A few days ago, I had the opportunity to join a wellness camp. To be honest, I went with a bit of skepticism. Telling myself, “I’m not going to participate in anything, I just want to be there with my friends.” As an introvert, I was also anxious about being surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces.
So, naturally, the first day was a bit awkward for me. But halfway through, I started to feel at ease with the gentle, peaceful, and supportive atmosphere of the camp.
Over the course of the camp, I realized that my reserved, “shielded” attitude didn’t quite align with the mindfulness teachings. I thought I was practicing them, but in reality, I was still holding back. One thing I learned was the importance of approaching experiences with an open mind, setting aside judgments.
Throughout the camp, every time I felt my hesitations start to fade, I heard a quiet voice inside me. It kept saying, “Come on, let’s just give it a try.”
The shared goal at the camp was simply “to feel good.” I was already feeling well, and I’d recently received good news from my MRI results. I’d been in good spirits even before arriving. (Maybe that’s why I found it easy to let my guard down and enjoy the moment.) Instead of just “feeling good,” I made it my goal to “enhance this good feeling.” And throughout the camp, I truly felt it deepen.
The view from our room at On’Live Hotel was stunning—practically a mindfulness experience on its own.
We heard a lot about holistic wellness, mindfulness, and the importance of nutrition.The talks also covered the benefits of exercise. Another key idea was to focus on preventing problems instead of just fixing them at the last minute.
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Let Me Tell You a Bit About the Camp
I attended this holistic wellness camp to better understand and embrace the concept of “well-being” from a holistic perspective. It was held in Izmir, Turkiye and featured a range of activities to enhance our physical, mental, and spiritual health. These included detox and nutrition programs, personalized IV therapies, yoga, and meditation sessions.
Professional Support: One-on-one guidance from a dietitian, wellness doctor, and other health specialists was invaluable for achieving our long-term health goals.
Detox Benefits: Personalized IV therapies and nutrition plans were provided based on our blood test results and medical histories. These were designed to help detoxify our bodies and reduce inflammation.
Mental and Emotional Healing: The meditation and mindfulness sessions guided us on how to manage stress and maintain mental clarity. These experiences were truly wonderful steps toward finding inner peace.
Physical Health: Regular yoga helped us build strength and improve flexibility. (For me, it felt like reconnecting with an old friend*.)
During the health-focused talks, we learned that true well-being isn’t just about taking medication. It’s also about achieving a peaceful inner world. Holistic wellness may sound like a fancy concept, but really, it’s quite simple! (I’ll explain**)
IV Therapies and Me
As someone with MS, I decided not to participate in the IV therapies. I’d just received good news from my recent MRI, only a day or two before the camp. I didn’t want to take any risks, even if there was technically no risk involved. The possibility of interactions between the IV therapy medications and my MS medication concerned me.
Of course, I could have shared the IV contents with my MS doctor and gotten her approval. I usually consult with my doctor or the MS nurse who manages my treatments before taking any extra medication, even a vitamin. But since the IV therapies were optional, I chose not to take them.
Some of my friends who did try the IV therapies seemed to enjoy the process even more. When my energy started to dip, theirs kept going strong! Since I was only detoxing, I missed out on that extra energy boost. I tried to balance it with other drinks and nutrients.
You can find more in Reflections Also, you can visit my ETSY store to find some items you can like and buy 🙂 ETSY LINK
Mindfulness
The mindfulness workshop reminded me of what I already knew and reaffirmed that I was on the right path. (I might have done a little happy dance inside.)
I’m now gearing up for a personal retreat to dive into the new book recommendations I received. I hope this will improve my writing and bring more insight into my work.
During the health talks, I gained new perspectives from the cardiologist, neurologist, and dietitian. It refreshed my knowledge and helped me learn more about holistic health. These presentations were incredibly valuable.
*Reconnecting with Yoga
Yoga is an old friend of mine that I had stopped seeing. I distanced myself from yoga after losing a friend who had introduced me to it and had become like a sibling to me. Practicing yoga at the camp was emotional—I felt tears well up a few times—but each session, I found myself feeling grateful that I’d first tried yoga with that friend, and grateful to yoga for bringing us together.
