The story behind this yoga video:

The urge to drink my bath water was seriously overpowering. With eyes and lips delicately shut, I sipped deep, scented breaths through an inquisitive nose. Enticing as this aroma was, no matter how strongly my aroused taste buds pleaded, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Whispers of steam rose above the floating freshly cut lemongrass, Balinese citrus, pandan leaves, and ginger added just moments before I slipped in. A relaxing predicament, indeed!

“Mr. Daniel, would you like a tea made from the same ingredients as the bath you are soaking in?”

Her light voice broke the silence with the same smooth precision her hands expertly exhibited during the two hours of massage and scrub I received prior to this surprise bath.

Absolutely, Bella. I would love that.

“I know, Mr. Daniel.”

There was no need to break gaze from the river running just below my bathtub terrace. I could hear the smile in her voice, arguably bigger than mine.

Bathing has been a lifelong passion of mine. In frequenting numerous banyas, onsen, jjimjilbang, hamams, and saunas over the years, I’ve honed my personal bathing ritual down to a simple science: hot water, a light scrub, soft candlelight, and plenty of deep breathing. On days of particular opulence, gentle bath soap might be woven into the mix. Nothing too flamboyant, though. There is a true elegance found in cultivating the art of weightless simplicity.

I like to believe that humans are creatures of light. Many people put great emphasis on doing deep shadow work to handle life’s challenge. From an artistic standpoint, however, shadows make an object dynamic, giving it depth and beauty. Instead of washing out the uniqueness of my obstacles, I’m all about working on light’s lesser dealt-with opponent: heavy.

Many epic baths have been taken over the years in an earnestly waged battle to combat soul heaviness. Few begin to compare to gentle bliss of a Balinese bathing experience. My first time visiting Bali was done on a whim, a gift given to myself after three weeks of nonstop travel and teaching. I had slept in 9 different beds in 7 hotels and taught more than a dozen workshops, spending almost 24 hours a day with one of my closest friends. Surely, a little solitude and self-care was in order. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to write a review of a fivelements, a 5-star resort which offered to put me up for three decadent days.

Weightless simplicity is impossible to fake. It takes preparation, effort, and time to create the feeling of natural ease and flow. A travel writer expects a red carpet. What took me by surprise was the relative nonchalance of the attentive service. Nobody was looking for a good review. They simply did a good job across the board. One of the reasons I enjoy bathing so much is that water doesn’t lie. Happy, sad, or indifferent… if you’re buoyant, you float.

Long story slightly less long– I took a video of me doing yoga in a really huge bathtub and set it to music.

Here it is.