Give Your Brain A Boost At Corinthia Hotel London

When you think about improving your health, have you ever wondered about boosting your brain?

You are not alone. That is because too often than not, health is linked solely as a means to achieve a great body. But at Corinthia Hotel London, staff are giving guests a lot more than quality food and drink and a bed to sleep in. They are developing mental resistance to offset today’s increasingly stressful, modern lifestyle as part of their Neuroscience in Residence Programme at the hotel. Our senior health reporter Sabi Phagura went along to scratching her head curious to find out more.

Most people get paid to use their brains, but do not fully understand how it works or how to optimise its performance. I felt none the wiser until I had a chat with Dr Tara Swart – a top-tier leadership coach with both a PhD in neuroscience and medical career as a psychiatrist. The doctor is working with the five-star hotel to collate information from the year-long Brain Power Package which ends in December. It will generate a better understanding of brain performance.

Dr Swart said that when looking at brain function, food, sleep and relaxation all impact our cognitive function. She added guests could benefit from one of the residence talks at the hotel to have it explained to them (four are scheduled throughout the year highlighting how the science of the brain can be applied to topics such as politics, technology and business). But Dr Swart pointed out it wasn’t until guests experienced the package for themselves, they would fully understand it to reap the benefits.

As a result, I had been booked in for some serious r&r in the spa, a yoga nidra treatment, and a nourishing meal and drink to finish the day. Combined, these elements would focus on neuro-nutrition, restorative sleep, hydration, mindfulness, and exercise – ultimately taking into account the five human senses.

Having rushed into London for back-to-back meetings, I was only pleased to have some downtime, not to mention catch my breath, before my yoga nidra treatment ensued. Corinthia London is home to the flagship ESPA Life spa housed across four floors so I made myself comfortable for a good 90 minutes before being rescued from a deep sleep by my therapist Tandeka.

Once comfortable in the treatment room – which was oval shaped like most of the rooms in the spa to allow energy to flow freely – Tandeka explained that a massage to relax the body would be followed by yoga nidra. But before I had time to think of the strenuous postures, I was informed that this was a treatment whereby I would be taken on a vocal journey while I fell into a deep subconscious sleep. It would be an equivalent to having eight hours sleep.