Doing What Oprah Did At Miraval Spa!

I'm back from my trip to Miraval in Tucson, AZ, one of the best destination spas in the country, but still thinking about all the experiences I had. Miraval is known for its outdoor adventure course, where you can challenge yourself SAFELY with support from a guide.

I had already done The Equine Experience and Quantum Leap, where I jumped off a 25-foot telephone pole.But I still wanted to do a challenge called A Swing and A Prayer, where you're hoisted 35-feet in the air -- and let go of a rope so you swing like a big pendulum. You're also supposed to think about something you want to let go of in your life as you do it -- that's the prayer part.

Like many people, I wanted to do A Swing and A Prayer because that's what Oprah did when she took 60 women to Miraval and filmed a whole show there. It looked pretty dramatic on the show -- her best friend Gayle was terrified! But a couple of people at the spa told me -- no big deal. "It's the least challenging of the challenges, and the most fun." I figured they had amped it up to make it look scarier for TV.

The group I was with was mostly older, heavier, less athletic and more nervous than me. I had already done Quantum Leap -- supposedly the most challenging! I was sure I could handle this without a problem!

"A Swing and A Prayer", however, requires more teamwork. We all had a job to do on the ground -- hauling a ladder in for the climber, "spotting" the climber as they go up the ladder to be attached to a cable, and literally pulling on a rope like tug-of-war to hoist them up in the air.

Screams of Happiness....Screams of Terror

Everyone went before me. And yes, they screamed when they let go of the rope... but they sounded like happy screams. And they actually looked relaxed, going back and forth, back and forth.

When it was my turn, I climbed the ladder and Lewis, the outdoor guide attached me to the cable. Then I stepped off the ladder, holding onto it with one hand. (In fact, Lewis had to tell me a couple of times to let go of the ladder.)

While the rest of the group was hoisting me up, I became so moved by the fact that they were working so hard to get me up there that I forgot about holding onto the rope with my right hand. I started to feel it slip -- which would have sent me flying!

When I got 35-feet up, it was easy to sit up there, look at the beautiful Catalina Mountains, and think about what I wanted to let go of. But then the moment came to let go....and I really didn't want to. I wanted to just sit up there, holding on. Lewis said I could. For a little while. But I knew I didn't have all day. I had to let go, even if I didn't really want to, and wasn't quite ready.

Still, I was expecting it to feel like a really big swingset. I wasn't prepared for the feeling that the whole world had fallen away beneath me. I screamed bloody murder, all the way down and to the far side of the pendulum, and all the way back. "That's good," Lewis called out! "I know you're breathing!"

"Those were screams of terror!" I said. This was not the fun, relaxing swing in the park I was expecting! But somehow, it did feel awfully good to scream, like something that needed to get out was getting out.

It got less scary after the first two passes, and I tried to relax and enjoy. But then I started to get motion sickness. I closed my eyes. I tried to just be there, with the swinging, and the slightly sick feeling in my stomach. I called on my yoga again, and leaned into a backbend. And soon enough this "fun" ride was over.

What I Learned From A Swing And A Prayer

What I learned from this challenge is that just because someone SAYS something isn't challenging doesn't mean it won't be for YOU. I didn't have fear going in, but then I had to deal with the unwillingness to let go, the sheer terror, the motion sickness that actually arose. But that was a good lesson in itself. You just can't really know what something is going to be like if you haven't done it before. You just deal with it as it comes.

Some of the unexpected aspects were pleasant. Just helping everyone else was more of a workout than I was expecting, and it was rewarding and fun. And I learned to keep the focus on what I'm actually doing, and not get too distracted by nice, dreamy thoughts.

The real point of these challenges, I think, is to put yourself in unusual situations, see how you do, and FEEL GOOD about what you've done. The challenges are confidence-building, because you realize you can do things that you never thought you could do. And then you can apply that to the rest of your life.

When I came back home, someone wanted to interview me for an article for a big newspaper. My first response was discomfort, because I much prefer interviewing people than being interviewed. But then I thought, "wait a minute! I jumped from a 25-foot pole! I swung from a 35-foot cable!"

So I gave the interview, and just trusted that I would do fine. And of course, I did.