Revive!

Here are some of our spa facilities for you to enjoy:

MASSAGE & BODYWORK

On staff with us is Marina Jessop who will be offering her services of bodywork, massage, iridology and yoga instruction. Included for each retreat participant is one 60 minute massage session with Marina. She brings over 15 years of experience in many different healing modalities and has a true kindness in helping people reconnect with their body. Marina offers a variety of different massage and bodywork techniques and will discuss with each person the best way to work on their body.

The importance of massage and human touch can't be overstated. Human touch is vital to growth and development. It helps us to feel connected with each other and with our own body. Health benefits include increased circulation of blood and lymph fluids of the body, relief from generalized tension, acute stress relief, enhanced immunity, regulation of blood pressure and a significant decrease in muscular tension.

Take the opportunity to feel truly comfortable in your own body. Your overall health and well being will improve while your stress levels decrease. You become a more productive, happier person. Massage therapy will improve the quality of your life!

YOGA

The most important teaching of yoga has to do with discovering our nature as human beings. Yoga teachings show that our "true nature" goes far beyond the limits of the human mind, body and personality. That our potential is infinite. The very word 'yoga' means 'unity' indicating that the purpose of yoga is to unite ourselves with our highest nature. Through the physical forms, breathing exercises, and internal awareness we re-align all aspects of our being. It is a tool for expanding creativity and joy of our lives.

"When a person is alive, he is soft and supple. When a person dies, he becomes hard and rigid. When a plant is alive, it is pliant and tender. When a plant is dead, it becomes dry and brittle. Hence, the hard and rigid are companions of the dead. The soft and supple are companions of the living."
Lao Tzu, Tao Teh Ching

There are many different types of yoga such as Hatha yoga, which deals mostly with body and breathing exercises. It helps one to become aware of his or her internal state. Mantra yoga involves the use of certain sounds called 'mantras', such as the Gayatri Mantra, as meditative forms of concentration. These mantras were discovered in deep meditation by highly advanced sages and teachers.

STEAM SHOWER

One of the very best ways to keep your body clean is to take a hot steam. We have an indoor hot steam shower that heats up to 125°F (52°C) degrees. It will open all of your pores, dissolving dirt and other toxins that build up in the skin.

Our skin is our largest organ and provides a barrier between our sensitive internal organs and the outside environment. It is our first level of immunity to infection and sickness. It sheds a layer of dead cells every day and completely renews itself about every 28 days. Keeping our skin healthy and free of accumulated toxins is important!

The hot steam is perfect for healing respiratory issues. Inhale essential oil vapor deeply into your lungs as all the muscles in your body release their tension and relax.

HYDROTHERAPY

Hydrotherapy, or warm water therapy in hot tub spas, offers three main modes of healing: heat, buoyancy, and massage. Our outdoor Jacuzzi is available for use anytime. It is heated to 105°F (40°C) degrees and is overlooking the tall pines in our backyard property. Our recommendation is to warm up and relax in the evening under the canopy of stars!

The water jets inside the tub allow for a high-pressure hydro-massage that you direct to specific parts of your body simply by moving around and adjusting your body to receive the full force of the water. When running at full intensity, the jets can provide something akin to a deep-tissue massage, soothing aches and pains.

Hydrotherapy use of hot tub spas by athletes has skyrocketed. Your skin and muscles loosen and relax from increased blood circulation. A soak in a hot tub increases blood flow to the injured areas, bringing nutrients to help repair the damage. Jacuzzis can be used to help people with arthritis and osteoporosis, as the buoyancy obtained in a Jacuzzi, along with light exercise performed underwater, can increase mobility and strength.

CHI MACHINE

The Chi Machine enables the body to gently move from side to side in a figure eight motion. This maximizes the body's natural absorption of oxygen and circulates the lymphatic system. The body has two circulatory systems, one for blood and the other for lymph. Blood is circulated by the heart, whereas lymph fluid is circulated by physical exercise. If the lymph does not circulate then toxins can build up in the body's tissues. Just 10 minutes on the Chi Machine and you will feel the difference in your body!

