WELLBEING

Editor-in-Chief Selina Julien hits the reset button to embrace a holistic new outlook at Koh Samui’s best-kept secret

HEALING HIDEAWAY

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Holding the lotus position with my hand placed on my heart in the midst of Chakra meditation on a hilltop in Koh Samui, I instantly knew I’d made the right decision. Kamalaya, the stunning palm-fringed holistic hideaway had long been on my bucket list, but predictably life had got in the way. However the zen proverb of ‘when the student is ready, the teacher will appear,’ certainly rang true in abundance at the wellness resort on the Thai island of Koh Samui.

John and Karina Stewart, who met at a meditation retreat in the Himalayas in the 1980s and later married, had a vision to create a sanctuary that soothes and nourishes the soul as much as the body. The former yogi monk and doctor of traditional Chinese medicine instantly knew they’d stumbled on something special when they discovered the sacred land built around an ancient Buddhist monks’ cave at the centre of the nine-acre retreat. And the rest is holistic history.

Celebrating its milestone 10th

birthday last year it’s no wonder celebrities, royals and other notable personalities from around the globe flock to this award-winning island retreat when faced with life’s biggest crisis or feel the need to hit the reset button.

While staff are understandably discreet about their high profile guests, Hollywood film director

Oliver Stone famously came for seven days and ended up staying a month after falling in love with Kamalaya’s magical surroundings, and there are whispers that Dubai’s adrenaline-loving Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, is a fan of its much-loved fitness programmes.

LIFE AUDITBespoke programmes are created for guests after a wellness consultation with one of the centre’s naturopaths who seem to have the innate ability to turn it into an impromptu therapy session. Life goals, the reason behind your Kamalaya visit and how you feel at that precise point in time give them the vital information needed to tailor-make the visit and your itinerary.

And that’s just the start of the journey as Kamalaya’s unique programmes with international experts, all handpicked for their holistic and healing practices, are what sets it apart from other such resorts. Detox and Optimal Fitness are amongst the most popular choices, and in recent years the more emotionally geared Stress & Burnout and Embracing Change.

F o r m e r m o n k a n d transformational healer Rajesh Ramani is one of the retreat’s stalwarts and devised the popular Embracing Change

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programme after he witnessed a shift in clients seeking to become more in tune with their inner voice as they strive to create harmony and balance a fast-paced lifestyle with personal lives, career and family.

Suitable for anyone seeking support during major changes and challenging situations, it also tackles relationship issues including loss or break-ups, work-related difficulties, anxiety and grief, and has proved a runaway success.

Sessions with Rajesh are quite simply life changing as his mixture of hands-on healing, meditation and mentoring is emotionally exhausting yet enlightening at the same time. His teachings are simple, as he delivers them with clever anecdotes of former clients and parables, but his one-hour sessions never seem long enough to glean all his worldly knowledge.

Rajesh suggests that people believe feelings are inferior to intellect so they don’t nurture them or themselves. The first step -- emotional balance is to be in tune with your emotions especially given that external factors may stress you emotionally, he explains. Our lifestyles, lack of sleep, low energy and fatigue are all influences that could affect and lead to additional pressure on our emotions.

“Let go of the past,” Rajesh says. He adds that as human beings, we’re all guilty of creating little shrines in our hearts for the times we’ve been emotionally hurt. “Holding onto that anger, whether it be towards an ex-partner, family member or work colleague, doesn’t hurt them but only damages us and prevents us from

moving on with our lives,” he says, explaining that when we tell others how hurt we’ve been, the shrines grow bigger and so does the pity party. “Be at peace with your past in order to move on with your future,” he says.

Practising self-love and gratitude is another of his gems. “Often we go out of our way to be kind to others, but we forget to be kind to ourselves. Practising gratitude along the way will enrich your life in more ways than you can ever imagine.”

MIND, BODY AND SOULSo remote is its location that the guests, predominately single travellers, have an instant sense of camaraderie with group outings to the beach to release lanterns with a secret wish tied onto them and daily lectures becoming the social highlights of the day.

