BEST BALI YOGA RETREATS IN SIDEMEN, BALI — Drishti Journeys (2024)

We might be familiar with Bali’s most mentioned travel destinations such as: Ubud, Canggu, Uluwatu, Nusa Islands, offering its unique holiday vibe. However, let’s remember that Bali is also one of the best destinations if you are coming for a personal healing journey.

Daily lives in Bali guided by a profound philosophy of Sekala and Niskala. Sekala is that which you can see. Niskala is the spirituality. The Matter and the Spirit. The practice of Niskala can be seen in many ceremonies or rituals performed to symbolize the gratefulness to the universe.

The journey of healing itself is a great combination of the internal and the external work. It is the balance between applying the ancient practice of yoga that release stiffness, improve flexibility, and increase wellbeing, and meditative activities that can boost your happiness and sense of fulfillment from the inside. For example: not just spending time in the nature, but also enjoying yourself being in the nature. Strengthening the spiritual connection through prayers and meditations. As well as sharing the joy through learning new things and do kindness to other.

Amongst most overrated destinations in Bali, we follow our heart to be arrived at a place that is secluded away from the busy tourism, about 1.5 hours drive to the east from Ngurah Rai International Airport. Sidemen Valley, in Karangasem Regency offers stillness and tranquility on its own. Fertile agricultural land, traditional way of living where people are still bathing in the river, breathing in unpolluted air, and just be amaze by the beauty of the mother nature as you wake up to a foggy – hilly in a beautifully serene wonderland.

We design our Bali Yoga Retreats where all level yogis and wellness traveler can immerse deeply into philosophy of Sekala and Niskala to eventually take valuable lessons, memories, and friendship back home!

We are delighted to host our Bali retreats at Surya Shanti Villa Sidemen. Owned by a super humble French couple and to be honest could not ask for more comfortable environment with genuine and kind hospitality in Sidemen. Everywhere you look, there is only lush and green surrounding. Very refreshing. During our 8 days retreat we will be pretty much spoiled with comfort, wholesome breakfast, lunch and dinner that are cooked using local ingredients, and stunning views. Surya Santi Villas also has two swimming pools, offering options for you to choose where to hangout during the day or in the evening, either at the little hut by the pool, at the bar close to the public living room, at the restaurant or simply by the terrace of your room.

Besides daily yoga and meditation practices that will be delivered by our experienced teacher, throughout 8 days retreat we combine activities for you to explore and to learn.

Here is the summary of our itinerary, briefly:

To begin your stay at your suite room at Surya Shanti Villas, you will be given welcome drink and 15 minutes foot massage. The welcome massage can be very helpful to release tiredness after long hours of traveling. We highly recommend you book a session or two of full body healing massage with our healer at any time during your retreat.

Excursions of Eat, Pray and Love, Sidemen version.

We as much as possible create activity that engage with local culture, tradition, and spirituality providing you opportunity to learn and to deepen your perspective.

To Eat

Despite healthy-organic wholesome meals are provided during the retreat, on the third day we will skip dinner at the hotel and instead, jump on a ride to Klungkung Night Market. Klungkung is the nearest Regency from Sidemen. For local, Night Market or Pasar Senggol is always a humble place to take the whole family to eat out for dinner. Various traditional foods with legendary recipes are available throughout the evening with very good price.

Other dishes that you may want to try is Nasi Campur Ayam (rice served with shredded chicken, vegetable, boiled egg, and sambal). Indonesian foods such as: Sate Ayam (diced chicken meat on skewer, grilled on coconut charcoal, with peanut sauce), Soto Ayam (chicken soup) or Bakso (chicken or beef meatball soup) are also worth to try!

For dessert, order Es Buah. Fruits that are available on the season are cut in cube. Coconut milk, condensed milk, syrup is then poured on the fruits, topped with grated ice.

Pasar Senggol usually open from 3PM to 11 PM

To Pray

On our temple excursion, we will be visiting two temples on the slope of Mt. Agung, the highest mountain in Bali. You will be dressed in Balinese Temple Attire, flowers and offerings are prepared on this day, and the Temple Priest or Priestess will lead our ceremony.

The purpose of the ceremony is to be reconnecting back to The Highest Source. To The Source of The Creation, The Preserver and The Destroyer known as Tri Murti, three God’s manifestation that are mostly worshipped by Hindu Bali.

Two temples that are on our list are considered old temples. It is hard to find out when exactly the temples are built, but some sources say it has been found in 1950 which have been going through renovations and restorations until today.

The Temple of Melanting, where we will do our first ceremony is known as a Holy Temple that bless us with abundance and success in our business or career. Then we move forward to Pura Pasar Agung. All God’s manifestation and power are worshiped in this temple, including ancestors too. Blessings that can be attain here are that in form of spiritual guidance and spiritual protection.

Important note to know for visiting any temple in Bali is that women are not allowed to enter during their period. Due to temples are sacred place where positive and negative energy or up and below are strongly connected. Blood feeds the below spirits with characteristic of dark, rage and negative.

Dress politely, shoulders and knees must be covered. Wearing Sarong is mandatory.

To Love

To love ourselves even more, for the journeys, the hard works, loyal dedication we share to our loved ones. It is the opportunity to play, to immerse with the mother nature, to experience local that eventually bring us joy and appreciation to our life.

1. Enjoy the sun, the sands, and the sea on our trip to the White Sand Beach.

2. Learn how water irrigation at the rice fields work during our jungle trip and rice fields trekking. Hopefully we will get to see some medicinal plants that are wildly grown during the trip.

3. Participate in Bali’s cultural activity such as: traditional dance lesson, gamelan lesson (traditional instrument), and flower offering making, taught by the children at a local traditional school.

4. You will finally be able to make Bumbu Bali (The Balinese Spices used in traditional Balinese Cooking) or peanut sauce on your own based on the recipe that you will keep after Cooking Class. We are going to learn to cook various Balinese dishes that are mostly served during special occasion in Bali within 3 hours class.

Thinking about sharing your Bali experience on social media, we already arrange an excursion to a nearby waterfall that recently becomes one of Instagram-able spot in Sidemen worth to visit.

At the end, to celebrate our a weeklong inside and outside Bali yoga retreats we will once again dress in our favorite outfit for a Farewell Dinner, entertained by the local dancers with Traditional Balinese Dance performances.

We look forward to welcome you in Sidemen in 2023 starting from April through June, meeting you on your healing journey through spiritual nourishments in Bali, the land of wisdom and the Island Of The Gods.