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India Monsoon Season At The Stunning New Dharana At Shillim Wellness Retreat Near Mumbai

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Located three hours Southeast of the overwhelming traffic and chaos of Mumbai sits a breathtaking destination high in the Sahyadri Mountain Range. My visit to the new Dharana at Shillim retreat during India's infamous monsoon season is an experience I will never forget.

I arrived after midnight, as many international flights do to Mumbai, and was picked up in a luxury SUV by the resorts private driver and a host. I was a bit reticent about a long drive into the mountains of India in the middle of the night, but I can assure you it is not a lonely, desolate experience. In fact, many people commute in the middle of the night to avoid serious congestion during the daytime. It is through their resilience (and patience) that anything gets accomplished in this region of India.

The dramatic, winding drive through record-breaking monsoon rains never felt unsafe and only added to the adventure and the thrill of arriving at the illuminated oasis that is Dharana at Shillim. During the rainy season, the Western Ghats feel a bit like Jurassic Park with its lush forests, and dramatic mountains draped in gushing waterfalls cascading off the rocky cliffs. The small villages surrounding the 3,000-acre property, maintain verdant rice fields and bamboo plantations, and the locals live among serene, dramatic nature in its glory.

While my mind wandered with visions of wayward dinosaurs, I discovered the wildlife consisted of mostly birds and the occasional monkey. In fact there are 508 bird species and four thousand species of flowering plants in a region with an average of 120 inches rainfall. It is rare to spot a large animal here as you would find in Northern India, and it made the long hikes through the forest less intimidating.

I was welcomed on arrival by Dr. Arun Pillai, Director of Wellness for Dharana, and he made sure I was settled into the beautiful Presidential Villa for the remainder of the night. The 6,000 sf, three bedroom villa is located at the highest point of the retreat and offers a panoramic view of the Western Ghats Mountains and massive waterfalls. Also included is a large infinity pool, kitchenette and a private butler with buggy.

Dharana at Shillim combines seriously advanced diagnostics and assessment including gene testing, Oligo scanning (used by NASA to find toxic and mineral content, including traces of metal in the body), Iridology (retina scanning), and Traditional Eastern Medicine (Ayurveda, acupuncture, yoga). The retreat has become a unique destination for adventurous world travelers seeking a healing escape.

Dharana is the ability to bring the mind into focus and to hold the concentration on a single point. Incorporating this into your life allows all body-consciousness and restless thoughts to cease, enabling one to focus on the object of meditation without distraction.

There are nine different wellness programs that include the Dharana Yogic Life, the De-stress and the 5000-year-old Ayurvedic Panchakarma. On arrival, each guest receives an initial body composition analysis and assessment, with a customized itinerary and diet that they can take home with them.

Among the pillars of Dharana are; Preventative Medicine using modern and traditional methods; Exercise Physiology incorporating body scanning, connective tissues, and recovery; Nutrition and Dietetics centered on gut health, gene testing, and a farm to table diet, Conflict Resolution focusing on relationships, stress and emotional management, and Spiritual Wellbeing, connecting with nature, meditation, and yoga.

The goal for most guests who visit Shillim is to resolve conflict. The primary sources of these conflicts are relationships, food, environment, sleep, and grief. I was there to help with stress and diet, and it was amazing to see the changes after only a few days.

Thanks to the creative mind of Executive Chef Shubhendu Kadam, who offers up fulfilling, easily digestible farm to table cuisine, you never feel as if you are on a diet. With multiple courses at each meal, you are never hungry, and they are all served in the tranquil Green Table pavilion built around a water reservoir.

Meals are large for breakfast and lunch, including my favorite Paneer Paratha (Indian flatbread) stuffed with different ingredients from mutton to cauliflower. Lake fish, lamb, rabbit, and other items are all locally sourced and fresh that day. Foraging of forest foods is a big component of Dharana meals, with 142 species of wild edible plants available. Guests are invited to help hunt and gather the greens, roots, fruits and nuts along with the involvement of the local tribal community.

You won't find sugar, dairy, coffee, or alcohol unless you request it, but best to really work within their program of 380 calorie meals for maximum results.

One of the most amazing things about Dharana at Shillim is the property itself, and to experience it during heavy monsoonal rains is part of the healing going on within your body. The constant sound of heavy rain, the water elements all around you and the stunning green surroundings add to the most astounding bliss.

Dharana was conceptualized by the de Souza family, who had visited the Shillim area countless times growing up, with their father, William. The Dharana and Shillim tale tells the family's own personal story of exploring the most effective healthcare structure as they saw their father, William's, own diminishing health. It all comes back to the forest and its healing powers. Everything at the resort is based on sustainability and includes 24 Dharana villas, a combination of both the Spa Villas and Spa Villas with pools. The family continue their fathers dream of conservation including the farms and surrounding forests. A team of designers, engineers, horticulturalists, and ecologists were all brought in to create the stunning ecological retreat while helping to restore the land.

I spent countless hours indulging in the treatments available. Every treatment involves a walk with an umbrella in your robe through rambling stone pathways surrounded by bamboo as the rain falls around you. There are 17 individual treatment rooms each in their own private buildings. Many of them contain authentic Ayurvedic wooden Shirodhara massage tables and wood steam bath cabinets.

The treatments throughout my visit included my favorite Abhyanga Synchronized Massage with two amazing therapists Bipin and Bijumon, followed by an herbal steam bath. I relaxed the most during the amazing Shirodhara therapy as herbal oil is poured in a steady stream on your forehead. I tried so many different therapies from Acupuncture, cupping, yoga, meditation, and Pilates, which are all incorporated into the incredible assortment of treatments available.

Late afternoons are spent doing activities such as; relaxing hikes through the countryside; visiting the local villagers as they work in the rice fields, wading in the prolific amounts of waterfalls, taking river walks or venturing into the lush jungle to explore flora and fauna including dinner plate size, brightly colored freshwater crabs along the path.

Early evenings after dinner are spent having tea in the adjacent Tea House getting foot massages by the talented therapist Ram, or in your villa, where the Wi-Fi is surprisingly strong. As a solo traveler, you can sometimes get lonely, anxious or bored, but here at Shillim you are relaxed, and your mind is at peace allowing you to embrace the constant sound of the rain while healthy changes are going on in your body.

The best way to visit Dharana at Shillim is by arriving into Mumbai with direct flights from Europe or connecting flights through Hong Kong from the U.S. Make sure to give yourself at least five nights at the retreat to really experience a change in your body, and trust me, don't be scared of Monsoon season, it is the most beautiful time to visit before the lush green mountains turn to brown in the Summer. You will quickly find yourself in bliss as you experience the magical Dharana way of life.

Nightly rates at Dharana at Shillim start from $430 per night on all inclusive basis when on a Dharana Life Programme. Visit www.shillim.in to book this adventure.



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