White Sand Beach – Jasri, Bali

The days here start at 7:30am for morning asana. The sessions begin with core strengtheners before stretching. With our blood flowing we set up for the “Solar Asana”, a sequence designed to heat and prepare the body for inversions and acro. After as hour we eat breakfast, meet about an hour and a half later and begin the morning session. Two and a half hours of more inversion drills and into basing and flying. It is so intensely hot here I’m surprised we don’t all slip right off each other’s feet because of the sweat. Then to a lunch break for a few hours before coming back for the lunar afternoon session. The evening sesh focuses more on therapeutic flying and Thai massage which is such a sweet and grounding way to end the day before all sitting down for dinner.

Every meal starts with everyone gathering around the food to “OM” together, infusing our fuel with high vibrations.

Yesterday we took a bit of an adventure all together, hopping on catamarans to boat around the cove to get to White Sand Beach in Jasri. The ride was stunning. Soft, blue water in every direction, a back drop of palm trees hanging over large cliffs along the coast. We spent the afternoon eating, getting massages, swimming through the cleansing waves and once our food was digested and our energy returned, I saw the classic acro yogis come out. 

The cameras (and drones!) came out and we all started playing and flowing, getting fun pictures of each other in different poses, recording as we practiced the flows we learned in the morning session. 

Everyone is really connecting;  we’re starting to sync up on social media to stay in contact as our last couple days begin. I’m feeling settled in this new country and am learning so much. I had a long FaceTime with my love as I ate dinn er last night and I was so excited telling him all the things I can’t wait to bring back to our classes at home. He laughed at me already thinking about work and reminded me to just enjoy my time here. Even from 4,000 miles away he grounds me. I miss him something fierce but I know taking this time to check in with myself will make me a better partner. 

I’m being challenged here in a way I didnt expect. I came here as a teacher planning to get trained and almost forgot this was just a retreat and not a training. I anticipated a lot of complex flying with people that were already strong bases but everyone has different experience levels and everyone is trying new things. I have been more of a flyer but always wanted to work on my basing. Because of who I’ve practiced with, usually strong men as bases, they don’t fly much and the basing I’ve done has been very simple. Here I am not just figuring out how to base things on my own, I’m being taught to be a base. Flying always looks like “more fun” but basing is a blast!! I love that I am learning to base more complex moves and transitions and I can feel how much better of a teacher it will make me. Perspective is everything and it’s so important to base and fly in order to understand what your partner is experiencing. Acro or not, working to understand the perspective of your partner is everything. 

Excerpt from the group journal prompt : what does adaptability mean to you?

“aparigraha ; non attachment. finding comfort in discomfort, security in fear, harmony in chaos.  the past four years have been an exercise in non attachment, although I suppose that is what this life always is.  i attached to the fear of opening myself up to wesley, then i attached to him and had him ripped away. i had to adapt to life without the person i had begun to base my life on. i had to let go of him and continue on my own, adapting to what my new reality was. and now i return back to non attachment so fear doesn’t reign as i begin another relationship.  so many progressions and set backs, although i suppose it’s only a set back if i’m attached to where i was in that moment. everything is progression. 

with gratitude and love,

sarah