The next step is to create better relationships with people who are alive or who have already died, by apologizing to them for any wrongdoings we may have done. This will be followed by balancing the chakras and the five elements: earth, water, wind, fire and metal. Finally, Pak Kadek will remind everyone that they are all healers and bring them back to their original state as a healer, which is everyone’s birthright.
“This doesn’t come from me; I’m just a facilitator. I just pray and it comes from God.”
All participants will have the opportunity to participate in a spectacular ‘fire walk’ which occurs at the end of the workshop. It will be a test of their newfound confidence as they will walk across a trail of hot coals which come from coffee trees. Pak Kadek has seen more than a 1,000 people do this walk, yet no one has ever been burnt. It sounds like a miracle but Pak Kadek gives a rational explanation:
“Our bodies consist of fire, water and air. With this practice we raise the fire within us, so the heat of our bodies is the same as the fire. When this occurs, we can’t get burnt by the fire.”
Pak Kadek plans to bring this practice out into the community by offering free workshops throughout many local villages. He will teach his ‘healing without medicine’ practice using laughter, crying and shouting meditations, claiming that it takes just one and a half hours for people to be healed and become healers, and guaranteeing that a minimum of 20% will be healed from this method. This unique village program is called ‘Bali Happy Movement’ and is funded by the money received from other paid workshops held throughout the year.
The good will doesn’t stop here. In 2006, Pak Kadek built the Taman Permata Hati orphan center – an idea originally conceived, because of a diabetic friend who died leaving behind two sons. Pak Kadek was very sad about their plight, but he didn’t have the money to support their education, so he told a French friend about the boys, and she was able to give them her financial support. The word spread throughout local villages that he could also help other children who were orphaned. Today, there are 89 orphans ranging from age six to seventeen who are receiving financial support for their education. In addition, they are given extra lessons every day from 3 – 5pm in English, computing, dancing, drawing, yoga, meditation and art.
The Taman Hati – Bali Yoga and Meditation Centre will hold another Self Healing, Transformation and Fire Walk workshop on Sunday, October 5, 10am - 8pm, at Hong Kong Restaurant in Sanur. Both local residents and westerners are welcome. For more information please call: 0361-974739/ sms 081337 290 712 or email tamanhati2000@yahoo.com.
