After a glorious solitary retreat in Cyprus, where I found nourishment for my body and soul, I’ve returned home. (To read how I ended up here by myself, read The Retreat – Part One).
Full of observations, insights, inspiration and calm, I would like to share with you here some tastes from my retreat.
Nature
There are many forms of nature that can calm and inspire. I was planted in a forest type setting (well, a spa inside of a forest). Though I love the water, sea, ocean, lake…this verdant environment reset my vibrations to a healing frequency.
I couldn’t get enough of gazing at the greenery, smelling the herbs and flowers all around me (rosemary, lavender, oregano and roses to name a few), enjoying the fruits of the trees (oranges, figs, dates, and olives), and filling up on the birdsong. The birds were so happy and vocal, they awakened me every morning and kept me feeling safe and calm all day long.
The olive trees, which I love and also have in my home garden, were majestic, ancient and wise. Gazing upon them grounded me and gave me a sense of stability and permanence. On a guided walk through the forest and the town of Miliou, we visited a 1,000 year old olive tree. It was a site to behold. There was also the olive tree at the entrance to the resort (very old though not 1,000 years), right outside my balcony (a younger tree, sprightly and tall), and another olive tree offering shade for when I lounged poolside.
There was time to smell the roses as I walked the grounds and to admire the cute and quick lizards, which upon research is apparently a unique species to Cyprus, the “kourkoutas.” Stationed at the entrance to my stairwell was a nest. The mama bird was very protective of her nest. Every time I went to enter the building in which my room was located, she would swoop around, waiting for me to pass. There were nests all around, and they also made me feel protected. I’d read or heard somewhere that when birds are around, it is a sign that there is no imminent danger. That they have a sense of predators and changes in the environment that would signal them to flee if there is danger. So, whenever I hear birds, a feeling of safety prevails, conscious and unconscious.
For an interesting article on the mental and physical benefits of the birdsong and the greenery, check out this Washington Post article.
Yoga
As a fairly seasoned yoga practitioner and teacher, it is a simple matter of unrolling my mat and practicing yoga whenever and wherever I want. I have had a home practice for years, though of late it has become too stingy and sparse for my mental and physical health, due to an overbooked life.
This retreat opened up for me swaths of time and space to practice what I wanted, when I wanted in some truly inspiring spaces. Additionally, there were guided meditations and yoga classes offered by the spa’s wellness center.
It was a real joy to practice a different style of yoga from the Iyengar Yoga method I practice and teach daily in my regular life. It reconnected me to some of the yoga styles I’ve practiced in the past. The additions of relaxing yoga music, connection to breath, incense and candles, and the youthful energy of the instructors was welcome. I did miss my yoga props (though I had brought blocks, belt and eye pillow with me) and daily inversions. So, I made sure to have a morning and afternoon inversions practice, and utilized my creativity in finding props in my bedroom furniture and with what I brought.
I also relished sneaking peeks at the strong young men practicing handstands poolside. Can you fault a midlife lady enjoying some eye candy?
Spa
Okay, spas and spa treatments are seriously part of my happy place. I love massages, warm pools, jacuzzis, lounge rooms, and the occasional 5 minutes in a steam room or sauna. I don’t think I am in the minority of people that enjoy such places, but just saying…I’m about to wax poetic about the sensory stimulation and soothing of the spa.
This spa had it all.
Included in the resort stay, you could enjoy the three spa mineral pools (sulfur mainly, but oddly, not too stinky) for a total of 45 minutes each day of your stay. The pools were indoor, and included a stimulating (read: cool water) leg massage pool, where you walked a path and the reverse jets relieved and stimulated tired legs.
Next, a warmer water pool with a variety of strong jets to massage your neck, shoulders and back. Finally, the third pool (my favorite) was even warmer, and had full body lounge beds and relaxing stations with jets. Also included were the dry sauna and the herbal steam room. I can’t hang for too long in either of these, but the herbal steam room was delicious. It was warming after the jet mineral pools, and the herbs were heavenly. A huge pot of lavender, rosemary and who knows what else. Perhaps if I wasn’t perimenopausal I could have stayed longer.
I indulged in four spa treatments. Yes, yes, go ahead and envy my gluttony. But dear reader, know that I did it in the name of research. RESEARCH! Research for my beloved students whom I want to bring here for retreat! If not noble or selfless, at least justified, right? Right??
Cacao Body Scrub
Monday at the spa started with a Cacao full body scrub. If you’ve never had a full body scrub before, the first portion is an interesting type of torture where you feel like your skin is being scrubbed off (It Is) and there are all kinds of unpleasant burning sensations. And horribly ticklish sensations when scrubbing the feet. I managed not to jump off the table. Alas this is not my first scrubbing rodeo, and I worked hard at releasing tension and trusting that my scrubbing therapist was experienced at only removing non-essential layers of skin.
