Sia-Lanu Estrella, a renowned spiritual wellness guide, transitioned from a high-powered corporate career to leading transformative global retreats. Her journey began with a pivotal realisation during her tenure in advertising. Despite achieving significant success, including a coveted promotion, Sia-Lanu felt a profound sense of doom. “I couldn’t live someone else’s life any longer,” she recalls in a chat with City Times, leading her to resign the very next day.
Her transition wasn’t immediate; it spanned six years, during which she balanced senior communications roles with training in healing modalities and novel writing. Battling chronic illness, she found herself drawn to Peru, a place she had visited for years. There, a profound spiritual encounter ultimately led her to move to Peru, leaving behind her corporate life.
The Rise of Wellness Tourism: Insights from Sia-Luna
As wellness tourism is projected to become a $1.1 trillion industry by 2025, Sia-Lanu’s retreats in Peru and South Africa stand out. She believes the industry’s growth is driven by a collective realisation that the “old way” of living is unsustainable. People are reassessing their lives, seeking deeper connections and authentic experiences. “Sacred lands like Peru and South Africa hold great wisdom and help us remember our full cosmic nature,” Sia-Lanu explains.
She added: “The lockdowns put into perspective the importance of living and experiencing. We realised that saying ‘one day I’ll go there’ might not be guaranteed. Many people have now made the shift from focusing on obligations to nurturing their heart’s desires.”
Manifestation and Empowerment Practices
Sia-Lanu’s retreats emphasise manifestation and empowerment through practices rooted in gratitude, presence, intention, ceremony, and authenticity. Her latest book, The Rainbow Tablets: Abundance and Sacred Co-Creation, guides participants to access the highest form of manifestation. Each day starts with a centring practice, empowering participants to harness their intuition. Through ceremonies and practical tools, they learn to weave gratitude and intention into everyday life, reclaiming their power and authenticity.
“Much of our modern life is about ‘doing’ and ‘striving,'” she said. “We are surrounded by distractions and devices that compete for our attention. This can leave us feeling disconnected. To reclaim our power, we must step beyond the ‘3D’ illusion.”
Her retreats also focus on authenticity and healing trauma. “We share practices that help them give themselves ‘permission’ to be authentic,” she said. “One example is learning that it’s ok to honour their boundaries. There is a wonderful sense of community and sharing in the groups. But sometimes a person may need to be alone or quiet. We establish upfront that if someone talks to you when you’re wanting to be alone, you simply respond with prayer hands and a nod. The other person does not need to apologise or feel guilty or rejected. They just acknowledge with their own prayer hands and depart. This sounds simple, but may people have fears of offending others or have grown up feeling it is unsafe to share their voices.
Choosing the Right Retreat
For those considering a wellness retreat, Sia-Lanu advises trusting your heart and considering practical aspects such as location, facilitator, themes, group size, inclusions, giving back, and integration support. “It’s normal to feel nervous, but at the heart and soul level, it should feel ‘right,'” she says. “There is an inner knowing.”
The Future of Wellness Tourism
Sia-Lanu envisions wellness tourism becoming more popular than standard travel, offering transformative experiences that elevate one’s entire life expression. “I think the growth in awareness of wellness tourism will open up wonderful healing and transformational experiences for people,” she said. “The right wellness retreat can bring a huge leap that would otherwise take years to achieve.”
However, she cautions against facilitators lacking embodiment and integrity, emphasising the importance of discernment. She added: “There are those who are seeing this opportunity and jumping in as facilitators without being in the right embodiment. This can lead to unsafe and disruptive experiences for participants. And you want to choose a facilitator who is acting in integrity and respect with the local communities.
“Overall, I think wellness tourism will start to become more popular than standard travel. This is so exciting because instead of just visiting a place as a tourist, you get to really experience much more. You come away transformed. This is a wonderful gift to yourself and elevates your entire expression of life.”
With a global following, Sia-Lanu is considering expanding her retreats to locations like Dubai, known for its luxury and wellness offerings. She acknowledges the interest from clients in the Middle East and is excited about exploring new lands and cultures. “All of my retreats are a call from the land,” she said. “It is about going to the country, connecting with the land and local culture, and seeing what is asking to be shared. This has definitely prompted me to visit beautiful Dubai soon.”