My trip to Club Med Bali – Body and Soul: Four Colors in Four Days

club med bali

I just came back from Club Med Bali a couple of days ago. There was a really interesting event going on called Body and Soul: Four Colors in Four Days. I was there for 5 days for the Club Med experience and thought this was a great concept.

garden yoga

It was a lot like my Club Med Phuket trip in that everything is all inclusive and there are friendly GO’s who answers any questions you might have and even eats with you. The best thing about Club Med is that everything is all-inclusive and you can choose to do whatever you want…or nothing at all.

zoomba

Anyway, since the 4-day Body and Soul event was running, I went for each of the themed events. There’s a new color every day and that color denotes the β€œtheme of the day” which encompasses everything from activities to food!

club med bali restaurant

  • Rejuvenation in Yellow
  • Energy in Red
  • Balance in Green
  • Revitalization in Purple

club med food

Body and Soul: Four Colors in Four Days is meant for people who want to immerse themselves in a health and wellness program. It’s a way to get away from the hectic city life and check into Club Med to awaken your spirit, heal your hearts and bodies and even your sense of well-being.

chi balls

I must say I was rejuvenated by the end of the program. πŸ™‚

kayaking

It’s really quite interesting – for example, on Green Day: Balance – there’s kayaking to start the day…

yoga window

…followed by a session of yoga with Yin Yang Chi Balls by experts from the award winning Australian fitness company Physical BestLisa Westlake, the fitness instructor/owner/physiotherapist/presenter/author (there’s little she doesn’t do) and Lynley Gladdis (an international presenter in the area of mind and body fitness with degrees in Arts Dance and Remedial Massage)

aqua aerobics

There was a really upbeat class of aqua aerobics which I totally enjoyed – had a blast doing this, it’s a lot of fun! πŸ™‚

I even had a video of me doing aqua aerobics – thanks Becky!

green day food

There’s also green themed food and special platters that highlights nutrition based on this color.

cucumber sushi

Cucumber sushi with fish roe

green tea macaroons

Green tea macaroons <3 cucumber olives

Cucumber with olives

spring rolls

It’s pretty amazing, eh? They even had pistachio ice cream on green day!

body soul club med

There are also kids programs with the similar theme and night entertainment (green party during green day). Thus, each day is broken down into several activities e.g. for Red Day: Energy:

red food

Main Program
Cherating Beach: Tree Top
Bali: Flying Trapeze
Fun Family Mini-Olympic

Expert Program
Tribal Rhythm
Zumba

Kids Program
Tie dye T-shirts

Night Entertainment
Latin night

cindy

If you think Club Med is fun, wait till you experience the Four Colors in Four Days event! I did things with my body that my girlfriend didn’t believe until I showed her the photos from yoga (that’s Cindy from Malaysia, who’s a yoga instructor on vacation at Club Med Bali).

tribal dance

Body and Soul: Four Colors in Four Days was held on Club Med Bali in March and will kick off in Club Med Cherating Beach from 7th – 14th April 2013! Yup, it’s coming to Malaysia right after Bali. It’s a health and wellness retreat to boost well-being through a series of 4 consecutive color themed days with the color included in everything from diet to parties!

yoga

You can also safely leave your kids in Club Med, that’s why I love the place so much. They’ll have stuff to do and be entertained while you go do your own stuff. Check out Club Med Cherating Beach if you’re interested to know more about the upcoming Body and Soul event in Malaysia! They have special packages for a 4D/3N stay!

(Related: Visit the following to find the best optiate alternatives)

Thanks for the invite Jisan! πŸ™‚

Karma Yoga

beyoga

I’ve watched a lot of people at my office get bitten by the yoga bug. I’ve been tempted to start myself, except I keep telling myself I have no time. I suspect that’s my usual excuse for maintaining my sedentary lifestyle (and apparently, I’m not alone – met Chics who said the very same thing). Heh!

be yoga

I was intrigued when Ninie emailed me about her new place and asked me to drop by last Sunday. beyoga is located in Metropolitan Square and it’s not too far from where I live. The session was quite early on Sunday (it’s almost illegal to get someone to wake up at that hour on a Sunday) but I said okay coz I’m really interested to know how this yoga thing goes.

lobby

beyoga is a really nice place – the interior is very Zen, and despite being the only guy there, I felt very much at ease. The full length mirrors allow me to see Ninie regardless of whether she’s in front or at the back and check if I’m doing it the right way. It’s my first lesson so I was a bit unfamiliar with the asanas and needed a lot of visual reaffirmation.

membership

I think the thing that sold me was Ninie asking the reason we’re all gathered there on that fateful Sunday. What is my purpose of doing yoga? I thought about it for a while and realized there are two reasons – to feel better about myself and to correct my horrible posture. My mom never told me to un-slouch myself when I was a kid and over the years, I’ve developed a bit of a slouch – a problem I have struggled to correct.

interior

I’m hoping that all the bending and twisting involved in yoga, as well as the emphasis on correct posture, will get me to stand (and sit) straight. It is a 28 year habit, but it’s never too late to start taking remedial steps. πŸ™‚

waiting

The lesson started with stretching before moving to basic poses like the Downward-Facing Dog. We then proceeded to do the Cobra Pose and more complicated asanas that required feats of dexterity that I didn’t know I possess!

yoga room

I surprised myself by successfully clasping the small of my back with my hands and pulling my legs straight up. Ninia told me I was pretty good for a first timer, I’m not sure if she was just being kind or it has a grain of truth in it. I’m inclined to believe the latter. πŸ˜‰

ninie

I felt a nice afterglow (endorphins?) for the entire day after the yoga session. Yoga can make you feel better and more confident about yourself too – another plus point. It’s not just for females, contrary to popular belief. Anyone can join yoga (just look at me – I drink and smoke) and I’m STILL going (although I felt really bad about smoking a cigarette after yoga :p).

yoga us

Lead a healthier lifestyle if you must (no caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, fat etc) but if you’re not willing to make drastic changes to your lifestyle just yet, hold back and get a feel of yoga first.

chics

You might be surprised to find out that you actually enjoy it.

logo

I have bent myself in ways the human body is not meant to be twisted (at least IMHO) and I FELT GOOD after the session.

yoga pose

I’m going to make this a regular thing (including the horribly early Sunday session) coz it seems like the world is brighter, nicer and happier when I do that.

Exhale all your bad feelings, be a better person!