☾☼ A MENORCA RETREAT
Energy Healing with Val Oula at Torralbenc.
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☾☼ THE ENERGY HEALER - VALERIE OULA
Valerie Oula is shifting energies and healing individuals around the world with her expertise. Originating from a lineage of healing and having earned international recognition such as Town and Country Magazine’s “energy re-setter”, Valerie is a popular energy healing expert, the director of vibrational healing at THE WELL, and the founder of Modern Ritual NYC. She recently led an energetic renewal and Reiki retreat in Menorca Spain.
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☾☼ PLACE: HOTEL TORRALBENC MENORCA
A traditional Menorcan farm transformed into a luxury wellness property.
Rustic finca chic and modern Balearic charm harmoniously join hands in each room at Torralbenc in Menorca, Spain. This luxury property features 77 hectares of an estate featuring original architectural designs like fresh, whitewashed walls, wooden beamed ceilings, natural fibers, and muted, earthy tones. As a meticulously refurbished 17th-century Menorcan country house, the property’s dry and white-washed stone buildings, colored with soft, honey-hued stone floors are a loyal display of its heritage and an architectural style carefully designed to blend as one and in respect for its natural surroundings.
When you visit Torralbenc, you can feel the vibrational pull of the ocean since the coast and beaches are a comfortable distance away, affording commanding views of the Mediterranean Sea from the comfort of the hotel. A fun fact - Torralbenc hosts archaeological remains that date back to the second century BC, among them are taulas which are T-shaped Talaiotic constructions unique to Menorca.
A haven of peace and harmony
The design here is simple and the intricate details add light Menorcan flavors and a relaxed look and feel to the surroundings that preserve its historic energy. The Balearic island, of Menorca, has been declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1993. Aside from the rustic and historical feel. the property boasts luxury wellness amenities and accommodations. Guests can embark on an internal journey to balance and self-care thanks to excellent concierge service, a thorough treatment menu of wellness offerings, and an idyllic atmosphere of harmony and tranquility.
Torralbenc’s dedicated wellness zone is a quiet area edged in local nature, where guests can enjoy a moment of relaxation with beauty rituals, massages, and specific treatments made with exceptional products from the prestigious brand Natura Bissé. To top it off, guests are also able to enjoy and indulge in the on-site restaurant, advised by Michelin star chef, Gorka Txapartegi, near the devoted wellness area and outdoor swimming pool.
Recently, Balance Holidays hosted an energy healing and well-being retreat at Torralbenc, offering first-hand insight into Menorca’s magnificent island profile. This retreat was professionally curated to guide individuals in energy healing practices and provide them with essential energy tools and Somatic practices to ground, expand, and evolve the self. Valerie Oula, an energy healing expert helped guests work through blocks and resistance, and helped guests move closer to their life purpose and desires, bringing complete synchronicity to body and mind against the breath-taking backdrop of Menorca.
Menorca remains one of the few least-traversed and most quiet Mediterranean destinations maintained through time. Torralbenc is helping to preserve its historic beauty mixed with modern elements to help guests feel right at home, while also allowing them to sample the rich culture. When partnering with Balance Holidays, guests were able to disrupt existing ways of thinking and activate their power within to cultivate their most honest, happy and productive, compassion-selves as much as possible. Valerie Oula was the leading expert on this program and helped to lead a well-balanced roster of holistic energy healing modalities like Reiki, Gong Baths, Floral Tapping, and deep meditation. Valerie also helped guests manage their time spent immersed in nature, journaling, practicing healthy nutrition, and leading intentional mindset work, while being in a community of like-minded individuals, and more…so that guests can activate their most authentic selves.
☾☼ PERSON: VALERIE OULA
Tell us about yourself.
I am a first-generation Chinese, Vietnamese, and Laotian American, born and raised in New York City. I worked in fashion for most of my early career as a casting director and print photo shoot producer and prior to that as a model agent. Now, I am a certified Reiki Master, Hypnosis, Yoga & Meditation teacher, and Energy Medicine practitioner. I have two published books and have clinical experience offering Somatic healing sessions. I specialize in my own Integrative Energy Healing modality, which is based on the principle of deep listening, getting to the source of imbalances, unwinding old patterns, and shifting them at the root to create new possibilities. I’ve previously collaborated with Lululemon, The Mandarin Oriental, McKinsey, Google, Spotify, and Calvin Klein.
