I felt the cool ground underneath me, a welcome shock in the warm room, as I let my eyes close. The cicadas and crickets chirped in the evening air as the sun began to set. The chanting reverberated off the walls, growing louder with each passing minute. I opened my eyes to see a dozen people had entered the room and were lighting a fire to perform the Agnihotra fire ritual, an Ayurvedic purification said to provide ashes with healing properties, marking our first night at the Oneworld Yoga retreat in Bali.
Agnihotra Fire Ritual
No noisy trains to sleep on, no terrifying traffic to dodge, no hostel full of drunk hooligans. This week, I’m celebrating my thirtieth birthday in a state of pure bliss, and it was long overdue. It wasn’t until our first yoga class that I realized how much stress I had been holding in my body. I couldn’t even touch my toes – something I’m very certain I could accomplish just a few months ago.
My seven days at Oneworld Retreats in Bali were incredible. The itinerary could not have been more inviting—each day a combination of morning yoga, delicious meals, spa treatments, relaxation, and meditation. In case I was worried about getting stir crazy in paradise, I was lucky that this week at the retreat was titled ‘Footprints in Bali’, meaning in addition to all the yoga and meditation and zen offered at the resort, hiking around some of Bali’s most beautiful fields and temples.
The first few days were a blur of activity – we visited the Gunung Kawi Hindu forest temple, hiked through rice fields, visited the sacred monkey forest, and most notably, attended a purification ceremony at Tirta Empul, a Hindu water temple.
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary 
During the melukat or purification ceremony, we donned white sarongs, ‘sacrificed’ our offering of flowers and fruit, and jumped into (freezing cold) spring pools, dunking ourselves three times under each fountain before being blessed by a manku (local priest). The water comes from the mountain springs and is as crystal clear as it is freezing cold. The water is believed to have curative powers. Each fountain spout represents something different—some grant protections, others cure physical ailments, others cure mental ailments. I won’t get into all of them, but you can find what each spring represents here.
These photos really don’t do this temple justice—it’s gorgeous.
Melukat at Tirta Empul 
On my actual birthday, we had a 2:30 am wake-up scheduled to hike to the top of the Gunung Batur volcano. My first decision of my thirties was that sleep was more important than a volcano hike (I was also still a bit nervous after the New Zealand volcano eruption just a few weeks before). Priorities. I slept in, took breakfast in my room, wandered the town for a bit, and then spent the rest of the day reading and journaling outside on the porch while I watched the rain. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday.
Bali is said to have three seasons – wet season, dry season, and (best of all) Mango season. I happened to be here during the wet season, which meant each afternoon I was gifted a few hours of a thunderstorm. However, I didn’t mind. It was a nice respite from the heat and there’s nothing quite like a rainforest right after a storm.
On my free day, I visited the rice terrace. I had hiked about halfway through the rice fields before a severe thunderstorm came through. I ended up spending the next hour in a small, empty guide hut waiting for the storm to pass.
Jatiluwih Rice Fields
The trip was worth it as the fields were still gorgeous, I have a weird love for the rain, and best of all, I stopped at Batu Karu Kopi for a coffee tasting. They’re most notably known for their Kopi Luwak, coffee cherries digested and then pooped out by a civet. Happy to report that it tasted like coffee.
Batu Karu Kopi
Our last full day was a relaxing one. We drove to the beach and spent the day sunbathing, swimming in the ocean, and drinking out of coconuts.
We were given a special treat at night—the resort is also home to Bali’s prince (which is a thing I guess), and before our final feast, we were invited for champagne and hors d’oeuvres in the prince’s stunning home, complete with Balinese artifacts.
On the last night at dinner, we were all given a quick shock back to reality when China completely shut down its borders due to coronavirus. A Swedish woman on our trip was currently living and teaching in China, and was stranded with no idea how she would get back or how to get her things. Although if there was anywhere I’d want to be trapped, it might just be here.
At this point, I need to thank my guides and teachers, Iyan and Desi as well as those who joined me during this week. It was a phenomenal group of people who made it a wonderful experience. The closing ceremony was emotional for everyone and while it was only a week, it provided me with memories and people that I’ll never forget.
Beautiful!