Bidadari Angels arrive in the bale

Two new beautiful "Bidadari Angels" have flown into Sharing Bali and found a home in our bale.

These days Bidadari Angels are thought of as beautiful, radiant women who inspire loveliness....

but I do love the original ancient Indonesian tale of the Angels that I first heard from Wayan many years ago. There seems to be a few versions, but this short version is how I remember it:

The Bidadari Angels would come down to earth and bathe in a lake was surrounded by shade trees. That magical place was very attractive for angels. The lake became their playground.

One day the angels were bathing in the lake and didn't realise human eyes were watching. The eyes belonged to a young man who lived nearby and spent time in the forest collecting birds and playing his flute. As he was watching the angels he noticed that they had hung their shawls in a tree. They were beautiful soft shawls like he had never seen before, that could only belong to angels. He took on of the shawls and put it under his shirt.

The girls finished their bath and prepared to leave the lake. One girl couldn't find her shawl. Everyone

helped her look but could not find it. The young man was still standing in silence behind the big tree watching the girls looking for the shawl that he took.

“We’ve looked everywhere and we can’t find it. Maybe a deer took it” one of them said.

“We have to go. It’s getting dark.”

“No, don’t leave me here.” the girl started to cry.

“But we can’t stay. I’m sorry, my sister. May the gods protect you tonight.” they told their sister. The other girls then tied their shawls in their waist and held the tips. Then slowly they started to fly. The young man came out from the trees and offered to look after the sad and lonely angel.

The girl then stayed with the man. Time passed by, and they married. For many years, her husband did not tell her about the shawl. He still hid the shawl in the rice barn.

But you can’t hide a bad secret forever. It will show up and eat you someday. And that day came when a black chicken entered his barn and made it messy. The wife took a broom to scare the chicken and got rid of it. Suddenly her eyes saw something shiny in the rice. She approached it and was very surprised when she saw something that very familiar for her a long time ago.

The young man entered the barn and was shocked when he saw his wife was standing there holding a shawl that he had hid all this time.

“It was you?” his wife asked him. She could not believe that her own husband took her shawl. “How could you do this?” she was very disappointed.
“I’m sorry. I just… I don’t want you leave me.” He tried to give an explanation and hoped his wife would forgive him.

“I have to go. I can’t stay here. I don’t belong here.” His wife tied the shawl to her waist and flew. Her husband was left, crying alone.

There seems to be a moral to this story!

This is our Bidadari Angel, the inspiration for our Bali Pink Ribbon Retreats in May 2012 to support Breast Cancer awareness in Bali. I'm sure we will have lots of lovely ladies who inspire loveliness!

InShape Newsflash

Very happy to be featured on the InShape NewsFlash blogsite. Great site for daily updates on health & fitness from around the world.

Our passionate views on making healthy holiday escapes accessible to all are featured.

InShape NewsFlash

The rollercoaster ride of business travel…..

Many of our guests on our Sharing Bali fitness retreats feel rejuvenated by the end of the week, but are daunted by the thought of maintaining it once they hit the reality of working life back home. xEspecially those who have a hectic business travel schedule.

After a lifetime of international and domestic business travel in the fashion industry, I've clocked up my share of airports and hotel nights. I've also allowed my wellbeing to take a roller coaster ride along the way.

Rock bottom of the ride....no sleep, jet lag, too many wines, midnight mini bar feasts. Top of the ride (and a hard slog to get there) .... never left home without my workout gear, fruit and water were my snack mates, walked or ran my way around every city. There were periods of coasting, enjoying the ride, but the dips and highs were inevitable and they took their toll!

Not every business traveler gets to stay in 5 star hotels where fitness facilities and good food are more likely to be on tap. Not that this always helps. We are all guilty of staying in the best hotels and only sleeping, eating, and drinking. Why does that tempting chocolate on the pillow always seems to ask for a glass of wine to go with it?

Hotels don’t make it easy. I get so frustrated with hotels that think that providing a gym of some sort ticks the box for wellness. If you are not staying at a deluxe establishment, I can pretty much guarantee you that the gym will be buried in the bowels of the hotel. Find the smallest room, with the lowest ceiling, no windows, grey carpet, and of course the obligatory television sets and there you have it… your centre of wellness. Inspiring.

Spurred on by a conversation with one of our recent guests, I put together my top ten tips to avoid the highs and lows. Our guest was inspired and transformed by her time with us, so I knew she would not only benefit from it herself, but was also in a position to help many others in her organization. She’s a woman of action so ideas are underway within a week!

“I have had a chat to my boss and he really likes the idea of me leading something for regional Victoria. So I'm in creation stage at the moment. As soon as it's together I will share it with you for your opinion. Have also sent a note to the organizers of our big conference re some pt and yoga. They loved the idea and are looking to set something up. So creatinchange from one conversation. Thank you for being my muse!”

So here they are. This is not a program for high performance fitness. Just some handy hints.

“Easy and quite obvious when you read them, however the excuses always get in the way”.

(For the serious athletes out there, check out this excellent site: http://www.portableathlete.com/)

1. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN for a healthy journey. Spend equal amounts of time on packing for your wellbeing as much as packing the right reports. It's not being selfish at all. In fact, it will make you happier and hence more productive. Only stay at hotels that allow you to live well. You don’t need 5 star facilities to stay on track.

