Sunita Passi
Breathing space I
Professional meditation instructors can provide spa guests with eff ective and inspirational guidance toward a more balanced lifestyle, writes Sunita Passi
n today’s fast-paced world, engaging in a meaningful relationship with your own mind can yield a multitude of health benefi ts for the body and soul. People are increasingly focusing on their spiritual
wellbeing. On a short break, they want to take a deeper journey that will provide them with something more than pretty photographs – this is where meditation can come in. From a spa perspective, meditation can offer guests an altogether more profound sense of escape with potentially life-changing benefi ts.
Spas can help to cultivate mindfulness by offering nature walks; introducing guided meditation sessions in treatment rooms and pools; moonlight breathing regimens; or a simple appreciation of stillness in a quiet yoga studio. According to the International Spa Association’s 2012 Spa Industry Study, 22%
of American spas now provide body-mind-spirit offerings. This trend is also on the rise in Europe, where awareness of such practices as Transcendental Meditation has grown signifi cantly since Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced it to the Western consciousness in the 1960s, courtesy of his association with The Beatles.
Guiding guests to inner peace Meditation is a holistic, integrated and lifestyle-orientated wellness tool and to benefi t from its results, spa guests should be open to new ways of thinking and keen to embrace a new way of life in order to sustain inner wellbeing and balance. If your venue has the right setting and brand philosophy to integrate such a concept, then ask some searching questions of your guests. Do they feel stressed, upset, angry or worried? Are they seeking more purpose and meaning in life? Do they lack confi dence? Are they at a crossroads in their life or lacking in motivation? Once people have identifi ed one or more of these traits in themselves your spa is in a position to offer them a way forward. An introduction to meditation can set people on the path to a new way of life that offers signifi cantly increased contentment, confi dence, positivity and purpose. What better impression could your spa hope to leave on its guests than to open the door to a whole new future?
Meet the expert
Sunita Passi is an author, spiritual and wellbeing teacher and natural beauty advocate who founded Ayurvedic brand Tri-Dosha, available in luxury holistic spas in the UK, Ireland and internationally. She also developed the BIBO (Breathe In Bliss Out) meditation programme
+44 (0) 20 8566 1498
www.tri-dosha.co.uk
www.europeanspamagazine.com | european spa
Three levels of meditation for your spa menu
Mind and body basics
Add either 15 minutes of breathing or visualisation to a facial or massage pre-treatment. All emotional and mental stress is held in our body and this is expressed outwardly in our skin, body and tissues. Starting a treatment in this way
is fundamental to switch the client’s mind off , transporting them to a place of complete and deep relaxation. This technique immediately rebalances and harmonises the whole body and skin, enabling it to appear more youthful and stress-free.
A retreat into relaxation
Off er a three or fi ve-day meditation retreat. The schedule should include two 45-minute meditation sessions a day, with an optional yoga class and holistic treatment. Here, the guest can experience the tranquil surroundings of the spa and grounds, observing a silence that refreshes the spirit during the day, but allows for the enjoyment of a wholesome meal and glass of wine in the evening. Lifestyle sheets can be given to the
client, teaching skills for optimal living through experiential education of the mind, body and spirit.
An advanced introduction
Not for the faint hearted; a three- day professional course teaching a powerful meditation technique in an easy-to-learn format can be combined with holistic spa services to balance and harmonise the mind and body, releasing tension and stress from the face, neck and mind. To facilitate this deepest possible
level of healing you will need to work with a professional meditation teacher or a school that has its own qualifi ed instructors.
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