CURRENT MISSION

Yoga. Movement. Massage. @ jyllin.com

ABOUT ME

I write. I dance. I practice yoga. I'm happier if I sing. I like to hike, bike, swim, stay up for sunrise, or wake up with the rising sun. I usually think of myself as a loner, but I can be pretty damn social, too. I'm vegan and have been for 22 years. I'm not uptight, but I am into holistic health. I love to chill with people in their homes to cook together, and to step into their lives to act as a fresh breeze flowing through.

PHILOSOPHY

I live dreams, and I'm not gonna stop no matter how crazy people think I am.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've hosted more than I've surfed because when I travel I travel on the fly, or I move to a place to settle down. I've never been interested in traveling for travel-sake, to superficially mark a point on a map, which is why I love couch surfing: cs'ers are real people looking to experience the real deal.

Interests

• arts
• writing
• singing
• dancing
• cooking
• yoga
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• swimming

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Thievery Corporation, Sade, The Cure, Mos Def, Depeche Mode, Badu, Marley, Lauren Hill, Tricky, Flying Lotus, Beirut, Mazzy Star, Dee Lite, Yelemba (Ivorian drumming group), Arrested Development, Saul Williams, Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, The Smiths, Burning Spear, Sterolab, James Brown, Gypsy Kings, Bela Lakatos & The Gypsy Youth Project, Dirty Diggers, Tori Amos, Lush, Bjork. Etc.

Movies: The Baader Meinhof Complex, Frida, Delicattesen, Sex and Lucia, Together, Etienne!, Battle of Algiers, Amores Perros, The Edukators, Amelie, The Big Lebowski, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Red Violin, Humboldt County, Reincarnation (Japanese horror flick), You & Me & Everyone We Know, Goodwill Hunting.

Books: Memoirs. A couple staples: The Book of Jon, At The Bottom of the River, Dictee, etc. (I'm writing one myself right now). "Fiction": Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker. Erasure by Percival Everett. Black Boy by Richard Wright. My reference book staples: Definitive Guide to Alternative Medicine, The Optimum Nutrition Bible, Animal-Speak, Speaking of Dance, The Vision of Modern Dance, my palmistry book, The I Ching and Osho Zen tarot cards.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I look around and all of the people I see are smiling.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've been told that I'm insightful about taking care of oneself in social, physical and mental capacities. I currently teach different kinds of yoga and give various kinds of massage. I've also taught ballet, modern dance, break dance, and writing. I love to explore creative expression and processes by marrying writing and movement. And I guess I can teach how to be a minimalist, how to cook, and how to take dance and arts to the streets.

What I want to learn: how to work it as a vegan worldwide and find meaningful work. The more tips, the better. I want to live communally and grow food. I want to contribute to the world and not be a slave to it or money or to cookie-cut notions of what I should or should not be doing.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Senegal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Indonesia, Morocco, Spain, United States, Viet Nam