For a detailed review please visit the following link and / or read the below account. The link takes you to former guest Catrina McGrail's blog where you will find a detailed description of her Holistic Retreat Bali experience. I also recommend browsing her site for personal accounts of all her travels. There's allot of travel blogs 'out there'. Catrina's is one of the few genuine & honest portrayals of a legitimate world traveller.
https://24hourslayover.com/bali-spiritual-holistic-retreat/
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Dec 2016 Retreat
Lark Potmesil (meadowkral@yahoo.com) – Gratitude & Thoughts post-retreat
1. Enjoyed the pool right outside my door.
2. Food was phenomenal! As Kedak said, you can feel a difference between machine-produced food & food prepared with love by Made!
3. Was nice to be able to lightly socialize with healers/therapists before/between sessions. Would not have minded sharing more meals with them.
4. Appreciated the wide variety of healing techniques—and liked having two sessions with some so I could ask questions that I didn’t think of during the first session. Realize it’s not realistic to have two sessions with each therapist-- :0(, but it is very nice to have two sessions with some.
5. Enjoyed talking about life & spiritual matters with variety of ages, experiences, & different countries-of-origin.
6. Liked the relaxed schedule – not too rushed & not too empty—just right!
7. Made, Elu, & Galu were awesome! After the discussions about “womens’ place” in the Bali patriarchy, it was nice to see that there was a haven for them to earn their own money & have exposure to foreigners who know of a different way for men & women to interact. And they can choose if that’s what they’d like for themselves or the status quo is better.
8. I liked having pre-arranged transport from the airport. The chaos & sensory overload of walking out into the swarm of taxi drivers is pretty intimidating—especially if it’s your first time traveling solo in a foreign country. It was a great relief to know I didn’t have to negotiate a price or worry about being kidnapped straight from the airport—there would be someone waiting specifically for me. I could ‘put my blinders on’, plow through the crowd of verbally overwhelming drivers to find MY driver. (Now that I’ve done Bali & traveled solo, I’m much more confident that I could exit the airport & find my own transportation.)
9. The Hindu water blessing was an incredible experience. If I ever return to Bali for a spiritual experience, this is on my list to do again.
a. As a warning to people before they go—if it’s a sunny day, they’ll definitely need sunscreen. As long as it took to get through all the fountains, I would have had a really nasty burn. Also, if it’s a cooler/cloudy/rainy day, standing in waist deep water that long got chilly. If I’d been forewarned, I might have worn light-weight neoprene instead of spandex/lycra swimsuit.
10. It was EXTREMELY SMART of Mitch to warn us each time we went to see the Balinese healer & the lystrik healers to ask all our questions then—that we wouldn’t receive another chance to do so. I was glad of his advice prior to our excursions out of the villas.
11. Without giving up a yoga session…it might have been nice to have two sessions of tai chi. Or maybe have the tai chi session earlier in the week so we could practice it more on our own? I’m not sure what the answer would be other than I would have liked to try more tai chi. Perhaps a 2nd session on the beach before that last Saturday brunch? Do 2nd tai chi on the beach & then mosey over for breakfast?... Although I used Saturday morning to pack up my suitcases, so maybe 2nd tai chi would have been too much. From all the wonderful things Mitch told us about the tai chi woman, I was a little sad there was so little time to talk with her compared to talking with all the others involved with the retreat.
12. (Very minor adjustment) When I got home to the US & went through all my suitcases, I discovered the sarongs I’d purchased in Singapore were about 12” (overall) larger than the sarong given to me for the Hindu water blessing. And, when I was giving presentations on Asia & demonstrating the different ways I’d worn the sarong, the larger-sized sarong was MUCH more comfortable on my neck than the smaller Bali sarong. I’m not saying the retreat needs to provide larger or two sarongs per person—but if it had been suggested that if we had a second we could bring it for the blessing, I would have worn my larger one for the blessing & the smaller as a shawl or as part of the dry clothes.
Another warning about the Hindu blessing temple—the ‘tourist’ bathrooms at the entrance cost money to use (I didn’t think we’d need any money, so I didn’t bring cash). They have ‘free’ bathrooms next to the changing area, but they’re pretty third world—I’d brought tissues & sanitary wipes, but it was pretty primitive. Next time—bring cash for the tourist bathrooms & extra sanitization if you’ll use the ‘free’ bathrooms.
13. I’m so grateful I was ‘fired’ so I was free to attend this retreat—life/the universe/karma works in mysterious ways to put you exactly where you need to be sometimes. It was one of the most peaceful, deeply spiritual, deeply connected to the Higher Powers weeks I’ve ever had.
