This past January, we had a group of 12 women from around the world join together in Bali to manifest and flow their way into the new year! My partner Norris and I hosted the retreat, and as a group we spent six transformative days setting intentions, discussing the power of manifestation, experiencing local Balinese culture, participating in healing events, workshops and discovering how to step into our personal power. We did lots of yoga and meditation, had soul chats, ate delicious food and connected deeply with ourselves and one another.
Here is a recap of our time spent together…
DAY 1: ARRIVE
Monday afternoon our guests arrived to Ubud Prime Villas, a beautiful luxury retreat center located in the heart of Bali’s finest rice fields. The ladies were welcomed with a refreshing mix of dragonfruit and watermelon juice to sip on while everyone got to know one another and settle into their new home for the week.
Soon after everyone arrived, we had our opening circle where we officially introduced ourselves and our specific intention for the following week. Many of us shared similar missions; to gain clarity, find peace, self-love and deeper connection. And what better place to discover this than the inspiring, healing space of Bali, surrounded by other uplifting, like-minded humans?
Towards the end of our circle we surprised the girls with welcome gifts — bracelets from MantraBand. Each bracelet had the same mantra: ‘breathe’, a beautiful reminder that they could wear to stay present and centered.
We followed the opening circle with our first yoga class, a two hour ‘Slow Flow’ yin fusion practice which was the perfect compliment to a busy day of traveling. We worked through a variety of different postures to get a full body stretch, allowing ourselves to feel grounded, present and fully arrived — physically, mentally and energetically.
After yoga, we enjoyed our first dinner together. We ate from the resort’s restaurant and enjoyed a variety of dishes from traditional Balinese style food. We went to bed early to prepare ourselves for our next full day of retreat activities!
DAY 2: DREAM
The following morning we started our day with a 90-minute vinyasa yoga class: ‘Find Your Flow’. We moved from a place of intuition, connecting our breath and postures with our inner wisdom. I encouraged the women to find freedom in their bodies by embracing mindful, fluid movement and finding what feels good.
After sweating it out, we quickly showered and enjoyed a big, hearty breakfast of tropical fruit, scrambled eggs, roasted tomatoes, balinese styled pancakes, toast with apricot jam, freshly-squeezed mango juice and ginger-lemongrass tea. It was absolutely divine!
Next we had our Clarity Workshop, which was led by Norris. He introduced us to new tools to use on how to get clear with what we want, why we want it and how to create it. We learned how to get from where we are to where we want to be through journal prompts and mindful reflection. Norris then guided us through a powerful meditation in which we envisioned meeting our best selves. One-by-one we opened up by sharing our biggest takeaway/insight that we gained through the workshop.
Later we embarked on our first local excursion together — Bali Swing Heaven! We were picked up from the resort by old school VW Safari’s and rode through the city centre with the top down, feeling the breeze as we rode deeper into the jungle of Ubud.
“Fly without wings.”
When we arrived, we were introduced to the beautiful property which had over 14 different swings to fly from and 9 nests to take photos in — for the perfect IG pic of course ;)
This day honestly felt like a dream, with the Ayung River valley open beneath us and the sky as our only limit as we swung towards the heavens. The group instantly bonded as many of us conquered our fears, and felt empowered receiving words of encouragement from each other when it was our turn to fly. We ended our first adventure together eating lunch under the jungle canopy.
We arrived back at the resort just in time for our yin class, “Let Go, Create Space”. I introduced the basics of yin yoga and curated a class to allow ourselves to release stagnant energy in order to create more room for creativity and connection.
The night closed with dinner together at the dining hall, as we reflected on an eventful day.
Day 3: Manifest
Our third day started at 8 AM, with a 90-minute yoga class to build confidence, strength and focus for our peak posture: Sirsasana, or headstand.
These strong ladies amazed me as every single one of them put in the work, challenged themselves and were willing to get upside down!
Afterwards, we enjoyed another delicious breakfast together.
