Healience Zen Village with Trazy Korea

I have  confession to make—I haven’t been well. On my blog, I usually keep things light hearted and funny. Life is too short to be worried about shit that won’t matter in ten years, but there are things going on in my personal life that have ended up crawling into my dreams and affecting my waking life. These anxieties keep me up at night. No matter how late or early I sleep, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night with my chest feeling like it’s being crushed by an elephant. I lay wide awake thinking about all the things I need to do and how to try and control things out of my control. Anxiety is nothing new (I started having really bad anxiety in university) and I know some of us suffer with it day in and day out or have bouts of it as adults.

In our daily lives, we don’t realize how many distractions there are. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, email, YouTube and the list goes on and on. We live in an era that’s over saturated with things that waste our time and don’t promote our well being. In a world that’s more connected than ever, it’s hard to sift what’s important and what’s not.

Living in a city right next to Seoul, I’m constantly exposed to pollution. There are many factories and every morning when I step outside, instead of smelling clean air, I’m greeted by the smell of smoke, pollution, and other crap that’s probably not good for my health. I constantly hear cars and buses zooming by, the noise of streetlights and people walking and talking. And at school, it’s no better. I teach middle school students who have too many feels to even so I constantly hear them screaming or running down the halls chasing each other.

And lately I’ve been thinking, “When was the last time I was in a space that was truly quiet? When was the last time I could relax, think, and treat myself well? When was the last time I actually smelled clean air and not wanted to cough my lungs out?”

When I reflected, I realized as a human, I needed time to detox and retreat somewhere peaceful and quiet. When Trazy contacted me a two days and one night stay at the Healience Zen Village in the mountains, I couldn’t help but think this was a godsend.

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About the Healience Experience

Located in the mountains of Gangwon Province, Healience Zen Village was founded to promote mind and body wellness. This is one of the top twenty five healing locations selected by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The name is derived from healing, health, experience and science to bring you a holistic retreat.

Everything at the village is designed to be inconvenient. We don’t realize that the convince of flat surfaces actually makes us lazy and doesn’t burn off energy. Linda and I had a villa at the top of the village and while the climb sucked, the destination was breathtaking. We had a balcony overlooking the mountains and views for days. When I breathed in deeply, I didn’t want to die but felt the clean mountain air rejuvenating my body, spirit and mind. It’s crazy what some fresh air can do for you.

We don’t realize how much MSG is in our food these days. The strong flavors that make things so mouthwatering and irresistibly good are actually full of chemicals we shouldn’t even be putting into our bodies. Some people may complain the food there wasn’t flavorful but you know what I did notice? I noticed it was fresh and my bowels passed a lot easier than they have in weeks. If you’re a vegetarian, there’s lot of things to eat and even if you’re not, small amounts of meat are provided. As humans, we don’t really need as much meat as we eat to survive and I liked how each meal was balanced. I thought each meal was exquisite and looked forward to the next one. If you think it’s bland the first time, once your palette is cleansed, you’ll look forward to the next meal. You don’t even have to eat much to feel full.

In Korea, I’m sure we’ve all moaned and groaned about there being no bathtubs and the floor in our bathrooms always being wet. Well, they have GORGEOUS spa and jimjilbang facilities to promote health and wellness. I really loved the hot bath and the Co2 bath. The bubbles do wonders for your skin and stomach. If you’re thinking, “YAHS, Gina Bear! You’re speaking my language!” Go forth young one and book your stay at the Healience Zen Village with Trazy now. 

Remember how I said I was having trouble sleeping? I had no troubles when it came time to hit the hay. The floor heater was kept at 10 Celsius. When you sleep, the room should be kept a little cooler to mirror your body’s natural sleep process. I was out faster than a lightbulb with a combination of these factors and the super warm blanket. I slept so well, it was unbelievable how relaxed I was when I awoke the next morning. 

We did 7am morning stretching where we worked with our instructor to stretch every inch of our bodies. There’s nothing like a good stretch as the sun rises to get the blood flowing through your body.

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Facilities & Programs

Including in this package are the stunning facilities you are able to use such as the trekking course, spa pool, sauna, bonfire put, yurt, gx room and gallery. They offer morning stretching classes, yoga, and meditation. We were able to traverse the mind cave where you can sit and ring a gong as you look about a path modeled after a poem from a famous poet. (Sorry guys, I forgot this poet’s name.)

Related: Get Pampered like a Hallyu Star at Whoo Spa 

Meditation

Have you even seen tai chi? It’s a practice in China with the oriental thought of taking and receiving energy. Some people are skeptical about it, but there are programs where you can get certified in the study of energy. I mean, with principals like energy always is and always has been and it can neither be created or destroyed, I’m scientifically inclined to believe it is so. During this exercise we were taught to control our breathing and how to move our energies. It was an interesting experience and gives you glowing skin afterwards according to our teacher. 

I can’t recommend this experience enough. If you have depression, anxiety, insomnia, or even sickness, a holistic healing in the mountains is most likely bound to make you feel better. Detoxing your mind, body and spirit is beneficial for overall health and the location is stunning. What are you waiting for? Go book your stay at Healience now. Since it’s low season, prices are a lot cheaper. In my not so humble opinion, watching the snow fall from your room in the mountains is incredible.

How to Get There

Go to Jamsil Station (Line 2) and walk out of exit 5. Take bus 7000 to Seorak. It takes 40 minutes to get there. Once at the bus stop, a Trazy associate will guide you to your personal bus and take you to the village.

Gina Bear was invited to stay at Healience Zen Village by Trazy Korea. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.