Bali : A Regenerative Wellness Retreat in Honor of the 7 Chakras

Global Family Travels mission is to Learn, Serve and Immerse through authentic community-based travel experiences which foster cross-cultural understanding, destination stewards and better global citizens.  In alignment with our mission, we have developed this unique regenerative retreat in Bali that weaves in our three travel pillars into community engagement and exploration of the culture and yourself!  At Global Family Travels, we believe the most powerful way to learn is through hands-on experiences. We let the destination and its people be your teachers, and supplement experiences with reading lists, informal discussions, and a pre-trip orientation to better equip families with the practical information they need to understand the culture, history, and industry of their host destination.

Throughout your time in Bali, each new person you meet is your teacher, and each new activity you try is an opportunity to learn! Whether it’s hearing about a new philosophy like the Tri Hita Karana, trying your hand at traditional wood carving, cooking, discovering the island’s unique plants on an herbal walk, or dyeing fabrics in the batik style, Bali has no shortage of opportunities to learn something new!

Medicine and spirituality have a longstanding importance in traditions and customs throughout Bali, and this program will both highlight and embody how the seven chakras are interwoven in Balinese culture and identity. Throughout this program, travelers will focus on each of the seven chakras: root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third-eye, and crown. You will leave this program with a more robust and developed understanding of each of these chakras and how they relate to key elements of Balinese culture.

Support with Balinese communities and UNSDGs, Gender Equality, Clean Water & Sanitation and Responsible Consumption and Production 

Travel that gives back is at the heartbeat of Global Family Travels. During this retreat to Bali  you will travel with purpose while you meet with organizations who are pioneering industry change, from championing equality for women, embracing indigenous-led environmental solutions and addressing child and birth mortality in Bali. You will also have the opportunity to meet these industry change-makers, learn more about these organizations and have an opportunity to financially donate and drive support for these critical organizations. Service to communities is an essential part of driving impact in Bali and traveling with a difference.

Immerse in cultural workshops to learn about local cuisine, dance, music, woodcarving,  puppet making and more!

By spending your days engaging in activities with Balinese people and local NGOs empowering women, you will get a deep sense of the culture and daily life in as you immerse in an interactive series of Chakra themed experiences. From curated community inspired experiences involving different forms of wellness, medicine, cultural customs and traditions, interwoven with spiritual philosophy and artistry lessons throughout. 

Along with specialized cultural shows and puppet performances to woodcarving workshops, fire-dancing, a visit to the local healer, cooking demonstrations and a visit to an art market and much more, this program will give you a truly unforgettable immersive Balinese experience

Daily Retreat Activities with Collin and Djazia from Heart Arts Academy include: 

Each day you will rise in the majestic island of Bali. You will begin with a morning routine to uplift your spirit through intention, movement, and meditation aligned with yoga and qigong principles.

We will explore our 7 primary energy centers (chakras) and set intentions each day that focus on the 7 chakras:

1)    Root – Safety and letting go of fear 

2)    Lower Abdomen – Creativity, sexuality, and courage for individual expression 

3)    Upper Abdomen – Self-respect and emotional integrity

4)    Heart – Compassion and love, forgiveness and empathy

5)    Throat – Communication and expressing your truth

6)    Third Eye – Intuition, insight and foresight

7)    Crown – Connection to the divine

These activities will prepare us for your curated community inspired experiences involving different forms of wellness, medicine, nature, culture, customs and traditions that are interwoven with spiritual philosophy and artistry lessons. Throughout our culturally immersed activities, we'll reconnect with a mindfulness practice based on the energy and flow of our day and end most nights with reflection and ceremony.

Collin grew up on the island of Hawaii and enjoys sharing his island vibes of easiness and heart-centered living. After pursuing the corporate life as an engineer and suffering from mental and physical illness, he had a profound calling to explore healing by traveling the world, learning new perspectives, and creating conscious connections with others.

As an international Yoga and Tai Chi instructor, Collin enjoys guiding individuals through a wide range of ancient eastern practices of movement, breath, and meditation in-order to manifest intentions and awaken the superhuman treasures that lie within us all. His practice continues to evolve after 15 years in the eastern healing arts. He enjoys blending these arts into a fun, unique, and transformative practice that is accessible to all, while honoring the roots of each culture and lineage.

