After the Covid-19 pandemic, interest in the wellness industry soared. Wellness became a hot topic in print media and on television and social media because the pandemic had, by way of contrast, highlighted the value of physical and emotional health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the first year of the pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25%. After the whole world shut down, we seemed to collectively understand that now was the time to act and to become proactive about our own health and well-being.
My problem predated the pandemic. The consuming nature of “functioning” no matter what led to a growing self-isolation and blinded me to my own needs and to my declining health. It seemed impossible not to feel desperation and despair given the many conflicts facing the world: whether the public health or climate crises, war, or terror. My isolation followed me like my shadow increasing my anxiety and making my depression worse. I was looking for a way of change when to my surprise and astonishment, “Kamalaya,” the wellness sanctuary and holistic spa resort located on the southern coastline of Koh Samui, found me.
On an ordinary summer’s day, I had to make a choice. I wasn’t feeling well that day. The opposite of well, to be honest, like so many days before unable to relax and recreate. My usual approach was to neglect a healthy diet, order veggie or vegan junk food and to numb myself by chain-smoking cigarettes and indulging in after-work drinks to drown out the voice inside. But as it turns out, this inner voice always finds a way to be heard.
My first panic attack was so severe, it landed me straight in the hospital. I was convinced that I was dying of a heart-attack. Afterward, a pervasive sense of anxiety slowly but surely began to take over my life until there was no place left where I felt safe and could calm down. I was exhausted, and dreaming of Thailand’s nature and wildlife, with that now or never feeling, the word appeared on the screen of my laptop: “Kamalaya.” It can be translated as “lotus realm.” Lotus flowers are both resilient and bloom beautifully even in muddy waters. That spoke to me. Kamalaya’s philosophy “Feel life’s potential” sounded promising. I was about to find out that if you understood this motto as a promise, Kamalaya was committed to helping you keep it.
It’s time to move (on)
As I kept reading, I learned that Kamalaya not only offered holistic health options that focused on personal well-being and fulfillment, but it did so as an integrated part of the island’s environment and the local community. As I took a deeper look into the different programs Kamalaya offered, I felt my resistances being slowly dissolving. The thought of standing up seemed impossible, but I was determined to dance again. I remembered how happy I was practicing back handsprings when I was young, the sweat and tears that led to my first double pirouette during ballet class, and how different the world felt upside down and spinning around freely.
My inner alarm system was broken. While my brain sent signals to my body to flee from real or apparent dangers that no longer existed, my automatic thoughts insisted that perils could exist everywhere. This reaction wasn’t rational, but visceral. We somehow pull ourselves together every day, but if the body doesn’t calm down, our high stress, low energy selves can learn nothing from our experiences. Instead of the ebb and flow of exertion and relaxation, there is stagnation, physical and mental tension, exhaustion, and pain: back and neck pain, headaches, you name it. As I discovered the “comprehensive optimal fitness program,” I felt as if I was about to take my first, tentative steps towards healing.
One month later, waiting for the taxi that would bring me and my old baggage to the airport, I smoke my last cigarette. We all travel with our own “baggage” or issues. Our brain’s primary task is not to make us look smart but to ensure our survival. After stressful or painful events, our nervous system is altered; how we experience the world is different afterwards. When the amygdala, the oldest part of our brain, takes over, self-consciousness partially shuts down. Our bodies operate in survival mode: fight, flight, or freeze. But there is one thing our mind tells us not to do: to feel. Under stress, we disconnect from our body and its sensations.
The taxi arrives and I leave my old life behind. Nobody noticed, but the person who came back from Thailand had changed to the narrator of the story you are reading right now; the one that faced the shadows. The most difficult thing about healing is to befriend or re-friend your own body and mind, to make peace with yourself. On my way to the airport gate, I stop at a currency exchange booth to trade Euros for Bhat. “Thai Bhat?”, asks the woman at the exchange counter. “Yes, I’m on my way to Koh Samui,” I reply. Her eyes light up. She says that even Koh Samui airport feels like a resort.
The trip is long, and I sleep through most of it. The Boeing 777-300 has stars that appear on the ceiling during the night flight. I don’t know why I sleep best in boats or airplanes. Stopover in Dubai. Aboard of the Airbus 380-800, I don’t want to take my eyes off the ocean because I think I’d catch sight of a gigantic whale but instead, I catch a fleeting glimpse of the shadows of my past. Stopover in Bangkok. Just before the plane lands in Koh Samui, I see a huge billboard depicting a scenic large body of water. I can’t remember if it was a lake or the ocean. The sign says: “This is life.” And I think, I’m here for a reason; it’s something akin to a feeling of liberation.
