Recipe Post: Spaghetti Squash "Chicken" Enchiladas--Veganized!

This recipe was definitely a winner in our little household--even the ferret was checking it out (she didn't get any). But first, let me give credit to the two sites that inspired the dish (check out some of the other spaghetti squash ideas): http://greatist.com/eat/spaghetti-squash-recipes and http://www.closetcooking.com/2013/12/chicken-enchilada-stuffed-spaghetti.html?m=1.

I tend to get into a spaghetti squash rut. I bake it, throw some marinara on it, and call it a meal. I've gone creative a few times, but I needed some new ideas. There are some great ones on the above sites! I took the chicken enchilada one and customized it for us (mainly making it vegan). We don't use the fake meats a lot, but I just had to try this recipe--and it turned out really well!

1 large organic spaghetti squash
1 can of organic black beans
package of meatless chicken of your choice
big handful of organic spinach
1 jar of enchilada sauce (I used Trader Joe's. The closet cooking site above has a homemade recipe. The jar was just a time-saver for me).
Daiya's Havarti with jalapenos

Other than the cooking time for the spaghetti sauce, this is quick and easy.

Slice the spaghetti sauce horizontally so you have to nice squash boats (once you remove the seeds). Bake the squash for an hour at 350 degrees.

Thaw the "chicken" strips. Drain and rinse the black beans. Cut up the big handful of spinach (removing the big stems). I also chopped up the "chicken" strips so they were a bit smaller. Put them in a mixing bowl. Pour in the enchilada sauce, and mix it all up.

Once the squash has finished cooking, fill the boats with the enchilada mixture.
(At this point, I had to head out for about 45 minutes. So, I turned the oven off, but left the stuffed squash in the oven while I was gone so that the mixture would get warm. Otherwise, I would simply stuff the squash, and put them back in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until the mixture is heated).

Turn the oven to broil, and sprinkle pieces of Daiya cheese on the top. Broil until the cheese is nice and melted.

Enjoy! I have plenty left-over for another meal (Mark does not).

Some big changes for The Fit Life, LLC

Some big changes are being unveiled at The Fit Life, LLC this week!

First, is a new website. I no longer have the website that looks like it was put together in the early 90's by someone who has had one web design class (ummm...like I have...back in the early 90s). It's simple, but clean. And I believe all the information you need is there. The payment page is still in progress, but will be up-to-date very soon. I may continue to expand on it, but for now, it covers what I need. Please, check it out. (Let me know if you see any spelling or grammatical boo boos. I've been staring at it for too long). 

If you've ever wondered why I do what I do...what got me there, read the "About" page.

Some other changes...

Dog Fit!

You'll notice that Dog Fit! is no longer on my site. While I do still have a handful of doggy clients, I will no longer be promoting Dog Fit! as part of my business. I love my little canine clients, but between the hours I'm putting in at the Rec. Center, my personal training clients, and a host of other things (cost of gas), I just can't take on anymore canine clients at this time. 

And to be quite honest, with this career, my entire day is physical. By Friday, I'm simply physically exhausted. And since my hobbies are also very physical, it's starting to lead to injuries. So I need to watch how much more physical stuff I take on (for awhile, I was putting in about 8 miles a day of running/walking with canine clients. It was just too much). 

DoTerra Essential Oils

As a fitness professional, I have been approached by pretty much every supplement company out there to sell supplements: Advocare, Body by Vi, Beachbody, Amway, etc. And I have held strong to my conviction that I do not want to sell supplements. I just think if you want a nutritious shake, you should throw some organic fruits and vegetables in the blender...maybe a pure hemp protein without additives. If it has ingredients I don't recognize, I don't want it in my body. Plus, many contain sucralose (Splenda) which makes me violently ill. I just don't trust it. Others contain dairy--which I try to keep to a minimum in my life. Otherwise, talk to your doctor/nutritionist/hormone specialist about what you might need. 