"Since movement is such a personal practice, it was crucial for me to learn these practices by receiving personal training with eastern arts masters. It allowed me to understand how to become conscious of my unique body and energy system and how it should properly be directed to benefit me the most in each changing moment. It'd be an honor to share this with you."

Djazia originates from the Amazigh indigenous tribe of North Africa, and is a natural intuitive guide through various healing modalities with certifications in Life Coaching, Yoga, Reiki, Hypnosis, Tai Chi, and Master Esthetics. 

Djazia had an adverse upbringing in the middle east and believes that the challenges we all encounter are our greatest gifts. It is our mission to embrace it, do the inner work, and transmute it into our greatest power. She is fluent in English, French, and Arabic, and has worked internationally with royal families, ambassadors, celebrities, and corporate executives. 

She has held positions as a spa owner, business development manager, and account executive manager, but her true calling is being of service.​

For the past 20 years of coaching internationally, she has specialized in getting to the root of the problem and sharing authentically how to live fully from our heart space. Her passion is to light the path for self-discovery that activates creativity, authentic connection, healing, and full life expression.

"Because of the many trauma and death experiences in my life, it has given me the capacity to connect heart to heart with anyone. It is my purpose to share with you an approach for healing and transcending darkness into light."

Much more than a traditional tour operator, Global Family Travels’ mission is to “Learn, Serve and Immerse” through community-based travel programs.  In partnership with non-profit organizations and schools, we offer family-friendly and sustainable travel experiences in support of education, gender equality, access to clean water, preservation of local cultures, conservation and economic growth, all of which foster cross-cultural understanding and global citizens.  

Our trips include a unique mix of cultural and educational activities, homestays and participation in local service projects aimed at improving the lives of people in the communities we visit.    
 
Expect to expand your family circle when you embark on a Global Family Travels trip!  Visit our website for more information: Global Family Travels
 

 The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals provide a global blueprint for dignity, peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future. Towards our aim of aligning our programs with these goals, our retreat has also been designed to explore and contribute in a small way towards the following goals:

• Goal #3: Good Health & Wellbeing: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
• Goal #5: Gender Equality: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Goal #12: Responsible Consumption and Production 

Ubud is a thriving village in central Bali considered the cultural capital of this tiny island. It is notably known for being a famous arts and crafts hub, and much of the village and nearby surroundings consists of artists, workshops and galleries. Here, travelers will find remarkable architecture and historical museums, artists and a vibrant array of interesting cafes, local foods, and non-stop ceremonies. 

The word Ubud comes from the Balinese word for medicine, so it is here that people flock for healing energies, good spirits, meditation, yoga, artistry, and indigenous wisdom.

We will enjoy accomodations in Ubud at the Ananda Ubud Resort, Set amid rice fields, Ananda Ubud Resort offers traditional Balinese-style accommodations and features 3 swimming pools, a spa and an open-air restaurant. Just a quick drive from central Ubud, Ananda offers access to all that Ubud has to offer while providing a peaceful oasis to return to when you need to reflect and recharge.

Sanur is a seaside town in southeast Bali made up of a long stretch of beach with calm, shallow waters. Colorful jukung fishing boats rest on the sand and a paved path snakes along the beach for several kilometers. Sanur is home to great restaurants (many with live music), a wide variety of shops, and a relaxed atmosphere despite being closer to the major cities of south Bali. It’s a perfect spot to pick up last-minute gifts, lounge by the beach or the pool, explore sights along the beach walkway, and enjoy a final sunset dinner.

Every village in Bali has a banjar, or community center, where villagers prepare offerings and foods for ceremonies, meet and discuss village affairs, practice music and dance, and just hang out and chat with each other. We invite teachers of traditional Balinese gamelan music, Legong dance, woodcarving, and offering making to a local banjar to give participants an introduction to each of these disciplines. You’ll quickly learn that the intricate finger and eye movements of Legong dance only look easy and that keeping a steady hand while woodcarving is no easy feat! All of the activities you’ll try are central to Balinese culture, and there is no better place to experience them than right in the banjar.

