Four Seasons in Bali Offers Philosophy of Life to Guests

This sounds like the most amazing way to spend a day in Bali. The Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan is inviting guests to experience the Balinese philosophy of life.

The philosophy is known as Tri Hita Karana, meaning the "three sources of life" in the ancient Balinese Sanskrit language. Tri means three, Hita means prosper, and Karana means cause. The concept holds that faith, humanity and nature are inseparably linked, and that happiness and prosperity can only be attained if all human beings live in balance and harmony with their faith, with other human beings and with the environment. In the Tri Hita Karana one-day program at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, guests can experience all of these elements through meditation, a temple tour, a Balinese cooking class and a Tiger Grass Cooler treatment at the Spa.

The day begins at 7 a.m. with a meditation session on the deck of the rooftop Lily Pond. High above the trees, participants will be encouraged to let their minds slip into a deeper state of conscious relaxation.

This will be followed by an à la carte breakfast at riverside bale, after which guests are taken on a tour to the Resort’s Temple. The Temple or Pura is the focus of the spiritual activity of every community on the island, a sacred space in which the deities are honoured with rituals and offerings. (There are more temples than houses in Bali; most villages have at least three temples; and every home has a shrine or house temple.) By lifting flower petals up to the gods in an act of prayer, the Balinese express their close relationship with the natural beauty of their island home.

Next is joining the Resort’s chief gardener for a garden tour, tasting fresh tropical vegetables, herbs and spices, then heading up to kitchen to explore the flavors of Balinese cuisine through participation in a Balinese cooking class. After being introduced to the exotic herbs and spices that are used in Balinese cooking, guests will learn how to prepare the basic bumbu spice mix, before going on to cook a Balinese feast.

The final treat of the day is the Tiger Grass Cooler therapy in a Spa villa, when guests will be pampered with the botanical benefits of gotu kola – also known as tiger grass. A thorough scrub with this organic gotu kola and walnut body polish is followed by warm oil Abhyanga massage. A unique gotu kola skin-firming and moisturising body mask leads to a relaxing frangipani and pandanus bath.