KEEPING WELL

Sophia Bakkal and Rachel Dowes, co-founders of Beyond Wellness, share the inspiration behind their work in the realm of holistic wellbeing

L to R: Sophia Bakkal and Rachel Dowes

Vilamendhoo Island Resort & Spa, Maldives

Wellness-focused resorts have blossomed around the world

Wellness retreat With the pandemic, personal health is on everyone’s mind – whether it’s physical or mental. At the recent Global Wellness Summit, experts predicted that the demand for wellness therapies would skyrocket in the wake of the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, in the last few months, wellnessfocused resorts have blossomed around the world.

Here in Dubai, the dynamic female duo, Sophia Bakkal and Rachel Dowes, co-founders of Beyond Wellness, have seen an unprecedented demand for wellness therapies. It has been promising, they said, and their work continues as they bring more wellness-focused retreats to guests in the region seeking a unique wellbeing experience.

“Beyond Wellness is inspired by our personal transformation journeys over more than 15 years. Having explored close to a hundred renowned retreats around the world, it became clear that the majority of these focused on the physical being while forgetting that the spiritual, emotional and mental health aspects are equally important. Furthermore, while many retreats felt hugely transformative at the time, the crucial long-term support and community element beyond the retreat was missing and so it became easy to slip back into the old habits. Hence, Beyond Wellness was born,” Bakkal and Dowes revealed.

“An entirely new concept, we offer a 360-degree mind, body and spirit experience encompassing physical, mental and spiritual wellness in its entirety. With a supportive global community and a team of wellness experts, we are always on hand to support our clients not only during but also after the retreat.”

Vilamendhoo Island Resort & Spa, Maldives

Each retreat is led by the founders and the immersive programmes are designed to align body, mind and spirit, helping participants achieve balance, harmony and lasting fulfilment. Together, clinical hypnotherapist Rachel Dowes and international life coach Sophia Bakkal combine their experience to help participants reclaim and revitalise their lives, rejuvenate and realign the senses and reconnect with themselves, others and the world around.

The programmes incorporate personal coaching, meditation, mindfulness and hypnotherapy-based modalities, one-on-one therapies and group workshops to achieve powerful and life-transforming results. Participants leave feeling equipped with all the practical life skills to take their learnings into the real world.

With an aim to bridge the gap between luxury experiences provided by the world’s most exclusive resorts and the nurturing, peaceful support of a holistic healing sanctuary, Beyond Wellness retreats are set in some of the most tranquil and idyllic locations, such as the Maldives, Bali and Dubai. These retreats are held in the heart of nature as the duo believes that the natural environment is important for self-healing. “That is why we host all our retreats within picturesque surrounds, whether that be beside turquoise oceans, in the rolling dunes of the desert or on the top of a mountain.”

“Our Maldives retreat is one of our most popular short-haul experiences, since, for most participants, it is their first encounter with a true paradise. There’s nothing quite like seeing dolphins swimming by during a yoga session or meditating at night on the beach and witnessing bioluminescent plankton lighting up the entire ocean and transforming it into a field of glowing stars.

“Here in the UAE, we’ve hosted three-day retreats everywhere, from the lush green gardens of five-star resorts through to sleek properties by the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf, where we’ve meditated under the stars and swum with hawksbill turtles.”

The immersive programmes are designed to align body, mind and spirit

Wellness retreat Vilamendhoo Island Resort & Spa, Maldives

Vilamendhoo Island Resort & Spa, Maldives

Beyond Wellness also carefully curates its programmes to complement the surrounds in which they are offered. “We offer a variety of retreats to suit the needs of our guests, from long weekend retreats to week-long experiences. Our themes also vary, from transformative retreats for both men and women to women-only experiences, corporate programmes as well as couple and family retreats.

“During the retreat, guests are invited to connect with body, breath and the stillness through many modalities. Our in-house coaching, hypnotherapy and integrative nutrition teams provide a wealth of guidance and support both during and after the retreat. Simultaneously, we offer a restorative full-board detox programme designed by a wellness chef. Packed with nutrient-rich vegetarian meals and juices, it helps to rid the body of toxins, restore vital nutrients, reclaim energy and enhance mental processing.”

Beyond the retreat, Beyond Wellness also offers an online global community platform with a brilliant team of wellness experts on hand to support its guests’ various needs. “We regularly get together to support and celebrate the community’s progress. It’s amazing and humbling to see the incredible life transformations over the course of the retreat and beyond.”

 beyondwellness-group.com