Scanning the program and the content of the Key note speech at the “ Inner IDEAS Conference” coming up this October in California, I am stricken of how far we have come since introducing the concept of Body-Mind in the middle of the nineties, the lectures and classes are all about wellbeing and how to find peace of mind and workout routines that enhances body awareness and reduces stress.

Classes available on the conference (http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-conferences/inner-idea-conference/sessions):

Different variations of Yoga and Pilates, an array of breath and meditations sessions.

As I wrote in an earlier blog this summer, body mind related and functional training are really on high demand.

I think one of the main reasons for this is that people want to integrate movement and workout regimes that promote and facilitate closeness to self. Enabling them to recognize needs and ways to monitor and be in charge of their own wellbeing.

//Isabella

The Swedish school inspection will take a decision about if yoga should be permitted or banned at school. A notification has been sent to the school inspectorate who argues that yoga is a religious element and wants to ban the practice based on that argument.

A petition has been created and Swedish people are now signing up to keep the possibility to practice Yoga in Swedish schools.

Being a part of the Wellness Industry and experiencing the increase of interest in Body Mind based movement forms and seeing their benefits on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing the discussion just seem so backward.

The creator of the petition states the following reasons of keeping and developing the practice of Yoga in school and I felt that this is an important cause to support.

Yoga is not a religious element. On the contrary, there are many advantages for children to do yoga in the schools. In addition to affecting their learning positively, it can also increase the children’s awareness, self-esteem, desire to take care of herself, calm, discipline, concentration, interest to talk about life, sense of community, strength, flexibility, focus, presence, efficiency of biochemical processes in the body, awareness, respect for other people and nature as well as empathetic/sympathetic ability.

Read more at www.skolyoga.se

//Isa

As most of the Swedish spas starts to wind down to the slow season, our LivNordic spa at Grand Hôtel starts preparing for the busiest season, with lots of tourists wanting to try the most royal among the worlds massages – The Swedish Massage!

Grand Hôtel is hosting many of the tourists coming to visit Stockholm at its best. Sun is up for almost 24 hours, the city radiant displaying many of the pleasures that a tourist can try.

For us – the magical sauna and cold dip in the ocean is something that has to be experienced. It is as Nordic as one can get, its many benefits are countless, but it the shock and the satisfying feeling that tingles throughout the body afterwards that I love the most. Ad some birch, great company and something to eat and drink and there is nothing I rather do on a summer evening.

We have tried to mimic this at our LivNordic spa with the cold dip pool is surrounded a mosaic wall which is an actual picture from Stockholm archipelago that has been assembled pixel by pixel to give the feeling of being in nature (see picture). It is the probably best alternative to the real thing.

Grand Hôtel is as Nordic as it gets, the best hotel in Scandinavia, and where else to experience the worlds most sought after massage, together with sauna, cold dip and a bit of luxury. And the design is of course completely Scandinavian, and staying true to what Raison d’Etre is about, it is probably one of the most sustainable spas in the world, with UV and sand filtered pool, FSC wood, non toxic paint, no PVD pipes, organic linen, natural products etc. etc.

At our LivNordic spa we also host many other Nordic treatments, such as the Nordic Bathing de Luxe, Nordic Thai Massage, Arctic Detox Massage, Swedish Cure, Nordic Beauty and many more!

We love the summer season, as we are able to give visitors a taste of what makes Sweden so fantastic, the connectivity to nature, healthy life style and sound mindfulness – simply put – coming a bit closer to Nordic Life  – LivNordic.

//Anna

I’ve been doing Yoga for almost 15 years now, starting out with very basic Hatha Yoga, moving into the more challenging Bikram Yoga, which kept me passionate for a few years…For the past 5 years I have mostly done Ashtanga and Vinyasa Yoga…it seems like the more demanding styles of yoga has always attracted me. Particularly Ashtanga and Bikram yoga, as these styles gives me a frame for my practice, I know exactly the postures and the sequences, it is always the same and I know I have done something complete when the practice ends. It is also very rewarding as you clearly see your developments and progress from class to class. But after many years of on and off practice, I started to question my craving for the demanding yoga styles. I started to question my wish to constantly improve and compare my practice with my previous sessions, and especially the sense of failure if I did not have a good day at the mat…

After my second baby was born, I went through some very challenging time and I had a long way back, where I constantly tried to perform as I had always done. I tried to go back to my Ashtanga class, but it felt like I was constantly thrown off the mat, my body hurt, my mind was somewhere else and my focus was just on what is wrong?

