17th December, Yamanakako, Yamanashi Japan: A wellness tourism program was delivered on the 16th and 17th of December by the initiative of the Yamanakako Tourism Department. The two-day monitor program was designed in aims to spread the idea of “wellness” as a tourism style, as well as to promote Yamanako and its landscapes as a desirable location for tourists.
Yamanakako is famous for the closest view of Mt. Fuji from Lake Yamanakako. The area was also used for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Cycling Road Race Course, which opened up to even more attraction from oversea tourists in the coming years.
Recently, the term “Wellness” has been a topic of interest within many sectors of business industries, however, many organisations have struggled to provide the right tools and services to achieve what the term “wellness” actually implies.
For this particular initiative by the Yamanakako Tourism Department, we, 一般社団法人Patanjali Japan Foundation, a leading organisation dedicated to helping people achieve a healthier lifestyle in Japan, provided content for the two-day wellness program.
The yoga sessions were delivered by our Chief Sewa Officer Ashutosh sensei and were carefully planned in accordance with the aims of the Yamanakako tourism industry, and all sessions were executed very successfully. The programs were conducted in collaboration with Pension Jamoo who provided participants with a relaxing stay surrounded with the serene smells of aroma, as well as healthy and organic meal options for breakfast and dinner during the two-day stay.
A special device was also provided to track the sleep quality of each participant. The device works on what is called an “actigrapy” method which detects one’s motions and heart rate, then uses a particular algorithm to analyse the data and estimate one’s sleep time and quality. The trackers were collected at the end of the third yoga session.
Details of Special Yoga Routine by PJF:
A total of 3 yoga programs were designed with deep research and analysis.
The first yoga session of 30 minutes was held at 11:30 AM, which included sukshma vyayama, special asanas focused on digestion, and pranayama appropriate for the winter season.
The second yoga program was focused on sleep quality improvement. A set of sukshma vyayama, asana, and pranayama was conducted around 8:00 PM, just before sleep. A special massage technique with Almond oil was also delivered in this session and included a lecture about yoga, ayurveda and its benefits on overall health.
The third yoga program of 60 minutes was delivered the next day at 7:00AM and included sukshma vyayama, asana, and pranayama. It also included multiple sets of suryanamaskar. This session focused on the active body and stable mind, which can improve a yogi's immune system and allow them to achieve an increase in productivity throughout the rest of the day.
All sessions above finished with a deep meditation, traditionally known as Dhyan, or also known as Zen in Japanese.
Tourists enjoyed the two-day program in the vast landscape of Yamanakako, and we are sure there have been many takeaways of knowledge from the sessions, applicable to their daily lives.
Our collaboration with Pension Jamoo and the Yamanakako Wellness Department was met with great response and we see our mutual goal towards a healthier lifestyle as an important contributing factor to the success of this event.
We hope to see more people engaging in the idea of wellness whether that be through tourism or simply the practice of yoga as a lifestyle, and as PJF, we wish to continue providing our services as part of Yamanakako’s initiative.
We thank all those involved for this new and exciting experience.