Guest Post by Super Trooper Solo Camper Stephanie!

Stephanie at her solo campsite in Joshua Tree

I posted my thoughts about the Joshua Tree Solo Camping Retreat when I returned but was so inspired by Stephanie's truly deep experience that I asked her to write a guest blog post about her experience. I so appreciated that she chose to dig deep into her own spirituality bringing only her bible and her journal. Although The Healing Farm strives to be non-spiritually focussed we would never discount anyone's spiritual experience and as a Christian, I was inspired to pray with Stephanie when I left her for the first time alone in her campsite knowing that because of the coming storm it would be a challenge for her. 

When you spend almost 48 hours alone in a tent with howling winds and dust and absolutely no cell or internet service you are forced to dig deep and dig deep is what she did. Thankfully the sun came out and the winds died down for her third day!

Here's super trooper Stephanie's take on her experience. I'm so happy she's still up for the Mayacamas Ranch retreat experience next month! Here's what Stephanie wrote:

Joshua Tree Thoughts

3-13-2016

I wore the same clothes for 3 days.  Brushing my teeth was optional, I needed every layer I had and thank God for hand warmers to make it though the night.  Not what I had anticipated, however, what I found beyond my comfort was revealed…if I had eyes to see.

When faced with circumstances that challenge us, we have a choice to make.  We can run from them, we can fight against them or we can allow them to ‘be’ and be willing to learn, grow and find revelation.

The Joshua Tree Solo Retreat invitation landed before me, my adventure spirit immediately said ‘yes!’, the part of me that longs to hear my own thoughts and spend time with God felt awakened.  I’m in! The day arrives, last minute details of picking up some firewood…I am standing in a parking lot of a home improvement store in a small town with my suitcase, sleeping bag and a cart full of firewood.  My thought…“I’m waiting in a parking lot for someone I’ve never met, who’s going to take me somewhere I’ve never been.  That’s crazy!”. Have you ever been somewhere that didn’t make sense to your brain, but you knew you were supposed to be there?

I’d never seen a landscape like Joshua Tree; desert, mountain, boulders and basically one type of tree standing alone as far as you could see.  It was uniquely beautiful.  My campsite looked like it was straight out of a ‘Go on an adventure! Explore the outdoors! Be free!’ magazine.  I was so exhilarated at the thought of living in this space, to exhale and unplug for a moment.  As the next few days unfolded, I would be faced with multiple challenges of body, mind and spirit…lack of sleep, high-powered winds, cold temperatures, fear, disappointment and vulnerability.  But in those same moments, if I was willing, I was also invited into surrender, trust, faith and courage.  I heard a whisper inside of me…”who are you beyond your comfort?”  Wow.  That’s a question I’ve never thought about.  Seriously, who wants to be out of their comfort?!  Crazy!

And that’s exactly where I found myself.  It was horrible and wonderful at the same time.  What I chose to focus on in the midst of the sense of un-raveling, revealed to me elements of my framework.  What did I cling to?

I chose God.

With each declaration of His goodness, “God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all”, He wove my unraveling back together.

His nearness is my good.

My desire to know Him outweighed my comfort.  I long to know God more in every circumstance.  I will search for Him.  He tells us He will be found when we search for Him with our whole heart.  Thank You Lord for the opportunity to see beyond my comfort, to choose You and to grow my roots a little bit deeper.

As the sun was revealed and pierced through the clouds on the third day, it was warmth on my face…joy and peace in my heart.  Being present in the moment.  My experience was unexpected, but full of purpose.  I have been changed, and for this I am grateful.

Joshua Tree Solo Retreat - Boon or Bust?

Oh brave, brave Stephanie on her 50th year Jubilee Adventures! I wrote about Stephanie a while back as she and one of her friends were early bird bookings for the Mayacamas Ranch Paleo Reset Retreat. Her friend Joni won the free week and Stephanie decided to make her retreat visit one of her once per month 50th year "Jubilee Adventures". You can read about them both in my previous blog post. 

