Blissful Bali – LPN’s Yoga & Natural Beauty Travel Necessities

My beautiful souls <3

Over the past month, I have been on a journey. A most powerful and beautiful journey.

My beliefs have been challenged. My ideas of what matters have been realigned. My love of this life has grown leaps and bounds – and I was already pretty damn fond of it. <3

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For the past several years, I have been wanting to do my yoga teacher training. This year, the universe aligned and I took off to Bali for a month of self exploration, culture, love and yoga. It was transformational and magical – and it left me feeling grateful and blessed for the people I met, the experiences I had and the realizations to which I came.

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Beach bumming on Gili Air – off the coast of Bali and Lombok

What follows will of course focus on the natural & wellness faves that joined me on my trip to Indonesia, as well as some personal moments captured along the way. I hope you enjoy <3

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Ubud

Bali Part I – Ubud – Manduka’s Pro Lite in Lure Mat

My first stop in Bali was Ubud – yoga mecca and spiritual capital of the paradise island. I spent my days roaming the eco-cafes, visiting temples, poking into markets and of course practicing yoga at the renowned Yoga Barn. Known for its massive hut-like studios, eco-cafe, workshops, teacher trainings and wellness center, this was my yogic home while in Ubud.

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The Yoga Barn – Ubud

On the journey I did not leave without my new favourite mat: Manduka’s Pro Lite in Lure – the absolutely perfect mat for travel, that still has the benefits of the PRO (cushion, and comfort, fabric-like surface for strong grip, earth mindful with emmissions-free manufacturing) while being lighter making transport a cinch. It comes with a lifetime guarantee too – and I put that to the test on the beach, in the studio and in front of the rice fields in the scorching sun.

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The specs? 71″ (180 cm) by 24″ (61 cm) and 3/16″ (4.7 mm) thick. The cushion is still thick enough to keep your joints protected and your body feeling safe on the mat. The construction of the mat is also closed cell, which prevents moisture and bacteria from making a home on your precious mat.

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Morning practice in front of the beautiful rice “fields” in Ubud

I also use the Manduka eKO mat, which you can see in a previous post here. I love this mat for its incredible durability and its sustainable manufacturing; however, it is a little heavy. When I received the PRO Lite Lure, I was in heaven. Light and still extremely gentle on my joints.

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Where to Buy: 

Online at www.manduka.com for $80 USD

Mat Renew Natural Yoga Mat Cleaner

With the amount of yoga I was doing (and with the amount of walking around barefoot – grounding into the earth is a beautiful but sometimes dirty business), it was perfect that I brough along my yoga mat cleaner. My fave? Manduka’s Mat Renew in Gingergrass (it also comes in Lavender and Soothing Citrus – all of which are fab). The Renew Mat cleaner is made with certified organic essential oils, phosphate free chelating agent, water and saponified vegetable oil. image

If you are needing a cleaner for your rubber mat (for example, my eKO mat), you can get your hands on Manduka’s Mat Restore, which is Apple Cider Vinegar based.

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Where to Buy: 

Online at www.manduka.com for $5 USD for travel size (pictured), $10 USD for regular size and $29 USD for 32 oz refill

Clear Cafe – Ubud

My time in Ubud was not without indulging in raw food, organic and vegetarian goodness at every opportunity. One of my fave stops? Clear Cafe. Clear was relocated not long ago after a fire closed down their original restaurant on Hanuman street. Now, just a 15 minutes walk from the old location you can get some delicious eats for every palate.

My favourite find? Their Hot Lava Drink warm drink (pictured below). The ingredients so you can recreate this cozy magic?

  • Cashew Mylk
  • Raw Cacao
  • Chilli
  • Honey or stevia to sweeten

It was the perfect warming treat after crashing through the waves on a boat and being completely soaked for several hours. Sitting on cozy cushions on the floor I inhaled this blissful creation <3

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Hot Lava Cocoa Drink – Clear Cafe, Ubud

 

Bali Part II – Bondalem – Yandara Yoga Teacher Training

Following my time in Ubud, I headed to the North Shore of Bali, to a little town called Bondalem. It was here I met my Yandara Yoga Teacher Training family.

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My Yandara family

Below are some images from my time in Bondalem where we practiced, learned and bonded.

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My & my glorious roomate’s home at the Shangri La – a little paradise

I must admit, it was the most incredible experience I’ve had in a long, long time. I made friends that I know will last a lifetime and learned more about myself in these weeks than I have after years of reflection. There is something powerful about experiencing self-growth and reflection with others. There is some accountability in that.

