THE BEST OF KAMALAYA
WELLNESS EXPERTISE FOR NEW YEAR WELLBEING

As we round up another year of wellbeing, the key experts at Kamalaya Koh Samui Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa share their top tips in preparation for a new year of whole being wellness.

New year, a new longevity goal

Though longevity is a recent super trend in the wellness industry, Kamalaya has always derived inspiration from the fundamentals of longevity, which are Breathing, Water, Attitude, Sleep, Eating, Movement and Nature. I find that New Year is the best time for a fresh start, and here on Koh Samui, we have an entire collection of personalised experiences designed to promote your health and longevity. From our bespoke wellness packages to IV Therapy, Ozone Therapy and Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber Therapy available at the new Longevity House, our experts are here to support your wellbeing goals.
Gopal Kumar, Director of Wellness Development & Project                          

Staying mindful during moments of madness

The holiday season can be a beautiful time spent with friends and family, and it can also be a period of stress and tension. It’s more important now than ever to put our mindfulness practice into action. This involves observing our thoughts and our breathing patterns, as well as staying in the present moment – not allowing past or future worries to interfere with what’s happening right now.

It’s also important to remember that it’s OK to just keep it simple and focus on enjoying yourself and your family – acknowledging that not one family out there is perfect. Being in the moment allows you to really focus on those that matter and enables you to create precious memories with love and laughter – all amazing for your overall health and wellbeing.
Melany Martinez Thomas, Director of Wellness

Meditate and reflect on the year

Discover the secret to unbound happiness with an ancient tool that we incorporate into our daily wellness programs at Kamalaya Koh Samui.

If you make it a goal to dedicate at least 15 minutes a day to meditation, you’ll soon see the incredible benefits that this practice has on your body, mind and soul wellbeing. It brings undivided attention and energy to the things that really matter, helps to eradicate the things that don’t and helps you truly feel alive and often enchanted. Whilst the daily act alone will not achieve happiness, I truly believe that if you meditate about it and focus on the things you need to do to achieve it, you will begin to feel happy most of the time. While Loving Kindness meditation can be an invaluable habit to add to your new year’s goals.
Sujay Seshadri, Head Life Enhancement Mentor

Nurture goals with nature

As we get to the end of the year, it’s a great time to start putting self-care and personal development goals in place. To help aid these goals, at Kamalaya we recommend the use of Bach flowers – a great tool for supporting you on your journey.

The Bach flower remedies come in the form of drops and can be taken daily according to your goals. Hornbeam for example helps motivation – supporting you during weight loss. Crab Apple helps to cleanse you physically and emotionally and is great to assist with detoxing. Chestnut helps to calm the mind and reduce overthinking, enabling greater focus, whilst Olive helps rebalance energy, great if you have a lot of activities to get started.

At Kamalaya we offer flower therapy, however, you can create your own Bach program to assist you with a wide range of goals throughout the new year and beyond.
Leila Abachi, Head Naturopath

Start a food habit instead of a diet

Diets, weight loss and improved physical shape feature on many new year resolution lists. Often these tend to be unsustainable since we must apply willpower to avoid certain foods, rather than learn to enjoy others.

A more sustainable approach to achieving your dietary goals would be to adopt a nutrient-dense, fresh, high-quality whole foods diet. Find the foods that you enjoy and incorporate these extensively into your diet. Do it gradually and your body will start to respond well to good food, and you’ll become aware of the impact of negative foods. Good food habits will form, and you’ll continue to enjoy your mealtimes – just with much better food choices on the plate. Find out how you can create your own New Year Detox at Home.
Kate Upton, Senior Naturopathic Nutritionist

Make fitness fun

It’s almost pointless persevering with a fitness routine that you don’t enjoy. It makes physical exercise more punitive than pleasurable, and here at Kamalaya, we believe that fitness should be enjoyed.

