Happy campers at Bikini Boot Camp

I preferred to conveniently forget that I was going on a vacation dubbed “Bikini Boot Camp.” I don’t own a bikini and, frankly, that’s in everyone’s best interest. But I was trusting Suzanne -- a friend who’d done BBC twice before -- that our six-day trip to Amansala, perched paradisiacally on the Yucatan’s Riviera Maya, could be whatever I wanted it to be. Don’t feel like doing circuit training? No problem, she said. Want to skip a visit to the Mayan ruins in favor of a nap? Enjoy! In short, as Suzanne described it, our week at Amansala could be about filling the time with nothing, or everything – whatever I was in the mood for. That sounded very good to me.

In truth, while I had no designs on achieving a bikini-ready body, I was very attracted to the mind/body approach of Amansala, which is run by Erica Gragg and Melissa Perlman, two former New Yorkers who chucked it all 2 ½ years ago to create their Lost-meets-ashram-with-amenities paradise. As a 14-year perennially beginner yoga student and someone who had given up the bright lights of big cities after 16 years, I figured these two women probably had something to teach me. And  I knew Suzanne, an overworked TV producer in Manhattan, was a diehard Amansala-ite who now made an annual trek to BBC. “It’s my idea of a perfect vacation – quiet, in a beautiful place, with lots of great, healthy food, lots of exercise and lots of time to relax,” she says. Who could argue with that?

MORNING ‘TIL NIGHT
While anyone can come to Amansala as a guest, Bikini Boot Campers typically have full days that start with a 7:45 a.m. bell. Once awakened by the gentle ringing -- though the birds did a better, and earlier, job as alarm clocks -- we were encouraged to spend about 15 minutes writing in a journal to clear our heads from any lingering dreams or anxieties from the previous day or night, a technique taken from the book The Artist’s Way. A silent (but vigorous) beach walk along the still-sleepy coast generally followed, then we segued straight into the day’s activities or enjoyed a delicious fresh-fruit breakfast of papaya with lime, cantaloupe and mango, often with a side of spicy scrambled eggs. (Carb-eschewers will be especially at home here; I thought I spotted French fries on the table one night before dinner, only to discover they were sticks of seasoned jicama. Delicious, though.)

BBC mornings include some sort of physical activity – it could be a 90-minute yoga class, a trip to swim in a cenote (freshwater pool), kayaking in a nearby lagoon after a 8-mile bike ride (each way) to the tip of the 1.3-million-acre Sian Ka’an[i] reserve, or an excursion to the Mayan ruins at Tulum.

By midday, the sun, wind and what was for most of us a highly unusual amount of physical exertion had created a voracious appetite. The food at Amansala, although seemingly very simple, is as fresh and delicious as any I’ve eaten anywhere: Fresh fish (and chicken) abounds, paired with sophisticated sauces and marinades that combine local spices and the freshest fruits and vegetables. And there’s always a delicious drink; my favorites were the ginger lemonade and ruby-red hibiscus tea.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT
Post-prandially, most days we could expect either a massage (two are included in the BBC package), or plenty of time for a serious nap. There’s also a Mayan Clay Treatment, in which the golden clay is mixed with honey and olive oil.

We smeared it on one another until we all seem to be glowing gold in the hot sun. Melissa then led us down to the beach, where we closed our eyes and baked to a brittle dryness as she led us in a guided meditation about, among other things, gratitude. As the clay hardened into a shell on my body, it was easy to imagine feeling grateful for being in this special place. At the end of the meditation, we rushed into the welcoming, warm ocean to rinse off the clay, feeling newer and fresher.

Late afternoons the lineup features two more fitness classes, such as African dance, circuit training, Pilates mat, power abs and legs, cardio dance or more yoga. Samantha, recently graduated from Berkeley and one of our instructors, led us through crazy dances to old funk and new rap. Though few of us got all the moves, the dancing went a long way in helping the nine of us BBCers to feel more comfortable with one another. We were, in all, attorneys, teachers, a television producer, writer, philanthropist, art director, and accountant; we came from east and west and in between, from city and suburbs. Any anxiety I had about overachieving exercise obsessives vanished the first day; there was a tremendous range in fitness levels, but we each did what we could, the goal being to enjoy ourselves on vacation, not train for the Ironman.

MORE FROM ACTIVE

Active Section Front

Antarctic nations mull new controls on ships 15 life-changing trips Top surfers ‘hang 10’ in legendary contest Destinations that will heat up your winter Nature tourism doesn’t always help Colorado resorts buoyed by early snow, specials Olympics put Utah skiing ‘on the map’ Lake Placid, winter and summer playground Orange groves, surfing and ... ski slopes? World’s scariest ski slopes Active Section Front   Add Active headlines to your news reader: