Trip to ‘Plantation Villa’, Kalutara, Sri Lanka –  2023 

I got the all clear from Cancer March 2023, but still couldn’t really find myself after the treatments ended. I was tired, lacked the impulses to get things done, my body was hurting, especially my feet and back. Getting into a routine again and starting work again was essential for me but I still wasn’t feeling great. So I did one of the best things I have ever done. I booked a 10 days detox retreat in Plantation Villa. Reading about the Owner (Ishara De Silva) and her Cancer journey convinced me to go. 

 It was a remarkable trip that made a significant and much needed change in me.

In plantation Village we are back to nurturing our basic needs: Healthy food and drinks, healthy human connections, touch (massage), exercise, rhythm and routines, nature and sounds from nature – A no-stress place!. It was like being in an Avatar movie, the colors and sounds there were therapy in itself. The staff, who are mainly local people, all do their utmost to make you feel welcome and nurtured. The yoga and meditation Teacher, Bernardo is outstanding in skills and presence. It was like his presence opened a door into myself, a door I had been looking for or couldn’t find the key to. He is such an inspiration because he dares to talk about what is important in life. Some people talk and you don’t really listen, but with Bernardo you listen and hear even when he doesn’t talk. 

My schedule at Plantation Villa:

Yoga session 06:30-07:30

Breakfast 07:30

Treatments 10:00-12:00

Lunch 12:30

Yoga 17:00-18:00

Meditation 18:00-18:30

Dinner 18:30

All meals in Plantation Villa are Ayurvedic meals, there is no coffee, no sugar, no gluten, no animal products, no cold food or drink (room temperature) and very limited wifi. This was just what I needed – healthy, plant based food served at exactly the same time each day. On top of that I took all the prescribed supplements the Ayurvedic Doctor had lined up for me. Rhythm and routines are very important when nurturing our basic needs. We often use the wrong food/drinks, work and ‘wifi’ to calm our system so we can’t feel how we truly are feeling. Well, take all the junk away and you will feel what you feel, and when you dare to stay with what you are feeling, it will shift. 

The first 5 days were not easy as I was detoxing, but on the 4th day it all started to shift. I felt so much better physically and emotionally. My energy level raised, my body started being flexible and pain free again and my emotional ups and downs had gone. The trip was such a turn around for me in my recovery from Cancer. When I returned home I kept up as many routines as possible and I am still feeling great. 

We all need to take breaks and fuel our body and mind with good nurturing food, sun, exercise and lovely people. Cutting out processed food and sugar has made a big difference for me post Cancer. A healthy life is many things and sometimes we just need to get away and let somebody else serve us, just like we are serving others in our everyday life. 

www.plantationvilla.com

A power meal to start my day.