Day 6 and 7: DUI (Detox, Unwind and Invigorate) at Kamalaya, Thailand

My Last 2 Days

I am near the end of my weeklong Retreat to DUI (Detox, Unwind and Invigorate). My mind wanders back over the last few days covered in my previous blogs. I think about being able to unwind, finding my perfect day and my fellow guests.

Then my mind mind wanders forward, to what I would do when I got back home.  Just step back from my Retreat into regular life? Or perhaps continue to keep myself mentally in this calm, comforting mindset for a while longer? I decided to push these thoughts away and continue enjoying the rest of my Retreat.

Relaxing in my favourite place

The Alchemy Lounge was just near the reception. The terrace had a sublime view of the sea. Very quiet, calming and peaceful. I would go there after breakfast, between sessions at the spa, and in the evening. My favourite spot was the sofa at the centre of the terrace. Taking one of the big cushions from the other sofa’s, I would lie down, close my eyes and do one of the simple breathing exercises. Often after falling into a deep sleep, when I woke up, blissfully unaware of anything else,  I would leave my book behind!

They serve delicious snacks and drinks starting from 2pm. Before that, you could order from the breakfast place downstairs or the reception. The best thing was, I was mostly alone, and even if there were 2 or 3 other people, everyone was quietly lost in themselves.

Acupuncture at the Retreat

On both days I had amazing acupuncture sessions. They were with a different specialist as my first one was unwell. He was fantastic and had the best room in the retreat. It was high up the hill, large, and quiet except for birds chirping. And a wonderful aroma. The specialist was very calming in his manner and had read up on my objectives and other treatments. Instead of starting within 5 minutes, he took time to ask about me questions and check some things out.  When the treatment started, it was comfortable and relaxing and I almost fell asleep. The part I remember most was when he lit these mini-sachets of a herb that had a very warming, soothing feeling.

On my last day, there was 2 instances when I winced a bit, and he helped me through it. Try to relax as much as you can and not anticipate things. If we do, we tense ourselves up and that doesn’t help. I am now looking for a place like this in Singapore. If anyone knows please tell me!

After my last dinner, I went to the communal table and said bye to some of the people I had met. Though we had kept to ourselves most of the time, there was an inevitable sense of camaraderie.

Day 8: Return to Singapore

When I woke up that morning, I answered the question I had asked myself earlier. When I got home, I would continue “being with myself”. The serenity of the feeling was too good to give up so quickly.

With that decided, I had a leisurely breakfast and checked out. I met up with a fellow guest taking the same Silk Air flight as me. We decided to drive down together, leaving at 9.30am for our 11.50am departure. We swapped notes on why we came, what we liked and did, the resort itself. There was a lot in common, and we remembered a particular friend we had both met who had an amazing story.

Within a quick 45 minutes we are at the airport, reaching at 10.15am. As I had priority status we took the shorter queue and checkin was smooth. We both wanted to spend our remaining Thai Baht before we left and ventured into the numerous shops available to help one do that! Wanting to use my THB 700 (about USD20), I ended up spending THB 3000 in this fabulous bookshop. Then, security took 5 minutes and immigrations about 20 minutes. We then relaxed in the business lounge, a very nice and bright place. Its a tiny airport, so the departure gate was just outside.

After boarding, I settled into 7A with my haul of books, a blanket, pillow and The Straits Times. Next to me were a honeymooning couple from Chile and I chatted with the husband. His wife was unwell and the poor thing had the ordeal of a connecting flight to follow. They were the first Chileans I had ever met. I spent the rest of the flight with my new books, and enjoying my Indian vegetarian lunch. Within a short 90 minutes, we landed at Singapore’s Changi airport. As usual, arrival was a breeze and was home in an hour after touchdown.

Going for a DUI to Detox, Unwind and Invigorate

Most of us lead a busy life and do not even stop to breathe. We are able to, as the adrenalin keeps us going. We do not realise what a toll this takes on our physical and mental health. Very often, it takes an actual crisis to make us decide to stop and breathe. That was the case with me. When this occurred, it became starkly evident that I needed to clear my head. That is when I decided to do this  special DUI. Try not to have a crisis make you go for your DUI.

Once you have decided, you can choose from a wide range of locations, content, duration, price ranges and strictness of the regime. I chose a one week stay at Kamalaya and an Embracing Change package that involved massages, mentoring sessions with a sort of psychologist, acupuncture and vegan detox food. It was an amazing experience that I will always remember.

You really must have your own Detox, Unwind and Invigoration. I would love to hear about any such experience and we can swap notes for next time.