| The Self Centre at Caneel on St. John, US Virgin Islands | |
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St. John
I loved St. John from the moment the 45-minute ferry ride across the Sir Francis Drake channel from St. Thomas ended at the Cruz Bay Dock. I walked the block or so to the Virgin Islands National Park Visitor's Center and browsed the exhibits on display there. When I stopped at the large 3-D map, I was instantly sorry I had not planned to stay longer on this island. The map showed over 20 hiking and snorkeling trails throughout the 5,000 acre park that sounded so appealing, that I wanted to go on them immediately - bird watching, tropical forests, Arawak Indian petroglyphs, sugar mill ruins / tropical coral reef with a vast diversity of reef fishes and soft and hard coral. Sadly, it would have to wait for my next trip. I wandered across the street to Mongoose Junction, a leafy, peaceful shopping village of vine-covered stone buildings and admired the pottery lamps at Donald Schnell Studio and clothes and musical instruments at Bamboula. While there were lots of inviting restaurants in Mongoose Junction, I decided on having a quick paté at Hercules' Patés Delights across the street from the dock. Before long, it was time to drive to Caneel Bay. The views from the road were stunning. Each long stretch of white-sand beach was more beautiful than the last. Finally, I got a view of one of Caneel Bay's beaches. I couldn't wait to see it up close.
Caneel Bay
Laurance S. Rockefeller purchased the old Caneel Bay Plantation for a vacation spot in the 1950's. At that time, the total population of the island was only 400, and 85 percent of the island was jungle. He developed an infrastructure on the island to support the resort with power, fresh water and roads. He donated the property to Jackson Hole preserve, a non-profit, conservation-oriented foundation supported by the Rockefeller family. The preserve later purchased 5,000 acres surrounding Caneel Bay and donated the land to the federal government, thus paving the way for the creation of the US Virgin Islands National Park in 1956.
Today, Caneel Bay is set on its own 170-acre peninsula and bordered on all sides by the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Seven separate, beautiful beaches circle the peninsula (Honeymoon Beach, Caneel Beach, Little Caneel Beach, Paradise Beach, Scott Beach, Turtle Bay Beach and Hawk’s Nest Beach). Two of Caneel's beaches, Scott and Paradise, are reserved as quiet beaches (no children under 12 are allowed). A children's center, Turtle Town, offers supervised activities for children ages 3-12 for a nominal charge. Babysitting is also available.
The resort offers 166 air-conditioned, spacious guest rooms with louvered walls, open picture windows and ceiling fans that take advantage of St. John's plentiful trade wind. Tiled baths, Lady Primrose bath products, mini bar, bathrobes, complementary bottled water, coffee-maker, and wall safes are in each room. All rooms have patios or balconies and spectacular views of the beaches or gardens. Cottage 7, once the island home of the Rockefeller family, has five, individually designed rooms, some featuring Dutch-style, four-poster beds.
Caneel remains purposefully absent of digital and electronic distractions (there is a telephone pavilion outside of the rooms). It is intended to be a place where you can completely unwind. You can sample a different beach every day for a week. When not lounging on the beach, you can enjoy a watercolor lesson, experience marine life up close with the resident snorkologist, use the resort's Sunfish sailboats or kayaks, windsurf, play tennis, use the fitness center and pool, enjoy nature walks with the staff horticulturist amidst 2,000 different varieties of plants, hike along resort trails or those of the National Park system, savor a private dinner under the stars in candlelit sugar mill ruins, a sunset champagne picnic on a hill overlooking the islands, or a private sail on a 65-foot schooner. You can also enjoy a massage at the massage center or in your room, take a couples' massage lesson where you and your partner learn to give each other basic massage, or take a mind-body session at The Self Centre. That's what I came to experience.
