Finding a Cure for Back Pain at Rancho La Puerta
I went to Rancho La Puerta, the legendary wellness retreat and spa in Tecate, Mexico, to whip myself into shape and get healthy and centered. Certainly those goals seemed ambitious enough for one week. What happened instead was quite unexpected; I discovered a series of classes and activities that allowed me to focus on alleviating [...]
Yosemite’s Tenaya Lodge Unveils New Wellness Spa
A garden gate lures at Tenaya Lodge Like many Californians, I love Yosemite but don’t visit very often, scared away by the hordes of tourists who can turn the valley floor into a giant big parking lot, albeit one with spectacular views. But there’s an easy way to enjoy Yosemite while at the same time [...]
Best Healthy Aging Advice Ever from Rancho La Puerta
One of inspiring aging-related messages at Rancho La Puerta I haven’t had a lot of examples of healthy aging in my personal life; sadly, both of my parents died at relatively young ages. So I find myself constantly on the watch for role models to learn from; I’m hungry for the example of others as [...]
Rancho La Puerta: A Wellness Retreat Ahead of Its Time
Sunrise on Mount Kuchumaa This week I have a chance to visit a place I’ve been hearing about all my life. Legendary Esalen, the Big Sur retreat that everyone raved about while I was growing up in the crazy ’70s? Nope, not Esalen — Esalen was modeled on this place. It’s Rancho La Puerta, founded [...]
Re-Fresh for Fall at a San Francisco Wellness Spa
Shirodhara = stress relief September brings excitement, yes, but along with that brave-new-start feeling comes a wallop of stress. It’s easy to feel like there’s just way, way too much to do and not enough time, money, energy, and attention to get it all done. When you feel you’re about to lose it — or [...]
Borinquen: A Hot Springs That’s Truly Volcanic
I’m having a surreal moment. I’m standing, covered head to feet in slick, graphite-colored volcanic mud, when suddenly the deep guttural honk of a howler monkey reverberates almost directly overhead. I walk gingerly up the slatted wooden walkway that traverses the boiling hot river, craning my neck for a glimpse of the monkeys and at [...]
The Sound of Inner Silence in the Costa Rican Cloud Forest
Since arriving at El Silencio Lodge, an über-private nature retreat in Costa Rica’s high volcanic mountains, I’ve been contemplating the meaning of silence. Because silence, at least here in the jungle during the early days of the rainy season, is anything but quiet. Let’s start with the cicadas, which sound like buzz saws about ten [...]