As I wait for my luggage, I am embraced by a warm island breeze and the vibrant sound of rustling palm trees. These bodily sensations are ones I share with the motionless lizard perched across from me in the sun. Standing at passenger luggage belt 2 for international flights, I feel like there is nothing separating the two of us. We are one. I have arrived.
The airport pick-up is well-organized. Cool water, as well as soothing music and an information folder about Kamalaya are ready and waiting for me in the driver’s air-conditioned coach. The smell of herbs and a cool wet towel help wash away the weariness from the long trip from Frankfurt to the beautiful island of Samui. The 45-minute drive to Kamalaya is just what I need to shed all the thoughts I don’t want to take with me, like a snake discarding old skin. Still, I feel trepidation about meeting new people or people in general. Would I, could I learn to trust in the kindness of a human being? Now, I am too scared and too hurt to smile. All this will change over the next two weeks.
A welcoming home
Falling in love with Kamalaya is surprisingly simple. From my Hillside room, I have the most spectacular ocean view over the Gulf of Thailand. The heart of Kamalaya is an ancient monk’s cave which is filled with sacrificial gifts: miniature boats, food offerings, gifts of gratitude, and many, many prayers. Everyone, and indeed every living organism here exists in harmony with nature and each another.
After the first day at Kamalaya, my average daily screen time went down by 76 %. This “digital detox” is part of the process of relearning to unwind and get off the social media carousel for a while. Am I missing out on a photo opportunity, an Instagram post? I am. Am I glad I never took that picture? For sure. I am writing in a paper diary, looking at the most breathtaking sunset and being a humble part of the island.
My program schedule includes personal training at the well-resourced Shakti Fitness Center. During warm-ups, I let my mind wander with the clouds over the ocean into the distance. During the sets, there is nothing but being completely present, no worries, no fear. I’m ready to take charge of my body and feel the burn. The heat inside comforts me. It feels like returning home after playing outside too long as a child. The personal yoga sessions take place in a peaceful, open wooden yoga hall surrounded by soft wind and nature. It’s hard to explain, but everything feels different, even the tropical rain; everything is nourishing, and abundant.
The prayer flags help my thoughts reach the sky. When I swim at the Lap pool or just float on the water to cool down, I watch them dance in the wind. Kamalaya beach is purely for leisure. It is ideal for sunning yourself or walking on the beach, but it’s not suited for swimming because low tide is during daytime and high tide is nocturnal. At night the high tide pushes the water back towards the land through the coral reef that surrounds the beach like a natural barrier.
The mountainous terrain offers a beauty usually birds get to enjoy, but without wings requires some strenuous walking. My legs burn at first, but I quickly adapt. After all, this breathtakingly beautiful rocky terrain is populated by many different temples and protected by their gods. I am especially drawn to something called the “super stretch.” It is a deep stretch which I was only able to achieve with the help of my experienced trainers and their supporting touch. Imagine you’re holding onto too much stuff. It is impossible to open the door, even though it is unlocked. They help you open that door, so you can create new room inside your body, driving out old and chronic tensions. I’m surrounded by healers. I find new breath where the pain was.
The first massage on the day of my arrival already seemed to displace old bodily trauma and reorganize my body in a stronger form, creating space and energy for something new. I feel the years of bad compulsive and repetitious habits buckle more with every treatment. The cycles of tension and release strengthen my body and the ability to relax. Thanks to the challenging exercise and the “pillow menu,” I sleep like a stone. The wellness sanctuary has numerous areas for relaxation, restoration, and renewal. Before and after the treatments, there is tea: my favorite is mulberry.
For my birthday, I dream of meeting Big Buddha. The Kamalaya team rescheduled everything for me to make that happen. The guide of the island tour is kind and patient. The other guest who participates in the tour had asked me about the title of the book I was reading a couple of days before. I am thankful for her company. After visiting the Na Muang waterfall and grandfather and grandmother rock, we take our time and hit the bells of the temple. I offer Buddha flowers and make a wish. He is 12 meters tall, and I am happy. We finish the tour with coconut juice at the beach at fisherman’s village.