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Tessa & I at the full moon ceremony at the local temple

So it’s official – I am  a certified yoga instructor. Oh, and I finally did get into Astavakrasana, thanks to the beautiful dedication of Tess. Tess and I connected pretty quick – but the incredible thing here, is that her friend already knew about LPN before we had met. Tess arrived and realized that we had already connected from Hawaii to Oslo before we even met in person. How’s that for some Bali magic?   The universe is incredible.

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Megan & Mercy – the two Goddesses that helped transition us into teachers <3

Yogi Essentials – bkr Water Bottle in Fluff

Aside from the essential beauty products that joined me on my trip, I think the most essential of them was my water bottle. The glass bkr bottles come with a silicon sleeve to protect them, and it’s FDA approved, BPA-free, phthalate free. That’s how I like my water. Chemical free! I also have the 1 L bkr in Sigh, but this one was more convenient for packing (500 ml) – and it so happens to be the one I carry in my yoga bag here at home.

 Where to Buy:

EcoDiva Beauty Online for $30 USD

One Love Organics Healthy Locks Dry Shampoo

 When you’re practicing yoga for 15 hours a day, and sleep starts to become a greater necessity, dry shampoo to the rescue! My favourite dry shampoo, was a go-to on a great many mornings during my teacher training. You might have seen this little one posted on my Instagram not too long ago. It has been a staple since I first tried it earlier this year.

It smell is divine and the Georgia Kaolin Clay, hyalaronic acid, and silica rich bamboo extract actually help strengthen the hair. The ingredients are pure: Rice Starch, Organic Corn Starch, Kaolin, Baking Soda, Tapioca Starch, Bamboo Stem Extract, Silica and Sodium Hyaluronate. It is scented with natural and organic fragrance compounds – and my goodness is it ever pretty. 
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Where to Buy: 

EcoDiva Beauty for $29 USD for the full bottle (pictured – 1.8 oz) or $12 USD for the travel size (0.8 oz)

Henné Organics Lip Balm 

No travel post is final without my lip balm of choice. My obsession right now? Henné Organics’ lip balm. It is the perfect combination of moisture, firmness (not too globby – a word?), scent and taste. Yes, it is indeed a lip balm, but I also used it on my hands as a balm since they were pretty dry.

Luxury lip balm

The ingredients are beautiful and pure: Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Shea Butter Fruit, Organic Cocoa Seed Butter, Organic Jojoba Seed Oil and Tocopherol.

I used Henné on the daily, as many times as I could get my hands on it. It’s my new bedside favourite, purse essential and desk top necessity. Get your hands on it. Seriously. The addiction is real and it is good.

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Where to Buy: 

Henne Organics Online for $22 USD 

Rue Botanics Organic Anti Aging Aloe Vera Eye Mask

From a small little handmade boutique based in Norway comes the aloe vera eye mask from Rue Botanics. Rue Botanics does smallbatch handcrafted organic skincare here in Oslo and this little gem followed me all the way to Indonesia. I am glad it did – with all the sun and long days, the eye mask at the end of the night was the perfect way to heal the skin around the eyes, while soothing it. You could hardly tell how tired I was ;) Although that might have been the spark in my eyes…

The skin around my eyes was noticeably firmer the next day. It was the perfect last minute packing item!

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Where to Buy:

Online at Rue Botanics for 100 NOK (±$18 USD)

Indonesia Part III – Gili Air

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As my journey continued, I ended up on a paradise island: Gili Air. The Gili islands are off the coast of Bali and just before Lombok. There are three of them, all offering a different “lifestyle” from the next. I spent the last week of my time in Indonesia here, on this magical, blissful island – untouched beaches, water so clear you didn’t need goggles and memories so wonderful I barely needed pictures.

I will be back.

My Sunscreen Saviours: Annemarie Skincare Sun Love & Pratima Neem Rose Sunscreen  

So you know that question “what three items would you take with you to a deserted island?” Well, my number one item would be natural sunscreen.

So which faves made their way around the world with me? No surprise here – Annemarie Skincare & PRATIMA.

You know of my love for Annemarie Skincare – you always hear about her line on LPN’s pages. It should then be no surprise that one of my fave facial sunscreens also springs from her glorious collection – in fact you probably heard about it last year in this postFullSizeRender-13

Traveling in a sunny climate makes sun protection more essential than ever (actually scratch that, it’s always essential). Annemarie’s Sun Love is the perfect natural sun protection as well as tinted moisturizer. Forget makeup – you don’t need it, but this BB cream-like sun protection will leave your skin looking flawless and glowing. Its matte finish and light scent of lavender will leave you loving your skin’s look at feel.

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What makes it so pure? The simple and glorious ingredients: Organic aloe vera juice infused with herbs, zinc oxide (18%), organic sunflower oil, gum blend, coconut oil, herb infused oil, non-GMO glycerin, organic green tea extract, organic avocado oil, vegetable wax, aspen bark extract, iron oxide, organic buriti fruit oil, organic seabuckthorn berry oil, non-GMO vitamin E tocopherols, cocoa absolute, organic lavender oil, non-GMO xanthan gum and hyaluronic acid.

