I had been talking about and waiting for this yoga retreat for a long time and it didn’t disappoint! We stayed next to rice terraces and practised twice daily traditional Balinese yoga and meditation. Even though I am a novice, I love yoga for the mindful movements. I was super proud of my first ever head stand, although my neck ached for about a week after! Who said yoga was relaxing?! We also learnt tai chi which looks deceptively easy.

I’m so glad that I managed to persuade WanderMan to come with me and I was very proud of his attempts. We had our first yoga session on the beach which was made even more special with the sunset. The beach was quiet and had black sand that softly cracked under your feet. It looked as if it had tiny specks of glitter.

Tabanan is a traditional village with many ricefields. From what I saw it looked like each family lives on a complex with a small temple. I was fascinated by the designs of the houses, the grand gates with statues either side and steps to walk up. The street was lined with pretty trees and flowers, something I always appreciate. The roads were guarded with dogs and of course there were chickens and roosters roaming around. I can’t seem to escape them – not that I want to!

Krishna and Gede were wonderful instructors explaining each stretch, position and salutation. Krishna explained the benefits of yoga on the mind and body. I felt very calm, grounded and mostly relaxed until she wanted us to stretch like contortionists. They both had genuine smiles and were very encouraging. They gave us praise even when we made minimal progress (which was most of the time…). We also learnt how to open our chakras which was an interesting experience to say the least! We had to rotate our hands while chanting mantras. I found it hard to concentrate as WanderMan’s ‘Om’ was extra loud.

As one of the cultural activities available Wayan took us rice farming, but I’m not sure that he would employ me. I had the biggest grin on my face walking bare foot in the mud to plant the rice. I now find pleasure from the most simplest of things. I’ve learnt that being with nature brings me so much joy. While I was hard at work WanderMan was having a massage. I looked ridiculous in my hat but actually took it very seriously. It makes you appreciate where the food on your plate comes from, seen as I now eat rice everyday!

Lots of love,

Wander Woman 👣 🌍