Om, mani, padme, hum for the young
During your journey through Bhutan, you’ll notice monks chanting this sacred mantra, which is part of a prayer used to bring about compassion. Discover a Kingdom where meditation and mindfulness is for everyone, however young.
If you see health and happiness as a journey of discovery, not a destination, the Six Senses Bhutan circuit offers uplifting experiences at every turn. You can choose to travel between five individual resorts, each with its own take on immersing you into the Kingdom’s culture, hospitality and spirituality.
Vajrayana Buddhists believe that saying the mantra Om, mani, padme, hum out loud or silently to oneself invokes benevolent attention and compassion. It is thought to be transformative and is practiced by monks and locals, either while sitting still or while active. The benefits include mental clarity in addition to relieving health concerns such as high blood pressure, depression and anxiety.
Meditating and cultivating gratitude is a perfect practice for guests of every age, including children. Guided meditations can be arranged by local Buddhist monks in a variety of locations. For example, situated among reflecting ponds, the Prayer Pavilion at Six Senses Thimphu offers incredible 180-degree views of the valley, the nearby monasteries and a 170-foot-high Buddha Dordenma statue, which is one of the tallest Buddha statues in the world. Six Senses Punakha features meditation salas next to beautiful flora and Six Senses Paro offers a meditation room. Local monasteries near our resorts also offer the opportunity to meditate with monks, learn about their lives, play soccer, volunteer and more. A meditation practice can be incorporated into your daily activities by hanging colorful prayer flags on forest walks or hikes. Mantras are written on the prayer flags, which are believed to bring happiness and well-being.
Delve deeper into mindfulness meditation by meeting with a reincarnate lama while at Six Senses Paro. Popularly known as Heyphu Trulku, the lama has a monastery located above Shaba where monks practice Buddhism. After being diagnosed with a serious illness, Trulku healed himself through meditating on the eight medicine Buddhas over the course of a three-month solitary confinement. Discussions with Trulku can include a wide-range of topics such as meditation, prayer, healing and Buddhist philosophy.
A memorable ending to a journey through the Kingdom of Bhutan is a butter lamp lighting ceremony in Paro. Find harmony while exploring the monastery next to Six Senses Paro while lighting 108 traditional Buddhist butter lamps. The light from the butter lamps represents the wisdom of the awakened mind while dispelling darkness, delusion and mental obscurity.
For reservations or more information, please email reservations-bhutan@sixsenses.com.
Available at
Related Stories
Global Wellness Day
With the slogan ‘one day can change your life’, since 2012, Global Wellness Day has shone a light on a need we all share: to live well both physically and emotionally, be healthier, and look better.
Spring clean your fitness routine
Much like our minds, our bodies get used to and bored of the same things on repeat. From a fitness perspective, this means that by doing what you have always done, you won’t continue to achieve the same results (sorry).