TREADMILL

Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your physical endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy.

Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals, known as endorphins, that may leave you feeling happier (runners high) and more relaxed. There is major cardiovascular benefit from 20-30 minutes on the treadmill to get your heart rate up into the aerobic zone (>70% heart rate capacity). Research suggests that even just walking 20 minutes, three times a week and can lower your risk of heart diseases.

IRIDOLOGY

Iridology is a technique to observe the patterns, colors, and other characteristics of the iris in order to determine information about a patient's systemic health. Iridologists see the eyes as "windows" into the body's state of health and is mainly a preventative medicine. It can warn a doctor of a person's apparent tendency toward disease. If a person is potentially approaching an illness, this will show up in an examination of his or her iris.

An iridologist might suggest what foods a patient should eat to obtain the nutrients that he or she really needs; a person's diet is discussed and may need to change in order for he or she to curb certain risk factors. It works conjunctively with nutrition, herbal medicine, orthomolecular medicine to make sure that a patient is getting necessary dietary nutrients. Sessions are available with Marina by request.

AROMATHERAPY

Aromatherapy uses delicate volatile plant essential oils and other aromatic compounds as a way to effect a person's mental state, mood, cognitive function and overall health. The essential oil of a plant is likened to the spirit or vital force of that plant. Our sense of smell is the most powerful of our five physical senses, capable of detecting even the most subtle of changes in the air. The influence of aroma has a huge effect on the brain and limbic system via the olfactory system. Throughout our home we have essential oils and aromatherapy vaporizers to fill the space with these luxurious healing scents.

We have a friend who runs a lavender farm nearby that produces the highest quality medicinal grade lavender oil, second only to similar mountain regions in France. Lavender is one of the oldest essential oils dating back around 5000 years. It is extracted mostly from the flowers of the lavender plant, primarily through steam distillation. Among the various lavender oil benefits, its disinfectant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties are very well known. The calming aroma produces a soothing effect that makes it an excellent tonic for the nerves.

GREEN JUICE

Juicing is a way to intake maximum nutrition from plant based foods with a minimum of energy going towards digestion. The most important of these juices is green juice. For our green juice we use a base of organic cucumber juice and sometimes add a couple stalks of celery or kale. The benefit of drinking pure cucumber juice each day starts with your first glass; you will feel hydrated and energized immediately!

Drinking cucumber juice helps to neutralize acidity and brings the body back into a balanced, more alkaline state. It promotes hydration and contains silica which creates glowing healthy skin. Our energy levels increase from more efficient nutrient absorption. Cucumbers are a diuretic and are believed to cleanse the kidneys and detoxify the liver, both of which help to purify the blood.

The benefits of drinking green juice each day cannot be understated for energizing the body. You are drinking enzyme rich water that has been purified through a plant.

SUPERFOODS

Superfoods are a very special group of foods with high phytonutrient and nutritional content. Their potency promotes exceptional health and, if taken regularly, can even begin to reverse degenerative illness and the aging process. By providing the body with the building blocks that it needs, it has the ability to clean and repair itself. We feel more vibrant with increased energy. This simple truth is self evident.

During our retreats we make use of several superfoods as a way to assist in the natural detoxification process that happens when you begin to eat raw living foods. Your body takes the opportunity to release stored toxins and intake healthful nutrition. Over the years we have worked with many of these foods and continue to explore these superb foods from nature.

There are a number of Superfoods including açaí (Brazilian palm berry), maca root, blue-green algae, wheatgrass, and Himalayan goji berries. The goji berry is particularly interesting and has received much attention in health food circles over the last 5-10 years. It is rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids such as beta-carotene, packed full of amino-acids, minerals and other nutritive compounds. In traditional Chinese medicine goji berries are made into a tea which is said to support liver function, stimulate the immune system, improve circulation and act as a natural anti-inflammatory agent.

For more interesting information on superfoods, watch David Wolfe on Superfoods in our video section below.

