By Jenna Lebovits
“Where am I now, and how did I get here?”
This was the question author and motivational speaker Jerry Posner offered us—a group of eight women—at his Miracles, Luck and the Butterfly Effect talk. “Of all the endless possibilities,” he continued, “you arrived here. Now. All together.” And of all the places we could be, we’d landed here, at Canyon Ranch Lenox in the Berkshires.
The Awaken Yoga and Movement Festival marked my first official retreat. I’ve long considered myself a healthy person, armed with a solid tool kit of holistic rituals I mostly stick to. But over the past year or so, I hit a fitness block, perhaps the familiar pre-spring slump. I’d done so much of “the work”—the emotional, mental and spiritual heavy lifting—but a consistent physical practice still felt like the missing link. Despite my deep love for nature and time spent outdoors, a winter learning how to snowboard, and yearslong flirtations with qigong, yoga and Pilates, I still couldn’t find a steady rhythm.
It felt like perfect timing to land at a place like Canyon Ranch Lenox. The historic New England estate, now a revered wellness institution, draws a devoted clientele, some of whom I overheard saying they’d been returning for over a decade. I met two women who had become fast friends years ago at the brand’s Tucson location and now make it a tradition to travel together for retreats (Canyon Ranch Lenox being their all-time favorite).
The beauty of Canyon Ranch is in its fluidity: You can sharpen your chef skills, practice gentle yoga, sit in on a chakra-balancing workshop, or float endlessly between massages and farm-to-table meals. With over 35 expert-led offerings daily, there’s no “right” way to do it. Whether you crave structure or prefer a choose-your-own-adventure style stay, the experience is entirely customizable. For Awaken, I opted for a packed schedule. I wanted to move, to feel, and to reconnect with my body and explore every modality I could—hoping one might finally stick.
From the moment I arrived, I felt completely pampered. Spa time is seamlessly woven into the program (so much so, you’ll often notice guests stroll to and from classes in spa robes). There, I experienced my first-ever Abhyanga—a full-body Ayurvedic massage with copious amounts of warm herbal oil (mine was infused with vetiver, borage and ginger) aimed to boost circulation and blood flow to the skin. “It’s a beautiful choreography,” my massage therapist explained. And it was: Long, sweeping strokes from ankle to shoulder felt like an instant release. Afterward, I let the oils sink in with a steam session, followed by a sauna and a quick cold plunge before moving on to the next activity.
Time passed slowly at Canyon Ranch—perhaps because everything felt new. Novel experiences, as researchers call them, tend to alter our perception of time. These pleasurable events engage the brain, releasing dopamine and creating a kind of time warp effect. Each day of the retreat brought fresh activity: group tarot readings, glow-in-the-dark evening yoga, a tea ceremony and even a dedicated foot fitness session.
One of the standout sessions was The Class—a cult-favorite movement experience I’d heard whispers about for years but never tried. On the morning of day two, I walked into the studio at 9AM, unsure of what to expect. “Tap out of the thinking mind and drop into the feeling body,” our guide, Soeuraya Wilson, told all 15 of us, gently but firmly. “Get out of your own way.” The practice, a kind of ecstatic dance-meets-HIIT-meets-breath work, was unlike anything I’d done before. But there was no room for self-consciousness. We breathed heavily, sighed audibly, moved intuitively and shook off what felt like years of stored-up stress. It was raw, cathartic and primal—a full-on somatic reset.
Later that day, I tried rebounding for the first time—a buzzy fitness modality that promotes lymphatic drainage and boosts energy levels. “Movement is joy,” The Ness trainer Lil Aronoff shouted out as we high-bounced on beat, each in sync on mini trampolines. And it was. Even though I could barely feel my legs, I felt the rush of endorphins. As I looked around the room, I wasn’t the only one unable to contain a toothy grin. Suddenly, I was 6 again—back on my best friend’s trampoline on a hot summer afternoon. For a moment, I lingered in that space, feeling the forgotten ease and lightness of being a kid again.
That feeling—the uninhibited joy of being present in the body—became the heartbeat of the weekend. A welcome reminder that the goal is to simply feel good. Not just emotionally or spiritually (which lately, I felt like I’d been doing a good job of), but physically, too.
On Saturday evening, I joined a fireside talk led by Purist founder Cristina Cuomo, who shared her “soul care” rituals—gentle practices that nourish the whole self. Drawing on her expertise in integrative nutrition and insights from spiritual leaders, she reminded us of the art of tending to each dimension of our well-being: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual—a balance Canyon Ranch has perfectly mastered.
By the time I left Massachusetts on Sunday, I felt deeply restored and, actually, stronger. On Monday morning when I was back to reality and remote work, I rolled out my mat at home for a virtual The Class, still holding on to that spark I’d found in the Berkshires. canyonranch.com