I was also honored when Stephanie chose the Solo Joshua Camping Retreat as another one of her Jubilee Adventures - and well, what an adventure it turned out to be! This is the time of the year to visit Joshua Tree! Normal temps are between 70 and 80 degrees and sunny during the day and nights in the 40s. Summer is too hot to visit the desert so this would have been the perfect time to visit. Alas the California El Nino crept all the way into Joshua Tree this past week with relentless winds (gusts reaching up to 60 miles an hour), clouds and cold temps. Stephanie had just left a few days in Palm Springs with her hubby where they enjoyed lovely accommodations and 80 degree temperatures . When I picked her up to bring her to her site, the winds were picking up and the clouds were rolling in.

Oh! She had a lovely site with a tent tucked between classic giant Joshua Tree boulders, but when it's cold and the fierce wind is whipping around your tent blowing in dust, no amount of anything will be of comfort. Luckily Stephanie has strong faith, was up for adventure and decided she wanted to stick it out - even after I assured her I would be happy to take her back to the comfort of Palm Springs. I also explained that the conditions were some of the harshest my husband and I had ever encountered while camping. Truly, relentless dry desert winds and temperatures in the 40s during the day and into the 30s at night - not pleasant. She really did stick it out and ended up having some profound insights while she was there. Hard not to when you're huddled in your tent with howling winds and wild animals sniffing around your tent in the middle of the night.

On the last full day of her retreat, the winds died a bit and the sun came out and it started warming up. I joined her for a lovely hike called the "window rock loop" and we laughed about the crazy conditions and got a bit of exercise in. I am so very happy that Stephanie embraced the hardships of being alone in the desert and walked away thinking it was both a horrible and amazing experience at the same time. As she said midway through her retreat she was reminded of something she had just read - about grapevines not needing too much water - all the better for letting their roots go deep. In facing challenges and hardships when we are truly uncomfortable and perhaps a bit frightened we learn a lot about ourselves, our faith and our beliefs and if we can weather through the storms without giving up, our roots will indeed grow a little more deeply.

Thank you to my now dear friend Stephanie for staying and letting your roots run deep.

UPDATE: See Stephanie's guest blog post about her experience here:

Women's Health Retreat Highlights!

Wow! What a day we had for the Women's Health Retreat this past Saturday! Held at Headlands Center for the Arts in the Marin Headlands, we had gorgeous weather, terrific speakers, great exercise and a terrific group of women. Despite being the facilitator and running around a good portion of the day making sure everything was running smoothly, even I walked away from the day feeling inspired and relaxed!

I first want to thank our lovely participants for taking the time out of their busy lives to gather and to talk about a not-so-easy transition in life. You were all inspiring in your own ways, so open to discuss and so full of good spirit. Truly appreciated! 

Secondly, thank you to our speaker Marnie Reasor, CCH of Resplendent Healing! Coming all the way from Tennessee, we were all fortunate to listen to two informative lectures giving us her gathered knowledge from over fifteen years experience working on natural healing of female-specific health issues. You can see a partial list of the tips she distributed at the end of this post. She covered a lot more, so I would highly recommend contacting her for a consult!

We ALL raved about the food! Katie Powers, exclusive caterer for Headlands Center for the Arts is a passionate advocate of sourcing local and organic foods for most of her cooking. She went to her local farmer's market the day before our event to shop for the incredibly fresh ingredients she used for our two meals. I heard more than one person say they felt like they were eating freshly picked lettuce right out of the garden. She also took great care in presenting everything so beautifully for us AND took the time to talk to us about what we were eating and where it came from. Truly another highlight of the day!

