A Luxurious Ashram - definitely an oxymoron - or it was until The Ranch at Live Oak existed.

Our adventurous friend Melissa Biggs Bradley, founder of Indagare, an amazing travel site, just came back from a week retreat at the Ranch and she gave us the skinny on the place. Like other ashrams, it takes a no nonsense approach to fitness, so you must surrender your electronics, and eschew alcohol, caffeine and sugar for the week.
But hey, if you are going to be a glutton for punishment, we vote that you do it in a beautiful setting, sleep in a private room and enjoy sparse but tasty meals. The Ranch even sends you a 30-day prep package, so that you may wean yourself of your vices before you arrive. You can of course cheat, but it makes it that much more difficult to detox.

Your time is not your own; you wake at an ungodly hour, do yoga, inhale a miniscule breakfast, then head up into the glorious hills outside of Malibu for an arduous hike. Your reward? Other than the spectacular scenery and a "pat yourself on the back" moment, just a couple of nuts and maybe an apple. Back down the mountain for a quick lunch (really more of a snack to us) followed by more fitness classes and more yoga. Now don’t think that it is all work and no play, you do get a wonderful, much “kneaded” massage, daily.

After dinner, specialists from both Eastern and Western medicine are brought in to discuss a variety of topics including: nutrition, wellness, and acupuncture. You are literally crawling to your room by 8:30pm, when your head hits the pillow so hard you think only five minutes have passed before you are tying your hiking boots once again.

The question you might be asking right now is why? Well, as Melissa discovered, that while you do lose pounds, you also gain the gift of new friendships, a feeling of accomplishment, a reassessment of what you can or can’t live without, and an appreciation of the little things life offers, even if it does come in the form of a handful of nuts.

Read all about Melissa’s week at the Ranch at Live Oak and to find out more about other inspiring trips, please visit Indagare.