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Taken from CHARTattack (January 7, 2011)
Michael Franti Opening Yoga Centre In Bali
by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)
 You might not know, but Michael Franti does more than just make music.
The singer/songwriter has been living part-time in Bali for about two years and has spent time building his Stay Human yoga centre on the Indonesian island. It opens Jan. 15 in the city of Ubud, and its first ever retreat will be held from that day until Jan. 22.
The grounds can accommodate up to 24 people, are surrounded by a river and tropical gardens of mango, banana, papaya and coconut trees, and provide people with the opportunity to do yoga in an open-air studio.
"It's a place where people can get back to being themselves again," Franti said on the phone from Ann Arbor, Mich. at the end of 2010. "You know, after spending a year driving everywhere and going crazy with your life, it's a place to get away.
"We have teachers come and do workshops a week at a time. People can come and stay there and practice yoga and swim and play in the jungle, eat good food and get back to being themselves."
Franti still primarily lives in San Francisco, which he's called home for years. But he says this will probably be the first year he spends more time in Bali than the U.S. because he's spent so much time on tour in recent years.
"It's warm!" he says about why he decided to open Stay Human there. "But I love the culture there, and the people are fantastic, and I love practicing yoga, and it's a great climate to do that in."
Franti also wrote some of his recently released The Sound Of Sunshine album in Bali. While he mostly recorded it in Jamaica with Sly and Robbie, who've produced many of his previous LPs, he says he'll probably work on music in Bali again in the future because Indonesia's much different from Jamaica.
"The vibe [in Bali] is really chill," he says. "Jamaica is really intense, especially in Kingston. It's a really intense, urban environment."
You can get more information about the Stay Human retreat centre on its website.
You can see Michael Franti & Spearhead here:
Jan. 21 Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
April 17 Perth, Australia @ West Coast Blues Festival
April 18 Adelaide, Australia @ Thebarton Theatre
April 19 Melbourne, Australia @ Palace Theatre
April 21, 23 Byron Bay, Australia @ East Coast Blues Festival
April 24 Sydney, Australia @ Enmore Theatre
April 28 Auckland, New Zealand @ The Powerstation
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