Jessica Prentice of Three Stone Hearth was another highlight and dang does this woman know her stuff about whole foods and ancestral cooking! She talked to us about the nutritional benefits of bone broth (I make my own, but seriously - consider ordering some from TSH - theirs is incredibly gelatinous (read: NUTRIENT FULL) and eating whole foods all-the-while showing us how to make a chock-full of nutritional goodness spring nettle soup. I'm now kicking myself for not have the energy to go to the Farmer's Market the next morning to get nettles from Happy Boy Farms. I have lots of leftover containers of Three Stone Hearth bone broth in my fridge and would have loved making the soup this week! Asking a group of women to quietly sip our soup sample in silence so we could appreciate the flavor was not easy to do, but I think most of us were stunned into silence at the incredible flavor and obvious nutrient-dense soup. Then we instantly started talking again because we couldn't help raving about the soup! 

Topped off by a bit of light exercise, between the hike and Dr. Alicia Thomsen's restorative yoga session, I think I can speak for us all saying we walked away from the day feeling stretched, relaxed, informed and having truly enjoyed the peace and gorgeousness of Headlands Center for the Arts and the Marin Headlands. We all probably would have loved to spend a little more time on Rodeo Beach, but there was some more learning to do!

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Here are some tips from Marnie and the nettle soup recipe to leave you with. What a great day!

For hot flashes

Know your triggers like:

• Spicy foods
• Hot drinks
• Alcohol and caffeine
• Heavy Exercise, saunas and hot tubs
• Toxins in food and personal care products 
• Minimize wheat, sugar and dairy
• Large meals

What you can do:

• Exercise moderately 
• Stay hydrated!
• Dress in layers
• Keep a fan in the bedroom

Sounder sleep tips

• Blackout curtains, earplugs, eye shades
• Sleep between 10:00PM and 5:00AM
• Natural Calm powder
• Remove any blue light from bedroom (computer, phone, no wifi router)
• Epsom salts bath or foot bath before bed
• Alternate nostril breathing

Resources

• Marnie's consult!
• The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health During the Change by Christine Northrup, M.D.
• The Natural Center for Homeopathy: Homeopathy Center.org
• Environmental Working Group Guides

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NETTLE SOUP RECIPE by Jessica Prentice as published in her book Full Moon Feast

SPRING TONIC NETTLE SOUP - Copied from Edible East Bay's Online Published Version February 16, 2015 in Soup

This recipe is adapted from Jessica Prentice’s Full Moon Feast (March 2006) and is printed with permission from Chelsea Green Publishing.

Some important notes about nettles: If you’re picking wild nettles for eating, don’t touch them with your bare hands, and harvest only the top 4 inches of the plant. In the kitchen use tongs or a large fork to pick them up. You may want to remove the thick stems from the nettle tops before cooking.

Serves 3–4

2 leeks, cut into rounds
3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
¼ pound stinging nettle tops
1 bouquet garni
1 quart chicken broth, filtered water, or other light chicken stock made without vegetables or herbs
(A strong stock will overwhelm the flavor of the nettles: The broth from Three Stone Hearth would be perfect for this recipe.)
2 egg yolks
½ cup crème fraîche
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste

Sauté the leeks in the butter or olive oil. Add the stock or water and bring to a boil. Add the nettles (being careful not to touch them with your bare hands!), bouquet garni, and stock or water. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer until the nettles are very soft.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and crème fraîche.

Remove the bouquet garni from the soup, turn the heat to low, and purée using an immersion blender, adding a generous pinch of salt and a grind of pepper.

Take a ladleful of soup and stir it into the egg mixture. Return the egg-nettle mixture to the soup and stir gently over very low heat (do not let it boil again).

Grate some fresh nutmeg into the soup, taste, and add more salt as necessary to make it savory and delicious

Variation: Add a handful of sorrel leaves to the soup for a lemony flavor. ✦

SF Gate Article - How Skinny People Stay Skinny

I'm always saying that The Healing Farm | Retreats and eventually The Healing Farm focusses and will focus on practical wellness solutions to build into your everyday life. Even though (according to this article) I'm about 20 pounds overweight right now, my focus in working with Chris Kresser and everything I've done in the past few years for myself has been about reducing inflammation in my body to reduce my chronic pain and health conditions - and doing so through practical means (like an elimination diet) that have (so far) worked in alleviating some (if not most) of my symptoms.

