Your own guide to wellness retreats

Your own guide to wellness retreats: Hidden within the deepest crest of nature, surrounded by the emerald of trees, are havens of luxury known as wellness retreats.
Located far away from the pandemonium of the city- these are basically resorts that house a number of facilities ranging from the soothing spas to the exciting skiing-that essentially improve the quality of life. In this fast-paced city life, they are havens of comfort and wellbeing.  Coupled with peace and serenity- a visit to a wellness retreat is an experience, truly worth having. An experience that removes you from the rat race reality and allows you to instead focus on yourself.

A wellness retreat-Haven of Wellbeing

After days of stressful work or even spending most of your time at home, a visit to spa works wonders to relieve stress. The wide range of massages can help you to focus on yourself, help you to relax, detoxify and remove yourself from reality for a few blissful hours.

Services Available in Wellness Retreat

These spacious resorts have a number of facilities available catering to everyone’s unique preferences and each with its own benefits. Here are some of the services that wellness retreats provide-

Ayurveda

Using the umbrella term stemming from ancient India, one can refer to a wide range of treatments and therapies that are available in the retreats. Different types of Ayurvedic massages not only help relax the mind but also provide a healthier body with added benefits of nourishing skin. Ayurveda has the added advantage of being completely free of side effects; thanks to it being completely natural. Wellness retreats now often have dedicated Ayurvedic doctors who can perform several Ayurvedic therapies that lead to a healthier mind and body.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a technique revolving around the usage of effervescent plant extracts, known as essential oils that can be inhaled and has multiple benefits. It is often used as a supplement medicine. The enticing aroma can also influence the mood, making it lighter and more positive. The enticing fragrance has the ability to change cognitive states as well.

Health benefits of Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy has the ability to alleviate anxiety and depression, thereby increasing energy. It also quickens healing process and cure headaches by its soothing effect. It relaxes the mind and can gently lull you into sleep, thus allowing you to leave the shallow worldly troubles behind.
A properly planned and regular aromatherapy can-over time-strengthen the immune system, reduce pain and improve metabolism along with increasing blood circulation and thus leading to lesser muscular strain and relieved physical stress.

Yoga

Most wellness retreats today are  incomplete without a yoga instructor. Some retreats even allow each guest to have a personal yoga trainer who teaches step-by-step, an easy regime according to your body type and health state. Now practiced worldwide – Yoga boosts your emotional state while also providing relief from back pain and other chronic muscular pain through persistence and regularity. Under proper guidance, Yoga can also increase fertility and helps against heart disease. Wellness retreats have a variety of yoga classes, either in the comfortable indoors, or the pristine outdoors in the midst of nature’s lap.

Spa

A relaxing massage in a spa helps to disengage from work, family and friends; thus allowing the mind to slow down and the body to relax and regenerate. The gentle massages improve blood circulation, hence sending more oxygen and nutrients through the body and cells. This increases the overall health. It stimulates the lymphatic system to rid the body of toxins and also releases Serotonin, the “feel good” factor. Massages resolve stiffness of muscles and can aid in a variety of problems such as arthritis, sciatica and muscle spasms. There are several types of massages available, each with their own corresponding health benefits. Wellness centers have dedicated spas to provide the massage that shall cater to your benefit.

Hot spring

For thousands of years, mineral baths have been used to relieve health problems and as a way to relax. Soaking in a mineral bath actually has several benefits. The warm effervesce and water can relieve muscle cramps and joint pain while also improving blood circulation and overall making for a very relaxing experience.

Sauna

Known in Ayurveda as the “Swedana”, a sauna helps to unclog pores and the profuse sweating allows detoxification of the body. A massage after a sauna is especially effective since the pores allow the oil to penetrate into deeper layers. Such saunas are available in most wellness retreats and will definitely make for a calm and soothing experience especially when followed by a hot shower and a massage. The profuse sweating detoxifies the skin and exfoliates it as well, thus leading to the supple and nourished skin.

