Does yoga enlightenment have to pass by hair shirt and sandals? In a quest to recuperate (my waistline as well as my liver) after another year of touring and tasting my way through the French vineyards I experimented with several different approaches to Indian philosophy, health and food in the Indian Ocean.

Seduced by India last year during a teaching road-show there last year, I sadly didn’t have time to experience more than a quick yoga class and one Ayurvedic massage but the seeds were sown. However visas to India are a pain and the Indian experience can sometimes be just a little too authentic for those with only 10 days or so in which to approach an enlightened state. Or for those of us not just too soft around the middle but altogether too soft! So, thought I, Mauritius with its palm tree lined white beaches and a distinct Hindi accent could be the best of both worlds. ??This jewel of the Indian ocean has been Dutch, French and English before its current status as an independent republic. The Indian influence exists since the 1800s when under British rule they were ‘invited over’ from the subcontinent to work in agriculture, essentially on the sugar cane plantations. The population is mainly Hindi and Tamil, as seen in the beautiful temples throughout the island. On feast days such as Cavadee in January the Tamils dress in beautiful bright pink and in February the Hindi population collect in their thousands around the statue of Shiva at the holy site of Grand Bassin to celebrate Maha Shivaratee.
The people are welcoming, gentle and slow, so leave your urban impatience at the plane door as it will do you no good here. Our driver explained that the French said drive on right, the English on the left so now he drives in the middle and he’s not the only one! Locals will stop in the middle of the road with little or no warning just to chat, drop someone off or nip out to buy some fruit and veg from a roadside stall. So for those of us coming seeking nirvana start by seeking out a driver!

Having experienced the wonderful welcome and service in Oberoi hotels in India we were neither surprised nor disappointed by the wonderful welcome at the Mauritius Oberoi, despite unseasonal pouring rain on our arrival. Situated in the north West of the Island not far from Grand Bay which has some of the best shopping on the Island (not that that was part of our quest of course – but more on that to follow) the Oberoi is a haven of peace with luxurious tropical gardens leading down to the ocean front. As the house cocktail (alcohol free honest) was presented to us in the Pavillon overlooking the carp pool, out came the sun and all was well with the world.
All the staff salute you with Namaste when you are making your way through the gardens to spa, pool or restaurant which along with the peacefully beautiful location and a pool from which children are forbidden made us feel the possibility of our quest reaching fulfilment.
The daily Yoga and Thai chi classes and the wonderful spa with Indonesian trained therapists helped combat the effects of the tempting local Cuisine as did the sympathetic and happily, non judgmental trainer at the fitness centre! The cuisine was international with the Italian chef, Igor Bocchia at the helm, but influenced by the Indian and Creole tradition and the local exotic produce. In an attempt to reinforce future healthy eating habits one of the local Mauritian chefs, took us into the busy kitchen for an initiation into the local Creole cuisine. And we proudly lunched on our very own prepared Rougaille.

In conclusion we could have been healthy and the spa staff did their best but fine dining got the better of us. Mind you it all looks a little better tanned – and the beach and pools were world class so that solved that one.

However if we really wanted to pursue our goal of getting healthy we would have to try harder – to be continued!