Exploring Ubud and Spiritual Bali – ‘The Island of the Gods’

Bali is Indonesia’s most popular tourist destination, famous for stunning beaches and rice terraces, epic surfing and luxury wellness resorts.

But there’s so much more to this beautiful, tropical island than just fun in the sun. Bali is also a deeply spiritual place with a unique culture, lifestyle, traditions and religion.

Bali is a larger and more diverse island than many people realise. While the unique Balinese spirituality is omnipresent all over the island, you’ll need to escape tourist hotspots like Kuta, Legian and Seminyak to really immerse yourself in spiritual Bali.

Bali’s spiritual side is what makes this island so special and what sets it apart from other destinations. It’s why Bali stole my heart and keeps me coming back again and again for more.

Balinese Spirituality – Why Bali Is Called ‘The Island of the Gods’

Bali is known as ‘The Island of the Gods’ due to the thousands of temples and unique culture, traditions, festivities and spirituality found all over the island.

The majestic cone of Gunung (Volcano) Agung presides with a God like presence over the whole island, while waves crash creating epic surf breaks around the temple topped cliffs of the Bukit Peninsular.

If you’re looking for spiritual Bali, a good starting place is to head inland where luscious jungles, green rice field terraces, mountains, volcanoes, waterfalls and traditional villages are a beautiful reminder of the traditional Balinese spirituality and way of life.

While the scenery is stunning, for me, it’s the unique Balinese spirituality that makes this island so captivating.

It’s the omnipresent, enchanting, ancient temples and the culture, religions, traditions and hospitality that is uniquely Balinese make the island of Bali such a paradise.

This ‘island of the gods’ has a unique culture all of it’s own, a Hindu enclave very different to the rest of Muslim dominated Indonesia – the largest Muslim population in the world and the 4th most populace country in the world.

The Hindu society here is the only one of it’s kind left in South East Asia and the religion differs from that found and practiced in India.

Hinduism in Bali still has a strong focus on animism and a belief in the good and bad spirits, and positive and negative forces, that are omnipresent in the world.

Religious activity still permeates almost every aspect of Balinese life, so much so that religious events apparently occupy a third of the average Balinese social calender.

Daily life is still dominated by the rituals. Enchanting little offerings called canang are made from banana leaves for the gods appear all over Bali every morning, in every nook and cranny and on every weathered statue.

Each canang is different. I’m told that all that matters is that what ever you offer comes from the heart. Holy water is sprinkled on the offering and incense lit to let the deity know to come and get the offering.

Offerings are even tossed across the pavements and the beach as even the demons and bad spirits can also be appeased with offerings. The smell of sandalwood incense fills the air wafting up from ancient statues of mythical creatures wrapped in cloths sheltering under elaborate umbrellas.

Completing the magic are the the penyor (ornamental bamboo poles) bowed down with garlands of flowers that wave in the breeze arching over the roads always pointing the the volcano Gunung Agung that is revered, feared and respected in equal measures.

The Island of a Thousand Temples

One of the most visual aspects of Balinese spirituality is the art and architecture of the homes and temples. Every house has it’s own temple shrine – this is why Bali is called the ‘Island of a Thousand Temples’ but this is still a massive understatement. It’s more like the island of a million temples!

You would be extremely unlucky, even only on a weeks holiday, to miss a temple festival or ceremony. Each of the 20,000 temples of Bali holds an annual festival to entertain the gods with processions, offerings, traditional dances and cock fights.

Witness the Balinese in their beautiful traditional dress of sarongs, sashs and head cloths called udeng; a kaleidescope of colours perched on mopeds swerving through the evening congestion. Thronging to the temple laden with offerings upon their heads trying to avoid the cheeky monkeys.

Despite the natural beauty, the real magic of this island lies within the Balinese, who approach everything with a smile, faith and good grace, illuminating this beautiful island with an ever present spirit that is what makes Bali so special.

Ubud – The Spiritual and Cultural Heart of Bali

So if you want to experience Spiritual Bali, the first place to head is inland to Ubud – the cultural, artistic and spiritual heart of Bali.

Nowadays, Ubud is no longer a quaint village after it became famous following the popular book and film – ‘Eat Pray Love.’ Whilst it’s a popular tourist destination, it’s still the best place to start learning about Balinese spirituality.

Ubud actually means ‘medicine’ and has long been a centre of healing way before Julia Roberts came to ‘find herself.’

If you come on a rushed day trip you probably won’t understand what all the fuss is about – you need to stay for a while, find a place to stay in Ubud slightly out of the crowded centre for the best experience and take your time to soak in the unique energy. There’s plenty to do in Ubud, I promise you won’t get bored!

Ubud is packed with spas, yoga studios, healing, wellness and spiritual retreats, healthy cafes, eco conscious boutiques and cultural activities and workshops which will allow you to experience the cultured, artistic, spiritual Bali.

Spiritual Things to do in Bali

If you want to learn more about Balinese spirituality, Ubud is where you’ll find many of the best spiritual things to do in Bali. There’s so much you can pick and choose what suits your needs.