I tried to go running instead, but after 10 minutes I hit the wall….and I tried hard, as I thought that physical activity will get me back on track, but then a wise person “lighted some lights” for me and explained the necessity of letting go…and to do things differently.  I finally realized that I could not force myself, I could not perform as I used to….I had to do something completely different – and I did!

I took another look at the yoga studio’s weekly schedule and started to look for the classes I never had cared about before; yin yoga, restorative yoga, meditation…and it surprised me; I actually saw more of these type of classes than the more demanding once – what had happened? I even checked the schedules for other yoga studios, and saw a remarkable increase for restorative yoga…

I went to some yoga workshops and listened to other participants and what I heard surprised me, many of them had after many years moved from the more demanding styles of yoga to calmer styles, and it had not been an easy journey, but a necessary one. Many of us had constantly tried to get back on the Bikram or Ashtanga mat, but were constantly “stopped” for various reasons…I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with more demanding yoga styles, I’m just reflecting over the trend that there seems to have been a shift in the yoga offers, moving towards a more gentle version, not necessary less demanding, but a more accepting style of yoga…

So what happened for me personally? Well, I stopped all types of demanding physical activities; I took daily long walks and just attended restorative yoga classes regularly – 2 hours of nothing but “active rest”. I actually had to take 2, maybe 3 or 4 steps back before I could actually move forward again…

Today I’m back on track, I’m running, I can do Ashtanga classes every now and then, but I have incorporated regular restorative yoga practice into my life, and I love the 2 hours classes…and I’m convinced that sometimes you have to accept the situation, listen to your body and take a few steps back, before you can go on again…

So what is Restorative Yoga?

Restorative Yoga is about deep and aware relaxation. It is a Yoga of ‘Being’, rather than a Yoga of ‘Doing’. It is a gentle form of yoga which focuses on relaxation of the muscles and the body tissue so that a state of deep relaxation and healing can occur The intention is to release rather than strengthen and there is never any sensations of strain in this type of yoga. The thought behind Restorative yoga is to create possibilities for the body to heal; it is a self healing process. During a Restorative class you will use a lot of props, like pillows, blankets, blocks,eye pillows etc and the idea is to support the body in the posture as much as possible so you can enter a meditative state so that the body can fully relax and thereby heal…

//Maria

(Picture borrowed from Yogayama.se)

Our blog’s Nordic Theme continues this week, all included in our new LivNordic brand (www.raisondetrespas.com). Last week we had a look at Nordic superfoods and this week Isabella starts with exploring Fitness trends in Scandinavia. Fitness trends globally are very alike, big fitness chains are launching their concepts all around the globe. But are we, the consumer, around the globe alike, are our needs and demands alike? We are all influenced by our surroundings, social trends, friends and media and also by our internal needs and level of personal growth and maturity. There is the mass, influenced by what media is saying and the sub groups that has had an interest in a specific wellness or fitness philosophy or regime.

In Sweden, what I can see, there is an upcoming trend; Small fitness clubs that offer more personalized wellness and fitness solutions. Physiotherapists, naprapaths, nutritionists and fitness experts with a life style coaching touch join their venture to give a broader service when people ask for assistance in gaining a healthier life style.

They offer an Analysis based Personal training programs which includes the following: (a) individual medical/fitness and goal-related assessment before, during and after your training period, (b) establishing personal goals and milestones for each client, (c) committing the client for a training period to achieve identified goals, (d) individual assessment and consulting regarding food and nutrition, (e) combining different specific areas of expertise under the “same roof”, for example chiropractors, naprapaths, nutritionists and physiotherapists.

What else is new or trendy?

