If you’ve ever read “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert or watched the much-loved movie version with Julia Roberts in it, you must have been fascinated by Gilbert’s trip to Bali and how it transformed her life. You may be tempted to travel to Bali yourself to see if it would help your life situation too; but really, is Bali really as transformational as Gilbert claims? Well, the answer is: it depends.
In the book and movie, the main character goes to Bali twice: once in the beginning, and again after her travels to Italy and India. Her spiritual transformation occurs because of her meeting with a Balinese spiritual healer named Ketut Liyer, who is the driving force behind her return to Bali after her adventures in other countries. It is during her return to Bali that she eventually meets her soulmate, a Brazilian jewellery exporter, and finds her happily-ever-after.
The fact that “Eat, Pray, Love” is a true story brought thousands of tourists from all over the world to Bali in the early 2000s, with hopes of finding their happiness and spiritual peace here too. Some tourists still come to Bali now and meet with spiritual healers today after being inspired by the book. The reality is, yes, you can come to Bali and find peace, but perhaps not quite in the words of a medicine man. Your Bali trip can help you heal and find happiness in other ways instead.
Bali is known as a spiritual place partly due to the fact that it has numerous ancient temples, all built for the purpose of worship and reflection. If you make it a point to visit these temples and use the opportunity to reflect and meditate on your life or God or the universe, it can help kickstart the process of identifying the things troubling you and provide clarity on how to move forward. The serene environments in Bali’s temples, some next to the ocean or on cliffs or mountains, will provide you will a calming environment to forget your worries and focus on yourself.
There are also a variety of natural wonders for you to visit on your Bali trip, such as the Tegalalang Rice Fields, Mount Agung, and the numerous clean beaches, among others. At these places, reconnect your body and soul to earth’s natural offerings, and take in deep breaths of clean, fresh air. Exhale out your worries and negativity, and inhale in freshness and renewal. By mindfully doing this whenever you are surrounded by nature in Bali, you are sure to relax and calm the high-traffic areas of your mind.
If you need something to focus on in order to relax, a good place to start is Bali’s many traditional dance performances. No Bali travel itinerary is complete without watching at least one Balinese dance, and for good reason. These dances are not only entertaining, but most are also entrancing and semi-spiritual in nature, and many tell the stories of humanity’s ups and downs. Let yourself meditate on the scenes unfolding below you on stage, and perhaps, there will be messages you take away that will help make your life a better one.
Bali can be a mystical place to visit for you to reconnect with yourself and your spirituality, as long as you take conscious effort to relax and rejuvenate your soul when you visit its numerous attractions. It’s also important to stay at the right place that caters to all your needs, to avoid unnecessary stress on your Bali trip and so you can truly go back home feeling like a new person. We welcome you to stay at Club Med Bali for this purpose! Book our all-inclusive package and always have access to good food, a nice place to sleep, and various relaxing activities, so that you can truly find your zen on your Bali trip just like the protagonist of “Eat, Pray, Love”. See you soon!