The tropical island of Bali is known as the planet’s “healing capital.” People often refer to the island as “Mama Bali.” Its culture arises from a deep connection with natural elements and is well-preserved in religious ceremonies and traditions. The people of Bali still maintain a strong connection with the Spirit through art (music, painting, dance) and spiritual practices. It’s one of the last places on Earth where people still meditate and pray collectively. Like a mother, Bali has the nurturing energy people long for at the beginning of their healing journeys. This is why the soft hands of soul-seekers arrive here to find peace and divine guidance.
“Mid-Life Crisis” – A Call for Self-Discovery
By age 33, we have already learned how to interact with the world and society. We have completed some studies and learned how to survive and make a living. We have made some friends and experienced close relationships. Now it’s time to dive deeper!
The so-called “mid-life crisis” marks the second stage of life when we must turn inward and learn how to interact with ourselves. We must learn to treat our feelings respectfully, understand who we are, and discover the meaning of life. It’s a big task that requires space and time to practice! The modern rhythm of life rarely allows us a moment to stop and listen.
Bali generously offers a safe space for these experiences. Here, throught the various practices and ceremonies, we can deepen our connection with ourselves with everything around us.
Various nature activities, yoga and mindfulness practices, spiritual teachings, and talented practitioners have naturally gathered here, allowing people to experience their higher potential and freedom—whatever that means for each person in each moment. At the same time, the island’s infrastructure allows for a comfortable and convenient stay.
How It All Can Go Wrong…
I have lived in Bali for the last 15 years, enjoying the hospitality of the Balinese and the smooth life of the tropical island. I approached my 30th in Indonesia as a single mom, rediscovering myself after 7 years of marriage. Mama Bali provided me with a safe space for healing and transformation. Somehow, I’ve managed to figure it out that time and arrive at a new era of my life with a strong sense of integrity. Looking back now, I know this was a call of my True Self, which can not be denied any more. Like many of the soul-seekers, I was doing alot of embodiment practices and spiritual ceremonies, receiving remarkable insights and feeling blessed to be a human—one of the things I did differently. Being a psychologist, I’m fascinated by our minds. So, I’ve been exploring my insights deeper and accidentally was working on integrating them! I discovered that we blend our insights with our psyche by working with our body, imagination, and subconscious mind.
But not everyone gets to complete the cycle. I have had many encounters with those who arrived here searching for healing. John, a talented 38-year-old architect, lost his passion for work and developed anxiety and a lack of meaning in life. He left his job and embarked on a journey of self-discovery, looking for answers in yoga classes, ecstatic dances, and Balinese ceremonies. He gained some fantastic insights and had moments of true revelation but didn’t receive much ease or clarity on his future. I believe what was lacking was his practice of moulding these beautiful experiences with his everyday life.
We begin this beautiful journey of fine-tuning with self, but it is essential to incorporate it into our daily lives. I invite you to take it with curiosity and openness while learning something new that can be handy for everyday life (self-mastery 🙂). Take your healing experiences in Bali as a unique space to receive all the valuable insights and blessings and learn how to apply them to your everyday life.
We can observe how our world changes and how we can ingrain the new experience of expansion, softness, kindness, etc., into our daily flow. These new skills of self-care will help us through our lifetime. Life challenges don’t finish here, but we learn to approach them with better efficiency and broader understanding.
Build a Bridge Between Past and Future Self
Another big lesson I’ve learned throught the journey is never to deny my past. When I started private therapy practice in 2019, I still made all the reservations, guest info, and bookkeeping for the boats we operated. I wanted to quit my job, switch, and fully dedicate myself to psychology. Looking back, I’m so happy I didn’t leave but chose to transition from one to another gradually. Integrating all new knowledge, experience, and insights helped me step into the new manager and business owner role instead of abandoning years of administrative experience. So now I can enjoy my whole self – not just the “spiritual” part.
It’s important to cherish our past achievements and not reject them in search of a new identity. What is achieved in life is valuable. We might not see it yet, but as we integrate more and more parts of ourselves, we will find a way to merge both sides of our personality.
If you are planning to travel to seek healing and self-discovery, I invite you to follow these steps:
1. At the beginning of your journey – do not rush; choose quiet, serene places close to nature. This will help you ground yourself and tune in with yourself and the space.
2. Do not rely on loud Instagram posts or ads when planning your journey. Instead, take your time to feel your intuition and observe the synchronicities that will guide you in the right direction.
3. Treat every practice, class, event, or meeting as a journey of self-discovery. These are opportunities to practice your awareness. Tune in with yourself before the practice and integrate it afterwards.
4. Remember that now you are just learning to operate on a deeper level of attunement with Self. This is not your final destination—your journey has just begun.
5. Do not completely abandon what you do in the “outside” world. You might put it on pause, knowing that eventually, you will find a way to integrate your past experiences with the new Self you are becoming.
Keys to Successful Transformation
Bali holds the powerful energy of the mother archetype. Here, we have time and space to reconnect with our true nature—if we stay open to it.
- Opening ourselves with honesty is the key to psychological growth and self-discovery.
- Deeper exploration and integration of discoveries are other keys to successful transformation.
- The final key is receiving this integration with your whole being – from birth to present.
Here are some adequate practices for integration:
- Meditation. This ancient instrument had been used for millennia. The more straightforward the technique, the better. The best is to set the theme and observe thoughts for 5-10 minutes daily.
- Psychotherapy. Seeking professional support is a wise and responsible step if we want to receive the gift of the self-discovery journey fully. I suggest an analytical approach because it focuses on the individuation process and the meaning of life.
- Somatic therapy is a secondary technique that helps us embody our newly received wisdom. Special techniques bridge our inner experience with everyday life.
Work with imagination and dreams. Dreams are messengers who help us see the hidden part of ourselves, and imagination is a language of the Subconscious—both are our good friends on the journey of self-discovery.
Concluding my article, I’m celebrating everyone who feels they are going through a “mid-age crisis” and is considering embarking on their healing journey! It’s a courageous choice. It takes alot of dedication to re-organise your life to have time and space to meet your authentic self. “Mama Bali” welcomes you with the energy of safety and nurture. Plenty of practices and ceremonies are here for you to experience the beauty of spirituality, subtle energies, and deeper connections with yourself and others. And it’s up to you what you take back home – Instagram posts or profound realisation integrated with your whole being. And lastly, your journey has just begun. Let it unfold in its own time, and enjoy the ride!
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a great and nourishing adventure of self-discovery!
- Mana Movement Dance
Katya is a free and playful spirit, a philosopher and a dancer, a loving wife, and a mother of two boys who have been based in Bali since 2009. She is deeply passionate about human nature and has studied psychology, movement and spirituality for two decades.
Katya is a certified yoga teacher, Reiki practitioner, and embodied movement facilitator and has taught various movement modalities since 2007.
Katya has a degree in Psychology and specialises in Analytical ( aka “Jungian” or “transpersonal”) psychology and Dreamwork, offering private and group therapy since 2019. She weaves a scientific approach with metaphysic practises so that we all can transform and expand in harmony.
