The U.N. Millennium Development Goals have 2015 as their target of fulfillment, less than three years away. Three of the goals are of concern at Yayasan Bumi Sehat (Healthy Mother Earth Foundation) in Indonesia, where I am a midwife. Goals 4 through 6 are to reduce child mortality rates, improve maternal health, and combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

Unfortunately, the world is not nearly close enough to reaching these goals; goals which advocate for the basic human right to decent healthcare. May 5th is International Day of the Midwife and I find myself in General Santos City, Mindanao, Philippine Islands, where over 800 midwives are assembled for the Philippine League of Midwives National Congress, a gathering of women passionate about achieving real solutions to the problem of maternal and child mortality.

According to the World Health Organization 981 women die everyday from pregnancy and birth related complications. These statistics are higher than if two 747 jets fell from the sky, killing a total of 832 passengers every single day. If airplanes fell from the sky daily, this would make front-page news. And for sure people would not fly until the problem was solved. However, nearly 1,000 women are dying daily in the prime of their lives, they are not elderly; not sick; they are pregnant and birthing women.

These maternal deaths are driven by poverty, causing malnutrition and inadequate access to reproductive health services. They are mostly preventable. Even more discouraging: according to Amnesty International, the number of maternal deaths is significantly understated because of a lack of effective data collection in the U.S., and, may I add, in the world.

The mothers most at risk are African and Asian, minorities, those living in poverty, indigenous, immigrant or displaced women and those who speak little or no English. Many of the women who come to midwives for reproductive health services, are in these categories.

As a midwife, I have devoted a lifetime to hands-on helping, while thinking and working out the reasons for this tragedy. It is humbling. We must continue to ask, how can we work towards real solutions to this problem.

On my blog in the Huffington Post, one person posted this comment: “This is why we have hospitals. While it’s a romantic idea, midwifing is a relic of the past and needs to be outlawed.”

When they are needed, hospitals and the specialists who staff them are a miracle. That being said, I am convinced that the Midwife-to-Mother model of care is the best way to determine if the risks for mother and baby are high. In the care of midwives, mothers have the best possible chance for better birth outcomes, with less use of technology and much less cost. In the experience of the Bumi Sehat childbirth clinics in Bali and Aceh, where over 4,000 babies have been born, midwives are the care providers who take the time needed to prevent tragedy.

The comment above may be expected from someone coming from a Western mentality such as the US or some countries in Europe. Possibly thousands more people in Indonesia, the place I live and teach midwifery skills, think the same. But I am grateful that the Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Health, does not view the issue in this way.

The Indonesian Ministry of Health has shown a growing support through initiating programs that improve the role of midwives, especially in remote villages where the residents may have never even seen a car. It is an unavoidable fact that midwives are the gateway to providing reproductive health care to rural residents in many areas.

If you believe that hospital based childbirth, attended exclusively by doctors of obstetrics and gynecology, is the answer, consider that although the U.S. spends more than any other country on childbirth technology; statistics released in September 2010 by the U.N. place the United States far behind other developed countries in the world for maternal mortality. Women in the U.S. have a higher risk of dying from pregnancy-related complications than women in 40 other countries.

The heart of how we care for our mothers, babies and families is the care we show for the dispossessed and the disenfranchised. While I dotted that last sentence, another woman died in childbirth. This is intolerable, every mother counts. You can clap your hands and say, “I do believe in technology,” but it won’t change anything. If you personally wish to see significant reduction in the numbers of mothers and babies dying, clap your hands and say, “I do believe in Midwives!”

Today, I am spending International Day of the Midwife in the Philippines with midwives from my own mother’s homeland. My Lola (grandmother) was a Filipino hilot, a traditional midwife, before there were hospitals to fall back on. She practiced respect for nature and for the culture of women. Today, midwives have excellent training in the science of medicine.

Midwives stand on three strong feet: respect for nature, honoring culture and sound science. To all my sister midwives out there: if some view us as too romantic or a relic of the past, don’t let this refrain you from saving lives with the loving touch of mothers. Happy Day of the Midwife.

Main photo by Verginie Noel.

The fifth BaliSpirit festival has concluded last week. Five days packed with offerings ranging from yoga and dance, to music and holistic medicine workshops, this year’s festival attracted the largest crowds yet in its history. Susan, yoga practitioner from the United States, sums up her experience of the festival: “There is a huge number of workshops, and so many amazing new things to try. But for me, the most important part was to meet so many like-minded people and to connect with the community.”

The international audience that flocked to Ubud to experience the BaliSpirit festival is part of an ever-growing international community of health- and environment-conscious yogis, musicians, and dancers. This year, BaliSpirit attracted more than 1,000 participants from the United States, India, South America, Australia, China, Japan, Western and Eastern Europe, and Africa. John Ogilvie, yoga presenter, festival sponsor and founder of Australia’s Byron Yoga Center, recognizes the galvanizing power of the festival: “There is an international community present at this festival. All of them will take ideas and inspiration from this festival back to their own communities.” In this way, global awareness relating to health and environmental issues grows. Spirituality, as Ogilvie points out, has to be practical. By building an international community, the maxim ‘Think Global, Act Local’ can become a reality.

