practical information for our bali retreats
Immersion in silence and stillness in the company of others during a prolonged meditation retreat can be a profound and potentially transformational experience.
Through the practice, we are encouraged to go as far as we can in our own personal experience of what the moment reveals which implies allowance to experience suppressed feelings, thoughts, or hurtful memories from the past we have shunned in order to avoid facing what is emotionally painful. Here, we take all that in. While we are going through our own personal experience of the moment we slowly begin to notice by simply looking at others and sometimes exchanging a fleeting smile that they too are going through experiences that are not dissimilar to mine. Something in how we all show up in that space gives me an intimation of this. The space is welcoming and accepting. Everyone goes at some level through their own individual experience yet we slowly begin to feel an unspoken intimacy between ourselves and others and beyond that an ineffable connectedness with all that is around us; the mountains, the trees, the sound of water, the bird songs and the clouds and beyond that the vast open blue sky that is boundless yet does not feel out of reach.
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how to prepare for the retreat
Entering into a week of intense silent meditation is a demanding, but very rewarding experience. You will get the most from the retreat if you prepare in advance. If you don’t have time to prepare, don’t worry - these are just some tips to help you adjust more easily to the week:
Start meditating
We will be meditating together for 6-8 hours a day. We therefore highly recommend you begin a daily practice as soon as you can so that your body can adapt to the posture.
Read some books on meditation
We highly recommend the following books; zen mind beginner's mind by shunryu suzuki and opening the hand of thought by Kosho Uchiyama.
Make space to be offline during the retreat
We will not take your telephones from you on arrival. However, we do highly recommend that your phone is kept off, or on flight mode throughout the retreat so that you can maintain noble silence and go deeper into practice. It is very disruptive to meditation if you are reading news and messages throughout the retreat.
We therefore suggest that you let your work, family and friends know that you will be offline for a week and take full advantage of this rare opportunity to be free of the usual distractions of daily life.
How do my family contact me in an emergency?
If your family or friends need to urgently contact you during the retreat, you can give them Putu’s phone number. He is the manager of Yogi’s garden and can be contacted in case of an emergency:
Putu indrayana: +62 822-4731-9104
This is a SILENT MEDITATION retreat meaning we will be meditating a lot and maintaining silence throughout our week together. It is important that everyone understands and commits to this non-negotiable and essential part of our time of practice: maintaining what Buddha called Noble Silence. So please bear in mind, observance of silence will be required of everyone.
If you need something during the retreat, such as an extra blanket or toilet paper, or have any problems with your room, there will be a place available to write notes to the retreat host Ana.
If you are having emotional difficulties and need to speak to our retreat facilitator, you can write a note to them and they can arrange a time to speak to you.
a note on silence
the daily schedule
Day 1
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1pm: Arrival
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230pm - 430pm: Water purification ceremony with a Balinese priest at a nearby waterfall
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5pm - 7pm: Opening ceremony and 30 minute introduction to Balinese culture, traditions and spirituality
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7pm: Dinner
Day 2 - 5
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6am: Wake up
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630am - 815am: Zazen (meditation)
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815am: Breakfast
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9am - 1030am: Yin yoga
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11am - 1245am: Zazen (meditation)
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1245pm - 3pm: Lunch and rest
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330pm - 430pm: Mindful walk (those who wish to meditate more can stay behind and practice during this hour)
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5pm: Tea and snack
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530pm: Talk given by the retreat facilitator
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630pm: Gather around the bonfire
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7pm - 8pm: Dinner
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8pm - 945pm: Zazen (meditation)
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10pm: Sleep
​Day 6
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6am: Wake up
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630am - 815am: Zazen (meditation)
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815am: Breakfast
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9am - 1030am: Yin yoga
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11am - 1245am: Group discussion (continued after lunch if necessary)
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1245pm - 3pm: Lunch and rest
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330pm - 430pm: Mindful walk (those who don’t want to come for a walk, can do an extra meditation here)
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5pm: Tea and snack
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530pm: Talk given by the retreat facilitator
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630pm: Gather around the bonfire
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7pm - 8pm: Dinner
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8pm - 945pm: Zazen (meditation)
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10pm: Sleep
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Day 7
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6am: Wake up
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630am - 815am: Zazen (meditation)
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815am: Breakfast
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930am - 1030am: Zazen
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1030am - 12pm: Closing ceremony and break silence
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12pm: Fire purification ceremony with a Balinese Priest
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1pm: Lunch
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3pm: Leave the retreat centre
how to get to yogi's garden, payangan, bali
By plane
Bali has one international airport which is called Bali Ngurah International airport or Denpasar International airport. To get to Bali from Europe it is usually cheapest and easiest to fly to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur and then to Bali.
