Wellness Vacations are taking the world by storm (a very calm, peaceful and inspiring storm of course). If you and your resort, hotel or B & B are not already engaged in the wellness vacation, the time is now. The yoga, meditation and healthy eating movement has gone viral and resorts are either in, or out. Here are our top ten ways to engage with yoga, meditation and mindfulness retreats and stay on trend in 2016.

The annual Global Wellness Summit (GWS) took place in Mexico City this past November with over 470 delegates from more than 40 countries. Attendees gathered together to discuss areas of growth in the industry, health and wellness trends, and ultimately to exchange knowledge and ideas in the field of preventative wellness to better address chronic disease and rising health care costs. With more energy and attention in the field of wellness than ever before, the Summit identified 10 major shifts taking place in the industry.

Gratitude might best be described as a genuine feeling of thankfulness or an appreciation of a benefit one has received. Importantly, a number of recent studies in the relatively new field of positive psychology have begun documenting a host of positive links between gratitude and our physical and emotional wellbeing. One of the most positive findings to share is that gratitude is actually a skill—a skill that can be learned and then consciously called upon to significantly impact our happiness emotional quotient or “EQ”!

Welcome 2016! We invite you in from a place of optimism, hope and commitment to both new and renewed lifestyle commitments that holistically nourish our beings. Just as with each new sunrise, each New Year offers us an enhanced opportunity to dedicate and reaffirm positive health commitments that can lead to greater strength, clarity and peace in both the body and mind. Engaging in but just a few mindful commitments can return profound and lasting benefits.

Wellness can be described as the quality or state of being healthy in both body and mind. The result of deliberate and conscious effort, wellness is multi-dimensional and holistic and certainly changes over time. As a mindset, a movement, and now an industry, wellness has become somewhat of phenomenon that is definitely here to stay.

Core Essence has put together some of our favourite wellness inspired gift— our Wellness Gift Giving Guide, if you will— suggestions for those you love this holiday season! We hope these ideas that can all be purchased online will leave you more time and space to share with those you love this holiday season! Who are you shopping for?!

As we approach the busy holiday season we wanted to share a couple of highlights from some of our favorite blog posts featured on MindBodyGreen. These articles do a wonderful job of communicating the value of carving out time for self-care and some of the incredible benefits that can be deeply absorbed while on retreat. Hold these thoughts with you as you navigate through the next couple of months, perhaps setting the intention that 2016 might just be the year of you!

Jennifer Findlay Appointed as Spa Director for AWAY® Spa at the 157-room W Retreat & Spa–Vieques Island Located off the Coast of Puerto Rico. Findlay brings more than 10 years of expertise in spa and holistic health to W Vieques, as well as an extensive background in leisure services as a personal coach, trainer, yoga teacher, and kinesiologist. She joins the team from her native Toronto, where she was a founding partner of 889 Yonge, an eco-conscious wellness and yoga community aimed at providing all aspects of holistic medicine and related practices.

We're happy to present a new feature called Core Community—where we share stories from Leaders of Inspiration who inspire us. Our first feature comes via Molly Scott who shares her inspirational story of her being strong in the face of cancer. “I know and realize very deeply how short life can be and how easily everything can change. We need to appreciate every moment. Live every day to the fullest.”

Today we are thrilled to be celebrating the official Grand Opening of The Spa at Windjammer Landing! From concept through to launch, this project has been infused by the talents of many. A tremendous thank-you to the team at Ellis Don, Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort, International Design Concepts, Kerstin Florian, NatMed, and most especially the Spa & Wellness Team at the resort for your hard work, dedication and incredible support throughout. Congratulations Windjammer Landing and thank-you for the opportunity to contribute!

Creating a calm and comforting space for rest and rejuvenation is essential to both support and optimize deep restful sleep. Sleep is an essential human need and a natural physiological process that is essential to our overall health and wellbeing. Ironically, despite how much we all crave and wish for sleep, when presented with the opportunity to rest, a nourishing nights sleep is often one million sheep away. We have good news for you: For yourself, both at home and when on the road, as well as the guests of your resorts and spas, creating a sleep sanctuary is no longer a sweet dream away.

Many of us in the Northern Hemisphere are beginning to notice the change in seasons. Shorter days and longer nights leave us with less daylight hours that can manifest itself in unexpected ways physically, emotionally and energetically. Autumn can evoke a myriad of colour and a downward swirling of energy that can rustle up a kaleidoscope of emotions. Some feel the wild stirrings of fall to be creative, inspiring, grounding, and free. While for others, the same autumnal changes feel heavy with fragile emotions, sensations of brittleness in the body and a mourning for the warmth that was summer. 

So much more than just a logo or a name, your brand is the foundation from which the story of your business, products and services can be energized and inspired. Much like your personal DNA or footprint, your brand should be established and clear, serving as a key point of differentiation to distinguish you from all other businesses and competitors within your field or industry.

As the sun rises each day, we are presented with an auspicious time to engage in our daily yoga practice. Practicing at sunrise presents the opportunity to harmonize yourself with the environment around you, set intentions, and fluid rhythms for your day ahead, and all the while connect more deeply with the natural pulsations of life around you.

The International SPA Association (ISPA) released its annual findings of spa industry financial indicators, reporting the industry continues to grow as it surpassed the $15 billion mark.

Establishing a daily meditation practice is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself. We all dedicate a tremendous amount of time to building and nurturing our relationships with others, yet often sacrifice and forget the importance of self-love. Creating impactful and sustainable lifestyle shifts requires planning to ensure we carve out the time, space, and support tools required for lasting change. Setting a permanent meditation alter in your home will serve as a powerful reminder of your commitment to self-love and will also be a ready-made space that you can easily float into and out of daily.