Essential oils, on the other hand, are something I use on a daily basis to live a more natural life--free from harmful chemicals. I use them in making beauty products, cleaning products, for health and wellness. So I believe being a DoTerra rep. is a good fit for me. 

You will see, if you go to my DoTerra page, they do sell some supplements/vitamins/etc. And while you are certainly more than welcome to purchase them from my site, I won't be specializing in those things. I will focus my education on the oils (and that's what I will most likely have samples of if you wish to try them). 

What I Will and Won't Do as a DoTerra Rep

I will openly admit, I'm not a good salesperson. I hate high pressure sales tactics being used on me. They cause me to walk away and never come back. And I'll admit, when a friends post are constantly about selling products, programs, etc., I tend to hide them. So here's what you can expect from me with the essential oils.

I will not:

• Have parties where I ask you to come over and check out my products (and then you feel obligated to buy them).
• Constantly post stuff on The Fit Life, LLC page about buying my products
• Try to talk you into selling oils

I will:

• Continue to post recipes and wellness tips using essential oils (I do this already)
• Provide you with a sample of something (if I have it on hand) if you are interested in trying it.
• Let you know if there is a sale or something (but just through one short post). 
• Be happy to research oils if there's something you want to know about one of them. 
• Make time to meet with you if you would like to discuss or try something.

There's a lot to learn with the oils (even a certification course if I decide to take it), so I may have to do some research before answering your questions.

Of course, I hope this brings in a little extra income (who doesn't want extra income?), but the income is not worth becoming an obnoxious salesperson. 

So that's it for now. Please check out the new site. Let me know what you think of it!

Do you smell something???

Since both my hobbies and my career are very active, I often find myself sweaty several times a day. Too many times to actually grab a shower--I'd be averaging 6 or 7 showers a day! That's not good for the skin or the environment!

But, I don't want to be all gross and stinky around my clients and friends (although my canine clients don't seem to care). So, I've developed my own, natural body wipes. I can scent them myself--because sometimes you just don't want to smell like a baby's bottom! Plus, I know exactly what's in these (those who have read my previous blogs know I go all natural whenever possible).

I keep these in the car so that I have them whenever I need. They are also great for those outback camping trips that have no plumbing.

I use the gallon-sized freezer storage bags (If I could think of an alternative to plastic that wouldn't leak, I'd use it. I'm open to suggestions if anybody has one). You can fit quite a few paper towels in them.

I put about a 1/2 cup of water in the bag, and a table spoon of white vinegar (enough to kill germs and bacteria, but not enough to make you smell like sauerkraut all day). I add just a drop or two of tea tree oil (not only does it have a strong smell, but you don't want to put it directly on the skin undiluted--unless maybe right on a pimple!). Why tea tree oil? Like the vinegar it kills bacteria (which is what makes us stinky), it's also good to combat allergens, cuts, scrapes, bites, etc. Then I add a few drops of my favorite essential oil for scent. I usually go with lavender because it's also good for the skin and anti-bacterial. Sometimes I add a little eucalyptus because I love the smell and it perks me up a bit. There are some great essential oil blends out there. Be careful with citrus oils. They can make the skin more sensitive to sunlight. And be careful with the minty oils if you'll be cleaning the girlie parts!

Once my bag is ready, I just add high quality paper towels (the cheap ones will fall apart). As many as you want to put in there. Before I use the paper-towel,  I will wring it out so it's not all drippy. If I'm just using it to quickly wipe off my face and neck, I'll put it back in the bag when I'm finished. With the antibacterials in there, it will be fine. If I'm using it on other parts (arm-pits and more personal areas) I will throw it out.

It's nice to be able to freshen up between classes and clients. Or, after a race when there are festivities to attend.

An Instructor's Roll: Why Aren't YOU Doing This?

I'm feeling the need to address a comment I received while teaching class this morning. I don't mean for this to be a rant (even though I am a little irritated), it's meant more as an explanation.

This morning I was subbing a TRX class for another instructor. It's always a little awkward when you sub for somebody else because people get accustomed to certain instructors and tend to not like change. And all instructors teach a little differently. Even in choreographed classes like Body Pump or Zumba, each instructor's personality is bound to come out.

