Has anyone been to Tree of Life? If so, what did you participate in? For how long? They don't list prices... is it reasonable? Did you find it to be worthwhile? I looked at their website and it's very interesting, but I had difficulty navigating and understanding all of it. (I'm brand-spanking new to raw foods.)

Is anyone planning to go, or saving up to go?

Does anyone have any other reputable retreat centers they can recommend?

I did a search on this subject but didn't find what I was hoping for,

The reason I bring this up is because I'd like to look into attending a retreat and go through their detoxification program. I want it to be monitored and controlled because I tried doing the Master Cleanse detoxification program (the lemonade with maple syrup and cayenne pepper) a few times and couldn't do it. Within a couple of hours, I had horrible headaches and couldn't function.

I'm willing to suffer through the detox but, because of those headaches, I'd like to be monitored. That, and I wouldn't be able to prepare any food, juices, etc., when I have those headaches. I have no history of illness so I don't know why the headaches are so bad. I never get headaches. The worst thing I get is heartburn. I'm not on any medications. I don't want to prolong the detoxifying over a longer period of time. I'd like to get through the worst of it in one fell-swoop.

Suvine spent an extended period of time there. Drop her a note I am sure she would be happy to tell you about her experiences.



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

very expensive. It was 3 grand a long time ago, now its like 5 grand for three months to work everyday in kitchen or in garden. No privacy, bunk beds, and lots of religious people, and people constantly telling you to buy supplement stuff. Lots of transient youth from all over

Wild hog pigs with tusks

Lots of nut mylks, nut patties and greens, no sweet fruit..its a challenge.I have some really nice photographs. I got really fat there

[www.flickr.com]
[www.flickr.com]

Hope you like them?





Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2008 05:53AM by suvine.

Take a look at www.optimumhealth.org

I went for their three week program in early January which put me on my raw lifestyle. I had been raw curious for about a year before I went and wanted to detox.

For three weeks we were quite busy with classes there. The classes were very interesting and ranged in topics from digestion, elimination, food combining, food prep classes, meditation, natural face products, organic gardening, organization etc. etc. All the classes were very very helpful in learning how your body works and giving so much information about the raw foods lifestyle.

The food is simple and depending on your tastes, easily likeable and easily dislikeable. Personally, I liked it very much. During your first week, there is a mandatory three day juice fast, and second and third weekers have a mandatory 1 day juice fast. I did 3 days juice fasting each week.

The program includes lots of drinking wheatgrass, rejuvelac (for your probiotics), and enemas or colonics and wheatgrass implants for colon cleansing.

I feel absolutely fantastic after the program, met lots of inspiring, great people. I gained so much health-wise and knowledge wise. I got rid of some knee pain, lost some weight, skin cleared up. I am more joyful, less stressed. It was a mind, body, and spirit cleansing experience.

I went to their San Diego location. Accommodation is very simple, nothing fancy at all and can San Diego can take in 130 guests max. Their Austin Texas location is newer and takes a maximum of 30 guests. Austin is secluded and about 45 minutes out of town. San Diego location is in the city, yet still feels like you're in your own little world, until you step outside the gates. Watch out for the Burger King down the street! I heard of people sneaking out to it. Tsk tsk.

Optimum Health Institute is a non-profit organization sponsored by a church organization, however there was absolutely no reference to this or teachings by the church during the program. I wouldn't have even known had I not wondered why it was so affordable and seen it plastered all over their website.

I highly recommend this place. I feel it has changed my life. And when you go, you will meet many return guests who have been going there for years. Some cured of various types of illnesses. They do no advertising. It's all word of mouth.

suvine Your review of the place is exactly what I was looking for. I'm not scared away from it by the closeness of the people, because I quite like people, but the price and the rest of your description have saved me a lot of time looking into it. I can't thank you enough! Your photographs are stunning. The food looks beautiful and the pictures are well done!

RawLoveBaby, This place sounds wonderful! I will definitely be looking into it more! I'm a little squeamish and wimpy about the whole colonic thing, but I'd get over it... sort of. LOL What on earth is a wheatgrass implant?

As for my tastes, the only thing I really just don't like is onion. Other than that, I'm fine with everything. I even prefer simple accommodation to fancy.

Burger King is no temptation to me. I haven't eaten fast food in years. Do you know what the differences are in the locations, other than the setting?

Wheatgrass implant is when you put 4oz of wheatgrass juice up your butt after you do an enema or colonic :-)
You'd get used to it. I did :-)

There was sometimes onion in the salads and probably soups. But I don't remember it strong or a lot of it. But, I'm also fine with onion so maybe I didn't notice. Actually, come to think of it. They probably don't use much because they make their food very bland, no garlic either. There's a spice rack to add some flavor, and I remember one gazpacho soup meal that we had the option to add onions to it ourselves, so there was probably none in that particular soup.

