Category: Wellness

Digital Detox: Disconnecting to Connect

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Chances are you’re scrolling through digital devices before your brain has had a chance to process you’re even awake. Here at Tri, it’s easy to switch off from the modern world as you wake every morning with only the sounds of chirping birds and swaying palm trees for company. However, it’s no secret that we’ve all been a slave to our smartphone at one point or another.

Studies have shown that the average person reaches for their phone a whopping 200 times a day – that’s once every six and a half minutes. One in four of us are spending more time online than we do asleep. Now, don’t get us wrong – technology is a wonderful thing – but where’s the limit? We’re constantly faced with warnings that too much digital exposure could be damaging our memory, concentration, productivity, mental health, and ultimately disconnecting us from the real world. Think it’s time to do something about it? Read on for five helpful tips on how to switch off.

TAKE TECHNOLOGY OUT OF THE BEDROOM

This first one is easy: leave digital devices outside the bedroom. Experts have found that the light from our phones inhibits the production of  melatonin, which is vital for getting to sleep. Instead of spending the time before bed aimlessly scanning the internet, invest in a good book or a diary to reflect on the day gone by. For the morning, buy a traditional alarm clock, or leave your curtains open to let yourself wake naturally to the morning light, just like we do here at Tri. You’ll wake feeling more refreshed and ready to conquer the day ahead.

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Credit: Josephine Silabetzschky

GIVE YOURSELF AN ALLOWANCE

A digital detox doesn’t mean you have to put down your phone for good: set yourself an allowance, whether this be a dedicated social media hour, no emails after 6pm or phones away at the dinner table. You’re more likely to stick to it if you allow yourself access in small doses, and you’ll find yourself interacting much more with the people and places around you in your dedicated anti-digital hours.

Credit - Chris deLorenzo (34)
Credit: Chris deLorenzo

FIND A NEW HOBBY

A digital detox is the perfect opportunity to start a new hobby – join your local art class, take up yoga or learn a new language. The time you’re putting into your new passion is time spent away from the digital world, and who knows – you might just discover a new talent!

Jenna Miech
Credit: Jenna Miech

SLASH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA INTAKE

We all know how easy it is to fall into an Instagram hole, liking travel snap after travel snap (and building up an impressive must-visit list at the same time). So much of the digital world is smoke and mirrors, not real life, and stepping away from social media can do wonders for our self-esteem. Why not make social media apps only accessible via desktop, or only when you have access to WiFi? You’ll have significantly less access to the sites and more time to appreciate your real life.

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TAKE A DIGITAL DETOX HOLIDAY

If you want to truly zone out, why not take a digital detox holiday? Switch off for an entire week and just enjoy beautiful natural surroundings, delicious food and the company of your travel companion. Our serene lakeside location makes Tri the perfect spot to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, whether you want to explore verdant Koggala Lake, pamper yourself in the spa, perfect the art of yoga or simply just lie by the pool. What are you waiting for?

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Credit: Picturesque

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurvedic medicine is based on the principle that health and wellbeing depend on a balance between the mind, body, and spirit. 

Ayurveda, the name of this ancient health medical system combines the Sanskrit words ayur – meaning ‘life’ – and veda – translating as ‘science’ or ‘knowledge’. Holistic, healing and nourishing, it is one of the world’s oldest systems of wellness, targeting the cause of any ill health rather than simply treating the symptoms.

Ayurvedic practitioners look at interconnectedness of people with their health and the world around them, considering the prakriti – or body’s constitution and your dosha – the life forces.  The aim is always to restore the balance of the three doshas – Vata, Pitta, Kapha.

Ayurvedic physicians prescribe bespoke treatments which might involve herbal therapies, exercises or a special diet. Digestion – or agni – is the fire that gives your metabolism its life energy, or ojas. It is believed to be the most important function for health, growth and wellbeing. Since diet – paka – is an important factor in Ayurveda, our menu is local, seasonal and as organic as can be and many of the herbs, fruit and vegetables used in our cuisine are grown on our grounds – nutritious eating is at the heart of Tri’s philosophy.