Class was going fine, and then after one particular move a patron (in a very snippy way) says, "Could you show me that move again? I'm not use to an instructor who does a few reps then quits!" I smiled, and showed her the move again. I then explained that at 12 classes in a week, it is not really possible for me to do every class with the patrons.

What I didn't explain is that that is not my job. My job is to show you how to do the exercise properly and safely, and then watch your form to make sure you are getting a good, injury-free workout. It's emphasized over and over again when we take continuing education classes--you are not in the class to get your workout in--you are in the class to help the patrons get their workout in.

The fact that this career is a physical one rather than a sedentary desk job is a bonus (Usually. Over-exercise and cortisone levels are a topic for a completely different blog). But I'm not there to workout with you--anymore than an English teacher is there to write the paper he/she assigned to the student. I'm glad that I burn calories while I work, but I then schedule my own workouts--that are geared towards my goals (i.e. running speed, endurance adventure races, upper body strength, etc.).

Sometimes I do jump in, for instance, in a boot camp class when we're doing partner drills and there are an uneven number of people. I'm happy to do so. But if I did every class I teach, not only would I not be able to pay attention to your form, I would be far too tired to do my own workout and reach my own goals (sometimes it's still a slippery slope).


So when my patrons ask me, "Why aren't you doing this?" when I'm teaching a boot camp. Or, "What gear are you riding in?" when I'm teaching cycling, I try to just laugh it off and change the subject--because I'm probably not working as hard as you. I'm watching your form, timing intervals, and trying to keep you engaged in your workout. I'll do my workout later.

Recipe Post: Vegan Faux Fredo with Kale/Walnut Pesto

You know I typically stick to simple, but delicious recipes because I don't like taking a lot of time to cook. But sometimes, when I have some extra time, I really enjoy tackling a higher maintenance recipe. Tonight was one of those nights. This is decadent, but still healthy! You will need a food processor and a high speed blender (or at least one of these--washing it out between uses). It is vegan and gluten-free.

I stole the original recipe from Healthy Recipe Ecstasy. So give that blog a read when you have some time. I'm posting the original recipe below, along with the changes I made (in red) to please our diets/palettes. It's always fun to add your own twist to recipes!

INGREDIENTS

• KALE PESTO:
• 3 cups kale (fresh with tough stems removed or frozen)
• ¼ cup raw walnuts (I could not find raw walnuts, so I used regular walnuts from the bakery section)
• 2 cloves of garlic
  
  
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (I had some infused olive oils on hand so I did 2 parts regular olive oil and one part hot red pepper infused olive oil to give it a little kick).
• 1/4 cup of Nutritional Yeast
• Coarse salt & black pepper to taste
• PASTA ALFREDO:
• ¼ cup vegan margarine (I used 1/4 cup unrefined, organic coconut oil). 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups canned white beans, rinsed and drained (Three cans of organic White Northern Beans)
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened soy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• Coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound whole wheat penne pasta (I used my Mung Bean Pasta "go to" for this. See picture below). 
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving (I skipped using any extra oil).

INSTRUCTIONS

KALE PESTO:

1. Transfer the kale, walnuts and garlic to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream and process to a coarse purée.

PASTA ALFREDO:

1. Cook pasta according to package. Drain and keep warm, retaining one tablespoon pasta water.(I didn't bother with the tablespoon of water).
2. In a large sauté pan over low heat, melt the margarine. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Transfer the margarine mixture to a blender or food processor, and add the white beans, vegetable broth, soy milk and pasta water. Blend until completely smooth.
4. Pour the sauce back into the pan over low heat, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the sauce is warm.
5. Add the sauce to the pasta, and mix until all the noodles are covered in sauce. Divide pasta among 4 bowls. Top each bowl with 2-3 tablespoons kale pesto and some olive oil.
6. NOTE: At first, it may seem like you have too much sauce for the pasta, but the noodles quickly soak up all that sauce. To reheat leftovers, I like to slowly warm the pasta on the stove and add ¼ cup broth to help loosen up the sauce.

