MY EXPERIENCE AT ELEMENTAL EMBRACE
Broadcaster ERIN DAVIS reports on escaping her whirlwind lifestyle to wind down at a tranquil, restorative retreat.
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There comes a time when, no matter how cleverly we juggle every new plate (or grenade) life tosses our way, we realize that we’re actually just ducks. That’s right, ducks. On the surface we appear to have it totally together, gliding gracefully along. But below the surface we’re paddling madly. That’s how I felt – stressed and anxious – when I went searching for a different kind of spa.It seems that every place with a nail file, loofah pad and scented candles calls itself a spa these days. Call me high maintenance (you wouldn’t be the first), but I need more than a few hours to relax – I need a few days. And this time, it wasn’t about “polish and buff”, but inner stuff. I was searching for something long-lasting that I could practice in the high-speed food processor that is my life.
Upon arriving at the spa, set on 30 wooded acres about 90 minutes east of Toronto, I had a one-hour consultation with one of the two resident Ayurvedic doctors. I learned that in their native India, these two medical doctors also trained in Ayurvedic medicine, which is about curing existing ailments and raising your level of wellness. It’s far more proactive than the typical Western reactive approach.
The doctor asked me about everything from dreams to bodily functions. He then addressed my answers, told me lots about myself (that was obviously true) and made suggestions for tailoring my diet. The long list of treatments in my package was also adjusted.
Moments after the consultation, I had my first real taste of soul-soothing medicine.
I met the doctor and his wife, the spas other doctor, in one of the 20,000 square foot resort’s eight treatment rooms. Since I didn’t quite feel comfortable going au natural, I was given a paper bra and panties to wear. Dead sexy, let me tell you.
A treatment called the Shirodhara is considered a must for the Ayurvedic newbie. As Indian music played softly, both doctors massaged me from head to toe in perfect synchronization, with oil custom blended with 35 different herbs to address my body’s individual needs. I then reclined under towels under a long Indian teak table. Warm herbal oil drizzled form a suspended copper pot on my forehead. Back and forth it went from temple to temple for about 45 minutes. With each pass I imagined my mental hard drive being erased, the oils censing me of stress and anxiety.
Each morning began at 7.30 with yoga and meditation in a light-filled studio, followed by breakfast and then – whee – treatments! The western favourites included a Swedish massage, ear candling, algae wrap, facials, the flotation tank and Lomi Lomi, a deep Hawaiian massage done in a cave-like room lit by candles. Ahhhhh-loha!
The treatments, especially the four handed Ayurvedic massage, were beyond exceptional. I even went for a gentle colon cleanse – that’s how relaxed I was, right down to my, um, toes. But what really made this different from the myriad of other spas I’d visited wasn’t the serene country setting of the peaceful indoor pool. It was the people, the treatments and the underlying current of well-being with which the whole operation gently pulsates.
“People say we don’t make them feel like a number,” says co-director and manager Begum Teja in a gently voice bearing the lovely lilts of India , East Africa and England . “As long as everybody feels great when they leave, that’s the mark I want to make – to have made a difference.”
The difference for me was that I returned to my Cuisine art life with a renewed sense of mental and physical well-being, gently armed with relaxation techniques that guarantee that, if I'm ever feeling like a duck again, ill have the resources to go with the flow.
ELEMENTAL EMBRACE
255 Georgina Street, Brighton,
Ontario,K0K1H0, Canada
Toll-Free: 1-866-212-WELL(9355)
Phone: 613-4759941
Fax: 613-4759942
Email: contact@elementalembrace.com
Hot Stone Massage
Vischy Shower
Aerial shot of Elemental Embrace
Meditation in the woods
Erin Davis
My search led me to a place called Elemental Embrace and its invitation to “discover the essence of life.” Although I knew little about Ayurveda (except that it means “science of life” and has been around for 5000 years), I was intrigued. Four years ago I’d had a soul quenching experience at a yoga retreat in New England. I was looking to rediscover the inner serenity I’d found there without having to venture too far from home or convert my loonies. I was hoping that Elemental Embrace would be the answer.