I LOVE this stuff!

Then, there is PRATIMA Skincare’s Neem Rose face sunscreen – a natural sunscreen that blocks harmful uva/uvb rays like the Annemarie Gianni, but has no colour. You’ve heard about PRATIMA’s Ayurvedic line on LPN before – you can read about it here if you missed that post. 

This sunscreen has a silky feeling, so you can easily apply makeup overtop of this sunscreen (if you wish) or wear it alone. The SPF factor of 30 means that you will need to reapply a few times – especially if you’re in sunny climates – but it is a beautiful daily facial sunscreen.

The ingredients? Ionized water, non-nano micronized zinc oxide (18.6%), organic extracts of neem, brahmi, shatavari, licorice, vitamin E, Lecithin, organic essential oil of rose and xanathan gum.

Where to Buy: 

Annemarie Skincare Sun Love for $29 USD (2.5 oz)

Pratima Skincare Neem Rose Face Sunscreen for $28 USD (2 oz)

Natural Self Tanner Fave: Eco Tan Invisible Tan by Sonya Driver from Eve Organics

What’s a fair skinned girl to do on a tropical island? Self-tan of course! While I did seek out a few sun rays to get my Vitamin D intake, for the most part I was covered up and sun-blocked. That being said, I did not want to completely miss out on a bit of a summer glow, so that is where Eco Tan’s Invisible Tan came into play.

Eco Tan is the only self tanner Certified Organic by the Organic Food Chain – and it gets its colouring from cacao and fruit extracts – so there’s not a green or orange tint in sight. The lotion develops into a honey-brown tan overnight and does not stain the sheets! Hence the name “invisible”.  Eco Tan gets its tanning capabilities from Certified Organic dihydroxyacetone, which is sourced from sugar beets.

 

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As with any self tanner, make sure you don’t miss any spots – and exfoliate first!! I made the mistake of not exfoliating and had a bit of a time with my feet the next day, but the rest of the colour was lovely – even on my face. Further to that, it didn’t reek like the chemical self tanners you get off the shelves at your grocery store, but you’ll probably still want to rinse off the residue in the AM.

As the tan begins to wear off, exfoliate well and do a separate application. Each bottle is good for about 5 full body tans.

Where to Buy: 

Eve Organics Online for $34.95 AUD


BOX Naturals Rosewater Intimate Wipes

For any Eco Diva keeping fresh is a priority – not matter where in the world you are. On my trip to Indonesia I packed BOX Natural’s Rose Water Intimate Wipes for keeping things feeling fresh and clean no matter where I was (paradise island? Check!).

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Each towelette is scented with organic essential oils (comes in lavender and rosewater – I love the rosewater scent) and are 100% biodegradable. They’re paraben-free, soy-free, petrochemical-free, animal ingredient-free, mineral oil-free, sulfate-free, artificial detergent-free and fragrance-free so they basically leave you feeling, well, pretty damn FREE.

box_rose_front_grandeThe ingredients are nasty-free too: dionized water, vegetable glycerin (for moisturizing), cucumber fruit extract (for neutralizing and cleansing), decyl glucoside (natural, non-ionic surfactant from vegetable origin – corn or coconut), aloe leaf (cooling/calming), antimicrobial phenoxyethanol (alcohol), polysorbate-20 (non-toxic), rose oil and citric acid (to balance the pH).

Where to Buy:

Eco Diva Beauty Online – $9 USD for a box of 12 Towelettes

Alima Pure Bronzer in Mauna Loa

And what would a summer holiday be without a little bronzer? Ok, so I didn’t end up wearing much makeup when I was traveling, but on the evenings I decided to get a little “crazy”, I put on my gorgeous matte mineral bronzer from Alima Pure in Mauna Loa.

The makeup is so light, that it feels like you’re not wearing anything. It creates a soft, natural glow on your complexion. So wear all the sunblock you can, and then just brighten up the face with this pretty powder. You will thank yourself later ;) The ingredients include Mica and Titanium Dioxides (the minerals that make up the “mineral” powder).

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It comes in several different colours – including some with shimmer, but I prefer to use a matte bronzer and then highlight my cheeks with RMS’ Living Luminizer.

Where to Buy:

Shop online at Eco Diva Beauty for $20 USD

Well my lovelies, you now have seen my natural and yoga necessities from my Bali trip – but I have another exciting post coming up from Bali in the next few weeks. Keep your eyes on this space.

In the meantime, Bali Blessings and so much love!

X

K

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