In the studios and Fitness clubs in Scandinavia we see;

• Hot yoga is getting hotter in Scandinavia and Northern Europe
• Yoga, yoga, yoga, yoga yoga yoga and then some more variations on Yoga
• Dance classes – blast us away, ethnic sound and moves
• Straight forward boot camp style of group exercise, where it’s ok to have two left feet
• TRX at a gym near you and other functional toys to play with
• Small group training – 4-6 participants get coaching in a specific work out, TRX and outdoors running groups

I must say that I am impressed by what SATS is doing, this year, full guns blazing, embracing functional training and …..more play. Maybe this is also a sign that we want and need more community, interaction and fun. I sure hope so.

(And ….at Madonna`s gym in Moscow, working out, working for, working to be able to walk in Hiiiiigh heels – unfortunately we are still waiting for this trend to enter in the Scandinavian Fitness clubs…)

/Isabella

Susie Ellis from Spa Finer e-mailed me today that The Wall Street Journal ran an article by Andrea Petersen yesterday titled, Don’t Call It Pampering:  Massage Wants to Be Medicine, that described quite a few research studies about the benefits of massage.  It is a very good example of making progress in the very direction the Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) http://www.globalspaandwellnesssummit.org were hoping that www.spaevidence.com would be taking us.  GSWS worked with Andrea Petersen on her article (and provided most of the examples).  It is a step in the right direction having a reporter recognize the value of connecting research studies with spa services (especially massage) for consumers.

At this year’s Summit we will be showing a few upgrades to the Spaevidence.com website that will include the addition of more modalities as well as some cosmetic changes and social media integration. Myself, Anna, is one of the founding board members of GSWS and please read more about it and also the fantastic resource of both science and research!

And just a reminder and friendly nudge, if you haven’t already done so, please link to SpaEvidence (here is the link with the instructions on how to do that)  http://www.spaevidence.com/spaevidence/contact and encourage others to do so as well.  It is a fantastic resource for anyone working in the spa industry.

//Anna

We have just gone live with our updated web page! The web-address is the same www.raisondetrespas.com but it has a completely new look. For a very long time Raison d’Etre have been working silently in the background not really marketing our existence or telling the world what we do or who we work with; even some hoteliers did not know exactly what we did. The new web page is therefore more open and available when it comes to who we are, what we do and whom we worked with…plus plenty of more information about our achievements and what we have created over the past years – things that we are actually very proud of.

We have chosen to go live, although we have some work left to do. Actually we will probably never be ready – that is they beauty of it – so you will continue to see changes and updates the coming weeks and probably months.

Surf around and have fun! If you have any feedback please tell us. We would LOVE to hear from you!

/Raison d’Etre Team

Yesterday I had the pleasure of experiencing the Nordic Deep Relaxation massage, and the feeling of complete balance has stayed with me until now. It is a strange vibration that continued, slept like a baby and am just content in a good way.

Marcos, the therapist, is one of those therapists that simply have it, he speaks with his hands with my body and holds when he should, and massages when he should, he is simply in tuned with the dance of balancing.

It starts with Marcos putting my feet in a Chi machine, this is a machine that my body by rocking the feet (I actually used this when I was pregnant as it is really good for aching backs, and it was fantastic), and just like rocking a baby is relaxing, so is this. To give that extra, he then conducted BARS (an energy massage to the head that helps me to relax and stop having a racing mind (I sometimes have great difficulty to relax and finally start relaxing 3/4 into the treatment and then it is just about over! and BARS is a great solution to this, it shortcuts the thoughts). So when he took away the Chi machine, I was in a state of relaxation after 10 minutes which normally happens after 45 min.

Now, this 2 hour treatment then continues with rocking soothing massage strokes and it is now way you can escape from surrendering to complete relaxation. Isabella dos Santos created this treatment intuitively during 3-4 years, and when she then spoke with Osteopaths and other alternative practitioners, she realized that the treatment is actually very scientific in its rocking and vibration. In addition Michael Simonato has created a special sound track, using the science of healing through music such as hemi sync http://www.hemi-sync.com/ through the generation of complex, multilayered audio signals, which act together to create a resonance that is reflected in unique brainwave forms characteristic of specific states of consciousness.

Simply put the music is choreographed with the treatment, and is not just background music, but part of the treatment, and the power of sound is profound.