14. I am grateful my internal compass pointed me so strongly towards Mitch’s retreat. I didn’t know why or what I’d find there, but I knew I needed to attend. Other women on the retreat struggled with fear(?), faith(?), insecurity (?) over almost every therapist or activity. Perhaps they would have absorbed more peace if they’d trusted that Mitch, his staff, & his therapists/healers knew what they were doing & all would be well?.... I didn’t have those same questions & compelling need to badger Mitch—because my compass had pointed so strongly. Watching the women spin their wheels made me grateful for my compass.
15. For me it was a week to interact
with other humans & experiment with how easy/good/smooth the flow of life can be with the friction & weight of dragging around past trauma. Definitely invested in trying to find new thought processes, compassion for myself & others, so I CAN choose to add the burden of anger & resentment to my daily life…..Or look for a perspective that allows me to flow through this moment-by-moment experience of life regardless of the external circumstances.
16. Mitch, his villa staff, & his therapist/healers know what they are doing. Trust the process. If the universe has seen fit to put you in the villas—trust, have faith, & breathe. Sit on the edge of the pool & swirl your feet in the cool water. Admire the beautiful flowers. And smile upwards from your heart.
17. Don’t forget to ask Made to add extra ‘joy’ to your food. :0) I did & I floated from flower to flower like a butterfly all week long!!!
18. It was great to have such a wide variety of healers, modalities, & personalities for the buffet of spiritual experiences. If you didn’t ‘click’ with someone, not to worry, there were many to come! As much as I L-O-V-E-D the Reiki, I would have been disappointed with myself if I’d refused to try all the other people & modalities that Mitch had gathered together. He’s found a very unique, special, & gifted group of people!
19. In a perfect world (and if Mitch had designed his program with this intent), I would return every 6 months to retune & recharge.
20. Living in the villas for a week was like stepping into a quiet pocket of tranquility from a screaming tornado. I now know that such extreme serenity is not impossible for me in this life. Granted, it’s much harder to maintain that same degree of peace outside in the tornado; but I’m the type of person that once I’ve seen what’s possible, I never stop looking or working or learning to find it again. And I have been able to bring a large portion of that retreat mindset & perspective into my current life in the tornado. When I returned to my life, the tornado isn’t really a tornado—I just perceived it that way. Once my perspective shifted, the world changed.
21. I really appreciated Mitch’s no-nonsense approach to meditation. None of the ‘sit in lotus position & bite your lips till they bleed’ kind of meditation practices. His were simple, easy, & quite realistic to add to my daily routine.
22. The retreat is the first time I heard the phrase “white knuckle” through something. It’s quite apt & another reason why this retreat is well-suited to the average person. The average person does have to ‘white knuckle’ through the extremes that some health junkies & yogis go to for their idea of a retreat. You don’t have to be a yoga guru or a zen master to get your money’s worth with this program. And (if you choose) you don’t have to feel dumb or out-of-shape for the yoga. The healers & instructors are fantastic about interacting with each individual at whatever level s/he is at in that particular moment. Mitch & his team do a great job of creating a safe environment where a person (again, if s/he chooses) can remove the outer armor & explore the spiritual areas.
23. I loved that Mitch ate every meal with us & (even though I was quiet), I really enjoyed & appreciated the conversations between the women after the evening meals. Some very interesting conversations were had by the pool as the light dimmed & the little lizards came out to play.
24. I like that Mitch’s office was outdoors & accessible to the guests. We had some fascinating conversations sitting on his couch. Even though Mitch doesn’t have any scheduled, private ‘appointments’ with each guest like the other healers/therapists, I suspect he has more than enough wisdom to have those kinds of healing chats. I’m glad he was so accessible & conversational. He could have easily shut himself up in an ivory tower & rarely interacted with the guests, but he didn’t.
25. As an FYI for future guests, you really won’t have the time or energy to do much exploration of Bali or shopping during the retreat. If it’s your first time to Bali/tropical destination, I would recommend coming early or staying late after the retreat for personal exploration. If I hadn’t already spent 2-ish weeks running around Bali on my own, I probably would have been disappointed with how little of the tourist exploration was possible during the retreat. It worked out perfectly for me—I got all my tourist-y, sit-on-the-beach, souvenir shopping done before the retreat, so I was quite content to stop & smell the flowers. No rushing or worry that I hadn’t seen anything but the villa.
26. Did I mention how awesome the food is? What a blessing to have ‘home-cooked’ meals made by an adopted mother when you’re halfway around the world from your family!
27. I hope I didn’t offend Made & Elu when I tried to help clear the table. In my family/culture, it’s a gesture of respect & appreciation when a family member makes such wonderful meals to help with the dishes.
28. It was so nice to have such friendly people around the villa! Made, Elu, Galu, & Kedak had such wonderful, lovely smiles whenever our paths would cross. It felt like family—not grouchy or facetious paid staff.
https://24hourslayover.com/bali-spiritual-holistic-retreat/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dec 2016 Retreat
Lark Potmesil (meadowkral@yahoo.com) – Gratitude & Thoughts post-retreat
1. Enjoyed the pool right outside my door.
2. Food was phenomenal! As Kedak said, you can feel a difference between machine-produced food & food prepared with love by Made!
3. Was nice to be able to lightly socialize with healers/therapists before/between sessions. Would not have minded sharing more meals with them.
4. Appreciated the wide variety of healing techniques—and liked having two sessions with some so I could ask questions that I didn’t think of during the first session. Realize it’s not realistic to have two sessions with each therapist-- :0(, but it is very nice to have two sessions with some.
5. Enjoyed talking about life & spiritual matters with variety of ages, experiences, & different countries-of-origin.
6. Liked the relaxed schedule – not too rushed & not too empty—just right!
7. Made, Elu, & Galu were awesome! After the discussions about “womens’ place” in the Bali patriarchy, it was nice to see that there was a haven for them to earn their own money & have exposure to foreigners who know of a different way for men & women to interact. And they can choose if that’s what they’d like for themselves or the status quo is better.
8. I liked having pre-arranged transport from the airport. The chaos & sensory overload of walking out into the swarm of taxi drivers is pretty intimidating—especially if it’s your first time traveling solo in a foreign country. It was a great relief to know I didn’t have to negotiate a price or worry about being kidnapped straight from the airport—there would be someone waiting specifically for me. I could ‘put my blinders on’, plow through the crowd of verbally overwhelming drivers to find MY driver. (Now that I’ve done Bali & traveled solo, I’m much more confident that I could exit the airport & find my own transportation.)
9. The Hindu water blessing was an incredible experience. If I ever return to Bali for a spiritual experience, this is on my list to do again.
a. As a warning to people before they go—if it’s a sunny day, they’ll definitely need sunscreen. As long as it took to get through all the fountains, I would have had a really nasty burn. Also, if it’s a cooler/cloudy/rainy day, standing in waist deep water that long got chilly. If I’d been forewarned, I might have worn light-weight neoprene instead of spandex/lycra swimsuit.
10. It was EXTREMELY SMART of Mitch to warn us each time we went to see the Balinese healer & the lystrik healers to ask all our questions then—that we wouldn’t receive another chance to do so. I was glad of his advice prior to our excursions out of the villas.
11. Without giving up a yoga session…it might have been nice to have two sessions of tai chi. Or maybe have the tai chi session earlier in the week so we could practice it more on our own? I’m not sure what the answer would be other than I would have liked to try more tai chi. Perhaps a 2nd session on the beach before that last Saturday brunch? Do 2nd tai chi on the beach & then mosey over for breakfast?... Although I used Saturday morning to pack up my suitcases, so maybe 2nd tai chi would have been too much. From all the wonderful things Mitch told us about the tai chi woman, I was a little sad there was so little time to talk with her compared to talking with all the others involved with the retreat.
12. (Very minor adjustment) When I got home to the US & went through all my suitcases, I discovered the sarongs I’d purchased in Singapore were about 12” (overall) larger than the sarong given to me for the Hindu water blessing. And, when I was giving presentations on Asia & demonstrating the different ways I’d worn the sarong, the larger-sized sarong was MUCH more comfortable on my neck than the smaller Bali sarong. I’m not saying the retreat needs to provide larger or two sarongs per person—but if it had been suggested that if we had a second we could bring it for the blessing, I would have worn my larger one for the blessing & the smaller as a shawl or as part of the dry clothes.
Another warning about the Hindu blessing temple—the ‘tourist’ bathrooms at the entrance cost money to use (I didn’t think we’d need any money, so I didn’t bring cash). They have ‘free’ bathrooms next to the changing area, but they’re pretty third world—I’d brought tissues & sanitary wipes, but it was pretty primitive. Next time—bring cash for the tourist bathrooms & extra sanitization if you’ll use the ‘free’ bathrooms.
13. I’m so grateful I was ‘fired’ so I was free to attend this retreat—life/the universe/karma works in mysterious ways to put you exactly where you need to be sometimes. It was one of the most peaceful, deeply spiritual, deeply connected to the Higher Powers weeks I’ve ever had.
