Easter Eggstravaganza

It can be tricky to find hotel availability at the best of times over Easter, but with the Royal Wedding and Bank Holiday coming up, it's trickier than ever. Here at Wellbeing Escapes we've hunted out some of our favourite spa holidays that still have some vacancies over the holidays. But if you're interested in getting away we urge you to hurry, most resorts have limited availability and rooms are getting snapped up fast!

Have a peep at the stunning Kempinski Barbaros Bay resort in Turkey (pictured above). This luxury Spa Holiday provides a traditional Turkish Hamman experience using gorgeous locally sourced natural olive oils and salts. It's the perfect break for those wanting to get away from the wedding and indulge their own inner prince or princess.

SwaSwara delivers serenity, calm and tranquillity on every level. But what is little known is that, in its sleepy way, SwaSwara is also a hive of holistic activity with lots to learn and vibrant Indian markets only a tuc-tuc ride away. Our intrepid spa spy Anuska went on a 6 day Ayurvedic Programme to find out...

What’s special about the Ayurveda Programme at SwaSwara?
I’d had Ayurveda before but this was so relaxing that I fell asleep all the time during treatments. The Doctors were a very sweet husband and wife couple who delved into how to treat my particular nervous system, and gave me all sorts of tips about how to calm my doshas (body's constitution), including rubbing sesame oil into my skin. I couldn’t believe quite how much the treatments made me want to sleep. I found myself walking around the resort in a daze, I knew I’d feel relaxed but I hadn’t ever prepared to be this blissful. All I wanted to do was snooze in the beautiful grounds or laze in a hammock on the beach drinking it all in slowly. There was so much excess space on this Spa Holiday I was spoilt for choice for places to relax in. It was truly restorative.

Just how relaxed were you?
I felt like I didn’t have a care in the world. I lost any inhibitions, even when I was wrapped in nothing but a loin cloth for the massages with everything else hanging out I didn’t care. I had the same therapist all the way through, so only one person seeing my naked body!

Is there anywhere you didn’t fall asleep?
Funnily enough I didn’t fall asleep during the meditation class, which surprised me - usually I do. I think because I was so relaxed my mind was able to tune into the meditation properly. Instead of seeing it as a chance to sleep it awakened me in a refreshing way. I guess I finally learned how to do it right.

What surprised you most about the resort?
How therapeutic the extra activities can be. There is so much choice, meditation, yoga, cooking art, whatever tickles your particular creative bent. Art was my favourite. Usually I don’t get much time to unleash my creativity so I found myself wanting to spend a lot of time in the art room with the lovely art teacher, Joy, who showed me how to do water painting, glass painting, and pottery. I ended up making a piggy bank to bring me good luck in wealth. The teacher asked me to call her when I eventually open it!

How did you manage to get outside the resort?
It was hard to leave the sanctity of SwaSwara, but I had to see the real India which lay just beyond its front door. One short tuc tuc ride was all it took to take me to the nearby market which was bursting with Indian flavour. Colourful spices were heaped up everywhere, cars were zooming, cows were pushing you – but you can’t touch them back as they’re considered very sacred animals. It was another, very hectic, side to India. You don't always see that on a Spa Holiday!

What else was did you do around the resort?
I went on a nature trail where I saw lots of different birds, plants, beaches, and even people playing cricket. I learned so much from my guide about the different species of wildlife that live and grow in and around the resort, many of which are used by the chefs in the food.

And how was the food?
Apart from the delicious fresh fish and vegetables served every day, the resort is keen to teach you how to cook healthy food that compliments your doshas, or body type. I had a cooking class where I learned how to make an authentic Indian curry, the basis of which is onion, ginger, sunflower oil and garlic. The only thing I couldn’t really eat was the breakfast curry – it was too early for me!

What’s your fondest memory from the trip?
I loved sitting in the hammock on the beach, seeing the trees up above me and watching the sun flickering through the leaves while hearing the sea roaring back and forth. I remember thinking ‘this is life, this is great’.

Would you go back?
Yes definitely – but for longer. Six nights wasn’t enough. I think 10 would be perfect to make the most of it, especially after all that travelling.

