Vagus is the Latin word for wanderer. It is appropriately used to name the vagus nerve, the longest in our body. From the head to the colon, it connects the vital organs like the heart, lungs and stomach, to the brain. It regulates the body’s emotional responses through heart rate, breathing and digestive function and is the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system. It’s what creates those ‘butterflies’ in your stomach. Increasing vagal activity or ‘tone’ improves mood and means your body can relax faster after stress. This concept is the backbone of the new ‘active and balance’ programme at the Lefay Resort and Spa Dolomiti.

The model of living mindfully is to move away from a highly adrenalised state, the ‘fight or flight’ mode of our sympathetic nervous system to a calmer more centred ‘rest and digest’. We have been looking to healthier diets, yoga, meditation and other physical and mindful practices to slow down the heart rate, improve physical and mental health and avoid chronic illness, depression or disease. Wellness though, is a very personal choice, what stimulates one person’s parasympathetic nervous system, may not suit another’s. But with a gargantuan 5000msq spa, the largest, if not, the best spa in Italy, surrounded by the salubrious landscape of the Dolomites and peppered with Italian hospitality, the Lefay Resort and Spa has something that everybody will love.

The Lefay Resort and Spa Dolomiti is a subtle structure of natural materials which although large, does not dominate Pinzolo, the small town embedded in the valley of the Sarca River that weaves its way through the Dolomites to Lake Garda. Like the five senses arriving at a ball, a promenade of understated yet profound sensory stimulants welcome guests which have an immediate effect on vagal tone. As wafts of herbal euphoric scents fill the lungs, an atrium of natural tones and tactile materials greet eyes, with a view of the Tolkien-Esq Dolomites in the distance through the glass walls. The sound of a crackling (faux)fire in the bedroom immediately makes your shoulders drop a centimetre, where Lefay has brought the outside inside, using mother nature’s finest materials.

The active and balance programme at the Lefay Resort and Spa Dolomiti is a five-day programme integrating exercise, spa treatments and healthy food offerings with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in a non-invasive way. This was the vision of the Leali Family, now fronted by CEO Alcide Leali, who also owns the eminent Lefay Resort Lake Garda. When his parents fell in love with the practices of TCM, they pledged to bring Chinese and other Eastern wellness practices to the area. Unsurprisingly, herb teas play a big part in this approach, where a bespoke herbal infusion is offered every day in the morning and at meal times, to complement mood and organ health.

After an initial consult with their teams from the gym and spa to ensure a suitable and seamless experience, each of the five days begins with an outdoor activity in the morning, usually a guided walk or hike, followed by a massage-based treatment in the afternoon incorporating acupressure. The Lefay Spa Dolomiti is composed of five different spa areas, representing the TCM elements of wood, earth, fire, metal and water, with each element relating to an organ of the body. Therefore each day of the programme, guests are encouraged to enjoy the dedicated area to promote the health of that specific organ.

Bio saunas with visuals and cavernous steam rooms are presented in a range of temperatures. Aromas of orange, grapefruit, rosemary, and peppermint transport the mind to a calmer place whilst the vast Finnish sauna with a glass wall, brings the mountains in whilst you sweat out the guilty pleasures of the night before. There are hot and cold plunge pools, a magnesium jacuzzi and dimly lit womb-like salt baths sourced with local minerals. It’s a ‘sweetie shop’ for the vagus nerve.

Outside, Lefay Spa, The Dolomites are a UNESCO World Heritage site, offering skiing in the Winter months and forest activities in the Summer, an ideal place to participate in the Japanese art of forest-bathing, Shirin Yoku, which plays a major role in the active part of the programme. Hikes are interspersed with this ecotherapy, as guests are invited to take off shoes and socks, walk barefoot on moss as soft as cashmere and practice a sound meditation using nature’s aural gifts to quiet the cessations of the mind. You may even find yourself sinking into the trunk of a tree if you can relinquish self-consciousness and surrender to the spirit of the forest. A word of advice: the longer you do it, the easier it becomes.

On a more active day, climb 1.5km elevation, earning infinite views of the Sarca Valley and the surrounding landscape of The Dolomites. For the brave, there is always swimming in medicinal, mineral-rich rock pools, so cold that even Wim Hof would shiver for hours after, but the benefits to mood are unparalleled. Local experts will lead a tasting of the land as you forage your way through tall evergreens, discovering herbal remedies of their Italian ancestors and tasting tiny flavour bombs of wild strawberries.

Italy is synonymous with good food, so eating well at Lefay is easy. Their tailor-made spa menu will, unlike traditional spa menus, come with an Italian twist’, ie: feature bread and pasta and after four courses, will have you feeling full. TCM encourages cooked food, so there are fewer raw food offerings than what is expected from a menu at a health retreat. The dishes encompass Ayuverda practices too, designed for improved energy levels and better sleep, all with the promise of plenty of flavour.

Wine takes centre stage in a glass display the main dining room, deterring guests from abstemiousness. The regular menu has all of the Italian favourites, so feel free to mix and match – this is spa eating, your way. For a fine dining option, there is Grual, decorated like a theatre production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where the name comes from the nearby mountain, rather than intentionally serving up irony to the English speaker. The food is delicious and Michelin Stars should be on their horizon.

The Lefay Resorts are beacons of sustainability within Italian hospitality, a pledge by Alcide’s mother, Liliana, who is also responsible for the architectural design of Lefay Resorts. Built with sustainability in mind since conception made it easier to fulfil this commitment, selecting sustainable materials and implementing ways to use energy less impactfully, which as Alcide says: “…Is not about achieving a target, it’s about constantly improving year after year”. It’s a mindset they want to change in their customers too, and they do. They are completely transparent, verified by third parties and Lefay is recognised as the most sustainable hotel group in Italy.

Guests will leave the tranquil Lefay Resort and Spa Dolomiti floating on a cloud. Its symbiotic relationship with the environment and attention to detail interwoven with TCM and Eastern practices are a magic formula which transforms the mind whilst gently looking after the body in what is arguably the best spa in Italy stimulating vagal tone through activating the senses, what the new active and balance programme guarantees is that you will be well rested, rejuvenated and feel a little more prepared to take on life’s chaos.