Beyond The Maple Tree

As part of our world trip, we wanted to go somewhere where we could learn and practice Yoga.  After some research, we found a place called The Yoga Barn in Ubud, Bali, so we headed there to check out the studio and immediately signed ourselves up for the 20-class pass (which they allowed us to share between the 2 of us).  The atmosphere of this place is unlike any other yoga studio we've ever seen (not that we've done a lot of yoga in the past...).  Nestled in a serene area, the huge windows of the lower studio open up to a lotus pond, while the upper studio overlooks the surrounding rice fields… to top it off, the studio also features a quiet organic cafe and spa nestled amongst the vegetation.

We mainly did the typical Vinyasa Flow classes, but they also offer a huge selection of specialty classes to choose from.  We decided to try some, including:

• Anusara Therapeutics - focuses on alignment to relieve and heal musculo-skeletal aches and chronic pain in knees, neck, feet, lower back, and wrists.
• Sukshma Yoga - uses breath and micro movements to provide subtle exercise to internal organs.  We learned to use our Yoga power to clean our breath without using mouthwash or brushing our teeth… ok, that one maybe a bit more far fetched, but we did learn a lot from the rest of that class :).
• Acro Yoga - a fun class that combines yoga with pairs acrobatics.  A few more of these classes and we'd be set to join the Cirque Du Soleil.
• Qi Gong - oriental movement meditation for cultivating internal energy.  Basically, you slap all the parts of your body… apparently it helps to stimulate blood flow.

Unlike the intense Power Yoga classes that we'd previously done in Calgary, we felt that Yoga Barn better understood and taught the essence of Yoga.  They continually reminded us that "Yoga is not about instant gratification.  It's a gradual process about yourself and having fun - it's not about power or pain".  They seem obvious statements to read, but are not always apparent when you participate in certain classes back home.

Bali is typically know for its beaches and perfect surf waves.  The lesser known things are what we learned to love the most, particularly the rice fields.  You can actually find them all around Ubud, though most are hidden behind the various hotels, restaurants and shops lining the roads.  Venture just outside the centre of town and you'll be rewarded by the scenic beauty.  We did a few walks around town specifically to appreciate the rice fields and we were not disappointed.  

We were also fortunate enough to stay at a fairly inexpensive hotel ($33USD/night) that has an infinity pool that appears to flow right into the fields….wow.  Some of the luxury bungalow rooms ($55-$95USD/night) even have really nice balconies facing the rice fields.  For fun, we took a tour of some new villas belonging to the hotel next door - for $150USD/night you get an amazing 1 bedroom private villa with its own private pool.  It was definitely once of the nicest accommodations either of us had ever seen!  

We spent our last day at a spa where you can get a 2.5hour package (including a 60min massage, body scrub, body mask, flower bath, tea, and a cookie) for only about $28cad.

Aah, what's not to love about this place...

We absolutely loved our experience here and hope to return one day.  Hopefully, the real-estate and tourist booms don't destroy all of the things here that we came to appreciate so much.