Staying at Kamalaya, I begin to enjoy food again. The detox menu is like a wish list for the body. The “Kamalaya Detox Juice” is a must-have: a mixture of coconut juice, basil, and pineapple. It tastes fresh and green like the island itself. All the cells of my body are doused with a cold bucket of vitamins. How can the food and drink be so flavorful? I take the “detox cooking class” to find out and take home new recipes and improved cooking skills.
At Kamalaya, I was alone, but not lonely. Surrounded by nature and the kindness of others, I was slowly able to regain my social skills. I again felt drawn to others, talking, and sharing thoughts and greeting those I met with a smile. For solo travelers like me, the community table at the Soma Restaurant offered a place to connect with others during breakfast and dinner. People told me that friendships start at Kamalaya. I still recall with fondness the incredible people I met at Kamalaya; other guests, the hosts, the practitioners, the mentors, and finally, the founders and owners of Kamalaya themselves.
A very special lunch invitation: Interview with John and Karina Stewart
Kamalaya truly feels like a family home of the founders John and Karina Stewart and the over 350 hosts that welcome you to become part of the community with calmness and kindness. Experiencing this energy firsthand, I was not surprised to learn that almost 40% are returning guests and that 50% of the employees have worked there for 10 years or more; and 20-25% have been there 15 years or longer.
John and Karina Stewart have received more than 50 industry awards for the luxury spa and wellness sanctuary Kamalaya. Kamalaya was recently named Worldwide Health & Wellness Destination of the Year at the World Spa & Wellness Awards 2023 in London. For over 40 years, Karina has advocated for the healing power of food informed by her study and practices of various Asian healing and spiritual traditions. She was recognized as “Owner & Operator of the Year” by American Spa in 2018 and “Spa Personality of the Year” at the Asia Spa Awards in 2009.
John lived in the Himalayas for 16 years, embracing a traditional yogic monastic lifestyle. He helped to build schools and hospitals in Indian communities and set up small local businesses in Kathmandu. He was honored at the 2018 Global Wellness Summit with the Debra Simon Award for “Leader in Furthering Mental Awareness.” I was fortunate to interview John and Karina Stewart over lunch at the Amrita Café.
Sarah C. Schuster: The vegetable spring rolls are my favorite so far. But every meal has been delicious. Normally, I would have to think about what to avoid: meat, fish, not this, not that. It’s such a luxury for me to just be able to choose the detox menu, knowing that it will be different and delicious. I wholeheartedly enjoyed everything that came across my table so far.
Karina Stewart: Beautiful. Our food I think is a highlight for many people here and that surprises a lot of them. Sometimes you go to health and wellness spas, and they impose such strict dietary restrictions that the pleasure and enjoyment we get from eating decreases dramatically. I am a foodie, so there was no way we are going to do that. (laughs) You can have healthy food but still really find it beautiful, flavorful, and plentiful.
Sarah C. Schuster: I have struggled with my gut health, well, I struggled with a lot of things before coming here (laughs) and I can tell I feel much better after eating the food here.
Karina Stewart: How did you find out about us and what were you hoping to find by coming here?
Sarah C. Schuster: I don’t want to sound overdramatic, but in a certain way, at some point I felt more like I was dying than living. I was destroying my body. I started having anxiety and panic attacks and I felt as if my body was telling me I had to start “living” again and escape this vicious downward spiral. I knew I had to get active, and I wanted to focus on improving my mental and emotional health. That was when I found Kamalaya. For example, I knew meditation was not one of my strengths, but I didn’t want to fear it as a weakness. I felt the need to challenge myself. So, in a sense, I can say Kamalaya found me. I don’t know how, I don’t know why… well, I know why. And it’s not just me. The guests and staff I talked to told me about some amazing stories on how Kamalaya found them. I could relate to those stories.
Karina Stewart: Amazing. Did you have an idea of what you wanted to do when you came, like fitness, but when you got here, did they guide you into fitness or maybe you did something else?
Sarah C. Schuster: When I arrived, I was given my schedule for the comprehensive fitness program and from the moment I started my first treatment I was completely in awe.
Karina Stewart: Did they modify the fitness a little bit for you towards the mental health component?
Sarah C. Schuster: During my first wellness consultation we considered whether to focus on mentoring or meditation. Both are part of my schedule. After my first mentoring session, something clicked. There was a deep source of pain within myself I had been carrying around for the last ten years or so, but with the mentor’s guidance I gained some insight about how to start to let go of it. For me, it was important to understand that this was a piece, not the whole puzzle, something to learn from and move on from rather than harboring it within me.