For more luxury Spa Holidays visit our website www.wellbeingescapes.co.uk

Ananda in the Himalayas Luxury Spa Holiday - A Trip of a Lifetime

Over the last 10 years, Ananda in the Himalayas has become one of the most sought after destinations for tranquility and true wellbeing. It's little wonder Conde Nast traveller has voted it into their top 3 luxury destination spas in the world 6 years in a row. Bathed in the fresh Himalayan mountain air, Ananda is a magical destination steeped in Indian history. Situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and the source of the ancient practices of Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda, Ananda provides guests with a total immersion experience designed to create health balance in body and mind. It's truly a trip of a lifetime!

For more on the mystique that shrouds this beautiful resort visit our spa holiday website www.wellbeingescapes.co.uk.

Enjoy a Women's Creative Leadership Retreat with Lynne Franks

Spend 7 days in Spain and Discover your Full Potential

Not just any Spa Holiday. Lynne Franks is one of the world's most successful PR consultants having run successful campaigns for some of the world's most famous brands and creating British Fashion Week. After selling her famous PR agency, Lynne has turned her talents to writing her best selling books dedicated to helping women achieve their potential in business and with their personal lives. Lynne currently advises both the public and private sectors as a Strategic Advisor on women and has an impressive client list including HSBC & Cisco.

Lynne is running one of her Bloom Retreats between 11 - 17 June 2011 in her beautiful home in Deia, Mallorca. Lynne focuses on all areas of life relevant to a modern woman including relationships, career, emotional wealth and physical wellbing You will relax, learn wellbeing tools and tap into Lynne's inspirational techniques to help you get the most out of your life both professionally and personally. Lynne will also work with you on a one to one basis to help you create your own personal life and work plan.

For further information and to book your space check out >> Lynne's Bloom website. Take advantage of the early booking offer of 15% Discount for places booked before 31st March 2011.

For more great offers and information about luxury spa holidays visit our website www.wellbeingescapes.co.uk

Did you know that turmeric has anti inflammatory properties and is jam packed with anti oxidants?...it is so powerful that it is being seriously investigated by pharmaceuticals for use in anti cancer drugs and even as a treatment for cancer.

Check our the Spa Holiday Recipes on our website for some top nosh tips. They use ingredients like Chillis are high in vitamin A,B and C and release endorphins that help lower cholesterol. And don’t start me off on garlic – ok I know it doesn’t leave the most pleasantly fragrant breath but it is a powerhouse of medicinal properties. It can assist in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, it is a natural antibiotic (try rubbing a garlic clove on painful teeth or gums – the immediate results are amazing!).

I went to a great Thai cookery class today at the Saffron House Cooking Academy and it got me thinking about how Asian cuisines are jam packed with ingredients that are so good for you, and how food can be such a potent therapeutic tool. I don’t just mean getting your 5 a day but incorporating a variety of spices and herbs that can enhance your wellbeing.

So many of the Wellbeing Escapes Spa Holidays use food to enhance the whole wellbeing experience. I don’t just mean learning how to cook to assist keeping the weight off but incorporating a variety of spices and herbs to harness their healing benefits. Many of the spas we feature also offer cookery classes so you can take some of this knowledge home with you. Two of the best cookery classes I have had are at Chiva Som and the Six Senses Sanctuary in Thailand.

My parting Thai spa cookery tip is boiling a pan of water with lemongrass stalks and boil to make a tea (you can use a bit of honey for taste if you like). It’s very calming and a great way to relieve stress. Use ginger instead of lemongrass if you are coming down with a cold as ginger has high anti inflammatory properties and can help build your immune system.

To read more about our fabulous luxury spa holidays visit our website www.wellbeingescapes.co.uk

Gong Meditation

It’s a Friday night at the end of January and instead of the usual drink (and a few) after work I’ve decided to try a Gong Meditation class at the Alchemy yoga centre in Camden. Perhaps it’s partly hangover from a particularly austere January or that fact I’ve been writing about detox all month, but I fancied ringing the changes, so to speak. Hey – a prolonged New Year’s resolution is better than nothing right?

