Go on a blissful, spiritual holiday
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From meditating on a full
moon night at Taj Mahal to enrolling for a juice detox in the cool
environs of Goa, wellness holidays are getting inventive
Too much planning, overpack
ing, pub hopping and shop ping... phew! Like life in a
city, vacations can also be tiring. The need for a break persists even
after taking one, with the mind and body getting no respite. How about
some `real' time off then? Just you, connecting with yourself. “The
modern mind is looking for peace and calm. The routine of a high-profile
job or just managing a house can leave one drained.A holiday, unless
mixed with some healing and rejuvenating modalities, seems incomplete,“
says Smriti Sharma of Wanderers, which organises meditative vacations.
SOUL REVIVAL
Even a quick visit to a monastery can be calming; imagine spending quiet moments with the vibrations of 1,300 monks chanting and meditating daily.That's what a visit to Sherabling Monastic Seat in Kangra district, organised by Wanderers, is all about.“There are places on our lovely planet which can be called `power spots' and have the quality to energise, heal and rejuvenate. Meditation becomes effortless around these power spots.We visit, meditate and take in the mysterious energies of such places,“ says Sharma. She also organises silent meditation at Taj Mahal on a full moon night and sunrise meditation at the Golden Temple, with travellers bathing in the first rays of the sun descending on the holy place. And there are enough takers. “I have always been a hippie at heart. Due to safety concerns, I never got an opportunity to just take off. But this trip was amazing; we did a lot of healing sessions, used dance as a therapeutic tool and connected with the music of our souls,“ says Khushi Mishra from Delhi.
Delhi-based travel expert Mala Barua curates wellness tours on sim ilar lines. Her `Inner Silence Meditation in Bhutan' involving Zen walking and mindful eating is quite popular. “In the backdrop of one of the most beautiful Buddhist countries in the world, we chant with monks, climb up to cliffside monasteries, learn about the Four Noble Truths, and have traditional hot stone baths. It's a great holi day!“ she says.
PURE FOOD
“Rather than reducing stress, many breaks can actually increase stress. Too much drinking and eating out on a holiday adds to the toxic levels in the body. It makes far more sense to opt for a healthy holiday with only local ly-grown, organic food and Ayurvedic cooking as food options,“ says Vanita Chitkara of Urban Monk, ; who combines yoga and meditation with soul food in her travel ventures. Similarly, almost 99 per cent of the programmes at The Beach House, Goa, a wellness retreat, incorporate expert counselling on food and nutrition. The place has a talented staff of doctors from Ayurveda, homeop athy, allopathy and natur opathy disciplines, and provides specialised vaca tions like diabetes illness management, juice detox, health monitoring for sen ior citizens and even fertil ity enhancement for young couples. Ekaterina from Dubai, who opted for an Ayurvedic detox session at the retreat, says, “While therapeutic yoga did wonders for my stiff shoulder, nutrition talks and consultations along with the cooking workshop was my favourite part.“
Barua, who will soon be a guest teacher at a wellness tour in Corbett, combining tiger safaris with yoga and plant-based food diets, feels that holidays need to be less about sensory indulgence and more about introspection and the changes one can make for a better, wholesome living.
Even a quick visit to a monastery can be calming; imagine spending quiet moments with the vibrations of 1,300 monks chanting and meditating daily.That's what a visit to Sherabling Monastic Seat in Kangra district, organised by Wanderers, is all about.“There are places on our lovely planet which can be called `power spots' and have the quality to energise, heal and rejuvenate. Meditation becomes effortless around these power spots.We visit, meditate and take in the mysterious energies of such places,“ says Sharma. She also organises silent meditation at Taj Mahal on a full moon night and sunrise meditation at the Golden Temple, with travellers bathing in the first rays of the sun descending on the holy place. And there are enough takers. “I have always been a hippie at heart. Due to safety concerns, I never got an opportunity to just take off. But this trip was amazing; we did a lot of healing sessions, used dance as a therapeutic tool and connected with the music of our souls,“ says Khushi Mishra from Delhi.
Delhi-based travel expert Mala Barua curates wellness tours on sim ilar lines. Her `Inner Silence Meditation in Bhutan' involving Zen walking and mindful eating is quite popular. “In the backdrop of one of the most beautiful Buddhist countries in the world, we chant with monks, climb up to cliffside monasteries, learn about the Four Noble Truths, and have traditional hot stone baths. It's a great holi day!“ she says.
PURE FOOD
“Rather than reducing stress, many breaks can actually increase stress. Too much drinking and eating out on a holiday adds to the toxic levels in the body. It makes far more sense to opt for a healthy holiday with only local ly-grown, organic food and Ayurvedic cooking as food options,“ says Vanita Chitkara of Urban Monk, ; who combines yoga and meditation with soul food in her travel ventures. Similarly, almost 99 per cent of the programmes at The Beach House, Goa, a wellness retreat, incorporate expert counselling on food and nutrition. The place has a talented staff of doctors from Ayurveda, homeop athy, allopathy and natur opathy disciplines, and provides specialised vaca tions like diabetes illness management, juice detox, health monitoring for sen ior citizens and even fertil ity enhancement for young couples. Ekaterina from Dubai, who opted for an Ayurvedic detox session at the retreat, says, “While therapeutic yoga did wonders for my stiff shoulder, nutrition talks and consultations along with the cooking workshop was my favourite part.“
Barua, who will soon be a guest teacher at a wellness tour in Corbett, combining tiger safaris with yoga and plant-based food diets, feels that holidays need to be less about sensory indulgence and more about introspection and the changes one can make for a better, wholesome living.
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