Karina Stewart: If you prefer the mentoring, then do one more mentoring before the meditation. Or you can try breathing practice, which is very helpful. Did you take any of the breathing practice sessions?
Sarah C. Schuster: Yes, it’s my “strongest weakness.” My breathing is still very flat. Opening up the chest is a bit terrifying.
John Stewart: It makes sense because you were a smoker.
Karina Stewart: Sometimes without having some well-established breathing practice meditation can be very difficult. Maybe you can focus the next session with your mentor on breathing. I like to have people do some good breathing practice before they move to meditation because it helps calm their nervous systems, calm their anxiety and it helps the mind settle before we try to meditate. So, it’s been a good experience so far? Has it been better than you expected?
Sarah C. Schuster: I didn’t expect anything. My mind was blank. Of course, I expected the highest standards based on my research, but I was burned out and exhausted when I arrived. Frankly, I just wanted to make it onto the plane and since I’ve been here, it has been everything I could have hoped for and more, or in other words, exactly what I needed.
John Stewart: Then you are lucky to live so close to the airport. (laughs)
Sarah C. Schuster: Kamalaya has come a long way since its opening in November 2005 and has since won numerous awards. What makes Kamalaya different from other luxury wellness retreats? What was your vision or mission in founding Kamalaya?
John Stewart: Karina and I met in India. We have a background in Indian traditions. Karina had studied traditional Chinese medicine. After getting married, we lived in Nepal and Gatu and got very much involved in Tibetan Buddhist traditions. We wanted to do something that gave something back. That is how we were taught to deal with life. We wanted to be “part of the solution not part of the problem.” We had a very strong desire to share all the gifts we had been given and were so grateful for the people we would meet. And so, Kamalaya is really our home and our way of expressing who we are.
We walked this talk, and I think that is the difference between an enterprise built as a business and an organization built as a mission, as a vision, and a way of sharing with people. I think what makes Kamalaya so special is that we created it as much to lift our spirits and that of our team as we did to serve our guests and their needs for calm in the face of the stresses of day-to-day life. Karina often says we are like exhalation. Some people exhale and just feel empty when they come here, but for others this emptying creates a space for nourishment and safety where they can feel their own heartbeat and get back on track. Everything we do here is designed to support that in every way. All the programs in some way or another touch on the process of letting go and experiencing life. We have a mentor that taught us that life is our heartbeats. That’s in the DNA of Kamalaya.
Karina Stewart: Another thing that makes Kamalaya special is the Thai culture. We have thought to ourselves: “What would Kamalaya be like in another culture?” And that’s when we realized how much the Thai people, who they are, and what their culture offers has allowed us to create our vision of what we wanted Kamalaya to be. They are truly warm-hearted, kind, generous, thoughtful, and compassionate people. It’s a culture with old world values. Relationships are very important to the Thai people. They remember your preferences; they remember where you’re from; they remember many things about others because people matter to them. Of course, you can imagine how precious that is. It’s the people at Kamalaya, their heartbeats and connections that makes the difference. But it’s also our visiting practitioners from all over the world who bring their special talents.
The guests who come to Kamalaya are themselves very incredible people. Kamalaya is not your typical place. You can’t find ten Kamalayas in the world. So, the guests that come who want to really go deep into this ecosystem for personal health goals, a peaceful, clear mind, or a happy heart, come with openness and a desire to improve themselves, a desire to make better choices and feel better and live better and more fully. There you have a special kind of person who’s motivated and seeking an uplift. I think that is also very special to be surrounded by people from all parts of the world who have this core similarity, even though we’re all very different and unique. It’s the whole ecosystem.
Sarah C. Schuster: The wind may be the biggest mystery on this island for me. I cannot describe it yet but have given it a lot of thought.
John Stewart: It is extraordinary. We’re constantly being caressed by the wind. We’re lucky in that regard.
Karina Stewart: And the kind of wind… in different seasons it feels different. The whole summer season has this quality of the wind, which is fantastic. You know, as we were thinking about Kamalaya and the type of atmosphere we were trying to create, we were focused on our values. We knew we wanted to create a place for transformation. Then you have to ask, what is transformation? It’s not just improving what you’re already doing. It can be that. But for us it was about creating an environment where people could fulfill their potential. When you sleep well, you feel well rested; when you eat well, you feel like the food you’re eating is giving you more energy; when your senses feel revitalized by nature, you are alive to sounds, smells and touch; when your mind and your nervous system is in balance, then we can talk about our potential. Our vision. What do I imagine I can become? What environment will fertilize and nurture that potential in everyone? One of the things we found was we wanted to slow people down. Have you noticed that?
