AS A SCIENCE WRITER, I THOUGHT WELLNESS WAS RIDICULOUS — THEN I WENT TO THAILAND

I was a bundle of knots, and the nagging pain in my right leg was only getting more stubborn.

So it seemed like divine timing that just as I was thinking about learning to care for my body properly, an invitation to a wellness retreat in Thailand landed on my desk. 

I’m not one to take time away to ‘recharge’. To me, a rest day is filled with chores and bed rotting. But apparently, that’s not how you rest mindfully.

And it got me thinking: can wellness activities really improve your physical health? The short answer is yes. But how? And more importantly, why? I travelled to the Andaman Sea to find out.

Getting to Phuket, Thailand

After a comfy 11-hour flight from London Heathrow to Bangkok on Thai Airways, followed by a connection from the Thai capital to the island of Phuket (also with Thai Airways), my final destination was Banyan Tree Phuket, a five-star hideaway on Phuket’s northwest coast.

Sandwiched between an azure blue lagoon and the pillow-soft sands of Bang Tao beach, the serene setting is worlds away from the thumping strip the island and its capital Patong are famed for.

Phuket, which has a population of around 400,000 people, welcomed more than 11 million visitors in 2023, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Drawn by stunning landscapes and a chaotic party scene, tourists now outnumber locals by a staggering 118 to 1.

The sheer volume of visitors has transformed this once peaceful getaway into one of the world’s most overcrowded holiday destinations.

But Banyan Tree, which celebrated its 30th birthday in October, is doing everything possible to restore a sense of calm.

This place is all about switching off, with a focus on restoration that includes spa treatments, meditation, Muay Thai fitness sessions, bird-watching and luxury villas with secluded private pools.

Built in the 1980s on the site of a tin mine, the resort has championed sustainability ever since it opened in 1994; its sprawling grounds are now home to diverse ecosystems where lizards and birds thrive.

A lazy river, a boat that takes you around the lagoon at sunset and seven eateries including a fine-dining restaurant are just some of the other standout facilities on-site.

Little wonder, then, why it was named the number 1 Resort in Thailand in this year’s prestigious Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards.

Wellness: fad or effective healing tool?

After washing away a Monday spent travelling, I decided to step outside my comfort zone and try a full-body massage. I hate the idea of strangers touching me, but I was here in pursuit of total relaxation.

My bones cracked so much that the masseur stopped to ask if I was alright.

Yet immediately afterward, I notice my stubborn leg pain is gone. And it stayed that way for days, much to my surprise.

The next morning, I set about restoring my childhood connection to nature.

I spent my early years running barefoot through grass, but at the Banyan Tree I’m told it’s now one of the trendiest ways to meditate. They call it ‘conscious grounding’.

I once heard a theory that when we close our eyes, we walk in a circle because we don’t want to get lost. Rajesh Thazhe Thatathil, one of the resort’s wellbeing practitioners who goes by Raj, had a more rational explanation: that we lead with the dominant leg and don’t focus with our mind. I almost walked into a tree, so I guess Raj is right.

I did feel calmer after the session, and even more so when I got back to my villa where I was greeted by a floating breakfast in my pool.

In the afternoon, I took part in a spa workshop where I learned how to create a traditional Thai herbal pouch filled with local fruits that are said to help you relax. After a day relaxing with intention, I did feel lighter and less ‘knotted’ than when I arrived.

And still no leg pain.

Examining the science

All of this was most unlike me. And as a science writer, I felt compelled to do some research.

A meta analysis of 45 studies suggests that meditation can decrease physiological markers of stress, as it reduces the stress-causing hormone, cortisol.

This means that by doing techniques such as ‘focused attention’, where you focus on a specific object for a given length of time, your body begins to release stress and this produces physical benefits.

Other studies have suggested that meditation can also improve conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia and even post-traumatic stress disorder.

For example, something as simple as stretching in a slow and focused manner has been found to heal back pain, and decrease tension headaches.

A paper released in 2020 that looked at the lives of 61,000 survey participants also revealed that people who meditated had lower rates of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and coronary artery disease than those who did not.

And for those who suffer from anxiety, researchers found just 8 weeks of meditation helped reduce symptoms, increase positive self-statements and improve stress reactivity and coping.

So, I thought I’d stick with mindful meditation for a bit.

The next morning, I ventured perhaps the furthest I had gone outside my comfort zone to try a singing bowl session.

Sound therapy is nothing new. It uses specific vibrational frequencies to heal or support the treatment of many conditions, and is believed to reduce stress, anxiety and physical pain through the sounds produced by rubbing the bowl’s rim.

At first I was doubtful that it would make me feel anything, least of all calmer. I was riled up after a text-fight with my sister, and because letting go isn’t on brand for me, all the possible messages I could have sent raced through my mind.

But as the bowls sang, I found myself drifting halfway to sleep, until at one point the frequency made my leg twitch. I snapped back into full awareness. Surely, this was a coincidence? Then the sound echoed throughout the room once more, and the same thing happened again.

But wellness isn’t just about meditation.

It can also be about helping others to gain a deeper sense of purpose.

Banyan Tree guests are invited to be a part of their outreach projects in the local community. We visited a local primary school to help resurrect an old climbing frame rusting in the playground.

Working beneath the beating Thai sun was gruelling, but playing with the kids and speaking to the teachers made the time fly by. As a thanks for our hard work, we were rewarded with fresh coconut water, straight from the fruit itself.

The longer I spent at the resort, the more I became convinced that the body and mind are connected in more ways than one. I discovered mindfulness I had never experienced before, and I promised myself I would meditate more often, especially when I’m up against a deadline.

And this idea is backed by science. A recent study from Nottingham University revealed that employees who are more mindful in the digital workspace were better protected against stress, anxiety and overload.

And a few months on: there is very little pain in my leg.

The trinity

Later, as I watched the Andaman Sea crash onto the shore, I felt the calmest I have felt in a long time.

A week before, I’d been sceptical that having a calm mind meant a calm body. But spending just a few days immersed in a peaceful resort, where I fully embraced every wellness offering and took the time to rest my body, changed my mind.

The last day came too quickly, and I felt a sense of loss; I wasn’t ready to return to the London grind just yet. My time in Thailand taught me a lot about myself and my mental health limits.  

I woke at 5.30am to attend my first-ever yoga class, before running to catch the core of the Buddhist ritual, which offers a spiritual blessing and allows us to offer food to the monks who live their lives in the humblest way possible. 

Their prayers echoed through the resort, completing the trinity: mental, physical and, finally, spiritual health.

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2025-01-04T08:19:03Z