The general atmosphere of the festival encouraged sharing and community, and presenters as much as the audience enjoyed the many new connections and shared experiences during the festival.  “To me, as a presenter, the festival felt playful and free and because we all join each other’s classes, Michael Hallock, Watsu teacher, explains. “Normally, as a presenter, I would be a ‘special’ person at an event, but here I was one of many. It was really humbling because I saw so much greatness around me, so much talent and creativity. I saw many people in the fullness of their expression. It was very inspiring and humbling.” Presenter John Ogilvie, who says he enjoyed the experience of switching roles from teacher to student when he joined workshops led by his world-renowned peers, shared this feeling.

Bali is an ideal location for the festival – the Balinese are natural yogis, who live their form of yoga on a daily basis. As devout Hindus, they perform offerings and ceremonies on a daily basis, and service to the community is the norm rather than the exception. Kadek Gunarta, co-founder of the festival, asserts, “We Balinese do yoga our whole lives. We do yoga every time we make an offering and every time we go to a temple. We are always trying to lift our consciousness.” It is this constant effort to maintain a connection to the unseen world that makes Bali such a magical and inspiring place for Western visitors. This atmosphere is amplified during the festival, as many workshops encourage participants to look inside, become more conscious, and open their hearts.  Or as self-proclaimed ‘badass’ yoga instructor Cheri Rae, from Peace and Love Yoga, Los Angeles, puts it: “You do yoga to become a better person. If you don’t – get out of my class and go do aerobics!”

In an effort to promote and include local presenters and audiences, this year, several Indonesian presenters added more local flavor to the festival. While the vast majority of yoga presenters were white Westerners, Indonesian presenters such as Jane Chen, Indrawati Widjanarko and Dewi Asmarani were welcome additions to this all-white line-up.  There is still some way to go, however, to make a truly inclusive festival, especially regarding the Indonesian audience. As a positive gesture, the festival offers one day with free access for everyone, and especially Balinese families, with special workshops organized for children, and yoga classes with Balinese village elders, amongst others. There is, however, no adjusted ticket price for Indonesian participants, which is reflected in the under-representation of Indonesians in the audience during the other four days of the festival.

Giving back to the community, as a yogic principle, is a major theme running through the festival, and is inspiring to Westerners who might be craving a deeper sense of community and connection in the materialistic and individualistic West. BaliSpirit festival might just be a small part of the growing movement of people seeking community and holistic lifestyles around the world, but its ripple effect through the inspiration it provides is larger than the festival. According to John Ogilvie, “If we can get enough people doing yoga around the world, it will be a better place” – a simple formula, which recognizes the capacity of the festival to inspire proactive change among its international guests.

One such ripple effect of the festival has been the inspiration it has provided for similar yoga and holistic health festivals that have developed around the world – such as the Namaste Spirit Festival held in Jakarta, the Byron Bay Spirit Festival in Australia and the Hawaii Spirit Festival. Founder and Chairwoman of Namaste Festival in Jakarta, Anita Boentarman, says that she was “inspired by the BaliSpirit Festival.” She further commented, “Yoga is not about competition, it’s about union and working together. We want to work more closely with the BaliSpirit Festival.”

One important aspect of the festival’s mission relates to the environment. BaliSpirit prides itself in its partnership with green organizations such as Bali Cantik Tanpa Plastik, Bali ReGreen and the Environmental Bamboo Foundation. It is also linked to the East Bali Poverty Project and donations collected on Hari Cinta Keluarga day are donated to Ayo! Kita Bicara HIV/AIDS, an NGO created by BaliSpirit to engage the local community in conversations and education about HIV & AIDS.

Pau Castellsague, yoga presenter and founder of the Barcelona Yoga Conference, insisted on the urgency for people to take positive action: “I feel a strong connection to nature here in Bali, it is very inspiring. But what we humans have done to nature is very sad. We suck! It is time to change. And I don’t mean it’s time for the intention to change. It’s too late for intentions. We need to make change happen, now.”

While the festival does take its responsibility for the environment seriously, as is exemplified in their waste recycling program and support of environmental organizations, it isn’t perfect. The presence of plastic spoons, chopsticks made from tropical forest wood, and a huge number of paper cups still mar the image of a fully environmentally friendly festival. The consciousness and will to limit the impact of the festival on the environment, however, is well present, and efforts to manage waste have constantly improved since the festival’s inception five years ago.

Overall, this year’s BaliSpirit festival was a successful and positive event, galvanizing an ever-growing community of people who crave positive change in the world. And besides this grand aspiration, it was also, simply, a lot of fun. With workshops ranging from many different styles of yoga, such as Hatha, Anusara, Yin, Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga, Acro and Kundalini, and lots of dynamic dance workshops, including Nia, 5 Rhythms, and the hugely popular West African Dance, there were plenty of opportunities for both for self-reflection and growth, as well as for good, plain fun, exhilaration, and booty-shakes! And while the Festival united some of the world’s most experienced yoga instructors, the festival welcomed beginners and the simply curious too.

