Tibetan Healing Centre and meditation cave to open at Indian wellness retreat
by Jane Kitchen | 26 Nov 2015
Indian wellness retreat Vana will unveil a new 12,464sq ft (1,158sq m) Tibetan Healing Centre in the next couple of months, complete with its own meditation cave.
Launched in 2014, Vana is a 21-acre estate surrounded by clusters of Sal forest, and is set within its own mango and lychee orchards in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. It includes 66 bedrooms, 16 suites, two restaurants, 55 treatment and consultation rooms and a yoga temple. All buildings are LEED Platinum-certified.
As with Vana's other latte-coloured modernist buildings – created by Majorcan architects Esteva I Esteva Arquitectura – the new Tibetan Healing Centre has been designed to work in harmony with nature.
The light and airy interiors of the centre aim to preserve and propagate the spiritual concept of Tibetan medicine, using linen and ceramics in shades of blue, inspired by the Medicine Buddha. Art at the centre includes paintings by Tibetan traditional artists, depicting the chronicles of the Buddha, as well as pieces by the in-house artist, Siraj Saxena.
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The centre – the retreat's seventh and final wellness space – will be surrounded by a reflection pond, a shrine room and a library for spiritual study, discourse and discussion. The special cave for meditation will be located nearby.
"We feel blessed to have the opportunity to have created the Tibetan Healing Centre at Vana Malsi Estate," said Veer Singh, the retreat's founder. "Our inspiration to do so came from the enlightened Tibetan Masters and Lamas that have graced us with their support and teachings over the years, as well as a sense of duty towards the Tibetan community around us in Dehradun."
Tibetan healing, also known as Sowa Rigpa, is influenced by Indian and Chinese medicine, but holds Tibetan Buddhism at its core, with the mind, compassion and emotions equally weighted as integral elements to the state of wellbeing.
Dr Sonam Dolkar, a doctor of Tibetan medicine, will lead the centre's team of therapists, who have all trained at Men-Tsee-Khang – The Tibetan Institute of Medicine and Astrology.
The retreat's other wellness spaces include an Ayurveda Centre, spa, private Watsu pool, gym, heat and wet areas, tennis courts, paths for walking, and two slate-lined pools – including one on the rooftop with views over the forest and into the hills beyond. A unique gathering space called the Bodhi Tree is available for evening discourses.
Each of Vana’s seven wellness offerings has its own dedicated team, concept and space.
The retreat also features 500 pieces of bespoke artwork by Siraj Saxena Credit: Vana
The buildings are designed by Majorcan architects Esteva I Esteva Arquitectura and are light and airy inside Credit: Vana
Each of Vana’s seven wellness offerings has its own dedicated team, concept and space Credit: Vana
Treatments include Ky nye (traditional Tibetan massage), Dhugs (a compression treatment using medical herbs), Chu lum (water bath), Hor gyi metsa (therapeutic manipulation) and Gom (meditation) Credit: Vana
Indian wellness retreat Vana will unveil a new 12,464sq ft (1,158sq m) Tibetan Healing Centre in the next couple of months, complete with its own meditation cave. Launched in 2014, Vana is a 21-acre estate surrounded by clusters of Sal forest, and is set within its own mango and lychee orchards in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. It includes 66 bedrooms, 16 suites, two restaurants, 55 treatment and consultation
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