Finding Balance: Yin, Yang & Wellbeing the Y Way
"I've never believed wellbeing is something we achieve by pushing harder or following someone else's definition of healthy. For me, it's about finding balance and making space for fun, creativity, movement, meaningful connection, and experiences that leave us feeling more alive. These few days at COMO Shambhala Estate reminded me of the beautiful philosophy of Yin and Yang, that true wellbeing comes from embracing both energy and stillness.
This journey sparked the inspiration for our very first Travel The Y Way Wellbeing retreat, and I can't wait to return to Bali next May and share these experiences, along with so many more beautiful surprises, with a small group of like-minded Y Travellers."
Lisa Atkinson, Y Travel Marketing Concierge
Three days into her stay at COMO Shambhala Estate, Y Travel's Marketing Concierge, Lisa Atkinson, found herself lying on a daybed beside a spring-fed pool deep in Bali’s Ayung River valley, fresh cold-pressed tropical juice in hand, with absolutely nowhere she needed to be. No notifications. No schedule chasing her from one fitness or treatment session to the next. Just the sound of the river below, sunlight filtering through the jungle canopy, and an unhurried chat with an old friend about life, work, how grateful they were to find themselves in such a blissful setting, and how criminally rare it is to truly switch off these days.
It felt unfamiliar. In the best possible way.
That old friend was Dr Tanya Cates, whom Lisa first met more than twenty-five years ago teaching group fitness classes together in Melbourne, back when their biggest professional concern was keeping a room of people vaguely in time with the music. Their careers went in wildly different directions from there: Tanya gained her PhD in Human Engagement & Exercise Physiology and became a sought-after expert in ‘intelligent movement’ through her consultancy business, Fit Advisor, as well as travelling the world as a Pilates Master Trainer. Lisa’s path led her into professional photography, marketing, and travel, but the friendship stuck. Mostly, they suspect, because they had always agreed on the same philosophy: wellbeing was never just about deprivation or counting steps - it’s far more interesting than that!
It lives in movement, sure, but also in creativity, culture, connection, a good laugh, and the simple joy of being somewhere new.
Bali’s Spiritual Soul
There are worse places to test that theory than the stunning COMO Shambhala Estate, located near Ubud, deep in the spiritual heart of Bali - a wellbeing sanctuary which is literally named after the mythical kingdom of peace, wisdom and harmony described in ancient Buddhist and Hindu traditions.
Long before the Estate became one of the world's best-known wellness retreats, this stretch of the Ayung River was already considered sacred. At its centre is The Source, a natural spring that's held spiritual significance for local Balinese Hindu communities for generations and now quietly feeds the Estate's hydrotherapy pools. The surrounding land lines up with four important temples, giving it a reputation for meditation and healing that long predates the arrival of Pilates reformers and hyperbaric oxygen pods. COMO may have brought the luxury when it transformed the old Begawan Giri into its flagship wellness estate over twenty years ago, but the deep, spiritual soul of Bali has always existed here.
Lisa and Tanya’s stay at Shambhala Estate featured all the wellness essentials you'd expect: Pilates, yoga, Qi Gong, and hydrotherapy circuits that left them both feeling centered and energised, not to mention indulging in blissful treatments from the expertly trained hands of the Shambhala massage therapists.
There were afternoon mountain bike rides through local rice paddies and villages, with children sprinting to the roadside purely to wave hello as they cycled by. There were memorable meals from the Estate's Kudus House and Glow restaurants that somehow managed to be both virtuous and genuinely delicious, which anyone who's endured a "wellness menu" will know is rarer than it sounds! And then there were the recently renovated private residences, each with its own pool, overlooking lush valleys wrapped in mist, where doing precisely nothing felt less like laziness and more like the whole point. The complimentary fresh juice cocktails in each residences’ mini bar, accompanied by moorish, healthy snacks provided the perfect sustenance to power through the activities of the day.
But it was the uniquely local experiences beyond the spa menu that added true meaning to the journey.
