Recently I had the privilege of a once-in-a-lifetime experience of swimming with humpback whales – adult females with their young calves beside them often accompanied by male “escorts” – off a small island of Tonga. This whole wondrous experience was organized and facilitated by Dr Amber Gray whose passion for these extraordinary beings fueled every moment of our stay. Amber’s ease with the people and place at the small and exquisite eco resort where we stayed made the whole experience easeful and joyful. We spent half the day in the water with the whales and half the day on land engaged in Continuum exercises guided by Amber. in a beautiful shala made of pandanus and bamboo. This whole experience was a perfect marriage of earth, water, air and fire – we had huge bonfires on the beach – and the whales brought huge spirit to all of us – body and soul! was endlessly nourished. This has been an unforgettable experience which resonates within me to this day.
-Ewa
Dancing the Wild home is an exceptional retreat, Amber is deeply connected to place and guides with joy and integrity. Dancing with the whales brings magic and clarity, which is further deepened during Continuum classes. Dancing the Wild home invites you to turn inward, reflect on relationships with place and nature, to play gently and with great joy it is truly unique.
-Sara
For a few glorious seconds, as I steadied myself on the surface of the ocean, I looked into the eye of a magnificent mother humpback whale as she rested in the depths. Close by her calf rolled, breached, did tail flaps into the air, returning to rest on her back- confident of her love, nurturing and protection. As I continued to breathe deeply and rhythmically through my snorkel, she stretched out her huge 12 foot black and white pectoral fins, rose slowly to the surface, breached, raised her majestic tail clear out of the water then with her calf following close behind her, she gently swam away.
Later in the day we sat in a circle on our mats in the cool of the shaded octagonal gathering space at Serenity Resort, with its beautiful matted ceiling. We practiced the continuum breathing and sound techniques- the o’s, the puffed o’s, the theta’s and the sh-sh star shimmers. We sent our breath to different parts of our bodies like the whales. We let the vibrations rise from the bottom of our spines into the sky, our sounds vibrating within us, through us and between us as we moved between sitting, lying and floating our limbs. We embodied the wonder of the whale swim, each in their own way and in their own time. For eight days we floated in the rhythm of the sea and our breathing, with Ambers’s subtle guidance taking us into the different ‘whale dives’ as we developed our continuum practice.
We were embraced by the warm-hearted Tongans- whale guides, cooks, skippers and resort staff, who provided all we needed. Sumptuous food, deeply attuned guidance in the water, and mosquito nets unrolled each night to protect us as we slept in our open fala huts. Under our feet- only beach sand and above us the wide-open Tongan skies.
Our group of eight, with ages spanning about 30 years, held its own special delight, as we shared our lives and bonded on land and in the ocean. We held ceremony, we danced round the campfire, we sang and we sat together in comfortable silence, gazing at the flames that leapt and glowed, while the orange moon rose above the palm trees. Dancing the Wild Home was a transformative experience. It opened me to the glory of our planet in a new and unique way. I left Uoleva Island feeling moved, privileged and full of gratitude. Grateful to the whales for accepting me into their world and for the gift of briefly knowing them. And grateful to Amber who had drawn us all together from across the world in resonance and harmony.
-Barbara