Oh hello, me.
Sometimes I forget there’s still me under being a mom. The obvious disclaimer is of course I love being a mom more than anything, but I didn’t realize how much I still need a reminder and retreat to reconnect with my inner self. We naturally invest in our outer appearance, but what about giving our inner beauty are fresh, recharge, and for some of us, a complete makeover? Busy lives can get in the way of fostering our inner self, but it’s important to remember: outer beauty captures the eyes, while inner beauty captures the heart. To achieve optimal inside beauty, we must prioritize achieving inner peace. And that’s where Miraval comes in.
Miraval is an Arizona haven for strengthening your soul. When I arrived at the resort, located in Tucson’s heart of Sonoran sunshine, I didn’t quite know what to expect. Dressed in desert-infused landscape with a backdrop of the majestic Catalina Mountains, I embarked on a journey into the unknown. Sure, I heard that Miraval was a magical place with great food, a fantastic spa, and an array of wellness workshops, but I wasn’t quite sure how I’d leave feeling a new sense of self. Some people visit Miraval searching for answers. Others, like myself, visit leaving with answers to questions they didn’t know they had. Amidst my Miraval’s girl’s getaway with a friend, I was bound to see what Miraval would do for me. Here’s what I discovered.
Miraval exposes you to building resilience and reframing perspective. Miraval offers life-enriching experiences ranging in exercise, physiology, wellness counseling, chakra balancing, meditation and more. Most activities are limited to a small group, while others are one-on-one. There are hundreds of workshop offerings, but I’m writing this solely based on experience, so I’m sharing what I did, and what I gained from partaking.
Floating Meditation
Probably the most relaxing 45 minutes of my life was spent gently rocking in a cocoon of meditative bliss. To the sound of mesmerizing and somewhat hypnotic drumming, I dangled from the ceiling, suspended in a silk hammock. For a moment in time, I released my mind’s stress, feeling and floating weightless in the air. By doing this, I learned how much I craved a moment. Just a moment. An unbothered moment of“me time” nearly hugging myself. A moment to allow myself to think about nothing. And just be.
Desert Sky Zip line
Miraval leads adventure workshops that challenge your mind. The Desert Sky Zip line is one of them. As a boy mom and avid traveler, I love adventure. However, in this case, climbing via ladder to our zip line launch pad mentally tested me. At Miraval, every activity embraces intention, so you’re constantly encouraged to state your motivation or purpose for partaking. We are constantly rushed and often act without thinking, so I’ve learned to be more aware of living with intent. After a trek upward, we were awarded with taking that leap to fly down the zip. To me, the climb was the hardest part, and our instructor challenged us to ponder why.“Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay.
”Miraval’s Purple Sage Ranch
We ventured to Miraval’s Purple Sage Ranch, but instead of riding horses, we got the unique opportunity to sit among the herd and learn from their behavior. I teared up talking with Cowboy Tyler and studying the horses. Throughout our session of deep conversation, I gained unique knowledge about how we can adopt more of a horse-like attitude. I have many takeaways, but since I’m limited to a word count, I’ll share two. First, horses are authentic and totally cool with how they feel. When they’re scared, they show it. People, on the other hand, tend to hide their feelings, answering “I’m fine” when we’re not. Next, there was a moment when one of the horses was too close for comfort and I didn’t want to push him away because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. According to Tyler, we often put other people’s feelings ahead of our own and forget to set boundaries that comply with our own comfortableness.
Ultimate R&R
Surely, we indulged in pampering. I had to give the spa’s Ultimate Ayurveda massage and Hydra facial a whirl followed by a cocktail-making class, and four-course dining experience. Accommodations were lovely, and the beds were cloud-like. Our morning ritual was overdosing on green juice and ginger-lemon-cayenne infused sippers which were simply scrumptious and ending each day with a glass of vino at the bar. So, all in all, what is the moral of my Miraval experience? Simple. Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.
