With the slogan, “One Day Can Change Your Whole Life,” Turkish destination spa owner and cancer survivor Belgin Aksoy sparked a worldwide movement that is now celebrated in 100 countries. Now celebrating its fifth year, Global Wellness Day is an initiative centered on making wellness a focus—even for one day—and then allowing that to have a ripple effect on the rest of our lives.
7 Steps of the Global Wellness Day Manifesto
Walk for an hour.
Drink more water.
Do not use plastic bottles.
Eat organic foods.
Do a good deed.
Have a family dinner.
Sleep at 10pm.
Kim Kessler is the director of public relations at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills and an official Ambassador for Global Wellness Day. She participates in Global Wellness day because, “It is important to raise awareness for work-life balance, practicing yoga, getting enough sleep, enjoying rejuvenating spa treatments, maintaining a healthy diet, meditating, and taking time to travel.” Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles General Manager Michael Newcombe who heads the Four Seasons North American Spa Task Force says, “We are thrilled to participate in Global Wellness Day for the second year in a row, to help inspire guests and locals in each market to focus on a healthy lifestyle.”
Four Seasons Los Angeles will be celebrating the day with a variety of spa and wellness initiatives. The Spa at Four Seasons Los Angeles will donate $10 from each BioMeditation energy treatment and ila Manipura Experience spa treatment that takes place on June 11 to Global Green. The hotel’s Culina Restaurant Executive Chef Cyrille Pannier and Chef Denis Dello Stritto have curated special wellness menus; one dollar of each menu item sold will benefit Global Green. The hotel will also offer wellness initiatives for employees, including antioxidant juices and smoothies, and healthy dishes in the employee cafeteria. For more information, visit fourseasons.com/losangeles/spa
Partners collaborating with Four Seasons Los Angeles include Global Green, SoulCycle, Rainbeau Mars, SpaRitual, Scott Schwenk and Unplug Meditation, lululemon athletica, Nikki Sharp, Jill Willard, and Weiser Farms.
Other Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts are participating as well as a variety of spas, hotels, and other organizations worldwide. California community health center AltaMed will be spearheading wellness programs for employees and the populous they serve on June 11. In Arizona, the Sedona Golf Resort is hosting the state’s first Wellness Golf Tournament.
This year Belgin Aksoy is taking the opportunity to dedicate the 2016 day to the late Charlene Florian, former Chief Creative Officer of Kerstin Florian International, who she describes as an “Ambassador of wellness and someone who has championed the movement from the beginning.
For more information, visit: globalwellnessday.org
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.