With group meditation, yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates to beach walks and core fitness classes open to all guests, the theory is a stronger body runs in tandem with a stronger mental state. But it’s the one-to-one sessions that exceed expectations. Traditional Chinese Medicine sees former Seattle native Aaron Bullington prescribe sessions of cupping and acupuncture to rebalance the body’s flow of energy. His method of diagnosis? Tongue inspection and pulse rate. With energy flowing along pathways called meridians in Chinese Medicine, anything that causes an imbalance can manifest in symptoms such as anxiety and an increase in stress levels. Three sessions of acupuncture and

a session of cupping later, there’s a generally enhanced state of wellbeing, not only physically but mentally too.

With Bach Flower or homeopathic support plus massages, the spa proves a little sanctuary of its own, perfectly nestled into the lush boulders of the retreat. Tranquil, peaceful and the ideal place to be at one with nature with the added bonus that all treatment rooms overlook the beach, those with evening massages are treated to stunning sunsets over the ocean.

But Kamalaya clearly saves the best for last. The final session of the Embracing Change programme was Shirodhara, an ancient Ayurvedic treatment where hot oil is poured continuously over the forehead (third eye) to clear the mind and cleanse the soul. And it proved an out-of -body experience. Therapist Asha, who comes from a family of Indian Ayurveda experts, uses a mixture of skill and intuition to balance chakras and help improve bloody supply by increasing the flow of nutrients and oxygen, relieving any tension and balancing the nervous system ensuring you float out of the treatment room like a better version of yourself.

CHIC RETREATThe 5-star resort nestled in a luscious ravine, which eventually gives way to powdered-white sands and turquoise picture-perfect waters, consists of just 78 guests rooms and villas, which all seamlessly melt into the stunning scenery.

Whether guests choose the detox programmes or other wellness options, the smorgasbord of

Surrounded by stunning scenery, Kamalaya’s villa accomodation create a retreat within a retreat (above and right)

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fresh, local organic produce and largely vegetarian food is guilt-free cuisine at its finest.

From exotic salads to fragrant Thai-noodle soups and freshly caught fish, as well as a menu of super juices, which include concoctions to boost the metabolism and detox the liver, and not forgetting the wheatgrass shots every morning at breakfast, it’s an easy ritual to follow.

DIGITAL DETOXWith a strict rule of no mobiles allowed in public areas, guests are restricted to one hour free WiFi during the entire stay which creates a refreshing digital detox. With no TVs in the suites, a book before bedtime becomes the norm rather than trawling through social media and ‘liking’ Instagram posts before lights out. Adopting small lifestyle changes such as eating three nutritious meals a day, switching off from the digital world (the constant hum of social media notifications in the evenings is replaced by nature’s own orchestra of crickets) and enjoying thought-provoking lectures, wellness treatments and not to mention the daily exercise walking around the hilly retreat, means that uninterrupted and deep, peaceful sleep is all too de rigueur during the stay. Departing from the retreat bubble, I reflect on a journey of self-discovery and, as life-changing experiences go, the teachings of Kamalaya are those which will remain with me forever… STAY HEREHillside villa room rate start from Dhs720/

US$196 per night for single travellers.Packages for a 5-night Embracing Change start from Dhs9,183/US$2,500. This includes accommodation, full board, roundtrip airport transfers, plus consultations, treatments and complimentary attendance to scheduled daily holistic fitness activities.Visit: Kamalaya.com / Tel: +66 77 429 800Instagram: @kamalayakohsamui Facebook: kamalaya.thailand

GETTING THEREDubai to BangkokEmirates fly regularly from Dubai (DXB) to Bangkok (BKK) with prices starting from Dhs2,375/US$647 Economy and Dhs8,565/US$2,332 Business Class.

The new state-of-the-art A380 ensures travellers will arrive to Bangkok fully zen, with First Class boasting private suites and shower spas to flat-bed seats in Business Class and inflight WiFi throughout the aircraft.

Don’t forget to visit Emirates’ luxury lounge at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, the perfect respite in one of the world’s busiest airports, where you can relax and enjoy the creature comforts before take-off. Flight time: 6 hours 15minsVisit: Emirates.com

Bangkok to Koh SamuiFlight time: 1 hour 10minsLocal airlines: Bangkok Airways & Thai Airways H

The idyllic views from the spa treatment rooms match the bliss experiences within (top); Kamalaya was designed with peace and

privacy in mind

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