Yoga is for everyone, and yoga should be fun, as Cheri Rae’s words bring it to the point: “Yoga should feel good.” And this is what this festival was about, most of all – feel good, do good.

These days it seems like everyone is doing yoga. A large yoga scene has developed in Bali in the last few years, attracting more and more foreigners and locals to practice this ancient art on the Island of the Gods. Practitioners rave about its physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. But might there be other benefits to it that are not so often discussed? Yoga’s aim is to re-establish union between the human body, mind and spirit. Could it be, however, that it also enhances the union between humans? In other words – can it improve your sex-life?

Read on… because it can.

A consistent Yoga practice will improve your physical well-being, fitness, and looks. But besides giving you that sexy “Yoga-butt”, it can do a lot more for your sex life than you might at first imagine.

And it’s scientifically proven. A recent study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that yoga improves women’s sex lives significantly. Moreover, the results were even more pronounced in women aged over 45. For the study, women aged between 22-55 participated in a 12-week yoga course. After the course, all of them reported an improvement in their sex lives, including improvement in desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain reduction.

On the masculine side, the results are just as positive.  Among men aged 24-60, yoga improved desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.

So, how does it work? Exactly how yoga affects your sex life is not always clear, but here are some clues.

It makes you fit, strong and flexible
On the physical side, you will gain greater fitness, muscle tone and endurance from a regular Yoga practice. More energy, strength and better health all contribute to a better and more fulfilling sex life. Feeling good in your body may translate into feeling sexier when you enjoy your body in bed with someone else. Being fit can also make you feel more attractive and confident in your relationships with the opposite sex.

Increased flexibility and longer muscles give you greater freedom of movement, which invites creative experimentation in the realm of bedroom acrobatics. You might even want to try out some of the more adventurous positions transmitted in the ancient Indian art of lovemaking, the Kama-Sutra.

The practice of engaging the sacred energy locks of mula bandha and uddhiyana bandha in Yoga simultaneously toning the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles and increases their strength. A strong pelvic floor means stronger orgasms for both sexes, as these are partly the muscles that contract during orgasm. A strong core will give both sexes strength and endurance in all areas of life, and for women, as an added bonus, it will maintain their sexual fitness even into an advanced age.

Strong pelvic muscles can also help men develop greater self-control and endurance, thus giving them more time to please their partners. This aspect is crucial in love-making, as women usually need a longer time than men to get aroused to the point of orgasm. Therefore, a patient and self-controlled lover can translate into more orgasms for the woman. “Yoga really affected my sex life,” says Sascha, a yoga practitioner from Canada. “I’ve gained greater body awareness, partner awareness, endurance, stamina, and control. The biggest change for me is my awareness and control in engaging the mula bandha (pelvic floor) area, as well as a greater sensitivity to the female energy.”

A study conducted by researchers at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, concluded that yoga can help combat premature ejaculation and promote sexual satisfaction, and this even to a greater extend than the usual drugs prescribed for these problems – 100 percent of the yoga group showed improvement in premature ejaculation and sexual satisfaction, compared to 82 percent of the drug group.

More presence, more sensations
The relaxation practices within yoga allow practitioners to access a relaxed state more easily. Deeper relaxation allows for greater blood flow to the sexual organs, increasing sensitivity and responsiveness to stimulation.

With time, Yoga will develop physical self-awareness and sensitivity. “Your whole physiology will be optimized, your nervous system re-conditioned and so you’d be able to feel more sensations in your body. But Yoga will also develop the ability to integrate these enhanced feelings within every aspect of your life”, claims Uma Inder, Ayurveda consultant and yoga teacher of more than 20 years. “Yoga brings you right back into your body.”

Coming back into your body translates into a more focused and present mind. A distracted mind is no use during lovemaking – if you want to make it worthwhile. As researchers from the University of British Columbia found out, yoga meditation and mindfulness can help treat women’s sexual problems. In their study, researchers found that mindfulness practice significantly enhanced women’s sexual arousal and response.

A relaxed mind is more open to enjoy and be present during those intimate moments with your partner.

Beyond the physical
Yoga’s effects, however, transcend the physical. Increased self-confidence and a better knowledge of oneself are natural by-products of Yoga. During the practice of yoga, you learn to stay with the sensations and emotions that come up in various postures instead of ‘running away’ instantly. Learning to stay where you are, in a scary headstand for example, develops self-knowledge and confidence. You learn that fear, for example, is just an emotion, and that you don’t necessarily need to give in to it. So you’ll gradually become more comfortable in vulnerable positions, whether it’s in that headstand during class or while communicating your wishes to your partner.

Your relationships will naturally improve as you become more aware and respectful of yourself and others. According to Uma, “on a basic level, Yoga develops physical freedom and emotional maturity. Conscious acceptance of your own self empowers your capacity to relate truthfully with others.” And who says better relationships, says, well, better sex.