What are the three doshas?

Vata – a body type that reflects the elements of space and air; meaning ‘wind’, it is the energy that powers all biological activities. Typical signs of a Vata imbalance may include anxiety, dryness of the skin and constipation.

Pitta – a body type that reflects the elements of fire and water; this fiery quality means ‘that which cooks’ and its antidote a soothing alkaline diet and calming, meditative activities. It can mean a great enthusiastic drive for life, but this can also tip into anger.

Kapha – a body type that reflects the elements of eater and earth and translates from Sanskrit as ‘that which sticks’. Clues to this prevalence are overeating and a sedentary lifestyle.

What’s special about an Ayurvedic massage?

A full traditional Ayurvedic body massage uses a therapeutic herbal oil. Shirobhyanga is the classic rejuvenation therapy of dripping warm oil on your third eye with the aim of rebalancing you. Special attention given to acupressure points to help encourage the release of blockages and lymphatic drainage – relaxing, de-stressing and at the same time revitalising.

At Tri, Ayurvedic therapies happen in treatment rooms next to our yogashala which floats in a bamboo grove above the library. In this haven of tranquility, there is also a steam room and a chill-out area.

 

The Origin of Tri’s Name

What’s in a name? Lara Drummond, demonstrates she has a Masters in Religious Studies from SOAS University – the School of Oriental and African Studies – when she explains the etymology of Tri here, and how the hotel’s name came to her…

Much as we all love long, exotic, mysterious hotel names, when it came to christening our contemporary design hotel, we were looking for something short that had meaning. It needed to span East and West, have spiritual and scientific significance, and be pertinent to modern architecture and of our eco-ethic.

‘Tri’ came to mind during my yoga practice as I stood in trikonasana – the triangle pose. Ancient Sanskrit is an Indo-European language, and so the root word ‘tri’ means three to both Eastern and Western ears. The number three is considered auspicious – even sacred – in most mystical traditions. Buddhism centres on the triratna, its three jewels are Buddha, dharma [his teachings], and sangha [monastic community]; Hinduism venerates Shiva whose main attribute is the trishula or trident; Christianity is a trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost as alluded to by the crossing hand gesture – these are only a few examples.

Triangles were venerated in ancient times as a sacred shape and in Plato’s Theory of Everything he posited the triangle as the primary plane surface. In architecture, the use of the triangle is common because of its inherent strength – and you feel a strength in your body in yoga when the distance between the feet is the same as the distance between pelvis and leg, so the dragging of the feet apart is equal to the pull of gravity, and the result of this is stability.

Intended to be pronounced phonetically, ‘Tri’ is meant to be a play on the English word ‘tree’. Hugging the gentle hill that constitutes our promontory on Koggala Lake, Sri Lanka’s largest natural lake, the structures that make up Tri are built in a nautilus-shell spiral pattern, in keeping with the golden ratio. Our Koggala Lake hotel centres around the huge banyan tree that towers on the hill’s crown. The banyan tree is the little sister of the Bodhi fig tree, under which Buddha reached enlightenment, which is considered sacred to Buddhists (Sri Lanka’s main religion, and most prominent here in the Southern Province).

The tree features hugely in any spiritual context, representing the connection between Heaven and Earth, the giver of life and vitality. Mystical and philosophical traditions the world over use tree imagery, namely the Tree of Life, a many-branched tree which illustrates the idea that all life on earth is related. So when we checked and the domain for www.trilanka.com was still available, the decision was final. And Tri was born.

Quantum Yoga

Quantum Yoga – created by Lara Baumann Drummond – is a dynamic flowing exercise suited to your individual needs and designed based on an effective and safe grouping and sequencing system. It’s a yoga path that resonates with your personal requirements at all times and balances your inner nature, with the aim of bringing you into a state of greater harmony with the environment. Also it’s a spiritual system that adopts the holistic approach to health from the ancient Indian healing science of Ayurveda, while embracing the modern insights of Quantum Physics to maximise one’s power of conscious manifestation.

