If you dig the vibe and music of Michael Franti & Spearhead, listen up. I've been a Franti fan since Everyone Deserves Music in 2003, and it's no cheap thrill when I check into his new, green Soulshine Bali yoga retreat near the upcountry artist community of Ubud, in Bali, Indonesia.
Franti's "villa, retreat oasis and cafe" is edged by rice terraces and coconut palms along the Agung river. It's an oasis indeed after the touristy bustle of Ubud, world famous now that Julia Roberts starred in the film Eat Pray Love. Busloads of wide-eyed visitors arrive each day.
I am welcomed with a refreshing glass of coconut water, then I join a vinyasa flow yoga class in a huge open-air studio. All limbered up, I take a dip in the infinity pool and chill out with a fresh organic salad and a pot of delicious Balinese coffee. It's all included, and it's all good. Almost before I realize it, the day has disappeared into the shadows.
After a Taoist meditation class, I drift up to the Sunset Room, a lovely perch from which to savor this perfect day. It's the room that Michael sleeps in when he's in town, but tonight it's all mine. Franti groupies, take note--if the carvings on the teak headboard, dresser and wall ornaments are any indication, the man is gaga for geckos.
This place is a collaboration between Franti and his longtime collaborator, Carla Swanson. She filmed and edited several of Spearhead's music videos, as well as Michael's remarkable documentary film, I Know I'm Not Alone, with its pro-peace message. Swanson designed Soulshine and its grounds as a sanctuary for reflection and well-being. It can accommodate up to 26 guests, who can pick their own organic fruit from an abundance of tropical varieties, or just hang out in the gardens and by the beautiful ponds.
Green building principles were followed during the retreat's construction (example: reclaimed wood for all outdoor decking). Organic food is sourced from local farms and the retreat's own garden, and there are organic cotton bed linens.
Franti and Swanson also give much-needed support to the local Balinese, most notably the Bumi Sehat Natural Birthing Clinic (which works to reduce Indonesia's alarmingly high rates of maternal and child mortality), and a not-for-profit holistic school.
Do yourself a favor: dive bliss-first into all the soulfulness this place offers. My only disappointment about Soulshine? Not discovering it earlier.
Franti's "villa, retreat oasis and cafe" is edged by rice terraces and coconut palms along the Agung river. It's an oasis indeed after the touristy bustle of Ubud, world famous now that Julia Roberts starred in the film Eat Pray Love. Busloads of wide-eyed visitors arrive each day.
I am welcomed with a refreshing glass of coconut water, then I join a vinyasa flow yoga class in a huge open-air studio. All limbered up, I take a dip in the infinity pool and chill out with a fresh organic salad and a pot of delicious Balinese coffee. It's all included, and it's all good. Almost before I realize it, the day has disappeared into the shadows.
After a Taoist meditation class, I drift up to the Sunset Room, a lovely perch from which to savor this perfect day. It's the room that Michael sleeps in when he's in town, but tonight it's all mine. Franti groupies, take note--if the carvings on the teak headboard, dresser and wall ornaments are any indication, the man is gaga for geckos.
This place is a collaboration between Franti and his longtime collaborator, Carla Swanson. She filmed and edited several of Spearhead's music videos, as well as Michael's remarkable documentary film, I Know I'm Not Alone, with its pro-peace message. Swanson designed Soulshine and its grounds as a sanctuary for reflection and well-being. It can accommodate up to 26 guests, who can pick their own organic fruit from an abundance of tropical varieties, or just hang out in the gardens and by the beautiful ponds.
Green building principles were followed during the retreat's construction (example: reclaimed wood for all outdoor decking). Organic food is sourced from local farms and the retreat's own garden, and there are organic cotton bed linens.
Franti and Swanson also give much-needed support to the local Balinese, most notably the Bumi Sehat Natural Birthing Clinic (which works to reduce Indonesia's alarmingly high rates of maternal and child mortality), and a not-for-profit holistic school.
Do yourself a favor: dive bliss-first into all the soulfulness this place offers. My only disappointment about Soulshine? Not discovering it earlier.
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