December 26, 2023, I hit "send" on my class enrollment and my flight reservations

This is what I'm preparing to attend:  

Esalen Massage & Bodywork 175-hour training in Bali, Indonesia

And this is what I look like tonight, doing so. 

A bucket list item of mine for years has been to get a passport, so a few months ago, I applied for one. I had no particular travel plans but simply wanted to have one. My passport arrived on December 12, 2023. The next day, I received an email about a class I'd dreamed of taking for years, and I realized that I could check off another bucket list item - taking the Esalen massage class taught in Bali by Ellen Watson - if fear didn't stop me. I spent the next two weeks doing some research, learning all the details involved in such an intense and distant trip, and making some big decisions. With trembling hands, on December 26th, I finally hit "send" on my class and airline reservations. On the 27th, I had a meltdown. That's a huge commitment of my time, energy, money, and courage, but the trepidation faded away quickly as my growing lists demanded my focus. 

I've continued my research, tweaked my travel plans, taken care of medical requirements, started packing, exchanged some US currency for Rupiah, started learning Bahasa Indonesia, made arrangements to stay connected by phone and internet, started checking items off several lists, and continued to add new items to those same lists. I won't bore you with details. Suffice it to say that I've got a couple of really busy weeks ahead. I leave in nineteen days. Wait - I leave in nineteen days?! Yikes! I didn't realize that until just now. I have so much still to do!

As several folks have asked me to send pictures and let them know how things are going, I decided to make my life a little bit easier by setting up a blog that you can look at if you're curious. Below are some of the pictures of the Bali classes in previous years, as well as the accommodations that will be provided. 

Before you scroll through them, though, I want to add that 21 years ago, I took this same class from this same teacher at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. The approach to the client and the hands-on work have been an important part of my professional life for the first twenty-five years as a massage therapist. Learning Esalen-style massage is an amazing experience, and I know that retaking the class will be beneficial to my clients, my colleagues, and me. 

I hope you enjoy sharing this trip vicariously through this blog.








Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 3, 2024 at 3:42 PM

    So wish I could've joined you, for the body to be massaged. Heavenly..... T

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 3, 2024 at 10:03 PM

    What a marvelous adventure! I don’t think I ever told you but my spouse and I took a course in Esalen massage in the 70’s back when Esalen had a satellite Center on Union Street in San Francisco. We met every Thursday night for 8 weeks. It wasn’t designed for professional massage therapists, just for ordinary folks interested in bodywork. It was great!

    ReplyDelete

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