Moreover, Yoga might, over time, help you to undo some of the cultural and social conditioning that demonizes sex, and specifically keeps women from enjoying it. According to Margot Anand, senior Tantra Yoga teacher and founder of Skydancing Tantra, “If we want to be good lovers, on the spiritual level, as well as on the physical level, we have to look at the beliefs we were raised with, and whether we agree with these beliefs. You should realize that a belief is just something that is given to you from the outside – it is not your truth, your experience.” Regarding sex, “the first belief to let go of is that sex is “taboo”. It is not, for it is sacred. The second belief is that women should not be allowed to have as much pleasure, or as many lovers, as men. The third belief is that the Goddess is a stone effigy that resides in temples, but at home, the woman is just a worker and a mother. This is not so. If you can see the divine in your partner and make love to that transcendence – as you pray, so you love – then you experience true bliss because you are beyond the ego.”

From the lower realms… to the highest

By integrating all levels of the human experience – the physical, mental, and spiritual – Yoga may not just improve your orgasms; it could potentially lead you to ‘enlightening’ orgasms, too.

“In the Kundalini Tantra system, the sexual center, the second chakra (swadisthana), can be experienced as the center in which the individual self is established and supported”, says Uma Inder. “Within this tradition, the sexual center may be used as the platform, the basis from where spiritual experience is generated and amplified.”

Kundalini and Tantra yoga will develop more awareness in the lower centers, and open these up. “This is the doorway, the beginning of the spiritual journey, in the basis of existence,” according to Uma Inder. “All spiritual experiences are generated from the lower chakras, and this has been scientifically proven.” The challenge is to develop these lower centers without getting stuck there, as “there is a higher purpose to sexual intercourse, that is, to conceive another human being or higher consciousness. The highest sexuality is the union of energy and consciousness in every aspect of our bodies and our lives.”

At a still more advanced level, yogis can develop the capacity of experiencing a full-fledged orgasmic experience in the body, without having to go through sexual intercourse. As Margot Anand states, “When you enter that bliss, you don’t even think about sex anymore, because it’s so much better than sex!”

…are you still reading, or are you on your yoga mat already?

Last Thursday, November 24^th, Thanksgiving day fell on the same day as Robin’s birthday. In an act of giving thanks, twenty years ago, Wil Hammer, Robin’s husband, wrote the future of their love story in song.

After twenty years, Wil finally has the opportunity to record the song “Thank you for mine.” The simple lyrics of this song are a fresh reminder and a gift of thanks to support Robin as CNN Hero 2011 nominee. Wil is distributing this song free through the Internet as his way of thanking Robin’s supporter who have given their time to vote for Robin online.

For Wil, the song “Thank you for mine” is no longer his personal story, as it was twenty years ago when he first wrote it. He has invited a number of other musicians to collaborate with him in recording this song. Kartika Jahja and Robi Navicula shared their voices, Yoyok Harness strummed the sitar, Angelo Berardi played violin, Mamo strummed the bass, Vigneswaren Rajaendra played the tabla.

This collaboration creates a serene composition, especially Tika’s voice when flowing next to the sound of the tabla and violin. Wil even considered removing his own vocals when mixed next to Tika’s. Because her vocals soared so free he did not want to reduce any of the artistic quality of the song by mixing it with his own voice.

Wil is offering this song to anyone who believes that the power of love can change the world. Please download the song “Thank you for mine” here:

Then, click here to vote Robin Lim for CNN Hero 2011. You can vote 10 times a day until Dec 8^th, 2011.

With every pregnancy and birth to bring new life into the world, we are also facing the risk of loss: the loss of a mother’s life. In Indonesia, maternal and infant mortality rates are still very high for Asia standards.

Midwives are the spearhead to improve the health of mothers and infants, and to reduce the mortality rates. In rural areas, it is midwives who are first contacted by community members when the pains of labor begin or if there are complications during delivery. One of these midwives is Robin Lim. Through the Bumi Sehat Clinic in Ubud, Bali, Robin Lim has assisted in providing free health services since 2003. “In the first 8 months of 2011 alone, Bumi Sehat has offered free healthcare services to over 20,500 patients and assisted in the delivery of almost 400 babies.” says Robin Lim.

Her social work has now received appreciation, Robin Lim has been nominated as a 2011 CNN Hero this past March. It takes nine months before the CNN Hero of the Year is announced, which will be this December 11th. Nine months, the same time it takes for an infant to grow in the womb.

To learn how to vote for Robin Lim, and to learn more about her work, visit:
Visit the Official CNN website to Vote for Robin Lim
akarumput.com/robinlim atau bumisehatbali.org
Facebook:Ibu Robin Lim
Twitter: @iburobin

Friday, 21 October 2011 | Time: 19:00-21:30
Address: Jln. Langsat I No. 3A, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan

Robin Lim practices and advocates for gentle birth and safe motherhood. Her social work, from Aceh to Bali, has gained her a nomination for CNN Hero 2011.

obrolanlangsat.com

We sat with Robin Lim, who apologized as she took her leave for a moment. She greeted Sri with a warm hug and kissed her cheeks, left and right. Then she kissed the baby, who was still red. “Oh my cucu,” Robin said.

Robin looked deeply into Sri’s eyes and, as I approached, I saw there were tears in Robin’s eyes.

Again, Robin hugged Sri, and again, kissed her. “If your milk doesn’t come in smoothly, call us, ok,” Robin said. “How are you getting home? Is there a car to take you?” “Yes Ibu,” answered Jaya Sandi, Sri’s husband, who then guided his wife out of the clinic.

