We Singaporeans often say we’re a stressed out lot, so it’s important we pencil in a little TLC for ourselves regularly. Many turn to retail therapy or having a drink after work, and while these are great stress relievers, there’s more than meets the eye to wellness.
There’s still the matter of taking care of your emotional, mental and physical states as well, which are all important to ensuring wellness isn’t just a 30-minute block on your timetable – it’s a lifestyle.
If you’re wondering where to start, head to the Wellness Festival Singapore. Held from 3rd-12th June 2022, you’ll be able to participate in free and ticketed activities and experiences that will introduce wellness and help incorporate it into your life. From simple walks through a forest to art therapy, here’s what you can expect at the 10-day festival:
A surefire way of instantly improving our wellness is understanding how to relieve stress and anxiety. This usually stems from our emotion and mental well-being, and if you’re looking to target that, Wellness Festival Singapore has programmes that will help with that.
Image credit: Singapore Tourism Board
Sign up for A Forest Bathing Journey in Jewel Changi. You get to take an unhurried stroll through the indoor Shiseido Forest, while guides lead you through a series of contemplative activities. Becoming one with nature won’t just be some catchphrase you see on hiking posts on IG – it’ll be you within the 2-hour session.
The package includes tickets to the Canopy Park and Canopy Bridge for you to get closer to nature. You’ll also get to bring home a gift to remember your time here.
Image credit: Singapore Tourism Board
You’ll also get to engage your sense of smell with the Craft Fragrance Experience by Oo La Lab. If you’ve ever caught a whiff of someone’s perfume or fresh bread being baked, and it’s invoked a good memory, then this workshop is for you.
Smell 27 scents and pick out the ones that trigger your endorphins. You then get to play chemist and mix your own signature perfume. Whip it out and sniff whenever you’re faced with a stressful situation.
A Forest Bathing Journey
Price: $88/pax
Date: 4th & 12 June
Time: 8am-10am
Address: 78 Airport Boulevard, Jewel Changi Airport, Shiseido Forest Valley, Singapore 819666
A Forest Bathing Journey website
Craft Fragrance Experience
Price: $35/pax
Date & time:
3rd, 6th, 7th, 9th & 10th June: 7pm-9pm
4th-5th & 11th-12th June: 12pm-5pm
Address: 2 Alexandra Road, #02-04 Delta House, Singapore 159919
Craft Fragrance Experience website
When there are beads of sweat dripping down your face after a 5-click run, it’s hardly the poster for wellness. After all, thinking about wellness usually conjures images of spas and massages – not sweating it out at a gym. But exercise helps to naturally increase endorphins, the happiness hormone.
If you’ve been looking for ways to embark on your fitness journey but don’t know where to start, the Wellness Festival Singapore has got you covered. They’ve got a multitude of programmes should jogging or lifting weights not be your thing. The best part is, these are all free.
Those who like working out to pop music can mark their calendars for the Wellness Festival Weekend @ Jewel on 11th-12th June. Groove to EDM or K-pop as you take up spin, dance or cardio at one of the hour-long sessions.
If you aren’t able to make it all the way to the East, you can still book yourself a virtual class with ClassPass. Introductory HIIT and yoga sessions are available for you to sweat it out from the comfort of your own home. Plus, these also come with a virtual tour of Gardens by the Bay for you to take in the beauty of nature to relax the mind.
Wellness Festival Weekend @ Jewel
Price: Free
Date & time:
11th June: 8.30am-12.30pm
12th June: 4pm-5pm
Address: 78 Airport Boulevard, Jewel Changi Airport, Shiseido Forest Valley, Singapore 819666
Wellness Festival Weekend @ Jewel website
ClassPass Happy Planet, Happy People!
