Strong in Body, Peace in Mind

Have you ever had an itching urge to kick all bad habits, smoking, alcohol, bad food and lack of exercise in a desperate effort to cleanse yourself? It's a spring cleaning thing, I reckon. It happens to me every year around this time. 2010 was the Grape Diet year. For four days straight, I "cleansed" my body with this supposed anti-oxidant miracle remedy. I cut out alcohol and all things toxic a week after wards. I felt light on my feet, strong in my body and re-energised. 2009 was the year of the Master Cleanse. Terrifyingly difficult and torturous, I managed to pull through and I was rocket of energy for days on end. In 2011 however, I'm not so much in the mood to starve and torture myself. In 2011, it's all about feeling strong in body and having peace in mind without taking extreme measures and becoming an anti-social hermit because of it. 

Yeotown Main House

 Yeotown Suite

Being a bit of a yoga nut, I decided, last weekend, to drag my mother to a yoga retreat - one of the most respected yoga retreats in the country. Well, to be fair, I dragged her, but she treated me. Voted by Tatler as one of the top 10 spas of the world and Harper's Bazaar as one of the top detoxifying destinations in the country, Yeotown Devon truly is the ultimate place for a mind and body cleanse. 

 Yeotown Yoga Studio

Tree Pose  

Choose a yoga or a detox programme and get carried away by the amazing classes, food and natural beauty of the surroundings. It truly is one of the most peaceful places I've ever been to. And let me assure you, two hours of power yoga in the morning plus 2 hours of restorative yoga in the afternoon, a massage and walk in the woods, for 3 days straight, beat the hell out of a grape or master cleanse cure. No pain (not really), no starvation, no anti-social lock ins, you'll find yourself refreshed, empowered and addicted to a healthy lifestyle. 

"Artistic" shot of newly pedicured foot on basin of rose petals

Buddha sculpture in front of main house

So fine, if you're short on cash, need a quick and efficient cleanse and you're not afraid of low bouts of energy during work hours and missing out on the pub run with friends, the four day master cleanse is the right choice for you. And again short term gratification is the goal for this type of programme. If you're one to need a solid make-over, a long-term cleansing and empowering solution, then Yeotown is where you should be headed to next weekend.

Beauty is Pain

Sometime ago, a good friend of mine swore to me that there was this type of exercise, which would miraculously make all of my wobbly bits disappear. I didn't believe her. This is how the conversation went:

Friend: "Have you heard of the reformer?"

Me: "No, I haven't seen it, but I hear Megan Fox is hot in it."

Friend: "No, not Transformers...the reformer machine, the thing you do pilates on."

Me: "Oh!...no, what is it?"

Friend: "It's a torture machine..."

Me: "Say no more. Going to the gym is painful enough for me as it is. I'm not torturing myself anymore than I already am."

Friend: "Silly girl. It's the good kind of torture. The good kind of pain. You'll love it, you'll see. All of your wobbly bits will disappear."

Me: "Alright, alright. I'll do it. Wanna go have a burger?"

My friend is now a reformer addict. She swears by it. Says it's the only way to exercise. Months later, I finally mustered up the courage to sign up for a free class at Heartcore Pilates in Notting Hill (Kensington & Hampstead).

 Heartcore Pilates, Notting Hill

My friend led the way to the studio, as I dragged my feet, walking snail-slow, not looking forward to an hour on the said torture machine. Heartcore is a bright and airy space, with red bricks, white walls and large windows. The sun shines right in through the glass and warms your face gently. By the time we got there, my friend was already in reformer-mode and she lost me at "It's great, right?" She grinned at me, mouth wide open, sweat trickling down her temples. Meanwhile I was fuming, cursing at every plank, notch, hook and bar on that machine. My feet wouldn't go anywhere, I was so confused by all of it, not knowing what went where. But only minutes after I settled in, and much to my surprise, Keri from Heartcore was already standing right by my side, assuring me that I wasn't going to hurt myself. She told me that I was safe and then before I knew it, I was smooth-sailing on the reformer and enjoying the class. I was grinning and sweating too. Whaddaya know. Pilates is a tough sport. You've gotta know what you're doing if you're gonna be doing it right. The reformer helps you get into place and supports you every step of the way.

You'll be in heaps of pain the next day, and the day after that and the day after that. And the cost is a tad cringe-worthy as well (£25 for a single class, £20 for a 10-class package). But it's worth it. You'll see the results almost immediately. Hey, beauty is pain, right?