things to do in Bali

Exotic Spa Ritual

March 8, 2015May 14, 2016 Alison Bone

Spa rituals at Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali call on ancient wisdom, the knowledge of medicinal plants and the restorative power of the natural environment.

Arriving at the sunny lobby of Spa Village Resort we receive the most relaxing of welcomes, as our feet are immersed in copper tubs filled with flowers, and we are treated to a head neck and shoulder massage. Nestled in a coconut grove on the exotic black sands of north east Bali, the tranquil resort is dedicated to wellbeing, creating a unique opportunity to rejuvenate and absorb the powerful essence of this sacred island.

All spa treatments begin with a Segara Giri pre treatment, which sees me sitting on the edge of a sunken steam bath with my feet resting on black volcanic sand. The warm misty vapours sooth my soul and clean my feet in an act of ritual purification. The next step of my journey is a Lapis Lapis (Malay Herbal Wrap,) ideal for detoxifying, reducing water retention and relieving joint pain. My therapist smothers me in lemongrass, ginger, galangal and camphor, then wraps me in hot towels. While my body gently steams in a warm and spicy cocoon, a slew of natural ingredients are applied for a traditional [Balinese Natural Facial]. A creamy mix of yoghurt and milk calms and cleanses my skin, a scrub of rice blended with turmeric and tamarind leaf gently exfoliates, while honey provide the ingredients for a soothing massage. A calming face mask of yoghurt and seaweed is followed with aloe vera gel to seal in moisturise.

I emerge, blinking in the sunlight to a beautiful vision of the deep blue sea glinting through the palm trees, and sip a warm and syrupy elixir of turmeric palm sugar and tamarind. It’s good to replenish with some healthy food after a spa treatment and the beachside restaurant edges an enticing, infinity-edged swimming pool. A Raw Vegetable Salad drizzled with roasted sesame dressing, is followed by a Poached Salak and homemade chocolate ice cream. Our spa day sadly draws to a close, its been a wonderful experience but one day simply wasn’t enough.

Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali Jalan Singaraja-Amlapura No 100 Desa Tembok, Tejakula Buleleng+62 36232033

Food for healing

Turmeric: anti inflammatory, astringent.

Tamarind leaf : antioxidant, vitamin C and A.

Honey: calmative, antioxidant and antibacterial.

Lemons: contain AHA’s and BHA’s which remove dead skin cells and help clear acne, and discolouration.

Yoghurt: multi vitamin superfood that makes the skin glow with freshness

Seaweed: packed with vitamins C and A to restores moisture levels and revitalises the skin.

Aloe vera: deeply moisturising, reduces dark spots and blemishes.

Great things to do in Bali, island life, Uncategorized

Temples in Bali

August 22, 2013August 18, 2013 Alison Bone

You find them clinging to steep volcanic slopes, perched on craggy cliffs, or nestled in the branches of towering banyan trees. Some seem to float on serene lakes, while others are tucked away amidst the frangipani in family compounds. Known as Pura, Bali’s temples are the meeting points of humans and gods and here, on the island of the gods, a temple is never far from view.

More than 10,000 temples are scattered across the island and commemorate virtually every aspect of life: harvest, rain, prosperity, life, death and protection. Generally, the greater gods are worshipped in larger public temples while lesser gods and deities are worshipped in smaller local temples. The most important are known as the nine directional temples or Kahyangan jagat and occupy auspicious locations, like mountains, cliffs and lakes. Unlike smaller regional temples, these are considered to be relevant to all of Bali and protect the island and its inhabitants from evil spirits. From these, six are classed as sad-kahyangan, supreme holy temples and are considered the pillars of the island. These generally include Pura Besakih, Pura Uluwatu, Pura Goa Lawah, Pura Lempuyang Luhur, Pura Batukaru, Pura Pusering Jagat.