The group had the afternoon free to relax, lounge by their own private pool, book massages or take a shuttle to the city to explore Ubud.
At 3 PM we had our Manifestation workshop. Norris taught us how to harness the power of our subconscious to create the results we desired. Through a meditation he guided us in freeing ourselves from limiting beliefs about who we are and what we are capable of.
Afterwards we paired up and shared our biggest fears with each other. As a facilitator of an experience like this, my favorite part is watching how each person embraces vulnerability, and in turn, gains a deeper connection with themselves and each another. In our day to day life it’s so rare that we are given permission, or even encouraged, to just be ourselves. As a result, we put on masks to play our daily roles as parents, friends, siblings, co-workers, etc., and not many people get to see the true core of our beings. We often fear rejection — that we won’t be seen as good enough or worthy when we share these hidden aspects of ourselves.
This workshop (and retreat in general) was a great reminder for us that it’s important to peel back the layers, to let go of our limiting beliefs and to return back to our true selves. Because we are all worthy, beautiful and enough just the way we are!
Next, we had another gift for our lovely group — an Enlightenment Planner. A place for them to stay organized, plan our their dreams and goals and to manifest these visions into reality!
Afterwards it was time for our 60-minute yin yoga class: ‘Finding Balance’. In these slower, meditative flows we were able to journey inward to find peace and equilibrium — to balance out the quick paced, yang energy from everyday life.
We finished the day with dinner together and a fire ceremony, meant for purification and transformation. We each brought the sheet of paper which we wrote down our fears from the previous workshop. One by one we shared our biggest fears out loud to the group and then threw our paper in the fire. Symbolizing our release of these fears, our letting go.
Tears were shed, laughs were shared and by the end of the night we ended up in a group hug, embracing each other tightly in our arms. Recognizing that we all are perfectly imperfect humans who share similar struggles; we felt truly seen, heard, acknowledged and loved.
“Let your fears fuel your fire.”
Day 4: Heal
Our next morning started with a heart-opening backbend workshop.
I opened the class with one of my favorite quotes from Brené Brown, “Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection. Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy — the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”
I love this quote for many reasons. For one, it emphasizes on the fact that although vulnerability is often scary, it usually brings out the best things in life (connection, belonging, joy). And that we shouldn’t be afraid of our shadow self or the aspects of ourselves that we often hide because it’s what makes us who we are. We should embrace and love all parts of ourselves — the darkness and the light.
I then guided the class through a 90-minute practice which introduced the foundations of backbends and broke down step-by-step various different postures such as Ustrasana (Camel), Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel), Natarajasana (Dancer’s) and Dhanurasana (Bow). We partnered up at the end and assisted each other in finding our deepest variations. We embraced vulnerability, courage and trust as we allowed our hearts to expand on our mats.
After yoga, Norris led the group through an Inner Child Meditation, where we practiced both embracing and comforting our own inner child. We were brought back to a time in our lives when our younger selves needed to be taken care of. We envisioned ourselves nurturing this child through verbal words and physical connection. By spending this time with ourselves we were able to recognize and release deep subconscious emotional blockages and create space to heal old wounds.
The morning followed with breakfast together and then we prepared for our next local excursion: the Holy Water Temple Blessing.
Our personal guide, Dwi, assisted us in the proper attire by dressing us in sarongs — traditional balinese wear.
We then took a 25 minute car ride away from the busy-ness of the city centre and tourism to a beautiful, secluded spot surrounded by lush green trees, plants and natural spring water.
We learned from Dwi that Balinese Hindus from all over the island journey to the natural springs to help cure their ailments, spiritually cleanse themselves and return to their villages with holy water to use for a multitude of purposes.
We first made an offering as a group at the main temple, which consisted of different flower petals, grass and incense. Then we proceeded to the 4 fountains where we each entered the pool. At each fountain we made a prayer or asked for permission to cleanse. We then started the ritual by washing our face and our entire body facing two different directions. Each time we allowed the natural spring water to wash over ourselves three times.