Thankfully, she was. After a shower to rinse off all the oily scrubbing salts, that smelled deliciously chocolatey by the way, I hopped back on the table with my still tingling, dewy, newborn skin. Now, the fun part. A massage with the creamiest body butter ever (more cacao chocolatey goodness), where my fresh skin happily absorbed it. I traveled to heaven and back.
When the treatment was finished, I literally felt like a new person. What a smart way to start my retreat, I thought to myself, rather self-congratulatory for choosing it first. Because this retreat was about stripping layers away from myself, the detoxifying, literal and metaphorical benefits of removing so much dead skin helped to accelerate a process I was deeply in need of.
Reflexology
Reflexology is a type of massage on the feet and ankles that relieves tension, treats illness and promotes wellness by the stimulation of reflex points on the feet that are mapped to the entire body (muscular, skeletal, organic, nerves, etc). I have received treatments for years, in particular from an intuitive practitioner in my area, Orly Sarig. She has helped me with various chronic pains, and has counseled me in the ways of the mind body connection, when I needed an objective guide to help me. It has been tremendously beneficial to me in so many ways.
This treatment at the spa was not that. It was a perfectly mediocre treatment. And even so….EVEN SO, the power of the method still worked its effects and I had a small revelation during the treatment. An aha moment if you will.
So, money well spent.
Thai Massage
Oh boy! This was a real treat, though also surprising in some ways that others might not like.
For those who aren’t familiar, a Thai massage is done fully clothed, on a wide mat on the floor. It reminds me of passive yoga at times, where in addition to the massage, you are tugged, pulled and stretched.
This lovely, petite, Thai therapist (Tina) had a brisk and strong energy. She seemed to locate my areas of “stuck” quite quickly and swiftly went to work with her powerful thumbs, forearms, elbows, feet and who knows what else. She also adjusted my neck, mid and lower back, as well as cracking my finger and toe joints. For me, it was excellent, but many people shy away from adjustments, so consider yourself warned. You can always ask them to leave out the chiropractic before beginning the treatment.
Afterwards, I felt both relaxed and energized. Loose and perhaps a little tender. It was an afternoon treatment, so after some lounging time, an early evening yoga practice balanced the day completely.
Deep Tissue Massage
The deep tissue massage was on my last full day, and while it was very nice, it wasn’t something to write home about. (Though worthy of writing about in this blog). It could be that I was feeling somewhat sated by the earlier treatments and nurturing of the week. Or – it could have to do with the fact that she started several minutes late, and didn’t really relate to the areas I requested (my arms due to my tennis elbow pain).
However, even a less that spectacular massage is still a treat for the senses…the smells, the calming music, and the nourishing oils on my skin. And the relaxing, rhythmic pressure calmed and steadied my nervous system.
Lounge Room
One of my favorite places was the lounge room at the spa. With ceiling to floor windows, about a dozen lounge chairs overlooked the stunning forests and orchards of Miliou. I spent time before and after my treatments here, reading, reflecting, weeping quiet tears of release and gratitude, sipping my oregano tea, absorbing the effects of the treatments and this quiet time, and healing.
The tables had fresh arrangements daily. Sometimes rosemary and lavender sprigs, sometimes a fresh cut rose…but always simple, beautiful, and reflective of the environment.
In the clip here, you can hear both the calming spa music, and the charming bird song.
I was lucky to often have this room to myself.
Food and Solitude
Okay, let’s dig in to what is undeniably the most important aspect of the trip. The FOOD!
Woohoo, I had such a delicious time filling my plate repeatedly with the healthy kosher vegetarian/dairy/pescatarian meals. The resort served three meals daily, with an abundance of fresh salads at each meal. Breakfast also included fruits, nuts, cheeses and eggs. I never tried the omelet bar as it was always crowded when I was there, but I was quite content with my hard boiled egg. The olives, tehina, tzatziki, oh my. Lunch also had some type of cooked grain, tofu and sautéed veggies, and dinner typically had at least one variety of fish, soup, fresh breads, roasted vegetables, pasta or grain, fresh fruit and dessert.
Every meal attended featured a full plate of salad with tehina and olives, and then a second plate with some cooked food, protein or vegetable. Without even trying the breads or desserts, I was so sated from the meals.
I ate a lot. I may have gained a bit of weight, but it felt like such happy, healthy weight. It was a tender joy to select whatever I wanted without worrying about leaving enough for the next person. There was such an abundance and variety that it was blessed and comfortable to take two plates.
