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INSPIRATIONS
HEAVEN IN SRI LANKA
ANNA GABRIELLE GEFFRIAUD
August 30, 2024
Embark for a few weeks in this disconnected bubble.
A micro-village with its own spa, kitchen, water source, collective yoga activity, villagers, and dwellings...
DECONNECTION BEGINS
Ulpotha is a space like a small village, with charming huts in harmony with the surrounding nature. The name means “water spring,” orbiting around a lake whose water gives a purifying and regenerative feeling. This water is filtered and used for the whole village.
Reds, oranges, dark browns, pops of color, create a happy and joyful setting.
We relearn how to take our time.
Walking along these small palm tree paths to the sound of nature, where you might meet a few monkeys or friendly faces. Or, sitting comfortably facing the lake, a film unfolds before your eyes. Hypnotized by its calm and peace. Books tell you their best stories to the sound of nature and time.
Everything is also in the details, like the morning picking to make delicate flower bowls at the entrance of each hut.
Then, at the times of collective gatherings, you find faces with radiant smiles from every corner of the world, and new connections form naturally.
GENUINE SOULS, AUTHENTIC SPIRIT
Slowly, the mind stops rushing, and attention to our senses becomes more careful.
The day is marked by organic meals, fresh vegetables, and fruits from the garden cooked by the villagers. In the middle of an outdoor square space, sitting on cushions around, food is served on the ground on plates and mats made of straw, clay dishes, banana leaves. A thousand and one flavors delight the taste buds, a real treat with every meal. A traditional way of cooking over a wood fire.
Anna Lisa, with sparkling eyes, silver curly hair, and a contagious smile. Her musical voice and good humor set the tone for the days you will spend here. Like the village’s mother, she guides with the utmost gentleness.
WELLBEING ACTIVITIES
Every day, an energizing yoga session in the morning and another relaxing one in the evening are led by professionals. You can find on their website which week corresponds to which yoga retreat.
The yoga classes were taught by Samantha. I emphasize the word “teaching” and would add addictive, fun, and relaxing. She is a woman with a warm and powerful presence. Long curly black hair, attentive gaze, adorable Indian accent. She is there, and she will take you every morning and evening for sessions where you discover many aspects of the Yoga spectrum. She makes you feel at ease, sharing doses of love and laughter.
You can enjoy wonderful Ayurvedic treatments from the spa, but you need to know that just being there is 75% of the Ayurvedic results. You have an Ayurvedic consultation with a doctor. He will explain the history, aim, purpose, types of doshas, treatments, and provide good lifestyle advice. Ayurveda is the medicine of life, aiming to rebalance through diet, movement, and mindful decision-making.
THE POWER OF A PLACE
There is a unique sensation of being transported to this place, disconnected from the fast-paced time and hyper-connected world we live in. Here, it’s ultimately a reconnection—to the roots, to ourselves. It’s incredible to have combined so much authenticity and quality in a single space. It’s important to understand that there is no electricity, no hot water, no Wi-Fi, no room service, no pool, no meat. Constraint becomes luxury. For example, at night, the candle lights up. Torches become our new glasses.
Here resides an atmosphere of pause and a spiritual energy, where body and mind are naturally brought together as one, where energies circulate more easily.
At Ulpotha, one finds a meeting point with oneself, between silence and sharing, between movement and stillness, between mindfulness and innocence, between body and mind.
It’s an experience to be lived rather than told. This place leaves a deep mark on the heart.
ulpotha.com