Some of the best things to in Ubud are:

• Visit the ancient temples like Pura Saraswati (Ubud Water Palace)
• Participate in a purification ritual by bathing in a holy spring at Tirta Empul.
• Meet a Balinese healer or medicine man,
• Visit the sacred monkey forest,
• Take a yoga class,
• Relax with a Balinese massage
• Admire Balinese paintings, woodcarving and handicrafts – or join a workshop and make your own
• Watch a traditional Balinese dance at Ubud Royal Palace
• Listen to traditional gamelan music – the real soundtrack of Bali.
• Take a walk through the rice fields,
• Soak up the stunning views of the Tegalalang rice terraces,
• Eat at healthy raw vegan restaurants like Alchemy and Zest.
• Visit hidden waterfalls in the jungle
• Hike Mount Batur at sunrise

You can check reviews and book many of these activities online in advance on Viator.

Ubud is Bali’s biggest yoga hotspot with so many studios, spas, retreats and raw vegan cafes. The most famous yoga studio in Ubud is The Yoga Barn and The Bali Spirit Festival is also held here. Check out this comprehensive guide to yoga in Bali for more.

Bali’s mountains and volcanoes are deeply revered and witnessing the sunrise on the top of Mount Batur can be a deeply spiritual and moving experience. It’s easy to arrange as a day trip from Ubud.

Ubud is also a great place to take a workshop and learn how to make Balinese arts and handicrafts, options include batik painting classes, jewellery making workshops, wood carving workshops, Balinese cooking classes and much more.

This is a fun way to immerse yourself in the Balinese culture whilst also learning a new skill. A good place to find and book these workshops, and check reviews from previous guests, is on Viator.

Spiritual Retreats in Bali

And if you really want to be immersed in the magical, spirituality of Bali, or have your own ‘Eat Pray Love’ experience, one of the best ways to do this is by joining a spiritual retreat.

Spiritual retreats in Bali are usually tucked away in the jungle and ricefields away from the hustle and bustle of the more touristy areas and offer the chance to really switch off from every day life and immerse yourself in tranquillity and spirituality of Bali.

Most Bali retreats offer daily yoga classes, meditation sessions, cultural and spiritual activities like offering making, dance classes, cooking classes and visits to temples. They also usually include comfortable accommodation and healthy meals in a peaceful resort so you can relax and concentrate on connecting to the spirit of Bali, to nature and to yourself.

There’s literally hundreds of yoga retreats in Bali, but here’s some recommendations for the best spiritual retreats:

Om Ham Retreat – Spiritual Yoga and Spa Retreat in Ubud

An authentic retreat located in a peaceful spot in the rice fields just north of Ubud. Munivara Ashram and Om Ham Retreat were founded by Master Guru Ketut Asana, who comes from a family of traditional Balinese shamanic healers.

This retreat center aims to help people find their true selves and reconnect with spirituality. You’ll learn unique Kundalini Tantra yoga and meditation from highly experienced yoga teachers, experience traditional Balinese spiritual rituals, sound healing, spa treatments, rice field walks and village tours and enjoy healthy organic meals. See more details here.

Balitrees – Balinese Yoga, Culture and Spirituality Retreat

One of my favourites is with Balitrees which is held at Pasraman Seruling Dewata – one of the oldest spiritual ashrams in Bali. This sustainable and eco spiritual retreat is located in the spiritual village of Sesandan close to Mount Watukaru. This is way off the tourist trail which gives you the chance to really be immersed in local Balinese life.

The retreat includes classes in the unique traditional Balinese Watukaru Yoga and meditation sessions as well as fun activities that will allow you to experience the local cultural and spirituality including a visit to the Shaman, Balinese Hindu offering making workshop, waterfall purification ritual, traditional Balinese music and dance class, rice farming and coconut oil making, and much more. Check it out here.

Santhika Retreat – Emotional Healing Retreat

Another excellent off the beaten track retreat is held at Santhika Retreat Center near Lovina Beach in North Bali. This intimate retreat is focused on emotional healing, self awareness and finding balance between mind, body and spirit.

As well as daily yoga and meditation sessions and spa treatments, this retreat offers transformative workshops and practices to help you discover self-love, overcome emotional obstacles and cultivate lasting happiness. You also visit offbeat temples, have the chance to participate in a purification ceremony at a holy waterfall and hot springs and snorkel with dolphins! Check it out here!

A good place to find other spiritual retreats is on bookretreats.com or bookyogaretreats.com where you can sort through and read reviews of the many options available.

I hope this post has inspired you to discover the spiritual side of Bali, there’s so much more to the island of the gods than just Bintang and beaches – in fact that’s what makes it so special and compels me to return again and again.

Read More Bali Travel Blogs

• Where to Stay in Ubud
• Best Things to do in Ubud
• Best Yoga Retreats in Ubud
• Life Changing Yoga Teacher Training in Ubud
• 2 Week Bali Itinerary – Yoga, Surf and Spirituality