That doesn't mean I don't want to lose that 20 pounds, darn it! But given my age (almost 50) and my history with fluctuating weight, it's just not my focus right now since overall, I feel good and mostly chronic condition free. However, whenever I've talked to my husband and my close friends who have NEVER struggled with their weight, I'm always fascinated by the fact that they have never had to think about it. My husband and my very good friend have slightly different experiences in that my husband doesn't even think about food. He simply eats for sustenance. He eats when he's hungry. My good friend on the other hand has very sensitive taste buds and is a great cook. She loves food and wine, but has never struggled with her weight. She's always said she simply eats until she's full and then puts it aside. She'll even choose not to eat dessert if it isn't completely worth it taste-wise! I've NEVER had that kind of willpower.

Even though I'm convinced by newish studies about  weight being influenced by a whole host of things like your exposure to toxins, what your mother's body chemistry and biology were when she was pregnant with you, etc, I do think there's something to be said about willpower and the very simple things this article suggests. Given The Healing Farm wants to cultivate practical wellness, I feel it's important to reiterate those simple things this article mentions. Weight IS a huge issue for many in this country and IS a contributing factor to many chronic conditions, so maybe it's time to revisit what this article suggests!:

Routines of participants of the Global Healthy Weight Registry

1 - Eat breakfast: 96 percent

2 - Exercise:

• Exercise 5+ days per week: 42 percent
• Exercise 3 to 4 days per week: 27 percent
• Exercise 0 to 2 days per week: 32 percent
• Don't exercise: 10 percent

3 - Scale

• Weigh themselves weekly: 50 percent
• Weigh themselves infrequently: 27 percent

4 - Diet

• Never or rarely diet: 74 percent
• Have at least one non-restrictive strategy: 44 percent
• "Non-restrictive strategies" include listening to inner hunger cues, eating high-quality (and non-processed foods), as well as cooking at home.

5 - Food Choices

• Chicken is their favorite meat: 61 percent
• Vegetarians: 7 percent
• Don't drink alcohol: 33 percent
• Eat salad for lunch every day: 35 percent
• Eat vegetables at dinner every day: 65 percent

6 - Breakfast

• Daily breakfast includes fruits and vegetables: 51 percent
• Daily breakfast includes eggs: 31 percent

7 - Snack

• Favorite snack is nuts: 21 percent
• Favorite snack is fruit: 44 percent

8 - Beverage

• Soft drink of choice is a diet soda: 33 percent
• Favorite soft drink is regular: 25 percent
• Don't drink soda: 37 percent

Mayacamas Ranch Paleo Reset and Yoga Retreat - Schedule Announced!

I've been working for a few months trying to figure out what I would consider a perfect blend of relaxation, exercise and education for the Mayacamas Ranch Paleo Reset Reset Retreat coming up April 17th and think I'm getting pretty close so decided I would post the tentative schedule on the site.

Two comments I received in the evaluation forms from The Stemple Creek - Wellness and Yoga on the Ranch Retreat were:

"There was plenty of space and time to enjoy the place" 

and "Relaxed pace!"

These were two comments that really struck me because part of what I'm trying to achieve with these retreats - and eventually at The Healing Farm property is not only a sense that you are getting practical wellness solutions through educational talks and exercise programs, but that it's all at a nice pace and not too overwhelming. With our jam-packed lives and schedules and vacations that are too stuffed with activity because we only get one or two a year, I think a well-paced retreat with plenty of down-time should be appreciated and enjoyed. Seriously. If I can and if it's warm enough the week of the retreat, I want to tie two inner tubes to a tree in the pond for people just to float and look at the sky. Doesn't that sound heavenly? It's something Brennan and I try to do once a year and it's incredibly relaxing.