Robin returned after saying goodbye to the new parents. Sighing, she explained, “Giving birth is a huge risk for a woman. It’s painful. They risk their lives. I think of every woman who gives birth here as my daughter. Even a little love means so much to them. And it can help reduce the pain.”

I was visiting the Bumi Sehat Foundation Clinic as a facilitator for a writing workshop for midwives and health workers, which was organized by Balicitta Indonesia. The workshop took place in Kerobokan, Bali, May 23-27, 2011. Five participants joined: two from East Kutai, two from Bireun, Aceh, and one from MCHIP (Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program) of USAid, Jakarta.

Robin’s hair is long; even braided it comes down to her waist. Her hair and features suggest the Native American heritage acquired from her father’s family. From her father, she also inherited German blood, and from her mother: Filipino and Chinese. An intriguing array of beads and a carved wooden owl adorned the long necklaces she wore. She explained that the owl plays an important role in her life path. One day in the early 1990s, two baby owls fell from the top of a coconut tree, not far from where Ibu Robin was standing. She took care of the orphaned baby owls until they were grown. The villagers took this as a sign that Robin could care for them. Of course the villagers already believed Robin was special, because she gave birth to her fifth child, Hanoman, at home, without any medical assistance.

I whispered to Arisandi Wahyuni, one of the midwives from East Kutai: “Ibu Yuni, how many children do you have?” “Two,” she replied. “And where were they born?” “The first was with a midwife, the second in the hospital.” Yuni gave an regretful smile and continued, “Even we midwives often opt to give birth with a doctor. We don’t trust our own colleagues.”

I observed Robin and the lines around her eyes, which became more pronounced when she was deep in conversation. Robin doesn’t laugh much. When she is sharing a funny story, her lips allow only a thin smile.

After her younger sister died in childbirth and her own midwife also passed away in the same year, Robin dedicated her life to helping others. Her belief in this work was reinforced when her own grandmother, Vicenta Munar Lim, appeared to her in a dream, not long after Robin gave birth to her son, Hanoman.

Vicenta was a traditional midwife in the mountain city of Baguio, Luzon in the Philippines. During and after World War II, Vicenta helped women during childbirth.

In the dream, her grandmother gave Robin a gift, Robin explained: “She gave me a Chinese baby in a beautiful yellow dress. I interpreted it as her asking me to take on her gift. It was like my grandmother was passing on her knowledge to me. Now, every time I’m in a difficult situation with a patient, I always seem to find the solution,” said Robin.

When her grandmother appeared in her dream a second time, Robin chose to study midwifery. Robin, who was born in Arizona on November 24^th, 1956, returned to her birth land and became certified by the North American Registry of Midwives. She also holds a certification from the Indonesian Midwives Association.

Robin has eight children—five of which are her biological children. Her first child is 35 years old. Not long, ago she adopted her youngest child from East Nusa Tenggara. “You have five children, why don’t you practice Family Planning?” asked Mia Pesik, the senior program manager for MCHIP, during the writing workship. “All five of my children were ‘planned,’” replied Robin, smiling.

I had to stifle my laughter upon hearing her retort. Family Planning in Indonesia is quite different from programs in the United States: It was initiated by Suharto’s New Order regime to reduce population growth. But what Robin means by family planning, is that each child was planned by his or her parents, or by a higher power.

Bumi Sehat has around 55 employees in Bali and 19 in Aceh. They have very few regular volunteers and the foundation prioritizes working with local midwives. Robin, who is always on call, explains, “Birth doesn’t have a schedule; sometimes it happens at 3 in the morning. I try to be there for the mothers who call me. Even if I don’t necessarily deliver the baby, I want to be close to the mother, hold her hand, or wipe her forehead—and to let them know that they will get through this difficult, but rewarding time,” said Robin.

Bumi Sehat doesn’t charge for its services. All healthcare is provided for free, even medicine. Of course, donations from patients are always welcome. “So where does the operational funding come from?” I ask Robin.  “We are constantly requesting donations of money from overseas.”

Bumi Sehat offers healthcare services for many more than those in their local community: Some patients come from overseas to give birth at the Bumi Sehat clinic. Robin provides an example: “My friend from New York came here to give birth. She said in New York where she works as a doctor, she would not even bring her dog to give birth in a hospital.”

Recently, as Robin’s reputation has become more widely known, more foreign visitors and expatriates have come to give birth at this simple clinic. “They give donations, sometimes more than they would pay to give birth in their own country. Many Russians come all the way here because they don’t want to give birth in their own country.”

In Russia, according to some of Bumi Sehat’s patients, newborn babies are directly moved to an infant room and denied direct contact with their mothers for up to five days. Robin suspects a dubious business deal between hospitals and infant formula producers is behind this unnecessary and unnatural practice: “Who would be behind such practices if it isn’t the formula producers? They separate the mothers and newborns so that the newborns will be given formula and won’t accept breast milk” says Robin.