Tri Hita Karana is a phrase roughly translates to “the three sources of good,” and  it  is  the  central  philosophy  of  Balinese  life.  The three sources it refers to are harmony between people, harmony with nature, and harmony with a higher power. The philosophy is visible in many facets of Balinese life—for instance, Balinese pitching in at their community center or helping neighbors with a ceremony (harmony between people), the ceremonies they perform to bless their rice fields and water sources (harmony with nature), and the thousands of offerings and ceremonies performed daily in reverence of their spirits (harmony with a higher power).

This workshop provides an introduction to the traditional wax-drawing and wax-resistant color dyeing techniques that have made Bali’s batik makers famous for their lively designs and Hindu motifs. Your instructor will guide you through the process of applying hot wax to a stenciled design on a fabric canvas, then you’ll apply colors to the patterned fabric- and finish the day with your new batik creation to take home with you.

Puri Agung Peliatan is an original Balinese Royal Palace built in 1769, preceding all other palaces in the region, and was designated as a command center for the family’s battalions and other vassal palaces and lordships, during the age of warriors in Bali. Cokorda Agung Krisna Dalem is the Prince of the Peliatan Royal Family. He studied for 4 years in Switzerland and received his college degree at the School of IMI Luzern (International Hotel Management Institute). While there he worked at several hotels and restaurants. He became interested in the programs of the Bali Institute early on, and encouraged his family to support our vision. He and his family have been enormously generous with providing resources and access to his beautiful palace on behalf of Bali Institute.

Legong is a form of Balinese dance. It is a refined dance form characterized by intricate finger movements, complicated footwork, and expressive gestures and facial expressions. Legong probably originated in the 19th century as royal entertainment. Legend has it that a prince of Sukawati fell  ill and had a vivid dream in which two maidens danced to gamelan music. When he recovered, he arranged for such dances to be performed in reality.

For centuries Balinese have used a wide range of native plants and herbs for therapeutic, medicinal and health-enhancing purposes. Local herbal experts Lilir and Westi, who are grandchildren of traditional Balinese healers, lead this walk around the Campuhan River valley area and will teach you how to identify wide range of native plants and herbs, introduce you to the techniques and practices of traditional and contemporary Balinese herbal healing, and discuss plants that are used for first aid, emergencies and the treatment of chronic illnesses.

Subak is the water irrigation system for paddy fields in Bali, which was developed in the 9th century. For the Balinese, irrigation is not simply providing water for the plant’s roots, but water is used to construct a complex, artificial ecosystem that distributes water democratically to all those who need it for their farms. The system covers nearly 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres) of farmland, and was designated as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Environmental, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in 2012.

Wayang kulit is a traditional Balinese performing art using shadow puppets. In a wayang kulit performance, the puppet figures are lit from behind, with the puppet master manipulating the puppets between the lamp and the screen to bring the shadows to life. The puppets are traditionally intricately carved out of leather. In 2003, The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated wayang kulit as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

The active volcano of Mount Batur and the beautiful surrounding Lake Batur are located in Kintamani, a district of the Bangli Regency in central Bali. The breathtaking caldera was formed when the much larger “mother” volcano erupted thousands of years ago, leaving the smaller volcano we see today and it’s surrounding lake in the crater. Mt. Batur has erupted 24 times since 1800 and has greatly impacted the local villages surrounding the mountain. Lake Batur is the largest lake in Bali.

The Women’s Center is an organization founded by a Balinese woman who, since her divorce almost 15 years ago, dreamed about creating a space where women can support each other and share skills to create job opportunities and achieve greater independence. They currently hold meetings for sharing and support, English lessons, yoga, computer classes, and also go on group outings to visit members’ homes, temples, and other areas in Bali. They also hold cooking classes and run a catering service as part of their fundraising.

Bali Mandara School is designed to provide access to international standard education for students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership potential, but with limited access to quality education due to their family’s financial circumstances. Students from around the island go through a rigorous interview process to be admitted to the school, and once accepted spend most of their high school career away from home at the boarding site in North Bali. Bali Mandara is designed to develop critical thinking of the students, while at the same time shaping their social awareness. Beyond its rigorous curriculum, the program also focuses on leadership, environmental stewardship, entrepreneurship and community service.

Meals are very important in Bali and there is a never ending variety of recipes from all around    the island to try! In this cooking class you’ll start by going on a foraging trip around the East Bali Immersion camp to gather some of the ingredients you’ll be using. Then you’ll be guided in a cooking lesson in the camp kitchen to prepare some Balinese favorites for your group’s evening meal.