At the Table: Reflections from Our First Open Table in Jakarta

There’s something grounding about sitting down with a cup of coffee, a blank page, and people you’ve never met before, yet somehow already recognize.

Last January 31, we held our very first Open Table in Jakarta, tucked inside a cozy café called Tulum. A small group of women gathered with us, some familiar with The Self Hug, some encountering our journals for the first time, all arriving with quiet curiosity and an openness to slow down.

It wasn’t meant to feel like a workshop.
There was no rush to finish anything.
Just a shared morning to pause, reflect, and be present.

A quiet morning at The Open Table, Jakarta.

What The Open Table Is Meant to Hold

The Open Table is a small, intimate gathering built around guided reflection, journaling, and conversation. It is a space where people can come together to slow down, write, and share, using The Self Hug journals as a starting point.

Each session may take on a slightly different shape, but the intention remains the same. To create a setting that feels open, unhurried, and human. A place where reflection is not something done alone, but something that can be held in community.

Creating the Space

From the beginning, we wanted the space to feel easy. Casual. Open.

Before any journaling began, there was conversation — light chitchat, introductions, stories unfolding naturally. The room held a mix of energies: first-timers easing into something new, and returning journal users reconnecting with a practice they already knew.

That mix mattered. It reminded us that reflection doesn’t require expertise — only willingness.

Beginning with Connection

To gently open the room, we introduced our work-in-progress Antidote Cards — our own take on connection cards designed to invite honesty without pressure.

We went around the table answering questions like:

What would you do if you weren’t afraid of what others would think of you?

What followed didn’t feel like an icebreaker.
It felt more like remembering.

Stories surfaced easily. Laughter, pauses, moments of recognition. By the time we set the cards aside, the room already felt softer — as if we had known one another longer than we actually had.

Journaling with Intention

For this first Open Table, we worked with select pages from The Best Self Journal — not the entire book, but enough to capture the essence of its 90-day journey toward becoming your best self.

The journal is rooted in three guiding principles:

• Stoicism, grounding us in what we can and cannot control
• Ikigai, helping us reflect on meaning and direction
• Guyub, the reminder that growth is something we experience together
  
  

With the time we shared, we chose pages that could be fully held. Prompts that invite clarity, reflection, and a meaningful starting point, without the need to rush or cover everything.

Pens moved slowly. Pages turned quietly.
There was no right pace, only each person’s own.

Bringing Reflection Into Form

As an extension of the journaling, we invited participants into a vision-boarding practice, a way to translate written reflection into something seen and felt.

Working with photos and clippings, everyone took time to cut, arrange, and sit with images that represented who they are becoming. What emerged was not about creating something polished, but about making sense of intention in a more tangible way.

As each person shared, the boards became less about visuals and more about story. Fragments of hope, clarity, and honesty laid out on the table.

Whether through images, words, or other reflective practices, this act of externalizing inner reflection sits at the heart of The Open Table. Giving shape to what we are quietly holding inside.

Closing the Morning

We ended the session the same way we began, together.

Each person shared a personal intention for the year ahead, followed by a collective sense of gratitude. Gratitude for the space, for the conversations, and for the reminder that reflection does not have to be done alone.

What stayed with us most was the feeling that this gathering reflected exactly what we had hoped The Open Table would become.

A place where people can meet, whether they have been using our journals for years, are just discovering them for the first time, or are simply drawn to the same practices of reflection and well-being. A space to sit down with others who value slowing down, asking honest questions, and growing with intention.

This first Open Table felt like a beginning. A small but meaningful step toward building a community that gathers not to perform or impress, but to reflect, connect, and learn together.

As our community grows, we are excited to welcome more people into these sessions and to continue shaping The Open Table alongside those who choose to join us.

This was just the start.

About Our Author

Daryll Santillan-Sardjono leads digital marketing for The Self Hug, helping translate its journals and community gatherings into thoughtful online spaces. She joined The Open Table not only as part of the team, but as someone committed to her own Best Self journey alongside the community. With a background in brand strategy and community-building, she is drawn to reflection as both a personal practice and a shared experience. Most mornings begin with coffee and a blank page, grounding herself in the same rituals she helps bring to life.