It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a forest, a garden and a park to raise you from sickness to wellness. It's beyond glugging charcoal detox smoothies or Moringa-turmeric herbal shots on vacay weekends.
The new narrative is that wellness is less about doing and more about being. Staying in a wellness commune surrounded by the Japanese Miyawaki tiny forest, walking in the reflexology park and meditating in the aroma garden can catalyse the transformation.
Or so Ridhira Zen, being touted as India's first wellness-themed resort commune, which opened to the public near Hyderabad in December 2021, would have us believe. Considering the June 2020 Gartner Report, which points out that 68 percent of organisations introduced at least one new wellness benefit by late March 2020 to aid employees during the pandemic, we know wellness is serious business.
"The wellness commune is built around the Japanese Miyawaki tiny forest technique. We have incorporated daily elements such as farm-to-table in-campus hydroponics vegetable farm and have digital detox weekends for the guests and residents here. Wellness is longer what you do on weekends, but what you be every day," says Ritesh Reddy Mastipuram, CEO of Ridhira Zen, the new Bali-themed wellness commune, 45 km away from Hyderabad on the Shankarpalli highway.
Miyawaki is a Japanese technique, pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, which helps build dense, native forests. It involves planting dozens of native species in the same area and becomes maintenance-free in three years. "Living in a forest with fresh air and prana is the best thing you can do for yourself," he adds.
The other concept the commune boasts of is the reflexology park. "A power walk on stones stimulates the feet’s reflex points, leading to health benefits such as increased blood circulation, enhanced digestion, improved balance, pain relief and stress reduction," he adds.
While on the sensory experiences, he also briefs about the plants with medicinal benefits. It's a curation of over 300-plus plants in three acres ranging from thyme, basil, rosemary, and lemon verbena and the local tulsi varieties such as Krishna, Vana and Karpoora Tulsi. "Each plant also comes with a QR code for you to read the benefits of the plant and even map it to the ailment you have," says Mastipuram.
What's his go-to activity for a lift-me-up in the commune? "Drinking organic cow milk from the farm while watching a sunset. It’s therapeutic," he concludes.
Wellness elements for everyday use:
1) Yoga Terrace
2) 360 glass gym in the middle of the forest
3) Spa with six rooms and steam and sauna
4) Sandpits to destress
5) Zen garden