Wellness / How to Live Rikli’s Way

The Swiss healer Arnold Rikli was the first to recognise the healing benefits of Bled, building the first natural healing resort here in the 19th century. At the Rikli Balance Hotel, we continue his tradition with the desire and commitment to offer our guests the perfect environment to relax and overcome stress.

Date: 11. 10. 2023

Arnold Rikli - Pioneer of Natural Healing in Bled, and originator of atmospheric healing

Arnold Rikli (1823-1906) discovered Bled by recommendation from his uncle Moser, director of the red dyehouse in Ajdovščina, who recommended the hidden gem of the Slovenian Alps as a place for him to gather his strength while recovering from a serious illness. Upon his very first visit in 1852, he was fascinated by the freshness of the air, the purity of the lake, the mild Alpine climate, and the stunning view of the Julian Alps, all of which restored his vitality. He took advantage of the natural resources here, and set up a natural healing institution in which he treated thousands of patients in later years. For the first 10 years, he worked as a hydropathist, but when he noticed that cold water was too aggressive, especially for patients with more severe ailments, he began to introduce milder methods, such as light, air and sun baths. He later used water only as an additional element for hardening, or so-called contrasting of opposites. As the founder of atmospheric health treatment, he also takes most of the credit for starting organised spa tourism in Bled.
Photo: Turizem Bled

Beneficial Power of Air, Water and Sun

In order to improve his well-being, he relied on the natural elements of Bled - air, water, and sun. He advocated plenty of exercise in fresh air, a moderate but quality vegetarian diet, and invigorating sleep. Living Rikli’s way means getting up before sunrise, drinking fresh Bled water on an empty stomach, walking barefoot on a meadow covered with morning dew, enjoying light meals, swimming, sunbathing, as well as plenty of walking and hiking in the fresh alpine air.

200th anniversary of the birth of Arnold Rikli

In 2023, on February 13th to be precise, we are set to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Arnold Rikli, who greatly influenced the development of spa health treatments in Bled. On this venerable anniversary, we at the Rikli Balance Hotel will pay tribute to him in many different ways, with special attention also being paid to the Swiss healer by the Bled Municipality, which is further developing Rikli's hiking trails and publications about his legacy.

More about the hotel

The Rikli Balance Hotel – Tradition and Local Stories in the Service of Wellbeing

The very name, Rikli Balance Hotel, already hints at the story of the local environment’s rich wellness tradition, started by the pioneer of natural healing in Bled - Arnold Rikli. In addition to his story, the hotel rooms also tell the stories of the Carniolan honey bees, traditional Gorenjska embroidery, gingerbread hearts and spruces from the nearby Pokljuka plateau. Discover local and traditional dishes in our restaurants, and relax in the wellness centre by treating yourself to alpine and honey treatments. If you want to take advantage of the beneficial effects of nature and recharge your batteries with the goal of better health and well-being, the Rikli Balance Hotel is perfect for you.

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Gastronomy Rikli’s Way at the Rikli Balance Hotel

Arnold Rikli was a proponent of ascetic and vegetarian diets. His menu consisted of local, fresh and healthy ingredients, which can also be found at the Rikli Balance Hotel restaurant. Some of the foods approved by Rikli himself that you can find on our breakfast and dinner menus are:

Breakfast:

Honeycomb
Nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds)
Millet groats with dried fruit
Local cheeses (Bobek, Planika, Blejski)
Crepes
Semolina porridge
Fresh local fruit
French toast
Dried fruits (prunes, dried apples, dried pears)
Oatmeal with honey
Local yogurt
Prnikar's cottage cheese
Pancakes
Rice pudding
Semolina pudding with roasted almonds and raisins

Dinner:

Potato soup
Pea soup
Bean soup
Salads
Spinach cannelloni
Potato with cream
Buckwheat porridge with porcini mushrooms
Corn polenta (from Bohinj "trdinka" corn) with cottage cheese
Apple strudel
Fruit compotes (pear, apricot, plum, cherry)
Hash browns
Plum cake
Barley soup
Lentil soup
Boiled and roasted vegetables
Traditional dumplings with cottage cheese
Potato rolls
Pot barley with vegetables
Spelt porridge with leeks and tomatoes
Polenta
Sour cherry strudel
Rikli’s vegetable soup
Potato "štrukelj" (rolled dumpling)

Vegetarian menu according to Arnold Rikli at the Julijana Restaurant

You can try the vegetarian menu according to Arnold Rikli at the Julijana Restaurant in Grand Hotel Toplice, starting on 8 April 2022. In addition to superb dishes made from seasonal vegetables, the menu also features many delicious desserts.

Vegetarijanski Meni Julijana

Vodena »Riklijeva Športna Animacija«

Vsako soboto med 19. 3. 2022 in 30. 4. 2022 smo v Rikli Balance Hotelu za goste organizirali brezplačne jutranje in popoldanske vodene vadbe pripravljene po Riklijevem konceptu. Programi se bodo izvajali v Riklijevem sprostitvenem parku, v primeru slabega vremena pa v joga sobi v Wellnessu Živa. V skrbno pripravljenem programu smo upoštevali Riklijeve modrosti in jih zaradi stresnega načina življenja sodobnega človeka prilagodili ter se še bolj celovito povezali s telesom in naravo. Prepričani smo, da boste po vadbi začutili večjo povezanost s svojim telesom, počutili se boste kot prerojeni, a hkrati umirjeni, sproščeni ter lahkotni. Namen je, da naše skrbno izbrane nasvete odnesete s sabo domov in jih vključite v svoje vsakodnevne rituale.

