LIVING YOGA

If, like me, you wish to spend less time on your devices and more time being present, then this might just be the opportunity to put our electronics aside in favour of nature and community. Our environment plays a significant role when we grapple with the discomfort of being offline, and if the past four years of digital detox retreat experience is anything to go by, we will be held in a truly magical oasis that is designed to support the transition into offline mode.

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Most of the time, our overstimulated minds, especially when at the constant mercy of our devices, are akin to a bottle of water shaken up with mud. Going offline is a simple but profound practice of removing one trigger, and discovering what it feels like to let all that sediment settle, revealing the clarity of the water (our mind).

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Apart from supporting you to find ease without your phone or tablet as your crutch, I have further refined our programme to be more intentional in supporting your nervous system to unclench and down-regulate. What I have increasingly noticed in both my students and friends, is how easily their attention is pulled outside of them. Often because of life circumstances – working for a temperamental boss; living among emotionally unpredictable people; juggling careers and caretaking, be it of elderly parents or young children...

Somewhere along the way, we have become so adept at reading and adapting to the room, that we have actually forgotten how it is like to rest our attention inwards, or what our internal rhythms actually feel like.

 

And that in turn becomes something easy to neglect, or sacrifice.

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I have thus titled this new edition of our digital detox retreat Internal Rhythms, as I have designed it in the hopes that it will reacquaint you with yours.

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On this special land, where it is instinctive to wake as the sun rises and wind down as it sets, our circadian rhythms will get a chance to regulate. We will move and gather and chat while the sun is up, and ease into companionable silence after it sets. Breakfast and lunch will be convivial; post-practice dinner will be in quiet togetherness. (You are encouraged to keep this silence through the night, even if you choose to share the room.)

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In our shala overlooking the mountain and valleys, we will practise Yoga every morning, because I know no better somatic intervention that resets us from inside out. Rediscovering how we move and how we breathe is sometimes all it takes to unbury decades of unhelpful patterning. We are not seeking to change it all in a weekend. As my Guruji often reminds us, awareness is the first and most powerful change.

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In the evenings, we will sit for spacious periods, re-learning the primal rhythm of our breath – fully attentive to our inner ebb and flow. We’ll lie on our bellies and let Mother Earth teach us how to let go, and experience that magical drop as our nervous system finally, finally unclenches. We’ll journal and doodle, and let our pens express what we are perhaps not yet ready to speak out loud.

 

And again and again, we’ll sit together as a community, both in silence and chatter, allowing the other’s presence to support, soothe and stabilise our nervous system, as much as we’ll do the same for someone else. Co-regulation is a very important pillar in down-regulation.

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Our time together begins at 1:30pm on Thursday (14 January) with lunch, followed by an opening circle and practice (movement, breath, contemplation and meditation). Our time together ends on Sunday morning (17 January) after we watch the sun rise over Mount Agung and enjoy one final phone-free breakfast.

 

These four days will be a wonderful time of purification — physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. A clear-headed, well-nourished and inspired you is the best version to fully step into 2027. ​ So come with a friend, or solo! It's always fascinating how quickly like-minded travellers bond, so don't be surprised if you end up sharing laughter and long conversations with new friends! And I always LOVE it when digital detox alumni return!

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How the digital detox works
In the spirit of digital detox, you are encouraged to leave your laptop at home, and to leave your mobile phone with the retreat management for safekeeping. I will give you the contact number of the property's manager, which your family and close friends can reach you at in the event of an emergency. If you MUST have your phone with you, please use it sparingly at the end of the day and only within the vicinity of your bedroom. Do also be considerate with your usage if you have a roommate.

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Please note

• All rooms have ensuite showers and toilets

• Rooms are unique and different in size and design (but all gorgeous!). You will choose upon sign-up on a first-come-first-served basis. Full accommodation details for selection will be disclosed after deposit is received.

• There is no A/C in the rooms; only ceiling fans. But don't worry! We are at a higher altitude so it's pretty cool, and night-time temperatures can drop to as low as 10-15 degree Celsius. (I am serious.)

• We are surrounded by rainforests, so there will sometimes be some insects (but not too many, as it's cold). I humbly request that you do your best to co-exist with them; please do not kill unnecessarily.