Today, from our luxurious 5-star hotel Asia Gardens in Spain we are going to tell you about a tradition and philosophy able to combine spiritual spontaneity and simplicity and the elegance of shape, the Zen philosophy.

The Zen philosophy was born in China in the year 618 during the Tang dynasty. Its name comes from the term Ch´an which means meditation. Based on the teachings of Buddha, it reflects on how transitory life is and it shows how to reach the enlightment that can lead us to spiritual perfection.

“Zen seems abstract or meaningless at first, but it has a meaning, what the mind complicates, Zen simplifies, Zen is like air or water, slippery in order to avoid getting caught, but it is always there.”

This discipline incites you to learn to see yourself as a being full of energy, able to connect with your surroundings. It is a discipline based on the understanding that everything is temporary, happiness and suffering just the same, and that true peace is only found within.

It helps you find serenity, maintain balance and understand that you are above all challenges that may come your way.

“Zen teaches us that life can shine like a precious jewel if you let it, and it does not go by without us realizing how wonderful it is. Let go of superfluous thoughts and let life flow, let things take their course and allow your Zen to be there when you call, the same way echo responds to sound.”

This thousand-year-old philosophy offers us some wise advice….

– Do not let anything affect your breathing. Breathe as you always do, slowly.

 – Progress and live every moment. Do not let a single day of your life go without you doing something fun, creative and useful.

– Bring your essence to everything you do.

– Focus on what you do. In ancient times, when archers were being trained by the Chinese, they were told: “You are the bow and the arrow”. You are your own project, gaining strength every day.

-Dissolves negative emotions. The Chinese term for this is “meditate”. Take a few moments, twice a day, to meditate.

-Live intensely. Enjoy every moment thoroughly. Zen teaches you that happiness is not found in great events but on the small things that are part of our lives.

– Search your own peace. To reach your balance, join the index fingers and thumbs of both your hands together and breathe deeply to close your own circle of energy, this will balance your mind, spirit and soul.

The Sakura or cherry flower festival, which we already mentioned previously, summarizes this philosophy.

In Japan, every spring, the largest flower spectacle in the world takes place. These trees are a symbol of beauty and universal wisdom, and also a symbol of transformation, showing us that everything has its origin, its blooming period and its end, and in doing so understanding the beauty at all its levels. The beauty of the last phase is particularly outstanding, when the flowers fall before they die. For Buddhists, this is the phase of plenitude, and can be summed up in one sentence in Buddhist Zen “Mono no aware”, which means to feel empathy towards all things and their transient nature. Sakura represents the cycle we go through as human beings in our lives.

At our luxurious hotel Asia Gardens in Alicante, we love everything that is Asian and we enjoy this philosophy, so much so that we have named one of our swimming pools, “Zen pool”. The pool is heated all year round, so you can enjoy never-ending swims, relax and soak up the knowledge that we have shared with you today to help you reach a full life.

“The true master that shall help you reach Zen is on the other side of the mirror.”

Just like in Zen philosophy, when you visit our hotel you will have a good time, and after a few days you will leave… but we do hope you fully enjoy this experience and you come back many more times.

We will be glad to provide you with the ideal environment to favour your ZEN balance.

Today, we are going to tell you about Nuad Nam Mun, the wonderful Thai massage with the oils we have at or luxurious Asia Gardens Thai Spa.

First of all, we would like to tell you that traditional Thai massage is the main basis for peace, relaxation and harmony ideals. It is performed all around Thailand, and it originated in the best traditional Thai massage school, the Wat Po Temple in Bangkok, which we have previously told you about in our blog.

As you already know, the excellent professionals at our Asia Gardens Thai Spa have been trained at that temple and their mission is to bring you closer to your own bio-balance and to release all sorts of tension from your body and soul.

One of the treatments offered at our Thai Spa is the “Nuad Nam Mun”, based on aromatherapy principles and focused on both the sense of smell and the part of our brain that associates scents with emotions and states of mind…

Are you familiar with all its techniques?

* Nuad Balinese- Balinese Massage

It consists of an intense massage using the thumb and the palm of their hand to apply pressure, at the end of the treatment, a combination of warm essential oils is used to stimulate your circulation, improve the flow of energy and relieve tension. Without a doubt, this is an excellent way of improving harmony within minutes.

* Nuad Lomi Lomi- Lomi Lomi Massage

Using thumbs, knuckles, the palms of their hands, arms and movement of their elbow, this massage relieves and relaxes your muscles to reduce tension, leaving a peaceful sensation all around your body.

