Late one night, Helena Gatto-Supino clicked a button marked “deposit” on Debbie Williamson’s website and just like that, she was going to Bali.
“I said, ‘Ohmigod! What have I done? I haven’t got any money.’”
But the East Hampton, Connecticut yoga teacher and massage therapist had been hanging onto a postcard about Debbie’s Bali retreat and Yoga
Life Coaching certification for a year already; it was something she knew she wanted to do – for personal development and also to expand her business offerings.
“People came to me anyway,” says Helena, who knew people who’d joined Debbie in Bali and whose lives had changed remarkably, for the better,
afterwards.
So she became industrious. Helena created a donation program to help her fund this trip. Telling clients and friends it was an educational
fund to help her expand what she could do for them, Helena sold 200 tickets for $50, gave everyone who purchased one a coupon for a discount on a massage or yoga class, and then did a drawing to give one person free massages for a year and another nine people free one-hour massages.
And she came to Bali.
“I considered this a community loan,” says Helena. “Everything has shifted for me here. We’re doing yoga every day and workshops and learning
to improve my life and the lives of others. You can’t help but be in a better place.”
Just the other day, Helena arced into dancer pose and, for the first time in a long, long time, she felt a sense of lightness and openness. “It brought tears to my eyes,” she says.
Since coming to Bali, “I’ve been uncontrollably happy,” says Helena. “And it continues to get better and better. I feel like I can absolutely do anything.”
And what’s more, Helena feels like the friendships she’s made this week are true ones that will be life-lasting.
“It’s amazing to have a group of people from every walk of life come together to create,” she says. “I honestly feel like I’ve made
friends for life.”
