There’s something for everyone at Miraval Austin.
For the Thrill Seeker
For the adventurous among us, there’s no better way to take in Miraval’s surrounding nature than from the top of a 25-foot pole. Part of the resort’s Outdoor Adventure series, the Quantum Leap experience requires participants to ascend the pole — harnessed and helmeted, of course — then say goodbye to their comfort zone as they make a sky-high leap. But the pole jump is just the beginning of the bold activities that await at Miraval Austin. With Swing and a Prayer, for instance, you can face your fears while swinging from a cable 35 feet above the ground. Meanwhile, the Hill Country Challenge Course — complete with high ropes and low ropes — takes you through a series of obstacles meant to help you set goals for yourself, then taste the triumph once you accomplish them. Throw in slacklining, hatchet throwing, archery, and a climbing wall, and you’ve got a full schedule of adrenaline-inducing experiences. On the dining front, adventure comes by way of the popular Just Cook for Me experience, in which executive chef Ben Baker and his team prepare their choice of mouth-watering dishes. The samples served are a complete surprise to diners, but they’re guaranteed to be delicious. Even better, they’re each paired with a fine wine.
For the Chill Seeker
In addition to Miraval Austin’s roster of relaxing activities, every guest room at the resort comes equipped with a meditation pillow, Tibetan singing bowl, and guided meditation TV channels, which means you don’t even have to leave your room to get a meditation fix. But you do have to leave your room to check out the Life in Balance Spa, which features 30 treatment rooms, a pool, salon, sauna, and steam room. Treatment highlights include Pranayama-dina, which means “flying breath” in Sanskrit. A Miraval Austin exclusive treatment, this tension-taming floating massage lets you rock gently in a silk sling as your guide massages your muscles from below, using skilled foot techniques.
For the Health Nut
With interactive courses such as Restoring Bone Broth, Flower to Root Cooking, Mindful Grocery Shopping, and Healthy Gut, Healthy You, Miraval Austin has your nutrition needs covered. Plus, the resort’s kitchen offers healthful and sustainably sourced food morning, noon, and night, including fresh eggs and produce harvested from the on-site Cypress Creek Farm. Fitness enthusiasts will also love Miraval’s wide array of yoga classes, as well as the 5,600-square-foot Body Mindfulness Center, where guests can partake in spin classes, cardio drumming, kickboxing, and more. For a Texas twist on getting fit, sign up for Country Line Dancing. You’re in Austin, after all, so why not burn some calories while sweating to the country oldies?
For the Soul Searcher
If a spiritual quest is what brings you to Miraval, start your journey with the Cleansing Ceremony. In this energy-cleansing workshop, holistic healer Courtney Parnell helps guests let go of energy that no longer serves them while sharing the purifying properties of plants such as palo santo and sage. Other offerings include tarot card workshops and a session called Cosmic Conversations, in which astrologer Emily Klintworth uses the time, date, and place of your birth to explore ideas about karma and reincarnation. But if you really want to look inward, the Miraval Equine Experience will help you identify any patterns of thought and behavior that might be holding you back.
Photography: Images courtesy Miraval Austin
From our May/June 2020 issue.