Price: Free
Date: 11th June
Time: 9.30am-10.45am | 5pm-6.15pm
Address: Online
ClassPass Happy Planet, Happy People! Website
If you have a lot of feelings within you with no outlet for them, you might want to give art a try. Art is one of the few ways where you get the creative freedom to do whatever you want. Even if all you can doodle are stick figures, there’s no right or wrong way to express yourself through art.
Image credit: Singapore Tourism Board
You won’t even need pen and paper to use art as therapy for your well-being. At the Body Movement with Art programme, you’ll get to dance like nobody’s watching as you get comfortable being in tune with your limbs. There’s no need for a lithe dancer’s body here too. This therapeutic workshop is open to all fitness levels and abilities.
You can even receive art therapy by giving Art Therapy for a Good Cause. You’ll get to learn the intricacies of batik from students with special needs from Metta School. While you get to practice working with ink and wax, your teachers a.k.a. the youths will be refining their motor skills.
You get to create your own batik canvas, and they get to build their self-confidence by interacting with you.
Body Movement with Art
Price: Free
Date: 4th & 11th June
Time: From 10am
Address: 676 Woodlands Drive 71, Kampung Admiralty Community Plaza, Singapore 730676
Body Movement with Art website
Art Therapy for a Good Cause
Price: $35/pax, $65/2 pax, $120/group of 4
Date: 4th & 11th June
Time: 4pm-5.30pm
Address: 60 Airport Boulevard, #01-T2S-02 Changi Airport, Singapore 819643
Art Therapy for a Good Cause website
When done right, food can be both comforting and healing. And no, we don’t just mean getting in your 5 servings of fruits and veggies daily. Nor does it mean having to stick to bland foods to keep healthy.
Image credit: Singapore Tourism Board
That’s what you’ll discover at the Ayurveda Wellness Introduction workshop. Apart from getting participants to get up close and personal with herbs and spices, there’ll be a cooking demo on using these ingredients in your dishes. And yes, you get to taste the concoction right after.
Image credit: Singapore Tourism Board
Even if cooking is not for you, go straight to the source of food at the Eating Beautifully Workshop. It’s a masterclass in introducing raw and semi-raw meals to your diet, and understanding the benefits it can bring. Ideal for anyone who hasn’t stepped into a kitchen since home econs in school.
Ayurveda Wellness Introduction
Price: $60/pax
Date: 5th, 8th, 10th & 12th June
Time: 10.30am-12pm
Address: 60 Bukit Timah Road, Little India MRT Station, Singapore 229900
Ayurveda Wellness Introduction website
Eating Beautifully Workshop
Price: $101.65/pax
Date: 4th June
Time: 1.30pm-4pm
Address: 281 Joo Chiat Road, Crane Joo Chiat, Singapore 427535
Eating Beautifully Workshop website
This June, get rejuvenated with Wellness Festival Singapore. What we’ve shown is just a sampling of the plethora of activities you’ll be able to do to boost your mental, physical and emotional wellness.
The programmes are open to all ages too, so even little ones can get started on incorporating wellness into their lives at an early age. Get them to join you in your yoga sessions with Kids & Family Yoga @ Expo. Your mini-me will learn to hold kid-friendly poses and even bring home a free mat to continue practising at home.
Image credit: Singapore Tourism Board
As for those in need of a more intense wellness sesh, you can even find retreats under the Wellness Festival Singapore too. There are escapes for couples to work on building wellness together. From $377/couple, the Celebrate Life-Couple Wellness has 2D1N programmes for you and bae to learn meditation and participate in art therapy.
Or if you’re just looking to hit the reset button on your mental health, take the Finding Your Inner Balance day retreat from $175/pax. It includes a care kit, plant-based meal and meditative activities to help you recharge.
There’s no escaping stress in our day-to-day lives, but the least we can do is cut ourselves some slack knowing that we’re doing the best we can. And if you need a little nudge to introduce more wellness into your life, there’s the Wellness Festival Singapore for inspo.
This post was brought to you by Singapore Tourism Board.
Cover image adapted from Singapore Tourism Board.
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