Look how creamy the white bean sauce is. It looks like we splurged on heavy cream, but this recipe gets rid of all of that unhealthy dairy.

Here's my pasta "go to" these days. It's packed with protein and fiber--and it's gluten/wheat free!

Recipe Post: Cauliflower and Cashew Fritters

I think this is my new favorite recipe! Healthy and delicious--and not too difficult. You do need a decent blender and a food processor.

This recipe came from Vegetarian Times. I will tell you the spots where I tweaked it to my liking.

Cauliflower-Cashew Fritters with Red Pepper Cashew Cream Sauce

Serves 6

30 minutes or fewer

Ground cashews help hold together these oven-baked cauliflower fritters.

Fritters

• 2 cups 1-inch cauliflower florets
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup roasted and salted cashews (I used low-salt cashews from Trader Joe's)
• ½ cup Italian parsley leaves
• ¼ cup diced red bell pepper (I've done it with both red and green peppers--either work)
• 2 Tbs. corn flour (I didn't have corn flour, so I used garbanzo/fava bean flour)
• 1 Tbs. capers (I did not put capers in it, and they still tasted great)
• 1½ tsp. seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay

Sauce

• 1½ cups Cashew Cream. (I tend to just wing it on my cashew cream sauce. I soak my raw cashews (Trader Joe's) for at least a few hours. Drain them. Rinse them. Then I just toss them in the Vitamix with some unsweetened almond milk until I like the thickness). 
• ½ cup jarred roasted red pepper, rinsed, drained, and diced ( I used more--close to a full jar)
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 Tbs. capers, rinsed and drained (Again, I didn't use capers)

I also added some red pepper flakes to the sauce because I like it to have a little kick. The first time I made it I also added a garlic clove. This time I did not. I liked it both ways). 

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.

2. To make Fritters: Combine all ingredients in food processor, and pulse until ingredients are well-combined and no large chunks remain.

3. Use 1-oz. scoop or 2-Tbs. coffee measurer to portion Fritters onto prepared baking sheet. Lightly press down on each Fritter to flatten. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, flip with spatula, and bake 3 to 5 minutes more, or until browned on both sides.

4. To make Sauce: blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.

If you just can't get into the fritters, you must at least try the sauce! It's so delicious! I used some leftover sauce over Mung Bean pasta. It was fantastic!

One more step toward total freedom (or freakdom)!

So I've told you about the 10 "Weird" Things I Do for My Health. And, I've told you Why I Quit Using Lotion. Now, I've taken another step in my journey to cut harmful chemicals out of my life--and to become less reliant on modern conveniences like the supermarket. I've gone poo-less.

Now before you start thinking, "Waaiiitt....that's not healthy, everyone needs to poo!! It's part of good digestion!" That is totally NOT what I'm talking about. I've taken the next step in cutting chemicals out of my life by giving up my shampoo and conditioner. It took me awhile to get here. I have extremely fine, curly hair that tangles very easily. I just couldn't imagine not using a conditioner on it. I would never be able to get a comb through it.

I switched to the organic products a few years ago. At least they are clear of the cancer-causing sodium lauryl sulfate--and don't have quite so many foreign substances in them. But they are expensive, and the conditioners really didn't do much for me.  I kept seeing recipes for homemade cleaner and conditioner and thinking, "I really need to do that."

So why did I finally do it? I bought a new brand of "all natural, organic conditioner" (I believe it was around $5 for a fairly small bottle) because I just didn't like the smell of the one I've been using--and I had an allergic reaction. A red, bumpy rash broke out all over my neck. That seemed like the sign I had been waiting for.

So am I just letting my hair get all greasy and gross? Of course not! Here's what I'm using now:

Shampoo: ~ 1 part baking soda to 4 parts water, and several drops of essential oil
Conditioner: ~ 1 part organic apple cider vinegar to 5 parts water, and several drops of essential oil.