Pura kahyangan jagad: mountain temples

Bali’s majestic mountains and volcanoes are thought to be the abode of the gods, and these temples command impressive settings with panoramic backdrops. They are places of pilgrimage – especially during full moon ceremonies and odalan (temple anniversaries.) Pura Besakih – the mother temple is the most important of all and occupies an enormous complex 1000 m high on the slopes of Mount Agung – Bali’s holiest mountain. Believed to be the spiritual and religious centre of the universe, Brahma, Wisnuand Siwa are worshipped here, as well as a host of other deities. The tropical rainforest of Mount Batakaru is home to another important – if less visited –temple, Pura Luhur Batukaru, which is dedicated to the god of plants and growing. While over in the north east, Pura Lempuyang (the dragon temple) perches on a lonely, windy mountain ridge and is dedicated to the god Iswara, ‘keeper of the peace,’ and is reached by way of 1,700 steep steps cut into the mountainside.

Pura segara: ocean temples

These mighty Balinese sea temples were designed to appease the wild and unruly gods of the ocean, and have particular significance during the Melasti purification rituals that precede Nyepi (the Balinese new year.) During this time sacred objects and effigies are carried in long and colourful processions to the ocean where people bathe with the deities, in a symbolic cleansing of body and soul. With its dramatic setting on the cliffs of southern Bali, Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of the island’s most famous sea temples and is dedicated to Rudra, the god of storms and wind. While Pura Goa Lawah hugs the coast of Kusamba and is associated with the after life. Commonly known as the Bat Cave (there are hundreds of them – but they are not objects of worship,) it is said to be linked to Pura Besakih by a 30km tunnel which, according to mythology, is inhabited by a giant dragon-like snake that feeds off bats.

Pura tirta: water temples

Unlike other temples which serve purely religious purposes, the picturesque water temples also have a practical role to play in the management of subak (rice irrigation system), with temple priests managing the water allocation among the surrounding rice paddies. Some of these temples have sacred springs and bathing pools making them a popular destination for cleansing rituals, the most well known being Pura Tirta Empul. Believed to have been created by Indra, the ruler of heaven, and god of thunder and rainfall, the holy waters of Tirta Empul are said to have strong curative properties.Other water temples are built within lakes, such as the stunning Pura Ulun Danu Bratan which appears to float on the water and is dedicated to the worship of the goddess of lakes and rivers.

Khayangan Tiga: territorial temples

Each village іs required by adat (traditional law) to have аt least three temples. These include the pura puseh (temple оf origin) dedicated the village founders and located аt the kaja (pure) side оf the village. In the center of the village, the pura desa (village temple) is for the spirits that protect and bless the village, while the pura dalem (temple оf the dead) is situated аt the kelod (unclean) end and also acts as a graveyard. There are also functional temples belonging to different professions and their relevant deities. For instance Dewi sri, the rice goddess, is worshipped at rice temples, while farmers and merchants have temples located next to Bali’s markets which are dedicated to Dewi Melanting, the goddess of seeds, gardens and markets. Family temples are the smallest and the most numerous and can be found in every Balinese Hindu compound. Ancestors are worshipped at these hereditary shrines which are honoured with daily offerings .

Great things to do in Bali, Yoga and Meditation

Free Diving Amed

August 19, 2013August 18, 2013 Alison Bone

“The one who controls his breath is the ruler over his mind and body”

Swami Satyananda Saraswati.”

Photographs courtesy of Cdelacy / www.apneista.com

More on Amed

Learning to free dive

Amed with its rugged mountain scenery and vibrant coral reefs is increasingly known as a centre for free-diving in Bali, and is home to Apneista, the island’s first free-diving school. With a beachside yoga shala, cafe and juice bar on the picturesque bay of Jemuluk, Apneista offers a range of courses that combine the essentials of free-diving with yoga, stretching, pranayama and advanced breath work – all components of going ‘down the line’ into the big blue. “Yoga breath is the bridge between mind and body, the conscious and the unconscious says Matt, founder of Apneista. “Rather than yoga being simply part of our free-diving training, we see free-diving as the oceanic part of our yoga practice.”