* Nuad Thai- Thai Massage

It consists of a series of specific pressure points on the meridians or energy channels, applied all over your body in order to eliminate toxins.

* Abhyanga- Ayurvedic Massage

This massage is one of the most popular ones in Indian medicine. This massaging technique acts on different levels to minimize the aging process.

If you want to improve the flow of energy through your body, feel revitalized, and, why not, stop the aging process, check out our treatments on our Asia Gardens webpage.

At the luxurious five-star hotel Asia Gardens, our philosophy is to look after you and to offer you a place to come and reconnect with your own energy. Do not hesitate to put yourself in the hands of our highly-qualified professionals, specialized in traditional Thai massage techniques. You will feel as if you had been reborn, and you deserve it because your wellbeing comes first.

We look forward to welcoming you….

Today, from our 5-star luxury hotel, we would like to tell you about this wonderful piece of clothing which dates back over 5,000 years, the sari.

When we think about India, we cannot help but think of “THE” outfit.

The word sari comes from Sanskrit, and it means “strip of cloth”. It dates back to the “Hindus Valley Civilization”, between 2,800 and 1,800 B.C. in the western part of the Indian subcontinent.  The earliest known depiction of the sari is the statue of a priest wearing a drape, hence why originally the sari was a unisex item of clothing.

Some sources say that in old times, the usually worn outfit was a dhoti, with a strip worn around the chest and a veil which could be used to cover the upper body or face. A similar garment still exists in Kerala (on the south of India). Everyone generally agrees in saying that all items of clothing associated with the sari, such as shawls and veils, have always been worn by Indian women the way they are currently worn nowadays.

The sari or saree, is made as only one piece, about 5, 6 or 7 metres of rectangular fabric wrapped around the body in a specific way, used for all occasions.  The colours used are mainly bright and attractive, revealing the social status of the person who wears it. To help you get a better idea of this I can tell you that red is used by brides and white is worn when mourning.

Normally, women from the subcontinent wear the sari over a short-sleeve and low neck blouse called choli or ravika. The thickness of cholis varies, and there are also several types of embroidery in very elaborate designs. Colour silk (resham), silver and gold strips or gems (zardozi) can also be sewn into it.

Wearing a sari is not that easy, putting it on can be a true from of art. Indian women master this task and get dressed easily, wrapping it twice or three times around their body, placing the remaining cloth over their shoulder. Here is a video showing how to put on this beautiful garment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpfK7_t4F5o

Also, Indian women are expert at handling this item of clothing in any given situation. There is a popular saying which goes: “a western woman shall never be able to wear a sari with the true elegance of an Indian woman”.

As true lovers of luxury, you shall be able to appreciate the most valuable sari in the world, a true work of art.

This garment was meticulously embroidered by hand using 12 different types of gems and metals representing the popular paintings of Raja Ravi, included “Varma musicians”, at the head and leading part of the cloth.

Some of the pieces are made with gold, diamonds, silver, ruby, emerald, yellow sapphire, sapphire, cat’s eye, topaz,  pearls and coral, weighing up to 8 kg (15 pounds).

Once more, from the luxury hotel Asia Gardens, we are delighted to be able to share these references to our favourite continent with you. We hope to see you very soon at our very own Asian corner.

We look forward to seeing you..

Today, from our blog at the Asia Gardens, our luxury hotel in Spain, we would like to bring you right to Asia itself…

We would like to show you some of the most impressive landscapes of this great continent. These landscapes seem unreal, as if they dated back to when ancient civilizations lived there, but they are very much real.

In Asia are some of the oldest landscapes and most worked upon lands. The first human inhabitants dating back to the end of the Pleistocene, such as the pithecanthropus erectus, were found on the island of Java in the Malay Archipelago. The existence of Palaeolithic and Neolithic cultures has left their heritage imprint.

The landscapes in parts of Asia, like India, China and Minor Asia, show not only the political and social structures of years gone by, but how impressive their constructions are, and how the environment is handled. The most versatile human settlements have been to these lands and borders, hence the interbreeding and dynamic expansion found there, as well as the most natural environments divided as follows: northern Asia, eastern Asia, southern Asia and western Asia.

Now, open your eyes wide, and admire these wonderful natural gifts brought to us by these majestic Asian landscapes…

If you want more of Asia. Come visit us to our luxury corner in Alicante.

We look forward to welcoming you.