My chakra-fluffing failed: what happens when wellness meets reality in Bali

I was deep into my wellness journey at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay when I found myself dangling upside down from the ceiling, legs splayed like a frog. The AntiGravity Yoga instructor whispered for us to flip, lift our hearts toward the sky and fly. But I misjudged my trajectory and headbutted the person beside me. Not. Very. Zen.

It was at that moment I realised that achieving balance in the literal sense is not always graceful. Especially in Bali, where the principle of rwa bhineda (harmony of opposites) and the seen and unseen (sakala and niskala) is embedded in the everyday.

I'm experiencing this duality during a back-to-back Bali, Twice the Magic stay on the Island of the Gods: at the wildly luxurious Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay, south of Kuta, and Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, Ubud.

While the Jimbaran Bay property is a celebration of sakala (the seen) - its layout defined by open courtyards, stone paths lined with frangipanis and ocean villas with plunge pools - the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan is a sanctuary of all that is unseen, with an 'outside-in' design that sees it rise out of its rainforest surrounds like the prow of a ship. Although the views over ocean and jungle could not be more different, the two five-star properties are on the same path when it comes to wellness. And I'm here to give my chakras a solid fluffing.

I'm reminded about the Balinese belief that the world operates on two parallel plains of existence - the seen and the unseen - when I'm spirited away to a room sealed from outside sources of light in Bali's first Surround Sound Spa Suite. I'm grateful to be feeling unseen while sealed away in the Illume Room wearing disposable underwear on a bed of crushed rose-pink quartz crystals. Conversely, I also feel seen by the Healing Village Spa therapist who tailors the Celestial Light Ritual using a bespoke combo of light, colour and sound that flick my body's switch to bliss mode.

"The Celestial Light Ritual is more about alignment than indulgence," says spa director Luisa Anderson, who oversees 10 Four Seasons spas across Asia. Luisa says she worked with Balinese therapists to develop the treatment, which supports "deep emotional and energetic work".

"Sound is associated with the higher chakras and is the most subtle of our senses. The Balinese use sound in their ceremonies and we honoured that by getting a giant brass gong to bring those vibrations to your heart," says Anderson, who has worked with Four Seasons since 2001.

Those good vibrations continue to wash over me during a separate chromotherapy session where a Vichy shower is delivered through coloured beams of light at the newly renovated spa. Also restorative are the gratitude ceremonies and cultural activities that are woven into our Jimbaran Bay stay, which coincides with Nyepi, the Day of Silence and Balinese New Year. Cultural ceremonies here are not performative - the resort was built around a 17th century shrine - and being in Bali when the island falls silent feels like the perfect time for reflection.

Resort guests are also invited to join cultural ambassador Ni Ketut Swartini (Ibu Atik), in making canang sari, delicate baskets woven from coconut leaves, which we fill with flowers and rice as an offering to the gods. We also join Ibu Atik on Jimbaran Bay beach in the early morning for meditation and an ocean blessing led by the resort's Hindu priest Ajik Ngurah. "We let the waves wash over us during this blessing to cleanse the spirit and restore harmony between humans and nature," says Ibu Atik.

Inner calm duly activated, we wait for the sun to stalk across the sky so we can balance all that healing with a splash of hedonism at the Telu Bar where Bali's traditional spirit, arak, is used as a base in several sustainably minded cocktails. Buzzed on good vibes, we then wander over to Jala to indulge in the Taste of Bali menu, where the restaurant's chefs take inspiration from the famed Jimbaran Bay fish markets. Lunch at Alu, where the menus are designed by a nutritionist, and dinner at Taman Wantilan are also highlights, with East and West influences evident.

The time has now come to untether ourselves from the silk sheet of the sea at Jimbaran Bay to journey inland to Ubud, not by road, but by river with the option to check in to Four Seasons Bali Sayan after a two-hour rafting trip.

The world's only check-in by river is as fun as it sounds and a great way to make an entrance. The resort was designed by John Heah in 2003 to resemble a giant rice bowl, an offering to the gods, and is known for its stunning natural setting and celebrity guests (Julia Roberts and the Obamas, who also arrived by river raft).

After a Mediterranean feast at the Riverside Tapas Bar, framing the jungle and a squiggle of river below, we are again invited to retreat inward during a Starry Night Meditation experience at the Lotus Pond that appears to float above the jungle.

Everything about Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan is designed to feel purposeful. Like the Earth Rising treatment at the Sacred River Spa. And the celebratory seven-course Chef's Table feast prepared by chef Wayan Sutariawan at Sokasi restaurant.

Guests at the jungle-clad resort, on the Ayung River, also have the option to join the Secret Bali Tour - Hidden Attractions, which includes a visit to a family compound to make offerings and a purification ritual at a water temple.

While it's definitely restorative to lounge by the pool at my one-bedroom private villa, or indulge in world-class cuisine on offer at the resort, it's the Sacred Nap experience led by Heni Ferawati (Ibu Fera) that makes me feel like I'm getting the hang of all this higher consciousness.

"Today we mimic the feeling of being in the womb. I want you to feel safe, like you are a baby again," says Ibu Fera, while gently rocking me in the hammock.

This time, I avoid headbutting my neighbour while suspended from the ceiling of the Dharma Shanti Bale pavilion. But my connection to the cosmos is severed when I'm woken by the sound of my own snoring. Perhaps the ascent to enlightenment starts with being equanimous when your dignity is hanging by a silk thread.

The writer was a guest of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts