What a soothing afternoon it was. Secluded from any traffic, pollution, and the hectic mundane life. A good range of flavourful healthy delicacies were served during lunch. High-fiber salad, fresh seafood, delicate desserts. Then an hour before sunset, our yoga session started. The yoga session of Alila Villlas Soori Bali Bliss Yoga and Wellness Retreat.

We were all sitting on this vast field by a cliff where rich green grass spread like a carpet, surrounded only by calming nature, Alila Villas Soori’s style: sparkling black sand beach on our front, and lush paddy field on our back. Plus warm, orangish sky above us.

The class was small and intimate, attended by people from East to West, young to old, yoga beginners to yoga enthusiasts. I’m a first-timer, so I can’t really tell you specific terms of the poses we did. All I know was that there were nothing emotionally overwhelming. Everything was simply about achieving some peace of mind.

The clearest memory I have, was when we were in the meditating pose. All I heard and felt was the constant waves that resonated in harmony with a distant chanting from a temple somewhere on the other side of the cliff. Such serenity was a gem, even for someone that had lived in this island of paradise for years like me.

I’ve been living a fulfilling life, yet it was busy and checklists never seem to cease. Hanging out at cafes or lazy nights watching movies are my routine unwinding activities. But a restorative mini vacation with Alila Villas Soori Bali Bliss Yoga & Wellness Retreat, brought me to a whole new meaning of resting and relaxing. I returned home with open heart, a more supple and fit body, and renewed motivation to remain humble and balanced as I reentered my vibrant lifestyle.

May peace always be bestowed upon you,

Aj.