How did you become a meditation teacher?
Meditation was an integral part of my yoga teacher training many many moons ago and it really was quite organic how it evolved to teaching meditation separately on its own after I had already been teaching yoga for already for two years. It feels like a lifetime ago when I first started teaching a handful of corporate meditation classes. And not long after, I started teaching at MNDFL, the very first of its kind, meditation studio in NYC and the US. It was a natural, collective evolution towards more and more meditation. And it was through my very first formal Buddhist meditation sit back in 2006, (never meditated before then) that I first heard a very clear and loud message to go learn Reiki which lead me to more energy healing modalities and yoga training, so it’s quite a full circle.
What inspired you to specialize in guiding individuals through energy-resetting journeys?
It was an organic evolution, and looking back I guess I was always managing the energy of groups, individuals, and spaces during my work as a casting director and then later as a producer. And I didn’t know it formally back then, but I always grounded myself in intention before any casting presentation with clients or before any shoot. So in turn when I actually learned about energy through Reiki, I recognized that it wasn’t unfamiliar to me. People have always told me that they feel quite comfortable around me and in that safety and comfort, they can begin to unwind and reset their energy.
Can you tell us more about the specific energy healing modalities you teach at your wellness retreats?
My approach has always been integrative when it comes to energy work. I’ve studied and practiced and trained in so many modalities over these last several decades. With this specific retreat in Menorca, the main modalities featured were meditation, sound healing, reiki, past life regression, flower essences, floral tapping, and energy medicine practices. Specifically, Floral Tapping is a modality that I put together years ago utilizing flower essences in a topical way combined with different energy medicine practices. It’s a wonderful and easy tool to work with nature even while in an urban setting.
How do you help individuals work through blocks and resistance during your workshops?
First and foremost, I create comfort and trust with an individual as well as acknowledging that I need to gain the trust of their nervous system by meeting them where they are at, this is absolutely subtle energy work. And only from this space, can incremental and sustainable healing begin.
Nature in and of itself is already healing when we are immersed in it - the abundance of negative ions in nature flooding your body and system enhances and revitalizes health and well-being. - Valerie Oula
What wellness spots, domestic or international, are your favorites?
It’s hard not to be biased but THE WELL at Altagracia is spectacular - there’s energy there that the website just cannot capture, but it’s very palpable once you’ve been and you’ll find yourself craving it again and again. Shou Sugi Ban House is an absolute favorite out East. And since I just got back, I cannot stop thinking about the magic of Torralbenc in Menorca, again one of those places where the website does it no justice and when you arrive, it’s just so much magic.
If interested in learning more about my services and work, you can find me at www.modernritualnyc.com.
☾☼ PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
NEOM Organics - Val recommends The Perfect Sleep magnesium cream, as part of her nightly rest ritual for better sleep.
☾☼ WELLNESS WEDNESDAY
Your wellness fix in all dimensions.
💪 PHYSICAL: Spring into Self Care. Attend The Purist’s Wellness Retreat at Montauk Yacht Club with Cristina Cuomo. You must email to RSVP.
💗 EMOTIONAL: Val recommends, Liza Kindred’s Calm Your Anxiety Journal
📚 MENTAL: Val recommends, Ruby Warrington’s latest thought-provoking book, Women Without Kids: The Revolutionary Rise of an Unsung Sisterhood
🙏 SPIRITUAL: May 19 is CHARMED AF. Val’s latest group program offering involves 11 weeks of energy medicine practices, community, accountability, and healing - the group kicks off 5/19 with the New Moon!
😎 SOCIAL: RSVP to this Surf Charity event! RAD Surf is partnering with SURFSET NYC & AURASWELL for a wellness charity event featuring in-studio simulated surf sessions, with speakers, and meditation. Admission is $45 and includes a gift bag valued at $200+. Limited spots are available. Reserve your 60-minute wellness experience HERE.
🌎 ENVIRONMENTAL: Join the Central Park Conservancy in NYC for their Annual Family Party.
Interested in a curated, private wellness event(s) and/or growth consulting for your business?
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