There are three things to consider to make exercise an easy part of your new year routine. Firstly, you should choose something that you like. Whether that’s the gym, group classes, walking, running, cycling in nature or something else that gets your heart rate up.

Secondly, you should make sure that it incorporates varied movement – a mixture of strength training, mobility training and cardiovascular training to maintain our bodies as they have evolved. Our ancestors would run, fight, climb, push, pull, hunt, carry and many more natural, primal movements. So, take your favourite exercise and make sure you incorporate different practices.

Finally, be consistent. Commit to undertaking exercise daily. It takes several weeks to form a habit, and similarly to see the results. You’ll find that once the results start to show, you’ll become more motivated to push your exercise limits – in turn improving your physical fitness and enabling you to reach your health goals quickly.
Adam Lincoln, Fitness Manager

Tea is the tonic

Whether you’re trying to restore your inner balance or perhaps enter a new year’s detox, the Inner Harmony Tea promotes serenity from within. It’s best enjoyed in quiet, comfortable surroundings that produce positive energy, and should be drank mindfully using all senses.

For the ingredients you will require: 2 – 3 rose buds, 5 chrysanthemum flowers, ½ of a tsp jasmine flowers, 1 Marie gold flower, 5 chamomile flowers or 1 tea bag, 3 – 5 gou qi berries, cinnamon stick (1- 2 cm slow dry roasted in a skillet pan), 375 ml boiling water and stevia, molasses or sweetener to taste.

To make the tea, add all the ingredients into a teapot, pour boiling water and cover. Allow to sit for 10 – 15 minutes before serving through a strainer.
Bernd Shulte, TCM Practitioner

An exotic alternative

Take your tastebuds on an exotic culinary adventure this festive season and swap your usual roast for slow-cooked roasted ostrich.

Ostrich is low in cholesterol and high in iron, protein and vitamin B-12. At Kamalaya, we pay special attention to the ingredients that we use to ensure our guests enjoy wholesome versions of their favourite dishes, and we have found that ostrich is a beautiful and tasty alternative.

The secret is to cook it at 175 degrees for about 1 hour (about 3 kg/pcs) then blast it to 250 degrees for about 5 minutes in the end. The meat then maintains its juiciness and doesn’t get dry.

Our sweet potato mash with Chinese broccoli and ginger dressing recipe is also a delectable and healthy alternative to your potato dish, also an ideal component to enjoy with leftovers the next day.
Suchada Yangyuen (Khun Chompoo), Executive Sous-chef 

Planning the perfect event

Once you’ve set the date and time, it’s important to build momentum up to it. Make your guests anticipate the event with some pre-party touches. Perhaps send a goody bag ahead of time, start a group chat or do something else creative.

The key to decoration is to keep it minimalistic and elegant – so don’t overdo it. Use the same theme throughout – from invitations and table wear to décor and furnishings. At Kamalaya Koh Samui, we use plants and flowers from our gardens to decorate the venues and tables as eco-friendly alternatives to commercial decorations.

It’s essential to set the scene – ensure that the music, lighting, temperature and ambience match the event. Make sure guests can hear each other and increase the tempo throughout the evening rather than start at maximum energy.

Always keep it fun and as the host and get involved with the celebrations. The guests always notice the vibe and energy of the host more than the others so you will ultimately set the pace of the event. The one thing I’ve learnt about hosting events is to be sure to be present and live in the moment. Capture a few memories on your phone, then save the posting until later. Live it rather than watch it through a screen.
Thanom Sopapon (Khun Pla), Guest Experience Manager

Kamalaya Wellness Advent Calendar

For a full month of inspiration use the best of Kamalaya tips specially designed in a Wellness Advent Calendar. To make it challenging, share it with your loved ones or invite your friends to join in the fun. Stay motivated and on track with your wellness goals in the new 2023 year.

Click here to download.

Discover a new approach to lifelong wellness at Kamalaya Koh Samui. Click here to book your wellness transformation today.