As an increasing number of people in Shanghai become fans of personal well-being, a wellness summit held last week in the city was a welcome opportunity for health-indulgent locals to participate in discussions and workshops on how to improve body, mind and environment.

The first-annual Shanghai Asia Wellness Summit 2015, held at the Octave Living Room downtown, was a one-day event packed with lectures, a health bazaar and interactive workshops encompassing yoga, meditation, nutrition and fitness.

Kimberly Ashton, a nutrition professional at natural foods store Sprout Lifestyle, told the Global Times that people in China are interested in health and wellness but don't have many resources to learn about new practices. The event was heralded as an opportunity for locals to sample the numerous varieties at their disposal.

In her keynote lecture, Ashton recommended traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to facilitate healthier living. With a history of 2,000 years, TCM includes the use of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage and exercise to benefit the body's "vital energy." Detractors of TCM fault the practice for its lack of scientific evidence, but Ashton said she aims to broaden the public's awareness of TCM by organizing Chinese medicine workshops.

Holistic nutrition consultant Jacqueline Zhan and naturopathic doctor Colleen Symmes gave workshops about constitutional eating and where to source clean groceries in Shanghai, a welcome topic for many Chinese and expatriate residents here.

"The best thing you can do is to support growers and brands who genuinely care about the environment," said Zhan, who suggests ordering directly from local organic farms. She cited Biofarm in Chuansha, Shanghai Organics, Fields, Kate & Kimi, Mahota and Green & Safe for vegetables, and specialty stores like Sprout Lifestyle for dried foods, groceries and superfoods.

Pesticide scandals have rocked China's agricultural industry, including the widespread use of banned, toxic pesticides and fertilizers on produce sold in major supermarket chains. According to reports, the use of chemicals in China's agriculture sector is 2.5 times the global average.

"To ensure that the food you are eating has not been poisoned by chemically intensive farming, communities such as Slow Food Shanghai link organic growers, chefs, restaurants and consumers," Zhan said.

Physiotherapy, meditation and holistic healing workshops at the summit covered personal growth. "Sitting eight hours at a desk is terrible for posture," said physiotherapist Eric Yue, who suggested office workers should get up and move around often during the day. "Osteopathy and other practices of adjustment are not only for the injured, they are preventive measures as well," he added.

Yoga and meditation teacher Josephine Ong introduced energy healing through sound, which she said can be achieved with music meditations to get "in-tune" with oneself.

Reiki, another form of energy healing discussed at the summit, is a technique to clear unwanted thoughts and emotions. "We are all made up of energy and prone to blockages," said Gina Heatley, a Doctor of Alternative Medicines and Reiki Master. "Reiki is like an energy detox for our emotional baggage," she said

Reiki was developed by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui in 1922 and has gone on to tremendous worldwide popularity, though many international medical societies have warned against substituting conventional medical treatment with "pseudosciences" such as Reiki.

"Unfortunately, many people don't take the time to understand or try alternative or natural medicines and energy work," Ashton told the Global Times, noting the long histories and numerous benefits of natural therapies and TCM.

Depression and exhaustion, two major concerns among workers caught up in Shanghai's fast-paced life, were also discussed at the summit. "They are two very different conditions but stem from inner negativity, and compounded by stress and not knowing how to unwind and move to a more positive state," Ashton said.

"People exposed to emotional, physical and environmental stress can learn to cope with it by building self-awareness, resilience and good energy flow," she said.

Eden Qin, an attendee of the summit who volunteers at the Shanghai branch of The Art of Living, an educational group that organizes stress management programs, said that finding inner peace is the key to overcoming stress, depression and violence. "Unless we have a stress-free mind and a violence-free society, we will never achieve world peace," Qin said.

The Art of Living was founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, an Indian spiritual teacher and humanitarian leader who is known for going to Iraq as an "ambassador of peace" to persuade terrorist groups to disband. In 2010, Sri Sri became the first ever Indian spiritual leader to visit the Chinese mainland, during which he inaugurated The Art of Living ashrams (spiritual communities) in Beijing and Shanghai.

Sprout Lifestyle, the founders of the Shanghai Asia Wellness Summit, are a local educational retail space that stocks healthy foods, offers "Shanghai's healthiest catering service" and sponsors food-focused workshops and events.

Coconut products on display at a health bazaar at the Asia Wellness Summit

Photo: Fang Shaoqing/GT