‘A banana a day makes your colon smile’ & other ways of healthy self-love

To love the self is to take good care of a masterpiece of God. Beyond conceit, self-love is knowing that one is a good steward of one’s body, mind and soul. It means being open to nourish-and-repair pampering. It’s about healing.

The Farm at San Benito, a 52-hectare paradise in Lipa, Batangas, is a 20-year-old healing destination. It was in this place last weekend that I woke up to self-love.

It started with a sunrise breathwork therapy where proper breathing was taught to keep one’s life balance. The sound healing at the resort’s amphitheater calmed the nerves and made one sharp and focused. The Acqua Pressure pool treatment made use of the force of water to soften the knots in the body.

And then a good massage.

In a hot pool with herbs, amidst a forest, I soaked naked for 30 minutes to cleanse my body of the VCO and sea salt, which were earlier rubbed all over me. The experience was both exfoliating and relaxing. Divine.

In an open-air shower beside the pool, where butterflies fluttered and cicadas crooned, I took a hot-and-cold bath. Every remnant of the herbs that clung to my body was washed away. But the scent of tarragon, oregano, Damong Maria, eucalyptus, basil remained. Heaven.

Hilot Lakan, a deep-tissue massage, ensued next for an hour. Tina Camacho, my therapist, did my whole body ample kneading, tapping, pulling, stretching, flexing. I was in dreamland after five minutes of “spampering.” Healing.

On Chinese New Year’s Eve, I was exploding with joy and contentment. Add to that the mouthwatering healthy meals I had the whole day at the resort’s restaurants Alive, Prana and Pesce. Yes, The Farm serves good food — chili poppers, phad Thai, stir-fried tofu, pomelo salad, sweet and sour lapu-lapu. (Though I must admit in my first visits to the resort in the mid-2000s, I struggled with the food.)

The following day saw me at the welcoming clinic of the wellness resort ready for a day of pampering. To be exact, colon pampering.

I availed myself of “colema,” a hydrotherapy intended to clean and strengthen the colon using a warm solution of kapeng barako as flusher.

“The Farm is an eco-sustainable, socially responsible green destination. A business with a