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Getting to Yogi’s Garden
The retreat centre will organise transport from the airport or from Ubud to the retreat centre. This is an extra fee payable directly to the retreat centre. There will be a google document to organise the transport which will be shared with you a month before the retreat on a shared whatsapp group.
Offsetting your carbon emissions
If you are arriving by plane, please consider offsetting your carbon emissions. We recommend choosing Ripple Africa for your carbon offsets.
Ripple Africa is a Malawi based charity which replaces traditional three-stone cooking stoves with more fuel efficient stoves. They are gold-rated by the UN carbon neutral programme. The project has lots of benefits because traditional three-stone fires:
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Consume huge amounts of wood resulting in major deforestation. It also takes a lot of time to collect all this wood. This time can be spent on education and other activities.
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Produce lots of smoke and so cause health problems such and lung cancer and child pneumonia.
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Are unsafe for children.
Find out more about Ripple Africa’s carbon offsetting programme.
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Give yourself time
We recommend that you give yourself plenty of time to arrive in Bali before the retreat so that you are well rested.
Similarly, we recommend staying a day or two in Bali after the retreat so that you can digest the experience and have a slower start back to daily life. It is also a nice opportunity to connect with people you have sat with in silence.
what is and what isn’t provided
What’s provided
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All meals from dinner on the first day of the retreat to lunch on the final day
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Yoga matts and props
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Meditation cushion (if you have a preferred cushion for meditation, we recommend bringing your own)
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Accommodation and bedding
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Instruction on meditation technique
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Meditation and yoga each day
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Dharma talk each day
What’s not provided
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Flights
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Transfers to retreat centre
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Massages: Massages are 250k indonesian rupee for one hour balinese massage. You can book as many as you want during the retreat.
what to expect - activities
Meditation
We practice Zazen which is a meditative practice in the Zen buddhist tradition. During zazen we sit on our cushion, facing a wall and focus our attention on our posture and breathing. There are 5 hours of meditation per day. The day is split into three meditation sessions, each lasting 1 hour and 40 minutes. We strongly encourage you to attend all of the other sessions to deepen your experience and keep harmony within the group.
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Each block of meditation includes three periods of seated meditation and takes place as follows:
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25 minutes of seated meditation (zazen),
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followed by 10 minutes of walking meditation (kinhin),
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followed by 25 minutes of seated meditation (zazen),
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followed by 10 minutes of walking meditation (kinhin),
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ending with 25 minutes of seated meditation (zazen).
The meditation is in silence and is not guided. You will receive full instruction of the technique for seated and walking meditation on the first day of the retreat.
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Yoga
The yoga is yin yoga which is a gentle and slow practice in which postures are held for up to several minutes at a time. Yoga will be led by a qualified and experienced yoga teacher. You will receive a form from the yoga teacher ahead of the retreat which you can use to let them know about any injuries you have.
Yoga mats and props will be provided, but you are also welcome to use your own.
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Mindful walks
Each day there will be a silent mindful walk in the village and nature near the retreat centre that will last approximately an hour. If you wish to, you may meditate during the mindful walk instead.
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Balinese cultural activities
Our aim is to allow the participants to get a feel of Balinese culture and spirituality through the initial introduction, the daily walks in a traditional Balinese village and the two purification ceremonies.
Free time
There are periods of free time throughout the retreat which you can use to relax, do yoga, walk in nature, write, read or simply be in the beautiful landscape. Writing notes and reading are allowed during the retreat, but we encourage you to only read material relating to meditation.
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Massage
Massages are 250k indonesian rupees for a one hour balinese massage. You can book as many as you want during the retreat. You will be added to a whatsapp group a month before the retreat and you will be able to sign up to massages on a google document that will be shared through this whatsapp group.
Food
Breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner will be provided each day. Fruit and tea are also available in the kitchen throughout the day. All of the food provided is organic and vegetarian and, msot of it is sourced from their garden.
accommodation options
There are several room options with different prices as below. All rooms are cleaned every day and come equipped with towels and bed sheets. . Your bed sheets will be changed every three days and your towels will be changed every two days.
