Detoxing the Mind and Body

My Ayurveda Experience at Sri Lanka

 Barberyn Reef, Beruwala

(http://www.barberynresorts.com/english/index.htm)

 

  

Ayurveda

I've just come back from a wonderful and very different holiday in Sri Lanka all refreshed and well looked after and this holiday made me realise how toxic our western lives really are. Hear me out...

A resort highly recommended by a friend and after seeing how much more healthier and svelte he looked from his visit (not that he wasn't already!) he had an extra glow about him and so I was definitely intrigued and emailed the resort to see if they had any room left. Thankfully there was a last minute cancellation which meant I could go at quite short notice!

I went for the ayurveda treatments as part of the package as I had never tried this before and was keen to acheive similar results to my friend. I felt I needed a detox on all levels and this was the perfect place to do this.

"In simple terms, ayurveda is a holistic system which guides us so that we can live a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. It recognises that we are all unique and focuses on food, lifestyle, massage, yoga and herbal remedies to suit our individual make-up.
The wisdom of ayurveda encourages us to take responsibility for our own health according to the different stages of our lives, the seasons, and the environment we live, work and play in. These factors all have a big impact on our health and it makes sense to adapt our lifestyle accordingly so we can continue to live in harmony with our body and stay in optimum health."(source: pukka herbs)


All Inclusive
Music to my ears!! I didn't need to take much spending money as everything seemed to be included, all the food, the treatments, the medicine, yoga, tai chi, meditation, they pick you up from the airport, even the excursions were included! What more could you ask for?!

Chillax to the Max!!

Waiting to see the Doctor

Oh my goodness! I was looking forward to being looked after, and you certainly were! You see the doctor on the first day and go through what ailments you have. Then he recommends what foods to eat/not eat and these details are placed on your table.  The doctor also recommends what treatments and medicine you will be having also during your stay at the resort.

My medicine for 1 day

The medicine was dispatched everyday and you were to take them at the recommended time. The medicine was all natural made from different herbs and plants, no chemicals something I got was the theme throughout the resort. Even the pool was filled with sea water!


So my day pretty much went like this:
6am - Get up to take the medicine
6.30am - go for Yoga (okay so I only made it once!)
7.30am - go for the fabulous breakfast
8am - take some more medicine
8.30am - go for head and shoulder massage, followed by facial massage, followed by full body massage, followed by eye-drops for me (ouch), then to...
The herbal garden for some natural herbal packs placed all over your body and face..
Then to have a herbal bath or shower then steam bath (this is where I've lost track of time)
I head back to my room to meditate as this is all I can manage, okay maybe a little snooze!
11.30am - Acupuncture
12pm - Ooh look it's Lunch (with some medicine)
 
Yummy Food - Suitable for Vegans!

Healthy Food - Sambol

Doctors note for my food

Even the meat eaters won't miss the meat!  The food was fantastic! And there was so much choice! Buffet style offering starters, mains and healthy desserts.  The waiting staff know what you are supposed to have (and not supposed to!) by looking at your note written by the doctor. My favourite was the atta flour roti and red raw rice, and all the curries. Yummmmmmmmmy!

Sometimes they had fish for those that were missing 'meat' but really you didn't miss it.  Each food item had it's own label telling you it's healthy properties e.g. good for digestion, blood circulation etc, and if you were taking certain treatments, they will advise you whether to avoid or not. Everything was good for you (okay occasionally there was the naughty dessert - but no one dared to load their bowls with naughty food)!  I heard that a couple went to eat out somewhere else one night and they had really bad tummies from it. Not because it was poorly cooked...but after being on their treatments for a few days, I guess they had become more sensitive to foods that were 'bad' for them.