Jutranja vadba med 8. in 9. uro – Prebujanje telesa po Riklijevo

Jutranjo gibalno animacijo pričnemo s krajšo meditacijo, s katero obrnemo svoje zavedanje v vsa svoja čutila (dotik, voh, sluh, vid ter okus) ter vse elemente okoli nas (zemlja, zrak, voda in ogenj – simbolično njegovo vlogo prevzame kamen). Bosi nadaljujemo z nežnim gibalnim delom, ki bo v kombinaciji z dihanjem in vajami za spodbuditev nežnega razstrupljanja vseh toksinov iz organizma, izboljšal cirkulacijo telesa od stopal do glave.

Popoldanska vadba med 18. in 19. uro - Riklijeva priprava na spanje

Po celodnevnih aktivnostih je treba umiriti živčni sistem in vzpodbuditi procese obnove ter telo pripraviti na kvaliteten spanec. Izberite si drevo, ki bo v 60 minutah popoldanske vadbe vaš najboljši prijatelj v procesu ozemljitve. Skrbno izbrane vaje bodo pozornost ponovno obrnile na vaše telo, v vas zbudile občutek hvaležnosti in ljubezni do sebe, ponovno povezale vaš ženski in moški princip, vaš jin in jang, vašo desno in levo polovico, vašo zunanjost in notranjost. Bližina in dotik drevesa vas bosta umirila in prizemljila, kratko sproščanje na koncu športne animacije pa pripravilo na krepčilen spanec.

Individualne vodene vadbe za posameznika, par ali družino

Vaditeljica Barbara je za posameznike, pare ali družine, ki bi si želeli dodatne vadbe, pripravila tudi posebne programe, ki jih lahko rezervirate z doplačilom. Vsako uro gibanja na svežem zraku pod njenim budnim očesom zaključi s sprostitvenim vložkom, vsem, ki ste pod večjim stresom pa predlagamo, da poizkusite njen edinstven sprostitven tretma z zvočnimi vilicami. Zvočna terapija bo pripomogla h globoki sprostitvi in uravnovešanju vašega telesa, duha in duše.

Preživite dan kot Arnold Rikli

04.30/05.00

Vstanite pred sončnim vzhodom. Na tešče popijte kozarec sveže vode iz pipe. Povzpnite se na katerega izmed okoliških hribov: Stražo, Ojstrico, Osojnico ali dlje na Talež ali Hom. Na vrhu najprej opravite zračno kopel: petkrat globoko vdihnite ter naredite 10 počepov, sklec in poskokov. Sledi naj ji svetlobna kopel v prvih sončnih žarkih.

8.30 – 9.00

Na pot se odpravite v lahki obleki in udobni obutvi, na travnatih odsekih se po rosni travi sprehodite bosi, s čimer boste zmasirali stopala in prekrvavili telo. Namesto na katerega izmed okoliških hribov lahko bosi prehodite Riklijevo bosonogo pot v Riklijevem sprostitvenem parku ob hotelu, kjer prav tako opravite prvo jutranjo zračno in svetlobno kopel.

9.00 – 10.00

V hotelski restavraciji si privoščite zdrav zajtrk. Izberite brezmesne jedi: domač črn kruh, maslo in med, lokalne mlečne izdelke, proseno kašo s suhim sadjem, sveže sadje in zelenjavo. Pijte svežo vodo ali nesladkan zeliščni čaj.

10.00 – 12.00

Na obali Blejskega jezera opravite dopoldansko svetlobno kopel, sledi naj ji vodna kopel v jezeru. Po hladnem kopanju v hitrejšem tempu prehodite del poti ob jezeru, da si ponovno ogrejete telo.

12.00 – 14.00

Udeleženci Riklijevih terapij so opoldne drugič zajtrkovali, vi pa lahko v aperitiv barih hotelov ali v Kavarni Park, na obali jezera, pojeste láhko kosilo. Hrana mora biti izključno vegetarijanska, pijte le svežo vodo. Ne najejte se do sitega, saj obedu sledijo nove aktivnosti!

14.00 - 19.00

Na obali jezera lahko ponovite zračne, svetlobne in vodne kopeli. Zaključite jih z daljšo hojo. Priporočamo pot okoli jezera ali vzpon na bližnji Stražo ali Ojstrico, od koder se razteza čudovit razgled na grad in jezero z otočkom. Po aktivnem dnevu si v Wellnessu Živa privoščite masažo in savno ter se okopajte v termalni vodi, ki še poveča učinek wellness tretmajev.

19.00 – 20.00

Čas za večerjo. Izberite lahke in izključno vegetarijanske jedi, priporočamo jedi iz sestavin oz. pridelkov lokalnih dobaviteljev.

20.00 – 21.00

Izposodite si podlogo za jogo in naredite večerne vaje ali meditirajte v Riklijevem sprostitvenem parku.

21.00

Arnold Rikli je priporočal zgodnje spanje. Ob 21.00 je moral biti v njegovem zdravilišču popoln mir. Po aktivnem dnevu se bo okrepčilen spanec še kako prilegel. V novo jutro se boste zbudili kot prerojeni!

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Ritual Riklijev dan v Wellnessu Živa

Ritual Riklijev dan je program za popolno sprostitev in regeneracijo telesa in duha, prirejen po izbranih Riklijevih metodah naravnega zdravljenja. Vključuje neomejen obisk savn z bazeni, brisačo, rjuho, čaj in vodo, izbrani zeliščni piling v savni, zdrav obrok v aperitiv baru hotela, masažo (50 min) s snopki iz smrekovih vršičkov, ki temelji na eteričnih oljih, ki se ob visokih temperaturah sproščajo iz vršičkov, povitih v posebne snopke (tapkanje s toplimi snopki po telesu deluje blagodejno in sprostilno), zdrav napitek v sobi za sproščanje in darilo presenečenja.