Sarah C. Schuster: I have. When you are walking down the stairs, you can gauge how long a guest has been here by how slowly they walk. They just go with the flow. (laughs)
Karina Stewart: Exactly. But we’re not telling you to slow down. We create an environment that slows you down. We create an environment where people feel safe. Do you feel safe here as a woman?
Sarah C. Schuster: Yes, very much so.
John Stewart: Isn’t that lovely? I mean for everybody but especially as a woman. To feel safe all alone without having to put up your guard.
Sarah C. Schuster: Especially in our world today where women must work twice as much as their male colleagues both at home and on the job and assertive women are considered aggressive and told to smile more, where women are expected to multi-task, of course it’s exhausting. Here you just feel like being human.
Karina Stewart: You can trust us as the guest, and we can trust you, as part of our ecosystem. We also want to stimulate open-mindedness at Kamalaya. We don’t want people to fall back into their old habits. So, digital communication is restricted, not forbidden. We do have a library. You can use your digitals there or in your room if you prefer. We respect you. No matter what your personal goals are, you are a successful person in your area of life. We are only here to say: “Can we invite you to experience things maybe you never did before that maybe help you can find support?” John was very clear. He said: “Let’s create space for new habits.” We don’t push people to do things. Personal choice is important because only then do people take responsibility. It’s not as easy out in the world, for sure. But hopefully, because you have experienced the benefits of doing things differently, you will make better choices when you get home. We wanted to share the things that have had such a big impact in our lives and for which we are grateful, and we wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.
John Stewart: The world encourages us to follow the pleasure principle, to satisfy our desires. Capitalism is about the delivery of desires. When you learn that if you make better choices, you have a better life, it’s truly amazing. The world does not teach us this anymore. We really love when people empower themselves and say: “Yes, this is what I want to do.” When they experience for themselves how much better they feel by making better and different choices, they can take that lesson home with them.
Sarah C. Schuster: It’s a liberation.
John Stewart: We can all liberate ourselves by developing better habits.
Karina Stewart: …and fulfil our potential. We are capable of so much. We have the power of imagination. You’re a writer. It’s a superpower people don’t realize. We imagined this [pointing around at Kamalaya] and then we did it! So, imagine when you feel good, when you’re balanced, when your biochemistry is balanced, your nervous system is calm, and your mind feels open… what can’t we imagine?
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Sarah C. Schuster: When I started writing, I wanted to be successful. While I’ve been here, I’ve thought a lot about the purpose of writing and why I am doing it. My answer is love. When I write about life, I am testifying to my love of life; it’s like spreading the love. That’s it. It’s loving and doing. That’s life.
Karina Stewart: The outcome of success – recognition and money – comes when what you love is a seed that you sow which spreads and comes to fruition. We never imagined that Kamalaya would be as successful as it has become. We never envisioned receiving so many awards; we didn’t even know there were so many awards.
John Stewart: We didn’t even know there were such awards. We weren’t even aware of it.
Karina Stewart: We didn’t know the industry, but we knew our strengths and our backgrounds. We had a passion to do something together. It was John’s initiative; when he invited me to join, I said yes. Kamalaya was born out of our desire to contribute. You have a passion for sustainability, and you love writing. That passion is the seed of a plant that naturally bears fruit. Yet, we had to make many financial decisions. It was not as if we came from a wealthy background where money doesn’t matter. Quality comes from when you have a passion. These are values in every culture.
Sarah C. Schuster: In terms of archetypes, there are a lot of “healers” at Kamalaya. As a “storyteller,” I believe we have the responsibility to portray those values to strengthen the community. Kamalaya has a really nice bookstore. After finishing the novel I had brought with me, Almond by Won-pyung Sohn, which was a great read, I bought a copy of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari and started reading it yesterday.
John Stewart: That’s a good book and so is his next one Homo deus. They are really meant to be read together. They have a very powerful message. The third book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century takes a more dystopian turn.