The Self Centre at Caneel
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The Self Centre is located far from the rest of the resort. Its seclusion was created mindfully. The mind-body sessions provided there, such as meditation and yoga, are best done in quiet solitude. I arrived via a long winding path that led to the screen-walled building perched high on a bluff overlooking Caneel and Honeymoon Beaches. There I met Jan Kinder, R.N., C.M.T., the creator of The Self Centre. She invited me inside and, for the next hour or so, gave me a sample of the techniques taught at The Self Centre. One flowed into the next:
• Meditation (help restore the harmony within and to gain access to our bodies’ inner intelligence),
• Primordial Sound Meditation (a mantra meditation technique where our minds become quiet allowing our bodies to gain the deep rest necessary to release stress and fatigue),
• Breathing Techniques (conscious breathing techniques to help calm and relax, reduce stress, and increase energy),
• Yoga (uses the body’s natural range of movement to bring attention to the body, connect with the breath and center the mind).
When we were done, I did indeed feel more relaxed, focused and refreshed.
For over 20 years, Jan Kinder, R.N., C.M.T., the Founding Director of The Self Centre International and The Self Centre at Caneel, has guided adults and children through the experience of meditation and principles of yoga, breathwork, guided imagery, music in medicine, expressive arts therapies, stress management and relaxation techniques. In 1996, she founded the Mind Body Health Institute in NJ, an institute without walls providing seminars and workshops in mind body medicine, Ayurveda and meditation. In 2000, in collaboration with Caneel Bay Resort, Jan established The Self Centre at Caneel. Jan has assembled a team at Caneel including Pilates, yoga, aerobics, step and dance instructors, an astrologer, a psychotherapist, and a horticulturist to help guests nurture their desires for mental, physical and spiritual well-being through an array of mind-body approaches for stress relief, relaxation, rejuvenation and a renewed sense of self. The practices in the experiential sessions and activities are designed to show guests how to integrate mind/body techniques into their daily lives in order to live life more fully and in balance.
Private Sessions include: Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation, Primordial Sound Meditation, Restorative Yoga, Yoga Challenge, Yoga Stretch for Tennis Players, Personal Fitness, WomanSpirit, Building Healthy Relationships, Business Astrology, Family Astrology, Astrology Consultation and Couples Astrology.
Group Sessions include: Yoga for Stress Relief & Relaxation, Partner Yoga, Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Yoga in a Chair, YogaPlay for Kids, Introduction to Meditation (complimentary), Meditation for Quieting the Mind, Mindful Meditation: On Turtle Bay Beach, Mini-Meditations for a Fast-Paced World, Chakra Meditation: Open Your Energy Centers, Drumming Circle: Celebrating Life, Empowerment for Everyday Relationships, How to Keep a Journal: Express Your Inner Self, Imagery for Relaxation and Wellness, Nature Walk (complimentary), Breathing Techniques for Vitality, Breathwalk™ - Triple Your Benefits of Walking, Well-Being Through Breath, Introduction to Ayurveda: Living in Balance, Aqua Chi: An Ocean Experience, Pilates Mat Class, Deep in Motion, Star Gazing: Stories in the Stars, The Rhythm of Relationships for Couples, The Relationship of Astronomy and Astrology, and Alive & Kickin’.
Below is a sample Group Session Schedule:
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Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
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Corporate Retreats are also offered.
| Helpful Information About The US Virgin Islands |
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Electricity: The voltage is 110, 60 HZ AC (like the rest of the
US) • Driving: Cars drive on the left (not like the rest of the US). • Currency: US Dollar • Tipping: Tipping is expected. • Time: Greenwich Mean Time • Language: English |
| More
Spas in the US Virgin Islands (articles and photo galleries) |
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| Sights of Interest in the US Virgin Islands |
| Books About St. John and the US Virgin Islands |
 St. John On Foot And By Car |
 St. John Beach Guide |
 Tales of St. John and the Caribbean |
 St. John Off the Beaten Track |
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Fodor's US and British Virgin Islands
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Photos copyright 2003, Julie
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except those marked * which are courtesy of Caneel Bay
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