Episode 10 Adventures with Charity Joy

*Training in NSW Australia January 2023*

“We train to fight so we never have to fight”. This is quote you hear often when you train martial arts, similarly to we practice to find stillness so that we can in yoga yet also elsewhere in our day to day life. And what if stillness and training isn’t a practice at all but a state of being all the time?

My training in Kalaripayattu was not only with the lessons, hands on applications, and the history, the real training came from life experiences when things get uncomfortable, how do you cope or shift focus so that the uncomfortableness is what changes us and makes us a stronger character within and without.

In Byron Bay I met many different people. The house we stayed in for 2.5 weeks had an influx of people from all over the world coming and going. Part of me so enjoyed that and another part just wanted to focus exclusively on training and not get distracted. We took 10 days off during Christmas holidays. I headed to Gunningerry National Park for a day with exquisite hiking waterfalls and watering holes. It was exactly what I needed to get away from “the happening” house. Nature is always the perfect anecdote when I need a reset. My body and mind felt clear and renewed.

Byron Bay Beach Training

We went to a festival for NYE near Natural Bridge, Queensland with a population of 108 people in the rural town. At the overnight camping festival I stayed in a small tent and danced or was in the river the majority of the time. The are was absolutely stunning. My camping neighbors had the sweetest 3 year old girl who was wearing her “wings” the whole day and night. I told her “ I wear my wings permanently. Which in hindsight got me thinking, I had been wearing my wings to flit and float around the world for more than 1/2 of my life. I knew the time to fly into my “flower” or home was coming soon.

New Years Day I was one of the first ones up at the festival. I went for a mini hike and just took in the natural beauty around and gave great thanks and gratitude for this time we have on this amazing planet in this amazing body.

We only had a few more days before we headed to the Gold Coast. In the interim I got to know a new friend, Alegria, and stayed up in her mountain house in Huonbrook. What a fairy dream land it was up there. We spent the evening talking life, magic and discussing divine beauty. In the day we spent time in the waterfalls nearby and soaking in sun on the rocks.

I received news that my grandma of 103 had passed away while in Australia. And it so happened I was staying a few minutes walk from the tea tree lake, which was considered a sacred women’s healing spot. As I walked to the lake the morning I received the news it dawned on me this was the last of my grandparents to leave this dimension. I could feel both of my grandmas there with me amongst the tea trees and red lake. It’s as if their words were being whispered through the wind, “You are exactly where you are suppose to be and to keep going.” I didn’t feel sad but more reassured and watched over.

It wasn’t until a few days later when I was getting a traditional Polynesian, and Tahitian tattoo that the tears and healing came through. I could hear my ancestors speaking to me urging me that I got this and to continue on this journey with strength and courage.

*The beginning of the expansion of my wings on this goddess warrior path.*

When I said I learned many lessons in Australia, this is just the tip of the iceberg and I’m happy to continue to share my stories and path.

Arriving in Melbourne after 2 days of driving and having my own Airbnb apartment I melted into the space. It felt amazing to have space to just be with me. I’m quite accustomed to being on my own and traveling alone so I felt this a big blessing to have some time to reflect on the last few weeks and spread out. Exploring the city, meeting with the Kalari Crew to train, enjoying dance sessions, green, green parks and getting acquainted with public transportation. What a diverse and eclectic city, so much to see, do and be. I really enjoyed being in the apartment, making meals and having me time. And when my heart had the yearning to dance I joined an ecstatic dance or sewed clothes at fast fashion fun event in the city. After sewing an outfit there would be a runway show on the hour of every hour. I had to participate in that even though is was in the high 90s and the sun was blazing. It was fun to see people creating in the street and strutting their style.

After a week in the apartment in Torrak neighborhood I moved into a room near Saint Kilda with a woman Brittany who was friendly and easy going. One evening I was coming back from training in a gardens and I was headed back to the apartment, and I thought, “ Oh I’ll walk through St. Kilda gardens, it’s so beautiful”. It was just getting dark and walked through as I came to the other side of the garden I saw the 8 foot iron gate was closed and locked. I thought, uh oh, so I went to the other gates to find the same scenrio. I saw a feel passing by foot on the outside of the gate but they did not hear or see me. So this is when the real life training comes into play. I climbed up the iron gate swung my leg around the points of the top and jumped to the other side. Phew that was close. The next day I went by to see if there was a sign stating that the park closed at dusk and saw nothing. The made me realize, we never know when are training is going to come into practice and life, but its so important to just be ready for anything.

After a few days with Brittany I moved to another part of Melbourne with Urmilla, who I met through our Kalari training, and her partner. They had a beautiful back garden that you could lose all sense of time and space back there. One evening after training in the gardens with her, Rashmi and Seb we went back to Urmilla’s and she made curry dosa and we played Carrom (an Indian board game similar to pool but smaller and you used your fingers to flick the puck around). It took a lot of focus, and concentration. It was fun to hang with part of the crew and learn more about their Indian culture.