Karina Stewart: People predict all kinds of things, but they don’t necessarily come true. We can’t assume they will at least. Even in creating Kamalaya there were times when we thought “That’s it! We don’t know how to pass these challenges and obstacles. We’re not going to succeed. It’s over.” Only because John is an incredible optimist but also a pragmatist, we were able to find our way. If you fail, you fail, but you won’t give up. We didn’t give up, but at times it looked like we reached the end of the road. More than once, if you can imagine. And then, out of nowhere, something would happen, and we were able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. There were many times we were at our wits’ end. You realize that nothing is guaranteed one way or the other. Ever.
Sarah C. Schuster: I was lucky enough to experience the comprehensive optimal fitness program here and was amazed to discover that every step of the way I got exactly what I needed for my body, mind, and spirit. The guests I talked to all had similar experiences. How is such a unique composition of healing possible?
Karina Stewart: From studying Indian philosophy and from studying with our master teacher in the Himalayas, we knew already then that the teachings had to have a physical component of service and action. Whatever work you’re doing, you do it from an attitude of doing it for someone you really love, respect, and admire. It doesn’t matter what you do. If you’re doing it with this attitude, it becomes something bigger and better. We also were engaged in practices of chanting and devotion. And of course, there were the practices of prayer. Right from the beginning, we learned that these things are not separate. Your state of consciousness, of how you do things, determines if you just work out your body. Am I doing yoga to have a trim body and good posture or is there something more? We were incredibly fortunate to have great teachers who knew that the body, the heart, and consciousness are all interrelated, and they all interact with each other. Our state of mind affects our emotions and ultimately causes disease or health. The wrong diet, too much sugar and caffeine, affects the mind and the biochemistry of the brain. We brought that knowledge to bear in our experience of Kamalaya. We have a beautiful program called “Resilience and Immunity”. The food we eat affects the body, affects the emotions, and affects our mental states.
Sarah C. Schuster: I was impressed by your program “Radiant Bliss.”
Karina Stewart: “Radiant Bliss” is a program for women’s health at every stage of a woman’s life. The first stage is fertility. Even if a woman doesn’t want to get pregnant, it’s a fertile time of her life and there are certain ways we can ensure her optimal health. If we can strengthen a woman during perimenopause, the decade before menopause, then her menopause will be much gentler. Menopause, which is the last phase of a woman’s life, can be the beginning of a whole new chapter of one’s life, a true metamorphosis. But if we don’t take care of ourselves during this stage, it can also be a very difficult time. We’re hoping to make each stage a wonderful, vibrant phase in a women’s life. Many of our programs address all these aspects of ourselves: body, mind, and emotions.
Sarah C. Schuster: The comprehensive optimal fitness program I chose truly changed me. My body is so rejuvenated I feel like a child again. When I told my friends, I was coming home soon, I thought “The ‘old’ me isn’t coming home. Somebody else is, my friends just don’t know it yet.” In the last two weeks I’ve rebuilt my relationship to the ‘temple’ of my body, with Kamalaya’s help. The fact that I have done so motivates me not to revert to destroying it again.
Karina Stewart: Exactly, and I like the way you say it. What is the relationship I want to have with my body? Is it one where I consider it a temple and, therefore, I care for it like a temple or do I want to treat my body like a garbage can, which all of us know how that feels like?
John Stewart: When we discussed Kamalaya, we always talked about how the entry point is health, but the goal is transformation. I think that’s why you find it as part of every program. Every part of Kamalaya speaks to every other part. You feel that harmony. Everything is supporting your personal journey and our community journey. You can sit at the community table, and you can meet people. So, it doesn’t matter which program you chose. If people choose “embracing change” which is to go more into a deeper spiritual transformation or personal journey transformation or you choose “fitness”, which seems like is just for the body, everything is really for the body, the mind, the heart, and the soul. The land itself has been imbibed with this energy of longing and searching for hundreds of years of its history.
Sarah C. Schuster: The energy of the jungle indeed feels different. I haven’t visited the monk’s cave, yet.
John Stewart: There is something wonderful about entering the cave because it’s filled with little boats. In the Thai belief system, Buddha carries you across the sea of illusion – the difficulties of life – so that you get to the other side intact on the journey to your heart. People come from all over the country and leave little boats and put their prayers in there. It’s very touching to feel we’re all longing and searching for a solution to why we feel the way we do.
Sarah C. Schuster: Kamalaya is a very open space with few walls. It feels limitless, like when you watch the sun set against the backdrop of the ocean. I think this open space is conducive for creating an open mind.
