Bali is a land closely linked to spirituality – for thousands of years it has drawn people looking to discover more about themselves, connect on a deeper level and experience healing energy. So if you are looking to have your own ‘Eat Pray Love’ moment, read on to find where best to discover the island’s holistic side.
Sakti Healing
Sakti -meaning ‘power & life force energy’ is a safe, loving space created in Canggu to help those who need it both heal and receive guidance. This is done through a series of spiritual practices including tarot card reading, Reiki and crystal healing.
Most of the sessions are unique and work on the process of accessing the energy in our bodies. Reiki for example, is used as a tool to access where the pain or imbalance has come from in order to self-heal.
Crystal healing uses the power of crystals, sound healing bowl and the ‘third eye’ and Tarot readings are given in Indonesian either based on a specific area of your life or an overview of your life, which is designed to awaken new beings.
Pura Tirta Empul
You have probably heard of Pura Tirta Empul – or if you haven’t then you will have seen it all over Instagram. One of the most popular ‘spiritual experiences’ in Bali, Tirta Empul is situated a short 20 min drive from central Ubud and is a great way to experience the Balinese Hindu religion.
The temple consists of several holy spring water fountains for ritual purification, allowing you to partake in the tradition. The legend has goes that the sacred spring was created by the god Indra, and ever since for thousands of years the locals have come to bathe in the sacred waters for both healing and spiritual purposes.
To do the same, first, make an offering at the temple, then access the main pool to both bathe and pray. FYI- you are allowed to collect the holy water in a bottle to take home, but get here early (around 8 am) as it gets extremely busy and you will need to queue to access the fountains!
Ubud float Garden
Have you heard of floating? Otherwise known as sensory deprivation it’s a unique way to temporarily unplugging from the world of ‘doing’ and enter the world of pure ‘being’. Effective at helping you to take a breathe and pause from our hectic, daily lives, floating is said to enable us to enter a state of deep mental and physical relaxation.
Luckily for those around Ubud, the Float Garden offers several different options from ‘single floats’ for those looking to try it for the first time to ‘the dive-in bundle’ and even ‘couples float’. As well as de-stressing, the act of floating is said to have many other benefits including improving circulation which allows for increased recovery from injury or athletic training and decreasing the build-up of lactic acid which helps to eliminate muscle fatigue.
Yoga Barn
Created to bring together Ubud’s community as well as give back to the island of Bali. The Yoga Barn is both a yoga studio and holistic healing retreat center in one. Designed to have an indigenous ‘Balinese’ feel and a relaxed, spiritual vibe, Yoga Barn is the place to partake in a class from traditional yoga such as Hatha and Vinyasa Flow to classes focused on meditation, sound healing, kirtan and ecstatic dance.
Retreats and yoga teacher trainings are also held regularly as are private sessions with experienced and qualified therapists of Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Craniosacral Therapy, Naturopathy and more. For these reasons, Yoga Barn is a great option for those looking for a spiritual experience but unsure where best to start- there really is something for everyone here. Oh, and why you decide, be sure to visit the Garden Kafe for a tasty cold-pressed, healthy juice and nourishing food!
Bali healing
Bali healing is designed to focus on the ‘whole human being’- so whatever you are facing, The center aims to use many approaches, both traditional and contemporary, to help you as much as possible. This also includes those looking to use spiritual methods including the breathwork, PTSD healing and Theta healing.
These methods are all-powerful modalities to create balance and harmony in all systems of the body, as well as restore equilibrium between the body, mind, emotions and Spirit. Visit the clinic to discuss the wide range of holistic and naturopathic therapies available or why not book an online consultation with Peggy Marienfeld to begin discussing your challenges and start you on the path of improvement.
Samadi Bali
Samadi is perhaps most well known as a yoga studio, but it also has an excellent range of holistic treatments available to help you on your path of self-development, as well as nourish your mind, body & soul. We particularly love cranial sacral therapy which is designed to help resolve the trapped forces that govern patterns of disease and fragmentation in the body and mind.
This process involves a practitioner ‘listening through the hands’ to the body’s subtle rhythms and detecting patterns of inertia or congestion. You could also try ‘Chakra Balancing’ a Crystal Healing method which involves placing a stone in every chakra point to apply a different energy. This energy is explored through the palms of a healer to release stress and emotional tension as well as clear the mind and induce a sense of tranquillity.
Pyramids of Chi
Set amongst rice paddies in a peaceful location just outside of Ubud, Pyramids of Chi is a healing haven. Described by visitors as ‘an amazingly spiritual place promoting life-changing sound therapy’, Everyone on a spiritual journey should give sound healing at Pyramids of Chi a try. Sound Healing works on the principle that everything is vibration, including emotions.
Here they use musical equipment such as Gongs and Didgeridoos to resonated you back into a healthy harmonic state of vibration on a physical, emotional, and energetic level. This is why sound is such an effective healing modality. Classes here range from ancient sound healing to moon ceremonies, and it offers a perfect location for lunch in the onsite cafe or for those looking to train in spiritual practices.
Light Spirit
Another center using sound therapy to both heal and spiritualise is ‘Light Spirit’ in Ubud. Here they focus on the ‘soul’ and how we can understand the voice of the soul by using Sound treatments.
The theory is that through the process of hearing and listening to this voice, we can release from the 3 poisons, mentioned in Tibetan Philosophy: Attachment, Hatred and Delusion. Through sound treatment, psychospiritual counselling and several community events including talks, discussions and meditation evenings, ‘Light Spirit’ provides clients with the opportunity to process how all emotional, physical and spiritual challenges relate to our overall way of thinking.
Have you had any spiritual experiences in Bali? What were they? We would love to hear from you!