One Stiletto At A Time

If you haven’t had a chance to read all about my first day at The Earth Abundance Retreat at The Hydro then please do so over here.

Day 2

I woke up quite early and felt energised and ready for the day. After getting ready and robed I headed down for breakfast.

Breakfast

At 8am we then had our Vitality massages and the strong Mario managed to rid my back from most of the stubborn knots and left me feeling very relaxed. Another green juice and some warmer clothes later and we met up with our Earth Abundance facilitators Nicola and Elizabeth for a walk around the organic garden.

In the garden we were encouraged to give thanks and give back by leaving something behind. Elizabeth had brought a number of items from her garden and we each placed one in a spot that seemed special to us.

I chose the parsley as for me this retreat was about detoxing both physically and mentally and parsley is excellent for detoxification. After our time in the garden we headed back to the treatment rooms for The Bars Therapy Treatment. The Bars is a body process that helps aid change and involves touching 32 points on the head that start to clear limitations. Nicola and Elizabeth did the treatment and I really felt much lighter and very determined afterwards. It was strange because I was quite hesitant about this treatment at first but really felt a massive shift in my thought processes afterwards. To find out more about the bars treatment you can visit Access Consciousness.

Feeling quite peckish after an eventful morning we then had lunch which consisted of fresh salads as well as warm nourishing mushroom risotto. Such a treat on a cold day!

Next up we were given an informative talk by the juice queen Fiona who runs Juice Revolution. We were also able to taste some of the juices which were so delicious they made me consider doing a juice fast in the future.

We were then ready for our next treatment- The Ozone Therapy package which I was so impressed with. This therapy is carried out in the Ozone Chamber. You climb into the chamber completely naked which covers you up to your neck. The heat opens pores and dilates the capillaries. The ozone enters and oxidises toxins in the lymph nodes, fat and blood. You also have an oxygen headset which allows you to breathe in pure oxygen. You remain in the chamber for 30 minutes and I felt myself wanting to drift off numerous times. It really felt amazing. The Ozone Therapy is said to help a variety of problems such as high blood pressure, Arthritis, Eczema, Allergies, Low immunity, Muscular/nervous system dysfunction and Nicotine dependency. For me I saw a massive difference albeit a slightly superficial one but all of my cellulite was gone after this. As in nada. A week later and 95% of it is still gone. My thighs also felt so much firmer afterwards.

I then sat by the fire with another cup of the warming cinnamon and ginger tea while waiting for my last treatment of the day which was a Body Scan. You receive a full detailed printout about your weight, muscle mass, bone mineral content, intracellular and extracellular content and more. It was interesting to see that I actually need to gain 1.5kg but it must be of muscle and convert 2kg of fat into muscle. I always thought that I was “skinny fat” but was happy to see that I have very low visceral fat which is the dangerous fat around the organs. Overall I thought the results were going to be far more scary than they actually were. No cardio for me but only fast repetition light-weight weights 3 times a week and I be at a good healthy point. I found the most enlightening was that I mustn’t worry about the figure on the scale and actually need to increase that number albeit with more muscle. The therapist then informed me that I could head down to the gym and speak to the personal trainer for tips on how to use weights.

After that I felt the detox part kick in. I felt exhausted and my head was killing me. Fortunately it was the perfect time to head to my room for an hour nap before dinner. At dinner both Chereen and I were still experiencing the detox effects and I was suddenly craving salty hot chips and greasy cheese like crazy. It was funny because all around the eating area we heard others also talking about their cravings. However, after another healthy meal and a spicy cayenne packed green juice my cravings dissipated and I felt energised once again.

It was rainy and cold outside and Chereen and I settled down next to the fire and chatted and played 30 seconds while sipping on rooibos tea.

Day 3

Every evening The Hydro pops your schedule for the following day under your room door and we discovered that The Hydro has kindly gifted us with another Hydrotherapy treatment for our last day. This meant that we were unable to attend our Aqua-size class in the indoor pool but I was so excited to be able to experience the Hydrotherapy once more.

The exquisite indoor pool where we were supposed to have Aqua-size in

We indulged in our final breakfast at The Hydro before heading to the treatment rooms. It was interesting to see how much freer and firmer my body felt in the jacuzzi pool this time versus my initial treatment. I also opted for an extra long stay in the sauna to ensure that every last toxin was released from my body.

After checking out we then met up with Nicola and Elizabeth once again and had one last task in order to close off the Earth Abundance Retreat which was to colour in a Mandala. The twist was to only use our left hand which helps with creativity. It was also a good way to open ones mind and realise that we sometimes create our own personal limits and therefore can break them too.

Ending off the wonderful retreat with a cup of the famous tea and plenty of reflection

A massive thank you to Nicola and Elizabeth for an incredible experience that really helped me to re-set. I highly recommend the Earth Abundance Retreat and should you wish to get in contact then you can do so here. Also a thank you The Hydro for hosting us. I’ll definitely be back!