This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on November 9, 2015.

AS a means of healing from the trauma of two miscarriages, Shobie Malani went to Bali to regain some peace. Clichéd as it may have seemed, it was panacea for her spirit as she turned to natural ways to cure her broken heart and injured body. “I was at the BaliSpirit Festival, which is a truly inspiring celebration of global communities, world music and well-being. It was an incredible experience and I returned to Kuala Lumpur feeling genuinely relaxed and happy,” she recalls.

Shobie realised that Malaysia needed an urban rejuvenation festival just like the one she attended in Bali, as KLites were getting increasingly caught up in the rat race and people were getting busier. “I didn’t see why it couldn’t be held here. The demand certainly exists,” she said, and soon reached out to the BaliSpirit organisers for help. They responded immediately, and Shobie was thrilled about getting her idea off the ground.

She also soon became pregnant. “Clearly being in Bali and applying all those wellness principles worked for me. And I truly believe they will work for other people too. When I successfully conceived, I was even more convinced that Kuala Lumpur needed this,” she said.

Once her daughter was old enough, Shobie paid more attention to the other baby she was looking to raise — an urban wellness festival that features carefully curated content to suit the needs of busy Malaysians eager for a break. That made the format clear, which was a weekend getaway that provided an escape from the bustle of city life.

Then, she started pulling together facilitators to ensure the festival, had, first and foremost, a strong menu of compelling content that stayed true to spirit of natural healing. And that was how the Malaysia Urban Retreat Festival (Murfest) was born.

“The main aim of Murfest is to educate the young and invigorate the souls of our seniors to embrace a wellness or fitness practice that they can adapt into their lifestyles. I need to say this — we are not reinventing the wheel here, nor are we doing anything that’s not been done before,” she says.

“Most people have been exposed to at least one of these workshops. What we are doing is bringing communities together to gain knowledge, to change mindsets, to cultivate a mindful and healthy society. Also, we are making wellness solutions accessible and available to a wider audience.”

Although Murfest was modelled after the BaliSpirit Festival, Shobie knew it needed to be less rustic and more sophisticated for the local audience. For its first edition, Murfest was held in Putrajaya to provide an in-city retreat experience. Based on feedback from friends and fans, Murfest has been moved a more central location — this year, it will be held in Pullman’s new hotel in Bangsar.

However, Murfest will not be held in your typical urban hotel setting, as social enterprise Biji Biji has been brought on board to create the perfect physical environment for the festival. “Biji Biji is into upcycling, and that is part of what we want to do as well — we encourage everyone to bring your own water bottles, we are discouraging plastic bags … I guess it’s a little hippie that way,” she laughs.

Murfest’s passes allow access to stunning content, running the gamut from yoga workshops to dance classes, from sound healing sessions to world music concerts. They are run by some of the world’s best — many of whom Shobie first met in Bali, who are more than eager to further develop knowledge and understanding of their respective fields.

Shobie, who runs Murfest with her husband Nitesh, has relied on his network of contacts to obtain the necessary support — this includes from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Fit Malaysia and the Malaysian Health Promotion Board. Murfest, with its wholesome proposition, is very much aligned with the government’s push toward a more comprehensive approach to health and its drive to promote wellness tourism.

“Bringing the event to Kuala Lumpur from Putrajaya is good for the Murfest brand, because we have big dreams for it that go beyond just one weekend here. We hope to establish a model that can be reproduced in other cities like Johor Baru or Penang,” Shobie says. “We are getting more corporate support now so I can see how Murfest has the potential to grow. In fact, we see this as a touring national programme and in 2017, we hope to go regional.”

Passes to the festival begin at RM89 for single-day entry up to RM499 for both days including the concert. To purchase tickets or for the full schedule of events, visit www. murfest.com.

Some of the highlights of this year’s MurFest are:

Yoga

Murfest features a robust yoga schedule with a variety of suitable workshops and styles of yoga that are ideal for beginners, experienced yogis and anyone in between. Facilitators include Malaysians Manoj Kaimal and Atilia Haron, and Thai-Canadian Vikasa yoga expert Konstantin “Kosta” Miachin.

Dance

Awaken your spirit, free your mind and reconnect with your body through dance and movement. From Bhangra and Zumba to belly dancing and Afro-Cuban styles, Murfest offers a variety of classes, encouraging positivity and life-affirming fun.

Speakers and seminars

Knowing that attendees may need a yoga break or just want to get off their feet, Murfest offers a wide variety of seminars where you can learn about varied topics such as emotional pain relief, transformation and self-love, sound healing and integrative health.

Just Be Market

This marketplace will consist of organic food, semi-precious healing stones, natural healers, herbal and Ayurvedic healing, essential oils, and offers great networking opportunities for wellness enthusiasts of all inclinations.

Kids Zone

Designed like a Club Med for children, a dedicated space for children allows parents to enjoy Murfest at ease while their little ones expend their energy in a bright, active setting while they are minded by trained professionals. The entry fee of RM50 also includes access to the rest of the festival grounds.

Urbanite concert

Held on Friday, Nov 13, this concert will include performances from rarely seen percussion and world music outfits like Aseana Percussion Unit (Malaysia), Stereo Buddha (India), Flame of the Forest (Singapore), Debu (Indonesia), Shervin Boloorian (Iran) and Katie Holland (UK). This event is ticketed separately, at RM60 per person.