(Note: If Bali is too far, you may want to check out our poi and yoga retreat in Costa Rica)
THE VISION:
10 days and 10 nights of poi dancing, yoga, celebration, and explorations of a beautiful and unique island. This year we are embracing a balance of yoga and poi. We will have both Nick and G teaching poi and both Adrian and Banyan teaching yoga.
ABOUT BALI:
Bali is part of Indonesia, and lies about 8 degrees south of the equator, in the Indian Ocean, to the east of the Java and north-west of Australia. It has an ancient and very unique Hindu culture. Measuring only 140km by 80km, the island is dominated by towering volcanoes, rice terraces, and more temples than you could count!
OUR VENUE:
We have once again booked the Purnati Center for the Arts! It's an amazing venue 20 minutes South of Ubud (the cultural hub of Bali), and 45 minutes north of the airport. It is surrounded by beautiful terraced rice patties, artisan shops, and temples. Imagine a 2000 square foot elevated dance studio, with a swimming pool on one side, and a stone amphitheater for fire spinning on the other! (And yes, we have the entire venue to ourselves).
RETREAT FORMAT:
Daily yoga poi lessons and nightly play sessions, with excursions to explore the volcanoes, the beaches, the temples, and the other riches of Bali. Most days will look like this:
- Early morning yoga (7am-9am)
- Breakfast
- Poi Lessons
- Play time
- Lunch
- Afternoon excursion every other day
- Afternoon poi and yoga
- Dinner Break (dinner is not included in the price)
- Evening play session
CURRICULUM:
The curriculum will include but won't be limited to the following:
- Advanced control of planes
- Variations of poi movement: Isolations, extensions, pendulum, inspin, antispin, etc.
- Freedom of movement and expression
- Stalls and speeds
- Variations of flowers
- Rhythm and timing
- Cubes and orbing
- Using focus points for turns, whirling, and beautifying patterns
- Pirouettes, whirling, and moving in circles, arcs, and lines on the floor
- Body alignment and conditioning
- Many "moves" such as Behind-the-back weaves, Under the legs, Inversions, hyperloops, orbitals, Waist-wraps, crossers, meltdowns, butterfly-weaves, the matrix, Spiral wraps, Anti-spin weaves, Atomic weaves, hybrids, etc.
YOGA:
Most days we will have two yoga sessions. Before breakfast we will practice asana, meditation, and pranayama. The afternoon sessions will vary, sometimes we will sing kirtan, other times we will look more deeply at asana theory, other times we will look into the philosophy of yoga. Banyan and Adrian are both very grounded and humble in their love of yoga so we're going for a big-hearted approach to yoga.
We have tailored these yoga classes towards poi spinners, helping us to develop strength and flexibility that will prevent injury, expand range of motion, and beautify posture and thus poi patterns.
PREREQUISITES:
This retreat is for those who can play comfortably with the basics already. If you don't know all the basics, don't worry, we've just put up our beginner series, so you have time to finish learning! But yes you definitely need be comfortable with the windmill, weaves, and butterflies in both directions by the time the retreat starts.
TRAVEL:
Bali's airport is in Denpasar (DPS). For our friends from Europe, you can often save $200 flying to Bali by booking an international flight to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and using Jetstar.com or Air Asia to fly to Denpasar from there.
Flying on a Saturday or Sunday will always be the most expensive. You can save hundreds of dollars by flying in the middle of the week! We're happy to help you find a place to stay until the retreat if you arrive early. Check multi-site searches like kayak.com, vayama.com, and travelocity.com.
Most people can get a 30 day Visa-On-Arrival for $25USD when they arrive at the airport. It depends on what country you are from, so please double-check by calling or writing your local Indonesian embassy or consulate. You will need a passport valid for at least six months from the date of your arrival (i.e. at least 6 months before it expires).
It is easy to get a taxi from the taxi stand to Ubud or Purnati for about $20USD. Transportation around Bali is typically easy and affordable.
You might also want to talk to your doctor about vaccinations. Bali is generally quite safe, and there is no Malaria, but you may want to take precautions. I recommend buying a Bali guidebook to make sure you've thought of everything.
ACCOMMODATION:
We will be staying at the beautiful bungalows at Purnati. It can't get any better than this! There are 8 double-occupancy bungalows, each with balcony, a huge bathroom, and surrounded by beauty!
FOOD:
Food is typically safe and fairly inexpensive in Bali. Purnati will be catering breakfast and lunch (vegetarian or non vegetarian) each day.
Outside of Purnati, you can also have a meal for less than $2USD at a local Balinese Warung, or eating at the organic cafes costs 2/3rds what you would expect in the west.
COST:
We are offering 3 prices this year:
Base price = $1400USD
Scholarship Price = $1150USD
Support Playpoi Price = $1650USD
The base price is what we need to meet our material needs. The scholarship price is available for students, artists, single moms, and others who are dedicated to their art but struggle with money. The support-playpoi price is actually still pretty cheap by yoga-retreat standards and is for those with professional jobs or simply a lot of love for what we’re trying to do!
Note: You need to write us to apply for the scholarship price. We are happier to award scholarships to those traveling from Asia and Australia, as those who can afford to fly from the other side of the world can probably afford to pay the regular price.
Cost includes:
- 10 nights shared accommodation
- Dinner on Feb 27, Breakfast and lunch from Feb 28 - March 8, and Breakfast on March 9
- Excursions
- Daily poi and yoga lessons (with 4 teachers!)
- Transporation to Purnati from the airport or Ubud on Feb 27
WHAT TO BRING:
- All your spinning toys
- Yoga mat
- Camera, videocamera, etc
- Journal and pens
- A small bag for day use
- Swimsuits, sunblock, sarong etc.
- A flashlight
- Parka in case of rain
- Your imagination
TO REGISTER:
STEP ONE: Send us a message letting us know that you want to attend!
STEP TWO: Read the Orientation and Registration document. It has lots more details about the retreat.
STEP THREE: Send your non-refundable $350USD Deposit via Paypal (you don't need a paypal account, just a credit card).
STEP FOUR: Fill out our registration form (But please read the Orientation and Registration document first).
Once all steps are completed, you're registered!
We will send you an additional form a few weeks before the retreat concerning your arrival details.
See you in Bali!
STILL DECIDING?
If you're still thinking about it, here are some steps to help you make the decision:
First: Check the cost of flights on sidestep.com, Vayama.com, or your own favorite flight site.
Second: Find a friend (or two) to join you.
Third: Say to yourself the magic words: “Why not?” (But don’t answer it, just book your spot instead, it's a great way to get stuff done!).
If you're still not sure, check out this video from our last Bali retreat!
SEND US A MESSAGE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!