In fact, infant formula producers have a strong hold over the world of natal healthcare. But recently, some community-based movements, such as AIMI (Asosiasi Ibu Menyusui Indonesia), the Indonesian Breastfeeding Mothers Association, are balancing out the influence of these companies. Robin is an active supporter of early breastfeeding. She always lets new mothers know that they should exclusively feed their babies breast milk until they are 6 months old.

At Bumi Sehat, there is no chance of ever introducing infant formula milk. Yet formula companies continue to try and offer their products there. Once, when Robin was not at the clinic, a midwife called her on the phone. “There was someone from Nestle there offering a motorbike for the midwives,” said Robin, relaying the story. “I told the midwife to ask them to leave. We don’t need their motorbike. Today they will give us a free motorbike, but tomorrow they will come back and coerce us into giving formula milk to the babies.”

Even with donations, Robin is selective. She has refused donations from mining companies. “These companies are destroying the forest and stealing rights from the people. We don’t need their money,” Robin said, naming several particular multinational gold mining companies based in Papua as such culprits.

Because of her unwavering ideals, Robin often struggles to find enough funding to cover operational costs. “But our clinic in Ubud is staying afloat. And we send many of the donations we receive to our Aceh clinic,” she explains.

The Aceh clinic was founded by Bumi Sehat near Meulaboh, just after the tsunami in 2005. “Today, most foreign NGOs have left Aceh, but we still keep our clinic open there,” she says.

Bumi Sehat has an ambulance, of sorts, though it wasn’t originally designed to be an ambulance: It is a converted mini van, a donation of the Ubud Rotary Club. “We tried for four years to get an ambulance. Finally they donated one for the clinic.” Quoting the Bible, she says, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven,” with unveiled frustration in her voice.

Robin explains that the ambulance is not only used to transport birthing patients. Bumi Sehat often gets calls from people who have been in motorcycle accidents. “What if there is no one there to help them? We can’t just leave them on the side of the road.”

There are three additional ambulances in in the Ubud area, all of which belong to two organizations who work with to save street dogs. “They quickly raised the funds to buy these ambulances. It seems that people care more about dogs’ lives the peoples’ lives.”

The health of mothers, infants, and children on Bali is, by comparison to other parts of Indonesia, very good. Bali has the third lowest mortality rate for mothers in the country, which is above the Health Ministries national target. In 2010, Bali registered 107 deaths of mothers during birth. Bali trails Jakarta, which reported 64, and Bengkulu at 104. In 2010, the number of mothers who died in childbirth in Indonesia was 11,534. West Java experienced the most deaths at 2280, followed by East Java (1766) and East Nusa Tenggara (642).

Many new government programs have been introduced to try to reduce the mortality rate of mothers, infants, and children. The writing workshop organized by Bali Citta Indonesia is aiming at collecting stories from midwives and healthcare workers in the field as part of such a campaign. Unfortunately, their research and contribution is rarely acknowledged by the press or government.

Learning from the stories of other midwives and healthcare workers can build awareness of the problem and strategies for reducing mother and infant mortality rates. In addition to finding sources of inspiration for the writing workshop, we also found personal inspiration by visiting Robin and Bumi Sehat.

Robin decided to open her non-profit clinic because she was disturbed by the high rate of mother and infant mortality in Indonesia. At that time she was convinced that one of the factors leading to deaths was the expensive cost of giving birth in a hospital. So in 1994, she opened her clinic with limited facilities. Bumi Sehat Foundation, located in Nyuh Kuning, Ubud, was officially established in 2006. Now, every month, the clinic welcomes around 40-60 births.

“I really want to expand our work to other areas,” Robin said. “If possible I would like to have one foot here and one in the Philippines. There, the mother mortality rates are still high. But, with the limited funding right now, this is all we can do.”

One way to reduce the number of mother and infant mortality rates is to support the role of traditional birth attendants who, in many communities in Indonesia, are the primary caregivers during and after childbirth. Unfortunately, they often work without the hygienic equipment necessary, according to safe medical standards. But in Meulaboh, Bumi Sehat has partnered with 13 traditional birth attendants to offer them education on safer practices.

In Meulaboh, the birth attendants don’t stay at the clinic, but continue to work in their home villages. They are supported through an information and supplies network established by Bumi Sehat. “We don’t want to tell people to not go to the traditional birth attendants; we need to work together with them. They also have very good techniques to save the lives of mothers in childbirth. They learn from nature.”

In Aceh, Bumi Sehat provided the traditional birth attendants with medical equipment in the form of delivery kits. Included in each kit is a mobile phone, so that if a patient needs additional care, a birth attendant can call a midwife from the Bumi Sehat clinic. “But we do not provide them with scissors to cut the umbilical cord,” Robin explains. For sanitary reasons, “they need to wait for a midwife to do that.”

Bumi Sehat also pays the traditional birth attendants each time they assist a birth. In the village, the traditional birth attendants often stay with the mother through the complete birthing process. This complete attention is what makes many people still trust in the services of traditional birthing attendants.

“They often provide anything the mother needs during the birthing process, including washing cloths and boiling water.” This is a service that also supports the birthing attendants financially. “At our clinic, we wash the cloths used after a birth. Sometimes the traditional birthing attendants will say, ‘Don’t, that is my job.’ Maybe they worry that they will lose their source of income because of new clinics and midwives; but they don’t have to worry because we respect the importance of their role in childbirth” said Robin.

