As I walked up the narrow concrete path that wound its way around the lush gardens of Melati Cottages, the charmingly quaint hotel, we had booked into as part of our “retreat experience” (www.yogawellness.com.au/YogaRetreats) or holiday with a difference, I contemplated not for the first time what a Shaman actually was.  The word itself evoked images of Ancient American Indian’s wearing headdresses and paint, and chanting and dancing to their animal spirits.  So curious and a little skeptical I climbed the stairs to the beautiful wooden pavilion to meet this “Lujan”, a man who called himself a Shaman and a warrior. 

The cool blue eyes struck me first, like ice, seers of ancient wisdom but with a warmth, a mischievousness and innocence like a child’s.  Next to register was the chuckle, somewhere between a giggle and a guffaw, and completely infectious.  This was Lujan, and there was a timelessness to him that made it impossible to guess his age.    Dressed entirely in black there was an overwhelming sense of power, strength and presence.  And yet an intriguingly intangible quality that melted into the shadows.

I glanced around at the group that had gathered together here in this wooden pavilion, in the middle of acres of rice paddies on the outskirts of charming Ubud to learn the ancient and until recently, the very secret practice called Dragon’s Tears.  Lujan gathered us into a circle, and without too much introduction he instructed us to begin swinging our arms around our waists like helicopters waiting to take off.  He talked about energy and my skepticism evaporated as the heat began to build in my hands, like a furnace they radiated.  The energy grew as we weaved and wound and swam our arms around us, bending and squatting albeit a little less fluidly than he was.  The heat was now in my feet, like I was standing on hot coals, almost unbearable.  Whatever we were doing; I was accessing a heat and an energy I’d never discovered before.

The next three days passed by in a flurry of fluid movements and gestures, many of which were imperceptible to the eye, apparent only in our intention.  Between workshops we sought out all the luxuries and pleasures that Ubud had to offer.   I treated my weary body to daily massages (at $10 an hour), I bargained and haggled over accessories and other handicrafts in the local markets and refueled with a taste tour of Ubud’s finest fare.  Banana pancakes for breakfast, crispy spit-roasted pork with mangosteens for lunch (at Babi Guling, where they go through 400 servings each day),or for a more healthy alternative the ultimate every vitamin 6 course lunch at Wayan’s (on Jalan Jembawan) which I invariably followed up with some of the most decadent and creamy coconut ice cream from Three Monkeys (on Monkey Forest Road).  In the mornings we returned to our wooden pavilion to continue learning the sequence.  For the first two days every movement I completed would fall away, like water when you try to hold it in your hand.  But each night my dreams were filled with the flowing sequences of Dragon’s Tears and I would wake up energized but there was something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on.  Not until the third day did I work out what it was:  Silence.  Stillness.  The more we practiced the quieter my mind became, almost as if the chatter in my head had suddenly gone on a holiday all of its own.  It was like magic.  The only unanswered question remaining was – “what exactly is a Shaman?”

The answer came on the last day when Lujan stood behind one of our group members who looked a little startled at the prospect.  He began to move his arms in a way that looked almost as if he were stirring a big pot of water.  It was elegant, beautiful, a cross between Tai Chi and Kung Fu and was mesmerizing to watch.   But then he suddenly pulled his arms backwards as if pulling a gigantic rope and the student fell backwards – as if that gigantic rope was attached to the middle of his back.  The look of surprise on the students face, reflected the surprise that was surely on mine.  A Shaman it turns out is an energetic master, a healer, a warrior, someone who can feel the lines of energy that run through our world, our bodies and harness them to do all sorts of extraordinary things beyond comprehension. 

After five days I may not be able to pull people over without touching them but I have accessed an energy I never knew existed and my mind has a tranquility to match the meandering serenity of the Balinese.

Lujan is based in Ubud, Bali and facilitates Yoga Holidays in conjunction with Yoga Wellness, for more information contact rachael@yogawellness.com