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| Wellness Travel |
Mindful Spa
Shari Mycek
02/02/2004
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Sessions with Moffet are, at minimum, two-and-a-half hours and can last as long as four hours. Moffet has no recipe for his technique and says no two massages are the same, even on the same person. "The body is my map," says Moffet. "I just read it, and it tells me where to go."
Throughout the program, Holstein serves as liaison between Life in Balance participants and their home-based physicians; she makes herself available 24/7 to answer any technical or medical questions that may arise. But most importantly, she invokes insight into the healing experience.
"What we primarily do here is provide cancer survivors and their spouses space, a break from the intense medical component," says Holstein. "By the time they get to Miraval, they’ve been through a lot. They’ve faced a sobering diagnosis, and have gone through—or may still be going through—chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. We try to give them a chance to regroup and, with the help of our experts, figure out what’s next. What shifts do they need to make in their lives, and how do they get started? Do they need to change the way they work? How? Would they like to avoid the ‘toxic’ people in their lives and spend more time with those who laugh and enjoy life? How do they do that? What do they need to do in terms of physical exercise? Will their plan include tai chi? Yoga? How can they nurture their body and soul? Will they utilize massage? Meditative practices? What can they do for themselves in regard to nutrition?"
On the outdoor terrace overlooking the desert, nutritionist Mary Horn offers insight. The two men dining alongside her are strangers to one another, but neither engages in small talk, neither attempts to get to know the other. Breakfast is eaten in complete silence. All three diners have selected what and how much they want to eat from the lavish buffet overflowing with fruit-and-cheese-stuffed french toast, bacon, Southwestern-style eggs, berries of all kinds, muesli, oatmeal and yes, regular (as in caffeinated) coffee. Now, back at their table, they put down their knives, forks and spoons between every bite, chew slowly and pay attention to how each morsel looks, feels, tastes, smells and even sounds.
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