Ayurveda
Cure of the body and spirit by harmonizing the five elements. This is an Indian medical cure which dates back five thousand years, based on the belief that man is made up of five elements: air, water, fire, earth and space which are associated with precise parts of the body. If this union is transformed or altered the body sends alarm signals; good health, therefore, is achieved through the harmony of bodily functions and awareness. Moreover, the philosophy of Ayurveda upholds the idea that the body can only regulate itself by means of preferences and dislikes which it perceives naturally or rather it understands what is good for it and what is bad. A perfect purifying and curative program comprising fasting, oil massages, hot steam baths, colour and aroma therapies, yoga and meditation.
Biodance
A group activity involving exercises which stimulate the creative and emotional expression of the body. Bio-dance is a discipline started during the 1970’s by the Chilean psychologist Rolando Toro Araneda. The characteristic of Bio-dance is in reaching human integration and revitalization through natural movements of the human body such as walking, caressing and embracing combined with music – intended as a universal language. Essentially the idea is that of reducing stress factors and stimulating human emotions. The five fundamental dimensions of a person which Bio-dance aims to harmonize are: vitality – understood to be the joy of living, the capacity of self control and the expression of vital energy in harmony with oneself, with others and the surrounding environment; sexuality, the sphere of pleasure and human passion; creativity – the ability of revival applied to one’s life through natural exploration, curiosity, creative interpretation and expression of one’s true identity; affectivity – the emotional sphere of human sentiments, the ability to give and receive affection, to mix with other people, to accept human differences without discrimination; transcendency – understood as the ability to overcome one’s ego.
Brunch
This is served between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and is a mix of breakfast and lunch. Brunch is a meal which has become quite normal practice and fashionable even if it began in the USA at the end of 1800. It is served halfway through the morning and finishes and little before lunchtime. It is made up of typical breakfast foods, cold cuts, cured meats, cheeses, vegetables, sweet and savoury cakes and fruit.
Carrara Marble Quarries
An extraction area of one of the finest marbles in the world. These centuries’ old quarries of Carrara have a timeless fascination. The extraction and processing treatments have taken place since Roman times. Today it is possible to visit the quarries thanks to special tours during which the history and evolution of extraction methods and the treatment of the marble is explained.
Chakra
Seven vortices of vital energy deployed around our body. The Chakra are the energetic centres which merge multiple energetic canals, specific to each single Chakra. They are vortices of energy which are neither touchable nor visible and which intersect between different levels of a person’s energy, in particular between the physical, mental-emotional and spiritual levels. Each of these Chakra has its own centre within the seven secretion glands of the endocrine corporeal system and has the function of stimulating the hormone production of the gland. The first Chakra regulates and controls the complex nervous system of the sacrum; the second and third Chakra regulate and control the digestive and intestinal functions and their connecting organs; the fourth Chakra regulates and controls the cardiovascular functions and the correlated organs; the fifth Chakra regulates and controls the lungs and cervical ganglions; the sixth Chakra regulates and controls the neuro-hormones and their correlated functions.; the seventh Chakra regulates and controls the cerebral cortex – the central nervous system, the tissues, the organs and the rhythms of the entire body. An imbalanced level of one of these Chakras determines an imbalance of energy to the associated organs. This is why it is important to rebalance these vortices through meditation, yoga and breathing and with other multiple techniques and disciplines.
Chianti
A hilly area of Tuscany in the provinces of Florence and Siena. Preference for this part of Tuscany is not limited to the beauty of the landscape and pleasant climate but also for the wine that is produced. Today, the name Chianti is identified with the geographical hilly area of central Tuscany, characterized by different climatic conditions where the Chianti wine is produced. Here you will find the municipalities of Gaiole, Radda, Catellina, Greve and San Casciano.
Nonverbal analogic communication
Le discipline analogiche studiano il linguaggio e le dinamiche del nostro emotivo, stabilendo con esso un canale diretto di comunicazione a livello subliminale.
Dietro alla comunicazione non verbale messa a punto dalle discipline analogiche si struttura una precisa simbologia che permette di creare un profondo coinvolgimento emozionale nei confronti degli argomenti che proporremo.
Si inserisce inoltre nel dialogo un meccanismo di feedback che ci permette di sapere quanto spingerci nel somministrare stimolazioni e quali argomenti selezionare per motivare l’interlocutore.
In base alle risposte subliminali che otterremo saremo in grado di penetrare in profondità nella struttura emotiva di chi ci sta di fronte, ottenendo informazioni indispensabili per inserire in un contesto congeniale ogni persona valorizzandone le potenzialità.
Le discipline analogiche permettono inoltre a ciascuno di entrare dentro le proprie emozioni, rendendo piccoli gli eventuali momenti di disistima, di demotivazione, di ansia o di preoccupazione e allungando quelli di entusiasmo, voglia di fare e soddisfazione.
