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Space To Breathe - Nyepi - The Balinese day of silence

Space To Breathe - Nyepi - The Balinese day of silence

Author: Christo Barnard
Date: 2023-03-24
I am in Bali, an island in Indonesia, to celebrate Nyepi day (the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence). Nyepi day is a day where the community chooses to switch off the electricity for an entire day. Yes, you read that correctly, the community chooses to switch off the electricity !

As you may know by now, I advocate awareness by Conscious Breathing and Contemplating that which is gifted through mindful living.

And the lesson learnt on this beautiful island must be shared.

The excitement building up to Nyepi day is tangible wherever you go on the island, as the community gets involved in building statues made of paper and bamboo ? these statues are then burnt the night before Nyepi day.

It is very dramatic but playful at the same time.

Some interpretation is that the darkness (evil spirits) is enticed the day before (called Ogoh Ogoh) and that the island inhabitants then go into hiding the next day (Nyepi). If the evil spirits cannot find them the next day, with the island in darkness and silence, the evil spirits return to their rightful place and the inhabitants of Bali can live in peace and harmony again for the next year.

The lesson in the celebration to me personally is profound as it allow me to become still and examine all the aspects of my inner world, including the darkness.

To acknowledge the darkness within in a playful manner and to let it go, just as the Balinese symbolically burn their statues.

An entire day of silence is but a dream in our world, but nothing prohibits us from taking a deep breath with awareness, to smile and to embrace the Present.

Namaste