StayShack - Yoga Union, Bali

It’s rare to describe something as one of the best experiences of your life, but my 3 weeks in Bali to become a Yoga Teacher was exactly that.

I first tried yoga five years ago, looking for a new way to work out and build functional strength. Over time, I began to experience moments of clarity, both while flowing and in simple asanas like child’s pose. This growing appreciation for yoga inspired me to take the next step and pursue my teacher training at Yoga Union in Ubud, Bali.

Flying across the world—35 hours of travel from Chicago—was filled with uncertainty. I asked myself why I was taking time off work and leaving friends behind for this journey. But flash forward three weeks, and every cell in my body wanted to stay in those serene rice fields forever.

I instantly fell in love with the warm tropical weather and the simplicity of the culture, which felt completely different from life in America. There were no cars, just narrow paths winding through the fields for scooters to pass—unlike anything I’d ever seen before.

The trip officially began when I arrived at my villa, complete with its own pool and windows that opened to views of palm trees swaying over the rice fields. I remember hearing the soothing sounds of animals all around me and taking the most perfect nap as soon as I settled in. Later, I got ready for the opening ceremony.

Welcome to the Fire Shala. Our first day began with a ceremony filled with thought-provoking questions that helped us better understand ourselves and connect with others who had traveled from all corners of the world. Each person brought their unique yoga journey and story of what led them here.

We took time to write letters to ourselves, setting our intentions for the training ahead. We even practiced an exercise where we closed our eyes to sense each other's energy (sounds crazy, it worked)

🌾 Week 1: Setting Intentions & Grounding in the Moment 🌾

Begin each day with yoga overlooking the lush, calming rice fields

Learn foundational asanas, breathwork, and meditation techniques

Connect with fellow participants in heart-opening exercises

I loved starting each morning in a circle with Pranayama (breathwork), where we explored a variety of techniques to both energize and cool our bodies, mastering the art of air retention through precise breath control

Ujjayi (ocean breath)
Nadhi Sodhana (Alternate nose breath)

Mornings also included meditation, where we mentally journeyed through our lives, embracing each experience and cultivating gratitude for every part of our body. Afterward, we transitioned into 1.5 hours of vinyasa flow. These sessions focused on creative sequencing and building toward peak postures, all with an emphasis on alignment and mindful movement.

What made it even sweeter was afterwards we had a delicious breakfast and spent time recharing by the pool for the afternoon sessions

🌊 Week 2: Adventure, Growth, and Self-Discovery 🌊

Dive deeper into the philosophy and anatomy of yoga

Face your limits during challenging yoga flows and uncover the power within you

Reflect under starlit skies, discovering a deeper connection to yourself

Week 2 was my favorite—when the lush green rice fields felt like a new home. More importantly, I could feel my body opening up, the poses becoming less about effort and more about flow. Instead of wondering what sequence came next, I began to sense the seamless connection between breath and movement, mind and body working as one. Which is the foundation of Vinyasa.

Afternoon sessions dove into alignment, breaking down every yoga pose to its essential elements. This was where the magic of teaching unfolded—our instructors offered personalized advice that not only improved our own practice but also prepared us to guide others with confidence.

The evenings were a dynamic blend of anatomy, philosophy, and creative workshops. Anatomy captivated me, enriching my understanding of health and wellness in ways I hadn’t imagined. Philosophy, to my surprise, went beyond theory, offering practical lessons for daily life and ancient wisdom to help cultivate mindfulness and intention in everything we do. We also delved into restorative techniques and explored various styles of yoga, from the gentle stretches of Yin to the playful movements of Acro and handstands, as well as Hatha and hip-opening practices, each bringing its own unique benefits.

💞 Week 3: Mastery, Certification, and Embracing Love 💞

Hone your teaching skills with hands-on practice and supportive feedback

Leave with a renewed sense of purpose, and a new community to thrive in back home

By Week 3, you start to appreciate the little things—like $5 sushi dinners you know you won’t find back home. But the real highlight was preparing to teach my first flow!

Vinyasa sequencing is like building a pyramid: it starts with an intention and a warm-up, leads to a main flow that builds toward a peak posture, and ends with a cool-down. For my sequence, I chose eka pada koundinyasana II (flying splits) as my peak pose because it felt like the perfect representation of my style. Since it’s an open-hip pose, I worked backward to select asanas that would properly prepare the body.

We learned to break down our classes into distinct sequences, so I created three. The first focused on stretching with poses like warrior II and similar variations. The second sequence opened the hips with utkata konasana and engaged the core with boat pose. Finally, the third sequence included lizard pose to fully prepare for the peak posture.

I felt a wave of nerves as I started teaching my first class, but once I shared my experience with yoga, I settled into the moment, and it became one of my favorite experiences ever. It reassured me that I wanted to continue teaching when I returned home. The best part? At the end of class, everyone opened their eyes to a breathtaking sunset illuminating the sky

And just like that, you're a certified Yoga teacher!

To my suprise, this training was more intense than I expected. The schedule is busy with classes and embracing what you learn. Luckily, there is a bit of free time so below are my favorite adventures

Tirta Empul Purification Ritual

Nora En Pure at Savaya

Pyramids of Chi Sound Healing

Life lessons I'll never forget

I took a risk to chasing something I enjoyed over work and friends and found that I loved it even more. Yoga will be always be a part of my life so I can't wait to teach
Our autonomic nervous system breaks down into parasympathetic (chill) and sympathetic (stress). Life experiences can cause your body to shift into flight or flight anxiety. Breathing is how your body switches from stress to chill through long exhales like a relaxed sigh of relief. Eventually, your body learns to maintain in the parasympathetic side
You can't simply choose to meditate, but the 8 Limbs of Yoga taught me that while meditation itself may not be within our control, concentration is. By mastering focus, meditation becomes possible, and those brief moments in that state have the power to transform everything—especially when you learn to accept it all
Yoga represents the rythms of life. Every stretch has a beginning and end just like every life experience. And like each pose you can breath through it. Fully feeling everything like the tension and relaxation of your muscles. Then it all ends with vulnerability and gratitude
Everything is a matter of the heart. If trying to decide if something is good or bad check your heart posture and it takes the pressure off
- "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." - Proverbs 4:23
Your dreams aren't as far away as they seem. I used to joke with my friends about going to Savaya, one of the top clubs in the world—and then, just like that, I was there
Everything you need is already within you. Yoga helps quiet the mind and embrace the understanding that we are all interconnected—everything is intrinsically linked. True transformation begins with acceptance

Questions? Email me!

stayshack.yoga@gmail.com

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