Self Love

On January 10, 2014January 14, 2014 By ambertravelingIn Pretty Places, Spirituality, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I’m facilitating a writing group called “Manifesting your Dreams.” I create the prompts as well as respond to them. Here is my response to the second prompt.

Write for at least 5 minutes about this question:
What do you love about yourself? In other words, what are your talents and strengths?

I decided to do it in list format, because I’m a virgo and I love lists.

Name: Amberly Young
Age: 23
Favorite Colors: Yellow, White, Red, and Turquoise
Occupation: World Traveler, Writer, Musician, Artist, Teacher, Philanthropist… but I don’t want to shut any doors, so my occupation is Student and Teacher of Life! Anything and everything.
Interests: Freedom, Generosity, Ultimate Frisbee, Swing Dancing, Healthy Eating, Spirituality, Goal Setting, List Making, Reading, Writing, Drawing, Painting, Talking to Strangers, Yoga and Meditation, Practicing Infinite Love! Everything.
Right now: Wearing fuzzy maroon bathrobe, in the living room of my parents house where I grew up in. Maple the lovable yellow lab maple is snoring.

My Talents and Strengths:

1. Courage. To travel, talk to strangers, to be free, to have no inhibitions. To teach and to be taught. I regained my innate child-like total freedom feeling recently, at the raw food yoga detox center I lived at for 2 months the Philippines. I am turning back into a child! YES! This comes in handy, and is connected to everything.

2. Creativity. In everything I do: Art Cooking Music Daily Life, it just exudes out of me. I can’t help it. I play piano, guitar, flute, drums a little, and I sing A LOT. I know that I am capable of any creative project I set my mind to. Same with sports or anything expressive. Recently I’ve been trying to apply this attitude to everything, such as math and science, which are subjects which intimidated me in the past. Now I know I can do anything.

3. Enthusiasm!!! I throw myself into things one hundred percent without holding back. In the Philippines I had a spiritual awakening because I was SO OPEN and eager to learn everything. Sometimes my friends and family warn me to be more cautious. While I value their input, I think this quality has taken me very, very far in life so far.

Lots of people warned me not to do a solo motorbike trip in Taiwan, and that was such a life changing experience. For 5 days I zoomed down the coastal highway, finding my way in a country where there are no signs in English – without a smartphone! I had written down names and phone number of places to stay, and miraculously I made it!

There’s a difference between careful and paranoid, and I think I’ve proven I can take care of myself. I do want to be cautious, maybe, but not paranoid! Read my article about traveling alone as a woman for more info about this.

4. Organization. I am all about making lists (as you can tell) and manifesting my dreams via writing, art, music, and with a calendar. I’m all about TAKING ACTION!! I have a pen and paper wherever I go, and I always carry business cards – I had 1000 made in the Philippines for $25! I am excellent at networking and keeping track of the people I’ve met abroad.

5. Love. I love everyone. I love everything. In this moment my love for the world is so powerful it hurts, sometimes its too much. It’s hard for me to hear about all the wars and violence in the world, so I don’t watch the news much. I’m inspired by more positive stories, as my friends volunteering in the Philippines doing permaculture in a tiny village, watch the video here. Like them, I want to spread joy and light to the world! The next step to this is unconditional love for myself.

One final question: How do I do all of this and be empty and nothingness at the same time? I am everything but I am nothing. Or am I? I feel all powerful, with moments of nothingness sprinkled in between. Any advice? Comments? Critique?

Feel free to do this writing prompt on your own, and if you feel inspired you can email it to me! I’ll respond.

Thanks for reading.

Bahay Kalipay

On December 9, 2013January 14, 2014 By ambertravelingIn Asia, Uncategorized2 Comments

Imagine a place where you live in a bamboo treehouse surrounded by banana trees. In the morning birdsong gently lifts you out of a deep relaxing sleep, and you awaken to a warm, sunny day.

When I wake up, one of the first things I do is make a list, in my head or on paper, of 5 things that I am grateful for. Its effortless.

At 7:30 we convene for yoga at a beautiful outdoor space. There are many different teachers and varieties of yoga being shared: Sar leads Hatha, Tara kundilini, and Gerome presents Ashtanga.

For the first time in my life I can do a headstand, which for me is one of the hardest yoga poses. It requires core strength and balance, and lots of breathing and focus!

Breakfast is served at 9, which is papaya, mango, and banana sliced up in a bowl, topped with chopped nuts and shredded coconut and chocolate milk. All the food here is raw, and delicious. So far I’ve lost about 20 pounds, not kidding.

The rest of the day flows effortlessly. Perhaps I will go volunteer at the preschool, hopping on a tricycle and jeepney to get there. The journey takes 30 minutes and costs less than 50 cents.

Afterwards I will chill with the beautiful family who keeps the preschool running: Tatay Ems the flute maker, his wife Raquel the teacher, and his 4 kids, Aya, Banban, Dee, and Kaye, all musically talented.

We sit around the dining room table for hours, Banban drumming, Aya and I on the guitar, all three of us harmonizing… so beautiful. Sometimes Kalayo joins on the drums or whatever percussion he can find. Videos to come!

Maybe I will teach a class later. Soul Journal and Manifesting Your Dreams are the two I have been leading.

Or maybe I will just hang out and read in a hammock, walk to the beach, draw some pictures…

Its a hard life here! Hahaha. I would highly highly recommend this place, it is pretty affordable too when compared to other retreats in western countries.

Ill be coming back here next year, who wants to join me?

Perhentian Islands

On November 3, 2013January 14, 2014 By ambertravelingIn Asia, Uncategorized3 Comments

We took an overnight bus ride from Langkawi to the Perhentian Islands on the east coast of Malaysia. It was a double decker bus and we were seated directly above the driver (possibly the most dangerous place to sit?) but at least it had the best view.

After a bumpy boat ride we arrived at the island. Its off-season but a few tourists wandered the white sand beaches. It’s pretty relaxed, there’s only a few things to do: eat, sleep, party, snorkel, and scuba.

While I was here I decided to take my PADI, a 3-day scuba diving course. It’s one of the cheapest places in the world to get it!

Scuba diving is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. As long as you remember a few fundamentals you can avoid problems:

Keep breathing, slowly and calmly
Adjust your BCD – Buoyancy Control Device
Stay with your buddy
Keep checking your tank, and make sure you don’t run out of air!
Ascend and descend slowly, and equalize often (clearing your ears)

Its a different world underwater. There’s no verbal communication; sign language is the only way to communicate with your fellow divers. Gliding around the coral in this silent world is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

I saw a moray eel (like Ursula’s sidekick from the Little Mermaid!) and a sea turtle, and lots of beautiful and colorful fish, but sadly no whale sharks! Oh well, next time. I’m also excited to try scuba in California, who wants to go with me?