So, not only do I think the Mayacamas Ranch speaker and practitioner line-up is getting to be pretty stellar with the following all participating:

• Keynote: Chris Kresser
• Two nutritional lectures by Chris' nutritionist Kelsey Marksteiner (plus private consultations available)
• Cooking Demo and Lecture by Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites/Practical Paleo
• Free healthy back workshop by Faye Alexandrakis of The Gokhale Method
• Beginner progressive yoga class every day with Patti Cocciolo of the Goodness blog 
• Intermediate and advanced yoga class every day with Erin Cookston - instructor at Yogaworks
• Private Yoga sessions also available by appointment

But also, there's plenty of relaxation time built-in too. So, grab a book (or four), a sunhat, your walking shoes and your bathing suit and get ready for a well-paced and relaxing retreat experience!  

Faye Alexandrakis of The Gokhale Method Joins The Mayacamas Ranch Reset Retreat to Offer a Free Healthy Back Workshop!

Before I became a patient of Chris Kresser's and about three years into my chronic back pain - after trying many, many things to heal my back short of surgery - a good friend who is an acupuncturist told me about Esther Gohale and the Gokhale Method for helping to relieve back pain.  She let me know that free workshops are offered throughout the country and that one was coming up in Berkeley. I wasn't able to attend so my friend was sweet enough to buy me Esther's book "8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back". 

I love that Esther has devoted her life to helping people with chronic back pain and admire the fact that although she offers paid extensive workshops and private consultations, she is so passionate about sharing her ideas that she also offers the free workshops and the book. She's reaching out to as many people as she can to get her message of healing out. This is what The Healing Farm and The Healing Farm | Retreats aims to do. To bring practical and affordable wellness solutions to the attention of many!

So I was thrilled when the Bay Area's local Gokhale Method Practitioner, Faye Alexandrakis agreed to give a free evening workshop at the Mayacamas Ranch Paleo Reset Retreat! I have her set to be our evening "entertainment" on Monday night (see the full week's schedule here). If you have chronic back issues, the combination of listening to Chris Kresser speak, launching your paleo reset AND attending the Gokhale Method Healthy Back Workshop will be a pretty great bang for your buck at this retreat. Between all of the above, I went from being in chronic back pain 80-100% of the time to 0-15% of the time. Seriously, it's a life-changer!

THF - Cultivating Practical Wellness! 

Inspiration From a True Renaissance Woman - Leslie McGuirk

From the blog of Leslie McGuirk

I've mentioned before that one of my favorite places in the world is Rancho La Puerta in Tecate Mexico. I'm fortunate enough to go there about once a year to photograph for their marketing materials. A couple of years ago, one of their visiting speakers was Leslie McGuirk. Serendipity! I am so inspired by this woman and all of her talents!

When Leslie was at the ranch, my sister-in-law happened to be with me and was excited to see a talk by an astrologer on the speaker schedule. I was skeptical, but have always loved reading my horoscope once in a while and curiosity was peaked! We went to see her speak and I ended up going to the rest of her lectures that week and then ended up getting a private consultation to get my chart read! No matter what you believe, life will always be a true mystery and this was such a fascinating process! 

Leslie and I have kept in touch and when I announced the Mayacamas Ranch retreat with Chris Kresser, Leslie contacted me and was so excited about attending because she has followed Chris Kresser for a long time. I was exited to talk to Leslie about the possibility of speaking at the retreat, but alas, due to a family emergency she can't attend. She forwarded her latest websites so I could check out what she's been up to lately and as always, I was inspired by her. 

