Novia Ayu
Mar 19, 2022
Novia Ayu
years old from Jambi, living in Bali.
I am a yoga and meditation teacher, but most importantly I am a student of life. I obtain the knowledge I share from my life experiences, the people around me, and the wisdom of my Vipassana teachers. So I am simply a messenger.
I was born in a small town in Sumatra with a unique upbringing. My parents came from different racial, regional, and religious backgrounds. With my Father being Buddhist, my Mother being Muslim, and going to a Christian school myself, I was blessed with the awareness and teachings of different religions growing up. I have always wanted to explore beyond my small town to see ‘the world’. At just 13 years old I left home to pursue a better education in Jakarta, and started traveling foreign countries on my own since I was 16 years old.
I moved to Germany at 18, and then to England at 23, and was fascinated by the diversity of different languages, cultures, and religions. This has opened up my eyes that ultimately, regardless of our differences, happiness and peace are what most people are looking for.
Education is a big part of my life, both formal and informal. I believe that in order to have a supportive and developing community, it needs to start from enriching the mind, body, and soul. It needs to start from obtaining knowledge. Many Indonesian women in rural areas, especially girls from a young age, are not given the opportunity to expand their knowledge — to have a dream and go for it. And therefore I feel that it is part of my mission to bring education to them. Not simply a formal education, but education on the understanding of themselves, on how to focus on their strengths and not weaknesses, and to live in alignment with their purpose in order to have a positive impact on the world around them.
I would like for us all to unite, and not to fight because of our differences. And with knowledge and awareness we will be able to open up our minds, free up our bodies, and elevate our souls.
My path for now is to spread that awareness through yoga and meditation, one pose at a time, one breath at a time. I am looking to expand my coverage from Bali to a bigger part of Indonesia including the rural areas by providing my teachings in our national language, Bahasa Indonesia.
As simple as it may sound, I truly believe that when our mind, body and soul are united (as in the original meaning and essence of yoga), we all have the ability to achieve happiness and peace.
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FB Page: Namaste Novia
IG: @namaste_novia
Author
Michelle Gardener
Author
Michelle Gardener is a Coach, Author, Yogi, Blogger and Inspirational Speaker. She educates women all over the world in Social Change Leadership and is dedicated to pioneering the most amount of impact possible through helping women create social projects that do good for our world.
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