When I’m looking for a yoga retreat, I look for something that includes high quality yoga practices and a variety of other travel experiences for a truly rounded, memorable vacation. Bali Bliss: A Transformational Yoga & Meditation Retreat in Magical Bali with Michele Labelle, November 9 – 18, 2014, offers so much more than a standard yoga retreat making it the perfect sacred get-away!
Yoga
Our Retreat Leader and Yoga Teacher is Michele Labelle – a Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher who has been involved in meditation and energy work since 1996. Prior to becoming a yoga teacher, Michele worked as a Respiratory Therapist for 16 years – an experience which gave her a unique view of the breath! Michele will skilfully and compassionately guide us in morning hatha yoga and meditation practices as well as an evening sunset practice. The yoga practices are suitable for beginners and more advanced students.
Location
This yoga retreat offers every opportunity to explore beautiful Bali. We will spend time close to the cultural and artistic Balinese village of Ubud and the sacred Monkey Forest as well as time in the quiet, largely tourist-free northwest, an area with nature and marine parks, coconut groves and beautiful ancient temples dotting the landscape. We will go snorkelling, bike through magical rice paddy fields and explore the rich flora and fauna of the Bali Barat National Park.
Cultural Immersion
We will share a unique and profound cultural and spiritual experience on this Bali Bliss Retreat – a visit to the local village of Pacut to learn more about daily life in Bali. Pacut is the home village of our Balinese retreat co-leader Artayasa, who is also a village master, responsible for organizing cultural events and co-ordinating tourist visits here. We will stop by an elementary school, weave coconut leaves for a hat and temple offering, witness traditional farming activities, and gather with the local musicians to play gamelan Angklung (Balinese orchestra).
Activities
As well as our daily yoga practices we can enjoy a variety of fun activities on this Retreat. Try snorkelling the best sites in Bali off Menjangan Island, swimming past colourful coral reefs, stunning gorgonian sea fans, turtles and an array of fish. Or, try walking through an abundant forest of rambutans to reach the 30-metre-high Les Waterfall for a natural water massage.
Spiritual Excursions
92% of the population of Bali practices Balinese Hinduism and the Balinese culture is an expression of devotion. We will experience daily devotional offerings everywhere and special prayers are said several times a day. We will visit sacred temples while in Bali, including Pura Luhur Uluwatu, one of the most sacred traditional temples, spectacularly set at the top of a steep cliff with breathtaking views over the surf below, Ulun Danu Temple, an important Hindu and Buddhist water temple, and the Brahma Vihara Arama Buddhist Monastery.
This balanced yoga retreat offers an amazing opportunity to work on your own spiritual journey in sublime surroundings with a wealth of activities and excursions to enjoy. The traditional greeting in Bali is, “Om Swasti Astu”, an honouring of the heart and spirit, and we hope you’ll be hearing it very soon.
Visit our website to read more about our BaliBliss Retreat with Michele Labelle.
~ Kim Bridgett
