SOLACE RETREAT WITH SOMA GET FIT

by Janet Rifkin

If you had the chance to design and then enjoy a weekend retreat that was tailored to your own needs and preferences, what would it look like? Would you want to be in a beautiful place, eat wonderful healthy food, to get to know the natural environment of ocean and mountains? Would you want to meditate and have personalized restorative yoga sessions? Would you want to end your evening with the most amazing bodywork you will ever experience? Does that sound better than the usual spa experience where m

ost of your time will be spent inside and eating food that is cooked for multiple guests? Having been to many spas in different parts of the country, my recent weekend at Soma Get Fit was in a different league entirely and far surpasses all my other experiences. Here’s why: For starters, the staff spends considerable time before you arrive to develop a personalized itinerary and menu. They want to know what priorities you have, be it cardio/aerobic, yoga and meditation, hiking, biking, kayaking or other water sports. Once that is established, they develop a schedule that integrates the extraordinary natural environment of Santa Barbara into your entire exper

ience. I biked in town, stopped at a number of beautiful parks where Karen led me and my friend Marlo in Yoga sessions. Scott and Karen took is on an amazing hike into the hills of Romero Canyon where the views and flowers were terrific. We visited a soothing Buddhist temple, which allowed us to appreciate silence and some time for reflection and more. Karen guided us on our kayaking trip in the harbor and educated us about the marine biology of the area.

We went to the Farmer’s Market with our personal chef Lys Poet where we picked out the produce that she transformed into a 4 star meals. Each evening ended with Scott Crawford giving us each the most amazing 2 hours of bodywork. His talent must come from the Gods. His work is magical and you won’t want your session to end.

The activities, the setting, the food and the tone all contribute to this unique experience. But the essential quality of the Soma Get Fit stems from its people. They are invested in creating experiences for their guests that change body and mind. Their goal is to facilitate personal transformations that their guests have envisioned for themselves. They come to you without judgment, they don’t have preconceptions and they really want to “be there” for their guests. They are gentle but determined that the time you spend at Soma Get Fit will mean something, both while you are there and after you leave. The only drawback to this entire experience is that you have to leave. I for one will go back as soon as I can.

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on May 5, 2010 at 9:18 pm, filed under Bodywork, Experiences, Fitness, Hiking, Life is Fitness, Lifestyle and Spa, Los Angeles, Meditation, Pilates, Retreats, Santa Barbara, Yoga and tagged Janet Rifkin, Karen Keltner, marlo, outdoor, Retreat, SOMA GET FIT. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Intermezzo

by Janet Rifkin, Ph.D.

I was going to write about our rafting and hiking trip in the Grand Canyon where I put Scott’s program into an action-packed adventure. But before I do that, I thought a more immediate update would be in order. Having been “in training” with Scott for the months of September, October and ½ of November, I needed to head back to Massachusetts for 5 weeks which meant that I would be without my trusted guide. I had made lots of progress in those weeks with Scott-improving cardio-vascular conditioning, improving flexibility (I have already admitted in previous posts that I have the tightest hamstrings and calves on earth,) and had also begun-at Scott’s suggestion, a nutrition/exercise program (with an amazing woman named Teri Tom)  that would help me lose those 8 pounds I had gained while sitting behind my desk as a college dean (By the way, for the record,  I am 62 and don’t want to look like I’m 40 or 50, but I don’t want to look like I’m 80.)

All was going amazingly well before I left California. I was disciplined, committed and focused. But how would it be when I left this environment without my support team. More importantly, how would I do on my own, over Thanksgiving where I would be hosting a feast for 15 people, cooking all the traditional stuff that people want and expect, and wanting to start drinking early enough in the day to temper the inevitable tensions of large family gatherings?  So, here’s how it went. Let’s just call it a “good news/bad news” outcome.

The Good:

1. I went to my local gym 4-5 times a week and kept up with my cardio.

2. I followed Teri Tom’s nutrition plan pretty well, and didn’t eat too too much on Thxgiving.

3. I kept in touch with Scott via email and text which made me remember that he was still an important part of my world, that I would be seeing him again soon and that I’d better not let him down because that would be disappointing myself.

The Bad:

1. I didn’t focus enough on stretching and my tightness is in high gear.

2. I am slouching more than I did before I left LA

3. The afternoon drinking (couldn’t help it) on Thxgiving didn’t stop family craziness (although-still it was mostly fun.)

I’m headed back to LA in a week and already have scheduled multiple sessions with Scott. Let’s see what his reaction is when we start-up again….

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on December 4, 2009 at 10:52 pm, filed under Fitness, Hiking, Life is Fitness, Los Angeles, Nutrition, Outdoors and tagged Bodywork, Fitness, happiness, Hiking, Holidays, Janet Rifkin, Los Angeles, Nutrition, training. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.