Sarana

I think I actually ate more than I normally do at home. (But hey - I'm on holiday innit!) But the thing is I actually LOST WEIGHT! yes that is right, during my 10 day stay I lost 2.5kgs and I was eating more! I lost 2 inches off my waist.  I realised all these treatments I was having really were effective and just eating the RIGHT foods makes a real difference. Yup - goodbye sugar, dairy and wheat - oh come on! you knew they were bad for you already! ;-)



Excursions Optional

The rest of the afternoon I chilled and chatted to the other guests. If there was an excursion on I would go on that (if I had the energy!) or there would be a talk on Ayurveda medicine or something else. There was always something different on each day. So the rest of the day looked like this:

Turtle Farm

2pm - maybe a swim in the pool
3pm - afternoon tea or whatever event was on
4pm - more medicine
5.30pm - Tai chi or meditation
6pm - more medicine
9pm - final medicine of the day (phew!)
10pm - oh my I'm tired, time for bed.

Pool with sea water

The excursions I managed to go on were a visit to the Mask factory, Silk Factory and Dutch Fort in Galle.  I also went to a sea turtle farm which was my favourite.

I had a very peaceful time at Barberyn. Perfect for what I wanted which was to detox the mind and body. You were really forced to slow down and relax which is a good thing.  I put in some meditation time whenever I could to help detox the mind, as the rest was being sorted out by Barberyn. All the staff were really friendly and helpful.




Beautiful Sunsets
I just caught the end of the monsoon season, and so it was cloudy most of the days. But I didn't mind as I am not that into sunbathing. However the last few days cleared up and was presented with the most beautiful sunsets lighting up the sky with wonderful colours. (Please see photo slideshow below for more photos)

Sunset at Beruwala

After my own experience of Ayurveda and speaking to many of the other guests, I am a Ayruveda convert!!  You get 'sorted' holistically...inside and out. We all know that no one 'magic pill' can help sort your problems out no matter how big or small. It is finding a harmonious balance with our mind body and spirit which is the key. A balance point which will change as these areas of our life change.  It made me realise how easily we fill our bodies (and minds) with toxic things. From the foods we eat to the things we read and watch (yeah I'm talking about TV and the internet).  Some things are good some are bad, but they all don't come with helpful labels!  I realised that we are our own guide, and our body tells us when something is not quite right for us (literally!)  This can be difficult when most of us live hectic lives and get sucked back into bad habits...if we can step away from that for a bit, all the better.

So if you want a helping hand...pay Barberyn at visit for a healthy start!






Photo Slideshow
Below is a photo slideshow of the photos I took during my stay. Enjoy!

Printing in Progress

F(r)ame at Last!!

At last!!! I've got round to printing some of my photos. I've been told that I need to get my photos out there in the public domain for people to enjoy, so slowly but surely, I am going through the selection, printing and framing process. Below are a few of my photos I've printed and as you can see all framed and signed.
These include:
- Layers
- Universal Energy
- Rose
- Stranger on the Shore

Selection of Framed photos available

Prices

Large square framed print 50x50cm: £85 (plus postage and packaging)

Small square framed print 23x23cm: £25 (plus postage and packaging)

Medium rectangle framed print 38cm x 48cm: £40 (plus postage and packaging)

Print to Order

I have to admit, it has been really difficult selecting the photos to print! What do people like to see on their walls? So many photos to choose from! So what I can offer is a print to order service based on my flickr collection

If you have your own frame - I can do print only for you too. Just let me know the size of the frame you have and I can provide you with an estimate.

How to order
Browse through my flickr collection and let me know which print and frame size you like and
Email the details to me on lily.lau8@gmail.com and then I can arrange for suitable delivery (UK and Ireland only at this point)

My Flickr Collection

Current Framed Photos Available

'Layers': Frame size 50cm x 50cm

Left:Mini 'Universal Energy' and Right: 'Rose' Size: 23x23cm

Left:Mini 'Universal Energy' and Right: 'Rose' Size: 23x23cm

'Stranger on the Shore' Findhorn Beach 38cm x 48cm

Quality mount and framing

'Rose' available framed white or black 23x23cm

Different sizes available

Mini 'Universal Energy' 23 x23cm

The Perfect Present

No it's not Christmas yet...although people seem to be planning earlier each year! A friend of mine had seen my photo work on the flickr feed and she really wanted to give her friend a photo-shoot as a present.  I thought that's a brilliant idea! Great let's do it...and it also would be lovely to be able to actually give them something rather than just say or write 'yeah I booked you a photo-session'

Yes you guessed it....and so I made gift vouchers

Back of Voucher

Front of Voucher

Brilliant gift if you want something unique for your nearest and dearest. It can be for new parents, birthday celebrations, family photos, engagement photos you name it I will cover it (within reason of course!)


