The YOGA BARN: EXPANDING SUSTAINABLY and RESPONSIBLY
Welcome to Bali … may you be inspired by its beautiful mountain scenery, the warmth of its people, its deep culture and spiritual wonder … there truly is something magical here, especially in Ubud, and preserving this island’s natural wonders is a priority at The Yoga Barn.
You may have seen or heard about The Yoga Barn’s new plans to expand, we are sensitive to our footprint and with concerns about keeping Ubud the way it “used to be” - keeping the rampant development, the congested traffic, the vanishing rice fields to a minimum is a shared responsibility for all.
A Vision
Our initial idea was to lease all the rice fields north of The Yoga Barn, paying all the local farmers to continue with rice production (with our full support) under the condition that they do so organically. Unfortunately, a hotel developer bought up the land, and we were disheartened to learn that this land will now become a 54-room property with a completion date of August 2012 (This is the long wall you now see just as you walk down the drive towards The Yoga Barn entrance).
Our vision has always been to create, “An Oasis of Calm in the Center of Ubud”, but we learned the hard way that if you wish to protect your vision, then it’s best to take action before you miss your chance to developers. As a result, we teamed up with some friends (who are now our partners) and hastened our timeline to lease an additional 80 Are (about 3.5 acres) of land.
Sustainable Benefits
The new studio will be a larger open-air space, about double the size of our existing studio. What many people don’t know is that we are preserving almost 80% of the land we’re contracting … creating a *Green Zone* down below and ALL of the wood being used for the new studio is recycled, sourced from the island of Kalimantan ... This will mean:
- NO motorcycle or car traffic access.
- The use of sustainable materials only for the expansion project
- Our guests will have a dedicated place to meditate, contemplate, appreciate,
rejuvenate … in the open air and among the rice fields, gardens and trees …
Space to move … Space to breathe … All surrounded by Green
Why Expand?
One of our nicest attributes (we’re told) is the beautiful open-air experience and the freedom to move! We limit our classes to 30 to support our guests who are here on vacation -- decompressing from stressful jobs, crowded cities, the challenges of modern life, etc. This project will allow us to continue to provide the s-p-a-c-e for everyone to *feel* like they’re not in some mat-to-mat, sardine-can experience.
Our project is being managed by Made Gunarta, husband of Meg Pappenheim, and cofounder of Balispirit, KAFE & The Balispirit Festival. Dek, passionate about preserving his Balinese culture and heritage, is a master wood worker and craftsman. The entire ‘look’ of The Yoga Barn is Dek’s aesthetic.
More Space for Community
Finally our project will allow us to continue serving and supporting the local community. The new Yoga Barn will continue to offer free classes for all once a week and make ALL classes accessible to local Balinese (by donation only). We (Balispirit, The Balispirit Festival, and The Yoga Barn) are also involved on many levels with community outreach programs like ‘Ayo! Kita Bicara HIV/AIDS’ (Come on! Let’s Talk About HIV/AIDS) and Bamboo Reforestation. These services will continue and our new space is available for these and the other charities we support* (see below). We invite you to get involved today, and join the many smart, dedicated, passionate people here … Balinese, expatriates, and visitors alike -- who care deeply about this community and have begun to roll up the sleeves …
Ultimately, our project will keep alive the ‘Oasis of Calm’ vision, the practice of giving back to the community, and the conscious living choices we treasure.
We thank you for your support and invite you to visit our website: www.theyogabarn.com , to read more about this project and other Yoga Barn activities. We also invite you to join us on Facebook @ The Yoga Barn Bali .
CHARLEY PATTON,
THE YOGA BARN
*There are many many local projects to help with if you are interested. In addition to our Ayo! Kita Bicara HIV/AIDS and reforestation programs, BaliSpirit has spent tens of thousands of USD to support other local community programs including: IDEP, Bumi Sehat - natural woman’s birth clinic, the Sumatran Orangutan Society, Senang Hati – a charity for disabled Balinese, and Yayasan Widya Guna - a children’s orphanage, just to name a few. To get involved or find out more information about these and other great causes, visit the BaliSpirit website: http://www.balispirit.com/ngos/
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