People have been free-diving for thousands of years, scraping the ocean floor for pearls, shell fish and sponges, but free diving as a sport was relatively unknown until the iconic film of the 80’s, The Big Blue. The movie, loosely based on the real life rivalry between two champion free-divers, Jaques Mayol and Enzo Maiorca, captured the glory days as divers reached record depths and in so doing challenged the notions of human biology. It was discovered that humans, like sea mammals possess the mammalian dive reflex – when the body is submerged in cold water all major systems slow down, minimising the need for oxygen. Known as the dolphin man, French-born Mayol mastered his free-dive technique by swimming with dolphins – in mimicking their behavior he learned how to integrate himself with the ocean. By adding the power of yoga and meditation, he revolutionised the sport, becoming the first free diver to reach 100 meters. As yogis have always taught us, when we become aware of our breath, incredible things can happen.

While adrenalin junkies still strive to go ever deeper, these days many are drawn to the more gentle, recreational aspects of free diving, and the opportunity to enjoy the peace and stillness of the underwater world unencumbered by a tank. While scuba diving enables you to stay underwater for a longer time, passively observing the reefs and marine life; free-diving allows a full aquatic immersion as you float gently on the currents, completely at one with the ocean. There is an extraordinary sensation of weightlessness and silence, time seems to stand still – in fact it doesn’t seem to exist at all. The outer peace of the surrounding deep blue ocean creates an extraordinary sense of inner peace – or perhaps it’s the other way around… its hard to tell when the body and mind are acting as one and flowing effortlessly, seamlessly into an intensely beautiful experience.

Asanas and free diving

Just as yoga asanas are often inspired by animals, free-diving – sometimes referred to as ocean yoga – teaches us to move like a fish, gliding slowly and gracefully through the ocean. “Yoga teaches us alignment of the body, with practice the body becomes more fluid in nature as we develop flexibility and make space, but this is not a thing only of ligaments and muscles, it is a thing of energy,” says Matt. “We don’t do this for the sake of sitting in ever-more complicated postures, we do this so the body’s subtle life juices can flow better. With free-diving our focus is precisely on this type of fluid movement, to move like water through water. We learn that rigid movement is wasteful movement the forgiving nature of water allows us a fluid realignment of the body.”

The benefits of Pranayama

“The list of benefits of yoga for the free diver are long – from teaching mental clarity and thoracic flexiblity to emotional well-being, but the benefits of free-diving to the Yogi, when practiced in the right spirit, are equally profound,” says Matt. “ The most obvious is the control and understanding of the breath, free-diving as a door into the science of pranayama.” Those who practice pranayama regularly are naturally able to hold their breath longer and are accustomed to exploring the breath and the mind’s reactions to the body, perfect tools for free diving which requires a range of breathing techniques, including a pre dive ‘breathe up’ and a ‘post dive’ recovery breath.”

Underwater Meditation

Yoga and meditation teach us to let go of tension, to be in the moment, as we learn to passively observe thoughts and physical sensations without putting energy into them. This is essential to free diving where the mind may initially rebel against the idea of going deep and being unable to breath – but it is only by confronting our fears that we are able to move beyond them. “This drawing together of mind and body into one focused moment is some of the essence of yoga,” says Matt. “In Bali the sea is considered a place of many dangerous spirits yet also a place of purification,” he adds. “In a romantic way we can see free-diving in the Balinese context as a ritualised confrontation with the our ‘low spirits’ of fear and needless anxiety. When we free-dive sometimes the mind turns against us becoming mischievous or fearful, we can become plagued by our own inner ‘demons of doubt’. But with the ritual of our weighted line and safety procedures and our faith in physics we can see beyond the doubts to the deep blue face of mother nature. Then we free-dive mindfully, infused with calm and a sense of home coming.

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