We were invited to see the birthing room while at Bumi Sehat. In the room there was a bathtub shaped in a quarter circle, used for water births. Sitting submerged in warm sterile water helps to reduce the stress and pain of the mother while birthing. Robin chose a water birth for delivering her fourth child in Hawaii. The Indonesian singer Oppie Andaresta also gave birth to her first child in the water at Bumi Sehat.

There was also a birthing bed in the room. One of the midwife participants asked why the birthing bed was so low, like a regular bed, and not tall like the standard, modern medical beds. Ergonomically, these low beds are not comfortable for midwives, because they have to bend down. But Robin explains, “We [humans] are mammals, so we instinctually want to give birth close to the earth. So, the comfort of the midwife is not the priority, but what is most important is the mother.”

Bumi Sehat’s health services are based on three foundations: respect for nature, respect for culture, and the wise implementation of the science of medicine. Robin avoids using chemical medicine as much as possible; almost all of the medicine at Bumi Sehat is derived from food sources or made from natural ingredients. For mothers with an at-risk pregnancy because of high blood pressure, for example, Robin takes advantage of the healing properties found in garlic and cucumber to lower their pressure. “If a mother’s milk hasn’t come in or isn’t flowing well, we give her red rice. This method has been proven for hundreds of years,” she said.

Bumi Sehat doesn’t require much technology to operate. This is in keeping with their mission of gentle, simple birthing. The birth process is handled naturally through observing aspects of the human body in a holistic way. Robin believes that the birth process is sacred and must be handled with love. “We have an ultra sound machine. But that’s all. Why should we spend money on unproductive technology? As advanced as any technology is, if the process is not handled with gentle care and love, the mother will not feel comfortable,” said Robin.

Near the birthing beds there is a bamboo ladder tied to the window. Some cloth bundled into a knot at one end hangs from one of the ladder steps. The ladder and cloth are also part of the birthing facilities, devised from a method used by traditional birthing attendants in Kalimantan. A woman in labor can hold onto the knotted cloth with both hands, and bend her knees allowing the cloth to bear her weight as she hangs. The birth takes place in a half-standing half-squatting position, helping the mother to push during birth.

Robin held the blue cloth attached to the ladder, a bit dingy, in her hands. “We will wash this cloth or replace it. But we feel that this cloth is sort of charmed. So many mothers have given birth while holding this cloth. There are many success stories here,” Robin said, laughing.

Bumi Sehat also practices a method called lotus birth, in which the umbilical chord is not immediately cut. This traditional method assures that the placenta provides nutrition, cells, and antibodies to the baby following the birth. After the birth, the placenta is wrapped in flowers and scented herbs and placed carefully near the mother’s body.

Some families who choose a lotus birth leave the baby attached to the placenta for a few days, until the umbilical chord has dried and falls off naturally. In her book Placenta: The Forgotten Chakra, Robin beautifully explains this ancient birthing practice. But she recommends this birthing method cautiously; according to some local customs in Indonesia, including in Bali, the placenta must immediately be buried at the baby’s parents’ home. Bumi Sehat’s mission is to provide a culturally appropriate birth, whenever possible.

Robin has also published other books, including After the Baby’s Birth, Butterfly People, ASI Ekslusif, Dong!, (Exclusively Breastmilk!) and Anak Alami (Natural Child).

After the tour of the birthing room, Robin invited us outside. “Can you help me prepare this mat?” Robin asked of Made Suastini, a midwife at Bumi Sehat. “I’ve known her since she was little,” said Robin gesturing at Suastini. “If she worked somewhere else, she could make a lot more money than here. But she chooses to work here, out of love.” Robin believes that midwifery is a profession that makes people happy. “Happy?” I asked, perplexed. “Yes, happy. In Bali by becoming midwives we are offering our dharma,” our calling.

Robin invited us to sit on the mat. She lied down with her head on a pillow, stretching out her legs. From a container with Chinese writing, Suastini removed something that looked like a candle, but was softer than wax. Suastini lit the wick until a small flame burned evenly. Then she lowered the flame close to the soles of Robin’s feet. Robin explained that Bumi Sehat offers this traditional form of pain relief; it is a form of moksha, or practice for the liberation of suffering. “It is relaxing and reduces pain during labor,” Robin explained. “If a mother complains that the ember is too hot, we alternate and place the moksha stick near the other foot. Suass… hoooot!” Robin exclaimed, in half-mocked pain.  Suastini grinned and transferred the moksha to Robin’s other foot.

One difficulty in pregnancy that can lead to complications during birth is if the baby is positioned feet down. Robin responds to this with sujud, a prostration posture in yoga. “It’s like sholat (the Muslim prayer position),” she explained, matter-of-factly. Using a prop to illustrate her point, Robin lifted a baby doll and placed the doll on her stomach with it facing away from her body. Then she covered the doll with some cloth. “This is the traditional way to bring the baby into the right position,” Robin said, as she assumed the sujud position. Suastini and a friend stood to her left and right, each holding a piece of rope. They both pulled slowly. After a few pulls the doll changed position and was facing Robin’s stomach. “This technique is often used by traditional birth attendants in the villages. But at midwifery school they wont teach you this.”

