The Gusto Holistic Summit brought together various fitness activities in one location
On Nov. 2, wellness and lifestyle brand Gusto launched the Gusto Holistic Summit, a one-day event where guests attended classes and wellness activities of their choice.
Produced by Nicole Thorp of NGT Boutique Agency, Gusto’s mission is to “redefine holistic living by dismantling outdated stigmas and embracing a more inclusive, accessible approach.” Thorp, who founded Gusto, has been into wellness since the pandemic forced her to stay home.
“My background was in communications and events, but all the things that I was good at were on pause because of the spread of COVID-19. I thought it was insensitive to do a beauty launch when people were dying because of the pandemic, so I shifted to simple things, to myself, to health,” she says.
@preenph Spend a whole day of holistic wellness at Gusto in SMX Aura 💓 Gusto’s event showed us that wellness and self-care comes in different forms. #selfcare #preenph #wellness ♬ Similar Sensation (Instrumental) – BLVKSHP
The 29-year-old says the summit was the culmination of the time she spent reading about hormones, pain management, and physical and light therapy and she simply wanted to share this information with anyone getting into wellness.
“Wellness is perceived as expensive, as a Class A/B thing. Some are intimidated because they see friends and family ahead of them in the process, and Gusto hopes to be this space where people don’t feel discouraged or intimidated because they can explore various activities in this summit,” says Thorp.
Thorp curated different activities so attendees and their friends, regardless of their starting point in holistic living, can embark on their unique wellness journey without being constrained by traditional paradigms of fitness memberships and class passes.
The summit had popular fitness activities from Pilates and yoga classes, and also opened food sustainability conversations through a mushroom cultivation workshop. There were also immersive classes on music and meditation, graphite portraiture, and health seminars.
The summit had popular fitness activities from Pilates and yoga classes, and also opened food sustainability conversations through a mushroom cultivation workshop
“I put in different types of activities, so that people who have been interested in certain activities can come and try it, and become their entry point. There is a class or session for everyone,” says Thorp.
Inside the SM Aura Convention Center, which was divided into a movement and a workshop room, the Nolisoli team participated in a 60-minute, no-equipment Pilates mat class under Mara Aboitiz Francisco, which focused on breath control and core strength as well as a mushroom cultivation workshop hosted by Roomi Mushrooms.
Like Thorp, Roomi Mushrooms founder Djonas Morales started his journey during the pandemic when he decided to start planting albeit unsuccessfully at first after his tomato plant died after six months of tending. “I then became very interested in mushrooms because of how easy they were to grow, and also very sustainable,” says Morales.
“Mushrooms eat agricultural waste, and dead things comprise their nutrients, which in turn become food for us,” he adds.
During the mushroom cultivation workshop, students were given mushroom grow kits consisting of coco lumber bought from carpenters and wheat bran usually discarded as animal feed. These were then mixed together in a plastic bag and were sterilized.
Participants took their mushroom grow kits home to let it germinate, and once the mixture turns white, this signifies that they can poke holes for the mushrooms to grow out of the plastic. One mushroom grow kit can yield up to three harvests.
The Future Fresh mushroom consultant says that looking into fungi can be a start for food systems to break free from corporate agriculture, and a step towards circular economy.
“It only takes two weeks to grow your own food, and we can learn from the threads of mycelium on how to make connections and strengthen communities,” says Morales.
Back in the movement room, Thorp emphasizes that wellness can be for everyone, even for those who travel frequently. “When people travel now, they also factor in wellness. They look for events or festivals that have a wellness component and Gusto hopes to make space for that.”
“When people travel now, they also factor in wellness. They look for events or festivals that have a wellness component and Gusto hopes to make space for that,” says founder Nicole Thorp
“We filmed the classes in our event, and we plan to put it on YouTube to make it accessible to people who have access to the internet. By making these concepts accessible, I hope to show that we have these in Manila. We have specialists that thrive in different wellness fields, and this summit showcases what to expect from Gusto,” she adds.
The wellness and lifestyle summit is still fairly new, but Thorp says that it hopes to leave a long-term impact where people can have the benefits of holistic living as they age.
