Latest news with #paradise
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Brooke Shields celebrates 60th birthday with bikini shoot
Brooke Shields celebrated her 60th birthday in paradise. The Blue Lagoon actress took to Instagram Saturday to share photos of herself rocking a black bikini while lounging on a hammock on the beach. 'Woke up in Paradise … and in a new decade of life,' she captioned the post. 'This is 60! Thank you for all the birthday love.' Shields styled her beach day look with a wide-brimmed hat and choker necklace. The Hollywood star didn't disclose the tropical location where she was enjoying her milestone birthday. In honour of the big day, her haircare brand, Commence, also shared 'a non-exhaustive list' of 'propaganda' she refuses to believe as she gets older. 'That 60 means slowing down,' read text on an Instagram Reel of Shields at a photo shoot. 'That change is only for your twenties. That it's too late to learn something new. That my best days are in the rearview. 'That women 'of a certain age' aren't a force to be reckoned with. That I don't deserve products made specifically for me. That not every day can be a good hair day.' Shields got candid about ageing in a November 2023 interview with Glamour magazine, confessing she's afraid of certain cosmetic injectables. 'I'm scared of not looking like myself; the times that I've had Botox, I end up with this Spock eye and I'm like, 'I don't look like myself,'' she said at the time. 'But I'll get Fraxels, and peels, and whatever the newest thing is, and I'll try it. I just don't want to not look like myself.' But Shields has maintained her youthful glow; she stunned as she hit the beach in another bikini in April. At the time, the former model flaunted her figure while lying in the sand in the Bahamas wearing a black-and-white two-piece. The Mother of the Bride star went makeup-free, accessorising with a gold necklace and statement bracelets. This story originally appeared on Page Six
The Guardian
18-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
My sister was diagnosed with cancer – and it taught me the meaning of surrender
When I was a kid, my sister's favourite biblical passage was from the gospel according to Luke. 'Suffer little children to come unto me,' Jesus told his disciples, 'for of such is the Kingdom of God.' My sister had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and she understood Jesus to be saying that children like her, who felt pain, would inherit paradise. Her favourite saints were the youthful martyrs – Angela of Fatima, Bernadette of Lourdes, Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower. Every week my parish gathered to pray for my sister and the priest offered up her suffering, everyone's suffering, all the suffering of the world, to God. When I heard the priest's words, I heard: distance, inferiority, unworthiness. I did not understand how my suffering would be of any material use to God. How would surrendering my suffering, or that of my sister, change anything? Many of the world's dominant religions have a tradition of surrendering to a higher power. The neuroscientist and psychiatrist Judson Brewer calls this the 'universe prompt' – a reminder to let go of the small self, stepping into that most coveted of creative states, which the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi famously called 'flow'. This is a state in which a person becomes completely immersed in an activity. The inner critic is quiet and the work becomes its own reward. In 2015 scientists studied intense Islamic prayer, which encourages the adherent to 'surrender' the self to God. The study found that this type of prayer reduced the activity in the prefrontal cortex, frontal and parietal lobes, quieting the decision-making parts of the mind and reducing stress. Later studies have confirmed the role of the inferior parietal lobe in spiritual experiences. Spiritual practices can dampen the activity in the IPL, correlating with profound shifts in the perception of agency and the sense of the body in space and time. In other words, spiritual practices can induce a sense of being part of something bigger than oneself and a sense of surrender to that something bigger. Practices of surrender allow a person to feel wrapped in love, laying down their burdens, being at rest. Think of elite athletes who kiss their crosses or form a prayer huddle before a game, putting their fates in the hands of a higher power. Such acts may induce a much-needed sense of calm in high-pressure circumstances, allowing these individuals to enter into 'flow', akin to an experience of grace. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, theorised that it is human nature to get caught up in material aspirations: we spend much of our lives in doing mode, striving for status. To help people recall, over and over again, their core relation to the universe, Muhammad instituted a system of regular prayer. Five times a day, Muslims hear the call to prayer, the adhan which translates as 'to listen'. Muslims turn towards Mecca and contemplate their connection to something greater than themselves. According to religious scholars of Islam, each time a Muslim prays in this way, they fulfil their two key obligations to God: gratitude and surrender. In a similar vein, Jesus implored his followers to remember him each time they broke bread together. Buddhists spend hours drilling their minds in the skill of attending to every moment, thus becoming aware of the ultimate nature of reality as empty and impermanent. They practise existing in both a state of surrender and agency at once. Such practices might become rote over time, conjuring not connection but boredom. 