I just finished a 2-night-stay in Shanti Toya Ashram, an affordable guest house 20 minutes away from Ubud, Bali. It’s the first time in my life to stay in Ubud because I used to be a person who enjoys crowd a lot. That stay was so memorable for me so I would like to share a bit on what I get and hopefully you will gain some insights from it.
Great place to find tranquility
The place it’s a bit difficult to find because it’s located in the middle of a rice field but this exactly what makes it so peaceful. At the back of the guest house you can even find small jungles that produce constant relaxing wind in the middle of hot weather in Bali. Not to mention, they also have small swimming pool with bean bag beside of it where you can chill all day long while reading books, talking with people, or sleeping.
Variety of energizing activities
We start the day by having a yoga session at 7 am. I have not done yoga before but hey who can say no to a free yoga session under the morning ambience. It feels so amazing to start my day with activity that rejuvenates my body, mind, and soul. After that people usually do whatever they want to do i.e. going to Ubud, taking a nap, swimming, etc. Around 5 pm we have another yoga session followed by other activities such as cooking, learning Balinese dance, learning how to massage, etc.
Stories from inspiring people
Great place and great activities, but what I found most fascinating is the people whom I met. I will share my learning from three of them.
Firstly, guest house managers. Most of them are people who left their job and went to Ubud to live the life they have never experienced before. What they do is not only to make sure that the guest house operates well but to develop local community as well. They employ, teach yoga, and invite them to activities. It amazes me on how they are willing to leave their comfort zone and live simple life to contribute to other people’s wellbeing.
Secondly I met a guy who opened a restaurant in New York City from scratch all by himself. He started few years back with minimum capital, lived in his own car, and even borrowed equipment from other restaurants. He was so ambitious to grow his business so he worked really really hard to make that happened. One day he realized that he got successful career but he lost every other aspects of his wellbeing. He closed his restaurant, sold everything he had, and traveled around the world. What he starts doing is to stop thinking about regret in the past, keep making plan for the future, but stay in present and cherish every moment in his life. This new lifestyle has successfully transformed him to be his happiest version ever.
Thirdly, I spoke with a woman who spent her entire life dealing with animal. Her last job was a piglet trainer in Australia (My jaw literally dropped when I knew this). She is currently unemployed and she does not know what her next job is but she is quite sure that she wants to spend more time with animals. One of her dream is to save orangutan in Kalimantan. From the way she tells her story and dream, it’s very obvious that she is so passionate about taking care of animals. For me she is a living proof that once we have defined our purpose, we don’t have to be afraid to move forward because our purpose will give use direction on what we should do next.
Ok I would like to stop here or else this post will be super duper long and you’ll get bored. I feel so inspired by my short experience there and if you want to be inspired as well you can visit them. Find out more on this link
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15443568
https://www.facebook.com/shantitoyaashram/