Ayurveda is the wisdom of life and healthy living. The notion of Veda (knowledge) and Ayu (life) together began over 5,000 years ago. The most ancient Sankhya Philosophy identified the close relationship between man and the universe and realized that therein lies a connection - a cosmic consciousness, an existence rooted in balance and harmony.

Not a worry, not a care. Rivers and mountains everywhere. Though only a two-hour flight from Shanghai, Yangshuo is worlds away from the urban jungle.

I've been away from Shanghai for 14 hours, and I wake in a fuzzy near-dream state convinced for a moment that I haven't left at all, but rather that the city has miraculously transformed around me.

Outside my window, shadowy towers jut into misty skies, creating a sense of endlessness familiar to anyone who knows Shanghai's relentlessly vertical cityscape and persistent atmospheric haze: It goes on forever.