I hadn’t got much of an idea of what to expect, except that there’d be a gong involved and I was pretty sure, but not completely sure, that I knew what one looked like. In my mind I’d imagined someone banging away solemnly on a gong, a bit like a Zen Buddhist. Maybe there’d be some chanting. Maybe we’d just lie there. Basically I hadn’t a clue.

Alchemy in Camden came recommended to me by a lovely yogi friend of mine, Steph Knight, who highly rated the classes there. They have a special offer on where you can try as many classes as you like for 10 days and only pay £10! It’s a great way to find a class that suits you. Gong Meditation sounded like the perfect initiation to the centre, which is hidden away amid the hubbub of Camden, just above the recently converted Stables Market. Inside it’s all bleached wood and serenity. A particular vibe and buzz to the place practically bounces off the walls and faces of those inside.

‘Gong’ as the class quickly becomes abbreviated to, is to be held in the circle room. Colourful cushions, yoga mats, and cosy red blankets line the walls which the people already laying on the floor have helped themselves to. Following suit, I take one of each and find a space. Three gongs stand majestically at the back of the room. When the teacher arrives, the room has completely filled up, the class is obviously popular. Moshik, the teacher, takes us through some simple Kundalini yoga exercises to warm us up, including breath work and some prayer like chanting which some people seem to know and others don’t. We’re instructed to keep our eyes closed, which I don’t quite manage as I want to check I’m doing it right!

When the time arrives, the lights are dimmed to nothing, and we lie back on our mats covered in the blankets. Memories of fireside camping trips spark in my head. Everyone is quiet and gently breathing. The gong starts. At first it’s low and trembling, just a small vibration moving through my head and shoulders, torso and toes. The sound is ethereal and incredibly beautiful, not at all what I expected. It’s pure music. Gong chimes tingle all the way up into the ceiling’s vaulted wooden rafters. Sometimes the sound is sparse and whispering as if I was in the far reaches of outer space. Other times it swells so loud I’m filled with vibrations to the point of bursting. Every cell in my body is resonating, realigning itself with this music, drifting and gliding as it washes through me. There is no teacher, there is no room there are no people there is just this sound, this amazing incredibly unworldly sound.

As the gong gradually fades, like the embers of a fire, you can also hear a few snores of The Very Relaxed rising with the sounds. The gong slowly vibes down and we rise slowly from the meditation into a final prayer before leaving into the chaos of Camden on a Friday night. From one frequency to the next.

For more on the benefits of meditation visit www.wellbeingescapes.co.uk, also to read an interview with a meditation guru here

Top Natural Muscle Relaxants

During a recent Tui Na (Chinese)Massage, my therapist commented on how tight my muscles are. I thought about what the causes are and I'm sure none are unique to me: tensing up when stressed, high impact cardio exercise, bad posture to name a few. So here are some natural options to relax those muscles when you are feeling the tension.

•Take Magnesium Supplements. A well known muscle relaxant which most of us don’t get enough of in our diets. Highly effective for avoiding aches and pains after exercise. Take before you go to bed to help you sleep.

• Have Hot & Cold Showers. Not something that would immediately come to mind as relaxing but it really does work, especially after exercise. A hot shower will relax the muscle but will also increase inflammation, so follow it immediately by a cold shower that will increase circulation and decrease inflammation. A bit of a shock at first but you get used to it and it’s very exhilarating!

• Try Yin Yoga. Deeply restorative, you hold postures for a long time, stretching and opening your muscles in a very gentle way. A fantastic wind down before bed time. (You will need a bolster) Highly recommend Simon Low’s yin and yang yoga dvd which has a dedicated section.

• Good old Massage. All different types are relaxing and will help your muscles soften. Try sports or tui na for a more vigorous massage that will concentrate on specific muscles or Thai Yoga Massage for a nice big stretch!

• Correct your posture. Bad posture is very common caused by muscle inbalance. Certain muscles will have to work harder than others resulting in tension or pain. A good personal trainer will be able to analyse your posture and put you on a regime to help strengthen the weak muscles. Alternatively try the Alexander technique or Pilates.

• Rest. So many of us feel the need to keep going, setting ourselves more goals to achieve. Be gentle on yourself and when you feel tense, sore or tight, get plenty of “me time” to rest and restore your body.

Stella