COMO Shambhala — the dedicated wellness brand that runs through COMO Hotels and Resorts’ properties across the world — approaches wellbeing as something that begins from within. Alignment, it turns out, is a surprisingly revealing place to start. The way we stand, sit, breathe and move affects far more than appearance; it shapes energy levels, mobility, resilience and even how we experience stress.
Across three very different destinations — the rainforests of Bali, the vineyards of Tuscany and the high valleys of the Italian Dolomites — COMO Shambhala practitioners are helping guests become more aware of how they move, breathe and carry themselves, one small adjustment at a time.
Bali
Finding Balance in the Jungle
There are few places better suited to resetting old habits than COMO Shambhala Estate. Tucked into the lush hills above Ubud, guests have been drawn here for over two decades in search of restoration, whether physical, emotional or simply a chance to pause.
For resident Pilates expert Mins Teo, good posture is not about rigid straightness. It is about helping the body work more efficiently. Long hours spent sitting tighten the chest and hips while gradually weakening the muscles that support the spine, creating imbalances that can eventually feel normal. "Sometimes the body ‘forgets’ where a particular muscle is because it's been unused for a long time," she says.
The result is stiff shoulders, a sore lower back, reduced mobility and a feeling of fatigue that seems disproportionate to the day. Yet these patterns are rarely permanent. Through Pilates, mindful movement and targeted mobility work, Teo can help restore a better balance.
She explains how a 60-minute Pilates session can identify precisely where the body needs strengthening or lengthening, with slow, focused movement rebuilding stability from the inside out. Good posture, Teo says, is a little like stacking Lego blocks: when the body is aligned, everything works with less effort. “When the ribcage moves, the spine thrives,” she adds, highlighting the often-overlooked relationship between posture and breath.
These principles underpin the Estate’s Posture Alignment Wellness Programme. The goal is not perfection, but ease; the feeling of moving through the world with a little less resistance.
Tuscany
Releasing What We Hold
At COMO Castello del Nero, a 12th-century Tuscan estate surrounded by vineyards and rolling hills, the rhythm of the day feels slower. It’s an atmosphere that lends itself to reflection and restoration, and a reminder that wellbeing need not be separate from pleasure. It is here that visiting practitioner Amy Buck brings her ALIGN approach from 1st to 25th September.
Buck’s work begins with a simple observation: many of us spend our lives leaning forwards, both literally and metaphorically. Towards screens. Towards deadlines. Towards the next thing. Over time, those habits can leave the body feeling compressed. The chest narrows, the breath becomes shallower and tension accumulates in places we barely notice.
For Buck, alignment is about more than muscles and joints. The body and nervous system are in constant dialogue; stress and emotion leave their imprint on the way we move and hold ourselves. “The muscles and connective tissue have the most sensory neurons in the body,” explains Buck, “which is why we also need to work with the nervous system." Her practice, combining Pilates with Clinical Somatics and fascial release, is designed to ease long-held tension and encourage more supportive patterns of movement. Even small adjustments in posture can influence the way we breathe, with effects that ripple through physical and emotional wellbeing alike.
For those drawn to something more active, Buck’s ALIGN AntiGravity Fitness sessions use suspended hammocks to combine Pilates, yoga, and strength training in a workout that decompresses the spine and restores flexibility.
From Tuscany to the Dolomites
The Whole-Person Approach
Matteo Pasquali offers another perspective on alignment, one that explores the relationship between breath, emotion and the body. Moving between COMO Hotels and Resorts' two Italian properties, he is a resident practitioner at COMO Alpina Dolomites and will be visiting COMO Castello del Nero from 6th July to 27th August. His work is rooted in the conviction that physical tension is rarely purely physical. “There is a need for whole-person care that takes emotional energy into account,” he says.
When guests arrive carrying the accumulated stress of busy lives, Pasquali’s integrated bodywork sessions offer something that goes deeper than conventional massage. Drawing on traditions including abdominal bodywork informed by Traditional Chinese Medicine, his sessions explore the relationship between body, breath and emotion, working with the internal organs to release stored stress, support digestion and encourage freer, fuller breathing. "Stress or frustration causes blockages that result in trapped energy, restricting the chest and making each breath shallow," he explains. In his view, posture and breath are inseparable: when we breathe more freely, the body responds accordingly. Restoring alignment, then, involves more than muscles and joints; it requires creating the conditions for the body to soften again.
Whether in the rainforests of Bali, among the vineyards of Chianti, or in the shadow of the Dolomites, the invitation is ultimately the same: to become more aware of how we are carrying ourselves and consider what we might be ready to set down, finding a greater sense of ease between body, breath and mind.
To book a session with a COMO Shambhala resident expert or visiting practitioner, or for more information, click here.