'Routine' comes from the Old French word rute, meaning 'road, way, path' from the Latin rupta, meaning a road opened by force, from the Latin rumpere, 'to break'. This is the thing about routine. It allows for surrender and comfort but requires a person to come back to it as if for the first time, every time, applying deep concentration to break through, opening a path to grace by force. Spiritual surrender is not the same as doing nothing. Islam, Buddhism and Christianity exhort their followers to be of service to others, to work for the common good. As the Christian medieval mystic Teresa of Ávila wrote in her poem, 'Yours are the hands through which he [Jesus] blesses all the world.' As I got older and learned to read, I realised that my sister had misinterpreted the biblical quote about suffering little children. Jesus was simply telling his disciples to let parents bring their children to him for a blessing. By then, my sister's memory and attention had started to fail. I didn't correct her. I hoped that she could offer up her suffering and, for a moment, feel that it was holy. I let her hold on to the belief that her pain had purpose. I hoped it brought her some comfort – that, even briefly, her suffering might feel sacred. Jackie Bailey is the author of The Eulogy, the winner of the 2023 NSW premier's literary multicultural award. When not writing, she works as a funeral celebrant and pastoral care practitioner, helping families navigate death and dying
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BBC drops first look trailer for sizzling new dating show Stranded On Honeymoon Island
The BBC dropped a first look trailer on Friday for its sizzling new dating show, Stranded On Honeymoon Island. Stranded On Honeymoon Island is a bold and original reality dating format that sees twelve unlucky-in-love singletons matched into couples who marry on the spot - then immediately begin their honeymoon on a remote tropical island. Davina McCall, 57, will host the show, guiding the newlyweds as their instant marriages are put to the test in paradise. In the new trailer, Davina is seen strolling along a picturesque beach as she announces: 'Hey guys, I have got something so special for you, 'BBC's brand-new dating show, where twelve unlucky-in-love singles are stranded on honeymoon island. 'If they can make it through this together, they can make it through anything! Will they thrive in isolation and find love - Or will they flare out?' The reality show sees twelve unlucky-in-love singletons matched into couples who marry on the spot - then immediately begin their honeymoon on a remote tropical island Speaking about the show in March, Davina told the BBC: 'I am a serial matchmaker…. So I jumped at the chance to host the BBC's new dating show. 'I can't wait to meet our couples and find out how they get on when they're Stranded on Honeymoon Island. For some it will be challenging and others, idyllic!!! Hopefully it's the start of some very beautiful relationships.' Davina is one of the UK's most beloved TV personalities, with a career spanning over three decades. She's known as a presenter, author, and fitness guru, and is no stranger to dating shows, having hosted StreetMate (Channel 4), Singled Out (MTV) and most recently My Mum, Your Dad (ITV). She will meet the contestants at their first speed dating event in London before they are matched into six couples and sent to a tropical island for the experience of a lifetime. Isolated and pitted against the forces of nature, will true love blossom - or burn out? On these remote beaches, fledgling relationships are soon put to the test as couples live out their honeymoons together and fend for themselves with minimal resources. With nowhere to run when the going gets tough, they must communicate and collaborate to survive. In the new trailer, she announces: 'Hey guys, I have got something so special for you, BBC's brand-new dating show, where twelve unlucky-in-love singles are stranded on honeymoon island' Will escaping modern life bring them closer together - or push them apart? Will it lead to love…or loathing? CPL's Murray Boland said: 'We're thrilled to be working with Davina on this project. 'Stranded on Honeymoon Island is a fascinating relationship experiment and there's no one better than Davina to lead viewers on this dramatic journey as the couples navigate new love in their time together on the island.' Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC, added: 'Davina is the ideal addition to this bold and innovative dating reality show. 'On Stranded on Honeymoon Island, Davina will be the perfect guide for viewers as the couples embark on the love story of a lifetime where the newlyweds are put to the ultimate test. 'We're delighted to be working with her alongside the brilliant team at CPL. It's a match made in heaven!'