I've been using this method for about two weeks now, and I have to say I'm happy with it. Sure it's kind of weird to not have lather when you wash your hair. But my hair feels clean and soft. And the vinegar rinse actually detangles better than the organic conditioners did.

Here's the best part:

Baking soda: $1.20
Apple Cider Vinegar: About the price of one bottle of conditioner
Essential Oil: You just need a few drops...so not much at all/

And this is probably about a six months supply of shampoo and conditioner.

Now, time to make a new batch of deodorant!

India: The Finale

We’re headed into our last day in India. We’ll have the entire day tomorrow, and then leave in the wee hours of the morning for the airport—travelling back in time to the U.S. (at some time during flight, it will become a day earlier)!

I must admit as we end our retreat, I’m feeling calm and relaxed. I’m sleeping well. Other than one brief start of a migraine a few days ago—no headaches. And my complexion looks very nice.  I had my final consult with my Ayurvedic doctor this afternoon. She agreed I was pretty darn healthy (I saw a bit of her humor for the first time today—she’s not as stern as I originally thought). I leave with just one medicinal herb that is supposed to help with hormone balance (a non-ending struggle over the last four years or so). I actually lost a kilo (I think that’s about two pounds). I wasn’t attempting to diet or anything. In fact, I only had her re-check my weight because I’ve been enjoying the food so much here. 

I have gone ten days without alcohol or television—and both were hardly missed (doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy both in moderation when I return, but it’s nice to know they weren’t needed).  I’ve learned a lot about  Ayurvedic philosophies on body types and how to balance your own body type (Dosha). In doing that, I’ve learned that I could probably stand to slow down a bit—add a little yoga into my life—focus a bit more on what my body tells me it wants and needs. 

I’ve spent 11 days straight with my mother—first on an airplane and then in a small cabin—and we’ve gotten along really well. We typically do get along fairly well, but I’ll admit there was some apprehension about sharing a small cabin for that amount of time. I am simply a person who likes a fair amount of space and alone time. 

I’ve spotted two resort cats. I find cats everywhere I go—ask my husband. Sadly, they were not tame kitties, so I did not get my kitty fix while I was here. I did enjoy watching these tiny squirrels that are all around here scamper around the restaurant (open air restaurant) trying to find treasures to eat.

The people in our group (I believe 22 people in all) have been wonderful to meet—each adding a unique prospective to this experience. 

We’ve been immersed in a culture totally unlike our own, and it’s been an amazing awakening. I love to see and learn about other cultures. It makes me on one hand, appreciate my own a bit more, but on the other hand, yearn for something a bit different (which is one reason Mark and I are exploring retiring to another country at some point).  It can also be a little unnerving. You are a foreigner who does not know the language, who is unfamiliar with the religion, dress and culture. So if you’re a control freak (I do have some control freak tendencies) it puts you a bit out of your comfort zone. In fact, I deduced that that’s what made me so uncomfortable with the treatments here—the lack of control I felt. 

The part of the country we are staying in is primarily Hindu and Christian. We actually took a class on Hinduism and visited a Hindu temple during a holy ceremony. I am someone who has struggled with religious beliefs pretty much my entire life—and typically shy away from anything to do with religion. But here, religion seemed a much more beautiful thing. In the U.S. I associate religion with people telling you what the bible says is wrong (i.e. homosexuality, abortion etc.). Here religion seems to more about being loving, nurturing, accepting and thankful for everything the Earth has given you. It’s just a part of people here. It’s peaceful (well, until they get in a car—then it’s just insanity). 

So would I come back and do this again? (My Mom asked me this the other day). I’m so glad I did it, but probably not.  There are just too many other countries I want to explore and experience. And parts are sad—it’s over-crowded and so much poverty.  I do not enjoy bartering and pressure. And every shop you walk into here there is bartering and pressure. We visited one department store—no bartering there—but staff everywhere. When you started browsing through the clothing, they would stand right next to you picking things out and handing them to you. You literally could not just be by yourself and browse. That’s just too much for me. 

