Busy lives can lead to bad habits. Welcome to the reboot retreat, a tropical sanctuary dedicated to a new - more wholesome - you, writes Alaana Cobon.

A fast-paced city life had steadily become an affliction I was struggling to cope with, and I longed to be free, even if only fleetingly.

So when Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa Resort on Koh Samui, Thailand came onto my radar, I decided it was an opportunity to draw a line in the sand, to reset my lifestyle with health and wellbeing at its core. Kamalaya is, without exaggeration, a little slice of heaven. For me, the spiritual, emotional and physical journey began at Koh Samui's open-pavilion airport, where I was met by Thada, one of the staff who would enrich my stay on the island. We drove 45 minutes south east, through beautiful ramshackle towns, until Kamalaya came into view - whereupon my stomach flipped at the thought of what I was about to embark on.

I had convinced myself that Kamalaya would be full of women contorting into difficult yoga poses, starving on detox diets and lying flat-stomached by the pool, and wondered where my winter-white, winter-weight self would squeeze in. What I found, however, was a cheer squad of co-retreaters of all genders and shapes whose support turned out to be a fundamental part of the experience.

After arriving at the reception pavilion I was brought iced hibiscus tea to combat the heat, then transferred by buggy to my freestanding split-level villa, with an outdoor bathroom that afforded me the glorious opportunity of showering in private in the middle of a sun shower.

From the shade of my balcony, I studied the holistic activities, a weekly opt-in timetable of tai chi, Pilates, yoga, zumba and beach walks, peppered with concerts, movies and workshops, then cross-referenced it with my personal agenda - ample time for leisure and physical transformation.

After a dip in the resort's pool, Kamalaya's famed cuisine beckoned. Its detox juice, I found out, is not as intimidating as the name implies. Made of coconut water, pineapple juice and a little Thai basil, it quickly became a favourite. The banana-flower salad was fresh, crisp and full of flavour and the coconut and lemongrass stew, thick with vegetables, felt wholly nourishing. I discover that Kamalaya is not a place to starve yourself to eliminate toxins, it's about providing your body with nutrients to assist healing and rejuvenation. Even the next morning's wheatgrass shooter was more tolerable with this philosophy front of mind.

Each program here is preceded by a biolelectrical impedance analysis. An undetectable electrical pulse was sent through my body to assess cellular health, hydration, fat mass, lean-muscle tissue and my basal metabolic rate. The results, a little confronting, helped me to choose the Ideal Weight program from the list of options.

A consultation with Emma, an English naturopath who would be tracking my progress, uncovered some naïve mistakes I'd made at home. I hadn't realised fruit had such high levels of sugar and one to two servings a day is enough. Or that it's best for digestion not to drink while eating a meal. She offered simple swaps and new behaviours that would help me reach my targets. To my delight, snacking was encouraged, especially when protein was involved. Breakfast was mandatory (though my favourite, turkish toast, was quickly scratched from the meal plan) and dinner deemed as no later than 7.30pm for digestion to merrily occur (one of the trickiest rules to stick to).

Over the next seven days, my holistic line-up of eastern and western therapies was backed up by a nutritional detox diet that eliminated coffee, alcohol, dairy foods and red meat, all of which you can have at Kamalaya, but I was keen to see results quickly, to give me every chance of continuing these new behaviours in the real world.

It began on night one with a herbal scrub and wrap and through the week with chi nei tsang, deep abdominal massages to help eliminate toxins. I sweated it out in numerous infra-red sauna sessions to boost my metabolic rate and assist fat burning, a form of torture when on one occasion I forgot to take my book along for the half-hour swelter. I've always been curious about acupuncture and I was surprised when the practitioner could tell things such as the health of my organs through my pulse. He then gently inserted needles to stimulate my weight loss, and worked on a niggling hip problem I'd left untreated for years.

A fitness evaluation and personal training sessions at the fitness centre were far from the suffering I had expected and a final nutritional consultation with Emma meant I could weigh-in and measure the results of my hard work. Kamalaya has an emphasis on bespoke, which is evident in its very foundations. Each area is purpose-built and common buildings have few or no external walls to enable increased connection to nature. Even the dining pavilion opens to the lush trees beyond, and was at its most dramatic during a tropical downpour at breakfast.

The yoga pavilion, high on the hillside, is simply a broad timber platform with a conical roof held in place by pillars. Yoga drew me out of bed on the first few days but as I progressed into the detox cycle, withdrawing from the toxins that kept me going at home, I could not keep up the level of activity I desired. Staff encouraged me to listen to my body, to allow it to rejuvenate, and by keeping a pace that suited me, I found optimum results when my vigour returned.

Kamalaya founders John and Karina Stewart have worked hard to create a sanctuary that brings together their passion for spirituality and Asian healing. Each person I met had a different reason for visiting Kamalaya. Some sought relaxation, others were signed up to the burnout packages, while a program-free stay was also welcomed, with treatments booked on an à la carte basis. During the day we separately explored different therapies and workshops, and at night over dinner we would compare or debate the merits of biocybernetic diagnosis or chakra clearing.

On my last night one of the restaurant managers popped a pencil and paper on our table. "Take this paper and write down your wishes," she said. "Soon we'll all go to the beach to release them on sky lanterns." It was a wonderful sight, watching them float up into the night sky.

Back home, armed with the lessons I learned, I now feel able to combat (and avoid) some of my detrimental habits. Even after difficult days, it's easy to pick up again, start afresh and once again, begin living my life fully.

Getting to Kamalaya
Thai Airways flies 34 times weekly from Australian capital cities to Bangkok, with twice daily connections from Bangkok to Koh Samui. Return fares start from $1076. 1300 651 960.

Then just stay...
A hillside room at Kamalaya starts from about $214 per night. A beachfront villa at Kamalaya starts from $652 per night.

...or do a wellness program
Kamalaya wellness programs run for between three and 14 nights. Programs start from $1573 and include all program-specific treatments, three daily meals and airport transfers. Options include Ideal Weight, Optimal Fitness, Detox, Stress and Burnout, and Yoga programs. Kamalaya, +66 (0) 77 429 800.