The Guardian
16-05-2025
- The Guardian
‘Gazing at the Indian Ocean is a therapy in itself': welcome to the world of luxe hotel wellness
Sited on a coral atoll, with six sandy swooshes of beach, Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa fits anyone's idea of paradise. Curving wooden jetties lead to cabanas built on stilts above the Indian Ocean. Equally joyous is the transfer from airport to island. A resort speedboat zips for 20 minutes across aquamarine shallows, under which whale sharks, giant mantas and 1,000 other sea life species play. It's paradise found. Yet Amingiri is special even among the 1,192 islands of the Maldives. The resort exudes a life-affirming magic that's hard to find elsewhere. Parents, couples and solo travellers report that they leave feeling younger than when they arrived. This Indian Ocean sanctuary is a tonic for the soul. The person in charge of guests' mental and physical journey is Marisol Cerniaz, the resort's director of wellness and leisure. She has the experience to visualise a remedy simply by seeing the emotion on a guest's face or the pressure on their shoulders. 'But you don't just quickly tell them their treatment, or recommend a certain massage,' Cerniaz says. Nor prescribe a fitness regime in the gym, or aerial yoga above the ocean. 'It takes time to have an intimate conversation to personalise their experience,' she says. Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa is an island of tranquility in the Indian Ocean Cerniaz's dedication to wellness has a personal resonance. 'I was sickly when I was young,' she recalls. 'So my grandmother [in the Philippines' remote Eastern Visayas islands] practised on me.' The region is renowned for traditional healing. As a young girl, Cerniaz learned timeless techniques such as hilot, a massage-like stroking method that aims to remove negative energy, and bentosa, a cupping therapy said to draw toxins from the body. 'Now, wellness for me is about giving the service back and rejuvenating others,' she says. The journey to rejuvenation can be emotional. When guests arrive at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri Spa & Resort, 'it is part of the experience for them to let go of whatever personal emotions they have', Cerniaz says. A visitor may have lost someone, or be discovering someone new. They might have cause to celebrate, or take stock of life. 'When they do sunrise yoga, or starlight meditation, they feel comfortable to release their worries.' 'Wellness for me is about giving the service back and rejuvenating others,' says Cerniaz Cerniaz is backed by a team of fitness specialists, yoga teachers, salon stylists, masseurs and podiatrists, ensuring wellness is tackled from all angles. And, to refresh the wellness experience, visiting health practitioners stay for a month or more in residence, bringing healing techniques such as acupuncture and sound baths. 'Right now,' says Cerniaz, 'we have a visiting gyrokinetic practitioner, who works on spine movement and flexibility for all ages.' Feeling young never gets old. Speaking of feeling young, kids and teenagers are welcome to experience the benefits of wellness for themselves, with a specially curated offering for their specific needs, thanks to the resort's kids' club – one of the largest in the Maldives. Junior guests have their own pool and spa packages with massages and manicures, while teenagers can be tempted from their phones to engage in high-intensity Tabata workouts, kayak competitions and tubing games. Whisper it, but teens may even prefer a break from their own parents on vacation. Guests can make their stay as active or relaxing as they wish Part of the wellness process is pressing pause on 'the real world' by forging new memories. The Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa is a small island with big adventures. Expect starlit movie screenings, turtle snorkel safaris and the first cocktail laboratory in the Maldives. For sporty guests, the resort has a futsal field, a multi-purpose court and, now, a padel arena. Some visitors like to paint with watercolours in the evening, as the sky ripens into a watermelon sunset above the swaying palms. Therapy comes in many forms. Sound baths are among the many therapies on offer Guests can continue their relaxation in restaurants such as Habitat, which crafts dishes like achari jhinga, marinated Sri Lankan tiger prawns cooked in a tandoor and served with mint chutney. There are scores of ways to de-stress. Perhaps the most celebrated healer in the Maldives is the Indian Ocean itself. Guests rejuvenate in one of 108 seaside villas, each with a private outdoor pool. Overwater villas can access the warm sea directly via their own staircase. Resort guests stay in seaside villas, each with a private pool The resort's dive shop has added to the local reef by sinking discarded items in front of the Habitat restaurant, including a bike, metal furniture and glass bottles, which coral grows upon. This shallow aquatic playground has become a nursery for baby blacktip sharks. They regularly corkscrew up above the water in pursuit of reef fish. They share the waters around the reef with clownfish, snappers, parrotfish, stingrays, lobsters and schools of jackfish. The resort's resident marine biologist can accompany divers farther out. 'There are more than 30 dive sites nearby,' says Cerniaz. Out here, reef manta rays make their ghostly processions, humphead wrasse rise languorously through the ether, while butterflyfish perform dazzling dances as they tenaciously defend their territory. It's Finding Nemo in real life. Wellness may be timeless but attitudes have changed during Cerniaz's 20-year career as a practitioner. 'Years ago, wellness was considered a luxury,' she says. 'These days, many guests want to return from holiday rejuvenated and ready to face life again.' For some guests, wellness might be as simple as paddling in a glass-bottomed kayak with their partner. And that's totally OK, says Cerniaz. 'For me, gazing at the Indian Ocean is a therapy in itself.' Discover Southeast Asia and Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa today
