Detox in France
- Emily Conyngham
- Jun 14, 2016
- 4 min read
A tiny beige lizard rests his belly on the stone beside the pool, flicking his tail and looking straight at me. It is my first day here. I close my eyes, so tired. He’ll get used to me.
Yesterday: I was getting higher, that’s for sure. And closer to committing to something I have never done before. Maybe I should stop for lunch? Don’t be silly, I said to myself, one more lunch, one more beer, will change nothing. On I rumbled in a low gear, up into the Pyrenees Orientales, dragging a trailer load of physical and mental toxins.
The day before that:
The phases of vacation adjustment marched through me.
Five hours of freeway driving
Consumption- a couple hours in a Spanish shopping mall.
Justification- things are cheaper than where I live
Guilt- I don’t need any clothes.
The Catalan beach: it will be great…
OH. What was I thinking with that bathing suit? My thighs look like bread pudding. Why have I let myself go?
Why am I here in a place full of old, married English couples?
Be quiet, go on down there, I say to myself.
Ahhh… The sun is so warm. My lungs and throat expand. Thoughts drift - I am a sunshine girl. I need to live in the sunshine, by the sea, where the tides and breezes refresh each day.
Spring: The most recent flu came on two weeks before and required an arsenal of medicines. Since November, I had been tested for various sicknesses. He sure wasn’t proactive, that doctor. I had to keep saying, “ I don’t feel well…still” My white blood count remained very high, I had zero energy, and numerous ailments and malfunctions. Given all that, no wonder my spirits flagged.
Stop the trailer trash! Before you know it, you'll be dragging your childhood up this mountain. The lizard is here, and so are you.
Right. After my day at the beach, soaking up the vitamin D, I wend my way up past Amelie les Bains and Ceret to my destination, a lush cleavage in the high Pyrenees, alongside the Riuferrer, the clean, rushing River of Iron that crashes and curdles down the gorge. My hosts, Linda and Marie France run the Oasis Detox Retreat in this magical green cup, that is clearly dancing with supernatural particles.
The water I drink comes straight from the spring on the property. After three days of drinking cleansing smoothies, I eat exquisite raw food.
Yes, raw food. I wanted to see if completely cleaned out my body, what might improve in my life. I had arrived sick as a dog, without an ounce of energy. I had lost a lot of muscle and vigor over the winter. That was the physical part. What about the other stuff? Would I regain focus, confidence, mental flexibility? I’m no expert on, or evangelist for raw food, it just seemed that given my health situation, being really, really clean might help.
Raw food, really? Yes. The cuisine here is gorgeous and delicious, thank goodness. Despite wanting better health, I was worried about feeing deprived, or suffering withdrawal symptoms from my regular diet of mainly bread and cheese (ah, France) I have felt not a single pang! Not even a caffeine withdrawal headache! Among her many offerings, Marie France makes cheeses out of nuts, sauces that lend a meaty, sort of umami flavor to the spaghetti of root vegetables, an outstanding pizza (!), and a chocolate cake that compares to anything in the finest restaurant. All raw. I was privileged to photograph her cookbook, Passionnement Cru, that will be published this summer.
Day Four - I notice the sickness is waning, and a heavy metal taste in my mouth. Seriously. What had been in my body?? I was strong enough to do yoga for the first time in a year. Well, I stretched. My digestion is superb, we’ll leave it at that. Calm and energy rise simultaneously in my brain. I had been drinking coffee in the morning and wine at night to help me achieve those states, but they were never present at the same moment, like now.
Day Five - The raw food is working wonders on my body. My sleep is luxurious and my dreams rich. I wake up and ask forgiveness for my behaviors that have made people feel bad. I decide I want that stuff cleared out, too. The gorgeous location vibrates with jillions of different bird songs. Dragonflies register in a tenor buzz over by the lavender and fragrant pittosporum. Dog roses, jasmine, cork trees are tucked in every nook and cranny, and the dense, green woods clinging to the granite cliffs lean in, protecting this vortex of goodness.
Linda is a healer and has a bagful of alternative therapies she bestows on me, from chakra alignment, to massage, angel messages, crystals, and other, more unfamiliar ways of re-tuning. Following instructions, I pack a note permitting the universe to heal my wounds. I also send my desires on paper boats down the river. Yes, I did. This is all good. I was not expecting this. I soak it up and feel like a queen who, of course, takes good care of herself.
No matter what you think about all these things, woo woo, as I call it, there is no denying that being treated with kindness, generosity, and good intention does wonders for the spirit. So, along with the superb raw cuisine, I’m clean inside and out. I highly recommend you try your own detox week. I love being in France and finding these surprises tucked in all kinds of corners. Gourmet raw food, how good does it get?!
I hope you find the same for yourself, somewhere. Information on the Oasis Detox Retreat in the south of France is HERE. And, if you want to become the next owner of this beautiful property, it’s for sale. Now, there’s a life changer…
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