Calgary Herald

WELLNESS AT LAKE LOUISE

Fairmont Chateau offers up luxury

- JODY ROBBINS

Do I start my quest for wellness with downward dog and some inner reflection? Nope. Mine begins with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc in one hand and a shrimp skewer in the other.

Some wellness retreats are like boot camps with tightly packed schedules, reduced calories and forced group exercise. Fortunatel­y, that’s not how it goes down in Lake Louise. “This is a luxury retreat,” said Davina Bernard, director of wellness at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. “If you need anything to make your stay more comfortabl­e, you let me know.”

That’s all the incentive I need and with Bernard’s encouragem­ent I leave our welcome reception with a plateful of appetizers and take another glass of wine back to my room for good measure.

I’ve got a feeling this wellness retreat is going to be right up my alley.

From life redesign to mindful eating, these all-inclusive retreats at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise have more than meditation in mind. Beginning with a solo event in 2011, retreats have increased to a dozen a year with 10 times more participan­ts. It’s not difficult to see the appeal.

The picture-perfect setting in the Rockies is naturally inspiring, especially for those seeking personal transforma­tion and growth. “There aren’t many places in the world where you can look out of your hotel room window and see a glacier, turquoise lake and dramatic mountains. The setting really helps our guests open up to new ideas and possibilit­ies,” said Bernard.

Retreats are led by world-renowned wellness experts. Facilitato­rs this fall include bestsellin­g author and self-love teacher Shannon Kaiser plus yoga instructor and psychother­apist Kim Roberts. In addition to sessions, there are 12 daily compliment­ary fitness classes for attendees.

My retreat is on spirit medicine with Dr. Eva Selhub. I’m not into spirit animals, but fortunatel­y it’s not about that. It’s about connecting ancient wisdom with anatomy. This medical doctor has a private practice in Boston and taught at Harvard. In other words, Dr. Eva (as she prefers to be called) is legit. I’ve got three days with her to make the mind-body connection.

After breakfast and an optional yoga session, we meet with Selhub to discuss different ways of looking at health. She believes that if you have a physical issue, there’s likely a psychologi­cal or spiritual issue that’s been there longer. You can’t fix the physical without addressing the other.

So we aim to do just that — tap into our physical issues to find out what’s really behind them. No lie, doing this inner work in such an intimate setting is challengin­g. You have to be open and ready to learn. The bonus is being surrounded with like-minded people. Not to get too Oprah on you, but other retreat-goers also want to live their best lives. There’s no judgment or shame, only acceptance and encouragem­ent.

With so much to take in, I’m grateful our schedule has been purposeful padded with plenty of downtime. After lunch, we have several hours to use the pool and fitness facilities or to simply pause and reflect.

Though it’s noon, I don’t feel hungry. I take what I learned from our first session and decide to listen to my body. It tells me I need fresh air and exercise, so I run to the end of the lake. I feel energized and come back to my room actually motivated to work. Lunch happens at 2:30 p.m. with a glass of red wine, but miracle of miracles, I only want to eat half my burger.

We regroup in the late afternoon and are walked through different visualizat­ions and meditation­s. I’m not into navel gazing and worry this is going to be majorly hokey, but it isn’t. At the risk of sounding flaky, I’ll admit it feels transforma­tive.

Through the window, I spot fat flakes of snow swirling down. It feels so right to be squirrelle­d away here, almost like hibernatin­g, with the addition of great food, wine and uplifting views. I doubt I could find a more salubrious spot to learn in — even if it’s only about myself.

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise wellness retreats run from Oct. 12 until Nov. 15 with spring sessions planned for 2019. Visit lakelouise­wellness.com for more informatio­n.

There aren’t many places in the world where you can look out of your hotel room window and see a glacier ... and dramatic mountains.

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 ?? FAIRMONT CHATEAU LAKE LOUISE ?? Wellness programs at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise make good use of the beautiful backdrop to explore “new ideas and possibilit­ies.”
FAIRMONT CHATEAU LAKE LOUISE Wellness programs at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise make good use of the beautiful backdrop to explore “new ideas and possibilit­ies.”
 ?? PAUL ZIZKA PHOTOGRAPH­Y ?? Wellness retreats run until Nov. 15 with more planned for the spring.
PAUL ZIZKA PHOTOGRAPH­Y Wellness retreats run until Nov. 15 with more planned for the spring.

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