There is another small emerging group of 'super mushrooms' that include Cordyceps, Reishi, Agaricus Blazei, and Maitake. These are somewhere between food and herbal medicine, and are by no means new in terms of their history and use. The Four-Canons of Seng-Nung, a famous Chinese herbal medicine book written in 2838 B.C., records Reishi (Ling Zhi), also known as the 'Mushroom of Immortality', as the most valuable of all "superior" herbs (followed by ginseng). Westerners are just now beginning to discover the numerous applications of Reishi and these other super mushrooms to a variety of modern health problems.

In the last three decades, numerous polysaccharides and polysaccharide-protein complexes have been isolated from mushrooms and used as a source of therapeutic agents. The most promising activities of these bio-polymers are their ability to modulate the immune system and their anti-cancer effects. Ingesting these mushrooms on a regular basis has extraordinary benefit on overall health and well being.

A natural food is considered a 'Superfood' when it contains most or all of the following characteristics:

Antioxidants are an umbrella name for many substances that retard the body's normal process of oxidation, meaning a reaction to oxygen that releases "free radicals" that damage cells and break the body down. Digestion releases free radicals from food. Antioxidants help prevent this and also destroy free radicals and slow oxidation, reducing allergies, heart disease, cancer and aging effects. Dozens of antioxidant nutrients have been identified so far, and there are likely many more.

Flavonoids have been referred to as "nature's biological response modifiers" because of strong experimental evidence of their ability to modify the body's reaction to allergens, viruses, and carcinogens. They show anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer activity. In addition, flavonoids act as powerful antioxidants, protecting against oxidative and free radical damage.

Carotenoids are the pigments that protect dark green, yellow, orange and red fruits and vegetables from sun damage — and they work as antioxidants in humans, too. Beta-carotene is the best known — it's also called vitamin A.

Vitamins & Minerals are considered essential to health; a shortage of either can create health problems and lead to degenerative illness.

Phytonutrients (pronounced “fight-o-nutrients”), also called phytochemicals, are natural bioactive compounds found in fruits and vegetables that works together with vitamins, minerals, and fiber to promote good health.

Enzymes are actually the catalytic 'sparks of life' in living beings. They not only digest, transport, and transform nutrients but also literally conduct energy to the cells, tissues, and systems of living organisms. Even taking a simple breath requires enzymatic activity. Many vitamins and minerals are really co-enzymes that assist other enzymes to carry out their functions of life.

DIGESTIVE ENZYMES

Raw foods naturally contain enzymes providing a heterogeneous source of digestive enzymes when ingested.  However, even raw food contains only enough enzymes to digest that particular food, not enough to be stored in the body or to replenish ‘systemic’ enzymes.  Heating foods over 118°F (48°C) denatures or destroys enzymes. When we eat food depleted of enzymes (cooked), our bodies must produce the majority of systemic enzymes we require for digestion, unless we use supplemental enzymes.  A variety of supplemental enzymes are available through various sources.  All bodily functions can be enhanced and improved by supplemental enzymes ingested orally in capsule form.

For more information on the importance of taking digestive enzymes read Enzyme Nutrition: The Food Enzyme Concept article below.

Article

Enzyme Nutrition: The Food Enzyme Concept by Dr. Edward Howell
This book attempts to bring into the light the most important nutritional discovery since vitamins, minerals, and trace elements, and perhaps the only solution to our present health crisis – food enzymes. Dr. Howe’s conclusion is that many, if not all, degenerative diseases that humans suffer from are caused by excessive use of enzyme deficient foods. Aging and enzyme depletion go hand in hand, and by restoring vital enzymes, Howe proposes we can liver longer and healthier lives. Howe proposed that enzymes are the “life force” present in every biological system.

Article

Agniprasana (Breath of Fire) author unknown
A cleansing & energizing breath, powered by abdominal contractions. Breath of Fire will entirely charge the nervous system, causing the glands to secrete and purify the blood. When it is done with certain postures and movements, which are meant to put contracting (drawing in) or expanding (releasing) pressure in nerve plexuses and glandular centers, those areas are made to fire and become completely charged. Little by little, outward tendencies of the mind towards the physical and mental begin to fade, and one abides in one's satvic presence, where "I AM" is the single Truth.