Robin also practices an alternative technique to relieve pain during contractions, using massage. She asked one of the midwife participants to sit facing away from her. Then Robin applied pressure to the left and right sides of her back using both thumbs. “I always teach the fathers to do this,” she said.

Abrubtly, Robin asked a Bumi Sehat staff member to go fetch her motorbike helmet. “Sorry, I have to go check on a patient that gave birth here yesterday. Her baby won’t stop crying.” A baby crying during the post partum stage is normal, but it is still the midwife’s responsibility to be near the mother and baby’s in case there is a problem. Although there were other midwives at the clinic who were not busy assisting a birth, Robin chose to visit her patient herself.

Robin said goodbye and hugged each of the four workshop participants, kissing their cheeks tenderly. She turned specifically to Desita, the midwife from Bireuen, and said, “Thank you for coming here. Come visit the Bumi Sehat clinic in Meulaboh when you are there. I love you.”

As we walked out of the clinic office, I noticed Desita’s eyes were damp. “I’m not even her patient and she kissed me so sincerely. From now on I am going to kiss all of my patients.”

Take a moment to vote for Robin Lim on the CNN website. All you need is an email address or Facebook account. Your can vote from each email address or Facebook account as many as 10 times a day, so if you have more than one account, be sure to vote from your other email accounts as well. Voting ends on December 7^th, 2011.

There is also the Bumi Youth Education Center, our scholarship program, village recycling and environmental stewardship. We do capacity building for Indonesian midwives from many islands and countries. Bumi provides free ambulance and emergency medical service, HIV/AIDs counseling and testing, pediatric care, free weekly special clinics to treat chronic illness. We have elderly and prenatal exercise programs. Bumi Sehat is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. In the first eight months of 2011 Bumi Sehat has helped 20,500 patients and delivered nearly 400 babies for free!

Quite close to the epicenter of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, Bumi Sehat operates a clinic which also sponsors capacity building for youth education and environmental protection. The list goes on… Bumi Sehat needs the CNN #1 award, and will put it to use doing culturally appropriate sustainable care.

Take a moment to vote for Robin Lim on the CNN website. All you need is an email address or Facebook account. Your can vote from each email address or Facebook account as many as 10 times a day, so if you have more than one account, be sure to vote from your other email accounts as well. Voting ends on December 7^th, 2011.

In honor of the autumnal equinox, yoga practitioners throughout the world united for a weekend of yoga and charity fundraising in an event called the Global Yoga Mala Project. Here in Bali, the Yoga Barn and Taksu co-hosted a weekend of events in Ubud, Saturday and Sunday, 24^th and 25^th September, in support of local charities.

The Global Yoga Mala project was founded by American yoga instructor Shiva Rea as a way for yoga studios, ashrams, and foundations all over the world to join together for a collective yoga practice, organized around the sacred number 108. Mala refers to the 108 beads strung in a garland and used by many Hindu and Buddhist practitioners for prayer and the recitation of mantras. Participating organizations in the Global Yoga Mala Project often conduct 108 mantra recitations, kriyas or cleansing practices, or rounds of suryanamaskar (the salute to the sun: a series of twelve asanas or bodily gestures practiced at dawn and dusk by devotees as a way to give thanks for the life-giving sun). Held annually, Global Yoga Mala individual events are usually held in support of an environmental or social cause or to raise funds for a local charity.

Global Yoga Mala events at the Yoga Barn included a Hindu invocation and opening and closing ceremonies by Uma Inder, 108 rounds of suryanamaskar, Tibetan bowl meditation lead by Novara Soeharto, flying yoga (a lighthearted practice involving partner balancing asanas), and relaxing restorative yoga. In addition to 108 sun salutations, Taksu’s events included 108 recitations of the Aum mantra, tantra yoga, and meditation classes, as well as discounts on massage or spa services throughout the day’s activities.

The Yoga Barn and Taksu each pledged their support of local organizations: Proceeds from the Yoga Barn benefited the Bali Spirit Festival’s education outreach initiative Ayo! Kita Bicara HIV dan AIDS (Hey, Let’s Talk About HIV and AIDS), which has been instrumental in introducing their EduSpirit workshops for HIV/AIDS education in local high schools throughout Bali. Using an interactive and communicative approach, Ayo! workshop facilitators offer students an open dialogue workshop format to encourage free expression about HIV/AIDS and practicing safe sex, without the risk of social stigma.

Participants at Taksu’s Global Yoga Mala events helped to raise funds for Yayasan Bumi Sehat (Foundation for a Healthy Mother Earth), a non-profit, village-based organization that runs two by-donation community health centers in Bali and Aceh, Indonesia. This year, Bumi Sehat founder Robin Lim was selected as a CNN Hero by the news organization based in the United States. She is currently competing against nine other finalists for the title of “Hero of the Year.” If Lim wins, Bumi Sehat will be awarded a total of USD $250,000 to build a greatly needed new clinic. Supporters can vote for Lim here.