14. I am grateful my internal compass pointed me so strongly towards Mitch’s retreat. I didn’t know why or what I’d find there, but I knew I needed to attend. Other women on the retreat struggled with fear(?), faith(?), insecurity (?) over almost every therapist or activity. Perhaps they would have absorbed more peace if they’d trusted that Mitch, his staff, & his therapists/healers knew what they were doing & all would be well?.... I didn’t have those same questions & compelling need to badger Mitch—because my compass had pointed so strongly. Watching the women spin their wheels made me grateful for my compass.
15. For me it was a week to interact
with other humans & experiment with how easy/good/smooth the flow of life can be with the friction & weight of dragging around past trauma. Definitely invested in trying to find new thought processes, compassion for myself & others, so I CAN choose to add the burden of anger & resentment to my daily life…..Or look for a perspective that allows me to flow through this moment-by-moment experience of life regardless of the external circumstances.
16. Mitch, his villa staff, & his therapist/healers know what they are doing. Trust the process. If the universe has seen fit to put you in the villas—trust, have faith, & breathe. Sit on the edge of the pool & swirl your feet in the cool water. Admire the beautiful flowers. And smile upwards from your heart.
17. Don’t forget to ask Made to add extra ‘joy’ to your food. :0) I did & I floated from flower to flower like a butterfly all week long!!!
18. It was great to have such a wide variety of healers, modalities, & personalities for the buffet of spiritual experiences. If you didn’t ‘click’ with someone, not to worry, there were many to come! As much as I L-O-V-E-D the Reiki, I would have been disappointed with myself if I’d refused to try all the other people & modalities that Mitch had gathered together. He’s found a very unique, special, & gifted group of people!
19. In a perfect world (and if Mitch had designed his program with this intent), I would return every 6 months to retune & recharge.
20. Living in the villas for a week was like stepping into a quiet pocket of tranquility from a screaming tornado. I now know that such extreme serenity is not impossible for me in this life. Granted, it’s much harder to maintain that same degree of peace outside in the tornado; but I’m the type of person that once I’ve seen what’s possible, I never stop looking or working or learning to find it again. And I have been able to bring a large portion of that retreat mindset & perspective into my current life in the tornado. When I returned to my life, the tornado isn’t really a tornado—I just perceived it that way. Once my perspective shifted, the world changed.
21. I really appreciated Mitch’s no-nonsense approach to meditation. None of the ‘sit in lotus position & bite your lips till they bleed’ kind of meditation practices. His were simple, easy, & quite realistic to add to my daily routine.
22. The retreat is the first time I heard the phrase “white knuckle” through something. It’s quite apt & another reason why this retreat is well-suited to the average person. The average person does have to ‘white knuckle’ through the extremes that some health junkies & yogis go to for their idea of a retreat. You don’t have to be a yoga guru or a zen master to get your money’s worth with this program. And (if you choose) you don’t have to feel dumb or out-of-shape for the yoga. The healers & instructors are fantastic about interacting with each individual at whatever level s/he is at in that particular moment. Mitch & his team do a great job of creating a safe environment where a person (again, if s/he chooses) can remove the outer armor & explore the spiritual areas.
23. I loved that Mitch ate every meal with us & (even though I was quiet), I really enjoyed & appreciated the conversations between the women after the evening meals. Some very interesting conversations were had by the pool as the light dimmed & the little lizards came out to play.
24. I like that Mitch’s office was outdoors & accessible to the guests. We had some fascinating conversations sitting on his couch. Even though Mitch doesn’t have any scheduled, private ‘appointments’ with each guest like the other healers/therapists, I suspect he has more than enough wisdom to have those kinds of healing chats. I’m glad he was so accessible & conversational. He could have easily shut himself up in an ivory tower & rarely interacted with the guests, but he didn’t.
25. As an FYI for future guests, you really won’t have the time or energy to do much exploration of Bali or shopping during the retreat. If it’s your first time to Bali/tropical destination, I would recommend coming early or staying late after the retreat for personal exploration. If I hadn’t already spent 2-ish weeks running around Bali on my own, I probably would have been disappointed with how little of the tourist exploration was possible during the retreat. It worked out perfectly for me—I got all my tourist-y, sit-on-the-beach, souvenir shopping done before the retreat, so I was quite content to stop & smell the flowers. No rushing or worry that I hadn’t seen anything but the villa.
26. Did I mention how awesome the food is? What a blessing to have ‘home-cooked’ meals made by an adopted mother when you’re halfway around the world from your family!
27. I hope I didn’t offend Made & Elu when I tried to help clear the table. In my family/culture, it’s a gesture of respect & appreciation when a family member makes such wonderful meals to help with the dishes.
28. It was so nice to have such friendly people around the villa! Made, Elu, Galu, & Kedak had such wonderful, lovely smiles whenever our paths would cross. It felt like family—not grouchy or facetious paid staff.
