In the air lies an uplifting herbal scent. The pleasant smell of the smoke creates an environment of devotion, dignity and inspiration that supports our prayers and meditations.

Later the guide lets us know that the calming of our spirit is thanks to the herb mixture “Lawudo”.

“Lawudo” is made up of three parts of rhododendron leaves, 2 parts of junipers tips and a small part of juniper berry. This incense mixture is often used during meditate or prayer as it harmonizes, stabilizes and calms the emotions. We can only confirm this.

Spiritual healing by connecting to the divine

The burning of incense has always inspired people to help connect them with the divine. At Bamboo Retreat Hotel,we use the opportunity, to learn more about the traditions of healing body and mind in the Sikkim Himalaya. We try different mixtures to see their effects. WE may find an incense that fits your needs and that can help bring harmony to you. Burning incense can ensure a harmonic way to start the day during your visit at Bamboo Retreat Hotel and at home.

A GIFT FROM GOD – SIKKIM‘SPOWERFUL PLANTS!

The area of Sikkim with its subtropic valleys and the snowy majestic mountains (in Sikkim Northeast India, with the thrid highes mountain, Khangchendzonga), the diversity in climate zones, is blessed with many different plants used for incense. In the woodlands located in the southern hills,you can find aromatic plants like ginger, galangal, mugwort, costus and ginger lily. The northern hills are in a colder and drier climatic zone. Here powerful incense-plants prosper such as mountain juniper, thistles and meadow violet.

Along the southern mountains, the Deodar Cedar is found, whose resin, pines and bark are also used for smudging. Incense-plants of the Himalayas are praised all over the world since they create a special feeling of expansion and clarity. People say that the location of a plant determines the healing energy it releases when burnt. Get yourself convinced and bring try a variety of our homegrown Himalayan incense-plant mixtures available for sale at Bamboo Retreat Hotel.

A life without a noticeable and omnipresent spirituality is not thinkable in the former kingdom of Sikkim. Smudging and the burning of incense are indispensable part of daily prayer and meditation. The rising smoke of incense plants is considered holy and is said to help protect and cleanse the home and its surroundings People have been studying the effects of these scents for centuries and are used not only in private homes but also in many monasteries during daily meditation to ensure a better connection to spirit and the way up to higher truths.

HOW INCENSE PLANTS SUCH ASJUNIPER AND CEDAR STILL INFLUENCE THE LIFE OF PEOPLE

The daily life in Sikkim is inseparably bound with spiritual life. In every home people perform smudging ceremonies while reciting powerful prayers (mantras) to honor gods of protection, the buddhas and nature dieties. To ensure a deep connection to the divine.

All temples and monasteries have incense-ovens built of stone outside in which entire branches of the juniper or cedar are burnt for incense during prayer and special ceremonies.

In their homes people either use incense sticks or burn a small amount of incense-plant material on a piece of hot coal inside an incense-container. People who can afford it use incense sticks or incense powder. In front of the house altar, there is usually a container filled with sand. People put their incense sticks into it to let them develop their warming and harmonizing scent.

SMUDGING FOR HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF AWARENESS

People of Sikkim, now and then use the smoke of incense to cleanse their homes. With the help of cedar and salt rooms are being neutralized and cleared of negative energies. Don’t you want to try this tradition by using incense herbs grown organically in our gardens?

Surely you are familiar with the feeling that a room has “bad air” and opening the windows won’t change that. Emotions, thoughts, and actions influence the energy in a room and create a feeling of trouble and anger. The use of incense-smoke is a powerful way to change and neutralize this kind of vibe. For this reason, people around the world make use of incense-burning, especially in temples, churches and holy shrines where many people come together.

THE HEALING PROPERTIES OF OUR DIFFERENT INCENSE PLANT MIXTURES

“Scent overcomes the mind”. The smoke of burnt incense induces a calm in the deep structures and caves of our consciousness. It pacifies spirit and mind at the same time.

