Bali Yoga Journal
Bali has been at the top of my travel bucket list ever since I can remember.
The beautiful beaches, tropical jungle, Hindu religion, yoga culture, and the lifestyle of the Balinese locals have always fascinated me.
After watching “Eat, Pray, Love” back in January 2020, I was more than inspired and booked a trip within a week. Which I know is extremely basic, but whatever.
I planned to do my Yoga Teacher Training course in this beautiful country and become a Yoga teacher. Excited was an understatement for this trip. Sad, upset, and angry was another understatement of feelings after COVID canceled this trip.
Since Indonesia opened back up in 2022, I took this as my sign to try again at going to Bali for this course… and guess what? I am currently here!
I am beyond thankful to spend a month in Ubud, Bali, where I will complete my 200-hour Yoga course to become a teacher. I figured documenting my experiences each week would be memorable as I am on this journey.
Week 1: Arriving in Bali
After a 15-hour flight out of J.F.K, I landed in Hong Kong and had noodles for breakfast in one of the lounges, followed by McDonalds while on my 5-hour layover.
The fact that I was going to Bali still seemed like a dream.
Once in Bali, I stayed in a nearby area called Kuta since I was arriving from the airport pretty late in the day. I must say. Kuta was an interesting choice for my first glimpse at Bali. I later found out Kuta was actually the most “rouge” place to stay in Bali. Oops.
I soon ventured off to a more central area of Bali called Ubud.
Ubud is considered yoga central for Bali, and the fact that I would be spending the next month here felt unreal, exciting, and a little scary because I was unsure where this yoga journey would lead me.
For 6 out of 7 days, I would be living and breathing yoga for 10 hours a day. Aside from that, my diet will consist of being only plant-based and fresh from the jungle of Ubud!
On day one, we jumped right into the course content. A lot of what we discussed was the background and philosophy of yoga, yoga and meditation origination, and asana (movement) practice.
On Saturdays, we have a free day. So, I spent this day exploring the city of Ubud.
To sum up what most of our days look like:
Week 2: Yoga Intensifies
After an intense week of learning in week 1, I felt motivated and ready to conquer week 2.
As beautiful as it sounds to be doing yoga and meditation all day, every day, I found myself feeling challenged and a little defeated most hours of the day. I often felt exhausted and drained.
On the bright side, my knowledge of yoga has started to progress this week, which is exciting. I can see myself more and more as a yoga teacher, which is inspiring.
I ended this week by heading to Amed, a beach town about 2.5 hours from Ubud. I got to snorkel in amazing clear blue water. There were even pieces of a sunken ship at the bottom. After this, I headed to a nearby temple to learn a little more history about Bali and all its celebrations.
Week 3: Silent Retreat
This week, I was feeling more challenged than I ever have… or at least in the top 5 of my most challenged moments.
We started the week with a silent meditation retreat. It went from Sunday morning to the end of Tuesday. Just as it sounds, we were silent for 3-days straight.
This meant no eye contact and no speaking to one another.
During these 3-days, we practiced the beauty of what meditation brings to us. We meditated between 3-5 hours a day. On the last day, we did 1.5 hours of sun salutations, which I weirdly loved so much.
At times, I found this retreat frustrating because whenever I needed to express an emotion, I had to keep it to myself. I also learned the power of what meditation can do for us, and I felt like I was able to get to know myself better.
The silent retreat was bittersweet and full of many emotions.
As Wednesday came around, I was so thankful to talk to everyone again and learn the curriculum we were being taught. I was even able to achieve a headstand during my practice.
As I started to feel a little homesick this week, I also had a sad feeling that there was only one week to go. Indonesia is an easy country to fall in love with.
On my off day, I headed to a beautiful pool that overlooked a rice field and even went on a giant swing with a beautiful rice field view. I headed to Ubud after to get some shopping done and explore this interesting little city more.
Week 4: Final Exams and Leaving Bali
This week was extremely bittersweet.
I am currently sitting at the airport in Bali and not so ready to endure a 2-hour flight to Jakarta, an 8-hour flight to Dubai, and then end with a 15-hour flight to Washington D.C. I am praying these flights go smoothly.
Final Practicum
Flashback to the beginning of week 4… it’s EXAM WEEK! Everything that we have learned over the past 3-weeks is ready to be put to the test.
We had a practicum, where we put together a 95-minute yoga practice and also a written exam and a presentation on some of the yoga philosophy we were taught. I gave my best effort and felt confident through the whole thing.
I am excited to start applying everything I have learned to my daily life once I get back. We ended exam week by heading into Ubud to go to CP Lounge, which was a fun bar with live music.
The people I have met on this journey have been truly inspiring and have created such a safe and fun space to learn. Not only the people I met in my teacher training course but the locals of this beautiful country.
The way of life for people in Bali is so simple, and everyone seems to be full of so much joy and appreciation for life. I feel so lucky to have experienced getting my yoga teacher training certificate in Bali.
I ended my trip to Bali in Seminyak and was able to spend my last night watching the beautiful sunset on the beach. I am also so thankful to all my loved ones for their endless support.
“In the end, only three things matter: How much you loved, how greatly you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things that are not meant for you.” – Buddha
How week 4 actually ended…
It seems that everything I learned over the past 4-weeks wanted to be immediately put to the test.
On my second flight, they delayed the flight for over an hour immediately after we were all seated on the plane without air conditioning. Then, on my last flight, the young boy next to me got really sick and threw up. Most of it got on me.
I am back on the east coast of Maryland. To say the least, I am still extremely thankful for my experience in Indonesia.
Till next time – Mason 🙂
Check out my Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@yogawithmason
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