Sunrise Volcano Climb: Mt. Batur - Bali, Indonesia
Last month, I squeezed the JUICE out of LIFE exploring Asia for 2+ weeks. When I sent an email inquiry to Karen at Sharing Bali, we both took a leap of faith. I dreamt of visiting Bali since I was 16 + I was ready to make visiting a reality - in the form of Heart, Soul + Barre: an adventure, culture + fitness retreat. On June 29, seven of us boarded a plane to discover the tiny village of Singaprang to experience "simple luxury" at this magical place! There are truly no words to describe our week together but I'll try my best by sharing my top 9 lessons.
- Welcome Others. Upon arrival into the tiny 95-family village of Singaprang, we were instantly accepted + immersed in village life. We moved right into our beautiful bungalows with the sounds of nature serenading us to sleep every night. The bungalows were designed + crafted by Karen's partner, Wayan.
- Live Close to the Moment. Though we had a schedule, Karen shared that that the planning for our Community Day wasn't really possible until a few days before. Imagine how the event planner in me felt - lol. But that's just how it works in their small village - Bali time!
- Keep Your Faith. Hinduism is the main religion + the homes are actually family compounds with temples - the cultural nuances showed me that there are so many ways to live this beautiful life.
- Teach + Learn. We were super fortunate to have local guides who were genuinely energized to teach us + laugh with us. I'm a life-long learner who is a forever sponge, soaking up all the new knowledge.
- Smile + Laugh. During our visit to a family compound, our guide spoke about how the Balinese are always smiling because they believe it spreads good karma. And I completely agree. When our group rafted on the river, we had deep belly laughs as we jumped up + down underneath the strength of the cascading water. Felt so alive!
- Build Community. I had the beautiful honor of leading a Strength + Stretch class to 75 women who work in the fields. To my surprise, it actually didn't matter that our languages were different, we connected through movement + laughter -- many of the women hadn't ever tried / seen the exercises + stretches!
- Eat Clean. Every single one of our meals were prepared with care + heart from in-season, local ingredients - mostly rice, fruits, veggies + nuts. The dragonfruit juice, corn fritters + coconut sambla were standouts.
- Think Creatively. We had an outdoor bamboo gym so I wanted to make the workouts super fun! Some classes included a Partner Coconut Toss, Coconut Burpees, Balance Beam Tricep Dips + Bamboo Rings = TRX goodness!
- Disconnect. There was no wifi at Sharing Bali, which I decided to carry into most of our time at Vietnam. It felt really good to revel in the present moment.
Keep learning - it's one of the main ways we can stay connected + shine bright together.