We left the Holy Water Temple as a group, each of us feeling a deep sense of renewal and spiritual transformation.
We arrived back at the retreat center just in time for lunch and some free time. Many of us either relaxed by the pool or got massages.
Around 5 PM we all met in the yoga shala for Yoga Nidra. I guided the group through a 45-minute meditation that prompted total physical, mental and emotional relaxation.
Towards the end of the night we gave the girls each their own Five Minute Journal as another gift. A place for them to write their daily gratitudes. We then got to watch the sun set from the yoga shala one last time…
Day 5: Empower
We started our morning with a strong 90-minute vinyasa flow with a peak posture of Pincha Mayurasana or Forearm Stand. We cultivated a sense of empowerment through ahimsa — practicing compassion and kindness towards ourselves and our practice.
The practice allowed us to move past the restless mind, address the distractions of the body, put them at ease and become receptive to deeper insights! We used this class as a tool to prepare ourselves for visualization and meditation.
Norris finished the yoga class by guiding everyone through a Power Meditation during savasana. The intention being to remember our own personal power and to stay committed to our goals with consistency.
Afterwards we enjoyed breakfast and then we prepared for our last excursion together: sound healing at The Pyramids of Chi.
We arrived at the sound healing centre around 11 AM. The large pyramids brought an immediate sense of awe and wonder. One by one we slipped off our shoes and entered into the hushed stillness of the pyramid. At the center of the space was an array of truly fascinating musical instruments. We were guided to the mattresses and pillows that laid out on the floor. As everyone settled in, we were given a short introduction to sound healing, the benefits and what to expect. After that we laid down, closed our eyes and relaxed. Darkness moved in as the doors closed shut. The smell of sage and candles filled the air, then the ethereal sounds began…
We spent an hour in the pyramids and once the sound healing was over, we took a few minutes to reground ourselves by walking barefoot around the area. We then made our way to the centre of Ubud for lunch.
We ate at Bittersweet, one of the best restaurants in Ubud! After our tummies were satisfied, we gave the group free time to explore on their own! Most of the girls went to the Ubud Art Market which is famous for its artisan/handcrafted souvenirs.
We re-grouped at 6 PM where we had our final group yin class in the yoga shala. Ending the night we had our closing dinner. We gave everyone one last gift of remembrance for the retreat: a Mantra Medallion. These medallions serve as a simple reminder to be present. They can be used for meditation, or kept on display in your home or even office.
Day 6: TRANSFORM
Our last day began with a vinyasa yoga class in the morning. We went through a 90-minute practice linking all that we had learned from the past week — inversions, arm balances and backbends. After the class we gathered in a circle for our free-write meditation. I gave the girls a prompt and they had 90 seconds to write whatever was on their mind. At the end, they passed their paper around the circle and started a new prompt. When we were finished, everyone got to keep their sheet of paper with the thoughts and words from each other.
Following our yoga and meditation practice, we took photos together, had breakfast and finished up some last minute packing. By noon we had all said our final good-byes and eventually parted ways.
After spending the whole week getting clear on what we wanted to call in and create this year, mapping out a plan, transmuting limiting beliefs and setting intentions that were purposeful and aligned with our highest selves, we left Bali feeling instantly empowered, inspired and deeply connected.
My biggest take away from this retreat was definitely gaining more confidence, in not only my yoga practice but also within myself.... Coming here I did not expect to make so many beautiful friendships, nor did I expect to learn so much from the people around me! Seeing Bali and traveling here alone, practicing yoga every day with Jessica/meditation with Norris has really inspired me to experience more in my life, and follow what I want to achieve!
— Holly, one of our lovely students
Thank you to each of the beautiful souls who were a part of this unforgettable experience, and I can’t wait to see you all again!
All my love,
Jessica
P.S. — are you interested in coming to a retreat? Click H E R E to be notified when my next retreats launch later this year!