The treatment was great, but what was the most amazing is the state that I was afterwards, it was almost dreamlike yet at the same time completely awake and present. Extremely cool and I want to do this again. Strangely enough (or not!) I was motivated to take lots of good decisions that my body wanted more than my mind (such as skip the wine to dinner and do a TRX session instead of watching TV after my 6 years old birthday party) – and after all that, I still feel different in a good way.

I truly think that 2 hour treatments not only gives double the time and benefit of a traditional 1 hour massage, but beyond measurable benefits and hats of to Isabella who has developed this truly bespoke and result oriented treatment.

//Anna

Working for Raison d’Etre takes you to amazing places around the world and we have been blessed with spa projects in the most incredible destinations. But still the hospitality industry never stops us from being totally amazed by the creativity that is to be found out there, year after year. New dream destinations are continuously launched and we have listed two new and exciting hotels where we would like to check in, this year;

Naked Stables – China

Located in the mountains and the lush forest, just 2 hours outside Shanghai, this eco-construction is a chic retreat, composed of some individual rooms and 2 to 4 bedroom villas. The resort is nested in the bamboo mountains of Moganshan and is Asia’s first LEED-platinum certified resort. It is the result of 31 million USD and 2 years of green constructing, built from the ground, yet with minimal impact on the natural environment . It is an accessible rural escape from the city, a hideaway created in the most environmentally friendly and sustainable way. And don’t worry about the name; it is named for its “naturel” eco – approach. There is of course a spa, hidden in the forest, lots of wellness activities, horseback riding, fishing, fine dining and serenity, as no motor vehicles are allowed in the valley.

We are just amazed by the design, ambiance and the location, a true hideaway in the Chinese countryside, with views over the mountains reminding us of a fairytale world…

www.nakedretreats.cn

Dar Hi – Tunisia

The French industrial designer Matali Crasset, also known for innovative and creative hotel designs, has created a new, extremely sleek and stylish hideaway in Nefta, Tunisia. The hotel has a panoramic view over the Tunisian desert and the town of Nefta. The architecture of the houses in the resort is contemporary with walls made of whole bricks that have a distinctive ochre color. Roofs and house doors are made of palm wood. The architecture is very inspiring and the shape of the houses gives you a feeling of being on another planet…It is not surprising that this particular location has inspired a large number of movie directors, for example: Star Wars and the English Patient were filmed in the Nefta desert. The Dar Hi hotel follows a strong ecological and environmental approach, in all matters; food is organic and only locally produced, the construction is made of only local materials and the water is provided by a hot natural source that comes from the desert and supplies the hammam as well as the swimming pool with hot water using geothermal energy.  The spa offers Arabic massages, traditional hammam treatments and some local therapies with warm sand and clay.

www.dar-hi.net

We have also some exciting spa projects coming up in exciting destinations and hotels, which will tell more about soon…

/Maria

Raison d’Etre and YHHS (Swedish Cidesco certified School for Spa & Beauty) has joined forces, offering a unique and market-oriented on-line spa management course. The first course starting now in March will be in Swedish and this falls course, starting in October will be in English.

Raison d’Etre had worked with over 100 spas in 60 different countries and have educated more than 100 spa managers the past 10 years. YHHS has educated over a 1,000 beauticians and therapists since 1993, and is certified by both Cidesco  (Comité International d´Esthetique et de Cosmetologie) and SHR (Swedish certification board of beauticians).

Many spa managers are talented and passionate former therapists, leading a very staff intensive, leadership challenging business with a turn over of well over 1 million Euros. A spa should, as any other business have a business plan, marketing plan, and as the most successful businesses further have a HCM (Human Capital Management) plan.

Our aim with this spa management course, if to give the attendees the tools and knowledge to be able to create and implement these plans, as well as motivating their staff to be passionate and dedicated team members. The course spans over 3 months and is divided into 6 modules

1. Spa history, terminology and trends
2. Leadership
3. Operations, customer service and quality management systems
4. PR and Marketing
5. Finance
6. Business plan

Our goal is to educate the spa leaders of tomorrow and give them the tools and knowledge to help them reach their goals. We are so excited about this course, it is based on the past 10 years knowledge of spa management education as well as YHHS vast spa educational expertise, and we truly believe that our attendees will grow and prosper during this course.

For more information contact  Anna-Cari Gund  annacari.gund@yhhs.se

//Anna