Not only is Leslie a world-famous astrologer, but she's also a well-known children's book illustrator and author! As I poured through her fascinating work online, I was particularly struck by both the blog post above which was in relation to a lecture she recently did at Rancho La Puerta, but also her Quirkyville cast of characters. I told her it reminded me of a long-ago experience when I was working at a tiny ad agency in San Francisco.  Our VERY quirky Creative Director exclaimed one day that our small cast of 11 at the agency were equivalent to "The Land of Misfit Toys". My dear friend who was on the account side, was a little insulted by this comment, but I laughed and said I was proud to be compared to the "misfit toys". I remembered that scene so well from "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", the classic Christmas show I watched as a kid. I remember thinking  way back then that I loved the quirkiness of the land of misfit toys and wouldn't mind being a part of it! So when I saw Leslie's Quirkyville characters, I decided I wanted that to be my next gift for my friend's kids.

It's ok to be different! Embrace it and don't be afraid to be quirky. It may just lead you to that place "where the magic happens"!

THF - Cultivating Practical Wellness!

Women's Health Retreat - A Natural Approach to Menopause: PRICE REDUCED!→

I loved this article written by Sharon Mesmer and published in the opinion section of this week's Sunday New York Times and it inspired me to reduce the price for the Women's Health retreat I'm hosting at Headlands Center for the Arts on February 27th.

Perhaps people are waiting to see what other plans come up for the weekend of the 27th, but since I have space for almost forty women, I would like to encourage more women to sign up for this very worthwhile retreat and therefore am reducing the price of the retreat to $125.00! 

I (like Sharon) am not one of the lucky ones. I do (like Sharon) have a friend who told me last year that one month she simply didn't get her period and poof it was just gone forever. No hot flashes. No emotional roller coaster. No panic attacks. Who boy, do I wish I were her. But I'm not and from what I've heard from many of my friends, neither are they! 

This is why I was so inspired to put together this retreat. To listen to a speaker who has specialized in the natural treatment of menopause symptoms, participate in a Q&A, eat healthy locally sourced meals, attend a cooking demo AND end the day with a relaxing yoga class aimed at women our age, I think this will be such a valuable learning experience and encourage more women to sign up!

Join us at the unique and gorgeous, Headlands Center for the Arts on February 27th at 8:45AM and participate in the following:

• Hear two talks by Marnie Reasor or Resplendent Healing as she discusses tried and true natural approaches to menopause. With her 15 years of specialization, she will surely have a lot to tell us and will be more than happy to answer our questions along the way!
• Cooking Demo by Jessica Prentice of Three Stone Hearth and Author of "Full Moon Feast"
• Light breakfast and full lunch by Katie Powers - Marin resident and exclusive Caterer for Headlands Center for the Arts
• All-Level 1 1/2 hour yoga session with Dr. Alicia Thomsen, liscenced chiropractor and yoga instructor at Yogaworks

Three Reasons I can't WAIT for the Women's Health Retreat on February 27th

1. I was up in the middle of the night AGAIN.
2. I made stock last night and decided to make a healthy soup with it today
3. I can't wait to eat Katie Power's incredible food at The Headlands Center for the Arts in gorgeous west Marin
4. Oh yes. There's a fourth. A FULL yoga session!

1 - Seriously. One of the reasons I was so inspired to facilitate a women's health/menopause retreat is because I am going into my THIRD year of peri-menopause. Geez. Full-on menopause hasn't even set in and I'm three years into hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain, etc, etc. Not fun and I feel because of my healthy diet and regular exercise I have pretty mild symptoms! I was up AGAIN in the middle of the night last night. This time with night sweats. I thought I moved from night sweats to hot flashes three years ago, but here it was again. Made me look forward to asking an expert what I can do about it and made me look forward to this retreat even more!

When I discussed this retreat with Marnie Reasor (our speaker), I mentioned the fact that I only experience my peri-menopause symptoms in the springtime. Then sometime during the summer, I go somewhat back to normal. She had a few things to say about it and I realized it would be so very helpful to be able to sit down with someone to get some comprehensive one-to-one information. As I thought about the expense of one-on-one consultations (which if you can afford it I think would be hugely beneficial) I was even more inspired to put on this retreat. Imagine, for less than the cost of one private consult, we get to sit with an expert, listen to her years worth of research and advice on the topic, ask direct questions and also be inspired by what other women in the room share. I'm already lining up my questions but promise I'll let other people ask too! Then we get to add in healthy meals, a cooking demo and an all-level yoga session. It is my intention to offer affordable wellness retreats and I feel this one will really pack a punch for the $$!