If I were having some chronic health problems I would definitely consider it. I do have strong belief in the way they heal here—using what nature gives us to create medicines/cures as opposed to the chemicals pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. try to put in us. I truly believe I am much less toxic than I was when I arrived (although compared to many, I lead a fairly toxin-free life in the U.S. I will continue to keep as many harmful things out of my body as possible).

And while I think yoga is a valuable practice—and can certainly be incorporated into my lifestyle—I still crave adventure and adrenaline. Yogis believe too much stimulation and excitement is harmful to our Doshas—that it causes imbalance. I believe it is part of what makes life worth living. That’s one I’m not willing to budge on.  How can something that makes me feel so alive be harmful? 

(I guess the fitness instructor in me has trouble believing that high intensity intervals can be bad for you, when they’ve done such good things for me!)

I miss my husband (this is the longest we’ve been apart since we met), and my furry kids, but I am not looking forward to the 20+ hour journey home. I dread it. But it will be nice to land in Columbus and see Mark. 

I will work on posting all my photos on The Fit Life, LLC facebook page. It may take me awhile to caption everything.  For now, I am signing off and preparing for departure.

Kerala, India Con't

Day four of our retreat. I've now gone through four days of treatments--I think I'm getting use to be naked and fondled...kind of. Actually, as I listen to others in our group discuss their various treatments, I feel pretty lucky that I'm very healthy. I've been assigned six days of "Rejuvenation Therapy". Those who have health issues are assigned "Purification Therapies"...and yes, they are probably the types of things you are imagining in your head right now--things that require close proximity to a bathroom.

You'll like this. I had a reaction to some of the oils they used on my face, so here it the medicine they put on to help it.

 

It's like I'm back home doing a mud race!

Today we finally took a little excursion to a beach town about twenty minutes away--Kovalum. It catered to tourists, but it was nice to see something besides the resort. The water was nice, and I picked up a few souvenirs. I'm guessing every article of clothing I've bought in Yellow Springs, OH was made here. I actually saw a top I own in one of the stores. Pretty stuff though--and so much cheaper than we pay for it in the U.S.

Tomorrow, it's morning yoga/meditation (unless I skip out for a run on the beach), a trip to the herb farm where they make all the natural medicines used here, treatment #5, and a trip to a Hindu temple.

Kerala Yoga Retreat Day One: It Gets Real

Today (Saturday. I'm posting a day late) was the first real day of our retreat. They took it a little easy on us in the morning, because we’re still battling jet-lag. In fact, I woke up at 2:30am and could not get back to sleep. So I tossed and turned and read a bit.

When the restaurant opened at 7am, Mom and I were there! As always the food was amazing.

At 9am we met our group for the formal welcoming (opening ceremonies if you will). We received our schedules for the week, and met the Ayurveda doctors that worked at the resort—the doctors we would be seeing that day to diagnose our Doshas, and work on any other problems.  They gave us detailed questionnaires to fill out that would help the doctors determine what our dominant Doshas were. Once the Dosha was determined, they would prescribe treatments that complimented them. 

We had a little free time on our hands before meeting with the doctors, so I took a dip in the pool. It is REALLY hot here. I needed to cool down.

Soon it was time for our appointments. Here’s where it gets really interesting. 

Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas Anymore

The doctor I was assigned to was a very large, stern Indian woman. Although she was perfectly kind, I found her a little intimidating. The consultation didn’t take long. She looked through my questionnaire, took my blood pressure, checked my heart rate, and pushed on a few places to see if it hurt. Satisfied with the exam, they told me to come back at 2pm for my first treatment. 

I assumed it would just be a massage—perhaps focusing on my head and neck—where I tend to get migraines. 

What’s that saying about making assumptions? When you assume, you make an ass…

I’m going to be as detailed here as I possibly can to give you the full experience of my experience. If you start to get some unpleasant visuals, I apologize, but now you are feeling a bit of what I was feeling during treatment.

