Eighth Annual Global Wellness Day Celebration, Saturday, June 8, 2019

ISTANBUL, May 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Saturday, June 8, 2019 will mark the eighth annual Global Wellness Day (GWD) celebration and the fifth time the special day is being celebrated internationally. The focus of this year's event will be building communities of wellness.  Surviving a life-threating illness inspired Turkish businesswoman and destination spa owner, Belgin Aksoy, to start GWD. It is her irresistible passion for the cause that has motivated over 100 volunteer ambassadors, advisors and supporters to help make her dream a reality across the globe.  The caveat:  the annual events organized each year need to be three things: educational, non-commercial and complementary since Aksoy's motivating belief is that wellness is not a luxury but the inherit right of every individual. 

Growing from a celebration at one Turkish spa eight years ago to events in over 150 countries in more than 5,000 locations or "communities" -- such as hotel/spa chains, fitness centers, yoga studios, associations, foundations, hospitals, schools, senior centers, and entire towns -- GWD's overarching motto is: "One day can change your life!"  Aksoy – frequently photographed with a pink paddle in her hand with the words, "I Say Yes to Wellness" – also never waivers from her focus on the importance of educating people from youth up about the importance of both mental & physical wellness as well as giving back through simple but important good deeds. 

New to the roster of countries this year are:  China, Kenya, Cayman Islands, Peru, Zimbabwe and Dominican Republic. Countries celebrating GWD over 20 locations each: France, Spain, Cyprus, Canada, Hungary, etc.  

With an easy-to-follow Seven Step Manifesto, standout U.S. GWD locations include Los Angeles & La Jolla, California; Cleveland, Ohio; NYC and South Florida.  In the company category: Gym Source – America's largest commercial distributor of fitness equipment – will convert all 35 of their stores to gyms open to the public on GWD and skincare companies Biologique Recherche, Cinques Mond and Kerstin Florian are contributing to events.  Members of 60 different hotel companies such as Marriott, Four Seasons, Rosewood, Fairmont, Swissotel, Pendry, One & Only, Conrad, Raffles, Six Senses, Waldorf Astoria and Westin are organizing events.

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts will be honoring GWD and Hyatt's landmarks of wellbeing – Feel, Fuel and Function – by educating and encouraging colleagues and guests to celebrate the day around the world. Over 400 properties, including Hyatt's Miraval and Exhale brands and Hyatt's regional and corporate offices will host health and wellness-related events reflecting their specific destination and local communities— from Delhi to Chicago and Zurich to Tokyo.

Mandarin Oriental, with more Forbes Five Star Spas than any other hotel group, will kick off their celebration of innovations achieved over 10 Years of Wellness on GWD with complimentary wellness activities at all hotels and resorts worldwide.

Look for the hashtag #globalwellnessday and #GWD2019 to follow what happens from sunrise to sunset around the globe on June 8.

"We go to school from the age of three, but nobody is teaching us how to live, how to breathe, how to be mindful and how to love ourselves as these are things that are essential to be a happy adult in the future," explains Aksoy. "A key goal of GWD is to teach children and families how to integrate wellness practices into their daily routines and then to carry on those practices throughout their lives."

GWD 2019 celebrations range from entire cities joining together with family-friendly wellness events to hotels and community centers offering complimentary activities ranging from hiking to ethno dance; Tai Chi to digital detox and workplace wellness seminars.  A few highlights:

Netherlands – Seven days of events for kids and the community; visits to elder care facilities, 5K walk for children in primary schools, "wellness for everyone" and workplace wellness seminars.

South Africa – Rated the unhealthiest and most stressed country in the world, South Africa GWD team is working towards changing these statistics by speaking at schools about wellness; visiting senior care centers and taking collections of clothes, food & toys to needy.  A Johannesburg tech exec will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in August and taking the GWD flag to the summit!

France – The Mayor of Paris' 10 municipal arrondissement will kick off festivities at City Hall; US/French Actor Christian Lambert involved.  Events across France will be held at Thalassa properties & Accor properties, and there will be public yoga classes at all locations of Le Tigre Yoga Club.

Thailand – GWD is once again organizing a Medical Mission with Chiva-Som to the village between Thailand and Myanmar board to support the disadvantaged community with efforts to educate, develop and encourage local sustainability.

Turkey – GWD's home country will have a range of celebrations across the country including a 50K marathon on the 3 days leading up to June 8, starting from the Ancient City of Ephesus and ending at the city of Kusadası's Love Beach, which will host an all-day interactive wellness celebration. Celebrities, athletes and Paralympic runners will participate. GWD will team up with a local elementary school for a "Kids' Wellness Art Exhibition."

Costa Rica – Activities such as forest therapy, yoga, breathing exercises, aromatherapy, walks along the beach, beach cleaning, bike rides with children, planting trees and mindfulness will take place throughout the country.

Hungary – GWD celebration activities will take place in 12 cities and 30 locations, focusing on wellness lifestyle, healthy dining and healing waters. The main celebration will take place in Budapest City Park with an aim to set the Guinness World Record for number of people participating in an all-day wellness event. 

For a full list of countries and their specific celebrations visit: http://www.globalwellnessday.org/eighth-annual-global-wellness-day-celebration-saturday-june-8-2019/ 

Media Contact: Kim Marshall, [email protected]

SOURCE Global Wellness Day

Related Links

http://www.globalwellnessday.org