Cleansing and Juice Fasts
Rim Rock - Way Station 1
Some people need to detox from years of indulgence. Others need to simply continue their on-going process of cleansing their body and glands. Regardless of whether or not you've been living a clean life, chances are you can benefit from additional cleansing. Each person who chooses to focus on this option is dealt with on an individual basis - in order to gauge which type of fasting regimen is best for that individual.
The emphasis at Rim Rock, is on cleansing at safe and comfortable levels, so as not to release too much stuff - too quick for the body to comfortably deal with.
Ken, the facilitator at Rim Rock, is experienced with cleansing fasts and has written the book: Fasting for Health and Highness (available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and at Adventure1.com). Below are some basic guidelines for fasters.
Note: The following are guidelines, and those who partake in Rim Rock programs can pretty much take them with as little or as much credence as they choose. The emphasis is on 'personal development', so it's up to the individual to choose to what degree he/she wants to embrace the guidelines.
Fasting is not just drinking water. Indeed, drinking only water can be harmful, as it will enable built-up toxins to be released in to a body's elimination system too quickly. The blood, liver, bowels, kidneys and other glands would readily overwhelmed and result in Hexheimer's Syndrome (headaches or worse).
At Rim Rock, we recommend juice fasts, also known as cleansing fasts - which enable toxins to get released and eliminated from all parts of a person's body - at a rate which causes no pain or harm to that individual. Before starting a cleansing fast, interested people are asked their experience.
If they've never fasted, then that's fine, and a regimen is recommended. Some of the factors for gauging that regimen includes: age, current state of health, their eating/drinking habits (alcohol, coffee, ciggs, drugs, etc), whether they're overweight (the fatter a person is, the more toxins they will probably expel), and whether they have a pre-existing medical condition (diabetes, allergies, etc.).
If you're an experienced faster, then we take that in to consideration - regarding what sort of regimen to recommend. We become rather like a partners planning a journey. The journey, in this case, is how you can help yourself to become healthier and more content.
Questionable habits such as coffee drinking, beer/wine, or smoking tobacco are discouraged during a cleansing fast, but Rim Rock is not a military establishment, so if you go and sneak a cup of Java or a smoke, you won't be reprimanded.
Environment is key. One reason it's easier to fast at Rim Rock is fasters are removed from their usual environment. Their home fridge is nowhere nearby, and neither are shops which sell food and drink which might tempt the faster. Additionally, Rim Rock is a beautiful natural environment. No recorded music blares around. Instead, the daily soundtrack is more the sounds of birds singing and breezes winding through trees and over rocks crevices.
Some natural items which are purported to enhance health:
- Food Grade Hydrogen Pyroxide (H²O²) has been shown to have positive affects when used as recommended. The 'food grade' is preferable because it doesn't have preservatives added, as does the H²O² found in stores. though harder to find, than , emphasized, because the on a person's health. Hydrogen pyroxide is like a water molecule, except it has one added oxygen atom. It readily releases that oxygen atom, thereby rendering a very reactive substance. Indeed, pure H²O² is used as a torpedo repellent and combusts in to flame when it comes in to contact with a small amount of water. Obviously, we're not dealing with the pure stuff at Boomerang. Instead, we obtain 17% solution, and further dilute it with distilled water - down to the 3%, which is the same percentage dilution as the store-bought stuff which can be used topically on small wounds to the skin. A small amount of 3% H²O² mixed with a non-reactive drink (soda, for example) can act like a tonic - oxidizing every cell in a person's body. A stronger solution might irritate the mucus membranes, particularly for those who are not yet accustomed to ingesting it. The list of reported health benefits is long. It's even purported to clean plaque from inside the arteries and possibly banish the cells that lead to cancer. Quite common among users, are claims of increased mental clarity and boosted energy levels.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Coconut Oil
Rim Rock 'Way Stations'
Choose your own personal path at Rim Rock
We're at the early stages of developing what's on offer at Rim Rock, but we're gearing toward assisting visitors with one of more of the following options. Each of the categories mentioned below are inter-related, so picking one to focus upon doesn't preclude the others.