Wine was also generously offered at dinner, though the semi-sweet varietals were not to my taste. Luckily, a higher vintage bottle flew with me from home (such a prepared Girl Scout! where are the badges?) to add a more robust finish to the meals.
There was some concern initially about loneliness at meals. Well, allow those fears to rest. Especially the first couple of days, I barely made eye contact with anyone. Solitude and quiet were what was sought. Sometimes I read at my meals, but by the end of the trip, I was just sitting, reflecting, tasting and chewing, both literally and metaphorically. The quiet meals that started out as an opportunity to get lost in my reading, ended up being a gift of being present in the moment.
Two of the nights were “Greek Tavern” dinners, with live Greek music and two Greek guys dancing amongst the tables. It was festive and fun, but I felt somewhat removed from the action. People watching was fun – to admire the older couple swaying together, the young group of friends and colleagues laughing, the large family of adults talking and taking pictures, and the attractive Instagram couple (I’m guessing they are an Instagram couple as they video documented so much of their vacation).
Though sometimes on the outside looking in, this was by choice.
Other delicious offerings – Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice, picked from their orchards on site. Oregano tea at the spa.. Yummy room coffee with milk alternatives. Smoothie Bar – delicious “Smooth your Sorrows” pink smoothie, and Gross Green smoothie. I’m not including this recipe as the guy manning the smoothie bar that day made the weakest green smoothie I’ve ever tasted. Nice guy but not very receptive to my feedback.
When asked what I thought, I replied, as kindly as possible, “hmmmm, needs more green!”
He then returned with, “Oh, you know everything?”
To which I replied, “Well, I know what I like!” and “Please try some and tell me what you think.”
As we silently and gingerly drank the Gross Green smoothie together, he was obliged to acknowledge my feedback. I finished it anyway, gave my thanks for his efforts, and chased it down with a fresh squeezed oj.
Learning and Engaging
As mentioned, this retreat was about turning inward, of enjoying solitude and my own company. However, I didn’t completely cut myself off from the possibility of engaging with others when the time was right.
Of particular good fortune, in the taxi van into the resort from the airport, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Gilat Raisch. She is a pediatrician, Chinese medicine practitioner, and volunteer for the Dead Sea Scrolls Rescue Unit. She also volunteers her services abroad, and was part of the rescue after the Tsunami.
We had a nice chat exchanging general information and she shared that she was the guest speaker for the evening workshops on Mindbody connection. This was definitely a topic that I was interested to explore from a new angle, and so eager to attend.
The first evening was “Mind-Body Healing – The Expressions of Emotions in the Body.” We drew rough sketches of a human body, front and back and were guided to color in a variety of emotions where we typically feel them expressed in the body.
The second evening was a conversation of sorts amongst the participants on the topic of ” Breaking and Repairing.” We shared stories of personal struggle and recovery in an intimate environment.
The final evening’s workshop, “What we will take and what we will leave behind,” was something of an arts and crafts night. We started by choosing an illustrated card that represented what we wanted to leave behind. And then we created, from a variety of crafty tools, a representation of what we wanted to take from this time away at the spa resort.
It was interesting through all of the workshops to see Dr. Gilat in action, as introducing the Mindbody connection to newcomers is a delicate process. It was also fascinating and moving to listen to the different guests sharing aspects of themselves that are deeply personal.
We all have wounds, we all are in need of healing, and we all have unique perspectives to offer. The shared compassion and prayers for one another’s well being were heartfelt and touching…creating fragile bonds of connection in a serene place.
Of all of the guests and individuals I met that week, I had the most interaction and connection with Dr. Gilat. Her wisdom and capability in guiding us each evening, as well as the individual moments of conversation we had were impactful, despite their brevity. I look forward to keeping in touch with her and continuing the conversation.
In Summary
This retreat was a real gift. In addition to all of the more obvious benefits written about in this blog, there was the quiet pleasure of enjoying my own company. Of going deep into self. Of having the time to appreciate all that surrounds me, both in the retreat experience in Cyprus, but also in my home environment.
My goal is to bring a small group with me here. To experience again the nature and wellness, the calm and the quiet – but in the presence with of the special group of women that I know is craving these same things.
Because, for all solitude can be a blessing in the right time, we also need the connection and support of each other. To grow in the warm embrace of accepting souls.
As you can see in the pictures below, there were many cozy and atmospheric areas. I look forward to gathering in these special areas, to seek and find connection with ourselves and with each other.
If you are interested in taking part in a Women’s Nurture Retreat in Cyprus, in either November 2023 or May 2024, please write me at [email protected].
