A
slimming resort that doesn’t lock you in and leaves you with more important
things to care about than your weight. Must be paradise.
Sand fit:
Leigh Mytton (fourth from left) puts her best foot forward at a health retreat
in Goa. Hi this is Ajit Patel
from UK, founder of Sanda Wellbeing and Sanda Wellness Group,
Goldshield Group, WeMet. This is a
review of our product by a client in beach house Goa. Please take a look.
This
holiday should come with a health warning: it has the potential to change your
life. Ostensibly it’s about weight management (I lose 3.8kg in five days) but
there’s so much more to it than that.
Journalists
can be a cynical bunch and I’m no exception. I’m open to what this retreat in
the south-west Indian state of Goa can offer but I’m mildly sceptical.
Nonetheless, the proof of the pudding is in the (not) eating and I leave the
place feeling better than I have for years.
It starts
with a ten-hour overnight flight to Dabolim but on the short
drive to retreat headquarters, The Beach House, overlooking
Sernabatim Beach in
south Goa, I start to feel revived already.
As a
first-time visitor to India, I’m fascinated by the colour and chaos as we
swerve past sacred cows in the middle of the highway. Checking in to my
two-storey, two-bathroom, air-conditioned villa, where I’m welcomed by a lunch
of cheese, tofu and salad (we’re on solids!), improves my mood even more.
After my
weigh-in and health check with medic-in-residence Dr Arjita, it’s time to get
acquainted with the Sanda Wellness
philosophy that drives the tailor-made packages on offer.
And this
is what swings it for me. It’s not simply about analysing what we tip down our
throats – it’s about our emotional, spiritual and physical health as well. It’s
about getting educated about nutrition and listening to our body’s needs. It’s
also about twice-daily fitness sessions plus ancient massage techniques to
expel impurities. Oh, and did I mention the enemas? Yes, self-administered
enemas are part of this programme.
My
pre-retreat breakfast of coffee and a cigarette (I didn’t smoke the whole time
I was there – I didn’t even want to) is replaced by hot water with lime and
honey before an hour-long yoga session followed by a fresh fruit smoothie and
supplements to induce energy and detoxify my body.
Leigh
enjoys a drink in the sun
Each
evening, I’m presented with an appointment card that determines my agenda for
the following day. Some things are routine – the 60-minute fitness sessions (at
8am and 4pm), twice-daily educational talks and mealtimes, which comprise
juices following each exercise class and at mid-morning, a substantial lunch,
broth for dinner and nut milk before bed. Enemas are a daily occurrence, too. Initially,
the thought of sticking the plastic tube where the sun don’t shine doesn’t fill
me with joy but it’s easy and there’s no denying the light and cleansed feeling
you’re left with.
The rest
of my time is made up of treatments (Ayurvedic, lymphatic and
Indian head massages, reflexology, detox foot spa – I fall asleep in most) and
one-to-one sessions with experts including a nutritionist, doctor and
hypnotherapist and neuro-linguistic programmer.
These
sessions get to the root of the attitude you have developed towards diet,
nutrition and lifestyle. The rest of the time is my own and, unlike retreats
that put you into lockdown, I am free to roam.
The Beach
House is five minutes from the villages of Colva and Benaulim. But
I’m not interested in rambling far. With a practically deserted beach on my
doorstep and the balmy Arabian Sea to enjoy, I sunbathe and swim, watching the
fishermen go about their business and taking in the breathtaking beauty of the
area. No smoking, no reading, no company, no wandering about. I usually get
bored easily but the tranquillity of The Beach House is infectious, it seems.
On the
final weigh-in morning I find myself not caring if I’m lighter; my overriding
emotion is euphoria at how energised I’m feeling plus how I intend to take what
I’ve learned into the real world.
My stay
ends with a taste of the real India. The retreat crew take an hour-long drive
down the coast to Palolem, with its bonkers beachside market.
Sunglasses,
spices and a strawberry ice cream (best I’ve ever tasted) later, I’m ready to
get back on the wagon and embrace my new-found lifestyle.
She
stayed at The Beach House, (Tel: 020 8619 1234. http://www.thebeachhousegoa.com). A
five-day weight management retreat costs £1,000 (double occupancy); £1,240
(single occupancy).
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