Crossing the Ocean: My first retreat in Bali | Tourhero Review

Ram Ram ❤️

I always knew I would give yoga retreats. After my first teacher training in 2017, I started bringing my yoga mat and spiritual books along whenever I found myself in tropical places.

There was something about the way you’re free to reorganize your time, drop the narrative of what you should be doing, and just be immersed in the teachings when you’re away. It felt far away, as I had a lot of growing to do as a human being and as a teacher between then and now, but it was a reality that I always held in my heart.

After several years supporting Jivamukti Yoga Global in the yoga travel / destination yoga teacher training space on the organizing & admin side, I felt ready to make this dream come true. TourHero contacted me in 2022 when I was staying in Italy for the 300HR Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training and Teacher’s Refinement Course. In our first conversations, it felt too good to be true. A company that basically did ALL of the heavy lifting for retreat organizers (including keeping all the spreadsheets), completely risk free for you as the host? It wasn’t the time to launch yet, because I was deep in planning our wedding and honeymoon. But now I had a partner that made it so easy to bring a retreat to life. Team TourHero said, no problem. We’ll be here when you are ready.

Fast forward to a week before our dream 5 week honeymoon around the world to Bali was ending. I simply couldn’t leave the island without a plan to go back. Bali is my place in the world - while on our honeymoon I was busy being immersed in being a new wife and exploring with Jonathan, I had strong moments of deep soul remembrance and learned so much this second trip. I heard from my beloved inspiration expert, Daniela, while we were at breakfast on the beach, our last day. We got to work putting together a 10 day adventure which combined yoga, rustic luxury, cultural experiences, spa, and beach time.

But God had another plan, His own timeline - after I had a pregnancy loss while traveling in India, I had a last push of deep inner work and healing before I was ready to lead a program that truly offered space for transformation. Little did I know, the amazing holy beings who would trust me and join this adventure were still being drawn into my life. Truly, everything worked out exactly the way it was supposed to.

Again, Tourhero said no problem, Daniela was so gracious and kind, and we completely started from scratch on the journey that would eventually come to fruition. I’ll mention that every time I’ve gone through the setup process, I notice that TourHero is constantly refining their processes and developing the most comprehensive group travel agency I can imagine. They have so many relationships and infrastructure to make a retreat that start to finish takes care of travelers, from their itinerary page to payment plan options to the way someone from TH team will help communicate with and follow up with people to the information they provide about your country to the communication of daily schedule even when you are on the trip. Every aspect is truly customizable, from venue to daily schedule to excursions to meals to vibe.

As I mentioned, I’ve worked in this space for years and know how much labor and organization goes into such a process. This saved me thousands of hours and let me focus on what I’m good at- getting the word about and teaching! I always felt supported along the way, when I had 1 million questions, tech requirements, and even needed a little wiggle room with my minimum travelers deadline due to a last minute cancellation. I literally cannot say enough good things about the process of working with TourHero, and neither can other professional hosts.

The actual retreat was better than I could have dreamed and so much better that I could have put together on my own. Puri Bagus Candidasa is a divine hidden gem in off the beaten path in East Bali. The energy is so pure and the location is so beautiful: you can swim in the ocean with tranquil views of mountains and rice paddies. There are art shops full of treasures along the cute main strip. The resort itself was the nicest place I’ve ever stayed, with a beautiful pool, amazing restaurant with a talented chef who made fully vegan feasts for us every day, a beautiful spa, and a gorgeous open air yoga shala that was better than expected. I described where I wanted to host my first retreat and it manifested like magic. PBC is ideal for any yoga experience, including yoga teacher trainings. The team attended to our every need and more. I dream about going back next year every single day. I can’t wait to bring my family one day, and I hope many more people that I know will get to experience this little piece of heaven with me.

Our arrival day was filled with hugs and settling in, and from there, we settled into a rhythm of classes, bonding, free time, and our excursions. I chose experiences that I really wanted to have personally, and it was such a joy to share them with my yoga students. Bali really is a bhakti paradise - love of God and devotion are woven into every moment and the people are so happy to teach and share about their radiant spiritual culture. Our guides intuitively talked about exactly what I was sharing about - universal love of the divine and how we can use it to shelter ourselves from the cruelty of this world as expounded by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. We purified in the holy spring temple of Pura Tirta Empul, and we hiked to the summit of a sacred volcanic mountain at sunrise … it was easy to connect with the love and glory of God in those moments. And we had the softest landing at our home away from home in between.

It amazed me at all the large and small miracles that brought our group together. One student found her way to us after falling in love with sauna on a horseback riding vacation she had been planning for 20 years, which brought her to my class at Lifetime Franklin. Another was deep in her own healing journey, made the travel plans to give herself hope and felt better than she had in years, between the good energy, the amazing food, and the healing vibrations of the sacred land itself. Another student joined during a transition phase of life: from professional to retiree and yoga teacher. She told me: “I came to Bali to practice yoga, and I learned how to pray.”

Another student wrote: “It was very obvious that Katherine put a lot of effort, time, energy, heart, soul and love into organizing and preparing for this special yoga retreat in beautiful Bali. From the locally printed notebook with snacks and hair clip provided in a customized tote bag to arranging fun and interesting excursions, many details were greatly appreciated.”

Our last dinner was the most amazing cooking class, where we learned how to make all the dishes we loved most. For me this is invaluable, as Asian cooking is already a staple of my vegan diet at home and it was amazing to have it enhanced with authentic techniques.

Same as my honeymoon, I couldn’t leave Bali without a clear plan to return and we sincerely hope to make this journey with a group that grows year over year. As a major ecology project is restoring Candidasa beach in 2026, I haven’t concretely booked our dates yet, but we are planning our return hOMe to Candidasa in April/May 2025. I am also considering visiting one of the other Puri Bagus properties, as they are all around the island and could create a well rounded adventure with internal travel and exploration.

I joke that the airport in Denpasar is my favorite place in the world to cry. But it’s never goodbye, it’s see you later to this pristine island in the Indian ocean that sincerely fills me with hope. Hope that family culture is still intact, hope that the world can heal from mistakes we made that impacted the environment, hope that religious differences can be transcended and we can live in harmony as one human family, hope that we can restore and replenish ourselves in the East, to bring healing and restoration to the deeply broken West.

I had such an amazing time hosting my first retreat that my second one has also already come to life: Divine & Aligned in Nosara, Costa Rica, November 19-23, 2025. Join us for a Pura Vida experience of God, who resides in every heart. Our satsang in the jungle, steps from the beach, will nurture this natural connection, polishing the mirror of the heart.

Any questions? Let me know! I sincerely hope any and all who want to lead group travel experiences will choose to work with TourHero. I’m so grateful for the way they supported my big vision, and truly brought it to life. If you want to reach out to them, please use my link! As a bonus, when your retreat launches, you’ll get $100. Welcome to the fam!