Burger King has never been a temptation for me either, but some people would go there I heard. Waste of your money IMO if you're paying for the program.

San Diego - 130 participants max, in the city, original location, so slightly older I guess, however some of their rooms have been through renovations. Ask for a renovated room if they'll let you.

Austin - 30 participants max, in the country, new location so a bit nicer accomodation I heard, harder to get in to because it doesn't take as many people I heard.

Austin is more intimate cause you're with a much smaller crowd, but if you really like meeting lots of interesting people, then you'd probably enjoy San Diego more.

Quote

Wheatgrass implant is when you put 4oz of wheatgrass juice up your butt after you do an enema or colonic :-)
You'd get used to it. I did :-)

Jenkies! I will require much prayer and lots of strong straps!

Looking at the website, I'll probably enjoy Austin more. I'm a country guy at heart and have been craving isolation, away from cities and noise. It's a little more expensive, but I'll deal with that... and the onions!

I'm seriously excited about this. Not to mention that I haven't had a vacation in seven years!

Hi Simple life,

In an earlier post when I referred to just having had a colonic with a side of wheat grass, I was actually referring to an implant, but I brought 8 oz instead of 4oz. I must say that I felt so amazing afterwards. It was unlike anything I've ever done to my body... and far more euphoric than any "high" I ever remember from my drug daze. Just a hyper-clear awareness... that hasn't really worn off after five days!

Aloha Nui Loa,

Greg

A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices. - William James

There is no pill that can be swallowed,
There is no guru, that can be followed, - Michael Franti (Pray For Grace)

The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. - Albert Camus

Quote

In an earlier post when I referred to just having had a colonic with a side of wheat grass, I was actually referring to an implant,

Whew! Now that makes more sense. Ha! The way it was worded before, it sounded like you drank them both! (Yikes!)

Don't mind me, I'm enjoying my naive, early days/months, etc., in the raw food life! Why not? I'll never be this ignorant again! I might as well enjoy it while it lasts!

Are there any raw food retreats in Hawaii, Greg?

Suvine,

I would think I would gain weight, too, eating all those nuts and oils. Other peopel don't? Maybe they are coming from SAD. Do they really not let you have any fruits? What if you don't think you have Candida?

Love the pictures.

They dont let you have any fruits, excpet tomatoes and cukes. When DavidWolfe came, to speak, he got pissed when he was in the kitchen and said a few things..

speaking of wheatgrass implants, at the house you stay in there, a big house made out of those large concrete bricks, is wheatgrass sprayed on the walls, wheatgrass implants gone awry, lol





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2008 04:30AM by suvine.

Too bad, it looks like a nice place but I don't think taking away sweet fruit would be beneficial to my health. Maybe a visit instead of a stay. And secretly bring contraband!

Quote

Posted by: rost0037 (IP Logged)
Date: February 27, 2008 12:59PM


Too bad, it looks like a nice place but I don't think taking away sweet fruit would be beneficial to my health. Maybe a visit instead of a stay. And secretly bring contraband!

rost0037, check out OHI in the link rawlovebaby provided. It's cheaper and, from what I see, better. I'm definitely heading to the one in Texas.

I had someone bring me frozen durian all the way from Miami when I stayed there. It was funny.

It looks like a nice place but ridiculously expensive. And the no sweet fruit rule doesn't make any sense to me. I can understand why some folks might not want it to be the bulk of the diet but to eliminate them completely can't be right. There's a lot of good in sweet fruit. I can't imagine a day without oranges, apples or grapes. I'd shrivel up and die, or something.

I have two of Gabriel Cousens books and both advocate a rich, balanced diet of fruits and vegetables... I'm extremely surprised to hear that there is no fruit at the Tree of Life...



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

Me too Arugula!! I would, for real.

The money doesn;t include all the supplements they willpreach to you about for hours. You will be so hyped about things like mon atomic gold, zinc, blue algae, enzymes, tachyon, etc etc, I bought them all. I spent 2 grand on just pills, and didn't even know it.

The people who work there have and agave stashes. They overdo the nuts and agave there in lots of pies and cakes. But the patients there can't eat it. Then green juice and nut mylks everyday. You can get by. Oh, no garlic or onions allowed too.

If you are phase 2, you can drink carrot juice, is that sweet enough for you? LOL. To me, it's not.

