Saturday, June 8, 2024 marked the thirteenth annual Global Wellness Day (GWD) serving as a powerful reminder for individuals and communities around the world to focus on the value of their physical, mental and emotional health with the slogan "One day can change your whole life" Celebrated across the globe only with complimentary activities featuring the theme # MagentaNature at the heart of each event, activities ranged from volunteer firefighters educating communities about nature, to prenatal yoga and art and music therapy for expectant mothers, and from full moon yoga accompanied by medicine sound therapy to the Blackfeet Tribe sharing their indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge. #MagentaNature symbolized a journey of reconnection to nature, inviting individuals to embrace the transformative power of their surroundings.
Global Wellness Day
Reaching a phenomenal new height, Global Wellness Day touched the lives of approximately 1 billion people around the world focusing on the profound connection between humanity, wellbeing and nature. As individuals connected with nature, #MagentaNature theme highlighted the true importance for overall well-being, where nature is not just a place; but also an experience that nurtures physical, mental and spiritual health.
Celebrated in tens of thousands of locations reaching millions around the world, complimentary Global Wellness Day’s activities involving nature included:
- Zumba with Alberto Pérez, Creator of Zumba, a healthy break, XT29 functional training with Jessica Exposito, and relaxing stretching exercises on the beach in Ibiza.
- Outdoor beauty workshops by Ayuna – Less is Beauty that blended mental beauty with nature to help transform routines in Spain.
- Running and circuit training, followed by tranquil beach stretching as well as wellness seminars on holistic well-being, complemented by healthy snacks in St. Barth’s.
- Farm-to-table festivities, cooking workshops, tree planting campaign, outdoor yoga, traditional tea ceremonies, yoga philosophy talks and nature meditation at the Green Hills Resort in Uzbekistan.
- Laughter yoga, inner peace journaling, meditation, elemental yin and sound bath, energy healing, breath-work and ice bath in Thailand.
- Pilates and yoga classes, special Zumba sessions with Dans+1 dance group made up of kids with down syndrome, nutritional talks, Bosphorus tour with Marine Mammals Research Association in Turkey.
- Healthy cooking demonstrations, organic juice stations, smoothie workshops, beach strolls, environmental initiatives like beach clean ups, tree planting, along with kid’s nature art and singing bowl meditation in Qatar.
- Hair cut for the elderly with Seven Barber Bali, herbal jamu workshops, pilates and beach cleanup at Kuta Beach and yoga sessions in Indonesia.
- Bhutanese healing practices, mountain meditation, riverside yoga, community clean up, tree planting and tree hugging in Bhutan.
- Inner connection workshops in healthcare facilities, beach clean-up activity in collaboration with The Clean Coasts program, meditation, plant-based cooking in Ireland.
- Yoga, breath work, meditation, sound healing, healthy snacks, forest bathing, cycling, Tai Chi, Inferno HIIT classes, Zumba and Barre, water aerobics in some of the states in the USA includes; Montana, Florida, Ohio, New York, Georgia, California, Alabama and Hawaii.
- 5k run, Zumba classes, yoga sessions and insightful talks took place in the Dominican Republic.
- Wellness check-ups, pilates, group meditation and grounding sessions, nature journaling and nature connection with mental health talks in Kenya.
- Sunrise yoga session with CorcYoga within the cork forests, followed by sunset yoga by Luz Aura Yoga & Wellness Studio in the Algarve region in Portugal.
- Escola B+S Bispo D. Manuel Ferreira Cabral and Santana Volunteer Firefighters educated children and adults on protecting nature and rescuing people during forest fires in Madeira Island.
- Bodyart Flow, meditation, sound therapy, stress and negative emotions neutralization technique (EFT Tapping), the connection of nutrition and mental harmony, body contact to restore mental health and yoga breathing techniques workshops were held to help individuals cope with stress, improve physical and mental well-being and recharge in Ukraine.
Global Wellness Day
Argentina once again honored GWD by lighting the iconic Monumento del Sembrador in Villa Elisa, as well as the famous Clock Tower in Federacion City, along with nature walks, outdoor Zumba classes, community bike rides, guided meditation and yoga. This year new to the roster of countries, celebrating Global Wellness Day included Pakistan, Honduras, Bahrain, Indonesia, Fiji, Cambodia, Chile, Tenerife and St. Barth’s.
