The Retreat was just amazing. So much happened that it's going to be hard talk about it all without being here all day - so here's installation one and there'll be more to follow. (I'm not too on the ball at the moment having come down with a nasty dose of tonsilitis so bear with me if this is all over the place!)

DAY 1

On the first evening we met up in the Yoga pavillion which was a beautiful space overlooking the jungle with cool breezes flowing through it. The guys who run the retreat are a lovely couple called Iyan and Claude. Iyan is Indonesian, the yoga guru and one of the smiliest people in the world. Claude is French Canadian and takes care of the business side of things. After introducing ourselves (the group was made up of 7 of us, A Mum from Perth, a couple who run horse safaris in Zimbabwe, two Aussie girls who are both living in Hong-Kong and a journalist from Bangkok covering the retreat for Thai Marie Clare!) we did a quick meditation and then went to get dressed for the cleansing ritual.

So that was how I found myself hours after beginning the retreat wrapped in a white sheet submerging myself under a series of water spouts in a temple after having been blessed by a Balinese holy man. The blessing involved putting a white flower behind our right ear, two coloured flowers behind our left ear and three coloured flowers on top of our heads - it was all pretty mind blowing. When we entered the water it was about 9pm and actually quite cold so all the dunking was very exhilirating. It was only when we were safely out of the water that Claude pointed out the 2 foot eel that had been in there with us...

DAY 2

The alarm call came at 6.30 am for a 7am start to the first yoga class. Now even though I knew I'd booked onto a yoga and meditation retreat I hadn't actually thought through the yoga part. The last time I did yoga was about 8 years ago and I got in trouble for cracking up laughing when a lady fell over sideways into a cupboard. But there I was looking at Iyan and thinking "you want me to put my foot where???" So that this stage I realised that yoga isn't actually as easy as it looks... I struggled through the first class wondering what the hell I'd let myself in for - actually I knew 1 1/2 of yoga every morning and evening.

The next part of the day though was absolute bliss. I had an Ayurveda treatment which involved a 2 hour massage, then having warm oil poured onto all my chakra points on both sides of my body and then onto my forehead (or third eye) then having a floral footbath with a cup of ginger tea (this amazing concoction of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and palm sugar - it's addictive)

In the evening after the "restorative" yoga session we went out to a Kechak dance which was pretty amazing. It felt like a crazy mix of Islander and Indian cultures. The chorus was made up of about 50 men in sarongs, bare chested and chanting while between them dancers in elaborate costumes danced the story of the abduction of Sita. It was spectacular with the stage lit with fire torches. At the end about 20 little kids came on dressed as monkeys.

After the show a few of us decided to go for a coffee before returning to the retreat (OK not very Zen I know) and ended up getting a lift back in the back of a police ute!

DAY 3

Day three was a day of silence. Don't laugh. And yes I was silent (apart from accidentally talking to myself a couple of times)