2. Create a “travel survival kit” that works for you. Commit to traveling with it. Make it a special travel kit that you reach for every time you pack. Don't use it at home or you will have to reassemble it every time you pack for a trip. ie. favourite workout outfit, shoes, water bottle, heart rate monitor, resistance band, skipping rope, a few workout routines written down.
Trying to jam it all into a carryon bag and tempted to take your running shoes out? Don’t even think about it unless you are 100% committed to doing barefoot sessions such as yoga. You’ve just nixed your reason to get outdoors. Use the ten minutes wait at the baggage carousel to check your emails.

3. Try and join a group. Meet some new people. Look up Bootcamps, outdoor groups, yoga classes, running groups etc that accept drop-ins and are close to your hotel. Call them and make a commitment. If you need one-on-one time to get you on track, find a local PT who will do an outdoors session for you near your hotel or workplace. Call them and make a commitment.

4. Hit the ground running. When you check in, ask the front desk for a map of local run/walk tracks. If the hotel staff doesn’t know, speak to the manager and ask them to get their act together! As soon as you get to your room, change your gear and head out for some exercise. If it’s late, do 30 mins of lunges, squats, pushups followed by stretching in your room. Early morning is always the best time to workout. Let it be known that it's your time, don't let anyone take it away from you. At times it's unavoidable, but make up for it in the evenings if that's the case.

5. You need your sleep. Hide the remote. Hotels make it easy to watch television from your bed. Don’t make it a habit.

6. Buy fruit. Have it in your car. Take it to your hotel room. Take it to the office. It's your snack buddy and possibly a light breakfast rather than hotel buffets or muffins!
Staying for a few days? Go shopping. Resist the mini bar!! Find the closest supermarket and do a survival shop. Stock the hotel fridge with yoghurt, fruit, muesli bars, and rice crackers. Anything that will stop you from the temptation of Pringles and Toblerone!

7. Swap the coffee travel mug for your sports water bottle. Take your water bottle from your “travel survival kit” everywhere. Hiring a car at the airport? You’re not ready to leave until the water bottle is in the drink holder. Think of it as an accessory; so treat yourself to something chic.

8. Socializing for work is important. However it can be a trap. No drinks before dinner. That's your time to get out and get active. Limit the alcohol at dinner. Choose small portions. Best to "eat like a prince in the morning and a pauper at night."

9. Share it. Walk the talk, lead the way, and create change. Let it be known that this is how you like to live and encourage your workmates to do the same. Share ideas/tips with your traveling business mates.
Organizing an all day seminar? You are going to be in that conference room for hours, so bring in the PT for a morning outdoor session to kick start the day.

There's a slide in energy at 3pm? Bring on a Pilates instructor to stretch, work through some moves to improve posture and reduce tiredness. Include some healthy options for food. It doesn't have to be about eating lettuce leaves, just cut down on the comfort food... fried food, muffins, sweets etc. Plan to leave the day invigorated, not exhausted.

10. Celebrate! Life is for living. Reward yourself for sticking to it. Whatever makes you happy.... book yourself in for a facial or a massage when you are on the road. Don’t wait until you get home. Business travel shouldn’t be about deprivation, make it celebration of healthy living.

PS. If there are any hotel operators out there reading this, please get in touch. This is just the tip of the iceberg for ideas that I have for you on how to make your hotel a healthier place for your guests and your staff. There’s so much you can do, and before you ask… “what will it cost?”…… very little. We’re not talking about investing in bigger, better gyms. We’re talking about customer service.

testimonial

Just had a lovely email from one of our wonderful guests. We are so lucky... we always have great guests! It makes it all the more worthwhile when people share their thanks.


Hi Karen,
 
I feel so bad that I haven't emailed before now!!
 
I meant to send you a note just to say thankyou so much to everyone there for looking after me so well during my stay in July. It was the most peaceful and relaxing week I think I've ever had and everyone made me feel so welcome and so looked after!
Ayung Sari really is like a little piece of heaven on earth and I will be trying to make it an annual excursion I think for a bit of relaxation and peace!
 
Please pass on my sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone, especially Gusti and little Putu who is just gorgeous... she helped me get through the week without my little girl, but I definitely will have to bring my daughter next time and they can hang out together... they would have such a good time!
 
Thanks again!
 
Best regards,

E

the coconut wireless!

I have been very slack on the Blog scene for a while now. But I'm back and will post the news from the Coconut Wireless as it comes to hand.

Gusti is still creating magic in the kitchen, and Dewi, Ngurah, Gede, Kabal and Agung are all looking after our guests. Putu, who as we all know is queen of Ayung Sari Indah, will soon turn 5 and continues to run circles around all of us.

We have had some great guests from all around the world and look forward to many more. If you would like to keep up with our news more regularly sign up to the Sharing Bali Facebook page for updates.

See you in Bali!

Karen and Wayan

"Awaken In Bali"

We take lots of great photos on our retreats and I have many favourites, but these two are top of the list at the moment. I love nothing more than going on the Volcano Climb every chance I get. It truly is a moment that you are "awakened". And you can't beat an banana leaf for an umbrella. Balinese ingenuity!

These two pics are from Marni Alexander's "Awaken In Bali" retreats.
The next one is on Oct 31. Email me on info@sharingbali.com if you are up for it.

"Selamat Makan" cook book at last!

At long last, I’ve got around to printing the cookbook. Many thanks to those who have kept sending me polite reminders to get it happening! It will be done by October. $25 (including postage within Australia) and it’s yours. Send me an email for details. info@sharingbali.com

There's a few recipes on the blog to keep you going. They are all tagged "recipes". Let me know if you have any requests.