I spent three days at Hilton Shillim, three hours from Mumbai to experience their detoxifying, decompressing Dharana way of life . Three days is too short for real detoxing but it was a wonderful introduction to a brand of eco wellness, truly in the middle of nature. (It’s in a UNESCO designated biosphere in the Sahyadris above Pawna lake in Maharashtra ) One of the big pluses of the Shillim experience was not to be cooped or vegetal – Active wellness is a huge trend in the wellness world and I am all for bringing in some amount of active wellness into spa-cations or longer therapeutic wellness stays ( unless you are not permitted ). I liked the more integrative approach to diagnostics- the ayurvedic, naturpotahy way with BMi calculators, a machine to see the amount of metals in your body composition ( yes, pollution does strange things and needs detoxification ),DNA testing , and testing for your body’s fat and water levels. I err on the lower side of hydration, I discovered despite drinking all the prescribed quantities of water and while my weight and BMI turned out to be fine I was on the higher side of body fat. Good learning! Dr. Pillai the head of the centre threw a googly at me when he said I really didn’t need to eat too much fibre according to my parkriti. And here I thought I should eat even more fibre! As for the hydration bit he suggested I drink water in small quantities through the day rather than try and have the most in the morning as that was counter productive for me. I prefer to go alone on Wellness breaks but if you are not a committed ‘me – time’ kind of person it is nice to go with someone as the villas are large with their own private pools. Decompression starts in so many different ways . Enjoy my postcards!
Fresh from the day’s massage schedule ! I loved the fact the Dharna Wellness Centre uses pampering Ila products for the relaxing massages and Ayurvedic herbal oils and pastes for the therapeutic ones. The Tibetan Ku Nu Ye massage based on traditional Tibetan herbs and medicine was one of my favourites. I also had a welcome reflexology massage set in a verdant bamboo grove to the sounds of a live flute performance – that helped set the mood. The therapist who walked me there carried a pot of loban or incense to clear energies and purify my path . Smudging is used a lot in South American detoxifying rituals but we see a similar versions of it in India and the Middle East with dhoop or lobaan
Fresh organic and innovative meals to complement your prakriti or balance the vikruti or imbalance. From left to right – poached egg on spinach and whole wheat toast with beetroot dust, spinach, asparagus, broccoli soup, nuts,seeds and fruit baskets and a tri doshic Ayurveda thali which balances all the flavours ragi millet chapati, bajra millet kheer, local red rice, lentil-daal with spinach, okra , mushrooms and peas, cottage cheese and tomato gravy.
Shillim Peak at 7 am . The sun has burnt everything to a Savannah like Gold so it reminded me of being on an African safari but this area gets spectacularly green in the monsoons and waterfall treks are the norm though the peak gets too slippery to navigate then . Shillim peak isn’t a long trek, about an hour, but the sudden elevation to 900 feet and gradient of 60 feet makes it a little challenging. Good time to meditate on panic and fear of heights if any .
Yoga , aqua yoga, swimming and finding time to stand and stare or in this case sit and stare .
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