Psychologies - COMO Shambala, Bali
June 07
A New Horizon by Sophie Dening
Stressed and run-down, Sophie Dening really needed to get away and recuperate. But where to go? She decided to place her trust in an innovative tour operator.
Stress usually tends to creep up on me gradually and manageably, but, this spring, I experienced an overnight downturn in my ability to cope. I had just signed off an intense three-month work project; builders were doing major work in my house, effectively kicking me out in the process; I suddenly decided it would be a great idea to try a yoga class after two years off.
A few days after my return to the yoga mat, I was weeping in the osteopath’s chair as he prodded painfully at my twisted back, and wondering how I was going to get better when my house was garlanded with dust sheets. I fled to a friend’s house where, when wine failed to revive me, it was decided that I should take my stress and dorsal anguish somewhere nice and spoil them into submission. She told me about Wellbeing Escapes, a tour operator whose specially is to match stressed-out folk with restorative destinations. I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with the idea of a break that I hadn’t organize d myself- after all, time off work is so precious that it seemed wrong to hand over decisions about those all-important factors of destination, diet and activities to someone who’s never even met me. But my friend was zealous. A week of yoga in Bangalore, set up for her by the company at a time when she was barely able to decide whether to eat or not, had been directly responsible for stopping the tears she shad every day aftermath of her marriage breakdown.
A powerful dose of healing
When I tentatively pick up the phone to call Stella, my contact at Wellbeing Escapes, I describe in detail exactly what’s wrong with me, what I want to achieve, and what sort of destinations, activities and treatments I do/don’t like. The ‘what’s wrong?’ bit is easy: ‘I’ve screwed up my back, I’ve got a persistent cold and I can’t stop crying.’ ‘What do I want?’ proves more difficult. Yoga is out; I’m a keen walker but I am not feeling up to much; and I don’t have due where to go. But Wellbeing Escapes staff are used to guiding frazzled individuals towards the perfect retreat. Stella manages to get out of me that I like outdoors, crave a powerful dose of healing massage and prefer small-scale rusticity to five-star formality.
Her first suggestion is a long weekend at a central European mineral spa, which is, I have to say, totally wrong, the treatments sound scary (medicinal gas baths, peat packs) and I know the region’s cuisine to be more filling than healing. But her second suggestion couldn’t be better. Two days after our phone call, I have confirmation that I am flying to Bali for a week at COMO Shambala – one of Asia’s top holistic spas.
On the 18-hour flight to Bali, I have a slight moment of panic. Other than nod my head weakly and offer the odd muffled ‘OK’, I have had nothing to do with organizing this holiday. I can’t help experiencing a mild sense unease when I think about how I’ve left my admittedly chaotic, but oddly comforting, routine behind to throw myself into someone else’s idea of what’s good for me. There are disturbing echoes of school nurses looming over my nine-year-old self with spoonfuls of tar-like medicine.
But, when I arrive late at night, my initial negativity is allayed by the kindly and patient Ayu, who is to be my personal assistant for the duration of my stay. The sight of a friendly face is reassuring enough to let me begin putting aside any misgiving I have about spending so much money on travelling alone to the other side of the world. She accompanies me down a blossom draped walk way to my room, which I enter over what I can only describe as a mini-moat where giant goldfish and a couple of frogs are going about their business.
Daylight on my first morning reveals the infinity pool belonging to my residence, hanging over a dazzlingly green and frondy ravine. The etate’s location on the confluence of two rivers is beautiful, and I am glad to learn that the sacred natural spring, which feeds the main pool, and the rocky bathing and diving areas, belongs to local villagers. Unlike the most Indonesia, Bali is largely Hindu, and local people make everyday offerings – pretty bundles of flowers and leaves – at traffic intersections, in markets and schools. When I leave the compound for a bike ride with the fitness instructor, he buys us a bag of salak fruit in nearby Ubud; when we stop and eat a couple on the way back, he places one on a leaf on the ground and gracefully gestures over it. Spiritually is very much in the air, with village temples regularly sending chants and gong vibrations into the air. Apart from these, the estate is meditatively quiet (groups are not admitted, and the house soundtrack is mainly birdsong).
An easy routine
I have an itinerary to follow, prepared by Dr Deepak, the in-house Ayurvedik doctor with whom guests attend a consultation on arrival. I am a bit skeptical about some of the philosophy he expounds, but the analysis of my doshas (body/personality types) makes sense, and the treatments he suggests ate a success. Apart from one. Shirodhara involves the steady pouring of warm oil onto your forehead for around 45 minutes, and I can’t stand it. I am reprieved, on the basis that I don’t want to spend my days feeling tearful and jangled. The Indian head massage I undergo instead is fantastic; the knots in my shoulders rolled and knuckled expertly by Sarniti with the kind face and cruel fingers. It’s an easy routine to submit to, especially with Ayu appearing a few times a day to check on me and adjust my itinerary according to how I feel.
Although it is among the treatments offered at the estate, I am not here to lose weight – the stress has already done that for me. However, after a couple of days of huge breakfasts, I find myself barely hungry enough to finish a satay stick. I reason that it is he heat, the jetlag, the change in environment; but I have to admit that I feel awful. I’m relaxed, and loving the treatments and the gorgeous location, but my cold has resurfaced, I’m bloated and rashy, and my back is so bad I have to call up some ice. Unthinkably, I am moody and preoccupied by dark thoughts. I air my anxieties during a chat with Fiona, the resident psychologist, and she defuses my guilt by helping my acknowledge that I have been running on surges of adrenaline recently; that I am experiencing a very normal unwind; and that it’s OK to feel a bit weird when you are alone in an all inclusive utopia.
A quality repair job
I go back to wafting, slightly crankily, among the scented gardens. Then, on my fourth day, I find myself breathing clearly again during yoga and am grateful to experience a surge of energy. At the end of my stay, two private, back-friendly yoga sessions with Dr Deepack are a revelation. On a deck overlooking terrain so beautiful that I feel like cheating on the eyes closed convention, I am led through a sequence that leaves me feeling stronger and calmer than ever.
Stella calls me a day or two after I get back to find out how it went. She wants feedback, but I can’t rustle up a single complaint. I wouldn’t have thought of lying to Indonesia off my own bat, nor considered spending such a hefty dollop of my building budget. But this is a quality repair job. I have come back profoundly revived and restored, feeling lithe and strong, and leap straight back among the deadlines and the building site as though I’ve been away for a month.
What’s behind the concept of Wellbeing Escapes?
Wellbeing Escapes was set up by Stella Photi in 2005 when she became frustrated by the number of confusing and conflicting options available for health holidays. ‘We know what it feels like to pay for treatment that don’t deliver’, she says . ‘It’s happened to us on our travels, so we really understand’. Photi wanted to cut through the vague language and far-fetched promises she’d often encountered when dealing with travel companies, to deliver a reliable service, using expert advice from specialists in the wellness field. At Wellbeing Escapes, holidays are tailor-made to fit individual health and lifestyle needs. It offers a unique bespoke service, which enables you to play a greater role in creating you dream trip. So if you fancy adding a body treatment or meditation class to your package deal, you can. The emphasis is on putting together the best combination for you. All breaks are thoroughly researched and reviewed by the company, and its website offers a wide selection of exclusive and innovative retreats, such us luxury yoga getaways in India, week-long spa treatments all over the world, and quirky added extras such as fruit picking in the lush lemon groves of Cyprus.
