The Wellness report

Understanding new practices and trends that are shaping the industry

- SANCHITA NAMBIAR

The year 2021 is all about restoring and reviving the wellness routines that were derailed last year. With the world limping back to normalcy, we are experiencing a major changeover in the way people are approaching their physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

As Neha Bose, director of rooms, Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru rightly puts it “Wellness is not a new concept, but the approach has changed post-Covid.” There is a strong inclination towards guilt-free self-care that is leading the introduction of several new products and experiences in the wellness industry.

Bose says, “The last year has really made us turn inward and focus on our health. A holistic, mind-body-soul approach is on the rise. Instead of working out to the point of exhaustion, there is a sense of wellbeing that is being embraced. Mindfulness has become more than a watchword. Redemptive time in nature, eating clean, getting quality sleep and breath-work are some key pivots.”

In addition, wellness focused-travel is also gaining momentum.

WELLNESS TOURISM

Last year, when the unlock phase began, I remember taking my first trip, almost after eight months, to a tranquil wellness resort in Maharashtra, as I was seeking a place where I could regain my stability, maintain my equanimity, and explore a new sense of living — something that is a priority for many individuals now.

Wellness tourism is on a rise across the globe with long vacations, nature-centric excursions, fitness holidays, sustainable and eco-tourism, and digital detox widening the scope and range of this form of travel.