We have fun Global Wellness Day 2024 with founder Belgin Aksoy

Global Wellness Day (GWD) was launched in 2012 on the Richmond Nua Wellness Spa in Spanaca, Turkey, by Belgin Aksoy, wellness activist and artistic director of Richmond Hotels.

I spoke on the inaugural event and may attest that even then, although the event was small, there was enthusiasm for wellness and the thought of ​​Global Wellness Day, which culminated in a joyful and optimistic celebration. 12 years later, Global Wellness Day has expanded to 170 countries and tens of hundreds of locations around the globe, impacting the lives of tens of millions of individuals.

For sooner or later, on the second Saturday in June (June 8 this yr), GWD inspires gatherings and activities – all free and non-profit – that commemorate wellbeing. Each yr GWD creates a theme, and this yr’s focus – #MagentaNature – revolves across the importance of connecting with nature at a time when nature tourism is one in all the travel industry’s key drivers. It is the theme of Nature Positive Travel & Tourism in Action, a joint report back to be released on Earth Day 2024 by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (The Alliance).

GWD participants include major luxury hotel groups resembling Accor Hotels, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and IHG Hotels and Resorts, in addition to independent destinations, cities and communities around the globe, driven by Global Wellness Day ambassadors, supporters and volunteers.

Highlights include a transformative gong bath – a massage for the soul – with Soundwave Gongs from 2 to eight June in Palazzo Fiuggi, an award-winning medical wellness retreat outside of Rome. The New Well Festival in Paris offer Yin Yoga sessions, therapists from the Resalib network have fun the day across the country and Chapter six Hotels will host transformative events. Participants in Kimpton Grand Roatan Resort and Spa in Honduras can enjoy wake-up yoga, beach body pump classes, guided snorkeling, open your heart meditation, full moon yoga with medical sound therapy and contribute to protecting the coastal ecosystem through a beach clean-up. Celebrations in Japan include a beach clean-up with Hotel Oceana tour of the coral breeding with 35 coffeeBeach yoga with Okinawa Tourism Companya workshop on the food recycling program with NPO Food BankConversations from producer to consumer with Nakamura FarmNature walk with dogs, tree cultivation workshop for elementary school students and far more on the subject of #MagentaNature. In Whitefish, Montana, The wave And Collier concepts is hosting the Blackfeet tribe who pass on their indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and thus transmit ancient wisdom.

I spoke to Global Wellness Day founder Belgin Aksoy concerning the significance of Global Wellness Day around the globe this yr.

How did you first become involved with wellness? What inspired you to begin GWD?

Until 2004, I assumed I had a fairly healthy lifestyle. I ate well and exercised recurrently. I lived a joyful life and thought I had all of it. But in 2004, I used to be diagnosed with thyroid cancer and I had to vary a number of things in my life straight away. I used to be in an isolated room for nine days while I used to be receiving radioiodine therapy. My son was only 17 months old on the time and, as a brand new mother, I needed to stop breastfeeding. My hormones were going crazy, but a very powerful thing was that I had a number of time to think while I used to be on their own in that hospital room.

Wellness was something latest for me at the moment. While I used to be trying to coach myself a couple of higher lifestyle, I used to be also on the lookout for answers to questions like “How do I get rid of radiation?” or “Why did I get sick?” My life and a profession change coincided and wellness became the core with the opening of the award-winning Richmond Nua Wellness Spa, Turkey’s first destination spa.

Between 2004 and 2012, I dedicated myself to a private transformation and have become healthier than ever before. In 2012, a persistent whisper began to echo in my head: “Okay, Belgin, you see life differently now. What are you going to do for the world?”

I made a decision to research the existence of Global Wellness Day. To my surprise, I discovered that such a day didn’t exist. Inspired, I organized a celebration at our hotel, initially calling it Wellness Day and selecting the second Saturday of June because the venue. In 2012, we hosted a modest gathering of 150-200 people on the Richmond Nua Wellness Spa.

The day was filled with physical activities, nutrition workshops, reiki and skincare. At the top of the day, a middle-aged woman said, “I did yoga for the first time today. I always thought yoga was for fit and young people. I tried it and I really enjoyed it. From today on, I’m starting yoga.” I used to be very joyful and thought, “How can one day change a person’s life?”

Under the motto “One day can change your whole life!”, Global Wellness Day is widely known yearly on the second Saturday in June. It is a non-profit, social project dedicated to living well. The aim is to ask the query, even when just for sooner or later: “How can I live a healthier and better life?” with a purpose to direct the thoughts of people and society to the subject of “living well” and to lift awareness.

Could you explain this yr’s theme #MagentaNature in additional detail?

Nature has a profound impact on our mental, physical, and emotional health. During the pandemic, many individuals have rediscovered nature as a source of comfort and healing. Scientific studies consistently show that spending time in nature reduces stress, improves mood, and increases overall well-being. For me, this theme is a call to value and protect our natural environment while incorporating nature into our each day wellness practices. It emphasizes the importance of getting outside, respiratory fresh air, and finding peace and balance within the simplicity of nature.

You say that Global Christmas Day isn’t only a celebration, but a call to motion. Can you please explain that?

Global Wellness Day goals to lift awareness of the importance of wellness in our lives. We encourage people to make easy, practical changes that may have an enduring impact on their health and happiness.

Whether it’s exercising recurrently, eating healthier, or taking time for mental leisure, GWD is about inspiring actionable steps towards a greater life. I desired to create easy steps which can be achievable for everybody, no matter social or economic background, to make wellness a lifestyle. The necessary thing is that you simply haven’t got to implement the entire steps directly, just incorporate not less than a few of them into your each day routine frequently.

GWD 7-Step Manifesto

1. Go for a walk for an hour.

2. Drink more water.

3. Do not use plastic bottles.

4. Eat healthy.

5. Do a superb deed.

6. Have dinner together with your family members.

7. Go to bed at 10pm.

In your experience, how has wellbeing across the globe evolved since GWD was founded?

People are more educated concerning the advantages of a healthy lifestyle and are actively looking for ways to enhance their wellbeing. There is an increase in wellness activities, from yoga and meditation to holistic therapies and organic nutrition. This global movement towards wellness isn’t only a trend; it’s becoming an integral a part of the best way people live and prioritize their health.

Meanwhile, the expansion of Global Wellness Day is incredibly encouraging. From its humble beginnings in Turkey, it has now reached tens of millions of individuals around the globe. This expansion is an indication that the importance of wellness is being recognized worldwide. Health and wellbeing are increasingly becoming a priority for people. This growth is a testament to the collective efforts of our dedicated volunteers and ambassadors and fills me with hope and gratitude.

What would you wish to see in the longer term of wellbeing?

My ultimate goal for Global Wellness Day is to advertise higher lifestyles for people and society. Although the day lasts only 24 hours, its message is timeless. The day that Global Wellness Day is recognized within the official United Nations calendar will likely be a private triumph for me. It will likely be a milestone when our shared commitment to well-being becomes a legacy celebrated by generations to return.