Tour Overview Spirit of Bali Yoga Retreat 2012
DAILY OFFERINGS
Mornings, guests will be woken with citron pressé.
Yoga lessons will be on the property in a roofed open-air pavilion by the sea or on a large covered verandah.
The 2 ½- hour class allows you to work to your own level under Baxter’s inspirational guidance.
Morning sessions will involve asanas, meditation and discussions.
Honey ginger tea, then a healthy mid morning brunch will be served after yoga sessions.
After brunch you can relax on the property, utilise the swimming pool, have a consultation with Baxter, arrange a treatment with a masseuse or traditional Balian healer, or organise an excursion into the surrounding region.
Late afternoons, a 1½-hour yoga session is offered.
This class will have a restorative tone, including pranayama and meditation. Some afternoon classes are arranged away from the property in magical locations.
Special Dinners are arranged for each evening and will include East Balinese specialties.
Menus are carefully designed to ensure both a pleasurable and exciting gustatory experience as well as being healthy and light, with an emphasis on local, seasonal produce, organic and natural salads and vegetables, the freshest fish, and minimum fats.
ACCOMMODATION
Seaview No 2 Suitable as single or double occupancy.
Upstairs King size 4 poster bed, small balcony, indoor but open bathroom, superior views.
Seaview No 3 Suitable as double or twin-share.
Downstairs King size 4 poster bed, huge balcony, outdoor garden bathroom. If twin-sharing an extra bed on balcony is made.
Bungalow No 4 Suitable as double or single occupancy.
Small single villa with small balcony, outdoor garden bathroom.
Day Dream No 5 Suitable as double, twin- share or triple.
2 storey villa, downstairs queen size bed with outdoor garden bathroom, upstairs 2 day beds which can easily be converted to 2 x double beds, with open loft living area.
Pool Villa No. 6 Suitable as double or twin-share
Upstairs King size bed, huge space, indoor/outdoor bathroom with tub, day bed can be converted as extra bed.
NOTE:
Single occupancy rooms are limited. The other spaces are offered on a twin-share or double and triple basis.
The choice of villa cannot be guaranteed. Preferences will be allocated in the order of deposits received.
Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured. ~B.K.S. Iyengar
PROGRAM-ITINERARY: The Spirit of Bali. 17-22 June 2012
One who has control over the mind is tranquil in heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, and in honor and dishonor; and is ever steadfast with the Supreme Self. ~Bhagavad Gita
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DAY ONE ARRIVAL
You will be picked up at Denpasar airport on arrival and transferred in an air-conditioned vehicle to Seraya Shores -about 1 ½-2 hours drive from the airport. Seraya Shores is located 20 minutes beyond Candi Dasa in East Bali, the regency of Karangasem, well away from the tourist hubs.
Seraya’s intimate scale ensures a great sense of peacefulness. A late light supper is offered on arrival if flying in today; Dinner if you arrive earlier.
DAYS TWO – SIX
Daily Offerings.
On any of the days after brunch, guests are at liberty to arrange a private session with Baxter, seek the services of a Balian healer or an expert and talented masseuse or organize excursions according to their interest.
One day we have arranged an excursion for you to appreciate the beauteous secrets of East Bali. After an early morning yoga session overlooking the sacred Ganung Agung and a gorgeous unique Balinese brunch we undertake an easy trek through exquisite unspoiled rice terraces.
Another afternoon we visit the Bali Aga village of Tenganan, one of the richest land owning communities in Bali and unique for its social institutions that originate with the holy book Usana Bali and for its ordained village layout.
Renowned too for its exceptional basket weaving and gerinsing weaving, (intricate and very fine double ikat weaving considered to be sacred and protective), take time to browse this fascinating village. Continue for yoga in the balé at Tirtagannga built by the royal family a century ago. The Mountain fed springs fill these decorative pools with refreshing water reputed to bring long life and you can also enjoy an invigorating swim.
The farewell dinner is in a special magical location.
The following Offerings are available: (additional, affordable cost to be advised). Otherwise, guests may elect to enjoy their privacy and stay at Seraya.
Gunarsa Art Museum where Pk Gunarsa has his collection of antiques and modern art. Classical Balinese paintings date from the 15th C – the Gelgel Kingdom of Bali. A thoroughly modern Balinese deeply committed to the survival of Bali's culture, Dr Gunarsa has exhibited worldwide.
White water rafting trip with Sobek. Telaga Waja River has gorgeous scenery, passing through lovely terraced valleys with waterfalls. This is great fun and accessible rafting for all levels. Enjoy Lunch overlooking the river before returning to Seryaya. OR Scuba diving north of Candi Dasa.
Visit on of the rare white sand beaches in East Bali, Pasih Putih.
Klunkung Markets, one of the liveliest outdoor fresh produce markets in Bali, en route villages that specialise in making temple umbrellas and Balinese prayer flags. Also possible to visit the Palace of Justice and the sight of Bali’s last puputams (self immolation by the Royal court facing Dutch invasion).
Take a scenic trek through the rice paddies, to admire the ancient subak system, an ancient institution, dating from the 11th C that has governed life-giving water distribution to villages, and regulated the amazingly complex irrigation system to farmers.