During each flow, I focused on myself, missed my friend, grumbled about his absence, kept moving through the poses, and struggled quite a bit (it had been a long time, so I complained about that too). But I didn’t leave the sessions halfway. I think that deserves a little happy dance 🙂
I mentioned my friend (the one who’s upside down). I found a sweet photo of us to remember him. Ah…
Everyone at the camp had their own reasons for being there, but we all shared the same goal: to find or elevate our well-being. This created a friendly, judgment-free community where everyone accepted one another. The atmosphere we created with the instructors and doctors felt like we were lifelong friends. We had conversations, shared life experiences… (Yes, even introverted me, though I still hung back a bit, just observing.)
Being part of this camp was so enjoyable. I honestly have to say they broke down my preconceptions somewhere around midday on the first day, before I even noticed. Seeing that positive energy, the focus on well-being, and the flexible approach to holistic health was refreshing. The warmth and positivity from the doctors and speakers, and the way they emphasized that wellness is unique to each person, gave me a sense of trust.
This was clearly different from any typical health camp—regular participants confirmed that this one truly embodied a “holistic” approach.
Our little group, just seconds before enjoying the healthy mixed drinks provided.
**Holistic Wellness
Here’s the part I promised to explain 🙂 Ready?
Holistic wellness sounds fancy and maybe even a bit “high-society,” almost like something unattainable. But actually, we can all explore the concept of “holistic wellness” and easily bring it into our lives.
From what I’ve discovered, holistic wellness isn’t just about checking your bloodwork and deciding if it’s good or bad. It’s not only about preserving physical or material health. It’s also about mental and emotional well-being. “Am I okay psychologically? Am I at peace? My body feels fine, but why do I feel like I’m not ‘well’?” This philosophy is about examining and improving those feelings too.
So yes, while we work on maintaining and building physical health, we also need to ask ourselves if we’re in a good place emotionally and spiritually, and if not, we need to find our way there.
In most of my writing, I try to emphasize the importance of striving for a good mental and emotional state. I admit, that I sometimes don’t prioritize my physical wellness—I get lazy or tired. (As you know, I’m a bit(!) lazy.)
Given that, it would have been easy to skip out on the yoga sessions at the camp. But that wouldn’t have been a real step toward “holistic wellness.” I had to give it a try (and I admit, I liked it!).
I’ll keep talking about having a peaceful spirit in my future writing, but I hope I often begin with, “Today, on my walk, I discovered…” (Because walks are such an inspiration for me.)
For updates on future camps, you can follow them on Instagram.
This camp experience showed me that true well-being is elevated when a peaceful mind, a healthy body, and a calm spirit come together. Now, during each walk or meditation, I want to remember the sense of wellness this experience brought me and use it to inspire my writing even more. I was reminded that wellness is not just a “pursuit” but a “lifelong balance.”
Finally About This Wellness Journey
I wanted to point out the lines in this photo. They’re all so straight, the sky is so blue, but do you see the irregular curve of the mountain in the background? Yet the view is still beautiful, isn’t it?
Isn’t that life? When things don’t go smoothly, doesn’t it actually highlight the uniqueness of life?
Mindfulness and holistic wellness don’t try to flatten that mountain in the background, to erase the waves in our lives. Instead, they focus on accepting its presence, on seeing those differences as they are. They help us notice the “uneven” lines of life and understand that they’re part of the scenery too.
Sometimes, instead of trying to change life’s imperfections, learning to embrace them might just bring us the greatest sense of well-being. Seeing and accepting all the lines—straight or curved—gives us inner peace.
This, I believe, is the real purpose of holistic wellness and mindfulness: to help us see that everything, just as it is, forms a perfect whole.
This journey reminded me that every line in life has meaning and that accepting these lines as they are is the ultimate freedom. Here’s to embracing every detail in life, finding balance with ourselves and the world around us.
P!
It was so hard to choose from the photos taken by Gizem Galata—they were all amazing! Here are a few of them below 🙂
