Wellness travel is an exploding industry, and with everyone getting in on the game, the choice has never been so vast. The challenge lies in finding the sweet spot: a destination and community that vibes with your specific goals. If you’ve considered a retreat but your head is spinning with options, these seven destinations are a great place to start.

What we choose to eat is a universally accepted foundation of well being. However, who shares our meals is an overlooked ingredient in happiness and healthiness. In the North American rush to achieve an ‘ideal’ body weight, communal eating has largely fallen by the wayside.

A friend recently introduced me to an intriguing concept called Wabi Sabi. No, it's not a form of Japanese papier maché (my first thought, I admit). Wabi Sabi is Japanese in origin, but has nothing to do with arts and crafts. It's an ancient philosophy that embraces the perfection in imperfection. In a nutshell, it finds beauty in a time-worn item or a life well-lived. It is through the cracks, as Leonard Cohen so aptly put it, that the light gets in.