#185 A New Shala, A Sacred Season
Between Celebration and Silence
I’ve started setting up the yoga shala at Mindful Bali for our March 2026 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training, and it feels surreal in the best way.
This training falls over Nyepi, the Balinese New Year, which was very intentional. Nyepi is on March 19, 2026, and it’s a full day of silence across the entire island. No cars, no flights, no electricity, no movement. Bali shuts down completely. It’s quiet in a way that’s hard to describe until you experience it. It’s not empty, but deeply settled.
The days before Nyepi are just as meaningful. We’ll be here for Ogoh-Ogoh, when villages carry large monsters through the streets - representations of fear, chaos, ego, and shadow - before they’re symbolically released. It’s loud, intense, and a little wild, and then suddenly… everything stops. The contrast is powerful.
Hosting a teacher training during this time feels special. And what makes it even more meaningful is that this will be the first YTT held in my own shala.
I’ve led many trainings before, online and in Bali, but this one feels different. It feels like something I’ve been quietly working toward for a long time.
There’s a lot happening behind the scenes:
Coordinating our teaching team - two teachers I deeply respect. I’ll be teaching yoga philosophy, meditation, and vinyasa. We’re joined by an incredible Indonesian teacher offering Hatha, Yin, Pranayama, and Meditation, and Marlen, a wonderful teacher from Germany, guiding Anatomy and Vinyasa Asana.
Inviting friends and teachers from the local and international community to drop in and share their perspectives.
Organizing teaching opportunities for our Senior Student Extension, where graduates can return at a discounted rate to assist, teach, and continue integrating what they’ve learned.
Last week, I had bulletin boards and whiteboards installed in the shala. They might not seem like a big deal, but for me they are. They signal that this is a place for study - for questions, diagrams, notes, conversations that unfold over time.
Having my own yoga shala has always been a dream, mostly because of what it represents. I wanted to create a home for learning, not just a place to practice poses.
Today, I printed and hung anchor charts on the walls — philosophy maps, reminders, frameworks we’ll return to again and again. That’s how a space starts to feel alive to me.
Back in September, I also put up MixTiles with photos from every retreat and teacher training I’ve led before moving into the villa into the living room, which is kind of like the chilling, break room in between classes for YTT students! I wanted the space to hold memory. To carry the energy of past groups into what’s coming next. It contains really special memories when I take a look at it.
Outside the shala, the village itself has become part of the experience. I recently met a local guesthouse owner just down the road. He worked for years at the Grand Hyatt Bali and has since returned to his village. He now runs a small guesthouse within walking distance and has offered to take our group on a village history walk, sharing stories about the land and the community here. I am going to be promoting his guesthouse as a great affordable place to stay in the future!
These are the moments I love most, when yoga moves beyond the mat and into real connection.
Our March 15 - April 5 2026 YTT is already fully booked, which still blows my mind.
We also have a June 2026 YTT, and this one will take place during Galungan - a major Balinese ceremonial period. Galungan is when dharma is said to triumph over adharma, and when ancestors are believed to return to the earth. The island feels very alive during this time. Penjor line the streets, offerings appear everywhere, and daily life revolves around ceremony. Practicing and studying yoga during Galungan doesn’t feel theoretical - it’s happening all around you. There are just two spots left for this training. You could save a spot here!
In July, we’ll also be hosting our first 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training in the shala, continuing to deepen the space as a place for long-term study and mentorship.
If you’re feeling drawn to Bali during Galungan, when devotion is visible and shared, I would love to welcome you here.
And if traveling to Bali isn’t possible right now, this work still exists beyond this place. I’m currently offering an upcoming Bali Bhakti Flow series, inspired by devotional practice and mythology, as well as a How to Meditate course for anyone wanting to build or return to a steady meditation practice from home.
Last Bali Bhakti Flow starts Jan 18 - save your spot here
Next How to Meditate starts Jan 29 - save your spot here
Whether you join us here in Bali or from wherever you are in the world, this work is ultimately about the same thing - learning how to listen more closely, live more intentionally, and stay in relationship with your practice over time.
With love,
Alexandra