Bali Health Retreat Detox | How I Cut Sugar
My sugar journey via the best health retreats Bali has.
Plus, what else changed for me.
“It was an excellent Flametree retreat with a wonderful diverse group, … once again [second time]!
The delicious vegan food lived up to all my expectations and more!” [Helen]
In short
This page is Chris Lalor’s own story of cutting sugar after a Flametree retreat in Bali, and how yoga and pranayama helped her eat more mindfully. The retreat is the usual 6 nights at Pondok Pisang, Candidasa, with low sugar vegetarian meals. It is a yoga retreat first, and what you change about food is your choice. Our 2026 retreats have been held and 2027 dates are being confirmed. See the main Bali retreat page or the retreat room product.
Last updated: 25 October 2026
Questions about a Bali health retreat
What is a Bali health retreat with Flametree?
It is the normal Flametree yoga and meditation retreat, with daily yoga, pranayama and talks, and simple low sugar vegetarian meals. Health here means rest, good food and a calmer routine. It is not a treatment programme.
How did Chris cut sugar?
She noticed how good the low sugar retreat food felt, then slowly changed her habits at home. She cleared sugary foods from her pantry and used yoga and pranayama to quieten her mind so she could eat more mindfully. Her story is told in the slides on this page.
What is mindful eating?
Mindful eating means taking the emotion out of eating, so you can see what your food choices do and gradually cut what you do not want. Yoga postures and pranayama help by quietening the mind first.
Is the Bali retreat a weight loss retreat?
No. It is a yoga and meditation retreat. Chris’s weight also changed after she cut sugar, but that was her own experience and not a promise. Everyone is different.
Do I have to give up desserts?
No. Desserts and tropical fruit are available at meals, and you decide how much to have. Chris explains how to choose lower sugar options if you want to.
When is the next Bali retreat?
The 2026 retreats have been held. Dates for 2027 are being confirmed, so please contact us to hear first.
Here’s my sugar and food journey due to the best health retreats for detox Bali has. So, see how it helped me cut sugar, and get many other life-changing outcomes.
See my story via the slides, or the summary points below, or both.
By the way, the slides have more details, and useful, illustrative pictures, than my summary notes. In particular, the outline why and how yoga produces the outcomes I got.
The presentation below, is from a talk by me, Christine Lalor, (aka Chris), at the July / August 2024 retreat.
It’s just one example of the many useful and transformative presentations that students have received at Flametree retreats. Of course, at retreats, they hear it LIVE, are able to discuss it, and have the time and space to process and use the messages it contains.
I’m a certified Senior Iyengar Yoga teacher, who also leads Flametree Bali retreats.
How I (Chris) cut sugar via a Bali health retreat detox.
To flick through slides, click on them, or use the arrows underneath.
Our 2026 retreats have been held. 2027 dates are being confirmed.
All retreats are 6 nights & 7 days, at the retreat resort in Bali.
See The Main Bali Retreat Page
Contact us to hear first about 2027 dates
My Sugar Detox Via The Best Health Retreats Bali Has.
Here’s my story of a health retreat detox, Bali style.
Plus, you can get even more detail by flicking through the slides above.
- When I came to the 2014 Flametree Yoga Bali health retreat, my normal food was unavailable.
- I loved the retreat food, and didn’t miss my normal bread, cheese and sugar. Then, when I came home, I noted that my stomach upsets were gone.
- So, it was the start of a Bali health retreat detox journey.
- I had cravings for bread, cheese etc, and began to eat the same again. But, the stomach upsets came back.
- Meanwhile, the yoga practice allowed me some insights.
- So, I was able take an emotional step backwards, and start to change habits.
- I became more interested in what I was eating, and more mindful.
- Among many other things, the Bali health retreat food helped, because it was low sugar.
- The retreat also gave me time to reflect, try new types of food, and of course improve my yoga and pranayama meditation.
- So, after another Flametree Yoga Bali health retreat, I began to seriously research the effects of high sugar.
The view from one of the sea front single room at the Flametree Yoga Bali health retreat detox.
Not a Bali weight loss retreat, but what else changed for me
Although it wasn’t my focus, my weight also changed. That was my own experience, and everyone is different.
- Then, I watched documentary films, as well as read books and articles, including a long-term study of food habits 600,000 people by Professor Colin Campbell.
- I also saw I could be part of cutting diet-related greenhouse gas emissions by 49%, & improving wellness on an important range of fronts (like heart disease and diabetes).
- Plus, I realised sugar is an addiction.
- So, I cleaned out 3 garbage bags of foods that contained large amounts of added sugar.
- It turns out practically every item in my pantry was stacked with sugar! Just like a huge percentage of supermarket food.
- Finally, I saw the contradiction between having a holistic yoga practice that was designed to promote health, while eating lots of sugar.
- I realised that sugar is hard to resist, because it works via chemicals in your brain.
- Your brain needs energy. But, we can get the energy without sugar.
- Now, I generate my own energy via my eating and yogic practices, especially pranayama meditation.
- So, look for around 3% sugar, maximum, of added sugar.
- Obviously, avoid food with higher levels sweeteners. For instance, baked goods, candy, and sweetened drinks.
One of the twin rooms on the sea front at the Flametree Bali yoga, meditation, & health retreat.
I learnt mindful eating via my Bali health retreats.
- Mindful eating is the ability to move the emotion out of eating, so you can see the consequences of your eating, and gradually cut what you don’t want.
- To eat mindfully, use yoga postures and pranayama meditation to quieten your mind. Then, you’re more able to be reflective and mindful, about what you eat.
- You also have the space to look at cause & effect. Then, you also come to understand that transformation is possible.
