Yifan's Photo

Verified Profile

  • Payment verified
  • Phone verified
  • Government ID verified

Wants to Meet Up

  • Last login about 1 month ago

Join Couchsurfing to see Yifan’s full profile.

Overview

  • 216 references 116 Confirmed & Positive
  • Fluent in Chinese, English; learning German, Norwegian Bokmål
  • 36, Female
  • Member since 2009
  • Associate Professor
  • University of Cambridge (PhD in Education); Singapore (B....
  • No hometown listed
  • Profile 100% complete

About Me

I moved to Oslo recently, and I am living in my cozy little flat in the heart of Oslo. I am truly in love with this magical city. In my spare time, I go for skiing, tango, and running an online writing group to support each other in writing.

I love backpacking (70+ countries, volunteered in kenya and Nepal), music (piano, Chinese orchestra conducting), free-diving, permaculture, meditation, Yoga, NGOs, social entrepreneurship, reading, writing (published my book)... yep, lots of things!

Though at this moment I am no longer travelling, I still carry the traveller's spirit with me - happy with little stuff and share what I have; having an open heart to meet new friends and an open mind to embrace life and the universe; sharing mindfulness; planting seeds in the edible garden; dancing tango and playing ukulele; smiling when something beautiful arrives, and letting go when something no longer with me.

-------------------------------------------------------
Some brief moments in my life...

Age 24
Goodbye, corporate job, hello, world! I met strangers but made family along the Silk Road from Turkey to China, learned from Shamans, Yogis and metaphysics teacher in Latin America, hitchhiked from China to Cambridge, went to Burning Man, and learned free-diving, permaculture, meditation…I’ve laughed, screamed, danced, wrote, camped, couch-surfed, sought, lost, and found the wonderland-in the world, and within myself.

Age 27
- published my book in China. (http://book.dangdang.com/20141107_lv4t)
- Crowd-funded my tuitions at Cambridge (www.dreamore.com/projects/15085.html)
- 10-day Vipassana Meditation (dhamma.org), best gift ever in my life. Learning to be the master of my mind, happily, peacefully walk the path of Dhamma.

Age 31
- Finished my PhD in education, researching on Steiner/Waldorf education (alternative education) in China.
- Did a part-time Steiner Teacher Training in the UK (lots of art, music, games, nature, painting, study of childhood, amazingly beautiful experience)
- Conducted some workshops on mindfulness and nature connection in China and help young adults to find their 'spirit' and meaning in life.

WHAT ELSE?
Child-like, but an old soul, an artist and shaman by heart, on a spiritual path. Sometimes crazy, random ideas, traveling like a gypsy, hitchhiking. They call me Chippie (Chinese Hippie)! Sometimes quiet, meditative, enjoy some space alone.

PHILOSOPHY

Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi or Zen. Not any religion or cultural system.

I am not from the East or the West, not out of the ocean or up from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not composed of elements at all.

I do not exist, am not an entity in this world or the next, did not descend from Adam or Eve or any origin story. My place is placeless, a trace of the traceless. Neither body or soul.

I belong to the beloved, have seen the two worlds as one and that one call to and know,

first, last, outer, inner, only that breath breathing human being.

-Rumi

WE ARE ALL ONE.
BE HAPPY!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

meet up interesting souls from different planets
Enjoy laughters, and insightful, profound conversations

Interests

I love...
- planting seeds in permaculture farms and gardens;
- practise meditation and yoga (got my 200h in peru);
- music festivals and art galleries (Volunteer guide in Singapore Art Museum for 5 years)
- finding the ocean to scuba-dive and free-dive into;
- hiking and cycling
- playing music (piano, drums, etc.)
- reading and writing
- sailing (never done but really want to)
- Spirituality: Vipassana meditation. yoga, metaphysics, trained in Thai Massage; Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism, Taoism, Bahai
- laughing

  • arts
  • writing
  • music festivals
  • tango
  • education
  • yoga
  • meditation
  • gardening
  • reading
  • music
  • piano
  • drums
  • cycling
  • hiking
  • backpacking
  • scuba diving
  • sailing
  • skiing
  • entrepreneurship
  • medicine
  • psychology
  • hitchhiking
  • volunteering
  • nature
  • spirituality
  • permaculture
  • plants
  • buddhism
  • healing
  • feminism
  • shamanism
  • vipassana
  • ayahuasca
  • steiner education
  • anthroposophy

Music, Movies, and Books

3 idiots, Before sunrise, before sunset, sound of music, dancer in the dark, Man from the earth, Amelie, matrix, etc

Books by Alain De Bottom, Krishnamurti, Hermann Hesse, Osho, Eckhart Tolle, Hu Yinmeng, Books on philosophy, psychology, business, art

Music: classical music, spiritual music, shamanic music, reggae, Jack Johnson, the Cat Empire, Regina Spektor, Ben Harper, Xavier Rudd ...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Been to 8 times 10- day vipassana meditation (dhamma.org), the best gift ever in my life.

- On a shamanic path. Visited shamans in the amazons and have been practising for a few years.

- Conducted Chinese orchestra in my university (not professional!)

-Survived from a gun robbery (robbed by 2 guys with guns and got beaten till losing consciousness).

- Travelled with my mum in North Korea, Bangladesh (using Couchsurfing), Morocco and Europe.

- have done some meditation and yoga retreats in Thailand, China, Malaysia, Peru, Guatemala.

-Scuba diving and free diving in the ocean, swam with whalesharks

-10 months in Latin America (including 4 months in Guatemala learning permaculture and metaphysics)

-Revisited the Great Silk Road by land, from Turkey to china through Iran, Turkmen, Uzbekistan and Kyrgisztan.

-Burning Man 2013.

-I give workshops, talks and write as I am open to share and want more people to follow their hearts and pursue a mindful life they love.

- Had some photo exhibitions in Singapore and China, to fundraise for kids in rural Zimbabwe (photoexhibit.wix.com/yifan-yun).

- Ice-cream Traveling Around the World: http://photoexhibit.wix.com/yifan-yun#!ice-cream/c107p

- Co-led a trip for teenagers to Antarctica with Ponant Le Boreal (penguins are too wonderful!)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach meditation, Yoga, Chinese, music if you want:)

I am learning to dance tango and play guitar.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love to sing and dance, teach yoga and meditation, share travel stories:):)

I don't drink.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Antarctica, Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, North Korea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, China, Guatemala, Norway, Singapore, United Kingdom

Old School Badges

  • 19 Vouches
  • Pioneer Badge

Join Couchsurfing to see Yifan’s full profile.

My Groups