An ounce of practice is worth a ton of theory~Sivananda
Visit Pura Besakih, Bali’s Hindu Mother Temple that sits high on the slopes of Bali's Mount Agung sits Pura Besakih. It is the largest of the island's 11,000 or so Hindu temples; its 35 shrines and halls draw devotees from all over Bali in massive numbers each year.
The world is lucky to have Besakih. In 1963 Mount Agung, a volcano, erupted and destroyed several nearby villages. Besakih was untouched.
The temple is generally agreed to date back to prehistoric times in Bali and is named for Naga Besukian - the dragon-god thought by pre-Hindu Balinese to inhabit this, the highest mountain in Bali. At the beginning of the 11th Century Besakih became the state temple at a time when Bali was no mean kingdom and remains the state temple supported by the state today.
Balian Healer
The word Balian is not only the name of this wonderful and sacred river but it is also the name used for a traditional and metaphysical healer. If you have a nagging injury that conventional medicine has not cured or would like a spiritual cleansing then Inengah Sukartha might be the man for you.
Balian Conceptualization of Health
The Balian views illness as the result of disharmony in the "Tri Hita Karana", the three elements which must be in harmony for a person to exist in a healthy state. The first of these is "Sang Hyang Jagat Karana", the relation of a person to God, the supreme supernatural power. The second is "Bhuana Agung", the macrocosmos, the total physical environment of man. The third being "Bhuana Alit" or the microcosmos, the person themselves with their bodily needs, their thoughts and feelings.
If a disharmony exists between these elements, illness will be the result. The Balian's place is to identify the source of the disharmony and to re-establish harmony in the life of the client.
LAST DAY
Late afternoon, Guests will have a private transfer to Denpasar airport for onward flights, or to South Bali for those extending their time.
Art of Living can assist you with extensions in Bali in hotels or private villas. We have an extensive list of recommendations according to your budget and desired location.
© This Tour remains the Copyright of Marieke’s Art of Living
Tour details may be varied at any time in the best interests of the guests.
A NOTE ABOUT FLIGHTS: BOOK EARLY!!!
At the time of writing, Jetstar, www.jetstar.com.au, and Virgin, http://www.virginblue.com.au/
offer deals ex most Australian cities, though direct flights can be on limited days. Prices are currently very affordable.
Sinagpore Airlines, the 5-star airline,http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/index.jsp, offer very competitive fares on a daily basis from most Australian capitals with same day connections to Denpasar.
RECOMMENDED READING:
B.K.S.Iyengar: Light on Yoga; The Concise Light on Yoga; Light on Pranayama; The Art of Yoga; The Tree of Yoga.
Silva, Mira and Shyam Mehta: Yoga, The Iyengar Way, pub. Knopf (with excellent photos)
Geeta S. Iyengar: Yoga: A Gem for Women.
T K V Desikachar: Heart of Yoga, Developing a personal Practice
AG Mohan and Indra Mohan: Yoga Therapy, A Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Yoga and Ayurveda
Peggy Hackney: Making Connections
Swami Vishnu Devanand: Meditation and Mantras
Dr Vasant Lad: Ayurveda, The Science of Self-Healing
Ray Long: The Key Muscles of Hatha Yoga
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy practice compassion. ~ Dalai Lama
Paramahansa Yogananda: Autobiography of a Yogi
Australian Yoga Life magazine
Lucy Egde: Yoga School Dropout
Elizabeth Gilbert: Eat Pray Love
Eric Oey: BALI pub. Periplus. The most informative travel guide around, with wonderful photos and intelligent information.
Adrian Vickers: Bali, A Paradise Created, pub. Periplus. An interesting examination, anthropological in inclination, of a western view of the "last paradise," and that impact on Balinese perceptions.
Hickman Powell: The Last Paradise, pub. Oxford Uni. Press. "an American's discovery of Bali in the 1920's".
Vivki Baum: A Tale from Bali, pub. Oxford Uni. Press. If you read no other book, read this one. An interpretation from a Balinese point of view, rather than pure history, that deals with the tragic end of "old Royal Bali" during the years of puputan 1904-1906.
Adrian Vickers: Travelling to Bali, 400 Years of Journeys, pub. Oxford Uni. Press.
An anthology that records the many visitors to and invasions of Bali.
Colin McPhee: A House in Bali.
The classic account by a musicologist, living in the Ayung Valley near Ubud, and the first to begin not only to record gamelan music but to support fine musicians and dancers.
Heinz von Holzen: The Food of Bali, pub. Periplus. An excellent collection of authentic recipes by a European chef, now married to a Balinese, who researched old records and visited many villages to collect them.
Rio Helm + Barbara Walker: Bali Style, pub. Times Editions. One of the earliest in a growing genre of photographic essays celebrating the wonderful style, superior craftsmanship, and enchanting architecture of Bali.
Dr. AAM Djelantik: The Birthmark. Memoirs of a Balinsese Prince, pub. Periplus. Written by the son of the last Raja of Karangasem, a fascinating account of his young life in the palace, culture shock during his European education and his career as a doctor in remote parts of the world.
Detachment is not indifference. It is the prerequisite for effective involvement. Often what we think is best for others is distorted by our attachments to our opinions. We want others to be happy in the way we think they should be happy.
It is only when we want nothing for ourselves that we are able to see clearly into others needs and understand how to serve them. ~Mahatma Gandhi