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Are there any Mind-Body-Soul, spiritual, or environmental retreat centers that offer a relatively Paleo diet where I could look into work-studying at? Just about every place that sounds cool only serves vegetarian food, such as the Omega Institute. I would love to go to a place as such for an extended period of time to get to know myself more deeply. But diet is important!

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 great question.. – MKS Jul 17 2011 at 0:36
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 Sounds like an opportunity to fill a void, for an entrepreneur. – oo Jul 17 2011 at 1:39
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 One part MovNat, one part MBSR, and food by Sarah Fragoso. – oo Jul 17 2011 at 1:43
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 That is precisely what I am working on because of the inspiration of a few on this board. To me.....it needs to happen – The Quilt Jul 18 2011 at 0:29

6 Answers

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Kripalu (http://www.kripalu.org/) which is primarily yoga but also has workshops in other topics, has animal protein available at every meal (see http://www.kripalu.org/pdfs/Kitchen_special_needs_letter.pdf). This pleases me to no end.

I worked on summer staff at Omega and it was a great experience. If I recall correctly (I wasn't eating Paleo at the time so wasn't paying close attention), there were hardboiled eggs and tuna fish at least at lunch & dinner and eggs at breakfast. Occasionally there was fish for dinner.

Working at Omega was free (& even modestly paid for full-time summer staff). It looks like Kripalu has a little "tuition" but not close to Esalen's (http://www.kripalu.org/be_a_part_of_kripalu/14/)

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Wow you did a season there? Did you enjoy it? I'm thinking about it – ben61820 Jul 18 2011 at 2:26
Omega sounds like a pretty neat place. Lots of different ideas to immerse oneself into. Kripalu appears to be worthwhile, too. Especially if one is interested in yoga. – Teddy Jul 18 2011 at 2:30
I loved it - lived in a tent for three months, made great friends, had lots of downtime/reflection time, learned about myself, had a break from "the daily grind," etc. etc. It wasn't always easy, but that was mostly due to living with mold (camping can be nasty) and occasional boy/girl drama (which is always fun in the long run). – Jessica G Jul 19 2011 at 0:54
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One place that seems to have an excellent dining selection is Sunrise Ranch:

We purchase our chicken, lamb, and pork from people we know who live in our area. We raise our own Grassfed beef. We believe that freshness and personal relationship are the best quality control we can provide. This system ensures that our food, from beginning to end, is honored and respected. Our food producers do not use hormones, antibiotics, or pesticides. The vegetables we serve are either grown at Sunrise Ranch, or purchased from small, local farms, as much as the growing season will allow.

We use traditional wisdom in our menu planning to preserve the life force present in food. We use healthful foods such as bone broth, homemade soups, legumes, leafy greens, raw vegetables including sprouts, coconut milk, and homemade salad dressings. We do not use canola oil, and we limit desserts to a few times per week. We make most of our own bread, and we make our own granola.

They also offer Wheat-Free and Dairy-Free options.

Sunrise Ranch is run by the spiritual community called "Emissaries of the Divine Light". They seem to have a nature and Jesus-inspired nondenominational spirituality. The work-study is a permaculture certification training--6 months of service and the $1000 fee is dropped.

Sounds pretty cool to me.

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are you going to apply? – g. Jul 18 2011 at 2:21
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 I emailed the head of the permaculture program. He told me that they take people all year round, but to get the permaculture certification I'd have to wait until next time they do it (which I presume is next growing season). This would work out anyways, because I am doing some outdoor ed this fall. I will see where autumn takes me, but I will certainly consider applying, especially if this mind-body-food spiritual urge remains. – Teddy Jul 18 2011 at 2:27
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I have been pouring over apprenticeships and volunteer opportunities at www.backdoorjobs.com

There are a few ranches and farms that have a therapeutic angle and seem far more paleo friendly than any retreat center. There would be farm fresh vegetables, raw dairy and animal protein three times a day, easy peesy.

Definitely not comparable to omega or esalen, but rooted in the land, seasons and life of the farm.

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Surprisingly, Esalen Institute in Big Sur serves a variety of food, including meat, according to their website.

1K+/mo seems pretty damn spendy for a work-study sitch though! :[

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 Yeah, Esalen sounds pretty cool, but a thousand dollars a month just isn't very feasible. – Teddy Jul 17 2011 at 1:48
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La Casa de Maria in Santa Barbara is pretty paleo-friendly. It's pretty much set up for short-term stays, but I think they have a retreat house space that you can use for a longer period of time, and buy and cook your own food. Paleo food is pretty easy to get in Santa Barbara.

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"A cabin in the woods" comes to mind...that, or survival courses in the wilderness. Can't get any more Paleo than learning how to kill and dress your food, find edibles and learn what's toxic, how to build shelter and purify drinking water. I doubt cavemen were lounging on Sleep Number beds and blasting the air conditioning all day, but I'd kill anyone who tried to take them away from me ;)

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