La comunicazione analogica ha quindi un duplice scopo: ci farà essere migliori nella gestione di noi stessi e ci darà l’opportunità di ottenere il consenso, il coinvolgimento e la stima da parte degli altri.
“Ciò che sfugge alla logica è quanto v’è di più prezioso in noi stessi”. (Andrè Gide)
Crete Senesi
An area south-east of Siena with a characteristic hilly landscape. This particular area of the Province of Siena is characterized by a hilly territory, without vegetation, alternating between suggestive ravines and gullies and light colored hills creating a lunar type landscape. Since Medieval times this area has been known as the Desert of Accona.
Holistic experience
The vision which considers “everything”. Holism comes from the Greek word for “olos” which means “whole”. In this context we refer to a biological theory which puts emphasis on the importance of the body, thereby attributing more value to completeness and perfection with respect to the sum of the parts into which it is divided.
The holistic disciplines consider man as a whole, in that he is made up of body, mind and spirit and the disciplines aim to sustain, maintain and improve a person’s health through methods which re-enforce the natural resources of a person.
Idrosommelier
A water sommelier that tastes water and matches it to food. The water sommelier has the job of evaluating and judging the different types of water advising their correct match to food. The principle characteristics of water are its purity and its transparency because it is clear and odourless. However, the taste can vary from acidulous to salty or a tendency to sweetness. The water sommelier helps us to understand these peculiarities and highlights the matching of foods and tastes without forgetting health advice on physical well-being.
Massaciuccoli lake
The Lake of Massaciuccoli waters the areas where the composer Giacomo Puccini lived for a long time. A coastal lake situated near Viareggio and Torre del Lago Puccini, in the province of Lucca. Near to the lake there is the villa where the composer Giacomo Puccini once lived and where he took part in many hunting trips. Today, during the spring and summer seasons, many sports are practiced on the lake, in particular canoeing and sailing. Another important attraction, organized by the Lipu, are the guided visits since the lake is part of a protected area.
Holistic massage
Balance restoring and relaxing massage. During a holistic massage the person is totally treated by embracing both the physical and energetic structures. The idea is to restore balance to the body and mind by different techniques based on antique schools of thought, such as the Japanese discipline of Shiatsu, the India discipline of Ayurveda and the Chinese discipline of TuiNa.
By means of a linear route of pressure and enveloping movements, the body relaxes, releasing the endorphin organisms which generate a psychophysical well-being. The flow of energy starts to circulate freely again within the body, the muscles relax and contractures unknot. In this way a greater awareness and sensibility of one’s body is developed – at the same time nourishing the emotional state.
Meditation
“The first aim of Meditation is to become aware of our internal self and become intimate with it. The ultimate aim is to reach the source of life and conscience. The practice of meditation profoundly influences our character. We are slaves to what we do not know but masters of that which we do. Each time we discover our own vices or weaknesses and we understand the causes and their mechanisms we can overcome them by the simple fact that we have recognized them. “The subconscious releases energy, the mind feels adequate and calms”
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Io sono quello (I’m that) conversation with maestro, 2001 (conversation with the teacher).
Monte Oliveto Maggiore
The beautiful Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore was built in the 1300’s and stands in a silent and solitary area in the Province of Siena. In 1313 San Bernardo Tolomei wished to found the Abbey and in 1344 it was officially approved by Pope Clement VI. It has always been an important point of religious reference in the Senese territory thanks to the people of Oliveto who had a role in the agricultural organization of the Crete.
Montecatini Terme
In the heart of Tuscany, in the Nievole Valley between Florence and Lucca, rises the town of Montecatini Terme. It boasts an unmistakable receptiveness given the importance of the spa. There are many active spa centers: Terme Leopoldine, Terme Excelsior, Terme Tettuccio, Terme Tamerici, Terme Regina, Terme Redi and Terme la Salute. Its specialty is the hydropinic cure by drinking the waters. Montecatini Alto, however, is situated on a hill and is still a charming medieval little town. It is approximately 60 km. from Versilia (the Tuscan Riviera) and from Florence and is easily reached by train – having two rail stations – and by car following the A11 motorway.
Nadi
Terminology of the Indian tradition of Yoga originating from Sanskrit and meaning canal or vein. These canals would be the route through which vital energy flows and which then feeds all parts of the body. The three principles Nadi: Sushumna which begins at the lower extremities of the torso arriving at the extremity of the head and can be described as a red hot color; Ida, which terminates in the left nostril, is associated with lunar energy; Pingala, terminating in the right nostril, is associated instead with solar energy.
