The ’S’ in Santosa is for Sublime

Aug 9, 2015 | Santosa Programs

The feeling of truly being clean is hard to come by.

I never expected to find myself doing a detox. Then in the middle of July I found myself right in the middle of it. I came to Santosa with an open spirit, ready for what they put in front of me. I sat down at the first morning meeting and I heard everyone talk about their detoxes and I found fear running up my legs to my chest and to my head. I was truly afraid that I wouldn’t be able to detox, that I was unable to control my cravings. Fear can work wonders into pushing you to do things, but it was truly pulling me back.

But then I met Sandra. As I have lived in the budding new generation I have come to understand that we humans look for knowledge in other humans. If you ask me, Sandra is highly intelligent in the world of detox. When I started asking her about the little things such as my fear of the colema, and not eating while on the juice fast; she responded with a resounding acuteness. She told me that the colema (colonic) was easier than a walk in the park, and that your energy level while on the juice diet may be far greater than your energy on your normal diet. She set some high expectations for me but I began to become excited to overcome temptation and cleanse my body.

As I started my first day of the Juice detox I did not know what to expect, but I showed up to all the events thinking they were mandatory for keeping such a detox, but I was wrong.
I was relieved to find out that I did not have to show up to every activity, because my limbs weren’t made for yoga.
In Santosa they don’t even pressure you to try all the activities they have planned, they just write it on the board and give you the opportunity to try new things.

I had my first colonic coffee break; this was probably a more horrifying thought than anything. I was wrong. The colonic, just as Sandra said, was a breeze. I walked out of the room a kilo lighter, and surprisingly energized. I skipped my way to the juice bar enjoyed the fresh coconut juice and then experienced another revelation at Santosa. The juices they made for me tasted like rainbows and vegan unicorns. The juice was magnificent. I drank the juice very quickly as if I hadn’t drunk in years and urged for more.

I looked at my schedule and saw that my next juice was to be consumed in an hour. Oh was I excited. I walked from the juice bar to the gym on the second floor. I was afraid that because I wasn’t eating carbs that I would not have enough energy. I was wrong, yet again. I sprang onto the treadmill and ran an easy mile in six minutes without gasping for one last breath of fresh air.

I also have to give it up to the Thai Boxing instructor, Chalarm Kao. As I punched into his pads as hard as I could he would yell at me “no balance, no good.” He was right, and he showed me that if I punch as hard as I can without a conscious balance that I am easy to knock down. That kickboxing class has been a highlight of my time here and I am hoping I can find someone nearly as good as he is in Miami to keep me going!

As I am now finished with my Juice Fast one of the most remarkable things I will always remember about my detox is the unreal amount of energy I had. I was able to function all day, and only became tired when I wanted to go to sleep. I was an energizer bunny soaring through the day with nothing stopping my charge. I have to throw in another perspective for you to look from.

I am from Miami Beach, Florida. That’s a city where life never stops and the only great views are the beaches. I was dying to go to Thailand, relax and see true beauty in nature. I then got afraid that because I was detoxing in a wellness center that I would not be able to travel Thailand a little. I’m not a bad student, but I was wrong again. Freedom is served daily here. I was able to leave the resort and make my way to the beach and swim with the fish.

If I wasn’t in the mood to leave the resort I was able to just look around me because Santosa is in the middle of a mountain with an astonishing view of the sunset, and Big Buddha to cap that off.

Another untold secret about Santosa is their staff. I don’t know how they hire these people and what their interviewing system is like, but I was dumbfounded to realize that every single staff member here is perfect for their job, and even more so; their politeness is top of the key. I walked around feeling like a real “sir,” and I have not once been disappointed with the service here in Santosa.

Although I make detoxing sound super easy, it still is quite tough because you’re challenging yourself to try something new and it is a mind game, but everyone can win.

One of the biggest factors in Santosa that helps you truly enjoy your detox is the environment. There is not one point in time where I questioned the campus. I always basked in the sublime that Santosa provides, and when you start to cleanse your body you expect the place where you detox to be clean as well. Santosa is sparkling pure. There has never been a time here when I felt dirty, and it’s like you’re walking in a world created by Dr. Seuss. Santosa truly understands that while someone cleanses their body, they are expected to cleanse their environment and they have done just that. Even the people here are very clean, and that’s surprisingly also a relief.

So now to the massages – I hate when people touch me. Oh I am around seventy percent extroverted but I cannot stand when people just touch me. This is where I praise the masseuses. I decided that I would take advantage of my detox massage and let them press their hands against my back for an hour. I condemn myself for being so cynical about it. Have you ever closed your eyes and seen the light. I have. In my first Thai massage, and every single one after it in the perfect world of Santosa. I lay on the massage bed and felt the knots in my back release. I felt the warm oil swarm my legs and create a sensation on my body. I praise Santosa for changing my perspective on massages. I always thought that massages were a waste of time but I would be ecstatic to spend twenty four hours on one of those massage beds letting those godly hands relieve the stress from my body.
I never realized how crucial massages are in the detox process until I truly experienced it myself.

My detox was amazing. I would do it all over again if I had the time. Santosa has played a major role in my life as it changed my perspective on a myriad of personal objections. The team at Santosa knows how to give every one of their guests the best times, and the amount of personal attention you get at Santosa proves that. I would never ever have expected myself to detox and cleanse my body, but thanks to Santosa; I did. Now I will always maintain a yearning for personal cleanliness. In the great words of the warlord Justin Bieber: “Never Say Never.”