|
|
 |
|
| Wellness Travel |
Mindful Spa
Shari Mycek
02/02/2004
|
"Whether it’s cancer or another chronic disease, individuals can really benefit by taking time out to decompress, enjoy the gardens, the desert, and, yes, the spa," says McDonald. "One of our most common prescriptions for the men in the Life in Balance program is a facial. Most men have never had a facial and—with illness especially—the face takes such a toll. The treatment is very soothing, gentle, caring and includes massage of the face, shoulders, neck and scalp, as well as the hands and feet."
In-depth healing work is also a signature at Miraval, which utilizes treatments that are hard to find elsewhere in the United States. Two days each week, master healer Kathella Robinson performs the ancient abdominal massage, Chi Nei Tsang, originally practiced by Taoist monks to detoxify and refine their energy. On the modern-day physical plane, Chi Nei Tsang is especially helpful for digestive upsets and conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Robinson "reads" the folds of the naval in order to determine where imbalances exist in the body—which organs may not be functioning properly (similar to how reflexology works on the foot). She sees clients only once or twice, teaching them how to focus on deep-belly breathing and to do the massages themselves at home.
Ed Moffet, another Miraval master healer, is so revered that private clients often fly him to wherever they happen to be in the world for continued therapy. Moffet is a fifth-
generation healer and his "bone-cleansing" bodywork (deep-tissue massage) is highly intuitive. Using a miraculously gentle touch, and barely any massage oil, Moffet massages right to the bone, cleansing and removing years of built-up tension. "We all hold so much stuff," says Moffet, "and that only intensifies with the stress of illness or injury. If we could just clean it all out from the bone level, we would just fly."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
