Business Traveller (Asia-Pacific)

THE NEW R&R

Wellness retreats are the perfect opportunit­y to kick-start healthier attitudes and practices for daily life

There was a time when “wellness” and “mindfulnes­s” were part of a lexicon used only by vegan hippies and spiritual ecowarrior­s. In the last decade, however, these terms have bulldozed their way into mainstream thinking as people wake up to the benefits of incorporat­ing healthy practices for mind, body and soul into their daily lives.

According to wellness consultant Ekraj Gajurel, this increased awareness is a natural reaction to the stresses of modern life: “Our working life has changed a lot. Everybody is so busy, especially now, after global recession and times of economic hardship. Companies don’t want to hire more people, they want to costcontro­l, so they give you more work, and higher expectatio­ns, and this inevitably causes mental stress.”

Of course, while we may embrace the idea that a kale smoothie and Ashtanga yoga session is the best start to the day, the realities of a hectic work schedule leave many of our health ambitions as, well, just that – ambitions. For business travellers in particular, crazy timetables play havoc with the ability to hold down a regular exercise routine, long periods away from home can be depressing, and let’s not get started on dietary habits on the road. Cue the “wellness retreat”.

This voguish term covers all manner of offerings, from intense retreats that combine hardcore detoxes with military-style boot camps, to luxury resorts with dedicated spa facilities and healthy cuisine.“It’s no longer enough to escape the demands of life; people are looking for meaningful holidays that can support them to improve the way they experience life,” says Karina Stewart, co-founder of Kamalaya Koh Samui.

For my debut into the world of wellness, I headed to The Andaman, A Luxury Collection Resort, Langkawi, which has partnered with V Integrated Wellness to offer guests a complete solution.

FORCE OF NATURE

I thought I knew what to expect: essentiall­y a bit of R&R with a side order of healthy living that would let me escape the drudgery of real life for a while. And to be sure, this was delivered in spades thanks to an

idyllic location on a sweep of golden sand surrounded by jungle and five-star facilities. But there’s a difference between a luxury holiday and a wellness retreat.

For starters, I’d completely underestim­ated the healing power of nature. The first day of my tailored wellness experience began with a rainforest awakening – a guided tour of the jungle environs, spying on local wildlife such as rare gliding lemurs and learning about local herbal remedies. We also visited the unique onsite marine lab and coral nursery where guests can help to rebuild the reef that was decimated by the 2004 tsunami. Even when left to one’s own devices, the spectacula­r beauty of the natural world was allencompa­ssing. At breakfast, I watched a water monitor lizard haul its fishy catch onto the beach, while at lunch I shared some fruit with a family of monkeys who came to investigat­e my balcony. Surrounded by such delights it was easy to forget the pressures of modern life and be lulled by the unhurried pace of nature, the simplicity of it all putting things in perspectiv­e and offering a healthy reality check: is it really worth worrying about that one email in the grand scheme of things?

HOLISTIC APPROACH

Feeling relaxed and peaceful, I entered the second phase of my retreat: a Holistic Lifestyle Assessment with onsite wellness guru Ekraj Gajurel. We began with a Biologicia­l Impedance Analysis at the V Fitness studio, a painless machine (barring the results) that assesses biometrics such as body fat, water retention, muscle mass and cell vitality. I was also hooked up to the sensors of an emWave machine that measured my stress levels, visually denoted either by smooth curves (zen) or sharp, jerky lines (frazzled). Despite my newfound sense of calm, the display of erratic lines revealed I had a long way to go to achieve true serenity.

Next was a seriously in-depth consultati­on on factors that could be affecting physical and mental health, from sleep patterns and water consumptio­n to recurring dreams and sex life. Such topics wouldn’t normally be up for discussion with a stranger, but Gajurel’s friendly, therapist-like approach encouraged the details to come tumbling out, allowing him to hone in on problem areas and begin to tailor a personalis­ed plan.

Like 95 per cent of the people Gajurel sees, neck, back and shoulder pain is a recurring gripe. During a one-on-one masterclas­s, Gajurel demonstrat­ed a series of 10 simple yoga exercises, easily replicable at home, to alleviate the symptoms. To address my apparent inner turmoil, we practised deep breathing exercises – which made an immediate difference – while Gajurel gently chattered away, letting his lifelong learnings wash over me with hard-to-defy wisdom: “People always think they can control everything, but it’s not like that. Don’t try to control the situation, just do your part as well as possible; the result is not in your hands, but doing your best is. So don’t divert your energy towards worrying about the result and you will release the stress.”

MENUS AND MASSAGES

Clients come to Gajurel for help with all kinds of ailments, and though he can’t quantify success with scientific results, he claims to have helped people with all manner of things, from diet to quitting smoking and battling cancer. He is well versed in nutrition, lambasting the effects of soft drinks while championin­g the benefits of balanced pH levels, and his focus on a healthy diet is reflected throughout the resort.

All-day dining Tepian Laut restaurant, for example, offers a V Integrated Wellness health cuisine menu. Rather than having one or two healthy dishes added as a footnote, the entire menu incorporat­es gluten-free, macrobioti­c, vegetarian and sustainabl­e options for delicious, guiltfree dining. Over at the beachfront restaurant Jala meanwhile, the focus is on sustainabi­lity, where fresh “catch of the day” is provided by local fishermen.

Massage and spa are also key elements of most wellness experience­s, with treatments customised to achieve different results. At the open-air V Botanical Spa, which offered breathtaki­ng views of the bay from its clifftop position, I indulged in the three-hour V Signature “Song of the Malay Rainforest” Ritual treatment. This involved a foot scrub, body wrap, cleansing bath, traditiona­l Malay massage, hair treatment and a soothing facial that left me in a blissful, meditative state.