I come to Bali to heal. I feel the process begin before I arrive, in the lead up to our trip. It happens every time, and it is marked by the chaos that builds as we prepare to leave everything behind, if only for a week or two.

Bali gives me head space. Her energy enjoys me to sit and reflect, to soak up my surrounds and to let go of anything held stagnant in between. Bali is movement for my soul, freedom for my expression and exercise for my mind. Bali keeps me grounded and gives me wings, she is my soul food and she quenches a thirst that dreams me back here often. This place is not for everyone and that’s okay. But everyone needs to find their Bali, their place to go, to find sanctuary, to feel whole and to reconnect.

I don’t come here to meditate, nor do I go in search of the spiritual . This is not an Eat, Pray, Love story. This is a story about me time, about family and about setting aside what is important to you, and to do it often because it matters. Bali reminds me who I want to be, why I do what I do and how I became where I am. Bali brings me home and brings me peace. Bali is my family, my friends, my solitude.

Today I happened upon healer, by accident. It happens often, meeting the person I was waiting for without ever asking aloud. I had time to sit for a while and he shared his story with me. We exchanged tales and I listened in awe of the quiet way this master has, living in obscurity in a laneway hidden by tourism and chaos. He thought me lucky for my life, I felt him honoured by his. His education, he said has been ubiquitous, a road less travelled, a premeditative journey from childhood, born into from the healers before him.

He apologised for his expense, this healer. His service cost peanuts to me, it was hard to comprehend. I guess we come from different Worlds, my healer friend and me. We hugged when I left and I felt grounded. My new friend Yanto Irjanto. A healer to many, a master of none.

* Yanto Irjanto practices a combination of disciplines depending on his clients needs including but not limited to acupuncture, kinesiology and nutrition. His integrative, educated and intuitive approach to medicine is far from conventional and may not be everyones cup of tea. Personally I am of the experience that there is no one fix for everyone, and once I opened my mind to the reality of traditional healing, I have encountered some profound holistic practitioners.

Learn more about Yanto Irjanto here