Karina Stewart: When you ask what we were thinking or what we wanted to bring into the creation through Kamalaya, one of these principles is the healing power of nature. We really feel that the whole journey to healing and to health – physical, emotional, and mental – begins, and is the most powerful, in nature. You can take people from any state of health and put them into contact with nature, with their senses and their bodies, and it will have a positive impact on them. The whole design and architecture here adhere to that concept. You can see, smell and touch Kamalaya. You can almost taste it. And certainly, you can hear it. (laughs)
Sarah C. Schuster: Yes, I love the animals and the different sounds of the rain forest. Every day, I discover a new animal species or fruit I have never heard of. When creating Kamalaya, what role did the local community play? Was it an instant connection or did it take time? And how do you choose the produce for the kitchen?
John Stewart: We’ve had a reputation of being one of the best employers on the island because we built Kamalaya as much for the relationships with the people we employ as with guests like you. In the Himalayas, we lived remotely but were next to a small village, so we got very used to being part of the local community and built a local school. We built Kamalaya to be run like a business the way businesses were run before capitalism. When a business was a member of the community and serving this community. You know, when the baker was as powerful as the banker and had the same voice in the village council. In terms of food, we have relationships with farmers in the north of the country and we continue to build on that. We’re working on having a relationship with one farm that would grow 80 percent of our food organically, even though we won’t own the farm.
Karina Stewart: We were living in Kathmandu when we first came to the island, and we were given the name of a woman here on the island we could rent a car from. We called her up and she brought us a car to get around. When we came here to visit, we would always rent from her. As it turned out, she was well-connected with one of the most influential families of the island, which helped us tremendously when we started with our project. She became a very big supporter because we were always kind, respectful, and treated her well. How you do one thing is how you do everything. That’s a fact. How someone behaves when they don’t know they’re being watched tells you everything you need to know about them. We also organize workshops for the staff several times a year and there are days where we go and help clean up at the monastery that is connected to the cave here. The eldest senior monk there was a young child when we first came here. In the very beginning, John and I were very involved in all the workshops. But now that we’ve gotten older the organization team runs the workshops.
Karina Stewart: We’re involved on a very micro-local level as well. And of course, we support any of the local farmers; not just on the island but in different parts of the country. As much as possible we try to buy local and support sustainable practices and foster relationships with our suppliers. If we can get good quality products, why wouldn’t we support local producers? All our amenities, for example, are locally made and designed.
John Stewart: Kamalaya was built using all local materials. We maybe had to import a stove or a special juicing machine, but otherwise we did everything locally.
Karina Stewart: To us, wellness is about making the best life-affirming choices and to become the healthiest ecosystem. We really believe that if one person feels better, it will have a ripple effect on the people around them. It feels better in every way. And ultimately, life-affirming choices have an impact on the environment. We may or may not agree on what are the best choices, but we get to choose.
Sarah C. Schuster: The different forms of doing good support the greater good. What plans do you have for the future?
John Stewart: We are working on a project across the road from Kamalaya. We bought a large tract of land and we’re hoping to build a school of life for wellness education, offering classes to teach the principles we’ve developed over the years and which we try to live by at Kamalaya. The idea is both to train future employees and share these principles with our guests who like to learn more and go deeper. There are many ways to describe wellness, but we think of it as a lifestyle for making better, more informed, and more conscious choices. People need to find ways to connect with themselves and others and find meaning in their lives.
Sarah C. Schuster: Thank you very much for this conversation and your time.
Saying goodbye
Kamalaya has a special way of connecting people. I begin to understand why the people smile so much here, and that the smiles are genuine. I think when you’re touched by the spirit of Kamalaya there is no reason not to smile. What started as a holiday, turned into my personal journey toward health and fulfillment.
I started out from a place of fear and exhaustion when the warm breath of this island engaged my senses. The Gulf of Thailand was a vast sea of blue, in all hues and shades. All the different blues. My lifestyle has drained the life right out of me. The colors of nature came from everywhere and brought healing. I had to take care of myself before I could help others. My body and mind became my most important project.
Before heading to the airport, I went one last time to the Arjan cave to say goodbye to Kamalaya. I took my time gathering my things and heading to the reception desk where my taxi was waiting for me. I had to thank the island and all the gods that have continued protecting it all these many years. Leaving Kamalaya was not the end, but the beginning of this new chapter of my life. When I looked out of the taxi window, I was struck by at how the wind was shaking the big green leaves one last time, and I was thinking about you, the reader of this story, and hope you might let Kamalaya find you like it did me.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — Cover Photo Credit: Author.
