From having our money stolen to falling ill with Bali belly, my week in Bali Indonesia sure was one to remember. My travel buddies Saskia, Sharnae and I were all fortunate enough to embark on a little peaceful getaway before our new year of university began.
On the surface, Bali is mostly perceived as a chaotic popular tourist hub for cheap drinking and partying, however at its core Bali is a playground of utter spirituality, tranquility and wisdom.
Here are a few life lessons to embrace inspired from the beautiful people of Bali:
1. The gift of gratitude
When you travel somewhere lesser of economical, infrastructural and educational wellbeing as your home country, life really is put into perspective of how privileged we are and how easy it is for us to take these things for granted. The Balinese do not have a lot but are still marked by an unwavering sense of devotion and reverence, by practising gratitude on a daily basis through expressing their thanks to the Source Energy (their God) that provides them with their experience here on earth. Their ritual of gratitude makes them some of the happiest and kindest people I have ever met.
2. Simplicity
The Balinese are a very simple people. They do everything with love and although not having a lot, still strive to make everything pretty by decorating with flowers and art.
In everyday life I often feel the need to do more, to have more, or to achieve more; but while embarking through my journey in Bali I learnt that striving for more simply detaches you further from reaching your desires and true happiness. Instead of appreciating the present, we have been wired to believing that consumption is the road to happiness and a better life.
Learn to find happiness in the small things, from a pretty sunset to the first warm sip of your favourite coffee in the morning, rather than indulging yourself in temporal materialism. The key to contentment is simplicity, something we should be committed to embodying more often.
Here are 100 little things worth being happy about:
3. Hati Hati
Hati translated in Indonesian means "heart", and Hati Hati means "take care" or "take it easy". They use it mostly in the context of to 'slow down'. In our modern fast paced lives we rush everywhere and never take the time to appreciate a moment or fully embrace being present in our surroundings.
In Bali everything is Hati Hati, the Balinese simply go with the flow and everything is done mindfully. Even in the chaotic road system with no road rules and crazy traffic, there is no rushing and no drivers tend to go over 40km/hr even when the roads are clear.
My whole trip to Bali was very much so in the spirit of Hati Hati, nothing was planned as such and every day we decided to go with the flow. Even though there were some challenges, we all learnt something valuable from our mishaps.
4. Take time for spiritual practices and mindfulness
Majority of the Balinese people are Hindu and as part of this belief system they create offerings to their God three times a day called canang saris which are beautifully constructed displays. Their spirituality can be seen deep inside them from the way they live in harmony with everything around them.
Witnessing this made me ponder what is my own personal 'canang saris'? Even though I don't identify with a particular religion, I believe in my own inner divinity and a personal destiny, so I am recommitting to my yoga practice and mindful manifestation as my exercise of reverence.
5. Money isn't everything
There's no doubt that Western society has shaped the meaning of life around money, and the more we focus on it the more it distracts us from the important things in life and the more discontented we become.
However for the Balinese despite money not being plentiful, they are nonetheless very sharing and generous people. Share what you have and don't be greedy. Even if you as a traveller aren't well off enough to be overly financially generous, even a smile and your friendliness is always more than appreciated.
It's so easy to get caught up in the commercial way of life revolving around money and work, but values such as family and friendship are priceless. Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.
Watch my little vlog of our week in paradise ↓
Bali, i'll definitely be seeing you again soon xxx