When I arrived at Black Creek Estate in Highland, New York, I immediately loved looking out at the 37-acre, luscious lake.
When people were discussing the water temperature and asked, “Is it cold?”, I replied that I’m from Wisconsin and don’t worry about those things! When it came time, I jumped in and hoped for the best! It felt warm and cold at the same time. I enjoyed swimming. The two-person paddle boat was fun. So was what looked like an inflatable raft, in which I hung out with two other fellow travelers and laughed our heads off.
The Lake at Black Creek Estate: Image by Laurie Heifetz
Where’s Highland? It’s in New York’s Hudson Valley, and I had taken the train from NYC to Poughkeepsie. What was I participating in? Loftie, the wellness company with the smart clock and lamp designed for better sleep, sponsored a long weekend called “Soul Summer” at Black Creek Estate. The handsome, 164-acre grounds were home to a nudist colony at one time.
Our experience was the creation of Soul Restoration, whose team members are Alexina Graham, Janelle Olsen, and Jen Rubinetti. How did they all come together? Janelle was a stylist in NYC when she met Alexina, who’s a top model. Jen is Alexina’s agent at Elite Models. Janelle is now a partner of Olsen and Company in Saugerties, a cafe, restaurant, bar, and market. Before the weekend, I had a Zoom reading with Alexina, who channels people from one’s past. I must confess that I didn’t get a lot of sleep the night before, but still, I was relaxed enough to fall asleep during my reading!
Cacao Ceremony with Jen Rubinetti (left) & Alexina Graham: Image by Laurie Heifetz
Soul Summer included a cacao ceremony to set intentions, meditation, journaling, and sound baths with Jen and Alexina; somatic body movement with Kirsten Smits and yoga and stretching with Kristin Zelber.
Somatic Body Movement with Kirsten Smits: Image Courtesy of Loftie
My favorite part of the somatic body movement was Qi Gong, which combines movement, breathing, and meditation. I especially liked patting myself during the ancient Chinese practice. Sound baths use gongs and bowls, as well as meditation. We were told during many of the activities that if your mind wanders, that’s ok. I did find mine wandering (sometimes to food!), and would focus on my breath, in order to relax. By the second sound bath, I was falling asleep!
Our group consisted of media and their guests, Loftie staff, and Loftie members. We were mostly strangers, and everyone was friendly, making for a magical time! The Loftie CEO, Matt Hassett, and his assistant, Madison Szittai, were very down-to-earth. And we didn’t have to participate in any activity if we didn’t want to.
Dina Falconi: Image by Laurie Heifetz
Some of the people went on a walk with master herbalist Dina Falconi (“Foraging and Feasting”) and came back with mint leaves and mushrooms, the first perfect in water and the latter excellent for dinner. (https://www.inthewild.kitchen/)
Oh, and how we were spoiled with the food! People’s dietary restrictions were totally accommodated by the outstanding private chefs. We especially loved Ryan Tate’s cooking. The Wagu beef — the American Wagu was cross-bred with Black Angus — was quite special. (@personryantate).
The lunch we had that was prepared especially for us by Olsen and Company was delicious: salads and more!
I enjoyed trying the Aplos Ume Spritz, the non-alcoholic cocktail infused with lion’s mane, grapefruit, white tea, and sea buckthorn. It contains adaptogens, including Lion’s Mane, and herbal botanicals. It was quite tasty! (http://www.aplos.world)
Loftie Lamp & Clock: Image Courtesy of Loftie
We fell asleep with the gentle sounds of the ocean on the award-winning Loftie clock. You can go to sleep with and wake up to other sounds, too. The point is digital detoxification, i.e., getting off your smartphone. It’s great for home, too. The Loftie lamp has an LED red light to go to sleep with, and a light to wake up with that will illuminate the whole lamp. In addition, there are meditations, sleepy stories, and more on the clock. (https://byloftie.com)
It rained some of the time. We roasted marshmallows over a campfire for s’mores. The last night, we each burned a letter we had written to our inner child, to allow us to release certain things from our past and move on. I took a photo of my letter to remember.
Also, on the last night, I went for a ride with Janelle and the other leaders, taking one of the instructors back to the Poughkeepsie train station. Living in NYC, it was quite relaxing to be in a car while viewing the beautiful countryside — and without a meter ticking! The Franklin D. Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge was decked out in many colored lights for PRIDE Month.
Plans are underway for another Loftie experience. You can follow Loftie at @byloftie on Instagram to get on the email wait list, as well as the Loftie email distribution list, and stay in the know. I’m excited to hear that it’s slated to be at a hotel and will include all of the Loftie sleep options and more! (https://byloftie.com)
