Finding Balance in Bali
This is part 4 of a 4 part series about a recent trip we took to Bali
On our spiritual tour of Bali, we have just received beautiful massage treatments and pampering in a couples suite. It’s helping me to feel like I’ve found some balance for the first time in a while…
As our Balinese massage therapist leaves, she puts her hands into Namaste (prayer position in front of her chest), and I respond in the same manner. This means, “May the God in me greet the God in thee.” Talk about balance! Balinese pray many times a day and their prayers are deeply joyous and beautifully integrated into their lives. The taxicab driver wants to talk to you about Spirit; so does the hotel manager and the woodcarver. They all have stories about their lives that involve their spirituality. They all want to know what you believe and share what they believe — not to argue with you, but because their belief system embraces God as everything, in everything, in all facets of their lives, beyond death, beyond rebirth. This is reflected in their architecture, in their love of color, in their ubiquitous offerings of flowers and fruit, even in their spa design.
By now it’s mid-morning and I stand under the warm water, enjoying the sun on my face and body, the sounds of the river, the rich scents of the forest. Greg joins me, hinting that the backyard at home might need remodeling into a Balinese garden, complete with outdoor showers. I wash my hair with jasmine shampoo, then we both step into the bergamot-scented lime bath that has been drawn for us, the tub filling over the past hour and now topped with dozens of local flowers – hibiscus and frangipani (what the Balinese call Plumeria). As we relax for twenty minutes I reflect on the trip, on balance. At least these few hours, taking some “personal-me time” has given me peace. For our spiritual travel group, they are happy with the trip, delighted with the hotel and spa. For me… well, we get to return at least twice more this year, bringing other groups. It’s all a balancing act; the trick is to take the time where you can, and to enjoy every minute. Bali has reminded me of this and I will take the feeling home with me until I return.
Please read Halle’s recent interview in Time Magazine for the Eat Pray & Love Bali tour this past May. Upcoming tours take place in September, 2010 and June, 2011!
The view as you drift down the Ayung River