At Bamboo Retreat Hotel shop, you can buy a variety of incense plants and incense plant mixtures.

Citronella and Lemon Grass

• Parts Used: Leaves
• Advantages: Refreshing and uplifting
• Citronella and lemongrass belong to the family of sweetgrasses (Pocaceae)
• They are rich in essential oils and automatically release an aromatic and well-smelling smoke when used as incense
• Effect: It creates a positive atmosphere that promotes letting go, healing, positivity, and effortlessness.

Indian Wormwood/ Indian Mugwort (Artemisianilagirici)

• Nepali: Titeypati
• Used Parts: Leaf and stem
• Advantages: Relaxing and calming
• Mugwort belongs to the family of Asteraceae. It is a hardy bush, which can grow up to 2 meters in height. It doesn’t only grow in Asia but is also found in Europe and North America. It is known as one of the most important magical plants in Europe.
• Effect:When used as incense, mugwort can help in to make decisions, and letting goes of the past. If it is used as incense sticks it has calming, relaxing and warming properties that ensure a good sleep.

Japanese Red cedar/ Japanese Sugi Pine (Cryptomeriajaponica)

• A bundle of incense sticks
• Nepali: Dhoopee
• Used Parts: Leaf, branch tops, branches, bark
• Advantages: Cleansing
• Japanese cedar is part of the monotypic family of the conifer trees in the subfamily of the cypress Cupressaceae. It was a present from Japan to the king of Sikkim, and ever since has been growing in many parts of the region.
• Effects: It is very commonly used as an incense plant, especially during big ceremonies. Its properties are similar to the ones of the Himalaya cedar and is said to bring luck, protection, and strength.

BlackJuniper (Juniperusindica/ Juniperus recurva Recurva)

• Nepali: Bhairung Patti
• Bhutanese: Shukpa Sang
• Used parts: needles, tops of the branches, branches and the resin.
• Advantages: it increases attentiveness
• In the northern hemisphere, there are about 40 types of juniper. In the Himalaya, there are types of juniper that can grow up to 6000 meters. And the black juniper is considered holy.
• Effects: Juniper-incense is often used for the morning cleansing.

Dwarf rhododendron (Rhododendron-Anthopogon)

• Nepali: Sun Paati
• Bhutanese: Phalup Sang
• Used parts: leaf
• Advantages: it increases trust
• This kind of dwarf rhododendron is a low bush that grows in the heights of Sikkim. When used as incense it has a soft, sweet-fruity and warm scent and is famous along with the hill juniper berry, which makes up the Lawudo-Curing Mixture
• Effects: As an incense, it stimulates the heart and blood circulation. Psychologically it strengthens trust and gets rid of feelings of fear and suppression. Because of this, it is used with emotional instability and states of fear.

Ways of healing through incense are diverse in the western world too. Besides the eastern method of incense burning another method is used in aromatherapy whereby suitable incense-plants or essential oils are kept on a warm source to allow the scent to spread slowly and distributes itself all over the room.

Learn more about this wonderful traditional that is lived by at Bamboo Retreat Hotel. We are looking forward to meeting you.

In China they say, life begins with the day you build a garden. 

Keeping in mind the many studies that teach us about the many different ways the body and soul benefits from the work with plants. Clearly, the Chinese proverb wasn’t exaggerated: After twenty minutes the release of stress hormones decreases, the blood pressure reduces, heartbeat and pulse slow down. Movement and exercise in fresh air benefit the entire body, it loses tensions and balances the monotone movements and hardships of your daily life. All of these are reasons that make gardening a highly effective medicine against typical complaints of the modern life. Furthermore, it creates a positive environment: digging in the ground and the sweet scent of flowers and the smell of wet soil gets rid of negative thoughts. Gardening can also help with depressions, as studies have shown.

We want to take it a step further, and not only have a sustainable garden but also inspire others to try so.

Our vision at the Bamboo Retreat Hotel is to live in harmony with nature. For this reason, we have been working on growing and farming with the principles of permaculture.

Permaculture is diverse and full of life

without the burdening amount of work. Every plant, every animal, and each microorganism has a place in the natural cycle.

But what is permaculture and how is it different from a normal garden.

Permaculture started developing in the 1970’s when Bill Mollison and David Holmgren established it. They used it as an opposition to the industrial agricultural system. The success of the permaculture was based on the efficiency and sustainability of the invention and it was deeply influenced by organic farming.

In 1978 Bill Mollison published his first book “Permaculture One”, with what he won the alternative Nobel prize in 1981. In the book, he describes the concept of agriculture connected to the environment. 2008 he published another book with the name “Permaculture Two”. In both books, Mollis describes his design approaches and shows how permaculture is an attitude that includes planning and designing for entire villages.

PERMACULTURE DOESN’T ONLY PROVIDE OUR BODY WITH NUTRITION BUT IT ALSO NOURISHES SOUL AND SPIRIT.

In order for humans, animals and plants to live together in unity rules and principles were established. Organic farming is very high on the list of permaculture rules and is an important part of the entire system.

When there is a diversion of fruits and vegetables in the same garden, it comes very close to the natural ecosystem and there is always something edible available. But also perennials play an important part so that we can go without a high use of energy.

The basics of permaculture are built upon three pillars:

• Care for the earth and environment,
• concern for the people and
• limitation of the consumption and growth,

but as well sharing the leftovers with others.

The goal of permaculture is to create a small and edible ecosystem, they can be as big as in the agricultural business but as well small ones like ours in our own permaculture garden, in the Bamboo Retreat Hotel.

We want to create a small paradise on earth in Sikkim and we already have the foundation. However, we are still at the beginning of our project and are still working on our design and garden layout. Only if the garden is a well functioning and dynamic system, we can let nature have its turn.

WE WOULD LIKE TO DESCRIBE OUR GARDEN IN SIKKIM TO YOU.

The Bamboo Retreat Hotel is located in the middle of terraced rice fields, forest, gardens and streams on three hectares of land, on the opposite side of the city Gangtok. In our gardens, we cultivate completely organical and we have a diversion of local and general vegetables, flowers, herbs and healing plants. With our permaculture techniques, we try to increase the diversion of our garden and richness of our soil.

In our garden, we harvest completely organic vegetables like local root vegetables, potatoes or cauliflower but as well as many different types of the local leave vegetable (from the mustard family) but also mint varieties. In our garden, you can also find stevia, garlic, beans, corns, peas, and carrots. In the kitchen we also like using a great variety of the traditional and local millet, furthermore, we also use many herbs.

The plants we cure also come from our garden. And notice that our lemon and citronella grass which we use for the special bath treatments at the Bamboo Retreat Hotel are as well from our garden.

And there is still more! We also have pumpkins and wormwood!

In our fruit garden, we grow guavas, lemons, bananas, cape gooseberry and tree tomatoes. And this year, we are grateful to pick kiwis for the first time.

The permaculture has a developed an ethical understanding. However it isn’t about dogmas or belief systems, but the ethics of the permaculture is more about doing the right thing.

This is the motto we live by in Sikkim. We take care of our nature, furthermore, we respect our environment. We would be happy to share our little paradise with you, our guests, and invite you to witness and accompany our team into the garden and be close to mother earth in India.

Of course, we use our organic harvest in our restaurant in the Bamboo Retreat Hotel. For our kitchen staff, it is really important that they use the fresh regional ingredients and adjust our menu to the seasons.

As well we are always happy to get help from people who have experience with permaculture and permaculture design are willing to have a working holiday here at our hotel in Sikkim. Do you want to share your experiences with us and help us with the expanding of our garden? Then we are really happy to get to know you. We are always eager to learn new methods and to expand our design.

Or do you have experience in the pedagogical field and be prepared to give local school classes an experience with nature?

If you are interested in any of these, we are looking forward to exchanging messages with you. Find us on Workaway or check our website under Working Holidays for more information. There you can find everything you need.

