My Art of Living Retreat Experience.
R E S E T| Panchakarma is the ultimate mind-body healing experience for detoxifying the body, strengthening the immune system, and restoring balance and well-being. It is one the most effective healing modality in Ayurvedic Medicine. It promotes Detoxification and Rejuvenation.
The Art of Living Institute in Boone, NC is something to be experienced. We arrived in the evening on a Saturday to begin our detox on Sunday. It was me, and my three girlfriends Tara Mackey, Sahara Rose, and Alyson Charles. It’s rare for me to get any time like this with ONE friend, but to get three? This was truly such a gift.
I didn’t know what to expect since I hadn’t ever been to the center, upon arriving, we were greeted by a beautiful cascade of green trees, and a humid fog that was rolling in. We were greeted by a wonderful staff, and everyone was so nice, a very warm southern welcome.
I had a few reservations, as I always do anytime I do something new. I have done, even led detoxes’ in the past but nothing this thorough. I have been studying Ayurveda since 2009 and definitely still consider myself very much a Novice. It has been the only system that I’ve tried that works every single time. Ayurvedic medicine (“Ayurveda” for short) is one of the world's oldest holistic (“whole-body”) healing systems. It was developed more than 3,000 years ago in India.
It’s based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit. Its main goal is to promote good health, not fight disease. But treatments may be geared toward specific health problems.
My health the last two years has definitely suffered, I can attribute it to a few factors. Perhaps it’s the traveling, or just the amount of work I put on myself. Could also be the fact that I’m not 20 years old anymore… but I digress. The fact of the matter is that I’ve been feeling like I need to dedicate way more time to taking care of myself. It is anyway, what I teach my students, and my clients. But, you know what they say… “you teach what you mostly need to learn”.
The entire experience was so pleasant, Medha was our fairy godmother and took care of us the entire time. It reminded me of when my little granny would take care of me when I was little, bringing me tea’s and tinctures when I was not feeling well. Heavenly Mountain, atop the Blue Ridge Mountain in North Carolina. I think just being there was super healing, the rooms where super cozy and I had a beautiful view of the mountain ridges.
I didn’t actually know how drained I was just even in the last few months until I got into my room and collapsed on my bed. I got an itinerary slipped under my door dictating what I was to do the following day.
Basically, it was my dream schedule, there was Abhyanga (A daily full-body warm oil massage therefore acts as a powerful recharge and rejuvenation of mind and body) Steam, Breakfast, resting, reading, another treatment, tea drinking, yet another meal, Yoga Nidra, Yoga, Meditation and Kirtan. Basically, I realized that I could do this every day, with the addition of my beloved and my dogs of course.
We had nourishing food, personal guidance, and we were given individual wellness plans. It was actually nice to be given a program, it had been a long time since most of the time it’s me assigning rituals, plans and routines. We did the Renew Plan you can read about it here.
Needless to say, the experience was completely eye-opening and dare I say... life changing? It's so intense to see how much shit (literally and figuratively) we hold onto in our lives. I am so excited to have done this in a place where I can be supported by people who know what they are doing. It's been almost a month and I can tell you I'm still feeling great, and I'm sure it's only going to get better.
For those of you who are interested, I will be hosting my own Panchakarma at The Art of Living Center in Boone, North Carolina in January! I can only bring a small group of people, so only serious inquiries here please: info@radicallyloved.com If you are ready to let go of old paradigms, and make a unique shift and have an adventure, this one is for you.
JANUARY RETREAT| Refresh Ayurvedic Cleanse Retreat in Jan 13-18th 2019