I got a dose of a much-needed health calibration — I mean physical, mental, emotional, and in a way, spiritual, at the newly launched Niyama Wellness Center at Anya Resort Tagaytay. “Rooted in ancient yoga spirituality, Niyama describes the fundamental pillars of discipline, contentment, confidence, and happiness.”
After the pandemic, we all realized the importance of wellness and how it is essential in living and thriving in life. Wellness is a journey to wholeness, right?
The Niyama Wellness Center offers “individual paths to personal healing and well-being.” It is the first of hopefully many centers to open in the country focusing on the fundamental elements of overall health. It is operated by the Anya Hospitality Group (AHG) and offers spa management and consultancy, spa brand development, and spa operational support to developers, owners and operators of leading hotels, resorts, and spa projects nationwide.
Santi Elizalde, president/CEO of Roxaco Land Corporation (AHG is the hospitality arm of Roxaco), states that “the vision for the Niyama Wellness brand is for it to represent a fully integrated wellness concept that provides a variety of treatment modalities for the mind, body and soul. Niyama is not just a spa that most of us are familiar with offering therapies and treatments and massages for the body alone. We want to take the Niyama brand to the next level of wellness that promotes a balanced lifestyle, taking into consideration the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of every guest. We will be offering spa treatments and massages, biological wellness integrative therapies, wellness-related activities, talks, workshops and a Soul Food menu.”
The wellness center in the Tagaytay resort provides what they call the “Niyama Experience” anchored on five pillars, which are spa, integrative treatments, inner journeys (retreats and workshops), movement (fitness and mindful movement) and a Soul Menu. Carol Laguna, its corporate wellness and spa director, says that they focused on these areas “to complete the experience with a holistic approach, and to optimize the overall wellbeing of our guests. We go over and beyond spa treatments and gym facilities. We are dedicated to restore your mind, body and spirit to balance. Niyama Wellness is also a timely opportunity in addressing our distinctive need for rest, rejuvenation, and reset, as we strive to meet the ever-growing need and demand today, especially after the pandemic. And lastly, we have incorporated the unparalleled world-class service, and genuine Filipino hospitality by the AHG.”
They have 13 spa treatments to address personal preferences and needs. I tried the Niyama Cupping Therapy, an ancient form of alternative therapy that involves placing special cups on the skin to create suction. The cups are kept moving using a variety of techniques tailored to your goals. Carol emphasizes that “with every stroke, you will feel yourself melt into relaxation and rejuvenation, taking away the toxins and stresses of your mind and body.” This treatment combined with a deep massage does not only remove toxins from the body, it breaks fat, too (goodbye, cellulite!). Unlike the cupping therapy that I am familiar with, which uses what looks like small glasses, what they use here is suction cups attached to a small contraption. If I were to describe the feeling, it was like certain areas of my body were being vacuumed. Vacuum away, I say.
The Niyama Signature Massage is interesting, too, as the therapist makes use of warm bamboo sticks to help one relax to the max.
Want to radiate beauty and health? The Ultimate Glow Scrub uses coffee, salt, or sugar, to remove impurities and dead skin cells.
For romantic partners, a Couple’s Harmony treatment includes a relaxing footbath ritual, followed by a nourishing milk bath, capped by the Niyama Signature Massage.
Niyama has partnered with the European Wellness Biomedical Group to provide state-of-the-art integrative treatments as well. The EW group is a multi-awarded international company known for its pioneering preventive healthcare therapies. To start off, I had the Biological Body Scan, a German-made screening instrument “assessing bio-markers such as the automatic nervous system, diet, lifestyle, stress and psycho-emotional levels, adaptation, determining an individual’s health status.”
What I was scared to find out was that the scan reveals one’s biological age as compared to current age. Nevertheless, I braved it out and took the body scan, which took less than 10 minutes, and was similar to an ECG test. The results are then discussed with you lengthily with recommended treatments to address issues. Not wishing to give TMI (too much information), let’s just say, I need to do a few treatments and therapies to improve my overall wellbeing. I will sadly disclose, though, that my biological age is a decade older than my chronological age. I asked Dr. Ariel Baira, European Wellness Retreat medical director, that, of all the treatments they have, what is a must.
“The initial thing we do is the Biological Body Scan since it gives us the necessary information to find out your overall health status, which forms the baseline where we determine if there is a need in an area for improvement. I am a bit biased when it comes to the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). It is a pressurized chamber that provides the right amount of oxygen. It has been tested as a good treatment modality for cancer, diabetes, respiratory problems, COVID, among others.”
Another notable high-tech integrative treatment is the Infrared Bioresonance Therapy, which is like a sauna with infrared light for respiratory health and gives your skin a glow. There are many other modern machines to address different concerns, plus EW offers various intravenous therapies.
Niyama also has seasonal retreat and workshops called “Inner Journeys” where they invite noted wellness specialists and champions. These activities are “meaningful opportunities for reflection, meditation, engagement, support and quiet transformation.”
I attended a talk by yoga guru, aromatherapy expert, and health and wellness enthusiast Marilen Elizalde on “Surviving and Thriving,” which was enlightening, inspiring, and gave practical tips on living a complete and meaningful life. This is a relevant topic, especially as we have experienced the peaks and most of all, the valleys that came with the pandemic. “’Surviving and Thriving’ is actually the introduction topic to our ‘Crossroads to Wellness Workshop Series’ that is part of ‘Inner Journeys’ of Niyama Wellness. We thought it a good topic to start with for anyone who would like to begin their wellness journey. It discusses how one can thrive and not just survive in life. It shares how to reset our mindsets and have a clearer understanding of what wellness is through our pillars of health,” explains Marilen.
Another pillar in the Niyama wellness experience is Movement, which consists of both the physical and the mindful. Anya Resort’s facilities come into play to promote this: the heated pool, gym, and even the surroundings where one can have a vigorous or contemplative walk. Their guests may also opt for yoga or Tai-chi sessions, or even private classes. During my stay, yogini Marilen Elizalde conducted a class to start the day on a positive note.
Lastly, nourishment for the body is nourishment for the soul. Their Soul Menu was created by Anya partner Cinty Yniguez of Well Nourished Company, who is a culinary nutrition and wellness coach and chef, and was enhanced by the resort’s executive chef Chris Leaning. The menu is offered at the Anila poolside. Also, taste is not compromised, so the dishes don’t taste like cardboard. As per chef Leaning, “The Niyama Soul Menu was put together as a delicious and healthy alternative to classic dishes that will benefit the body and soul without compromising taste, texture or presentation.” Guest favorites include the Miso Mushroom Burger, Vegetarian Spaghetti with a Mushroom, Cashew and Tomato Sauce, Curried Squash and Coconut Soup, Vegetarian Mushroom, Lentil and Walnut Paté, and Vietnamese Spring Rolls.
So why has wellness become so vital nowadays? As Santi Elizalde says, it is important because “over the last three to five years, what wellness stands for has taken on a completely different dimension, which has only been enhanced by the COVID pandemic. Wellness is now an all-encompassing concept that captures the mental, emotional and physical health of every individual. So if we are to lead a ‘healthy lifestyle’ as we know it, we all need to be mindful of the state of our mental, emotional and physical characteristics to become better-performing individuals in every aspect of life.”