The items mentioned below are more like 'way-stations' along the life's path, rather than required check points. And like a buffet, you can pick as many or as few as you like, and tarry as long or as briefly as you like at each 'way station' - though it's recommended you follow the sequence, if you choose to focus on more than one item.
Some people need to detox from years of indulgence. Others need to simply continue their on-going process of cleansing their body and glands. Regardless of whether or not you've been living a clean life, chances are you can benefit from additional cleansing. Each person who chooses to focus on this option is dealt with on an individual basis - in order to gauge which type of fasting regimen is recommended for that individual. The emphasis at Rim Rock, is on cleansing at safe and comfortable levels, so as not to release too much stuff - too quick for the body to comfortably deal with.
2. Lessen or Eradicate Addictions
We often hear, in news reports, about drug addictions, but there are many other addictions which affect people from all walks of life. Addictions are basically things or concepts which, if a person is deprived of them, they cause that person serious anxiety or withdrawals. One addiction which is growing by leaps and bounds is, not surprisingly, addiction to computers and internet. At Rim Rock, we use a gentle combination of methods to assist those who choose to lessen their addictive habits.
Not only is lessening attachments a basic premise of Buddhism, it's also a great tool for improving one's life, whether one gives a hoot about Buddhism or not. All people have attachments to things, whether they be physical attachments, like tangible possessions or conceptual attachments, like needing to be admired. The number of common attachments is as limitless, as their eradication is satisfying.
Pretty much everyone has stress and anxiety to some degree. There are tangible things that each individual can to lessen such things. Not surprisingly, they relate to the topics mentioned above. So, even if you come to experience Rim Rock without partaking in any particular program, we can almost guarantee that just by being here, will alleviate some measure of stress and anxiety. You've got to see it to believe it.
5. Developing Personal Creativity
Think back to your most enjoyable moments. Chances are, some of those experiences were probably when you were younger, and doing creative things. Arts and crafts can obviously be creative, but there's a wealth of other ways to express one's creativity. At Rim Rock, the sky's the limit, with music, hiking, music, dance, meditation being just some of the ways to express one's creativity. Kirtan is a Sanskrit word for 'walking single file with others while singing or chanting' - and kirtans are yet another way to squeeze some more enjoyment out of being.
6. Towards Spiritual Enlightenment
At Rim Rock, we have a sort of 'patron saint' though we try not to get dogmatic about it (don't want to have our karma run over our dogma). His name is Milarepa, and he can be described as; 'a Tibetan singer of spiritual poems who roamed the Himalayas 900 years ago.' Some, who are familiar with his story, consider him a living Buddha. Among other things, Milarepa was a supreme master of meditation, who walled himself in to mountain caves and fasted for years on end. We won't go that far at Rim Rock, but we can look to Milarepa for inspiration.
7. Giving Back
It's all well and good to improve one's physical and mental condition, yet there should be some degree of balance involved. A sort of 'giving back' or 'sharing' the insight gained from one's journey of self-improvement. The old saying; 'tis better to give than to receive' rings as true today as when it was first spoken.
Rates for lodging and seminars offered at Rim Rock
Free E-book for filling out our brief survey
Just a few questions, to gauge what interests you - in regards to your personal spiritual growth. Click here
For taking the brief survey, you get the choice of one of three ebooks written by Ken the proprietor of Rim Rock Retreat:
1. Fasting For Health and Highness
2. Life Story of Milarepa
3. Farmsteading in Thailand
For a full list of Ken's books, go to http://www.adventure1.com
Related sites:
Boomerang Rock Climbing and Adventure Park
http://thailandrocks.com
Books written by Ken Albertsen
http://www.adventure1.com
Work Exchange and Home Stay
http://www.wonderfull.com
Ancient kilns found at the Boomerang site
http://www.thailandrocks.com/kilns.htm
Yoga & Meditation Retreat
http://chiangraiyoga.com