We found some of our information on the pages www.permakultur-design.at and www.permakultur.farm.

The natural sweetener in the Bamboo Retreat Hotel, Sikkim

Stevia rebaudiana – also called sweet herb – is a herb which was discovered in South America in 1887 and first found its use only in toothpaste. Today, stevia leaves are approved as a food, especially its extract is used as a sweetener. Many people actually prefer this sweetener to the traditional sugar.

It is unbelievable that stevia is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar, and it is completely free of calories. The human organism completely discards stevia and as well for your teeth, it is better than sugar, because tooth decay and plaque is not encouraged by its consumption.

On the other hand, stevia does have one negative aspect. Some people do not like the slightly bitter aftertaste of stevia – but others are not aware of this.

However, I encourage you to try it! For our herbal teas, we use stevia as a sweetener and rely entirely on the natural sweetness!

Sitting on the terrace of Bamboo Retreat Hotel, holding a hot cup of tea in your hand
while enjoying the pleasant mountain view, will make you forget everything around you. This is the perfect way to conclude an exciting and inspiring day.

If only I had known how to rhyme, I would have written a poem on this bewitching herbal tea served in exquisite ceramic mug carved with Tibetan art.

Oh! The aroma is so enticing, I couldn’t resist the temptation of a whole teapot for myself.

I have spent many afternoons in this serene himalayan place (Bamboo Retreat Hotel), drinking soothing cups of herbal tea while reading my favourite Sherlock Holmes stories. Sometimes I even lose a track of count – but why should I care? Herbal Teas are so soothing. Bamboo Retreat’s fresh Herbal Teas have more benefits than you could ask for: If blended with peppermint, it acts as a digestive aid and also helps in mitigating muscular contractions. One can also go for fresh ginger tea along with honey or lemon to ease throat pain, cold and nausea. I could go on and on but I would rather suggest you to savour it yourself and let your body experience its miraculous effects.

True indeed! Best things come in small packages. So is herbal tea, easiest to prepare and consume (“no pressure on your intestine!”). Bamboo Retreat Hotel’s classic Herbal Tea is  prepared with mint varieties and stevia, a natural sweetener. These herbs are cultivated in the Bamboo Retreat Hotel’s garden and plucked out fresh to prepare and serve the natural and organic herbal tea to their guests.

Here my morning starts with a healthy breakfast made of organic vegetables and grains accompanied with Ginger Herbal Tea set out in the garden which overlooks the majestic Himalaya ranges and Gangtok city. What a fresh start!

AROMATIC PEPPERMINT HERBAL TEA

After a big afternoon meal or while enjoying the mesmerising dusk from my balcony, I treat my stomach with aromatic peppermint herbal tea.

I thought my romance with herbal tea would come to an end when I get back to my noisy, bustling and hectic city life. But all thanks to Bamboo Retreat Hotel, not only they conduct workshops on herbal tea preparation but also sell dried leaves/herbs (selectively plucked from their lush green garden) to city dwellers and herbal tea lovers like me from all around the world.

Today, no spot on earth is too far away to reach. With the help of technology, people are discovering new places everyday to explore and vacation. Visiting exotic locations is becoming more and more common today. Quaint locations in the hills, the deserts and the wildlife reserves are becoming hotspots for tourism. While it makes for great photos on Instagram, sometimes what gets ignored is that the environment and biodiversity around is damaged irreversibly in the process. This is why the concept of ecotourism has become the new keyword when it comes to visiting biodiversity-rich locations.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) defines ecotourism as :

“Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples.”

Ecotourism is basically caring for the environment and the people you are visiting. You should be sure that your visit is not a cause for damage to the biodiversity of the place. Also, the money you spend should benefit the local people instead of the big tourism agencies. When companies take over, they treat the place that they take you to like a place of commerce. It is better to visit a place where you are hosted by the local people, who call that land their home. It makes for a overall immersive experience where you understand their culture and enjoy good company.