Bal Harbour

136 BAL HARBOUR everything from a traditional boot camp to tennis and archery and even a Broadway-style dance class taught by choreographer Yuichi Sugiyama. As you push the limits of your body and mind, you become fast friends with your fellow guests, as well. Lunches are a group affair—social poolside gatherings featuring meals like sushi-style bento boxes, turkey burgers and even chicken sausage pizza. Afternoons, however, are a time of self- reflection and healing. Not only are you treated to a 45-minute in-room massage every day, but guests are encouraged to enjoy services like facials, body wraps, pedicures and even self- tanning and hair styling (usually saved for the end). "What happens after lunch is the soft part of the day," Van Ness says. "You're now going to the quiet side, rewarding your body for working so hard. Your muscles have to be thanked and treasured, so that when you go to bed at night, you feel really great." Afternoons are also a time for inner focus—such as awareness classes with mindfulness expert Annharriet Buck and astrology sessions. All of this is followed by a relaxing dinner and evening activities that include cooking classes, game nights and Tibetan sound bowl meditation. Somewhere along the way, you begin to change—it starts off slow and steady and by the end, there is a breakthrough. Suddenly, your breathing is easier, your thoughts are clearer, and you feel lighter, both physically and mentally. When you leave the Golden Door, you must go back and face everything you left behind outside the gates—yet somehow, you're more equipped. Maybe you even decide to shed some of that weight because you realize it isn't that important—or difficult—anymore. Typically, after a great retreat, the post-vacation blues set in, but after a week spent at the Golden Door, I returned home invigorated and renewed. There's a reason why 60% of guests visit ten times or more. My friends were right—it is nothing short of life changing. The best advice I can give you: go and experience it for yourself. 777 Deer Springs Rd., San Marcos, CA; 760-744-5777; goldendoor.com Food for Thought The Golden Door is a pioneer in bio- intensive farming. The idea is to nourish your soul through a balanced diet by consuming about 1,200-1,500 calories each day. "Every single week, we transform people's lives, whether we get them to think or pause or get healthy or change their diets." —Kathy Van Ness PHOTOS BY JESSICA SAMPLE

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