Detox To Unbox: Bring Wellness Into Your Way Of Life

An Ayurvedic detox programme at Alila Diwa makes an impact that stays with you for over a year, bringing wellness into your way of life.

- Ruchira Bose

In the weeks leading up to my weekend in Goa for a new spa programme at Alila Diwa, I was in two minds whether it was good or bad timing for something like that. While a detox programme can be refreshing, it could also result in opening up all those boxes of ‘unresolved’ issues we learn to skilfully Tupperware away. After years of going to serious detox programmes at Chiva Som and Como spa resorts, I knew all the directions a real detox can take.

But it was hot, dry, and dusty in Delhi, and I welcomed a weekend of rain and quiet time. A friend, however, thought I was crazy. “You have a functioning liver in your body. You don’t need to detox. The organ does it all for you,” she tried to tell me. Adding that going to Goa and not drinking piña coladas or eating vast amounts of pork sorpotel and fried calamari amounts to insulting the destination.

I decided that my friend was being a bit of a killjoy and planned to still go for it, taking an evening flight to Goa and arriving close to midnight. I was surprised to be greeted at that hour by Dr Arjita Kumari, the Spa Director. I learnt later that no matter what the hour, she personally greets every guest who comes for a wellness programme. Each one is carefully designed by her, and she likes to navigate the guests through them, doing many of the activities such as yoga, zumba, and art therapy along with them. Arjita keeps the number of participants low and her commitment to their wellness journeys high.