- With more mindfulness, you’re more able to do mindful eating practices.
- So, yogic practices give you more ability to make conscious and mindful decisions, plus a detachment so as to make conscious decisions around habit.
- In addition, many yoga postures, especially restorative yoga, are very effective at reducing stress. Cutting stress also helps you eat less, and eat more mindfully.
- You’ll know the truth when you do it and track your results.
- So, try Flametree Yoga’s Bali health retreats. Plus, if you have not already, build more yoga and pranayama meditation into your life.
- When you can do a retreat at Flametree, you’ll get the best health and wellness retreat Bali has.
At Flametree’s retreat, the dining room and upstairs yoga room, are so close to the sea, that the sea and palms reflect in the window of the dining room. The stairs on the left of the picture lead to the custom built, fully equipped, delightful, yoga and meditation room.
The Flametree Yoga all-inclusive health retreat package
Here’s what past Flametree retreats have included. The 2027 package is being confirmed:
- 11 taught yoga sessions, including both active and restorative yoga, over 7 days
- 3 evening talks on yoga, health, detox, and wellness topics.
- 6 pranayama meditation sessions
- 6 nights and 7 days in the delightful, modern Bali resorts
- 3 delicious vegetarian meals a day, for 6 days (with vegan, vegetarian, and carnivore, options)
- A half day off in the middle for sights, or whatever. Tour is included in package.
- Time to swim, snorkel, chat, or shop in the local village and adjacent town
- An opportunity to have tailor made clothes made in the local town
- Time to chat and get advice with your empathetic & accredited Senior Yoga and Meditation teacher
- The option of very personalised yoga or meditation programs, created by Flametree’s Senior Teacher, to help you work on what matters most to you.
Past retreats also came with class bonuses for newcomers, shown further down. 2027 extras will be confirmed with the dates.
In addition, past retreats came with extras for everyone, as shown in the next section.
Yoga and meditation for ongoing change
See The Main Bali Retreat Page
Contact us to hear first about 2027 dates
The magnificent beach right in front of one of the adjoining retreat resorts where one Flametree package also gives you a luxury retreat option.
Extras for all attendees at past retreats
Everyone who attended a past retreat got extras, on top of what’s outlined above. The 2027 extras are being confirmed.
The table below shows what they were.
All who attend get these valuable and delightful extras
Extras for beginners at past retreats
In addition, those at any stage of a beginner level got the class and video package shown in the table below.
Beginners extras and bonus at this all inclusive retreat in Bali.
The many extra LIVE or video classes will consolidate what you learn at the retreat.
So, contact us to hear first about Flametree’s next Bali yoga and health retreats.
All retreats are 6 nights and 7 days.
Our 2026 retreats have been held. 2027 start dates are being confirmed. Contact us to hear first.
Learn more about Flametree retreats.
Extras for non-beginners at past retreats
For non-beginners, the alternative package below applied.
No matter where you are in the world, this many extra and free classes, (online, in-studio, or video), will give you exactly the same consolidation, and habit forming activity, discussed above in relation to beginners.
So, please contact us to hear first when the 2027 dates are set.
Non-Beginners extras and bonus of classes before or after the all-inclusive retreat, or both.
Benefits of health retreats
The many benefits of all inclusive wellness retreats are also reported in scientific studies.
For instance, one summary of retreat studies that assessed over 20 wellness and health retreats, says:
“… retreat experiences can produce benefits that include positive changes in metabolic and neurological pathways, loss of weight, blood pressure and abdominal girth, reduction in health symptoms, and improvements in quality of life and subjective wellbeing.”
It was also found that the health changes are ongoing.
In other words, the health retreats were also found to produce both long term and short term changes.
In addition, yoga and meditation were the main “tools” that were consistently used in the retreats in these studies, including in the wellness and health retreat detoxes.
I (Chris Lalor) have also seen and experienced many people at retreats, get all the benefits mentioned above, as I’ve discussed in this post on the benefits of retreats.
Flametree Yoga Bali health retreat detox teacher, & presenter
Me, Chris Lalor, in the dining room at the retreat resort, right on a secluded Bali sea front.
Flametree Bali health retreat dates
Our 2026 retreats have been held. 2027 start dates are being confirmed. Contact us to hear first.
In addition, there are several room options. See the retreat room product.
See The Main Bali Retreat Page
Contact us to hear first about 2027 dates
The view from the Pondok Pisang retreat venue
The whole Pondok Pisang retreat resort is right on the water’s edge, with these decks overlooking the sea, plus sun rises, and sunsets. At medium and low tides, you can also enjoy a private, white sand beach, with magnificent views of both sunrise, and sunset.
Reviews of Flametree Yoga Health detox retreats
At Flametree’s July / August 2024 retreat, here’s a very appreciative review by Barbie, published on WhatsApp.
“I loved the close access to a beautiful beach that offered swimming and snorkelling experiences. This complimented the fantastic food , yoga and people that helped create a fabulous yoga retreat . Thank you”
Helen, who was attending her second retreat, also said:
“It was an excellent Flametree retreat with a wonderful diverse group, … once again! The delicious vegan food lived up to all my expectations and more! Thank you Chris, Stuart, Desa, Wayan and Pondok Pisang staff!”
Or, see more retreat reviews.
See The Main Bali Retreat Page
Contact us to hear first about 2027 dates
If you wish, see more at other recent Bali retreat posts & presentation summaries in the Flametree blog.
Turmeric, drying in the sun, outside the retreat resort kitchen. It’s bought regularly in the local Bali markets, and used to make turmeric drinks served in the retreat resort restaurant. Turmeric drinks are a small feature of the retreat.
(More pictures on our Facebook page.)
