COME TO LANZAROTE-EXPERIENCE A GENTLE, AFFORDABLE, MADE TO MEASURE RETREAT & HOLIDAY WITH A DIFFERENCE

• A STUNNING RURAL LOCATION WITH LEN AND SUSAN AS YOUR HOSTS-ENJOY OUR HOME
• 10 minutes to Famara Beach-surf and swim
• Fresh cooking to suit you-any diet catered for
• Mind, Body and Soul Therapies, Art Therapy, Stress Relief
• Recovery and relaxation in the sun-see the island as local people know it
• Stay near to the Volcanic Timanfaya National Park
• Swim in the Orzola Lagoon
• Visit the amazing La Graciosa-total tranquility
• Visit the beauty of Cesar Manrique

CALL US ON (0044) 07500 800076 FOR MORE DETAILS, PRICES AND AVAILABILITY

The Art of Convalescence: discovering brightness within the darkness

Our society finds the long-established art of convalescence difficult because slowing down and resting within the frenetic pace of everyday life is often easier said than done. But a change of view can often help to change the mind and body. This idea is exactly what Susan de Muynck and Len Lofts hold in their hearts as they welcome guests to their new retreat on the volcanic island of Lanzarote. For them, the islands unique landscape in which the four elements: earth, wind, fire and water combine intensely in close proximity – offer more than just a change of scenery, and help visitors to recuperate and move forward in their life. During a stay at their retreat I was curious to explore their idea of using landscapes as a healing modality that can enhance other therapies and treatments.

One thing is for sure: Lanzarote’s distinctive and wide-ranging landscapes cannot be ignored. For the first few hours after arriving on the island, my eyes were a little shocked as they readjusted to the sheer vastness of the light and airy countryside. During the drive from the airport to the retreat located in a small traditional town called La Vaguetta, I felt dazed by the seemingly sterile atmosphere that the volcanic eruptions had left behind. Even in urban areas, amidst the white, sugar cube-like public and domestic buildings, well-kept gardens offer only an occasional, lonely cactus plant set against a backdrop of black volcanic gravel. A stark contrast from the lush green corner of Devon that I’d left behind, which in comparison seemed overcrowded with life. Yet during the next few days I learnt that the island is far from lacking in life. What is more, the generousness sense of space became the key to unlocking the restorative qualities of the retreat - allowing room for the excess mental and emotional debris in my life to disperse – and reveal hidden treasures that had been lying out of sight.

In the same way that the island’s spaciousness evokes feelings of freedom, retreat hosts Susan de Muynck and Len Lofts, have a unique way of nurturing their guests and making sure they do not feel duty bound to fit in with any particular regime. There was no obligation to get up at dawn for yoga, join in with trips or attend meals at fixed times. Instead, a bountiful menu of therapies, treatments and options for indulging in some of Lanzarote’s traditional sights and culinary treats was there to choose from as my mood fancied. Reflecting on a week in which trips to the beach, conversations during mealtimes as well as formal bodywork treatments all seemed to have a healing effect, I was interested to know what ‘therapy’ actually meant to my hosts. “It’s about bringing awareness to something in your life,” explained Len, who practiced psychotherapy for X years before opening this retreat. “You can affect change in someone’s life just by offering tenderness, warmth, honesty and truth.” This idea is shared by Susan who draws inspiration from her experiences as marketer for a number of ethical organisations, masseuse and mother: “We try to listen to what our guests really want, fitting what we offer into their flow of movement. In effect, they create their own retreat.”

As the week went on, the penetrative effect that Lanzarote’s landscape had on me, paralleled the energizing and warming effect of the sun. At the beginning of the week my appreciation of the scenery was superficial, with most of it bouncing off the surface layers of my skin like the tingly but temporary sensation you get from a few minutes outdoors in summer. Yet as the week went on the sun’s energy worked its way into me with a gentle warmth that loosens tight muscles. Known as ‘the island of fire’ due to the longest ever recorded volacanic eruption in the 1700’s – which lasted for six years – it is still possible to experience the remnants of one of nature’s most creative and destructive phenomenon by visiting the National Park, Timanfaya – where heat from the earth is used to cook food, ignite straw and send buckets of water metres into the air in jets of steam.

By the end of the retreat the mountains and immense fields of burnt, jagged and chiselled rock had somehow been internalized. Its openness and enormity had crept into me. Like the newly-synthesised vitamin D stimulated by the sun, Lanzarote had seeped deep into my bones. During a bike ride around the island I’d seen, close up, a whole pallet of colours amidst the rocks – black against green, red against brown, purple against yellow. Lichen and moss covered lava fields like an ancient forest without trees. The landscape was coursing through me – and I knew that the essence of the island including its sparse cactus and scrub would be carried back home and linger with me for a while.

At the same time I also learnt from Susan that Lanzarote’s harshness isn’t for everyone. Just as you have to expose yourself to the sun to benefit from its health-giving properties you have to be open to the landscape and allow it to enter you. “The volcanic activity and rugged contours give the island a strong, masculine, yang-type energy,” explained Susan. “Some people struggle with this - even some of my tough Spaniard friends who’ve lived here for several years find that they have to leave the island a couple of times each year.” Yet, Lanzarote’s numerous good features more than make up for this. Unlike many tourist destinations which are littered with advertising hoardings - on Lanzarote you are more likely to find artwork and sculptures instead. This is due to the influence of the island’s most famous artist, Cesar Manrique, whose guiding principle was for humans to work in harmony with nature.

The rocky landscape of Lanzarote may offer healing through more than just its beautiful proportions: within certain parts of the cooled molten lava exist large quantities of the semi-precious stone, Olivine. According to crystal therapists this yellowy-green crystal’s warm and friendly, cleansing energy can help one to release old negative patterns. Indeed, it was the Olivine-rich black sands of El Golfo which attracted me most out of all the beaches on the island. Sifting through black pebbles and sand to find samples of the stone, I was fascinated to discover something so prized and bright within the darkness.

We've all been touched by beautiful or dramatic landscapes at some point in our lives: a burning red sunset over cool damp heathland can calm troubled minds; fierce waves crashing against a rocky cliff face can reinvigorate a tired body at the end of a draining day. The simplicity and stark beauty of Lanzarote certainly was enough to convince me that removing oneself to a sanctuary such as this really does have the power to heal conditions that are more chronic in nature. For me the wilderness and austere volcanic views seemed to dilute and eventually clear long-term tension in my body. Along with the gentle encouragement from Susan and Len to follow my dreams and inspiration from those lichens and mosses which had found their niche on burnt jagged rocks I returned home feeling rested in the certainty that life will always throw up new opportunities for growth.

Website: www.b-the-change.com/retreatlanzarote.html