2 - I make chicken stock all the time and use Chris Kresser's recipe for roasted chicken stock but have always been unsure if there's a difference between chicken stock and bone broth. I know I can go online and figure this out, but I have so many questions to ask about stock vs. bone broth. Do you really need to slow cook bone broth for days to get full benefits and well, how DO I cook bone broth for days without burning my house down? As I made my stock last night and then contemplated what to make with it (we enjoyed the roasted chicken last night with broccoli and green salad (and tater tots for hubby) and tonight will have homemade chicken enchiladas with organic corn tortillas and aged cheese and salad), I decided I was going to make a healthy soup this weekend. Could be beet soup or an old standby, cauliflower soup. It made me also think of the fact that we get to sit with Jessica Prentice of Three Stone Hearth and listen to her discuss the benefits of bone broth, ask her direct questions and then watch her make a healthy soup! I know I will be purchasing her book "Full Moon Feast" and lining up for her autograph!

3 - I've been on the preferred vendor list at Headlands Center for the Arts for years as a wedding photographer and am so looking forward to bringing a group in to experience this property! It's such a cool building and in such a gorgeous setting in west Marin county. I also have been lucky enough to try HCA's exclusive caterer Katie Power's food when I'm there too and every time, I'm blown away. Katie is a passionate Marin country resident and sources locally and organic for all her cooking. I'm so excited to be able to sit with the participants at this retreat and enjoy a menu specifically geared toward women our age in the very cool "Mess Hall".

4 - Last but not least, given I'm running a business AND starting this new business, my exercise routine has become the NYT seven minute workout, a series of stretches and as much outdoor activity as I can squeeze in. Not great for weight loss, but at least I feel fit and healthy! Alas, the downside is that I rarely have the luxury anymore to go to a full yoga class. That means I'm really excited to end our day with an hour and a half all-level session with Marin Yogaworks instructor and chiropractor, Alicia Thomsen. Boy do I need it!

All-in-all this is going to be one great day and if El Nino doesn't hit that day, we can enjoy a short hike in the now VERY green Marin Headlands right out the door of the facility! Can't wait and hope to see you there!

Paleo Reset and Yoga Retreat Update - NEW OPTION TO BOOK A 3-4 NIGHT STAY! Book 3 nights and your 4th is free!→

Although we still believe a full week's start to your reset is preferable, many people let us know that they can't get away for a whole week! There are still limited spots available for the full week option, but please know that we've added a Sunday - Wed/Thursday option (Book 3 nights and get your 4th night free!). 

Check out the details page for the Mayacamas Ranch Paleo Reset and Yoga Retreat to learn more about this unique retreat opportunity set in the gorgeous Mayacamas Mountains outside of the sweet wine country town of Calistoga, California. We will hear from keynote speaker and Functional Medicine Practitioner, Chris Kresser to kick off the week. Chris personally helped me solve a slew of chronic conditions that plagued my life for over twenty years!  

Following Chris' Sunday evening keynote, Q&A and book signing, we will continue with a full (or partial) week of his Paleo Reset diet outlined in his NYT bestselling book "The Paleo Cure". One of Chris' staff nutritionists, Kelsey Marksteiner will consult on our meal plan for the week, give two nutrition lectures and be on hand for private consultations by appointment. 

Newly added to our line-up is Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites and New York Times best-selling cookbook author of "Practical Paleo". Add in two levels of daily yoga, morning mini-hikes, three meals a day, relaxing afternoons by the pool (and in the hot tub) and add-on options like field trips to local state parks for extended hikes or an organic garden tour, massage and acupuncture appointments and we're shaping up for a very healthy and relaxing experience at a really great price! 

Hope to see you there!