THE STORY OF BALI

I left for Bali, Indonesia knowing very little about the country. I wouldn’t have even been able to pinpoint it on a map before leaving. I felt the call to travel to the opposite side of the planet. I signed up for a 10-day yoga teacher training retreat in April 2022 after a beautiful experience with teacher Janet Stone at Esalen in Big Sur, California. Initially, I planned to fly to Peru for a few weeks and meet with a friend, but I was learning to listen to my gut again. I wanted to continue the training with this inspiring group of teachers and students. 

With my plans accelerated a few weeks earlier than planned, I arrived in Denpasar not knowing what to expect. I was exhausted after a 60-hour journey. It was hot and muggy, and my driver was a little late, but none of that mattered. I had taken a massive leap to leave the corporate movie studio life after 22 years at Lionsgate in Santa Monica. I was finally free and had stepped into an uncertain future. Rather than feeling afraid of what was next, I was embracing the unknown and learning to go with the flow.

I exited the terminal into the thick humidity and began with my driver Wayan. I immediately felt a sincere kindness and general concern for my well-being. Entering this unfamiliar country, I was already feeling at home. Bali reminded me of the attentive and kind Japanese hospitality. 

My $50-a-night villa in Ubud had a large, comfortable bed, a bathroom the size of my studio apartment back in L.A., and my own swimming pool. Since I had arrived a few days early for the retreat, I had time to acclimate and rest. I had tweaked my upper back carrying my heavy backpack and extra bags, so I needed some time to work on that. Two 90-minute massages would take care of that, not to mention swimming in the pool’s cool water.

I was staying in proximity to the infamous Monkey Forest. I had a parade of about 100 monkeys visit me one morning. Jet lag hit me pretty hard the first day, so I slept for portions of the afternoon, heading out to explore after the sun had set. I sampled some local cuisine, choosing random cafes and restaurants to see what they would provide. I loved winging it because it forced me out of my comfort zone. 

Before relocating to the retreat center on my last morning, I began packing my bathroom toiletries. I grabbed what I thought was my thick, cord camera strap. I was puzzled as to why I had left the camera in the bathroom. It turned out to be a snake. It must’ve dropped from the ceiling onto the counter. It was hardly moving, and I thought of grabbing it near the head to keep it from biting me and then taking it to the front desk. But I had no idea if it was poisonous or not. I called reception and asked for some assistance. They brought their ‘snake handler’ with his special tongs…clearly a common occurrence here. 

They also weren’t sure if it was poisonous and proceeded cautiously. It was an exciting welcome to Bali! If anything, it reminded me to remain aware of my surroundings. Even the Balinese were laughing about it. I’m just glad it didn’t drop onto me in my sleep, although that would have been an even more exciting welcome.

Wayan drove me about 45 minutes north to the Bagus Jati resort, where we held our retreat. The resort had not been open for the last two years because of the Covid quarantine, and the staff seemed excited to have us arriving. We were well-cared for, and I felt incredibly spoiled. The Bali jungle had slowly crept back in during that time. The newly hired staff had spent weeks grooming the landscaping and cleaning out the critters who had made their home inside the bungalows. The patriarch of the staff was named Buda. And he really was like a father figure of the resort. He even lived there during the re-opening cleanup and preparation.

Buda was up every morning around 5:00am to sweep the yoga studio. He lit some candles and spent careful, attentive time laying a beautiful flower petal decorative centerpiece on the floor. I was up around 5:30am every morning to meditate and could see him do his morning work from my balcony. He was always available for questions or requests and was happy to teach us about the Balinese ceremonies and traditions. He was very proud of his Hindu culture.

I had booked a shared bungalow and didn’t know who I’d get as a roommate, male or female. There was even the possibility I’d have the whole place myself if someone didn’t show up. When I entered the bungalow, I saw they had two twin beds side-by-side under the same mosquito net…with a bit of space between them. Colorful flower petals lay in a pattern on the mattresses. Very romantic and possibly awkward, depending on who I got. Again, I’m staying in the flow.

I unpack and unwind, taking it all in. I notice my mind ruminating about all the possibilities. Am I going to get a cute, single woman as a roommate, a fellow traveler, and an adventurer? Will I get wrapped up in a romantic Bali affair while here? I let it go. I need to stay open. “Expectation is the root of all heartache,” stated Lao Tzu. I hear someone arriving with his baggage handlers. My roommate is a Santa Barbara plastic surgeon named Michael, who is slightly younger than me.