Reflexology

A relatively unaccepted concept in common medicine; reflexology is still increasingly becoming a commonplace activity in wellness centres these days due to its many health benefits. It is the practice of applying pressure to specific areas in the hands, feet, and ears that affect certain reflex areas of the body. Also Reflexology is based on the belief that there is a connection between the zones of your hand and feet that can manage certain areas of your body.
It has innumerable benefits such as to increase energy, boost circulation, stimulate nerve function, induce a deep state of relaxation, and eliminate toxins from the body. It impacts the central nervous system and prevents migraines and can even treat urinary tract infections. Much like Ayurvedic massages, reflexology has the property of speeding up the healing process by providing relaxation to the body and even alleviate depression through its stimulatory properties. Wellness retreats often have trained reflexologists.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a holistic health technique that has its roots in traditional Chinese Medicine practices in which trained practitioners stimulate specific points on the body by inserting thin needles into the skin. When practised properly, this method can be used to treat a variety of conditions like pain, stress and other related symptoms. Wellness retreats now provide trained acupuncturists to account for a relatively pain-free experience. Although now research is going on to study the effects of this treatment even more widely, as of now, this treatment can help cure muscle spasms, knee pain and even allergies.

Skiing

Since many of the wellness retreats are situated on the hillsides, several of them provide the option of skiing down the mountainside during winters. The endorphin rush during this type of adventure aids in the overall well being of the person, especially if it’s someone who enjoys more physical activities and outdoor ventures.

Culinary experience

Although not a direct part of the wellness centres, many wellness retreats now have resorts and restaurants dedicated solely to serve the guests who have come to enjoy the bounty of the retreats. It is a scientific fact that what we eat directly influences our minds. Wellness retreats nowadays have a dedicated platter, catering organic foodstuffs that are specially designed to not only savor the taste buds but also provide a raw picture of the wild nature. Several organic herbs and wild plants are grown specially to be served to the guests. Needless to say, these healthy food items have immense health benefits such as strengthening the immune system and also nourishing the body among others.

Zumba, Pilates, hiking, Cardio, etc.

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea to go to the gym every day or even do vigorous exercise regularly. In this scenario, we have another healthy yet fun alternative; Zumba.
An acrobatic dance form, this exercise regime has recently gained a vast following due to its much easier and definitely more fun nature. Several wellness retreats provide professional Zumba classes coupled with other exercises. This exercise helps to rejuvenate the body as well as stimulate the mind by increasing respiration rate and even allows for socialization and meeting new people. No amount of expertise is required to perform this which is also a contributing factor towards its popularity.
Apart from the many massages and relaxing treatments that the wellness retreats offer, there is something even for the ones who love adventure. Thanks to their strategic placement in the womb of nature, many such wellness retreats have the provision of hiking into the beautiful pristine forests that they are surrounded by; complete with exotic and local birds and lush greenery, thus providing a truly immersive experience for anyone who has a taste for venturing into the virgin nature.

Meditation and Chanting

Practised as an essential part of Yoga by many people around the world, Yoga, with its roots firmly embedded in the Indian soil has gained immense popularity all around the world for a well-known reason. It is a state of complete synchronization between the mind and the body, a feeling of extreme calm unperturbed by the worldly disturbances. Yoga relaxes the mind and continuous practice has proven to considerably improve temper. Apart from being an essential in Yoga, different meditation retreats offer a variety of meditations that give your mind the much-needed break.  After all, a strong mind leads to a stronger body. 

Benefits of a Wellness Center

In today’s chaotic world, full with the hubbub of meeting deadlines and chasing targets, a weekend off into the calm nature coupled with a relaxing detour into a wellness retreat would leave you rejuvenated mentally as well as physically. These wellness retreats have the benefit of clubbing together different activities into a single place, thus providing a whole and immersive experience. Paired with a strong support network and a healthy diet, wellness retreats can turn your lifestyle around for the better. There are several Ayurvedic retreats in India such as the Ananda in the Himalayan folds or the Wildflower Hall In Shimla. These beautiful havens also provide a change of scenery with its mesmerizing mountains and scenes of nature’s bounty, thus turning your lifestyle around for the good.

Apart from wellness retreats, a person can also choose to book a preventive healthcare consultation session at Aanya Wellness to get personalized and preventive healthcare solutions to their problems.