Kneipp therapy
A hydro-therapy of immersion, compresses and jets of cold water. This particular natural medicine technique is based on hydro-therapy and originates from an experiment by Padre Sebastian Kneipp who suffered from tubercular pneumonia and was given a short time to live. Every day he would dive naked into the ice cold waters of the Danube where he would remain immersed for a few seconds. Then, still wet, he would get dressed and run home. After six months of this “cure” he was healed. In fact, the sudden but constant stimulus with cold water activates the circulatory as well as the immune system. Even today the Kneipp route is practiced by applying different methods of hydro-therapy: jets of water, compresses and bathing in water, sun and dew.
Salute the sun
A sequence of Yoga practice appropriate for the morning hours. This sequence prepares the body and the mind to face the day positively and energetically. Even in ancient times the sun was identified as the source of wisdom and knowledge. Reproducing the phases of the Sun from dawn to sunset one can collect all the Sun’s energy absorbing it throughout the body and in this way rebalancing it. It is therefore a ritual which allows each one of us to achieve a complete state of well-being based on breathing and meditation allowing the person to achieve an energetic and spiritual awakening, improving health and overcoming tiredness.
Shiatsu
This is a technique whereby through massage the energy of the body is re-balanced.It has been widespread in Japan since the VI century and has its roots in manipulation and traditional oriental massage and is based on four fundamental points: breathing, posture, perpendicularity and pressure. Shiatsu is a manual technique principally based on pressure using the thumbs, fingers, palms of the hands, the elbows, knees and feet.
Shui-Dao
An innovative technique in the search of well-being – in water. This technique created by a Tuscan holistic operator is a special technique of relaxation which allows one to immerse oneself in hot thermal waters, floating therein with movements and techniques which recapture the Water Shiatsu. A regenerating method which up to now has been exclusively practiced by this teacher.
Tai Chi
The ancient Chinese martial art based on the Taoista concept of Ying-Yang, the eternal alliance of opposites. Initially it began as a “supreme art of combat” but with time its form has been modified concentrating on exercises and breathing coordination for well-being and mental and physical health. The philosophy of this discipline is founded on the concept of longevity and the attainment of good health. Its movements are slow and circular suggesting a silent dance but in reality these movements mime the fight against an imaginary opponent. It is an optimum method of relaxation and favors concentration, keeping away stress, bone illnesses and back and shoulder pain.
TuiNa
This is a Chinese discipline which has developed massage techniques much more dynamic than simple pressure. TuiNa is a type of holistic treatment which aims at the recovery of a person’s well-being, and donating greater awareness of themselves – very beneficial in rebalancing energy in the whole body, for relaxation and for the recovery of strength. This type of massage is practiced with many manual techniques which comprise pressure movements, friction “rolling” and “kneading” which are then applied to specific areas and points of the body.
Versilia
Part of north-western Tuscany in the Province of Lucca and taking its name from the River Versilia. A well- known swimming area of the Ligurian Sea coast, it covers the whole of the Province of Lucca. Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi are two of its more well-known towns – the area extending along the coastal strip: from Torre del Lago to Vittoria Apuana, while to the east and west: from Conquale (bordering Marina di Massa which is excluded), to Stazzema. The higher part includes the municipalities of Stazzema and Serravezza, less well known, but from where we can admire the beautiful Apuane Alps and the wonderful naturalistic area of “Monte Forato”.
Yoga
A practice which brings together the body and the mind. Yoga is a discipline which began in the Orient. Posture (asana), the control of breathing (pranayama); the practices to increase sensorial knowledge (pratyahara) – are passages with one unique aim: the control the psychic sphere and the development of the capacity to concentrate (dharana).
Energy yoga
Yoga is based on the knowledge of our own body with much attention given to breathing and the correct execution of the positions. The definition of Yoga of energy was created by Roger Clerc who explains that “the point of departure is considering one’s body as an area of circulation of vital energy which are the organs of life” (from the book “Yoga de l’energie). It was designed on an articulated system of three successive grades. The first is understanding that the body itself is a source of energy and that it can feel its internal changes by “looking within”. The second grade consists of circulating the vital energy by controlling our minds, concentrating on a part of the body for a sufficient length of time. The third grade is also made up of the addition of meditation until a sentiment much bigger than its harmony with the world is restored.
Kundalini yoga
This is a specific Yoga practice, which by means of Chakra, awakens and strengthens them. This particular Yoga practice works on the seven Chakra and through Krya, that is posture and movements connected to particular types of breathing. It is defined as the art of the sequence of movements, rhythm and sound. It acts progressively on mental energy and concentration. Furthermore, the nervous system is strengthened, the glandular system is balanced and blood circulation is stimulated.
Humid area
This is an area of the well-being centre characterized by water. By humid area we mean a specific part of the well-being centre which is characterized by the presence of water and/or water steam. All these activities can be found in this area: Turkish bath, sauna, hydro-massage, Kneipp route and aromatic chromium shower.
