In a quiet valley surrounded by the Santa Catalina Mountains in southern Arizona stands a 25-foot pole with a disk at the top. I’m climbing up at a snail’s pace to the encouraging sounds — “You can do it! One more step!” — of 14 people whom I’ve just met, including the belay team holding the safety rope. Near the summit of the challenge course, called Quantum Leap, I put my left foot on the disk, and a gust of wind hits me squarely in the face, sending a shiver down my neck. All of a sudden I am shaking like a leaf, covered in goose bumps, and terrified. I try to recall the instructor’s words — “It’s as easy as climbing up on a chair” — but that seemed well and good when I was standing on firm ground. Did I mention I’m afraid of heights?

It has been less than 24 hours since I arrived at Miraval, a luxe health resort tucked away in the Sonoran Desert outside Tucson, Arizona, where the modus operandi is balance, and the goal is to learn better how to live in the present. The elegant casitas that spread over acres of flowering succulents, prairies of wild flowers, and gushing rivulets aren’t enough to keep guests lounging about once they consider what’s on the activities menu.

Prior to my arrival at the resort, I had a number of phone conversations with the fitness manager, the nutritionist, and the spa director to come up with a customized program of seminars, activities, and physical challenges that, according to their Web site, would allow me to connect with life, meaning, and purpose. While reading their brochure, I noted that the Miraval experience is designed to create awareness and heighten the senses so that you can appreciate the moment and bring life into balance. It sounded good to me. By choosing from a healthy range of activities, including meditation, rock climbing, hiking, nutrition, and photography classes, guests can design daily agendas to suit their moods and goals. Without a moment’s hesitation, I signed up for a five-day retreat.

A veteran spa visitor, I was looking for more than yoga and mud wraps. Although Miraval certainly offers plenty of spa services and meditation classes, what intrigued me about the resort was Life in Balance, a set of programs designed to achieve a specific goal or focus. Whole Person Healing, for example, helps those recovering from an illness, surgery, or injury to readjust by taking into account not only physical healing but also emotional, psychological, and spiritual recovery. Other programs include Smoking Liberation, Stress Management, and Love, Sex, and Energy. Each combines exercise and healthful eating with an emphasis on the mindbody connection.

 

 

My goal during my stay is not only to put to the challenge some physical and mental tolerances but also to figure out how to prepare for an upcoming biking trip in Ireland. With that in mind I sign up for the Focused Athletic Training, a program that helps guests take a sport to the next level. Over the course of my stay, I meet with fitness manager Mary Horn to devise a systematic training plan and to learn about sports nutrition and hydration. A triathlete who has competed in the Ironman, Mary has helped beginner and seasoned athletes reach their full potential, whether they’re training for their first 5K race or their tenth marathon. Mary says she loves hearing about guests who come to train for one event but end up making a lifelong commitment to staying active. “Sometimes I go out to watch a 5K race and I see a woman in her sixties or seventies crossing the finish line. It’s the most beautiful thing,” Mary says.

After determining my fitness level, we discuss my goals and timeline and then she designs a program that includes endurance and speed workouts. “Being fit and healthy is not just about losing weight,” she says. “It’s also about having fun.”

Which brings me to Quantum Leap, a course for adventure seekers like myself looking to explore the limits of their comfort zone. Having taken an earlier seminar on “mindfulness” — the practice of approaching life with self-awareness and self-acceptance to promote physical and mental health — I realize that my biggest obstacle goes beyond the 25-foot pole and my fear of heights. With the little voice at the back of my head whispering things like “Oh, I hope I can climb better than him” or “I bet I look fat in these shorts,” I grasp that my mind is rarely in the same moment or “place” as my body. Instead of just being, I often worry about the future, dwell on the past, or think about the moment in an abstract way. “With intention,” the mindfulness coach explains, “we can train ourselves to be more fully engaged in the now.” So I force myself to quiet the chatter in my head, take a deep breath, and become still. Suddenly the astounding mountains in front of me come into focus. I acknowledge the strength it took me to climb up, smile, and leap. For the next few days, whether I am doing yoga, getting a hot-stone massage, or lying by the pool, I focus on experiencing the moment with receptiveness and openness.

 

 

Several guests and I attend a class offered by the nutrition department. This guided meal, called Mindful Eating, is to help us become more aware of what we eat. The nutritionist asks us to carefully taste the foods we’ve selected, paying attention to the textures, the fl avors, and the aromas. The idea is to approach eating and weight management based on what we need, not what we want.

DETAILS Miraval is 45 minutes north of Tucson and provides transportation to and from the airport. Guests enjoy unlimited access to all scheduled programs and activities, three gourmet meals a day, one spa service, and more. For info on programs, packages, and prices, contact Miraval at 800.825.4000 or go to miravalresort.com.

Most hands go up when the nutritionist asks how many of us eat lunch at our desks or dinners in front of the TV. “Sometimes we just shovel food in our mouths without really paying attention,” she says. After spending 10 minutes eating in silence we talk about our discoveries. “With no distractions, I just realized that I really don’t like scrambled eggs,” one man says. Another person notices the point at which she becomes full — and stops eating. By setting the fork down between each bite, I am able to pace myself and appreciate the meal. “Eating is something we sometimes do because we have to, but what if we took the time to really enjoy it?” the nutritionist asks.

On my last day at Miraval I sign up for a rock-climbing class. Like other challenge activities at the resort, this one integrates elements of trust (of yourself and your safety team), balance, and breathing — and it allows you to discover how mindfulness can change your life. I fall in love with it immediately and fi nd both the physical challenge as well as the creativity involved exhilarating. If only for a moment, I am so focused on climbing that I feel calm and fully present. There’s no chatter, no analysis, and no judgment. I am here, now.