What A Bali Yoga Retreat Is Really Like: Mornings, Meals, Culture And Rest

Yoga retreat experience: the short version

Picture a week where the day already has a shape, and the only decisions are small ones. You breathe quietly before breakfast, practise yoga in a room with a view over the coast, eat food someone else has cooked, swim, rest and talk on the deck as the sun goes down. That is the yoga retreat experience we offer in Candidasa, in East Bali, and this note is about how it feels: the mornings, the meals, the afternoons, the culture and the people. For logistics and costs, we point you to the right pages.

This note in short form

• The day: breath practice early, yoga postures through the morning, free time in the middle, gentle restorative yoga late in the afternoon.
• The food: freshly cooked plant-based meals with dessert, and a turmeric drink on the lunch table. A meat option can be arranged.
• The place: a seafront venue in East Bali, away from the busy south, with a village and a Balinese temple nearby.
• The culture: a free afternoon with a local outing, and a cooking class, so the week is more than yoga.
• The teaching: Iyengar yoga with Chris Lalor, with props and poses adapted to each person.
• What this note leaves out: dates, prices and room details, because they change.

Back to our Iyengar yoga retreat notes.

What does a day on a Flametree Bali retreat feel like?

The days follow the same gentle pattern. Mornings begin with pranayama (breath practice) in the yoga room, before breakfast, and the sessions are suitable from beginner level. Yoga postures (asana) fill the late morning, taught by Chris Lalor, with the poses adapted to each person. Lunch is followed by free time, and the middle of the day is yours: swim, snorkel, read, nap, or walk to the village. Late in the afternoon there is restorative yoga, supported poses over bolsters and blankets, which leaves people unhurried going into dinner. Evenings are for sunset chats on the deck.

Exact times are shared with the guests who join, and Chris adjusts them to suit the group. What stays the same is the rhythm: effort in the morning, rest in the middle, softness at the end of the day.

What is the setting like?

We chose the quieter eastern coast of Bali on purpose. Our venue is on the seafront, with a small private beach, a view from the yoga room and the deck, and the sea and breakers just outside. Down the lane there is a Balinese Hindu temple, and beside the venue is the village of Sengkidu, a short way from the small coastal town of Candidasa. It feels very different from the busy tourist south.

Props are all in the yoga room, including bolsters, blankets, blocks, mats and an Iyengar rope wall, so you bring yourself and your clothes. For what to pack and what happens on arrival, our retreat FAQs go through the practical side.

What is the food like?

Meals are plant-based and vegan-friendly, cooked fresh, with dessert at lunch and dinner. Tea, coffee and filtered water are always on offer. A turmeric drink sits on the lunch table every day, made from turmeric that is dried in the sun outside the kitchen. If you prefer meat, that can be arranged too.

The retreat is also where we learned to cook black rice dessert, which now has a permanent place in the fridge at home. You can try the black rice pudding and the turmeric drink in your own kitchen. We use tropical fruit in Bali, and coconut yoghurt at home.

What else happens besides yoga?

One afternoon is kept free of classes. A guided outing, with several cars led by a local driver, takes guests to places around East Bali. Past guests have seen a water palace built by the rulers of East Bali, and the views across the island. On another afternoon there is a Balinese cooking class, so you can watch the dishes you have been eating being made. Some years a village ceremony at the nearby temple has been on, and guests have been lucky enough to watch the women dance.

There is also time for the sea. You can swim and snorkel at the front of the venue, and the shops and cafes of Candidasa are a short trip away. How you spend the free time is up to you.

What do guests say about it?

Guests have written to us after past retreats. K. wrote by email near the end of one retreat: “The retreat has been amazing…. I’m not quite ready to go home tomorrow.” H. posted on our Facebook page: “An experience never forgotten… to be repeated again!” And W. wrote: “I felt there was a feeling of harmony and connection between the members of this group which was warmly extended to me.”

These are the words of individual guests, so they tell you what some people felt, not what every person will feel. Several students have come back for more than one retreat.

What is the teaching like?

Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree.

On a retreat Chris teaches the same Iyengar approach you would meet in the Darwin studio: careful attention to alignment, poses held long enough to notice what is happening, props that make poses accessible, and sequences that build. She also gives a short talk series during the week, including one on what Iyengar yoga is and how it is practised. It covers the idea of yoga as a way to quieten the mind, why precision and timing matter, and how practice can show you your own habits of thought.

Who is a retreat for, and what should you ask first?

A retreat is rest and practice. It is not a treatment, and it does not replace your care. We ask every guest to fill in a confidential information form before the retreat, so that Chris knows about any health condition, injury or medication. Talk to your yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and your doctor if you wish, if you have a health condition. Poses can be changed with props.

If you would like to know what research says about retreats, our note on the benefits of a yoga retreat covers it, with its limits. For guests who have joined, our useful to know page has the detail. Dates and prices change, so you will find the current ones through the retreat notes page rather than here.

Practise this at Flametree

Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree. New students, and anyone who has been away three months or more, can also get a half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, to use online, in the studio, or both. We teach in the studio at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. For the studio, just come along. For an online class, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.

• Beginners: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
• Not a beginner: see the half price 10 class pass for new and lapsed students
• The timetable, including online classes

Can’t make a class? Practise at home with our video courses.

Questions people ask about a Bali yoga retreat

What is a yoga retreat in Bali actually like day to day?

Each day follows a gentle shape. Breath practice comes first, then breakfast, then yoga postures in the late morning. The middle of the day is free, and gentle restorative yoga comes late in the afternoon, before dinner and sunset chats on the deck.

Is a Bali yoga retreat yoga all day?

No. The middle of the day is free time for swimming, resting or a walk. One afternoon is kept free of classes for a guided local outing, and another has a Balinese cooking class.

What is the food like on a Flametree Bali retreat?

Meals are plant-based and vegan-friendly, cooked fresh, with dessert at lunch and dinner. Tea, coffee and filtered water are always available, and a turmeric drink is on the lunch table. A meat option can be arranged.

Will I see anything of Bali beyond the retreat venue?

Yes. The free afternoon includes a guided outing around East Bali, and the venue is close to a village and a Balinese temple. Some years there is a ceremony at the nearby temple, which guests may be able to watch.

Will I have time to myself?

Yes. The days are structured around yoga, but the middle of the day is yours, and there is a beach in front of the venue. Many guests use the time to swim, read or simply rest.

Is it quiet or social?

Both. Meals are shared in the dining room and evenings often include chats on the deck, and there is plenty of quiet time too. One guest described a feeling of harmony and connection in the group.

How is a retreat different from a class in Darwin?

It is the same Iyengar style, taught every day, with breath practice in the morning and restorative yoga late in the afternoon. Away from your usual routine, many people find it easier to slow down.

Can I try Flametree classes in Darwin before I think about Bali?

Yes. Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga in the studio at Woolner in Darwin and LIVE online. Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree.

Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin NT, teaching Iyengar yoga in the studio and LIVE online. This note is general information, not medical advice.

Sources

• Guest feedback emails and Facebook comments sent to Flametree after past Bali retreats, quoted with initials.
• Flametree retreat FAQs and Useful to know before or at Flametree Bali retreat.