Sadhana & Reflections: Bali: Day 1

My first day in Bali is coming to a close. I think that Bali is the most peaceful place that I've ever been. There is a sweet fragrance that constantly permeates the air--jasmine, sometimes with a whiff of sandalwood incense interspersed. The ocean here is magnificent. It produces huge waves that remind me of Puri. The murmur and roar of the current is soothing music to the soul.

There is something about the air here that is spiritually charged. While I was having breakfast, one of the managers in the hotel told me that a visiting yoga practitioner from abroad had once noted that the spirit is very good here, that it is highly conducive to yoga.

I spent a delightful morning in a lounge chair overlooking the ocean, intermittently reading my book on Bali and going into reverie at the seascape. I felt all my worries, stresses and thoughts instantly evaporate.

In the afternoon, at teatime, the hotel hosted a family demonstrating how to make traditional Balinese religious offerings. It was a couple with a young boy. Their faces were so spiritually refined and noble. It was touching to see how they honor these traditions and are painstakingly passing them on to their child. This is how the flame of Balinese Hinduism will be kept burning. I hope and pray that such traditions are preserved and transmitted for generations to come.

I am looking forward to starting my explorations of Bali in earnest tomorrow. I would like to learn as much as I can about the culture and religious traditions of Bali as I can while being respectful and non-intrusive.

I just witnessed one of the most gorgeous sunsets I've ever seen. I have always been drawn to the ocean, notwithstanding that I am not a fan of swimming. I just like being on the ocean or near it. It is the sense of infinitude that attracts me, the incessant rhythm of the waves, the patterns of the tide, the awesome power of it, the world of life beneath its waves.