Lara Baumann teaches the Quantum Method of Yoga to all levels of students both publicly and privately worldwide. Her powerful relationship with yoga and a strong interest in Eastern philosophy is the result of an upbringing in India and Japan, which led her to complete an MA in Religious Studies at SOAS, University of London. As an apprentice, she has studied with Sri K Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, as well as BKS Iyengar in Pune. In May 2005, Lara took the Jivamukti 200-hour Yoga Alliance teacher training, and in July 2009 she completed the 500-hour certificate with Tripsichore. Her main teachers are Edward Clark, Danny Paradise and Clive Sheridan.

Lara’s objective is to guide people in developing an optimal, powerful, healing and sacred practice that leads to health, happiness and enlightenment. In January 2009 Mandala Publishing released Lara’s book a DVD and “Quantum Yoga, Creating Your Ideal Practice from an Ocean of Possibilities”. Mandala has now published the new expanded edition of this successful book with the new subtitle “Quantum Yoga, The Holistic Approach to Creating Your Ideal Practice”. Lara has published three Quantum Yoga double audio-CDs of the basic sequences that regulate each Ayurvedic dosha (body-mind constitution).

BIRD Travel PR | Press Release 2015

Opening late 2015, Tri is a whorl of geometric ingenuity and awe-inspiring beauty – Sri Lanka’s first truly contemporary, sustainable luxury design hotel. Mirroring nature’s ubiquitous Golden Ratio, Tri spirals 10 unique suites around an island hill flanking Sri Lanka’s serene Lake Koggala. Living walls, green roofs, solar arrays, recycled wood and entirely local materials will unify accommodations and landscape. Sequential spaces emanate from a central water tower that captures spectacular 360-degree views. Creative experiences will stimulate body, mind and soul, proudly showcasing Sri Lanka’s finest ingredients, materials, services and facilities. Guided by nature, evolved by aesthete individuals and fortified by an all-encompassing sustainable philosophy, Tri will be a masterpiece of forward-thinking flair, where mathematical marries artistic and intelligence embraces emotion.

Tri: At a Glance

  • 10-suite sustainable luxury design hotel opening in the Summer of 2015
  • A hillside haven on Sri Lanka’s Lake Koggala 25-mins from Galle Fort
  • Evolved by photographer, entrepreneur and aesthete, Rob Drummond, and award-winning architect, Raefer Wallis of A00 Architects
  • Ingenious design inspired by the spirals of the ‘Fibonacci sequence’
  • Eight suites, three with private pools, nestled in the landscape and a further two elevated on the top deck of the central water tower
  • Spectacular 21m cantilevered pool with multiple decks and terraces
  • Combine peaceful lakeside living with day trips to the beach nearby
  • Treetop yoga shala; treatment rooms and steam cavern
  • Library, study and entertainment room
  • Dining room with private and communal seating
  • Dramatic 360-degree summit viewing deck
  • A contemporary, organic approach to Sri Lanka’s finest elements: food, materials, services, facilities and experiences
  • Cultural, active and intellectual immersions, from lake kayaking, beach trips and natural exercise stations to talks, temple visits and whale watching
  • Creative and cutting-edge; serene and energising; intellectually stimulating; ethically, culturally and authentically minded; stylish and responsible; fun!

Tri: The Experience

  • Arrive by boat across Sri Lanka’s largest lake.  Unwind as you ascend the spiral hillside setting with accommodation suites, sequential spaces and central water tower. Discover a living, energising design hotel, evolved by aesthete individuals and peppered with creative, contemporary experiences for body, mind and soul. Experience the transformation of time – the magic of the here and now – immersed in nature’s infinite perfection.”

Getting There:

  • Via Land: 1.5 hours from Colombo International Airport. 25 minutes from Galle
  • Via Air: sea-plane service lands directly on Lake Koggala
  • Via Lake: 10-minute boat transfer from the coastal highway

Tri: Sustainable living, ingeniously crafted

Opening 2015

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