Just Back From

Just Back From: Finding Balance in the Berkshires at the New Miraval Spa

Just a three-and-a-half-hour’s drive north of New York City and a three-hour’s drive west of Boston, the newest addition to the Miraval spa portfolio—Miraval Berkshires, a dynamic 100-room resort that opened in the historic town of Lenox, Massachusetts, last July—is the northeastern wellness getaway we’re all in need of. Read the full Indagare review of Miraval Berkshires here.

With two established (and beloved) properties in Tucson, Arizona and Austin, Texas, Miraval has cultivated a well-rounded brand that promotes seeking a “life in balance,” through spa and beauty treatments, yoga and meditation, mindful, but not restrictive, eating, immersion in nature through outdoor adventures and passion-driven activities like painting, dance, equine therapy and cooking. Above all, Miraval hopes to guide guests to discover moments of personal transformation, big and small. Whatever challenges you may be facing—whether you’re tackling a major lifestyle shift or processing grief, or you’re just due for a reset—the Miraval experience welcomes you to chart your own wellness journey, based on your needs, asking only that you keep an open mind and heart.I arrived at Miraval Berkshires (along with a few of my Indagare colleagues) earlier this month, not with any one goal or specific problem at hand, but rather with a head full of little anxieties and doubts, provoked by the challenges of this “reentry” period we are in. We’re jumping back into the joys of our old lives in the world—after nearly 16 months of full or partial lockdown—and, as the dust settles after this storm of ravenous and shy “firsts,” we can begin to see what’s left from before, and what’s been created along the way—and begin to find out who exactly we’ve become, in turn. For me, the process has been untethering.
So perhaps it was only fitting that the first of my “Miraval Moments”—those windows of illumination, which all of the property’s specialists work to open for guests—found me desperately clinging to my harness cables, flailing 30 feet in the air, having fallen from the “Ring of Fire” challenge in the Miraval ropes course. With the help of Zeke and Carrie—two incredibly cool and collected coaches, who jump around on dangling logs and tightropes in the trees, for fun—I was able to overcome the panic of self-preservation (and my fear of heights), pull myself back up onto the line and go on to discover an exceptional exercise in core strength, balance, breath work, meditation, teamwork and trust.
Not all moments are so dramatic; they’re hidden everywhere within Miraval’s robust offerings, just waiting to be found. They’re among the walking paths of the property’s 380 rolling acres, where Adirondack chairs are scattered in case there’s a particularly colorful sunset, and rippling in the cool, clear waters of Goose Pond, where you can enjoy a dual kayaking-hiking excursion, which routes along the famed Appalachian Trail and includes time for swimming and a picnic. These moments are growing in the young plant beds of the on-property organic farm, where you can take hands-on tours to sharpen your green thumb, and they’re hanging in the rafters of the horse barn, where rescued birds of prey teach lessons of survival, and a pair of mini donkeys, Mabel and Maisie, remind visitors not to judge a book by its cover. They wait in the meditative practices of bee-keeping, sound-bathing and archery—and of golfing, photography and HIIT training. They’re even tucked in the soft whoosh of a guestroom’s impossibly plush white bed, which has just been collapsed into after a delicious vegan dinner, paired with red wine.Related: The Indagare Index 2021 - World’s Best Spa & Wellness Hotels
There’s so much to enjoy, and so many moments to be found, at Miraval Berkshires that it’s easy to overschedule yourself, but as the prevalence of digital-device-free zones around the property will often remind you, this is a place to embrace restoration. It’s a place to simply be, fully—especially after the chaos and loss of the pandemic, the frantic energy of reopening and, now, the charged uncertainty of anticipating what comes next. There are few places better equipped to help you muddle your way through all of this than Miraval Berkshires.
On my last night at the property, a spectacular sunset drew me out from my room, where I was busily packing, to take in the sight for just a minute. I walked from my room into the central meditation garden, where I found myself alone. As I was absorbing the blooms of orange, peach and purple, and savoring the soft breeze of a truly perfect northeastern summer night, a large, cream-colored hawk landed suddenly next to me, directly atop the garden’s gong. He seemed unbothered by my presence and turned his eyes in the direction of mine: towards the setting sun. We stood there for at least 15 minutes, quietly, together, marveling at the beauty of this world we both inhabit. And when I turned to go back to my room, in that Miraval Moment, I found myself firmly tied down—in the preciousness of the present.Read the full Indagare review of Miraval Berkshires here.Related: A New Era: Renaissance Travel—Who’s Traveling Now and WhyContact Indagare or your Trip Designer to start planning a safe, responsible and meaningful getaway to Miraval Berkshires—this year and beyond. Our team can match you with the experiences and add-ons that are right for you and provide information on coronavirus travel safety and more.

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