Our friend Jennie from Raw Pleasure in Queensland, Australia attended our most recent Joy for Life Retreat in Thailand. In Jennie’s latest newsletter she wrote a review which we found to be a heart felt story of transformation. This testimonial demonstrates what a week of green smoothies combined with The Work can do for your physical and mental health.
The next Joy for Life Retreat will be in Canada this August. We are also in the planning stages for another retreat in Thailand and Australian this November.
The Joy for Life Retreat in Thailand
Written by Jennie Murphy
The Joy For Life Retreat in Thailand, run by the Boutenko family along with their friend Tom Compton was one of the single best experiences of my life. It literally has changed my life and my way of thinking in such a positive way.
Every morning we were served massive trays of glorious fruits such as mangosteens, watermelon (tastes completely different in Thailand compared to Australia. Quality!), rambutans, jackfruit, mangoes, durian, dragon fruit, bananas, and so much more. We were also welcomed to the day with as much green smoothie as we liked and each one was unique and delicious. Lunch time saw us with more fruit and a savory smoothie as did dinner. At night we had a sweet green smoothie served as pudding.
Never has my appetite for food been so satisfied. Every night I went to bed feeling completely satiated! No nightly cravings, no dreaming of food. I was completely and utterly happy food wise.
After a single day I felt my energy returning even though I’d traveled a long way and was surrounded by people I didn’t know. I’m extremely shy by nature and it’s not the easiest thing for me to be in a group of strangers but everyone was talking to each other so it was easy to sit at the fringes of the conversations and join in a little. I didn’t feel my normal worry at all and after a few days was comfortable with most of the people there.
Sessions with Tom were a little less easy to get used to. I’ve been to many many different kinds of therapy over the years and while some of these therapies have helped a little, nothing got right down to grass roots like Tom and Byron Katie’s “The Work”. I had read a little about The Work before I left, arrogantly decided it was mumbo jumbo, a load of hog wash and that I definitely was not going to do it. I went to the first session, skipped the second and I was hooked in session 3. I can say, that hands down, The Work with Tom is the best emotional ’sorting out’ or clearing that I have ever done. I can see why people grab it with both hands and just do it. I cleaned so much trash from my emotional body that by the end of the week I felt completely different.So much lighter and brighter… I even started a sing along on the bus on the last day which sounds cheesy but was really fun!
When I went to Thailand I was in a bad way. I had overworked myself to the point that I was making some serious mistakes, I couldn’t keep up with life, I felt trapped, depressed, not at all creative. I was exhausted and making myself sick with my thoughts. I had no energy to exercise yet couldn’t sleep and I found it very difficult to be positive about anything. I even tried to get Bill to take my place at the retreat so I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of a bunch of people I didn’t know and also because I just didn’t have the energy to interact with people. Even my closest family and friends had been neglected for months.
Going to The Joy For Life Retreat was fantastic because it got me out of my comfort zone. Away from my habitual routine which enabled me to embark on a new routine without any interference. If you are struggling with raw, or struggling to go to a lower fat style of raw eating then a retreat is the way to go in my opinion. It really does give you the chance to break those bad habits. By the time you get home, if you are like me, you will feel so great you will just want to continue doing what you were doing.
Joy For Life returned my peace of mind to me. Since I’ve come home my family and friends have noticed huge changes in the way I approach things. I’m much calmer, happier, more rational, less flighty and nervous. I feel like I’ve tamed myself!
Not only that but I lost 7kg while on the retreat. I was all bloated when I left and couldn’t fit into my favourite jeans comfortably. Now they are nearly falling off! Also my eyes have straightened out. I have a lazy eye that is slightly turned and it annoys the hell out of me, but my eyes are perfectly straight right now. My vision improved, my skin improved, my hair is faaabulous and my body feels right again.
The combination of the green smoothies and fruit clearing the body, along with The Work clearing out the mind, being surrounded with like minded people and having total support both during and after the retreat is mind blowing. It’s so hard to put this into words for you, just how wonderful it is.
On top of all of this we did a Salsa lesson with Sergei, there was early morning yoga with Briana, educational DVD’s at night, a local Thai production which not too many of us understood but we realised that it was a comedy, glorious mountains all around, afternoon classes with the Boutenko’s, laughter with new friends and more.
The Joy For Life Retreat is incredibly under priced at $995 USD. That included the accommodation and food as well as travel from the hotel to the resort and back. It was worth a lot more than that I can tell you. Victoria, Sergei and Valya all worked tirelessly to ensure that things move as smoothly as possible and to help everyone settle and feel comfortable. Towards the end of the week when people realised the value of what Tom was teaching us he was booked solidly. He even had a booking on the bus from the retreat back to the hotel on the last day! That’s dedication.
I can’t speak of this experience highly enough. Bill and I are trying to work things so that we can be at the next Joy For Life retreat together. Hopefully we will see some of you there and give you a hug and a smoothie 
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BECOME HEALTHY AND ENJOY LIFE TO THE FULLEST
Photo Credits: Thank you M.Kidd!
Note: I had a few people read over this for me to check for spelling mistakes etc and more than one asked if this article is a paid advertisement for The Boutenko’s. It is not. I truly got soooo much from this experience that has helped me in every day life back at home it feels vitally important to share the experience with you. I’m sure that the Boutenko’s and Tom Compton are grateful, but that is not the objective. If I hadn’t enjoyed the retreat, and felt that it was one of the best things I’d ever done I would say nothing about it and move on.
The ‘Joy for Life’ retreat is so much more than raw food and green smoothies……The emotional and spiritual nourishment I received from the time I spent with the Boutenko family, Tom Compton and all my fellow explorer’s was sooooo satisfying…..Thank you, thank you, thank you!