Lefay Resort & SPA on Lake Garda, the award-winning eco spa resort in Italy, has introduced a new Letting Go programme – highlighting an evolution in the wellness industry towards self-discovery, contemplation and going with the flow rather than controlling life with fitness fads and health kicks. The aim of the programme is to abandon the concept of control to create the space to observe and experience new things and bring a sense of renewal and confidence.
The Evolution of Wellness
Following its rapid expansion in recent years, the wellness industry is now undergoing an important evolution, which international expert Laszlo Puczko has summed up in the phrase “wellness paradox”. Laszlo Puczko, a mentor, trainer and consultant in the travel, hospitality and health fields for over 25 years, says: “The wellness industry is flooded with advice aimed at making people feel better; fitness programmes, diets, product and supplement choices and much more. These practices require a ‘do’ lifestyle that is linked to action. However, people perceive this lifestyle as confusing with no clear direction. What is emerging is a need for experiences of self-discovery, linked to the theme of contemplation, rather than action’’.
The Interpretation according to Classical Chinese Medicine
The new Lefay SPA programme ‘Letting Go’ at Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda has been developed by the Lefay SPA Method Scientific Committee based on the principles of Classical Chinese Medicine.
In Classical Chinese Medicine ‘Ming’ (meaning destiny), means being able to fully express one’s personality. Everyday life, full of stimuli and challenges, takes us away from our true self and makes us lose confidence in oneselves. ‘Letting go’ means to be ‘free to be yourself’.
Dr Stefania Doria, member of the Lefay SPA Method Scientific Committee says: “Throughout history, humans have focused on fighting and controlling life, without reflecting on the importance of stopping to observe, and going with the flow. Holding on to things, concepts, people, does not create space within you, but rather weighs us down and prevents us from experiencing new events.
“To observe not passively, but as an explorer, abandoning the concept of control, will bring a sense of renewal and confidence. Being filled with thoughts leaves no room to embrace new things and creates a blockage and the stagnation of vital energy, ‘Qi’ “ says Dr Doria.
The New Letting Go Programme at Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda
The brand-new three-night programme features activities focused on breathing, reopening the senses and rediscovering yourself – bringing us back to the deeper meaning of the ‘here and now’. The stages of ‘Letting Go’ are:
- Let down your defences. The Prima di Vera energy body scrub with bran and olive oil helps breakdown the body’s defences. The “energising action of brushing performed along the meridians allows vital energy to freely flow around the body.
- Focus on your breath. Conscious breathing exercises in the Energy and therapeutic garden allow one to focus on the ‘here and now’, bringing a sense of calm and eliminating negative thoughts.
- Open your senses. The Il Volo dell’Angelo energy massage stimulates different senses using music, sound and touch. The treatment is designed to help listen to one’s inner voice.
Lefay SPA therapists will also guide guests through the energy garden to pick local herbs and aromatic plants for use in a personalised recipe prepared in a cooking class with the chef. A moment to get reacquainted with the ingredients and get hands dirty again.
- Return to wonder. A guided outdoor excursion with picnic lunch overlooking Lake Garda allows guests to relieve anxieties and tension and create a new sense of awareness and appreciation of the natural landscape.
A dinner at “Gramen” Restaurant is included in the programme with a tasting menu designed by Michelin-starred executive chef Matteo Maenza based on the Mediterranean diet of fish and local, sustainably sourced ingredients.
- Feel free to be yourself. A Water Shiatsu session in the salt-water pool combines the ancient massage technique with the benefits of water. The treatment helps one find self-confidence and spontaneous self-acceptance, free from mental filters.
Discover all the details of the ‘Letting go’ programme here:
The 3 night Letting Go programme costs from Euros 1,945 (approx. £1,650) per person staying in a Prestige Junior Suite including all meals and treatments in the programme.