Chiva-Som Hua Hin, a pioneer in transformative wellness practices, led a big tree-planting project at the Pa-la-U Watershed area planting 1,000 trees, covering an area of over 37,500 square metres. In corporation with the Preserve Hua Hin Club for 9 consecutive years Chiva-Som provided assistance and supportive resources in the village of Bann Klong Noi, Hua Hin. In honor of Global Wellness Day, Founder Belgin Aksoy joined Chiva-Som Team for the annual medical aid mission on Saturday, June 1, 2024 providing free health checks, basic medical care including physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture, lice treatment services. The team also planted trees with the local children to educate them on environment preservation and plantation.
Belgin Aksoy said: “1 billion. First 1, then 9 zeros. The word billion is easy to write, but you have to dig deep to understand its magnitude. To put into perspective: If we sat down with you right now and started counting to a billion… It would take us 45 years. On Saturday, June 8, Global Wellness Day was celebrated by approximately 1 billion people around the world in its thirteenth year. I am jubilant and in gratitude after each Global Wellness Day… My heart connects to millions of people around the world. I am there with them. I embrace their good wishes, dreams and promises in my soul. I am living a dream I never want to wake up from. It was absolutely amazing to see #MagentaNature embraced so strongly with many tree planting, beach cleaning, environmental and sustainability projects being a part of the Global Wellness Day celebrations. Thank you all with my whole heart. Happy Global Wellness Day.”
Global Wellness Day
Leading wellness destinations like Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary, Zulal Wellness Resort as well as world-famous hotel chains like Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Accor Hotels Group, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Six Senses Hotels, Resorts & Spas, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Opal Collection, Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, Dusit Thani Hotels & Resorts, Royalton Hotels & Resorts, Palladium Hotel Group, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, and hotels and brands like Richmond Hotels, The Address Hotels, JOALI and JOALI Being Maldives, Green Hill Resort, Oak Valley Resort, Hotel Tamarindo Diria, Hotel Javor, Eden Roc Cap Cana, Terme di Saturnia, Crossroads Maldives, Farovon Khiva Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Maldives and Ibiza, Carillon Miami Wellness Resort and many others celebrated GWD with various events throughout their properties around the world.
Additionally, the innovative GPS-enabled technology company, Garmin, which operates across diverse markets, including sports, fitness and outdoor recreation celebrated Global Wellness Day by designing a special GWD watch face and launching a surprise GWD challenge badge once again this year. King’s College, Taunton also helped prioritize the wellness of pupils and staff with their Yinshi Meditation Pod, on-site animals, and natural surroundings. The New Well Festival in Paris offered Yin Yoga sessions to participants, while brands such as Alo Yoga, All Nippon Airways, Biologique Recherche, Davines Group, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Kerstin Florian International, East London NHS Foundation Trust, The Association for Science Education, Trans Canada Trail, Road Sense Australia, Touchless Wellness Association, Jasper Float Spa & Wellness, Crunch Fitness, Cihangir Yoga, Kessler Foundation, Yuvam Dünya NGO health and wellness network Havas Health & You, Turkey’s biggest online-classifieds and shopping platform sahibinden.com, Capitol Shopping Mall, Relax Spa Group Africa, The Social Hub, G Spa, The Bridge Wellness Hub, Guzel Centro Benessere, Tashkent International Clinic, Abu Dhabi Country Club, Wellness Valley, Wellness Tourism Association, Global Wellness Summit, Wellness Foundation, Australasian Wellness Association, CIDESCO, FEDERSPA, Association Lumière d'espoir, BMJ Mental Health, Bright Futures Educational Trust, Baltimore Breath Center, Public Administration Consell Insular d'Eivissa, Ibiza Health and Beauty and many more shared their celebration messages across various platforms.
Global Wellness Day has experienced remarkable growth since its inception in 2012, evolving from a localized celebration in a single country to a global phenomenon embraced by over 170 countries. This international movement has been recognized by presidents, ministries, hospitals, schools, associations, foundations, athletes and renowned celebrities.