“The Taj” twin and private rooms
The Taj is Yogi Garden’s 8 room, Indian design-inspired main guest residence. All rooms have beautiful jungle views and windows facing Mount Agung. There are several accommodation options in the Taj:
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1 person shared twin room ensuite: Spacious shared deluxe twin en suite room with private veranda, private toilet and shower. Amenities include: refrigerator, hot water kettle with tea/coffee, shower stocked with soap, shampoo, hairdryer, A/C and fan.
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2 persons private room ensuite: Spacious private deluxe double ensuite room with private veranda, private toilet and shower. Amenities include: refrigerator, hot water kettle with tea/coffee, shower stocked with soap, shampoo, hairdryer, A/C and fan.
“The Taj” dorm rooms
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​1 person in a dorm room: Four guests per room. Shared toilets and showers in the hallway. Luxurious, "not-your-average" bunk beds: Rooms have Aircon and fan, hot water kettle with coffee/tea station and locking cabinets for each guest.
“Lumbung”
The Lumbung is surrounded with a beautiful jungle view and nice airflow. It composes 3 traditional huts in single occupancy all with private verandas. Shared toilets and showers in the dormitory area on Taj. Hairdryer and Fan by request, hot water kettle with tea/coffee station, locking cabinets for each guest.
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1 person private single room
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“Gladak”
The Gladak comprises 3 rooms in a Javanese design-inspired wooden house, surrounded by beautiful garden views. There is a private bathroom in each room.
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1 person shared twin room en suite
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2 persons private double room en suite
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“Little Sweets”
Spacious single room with a stunning jungle view. The units have shared bathrooms and toilets in the corridor and come with a ceiling fan. The rooms have high ceilings and come with fan.
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1 person single private room
packing list
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Toiletries
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Swimming clothes for the water purification ceremony and for the swimming pool
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Comfortable clothes for meditation and yoga
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Waterproof jacket
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Comfortable walking shoes for our daily mindful walk
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Flip flops for the shower (optional)
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Head torch if you don’t want to use your phone torch
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Watch or alarm clock if you don’t want to use your phone alarm
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Water bottle you can refill
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Meditation cushions are provided but it can be a good idea to bring your own if you are used to it
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Yoga mats are also provided but feel free to bring your own
FAQs
Is this retreat suitable for beginners?
Yes. This retreat is designed for everyone - from complete beginners to experienced practitioners.
What type of meditation do we practice?
We practice Zazen which is a meditative practice in the Zen buddhist tradition. During zazen we sit on our cushion, facing a wall and focus our attention on our posture and breathing. We sit in silence and there is no verbal guidance given during the meditation. Full instruction will be given on the posture and technique on the first day of the retreat.
Can I write or read?
Yes but we recommend that you give silence the space it deserves and are mindful of what you write and read.
Can I listen to music?
We recommend that you don’t listen to music during the retreat.
Can I bring my own meditation cushion?
Yes. We will provide meditation cushions but recommend bringing your own if you have found a comfortable one that suits you.
I have difficulty sitting cross legged, can I sit on a chair?
We will teach you the sitting posture on the first day and help you to find a comfortable position. If you find it too painful to sit on the floor, then you can sit in a chair. The most important part of the posture is to keep your back straight.
Can we talk during the retreat?
This is a silent retreat and it is very important that everyone respects silence at all times during the retreat. The retreat facilitator will give a short talk each day about the practice and you will receive indications during yoga. If you are sick or need to speak to the retreat facilitator during the retreat, you can write them a note and they will make time to speak with you.
Can I use my phone during the retreat?
We won’t take your phone from you but we highly recommend that you keep your phone off or on flight mode during the retreat.
How many hours of meditation will there be a day?
There are 5 to 7 hours of meditation per day. The day is split into four meditation sessions, each lasting 1 hour and 40 minutes. The third meditation session of the day is optional but we ask you to attend all other sessions to keep harmony within the group.
Can I arrive late/leave early?
In order to keep harmony during the retreat, we ask that all participants arrive at the retreat center at 330pm on the first day and leave at 230pm on the last day.
Can I stay at Yogi's Garden retreat centre for longer?
If you would like to stay at the retreat centre before or after our retreat, let us know and we will contact Ana on your behalf to arrange.
Is there wifi at the retreat centre?
There is wifi at the retreat centre, however we recommend leaving your devices on flight mode during the retreat.
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What if someone needs to contact me during the retreat?
If your family or friends need to urgently contact you during the retreat, you can give them Putu’s phone number. He is the manager of Yogi’s garden and can be contacted in case of an emergency:
Putu Indrayana: +62 822-4731-9104
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Can I have my own room?
Yes this is possible. Please see accommodation options above.