Many of us have had our holidays cancelled this year (thanks ‘rona) and 2020 has become the year of the staycation. With trips to Bali wellness retreats off the cards for the foreseeable future, we want to bring that wholesome Bali goodness to your home. We caught up with Kevin Scheepers, a personal growth guru who is dedicated to help others gain an optimal understanding of mindfulness, about how to recreate a Bali haven in your own bedroom.

1. Write out an itinerary
Whilst you might not be greeted with fruity delicious drinks with an itinerary in hand, that doesn’t mean you can’t make one yourself! Plan our your at home retreat, scheduling in yoga, lunch and quiet reflection time. Studies show that having a structured routine alleviates the chaos in the brain. When your brain goes on autopilot is allows for deeper mindfulness and to connect with yourself without the stress of decision making.

 

2. Decorate
You may not be sipping herbal tea with a view of the ocean, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try! Get some tropical flowers or plants like lilies to transport you to an oasis of zen. Put your home on ‘retreat mode’, tidy your room and buy a nice oil or scented candle. Remove unnecessary mess as the less clutter you have at home the more your subconscious mind is able to relax.

3. Trick your senses
Make sure every part of your brain thinks you’re in Bali! Create a calming light by having low, yellow lights or a Himalayan salt lamp. And of course, candles! Using aromatherapy candles or incense with scents such as eucalyptus, lavender, rose or lemongrass are known to be calming and relaxing. Or try to get a frangipani scent, the native flower of Bali!

4. Mediation
Uses your senses to turn anything around you into a focus of meditation. You can turn your lunch, listening to music and making coffee into meditative experience. Whilst the common misconception in meditation is to stop thinking, we actually need an anchor to focus on. Choose a sense to focus on such as a smell while drinking coffee or focusing on the taste and texture of food.

5. Have a sleep ritual at home
A main part of a retreat is feeling rested and refreshed after leaving our everyday life at home. The best way to feel rested is a good night’s sleep. Establish your night ritual for your retreat but turning of technology or artificial light 1 to 2 hours before bedtime, and stop consuming caffeine 8 hours before bedtime. Being bored before bed also brings our brains into the correct brainwaves to sleep. It’s very effective to have the room as dark as possible, and get fresh air into the bedroom.

6. Nature bathe
Nature gives us good quality air and the colours relax our eyes and nervous system. It discharges the energy we accumulate from our technology that causes inflammation in the brain and body into the ground. The different smells of plants tap into our olfactory system that allows us to rest more deeply. Combined with walking, it allows us to be moderately active and this releases tension.

7. Qigong Practice
Qigong Practice is a centuries old system of co-ordinating body posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality and martial-arts trainings. This has a multitude of benefits for our nervous system and to release the tensions in our body and generate more mobility. There are lots of videos on YouTube to help you get started – find one and set up a space in a corner of your room or the garden!

8. Breathe
Breathing techniques have been scientifically proven to lower stress levels, blood pressure and anxiety. This is because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. Find time three times a day to check in with your breathing and re-centre.

Kevin also recommends signing up to an online course on an area of wellness you would like to know more about. You can also go one further and sign up to 1 to 1 online coaching to help you achieve your optimum physical health and wellbeing. Check out Kevin’s online coaching here.