Karuna Retreats

Karuna Detox Retreats are for first time fasters as well as those who have prior experience. Before your retreat you receive from us information on how you can prepare for your fast. By lightening your diet ahead of time and clarifying what you want to achieve you can maximise the effect of your detox and the time spent with us.

The first impression for most people (besides the beautiful accommodation, surroundings and the warmth of the pool and sauna) is how relaxed they feel as soon as they've arrived. Apprehensions dissipate when Sho explains how to use the colonic boards provided in each bathroom for the self-administered colonics. During the fast you continue to receive guidance and realistic answers to the many questions we all have on our personalised path towards positive health.

Hunger is kept at bay by the Psyllium taken to enhance the colonics - This natural supplement is simply ground seed husks that absorb water once swallowed. Their increased size fills the stomach, denying any sensation of emptiness for several hours. As they are taken five times per day, few people have an issue with hunger. Those that do can simply elect to take more Psyllium.

Symptoms are inevitable, as you will be doing everything your body needs in order to detox. They come in waves, often lasting just a few hours, rarely more than a day, and always changing. We are with you throughout this process, reminding you that this is a great and wonderful thing, and that it WILL all pass. It is common to hear some fasters "complain" that they got no challenging symptoms whatsoever! Some are in bed all week, while others are off jogging!

Support and encouragement is our role, providing you with knowledge and healthy practices to enhance your fast and your lives and enjoy a laugh along the way. We believe self-kindness is the key to utilising our natural unlimited health potential. Therefore the fast is held in a professional, friendly and informal way. We encourage you to celebrate your fasting symptoms, laugh and connect to your own needs as they change throughout the days of the fast. Most find that our small groups give a lot of scope for making new friends and enable easy and secure times to share your feelings and symptoms with each other.

The Retreat Program is designed to give you the most efficient bodily cleanse possible, which is best done with a relaxed and empowered mind. Therefore everything on the program is fully explained, time is taken to answer all questions and address everyone's concerns. More importantly, there is no pressure for you to adhere to any aspect of the program. This week is about following what your body requires (which is mostly rest), so the program is there as a list of supportive activities, not a schedule.

Health indicators are also important and interesting. Everyone fills out a medical questionnaire at the start. We regularly check body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage and pH level during the fast to chart individual progress. All these elements can fluctuate during the week, as the tissues cleanse themselves of toxins, and it is often encouraging to watch the processes take place. By the end of the fast you leave cleaner, lighter and with a head full of healthy experiences and tips, including some recipes and a few demonstrations.

The Karuna library is always a hit, with a variety of fasting books and other self-healing topics to expand your knowledge-base, as well as a sprinkling of novels and topical magazines to lighten the load. We also encourage people to bring a few favourite pastimes, and are not opposed to people nipping off to the Post Office for a newspaper or two.

The local village is just a 20 minute walk away, and some fasters enjoy the revitalising effects of the walk - some everyday. Others never make it past the pool! Each to their own. Occasionally someone feels the urge to go further a field, and drives to a bigger town. The change of scene can offer a refreshing break, but the effort of this activity can often be seen upon their return. Especially where the exposure to the sights and smells of food are involved.

TVs plus DVDs & videos are present in the main room of each cottage, and regular showings of popular or educational movies are frequent. The balance of respect and tolerance of the group space is requested in this regard, as TVs tend to dominate to setting.

Numerous products get mentioned during the talks, such as skin brushes, tongue cleaners, supplements, and other selected items. We pride ourselves on the callibre of our ethically-selected lines, and try to keep things as natural and simple as possible. Many are available throughout the retreat, so bring some extra cash with you for last minute buys.

Handouts & Recipes are provided on the final afternoon. They detail how best to reintroduce foods (everyone's favourite subject!), and summarise the most practical aspects of the week's talks, as well as detailing some tricks to get your diet more 'alive' without loosing its taste attractions. Techniques such as health-packed smoothies for breakfast, kombucha-growing and seed-sprouting are shown.

Your first meal with be with us, and you will leave us feeling light and full of energy. You will rediscover how wonderful and flavourful simple, fresh, organic vegetables taste, and with a stomach the size of a tennis ball, you will feast on much less than you'll have been dreaming about!

Leaving day... Having eaten the evening before, any detox symptoms you will have been experiencing will have ceased, and you will awake fresher than any daisy you can imagine. Most prefer to start out early in order to avoid traffic, and to keep your journey home as clear and temptation-free as possible, we send you off with a bagful of organic fruit, as exotic as the season will allow.

Facilitating Karuna Detox Retreats continues to be a passion for us. The warmth of our service and the freshness of our input is testament to how enjoyable, fulfilling and inspiring every retreat is for us: Meeting inquisitive, intelligent people and making our personal contribution to peace and health in the world by nurturing the peace and health in you makes it the best job ever!