Even though I was disappointed I didn’t get a sexy, single female yogini to share a room with, it was for the best. I would have been incredibly distracted from my training. I was also learning to fight those urges of filling my time with distracting relationships as a way of finding validation in myself. Michael was the perfect roommate at this time, even though I didn’t see it right away. A gay plastic surgeon with all the energy of Southern California I was escaping from challenged my initial irritations and judgments. We became fast friends and shared some of the deeper insights and inner conflicts from our intense lives back in Southern California. I was lucky to see from his perspective too.

After a week of yoga, meditation, music, and even a 3:00am hike up a volcano, we were working out all the travel kinks. I was definitely feeling my lack of regular exercise over the years. In my twenties and thirties, I had trained heavily in martial arts but had stopped during my short second marriage. Yoga was a perfect way to get the body limber again and work through all those old injuries that were catching up to me. Unfortunately, about 10 of us (out of about 30) got Covid after hiking the volcano. Michael and I were quarantined in our room.

Thankfully everyone’s symptoms were pretty mild. For the first few days, since Michael had taught before, he led me through the morning routine on our balcony. We wanted to keep up with the rest of the crew. Eventually, we were all allowed to continue training in the yoga hall, albeit with masks and social distancing. Those who did not test positive voted to let us back into the fold. It certainly made the breathing aspect more challenging.

A couple of us planned to continue traveling. We were concerned about getting officially tested by the government agency for fear of it getting reported globally. We didn’t know what kind of restrictions would hamper our ability to enter other countries, but I eventually did it anyways. I wanted the more effective PCR test versus the home test kits I brought from L.A.

The staff at Bagus Jati went above and beyond to accommodate us. It made the entire experience a beautiful welcome to Balinese culture. Janet Stone and Chris Walker were incredibly patient with students like me, who were still relatively new to the process. Janet had each of us lead the group in various routines, and I had a short opportunity to practice teaching meditation and breath work. Although initially hesitant, it gave me a sense of what it’s like to stay in the flow with the other students and teachers. I could feel the pull of doing this one day.

After 10 days of grueling but fulfilling meditation and training, we wrapped up our retreat with a ‘fire circle.’ We all dressed in white and sat in a large circle while Buda stoked the flames. It was our final moment to write something down on a piece of paper that we wanted to symbolically release from our lives and then toss into the fire. It was a lovely ceremony to conclude with my new family of yoga friends. We each had profound, transforming reasons for traveling all this way for the experience. And since it was a shared challenge, we bonded and helped each other through it in many ways.

While nearly everyone returned home to their respective countries, some of us stayed in Bali. I opted to remain at Bagus Jati another week and, at one point, was the only guest at the entire resort. I eventually migrated back to Ubud and met up with the others from the retreat there. We partied at Zest, a local restaurant/club, met at a fantastic cafe called Sayuri Healing Food, visited the Monkey Forest, and just took in Ubud life. Ubud felt like home to the world’s modern yogis and the Burning Man tribe.

I met a couple of digital nomads living freely from country to country. I found that very appealing and dug into their brains on how they survived that lifestyle. Bali is a very inexpensive country to live in. Still, you’re limited to a 30-day visa unless you can obtain their 3 to 6-month work visas. I received mixed stories from those who navigated that process. The big question for everyone was how to maintain some financial income living this carefree life?

It does help to live in these inexpensive countries, but one does have to pay bills and eat. The fact is that even though I had a 6-figure income at Lionsgate, I was still practically living check to check. Los Angeles is costly, and I had debts from living that lifestyle. I could see how simplifying my life could reduce the clutter of the mind, especially in terms of paying for that city life.

Coincidentally, I even connected with another former Lionsgate executive who had been living in Bali off and on. He filled me in on the lifestyle and his own reasons for stepping into this new life. It was encouraging to not feel alone in this process. This was only month One of a soon-to-be 6-month journey around the world. My goal was to maintain the unexpected and stick with one-way tickets the entire time. I wanted to be led intuitively and see where it took me.

I eventually relocated to the Southern peninsula of Uluwatu, staying at the Uluwatu Cottages, recommended by my Lionsgate friend. A week there and another week at the fancy Ayana Resort and Spa, and I had used up my 30-day visa. It was time to venture on….