I arrived at the clinic and was introduced to my therapist. I will see the  same therapist for all six of my treatments. She smiled. Her English was very limited so our communication was pretty much one-word sentences and pointing. She said, “Come” and motioned for me to follow. “Shoes.” She wanted me to put my shoes on because we were leaving the clinic (you take your shoes off before you enter buildings here). I followed her down several walkways, between some buildings to another area of the resort where they had several treatment rooms. “Toilet?” Yes, that would probably be a good idea. She pointed to which door to go through for the toilet. 

We had been warned during our welcoming that treatments here are done naked. (There will be no pictures in this portion of the blog).

Say what???

So I was already a little nervous. I’m the woman in the locker room who changes in the little booth. I’m not the woman who struts around buck naked chatting with people. I don’t like to be naked in front of people. We were told you could ask for panties if you really felt uncomfortable, and they would bring you these little throw-away white panties.

So the therapist takes me to the little room. It’s an open air room, but the windows are high enough that people can’t see in if they walk by. There’s a large wooden table with a mat on it. There’s a little stool, another large thick mat on the floor, and a ring hanging from a rope on the ceiling.

“Clothes off!” she says.

“Ummmm….do you think I could have some uhh…panties?”

She leaves the room for a second and comes back in with a bag full of the generic white panties. She hands them to me and waits for me to get undressed and put the panties on.

Now most of you have probably had a massage in the U.S.  You can leave on whatever clothing you need to leave on to feel comfortable.  The therapist waits outside the room while you prepare. And you get to slide yourself under a sheet or blanket before the therapist comes back in.

That’s not how it works here.

Reluctantly, I strip down and quickly put the panties on. 

“Sit.” She says and points to the little stool covered with a cloth. There are a few towels on the ground to put my feet on.

She turns around to a table in the corner and lights some incense and candles. She pours some pungent oil into a warmer, and comes back over to me. She places her hands on my forehead and does a chant of some sort, then places some powdered herbs on my head. Then she takes the heated oil and starts oiling me up—EVERYWHERE. This goes on for a while. It’s a good massage; I’m just so self-conscious about my nakedness, that I have trouble relaxing. Soon a second lady comes in, and together they continue to rub the oil in in tandem. At the end, they wrap my oily hair in a towel and tie it into a little turban—and tell me to remain on the stool. The initial therapist leaves the room, and the other gets to work on the next thing that’s in store for me. 

She starts to tie a cloth to the ring that’s hanging from the ceiling. My mind immediately goes into panic mode, “For the love of God, what are they going to have me to next??? Some bizarre visions were coming to mind.

She then unfolds the large mat on the floor and sprinkles it with water. She then stands in the bowl of water herself, and does kind of a ritualistic cleaning of the mat. She puts another large cloth on it and gestures for me to lie on the mat. “Stomach”.  Hanging onto the cloth she tied to the ring for balance, she begins to massage me with her feet. Eventually she tells me to turnover, and massages my entire front side with her feet—breasts and all. 

By now I have pretty much resigned myself to the fact that this is how it’s done here. And, these ladies have seen hundreds of naked bodies by now. I’m just one of them. 

The final segment of this two-hour treatment is called Sirodhara. “Sira” = head. “Dhara” = continuous flow of liquid. A mixture of herbal oils and medicated milk are poured on the forehead in a special way for about 40 minutes. 

It was actually a pretty cool process. And, it was so relaxing that I actually fell asleep. (And they prescribe this treatment for me because of migraines and insomnia). 

They ended the treatment with a face massage. They then very thoroughly dried me off with towels. “Panties off.” Again, I reluctantly slid them off, and handed them to her. She held out a maroon cloth robe that I had seen many people around the resort wearing. My clothes were in a bag. My oily hair was once again tied into a towel turban.

The therapist escorted me back to the main clinic. I felt a little out of it/disoriented so it was good to have an escort. 

Back at the clinic she gave me some hot herbal water (that’s big here—even though it’s 90 degrees) and said, “You come back tomorrow at 2pm.” 

I guess I better get over this naked thing because I have five more “treatments” to go.