Where Wellness Meets Wonder
On the first day of their stay, the girls ventured out early to visit a local Balinese healer for astrological birth chart and palm readings. Fully expecting to meet a weathered, toothless elder straight out of ‘Eat Pray Love’, they were instead greeted by a softly spoken younger man whose gentle insights explored life's purpose, relationships, health and the symbols that continue to shape each of their respective paths. Listening to their COMO guide share stories of her own family's visits to local healers revealed something even more meaningful: these traditions are not performances for tourists. They remain an important part of everyday Balinese life, helping families understand relationships, ancestors and the karmic connections that influence the paths they walk.
The following afternoon was spent in Ubud's artistic heart at a traditional silversmith workshop, transforming tiny pellets of silver into handcrafted keepsakes under the guidance of local artisans. Melting, shaping and hammering the metal into a chosen design became an unexpectedly mindful experience, and a reminder that creativity can be just as restorative as meditation.
For Tanya, the final morning of her stay became one of the most meaningful experiences of the journey. She took part in a traditional water blessing ceremony led by a local Balinese priest, beginning with a ritual cleansing in the Estate's ancient mineral springs before dressing in ceremonial Balinese attire to receive her blessing. The ceremony concluded with the tying of a Tridatu bracelet around her wrist, a twisted cord of red, black and white threads symbolising the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and the cosmic balance and harmony they represent.
The Spark of Inspiration - A Retreat With A Difference
Somewhere between those moments, countless conversations, and many laughs shared over leisurely breakfasts, twilight Estate walks, and afternoons by the pool, Lisa and Tanya landed on the same realisation. The best wellness experiences don't hand you someone else's definition of wellbeing and expect you to fit it. They simply create enough space for you to work out your own, then get out of the way. It's the ancient concept of Yin and Yang. Movement and stillness. Adventure and reflection. Energy and calm. Neither one means much without the other.
That realisation became the inspiration behind Y Travel’s inaugural Travel The Y Way Wellbeing small group retreat, which the two friends will co-host together in May 2027.
Rather than following the usual wellness retreat playbook of rigid schedules, relentless self-improvement and a faint air of guilt if you skip the 6am session, Lisa and Tanya have crafted an itinerary that embraces both sides of the balance. The Travel the Y Way Wellbeing journey opens with three nights at the cool, contemporary, COMO Uma Canggu, where Bali's coastline brings the outward, playful energy of Yang: sunrise beach sessions, sea breezes, good coffee, better sunsets. From there, it moves inland for four nights at COMO Shambhala Estate, where jungle stillness and sacred springs bring on the Yin, slowing everything down and making room to actually feel it. Together, the two destinations create a beautifully balanced experience, each complementing the other.
As your Y Travel host, Lisa will be there to welcome the group, share her creativity and love of storytelling, help facilitate optional experiences, and, for those interested, lead a photography walk through local villages, drawing on her experience as a professional photographer to help you to elevate your own travel photography. As the group's Movement and Wellbeing Expert, Tanya will guide both group and one-on-one movement sessions throughout the week with her signature joyful enthusiasm, while sharing practical insights guests can continue using long after they return home.
There will be plenty of structure for those who love it: group wellness experiences, COMO Shambhala massages, and private Pilates or exercise physiology sessions with Tanya herself. But there's just as much built in for those who'd rather write their own version of the week, with optional experiences designed to let each traveller tailor the journey to their own version of wellbeing, whether that means nourishing the mind, body or spirit. Sleep in if you feel like it. Spend an entire afternoon by the pool if that's what your body's asking for. Nobody will bat an eyelid either way.
The group is intentionally limited to just twelve like-minded Y Travellers, creating space for genuine friendships to develop while encouraging meaningful connections with the local communities, guides and artisans who make Bali so special. As places are limited, we strongly encourage you to register your interest today to avoid the disappointment of missing out.
There will be movement and stillness. Adventure and reflection. Creativity and connection. Fun and culture. And of course, each of our Y Factors expertly threaded through the entire week.
Consider it a retreat with a difference. The Y Travel Way.