Bali has long drawn those in search of balance. The island’s culture evolved through centuries of exchange - Hindu, Buddhist, and local traditions merging into a way of life that values harmony over hierarchy, presence over pace. At its heart lies Tri Hita Karana, the belief that wellbeing rests on three relationships: harmony with the divine, harmony among people, and harmony with nature. It’s a philosophy that informs daily life, from the way homes are built to face the island’s mountains and sea, to the offerings of food and flowers laid in gratitude for life itself.

At Jumeirah Bali, these ideas breathe through the resort, present in its people and spaces. They’re carried by wellness guide Lesmana Kadek, who follows the teachings of his grandfather, a traditional Balinese healer whose examples continue to guide him. “I’ve admired how he lived with purpose and compassion,” Lesmana says, “ensuring these principles were embraced by those around him, especially those in need.”

“When someone comes to your home,” Lesmana recalls him saying, “you don’t just open the door. You open your heart first.”

This spirit is felt the moment you arrive at the resort. Passing through the grand Balinese gate, statues of mythical winged creatures stand watch - guardians of the threshold between the seen and unseen worlds. As you wind past sunlit courtyards, lotus-filled ponds, and cascading gardens, smiling faces greet you, and a feeling of peace takes hold, softening your shoulders and making you feel at home.

For Lesmana, healing is less about technique and more about intention. His practice is rooted in Sapta Dharma, a Balinese teaching that shapes how he understands balance and care. It is the same philosophy his grandfather lived by. Born in the mid-twentieth century, Sapta Dharma emerged as a movement of renewal, offering the Balinese a way to preserve ancestral wisdom while adapting to a changing world.  Its seven virtues call for faith in divine truth, honesty and moral clarity, active service to others and to community, courage to trust one’s own strength, refinement of character, and acceptance of life’s impermanence.

Of these, the one that speaks most deeply to Lesmana is compassion in action: helping others without self-interest or expectation. “It reflects my grandfather’s legacy,” he says, “and the spirit behind his practice house in Singaraja, where kindness and selflessness were a way of life.”

For Lesmana, they are not abstract ideals but daily practice. “I never thought about longevity as a goal,” he says. “For me it’s just about living in a way that feels meaningful, to help others, and to leave something good behind.”

Throughout the resort, guests are invited to experience his outlook on life through rituals, movement, and mindfulness. At the Balinese offering-making workshop, they can learn to create canang sari and gebogan - intricate arrangements of flowers, fruit, and palm leaves that symbolise abundance and appreciation. 

At the Wi Mukti Temple, moments of reflection take on deeper meaning. This sacred space is connected to the legend of Danghyang Nirartha, a revered holy priest whose teachings shaped much of Bali’s spiritual heritage. Here, guests take part in blessing and purification ceremonies led by local priests, as water drawn from sacred sources is poured gently over the head and shoulders -  a cleansing ritual that marks a new beginning.

Elsewhere, wellbeing takes shapes in the flow of bodies and breath. Guests can join sunrise yoga or guided meditation in open-air pavilions overlooking the sea, choosing from yin or hatha yoga, pranayama, or sound and breath healing. Each practice is designed to quiet the mind and realign the body, echoing Lesmana’s belief that healing begins through awareness.

For Lesmana, meditation and mantra chanting hold a special place in his own daily life - practices that, as he explains, “help quiet the mind and bring me to a state of inner stillness.” Sound healing, too, is part of his personal ritual. “I use it to create soothing vibrations for others,” he says, “but those same vibrations also resonate within me, restoring balance and calm.”

While his roots are Balinese, Lesmana finds connection in the meeting of cultures. “I may not come from Arabian culture,” he says, “but I understand that spirit. This place, Jumeirah Bali, brings together both worlds. When you enter, you feel the Arabian hospitality and the Balinese warmth. They live here in harmony.”

This sense of unity finds its purest expression within Talise Spa, The Healing Garden of Jumeirah Bali. Here, the healing traditions of Bali meet the time-honoured rituals of Arabia. Guests might begin in the island’s first royal Turkish hammam, where heat and scent release tension, or experience the Divine Rituals once reserved for Majapahit royalty - treatments personalised by one’s prana, or life energy, and birth elements, enriched with local botanicals and mineral-rich sea ingredients.

When seeking moments of reflection, Lesmana is drawn to the spa’s vitality pool, where the gentle movement of water creates a rhythm that mirrors the breath. It is here, surrounded by the sound of flowing water and the scent of frangipani, that Lesmana feels most grounded. 

“Wellness. It’s not a destination you arrive at. It’s how you live, how you breathe, how you welcome each new day,” Lesmana says.
Resting along the cliffs of Uluwatu, surrounded by tropical greenery and the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, Jumeirah Bali invites you to slow down. To breathe in. To breathe out. To look outward - and then within. 

As Lesmana Kadek, ever humble in his wisdom, likes to remind his guests:

“Every day is the chance to begin again - to welcome, to share, to be present for whatever comes.”