Today is my last Bali post, so I thought it would be fitting to talk a little bit about the closing ceremony and my goodbye to Bali on my last night with Mind Body Soul Surf Bali.
On our last night in Bali, we had an incredible surprise. After our yoga session ended we hopped on the back of scooters and were brought down to the beach with Sarah, Deduk, Eli our yoga instructor and a couple of women from the villa. We arrived at the beach just in time for sunset and we were dressed in a sarong that Balinese woman would wear to temple and handed our canang sari that we had made earlier that day.
Sarah explained to us that Deduk would be performing a closing ceremony for us where we would thank and offer the Gods our thanks for an amazing week with our canang sari.
After Deduk performed a very moving ceremony we walked down to the water and threw our canang sari into the waves along with two pieces of paper, one that had all the negative things we wanted to let go and leave behind, the other was our positive intentions, things we were grateful for and things we wanted to instill in our lives moving forward.
Walking back to our scooters I was overwhelmed with everything I had experienced over the past three weeks. I arrived in Bali, not sure what I wanted to achieve by the end of the trip, feeling lost and unsure about the future, and needing a fresh start. I couldn’t believe that in those three short weeks I had found so many answers and made so many steps toward the life I want to be living in that amazing country and I was overcome by gratitude.
We headed back to our villa with full hearts and so much joy after the most amazing closing ceremony and goodbye to Bali that I could have possibly imagined and were greeted by our villa staff and the most incredible meal we had enjoyed yet. Desu, our other surf instructor, came over and we all enjoyed a beautiful feast while we talked and laughed about the week we had all just experienced together.
I sat there feeling like I was eating with a group of old friends, not people I had only just met a week before. Through this retreat I felt a special bond or connection to them all and I feel so blessed to have experienced the entire thing. They each helped me accomplish every goal I had set out for this trip, and a whole bunch of other ones I hadn’t even known I wanted to accomplish.
This retreat would not have been anything without our fearless leader Sarah and her amazing partner Deduk! And I felt that way through the very last moment when Deduk dropped me off at the airport. I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with them after the other women on the retreat left earlier that day, it was the perfect ending to a perfect trip. They are two of the most welcoming and caring people I have ever met and have started something truly special with Mind Body Soul Surf Bali. I cannot wait to return to Bali and MBS Surf to see them again, if you are planning a surf and yoga retreat I can’t recommend this one more to you, you will experience so much more that just surf and yoga and walk away feeling so satisfied, in mind, body and soul.