Photobooks
You will see there is also an option for photobooks. Another great gift idea for your nearest and dearest. When there are just too many photos to choose from to print, you can have them all in one book.

Below is an example of 'My First Picture Book' which you can preview online. With these photobooks you can share the link with your friends and family where they can also view online and they can also order their own copy (if you want them to!)

my picture book by Lily Lau | Make Your Own Book

For more details how you can get a voucher, get in touch by emailing me lily.lau8@gmail.com

Each photoshoot will have different requirements, so each one will be priced as appropriate.

Prices start from £120

Parent and Child

"Never work with children or animals"

...both of which I seem to have been doing a lot recently and actually really enjoying it!! Requests from parents for photos of their new borns are coming through.  This started out with a dear friend of mine who has recently had her first baby. All quite exciting in itself as we have been friends for so long and it's amazing to see her go through this transition. She asked me to take photos of her new born and a few snaps of her and her partner which of course I said yes!!

We agreed that I would spend a few hours with them in the comfort of their own home covering shots of their new life, from feeding, bath time, nappy changing and just well...chillin'!! We included some 'posed' shots too to complete the set.

They wanted to remember their baby at 3 months old and for themselves to be captured in a way that was natural and so did not really want to go to a photo studio, so for me that is ideal as that suits my style of photography.

sleepy, cheeky, stretchy, cutie, bath-time, fun-time!!

As cheesy as it sounds it's is all about 'capturing the moment' and in this case visiting parents in their own home is the best way to do this.  This is what I offer, photo-shoots in the comfort of your own home. Different people will want different things...but the important thing is that everyone is comfortable in their environment.  So if that meant a walk to the local park because that's what you normally do with your family then this can included into the photoshoot too!  You want something iconic in the background - that can be done too!

The ickle things count!

Your baby tends to set the pace in these photoshoots...so I am happy to go with the flow in the session to ensure you get the shots you want.  I will have a chat with you beforehand to find out a little bit more about yourselves and what your requirements are and how long you want the photoshoot to be and the best time of day for you.

I can include some extra shots that capture your environment e.g. the many cuddly toys that your little one has accumulated!

Pets Optional!

I tend to take quite a number of shots during the session to ensure that there is a great selection to choose from.  This is based on the agreed time, your requirements and budget.

After the photo-shoot, I will spend some time going through the photos picking the 'better' shots and carry out some minor post processing activities (e.g. cropping, changing to black and white etc) but nothing drastic.  I will then provide you a copy of the originals on a CD for you at no extra charge so you can choose which ones you want to print for yourselves.

I can also provide carefully designed and thought out personalised photo-books which will make an ideal present for your nearest and dearest. Here is an example of the photo-book which you can preview online before you order. (Prices on application) This one features some of my earlier work:

my picture book by Lily Lau | Make Your Own Book

Gift Vouchers
Gift vouchers are now available!

A perfect gift to capture those special occasions. The gift voucher size 139mm x 107mm and comes with envelop.

Whatever your needs are, feel free to get in contact to find out more or to get a quote.

Lily x

Model Behaviour

My lovely friend Susan is expecting her first child later this year and she asked me to take some photos of her with her bump to update her portfolio. She is a talented singer/actress and so I was flattered that she asked me to do this, I was looking forward to seeing her and to try something new!

She lives out of London which is a nice change of scenery and so we experimented with different shots. Susan is a so photogenic and a joy to photograph and made it look really easy...as you can see!

We were later joined by a couple of westies that wanted to be photographed too - poser!