Key takeaways after attending A-fest by Mindvalley

Jul 12

Excitement. This feeling dominated since I was informed that my application was approved to attend A-fest. I did not exactly know what to expect, but my intuition knew I should just trust and go. It's an immersive event, so whilst there is a line-up of amazing speakers, a key element is the co-creation of experiences with all the participants. A-fest brings together the most inspiring people on the planet, in the most beautiful locations. People who dream big and want to make the world a better place. People who understand that change starts from within, so they show up and serve their communities whilst continuously learning, creating the best version of themselves. As a by-product they are able to create a beautiful, fulfilling life, too.

Location: Jordan.

What I know for sure is that I need to visit again- I left with a little bit of FOMO as I did not have enough time to explore the sites and cultural experiences this magical country has to offer. I spent most of my time at the location of the event which was by the Dead Sea.

Health benefits of the Dead Sea

I made sure to dip and float in the salty, mineral-rich water as much as I can during my stay. As a result, my deep sleep almost doubled! I'm tracking this with an Oura ring and I found this score pretty impressive. I felt how every cell in my body was nourished by that soft, gentle water. After I've done my research I realised that it's not only the healing water, but the combination of several factors that had such beneficial influence on my body.

The Dead Sea region has a unique climate. Its special therapeutic climatic advantages are recognized throughout the world- by different studies focusing on health related quality of life. At the Dead Sea, located 402 m below sea level and the lowest point on Earth- the barometric pressure reaches 800 mm resulting in high oxygen levels- making my lungs and hearts super happy. It has low humidity levels, with minimal rain, and maximum sunshine throughout the year. The UV light is special, filtered, safer version of UV radiation due to the altitude and the evaporated minerals in the air. The cherry on the cake is the beautifying effect of the mud that created baby skin feeling. My body just loved the entire stay (despite the overall lack of sleep due to dancing most nights away).

The parties

We had incredible dinner parties where we had only one rule: strictly no small talk. We wanted to go deeper- connecting, sharing, inspiring, learning. Some prompts for your next dinner party:

What I'm currently celebrating in life is...
What I'm currently challenged by life is...
My big dream or goal at the moment is...
If you really knew me, you would know...

Also, we normalised hugging- with real, true, heart to heart A-fest hugs. Loneliness is a disconnect, an unfulfilled longing for human connections. A-fest made sure that we fill our human connection cups. I feel so grateful for those wonderful new friends this event gifted me- excited to deepen and nourish those relationships further. If you want a global community of inspiring friends- A-fest will not let you down.

Our speakers & workshops

We had some wonderful experts sharing their insights, some of my favourite thoughts below.

Are you napping? You should- as you will be 34% better at anything after that, as Charlie Morley taught us. Even a little nap helps resetting our brains, so we also handle stress better. Ideally, you would time your nap so it's 6 hours before your bedtime and make sure it's between 20-60 minutes. If you can't actually sleep, try non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) that is also similarly beneficial. I've also attended Charlie's lucid dreaming workshop which was fascinating. We created a dream plan- so I can instruct my brain to be conscious within the unconscious dream, and utilise it almost as a therapy session-leveraging neuroplasticity. Powerful stuff!
Do you feel your QI (chi)? Lee Holden helped us to just do so. We practised Qi Gong, and had a better understanding about our invisible lifeforce energy. Later to be practiced on the dance floor too :) Also, we learnt the importance of breath, but more about that later. Key takeaway: if you want to feel better, you need to breath better.
Have you tried breath work? Niraj Naik led phenomenal breathwork sessions. Imagine super transcendental, meditative, out of body experience like sessions and all with the power of breath & music. Wow!
What is your story? Own your story or the story will own you. Embrace your curiosity as that will show the right path. We learnt about Sacred Storytelling by Gerard Adams. How can you find blessing in your pain? How can you shift your mindset and see things happen for you and not to you?
Stop looking for external validation! What a pleasure to see Flor Andres on stage.
What is one of your "impossibilities" that became a possibility? Jimmy Naraine exploring the idea of connecting more and better with others via our vulnerability.
Learning about the health benefits of sex by the wonderful Dr Amy Killen. and key pillars of sexual health. She talked about how our mind is our biggest, most important sexual organs, the importance of nitric oxide and how with simple nasal breathing we can optimise it. The general importance of sleep, strength, healthy lifestyle in optimising our hormones.
Do you trust your "vibes"? Do you feel your intuition? Sonia Choquette helped us to awaken our 6th sense.
Linda Clemons shared her wisdom about activating the Human Connection Factor and some leadership lessons. "To praise someone is to raise someone."
Have you ever looked at Growth as a subtractive process? The words of Dr Shefali resonated with me deeply. In many cases growing is actually a lot of letting go and unlearning. Releasing unhelpful conditioning, limiting beliefs.
Meeting the man, Vishen Lakhiani after having followed him online for years was pretty awesome- vision board well done. He is the genius behind all things Mindvalley and he has an amazing team of extraordinary individuals as well. He shared his own powerful transformation journey. We can take control of our health & life and design our own reality. As we shift inside, our external world will also change.

The days went by so quickly and they were super action-packed, so whilst I practiced my napping skills (which was necessary after the fun nights) I missed some wonderful other speakers. The good news for you and me that all sessions will be available on Youtube in the future- and as soon as they are, I will add the links here.

There is the saying about A-fest that being there will not necessarily give you what you want, but will definitely give you what you need.

It was almost overwhelming to be surrounded by such positivity, vulnerability, openness, curiosity and support. Well, I have realised the need to show up with more ease, and to let myself feel and let in all the joy and love that is flowing.