But hey, if you like crasing in teepees or hippie moon parties you will have a blast. I rememeber who are those people who live in the woods, the Rainbow people? They were in town. Lots of transients. Mixed with paying customers looking to heal themselves. There are homeless girls who live in REAL hippie buses "down by the river" too, if you need a good time. LOL for real.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2008 03:03AM by suvine.

Wow that is so crazy!



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

Oh coconut it does gets stranger! I am an east coast girl, maybe this stuff is normal out west or something.

8 times a day everybody prayed to a different angel. Yes, evry few hours we had to pray to a different angel and tell it to shoot energy into the food.. Get used to the bizarre.

They have very strange relgious rights where we feed raw bread to one another praying to a Jewish, american indian and wht was it, essene raw food eating god, lit candles and all sorts of weird stuff.

There were clothing optional hot tubs filled with germ eating bacteria. Very Very easy to lose grips with reality there. Everyone preached good will to our brothers and sisters yet they fought all the time, and there was tension. DETOX was to blame always. The secret cacao superfood parties where everybody drummed for hours were an experience. I made alot of friends for a minute.

My lawyer friend came to stay with me and wouldn't stay there. He refused, we stayed in TOMBSTONE, which is so freaking cool!! Its a drive, but worth it. You know TOMBSTONE AZ?? We also visted abandoned 1900's towns from when all the goldminers came. We found an abandoned mine and found old bottles. Arizona is nice.





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2008 03:15AM by suvine.

I made there for a project, a raw food gingerbread house Fruit roll up roof, goji berry trail, coconut walls and pistachio grass. The house was made of lots of dehydrated nutmylk leftovers mixed with agave and pumpikin pie spices.

LOL



The oranges in the background were there for us for our Christmas party. We got by. We made do when we wanted something





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2008 03:34AM by suvine.

I don't think I would have made it longer than a week at TOL lol... My husband loves Arizona though. His family has a house out there. I will definitely put Tombstone on my list of must see's. I love places with interesting histories!

That is little house is adorable lol!



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

I was pretty sure I didn't want to go to Tree of Life after Suvine explained it very briefly. Now that we have even more of the story, there's no way I'll ever step foot on the compound. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but that is way off balance and teetering on a cultish infomercial in my book. Talking about the supplements they sell for hours? I wonder how they'd react if someone said, "Thanks, but I'll get them back home." They'd have a line for that, too, about how they won't be as good, I'm sure. I'm not opposed to taking a supplement or two, but $2,000 worth? They're crazy. And I personally don't go for the praying to angels every few hours, but that's another thread altogether.

How can his books be so different from his retreat center?

SimpleLiving,

Thats a good question!

In my early raw days I was Gabriel's patient for a couple years so i stayed at the Tree several times for retreats and appointments and such. The food was really good but so rich and fatty I can't believe now that they served that stuff every day and to sick people no less. No wonder he had me buy so many digesive enzymes, I took probably 6 to 8 digestive enzymes with each meal. Plus I probably spent about $1K per month on supplements, like 25 or 30 things to take a day, for real. And yeah no sweet fruit... I think sometimes there was sour apple or berries or something with my mac nut breakfast porridge...ouch! The best i felt there was on a juice fast where i wasn't eating the food! But I didn't realize why at the time.

I remember the day I threw all my supplements out. Now I eat all the fruit I want and I don't need any digestive enzymes, hah.

Suvine wrote "The secret cacao superfood parties where everybody drummed for hours were an experience. I made alot of friends for a minute." I laughed hard at this.

In my experience Gabriel's healing approach was just the Western allopathic gig with raw foods and supplements instead of drugs. He probably means well but it totally did not work for me.

Love,
Uma

Have a look at the Hippocrates Health Institute. THey have been around for 50 years and have an excellent track record. They are located in West Palm Beach, FL.
www.HippocratesInst.org .

The 4th Thursday of every month they offer a free dinner and lecture, where you can learn about the program. THey also don't advocate fruit if you are facing health challenges.

Offerings include wheat grass therapy, daily vegetable juice, and have various classes on food combining, colonics, juice fasting (vegetables only) and much more.

For those who want to work for there I just got this in the email

Employment within the Tree of Life Vegan Spiritual Community is a deeply intense spiritual journey of commitment, intimacy and transformation. It is for those with spiritual perseverance (netzakh), dedication, devotion and intensity. If you are called here and fit the position (ie you have the skills), then the community is ready to welcome you with open arms.
Positions Open/ Opening Soon

Housekeeping ("loves" to clean)
Customer Service (highly skilled, experienced)

Store Clerk (basic office and customer service skills)

Maintenance (skilled, experienced)
Live Food Chef (high skill level and rainbow green experience)
Nurse (skilled & qualified)
Spa Therapist (certified, experienced)