Last week our founder Scott Linde took a few days away from HQ to journey north for RUNGA - an innovative, highly-curated, immersive wellness retreat set on a pristine property nestled amidst beautiful wine country on the ridge between Napa and Sonoma Valley. The four day program serves as a pathway to empower individuals to experience their optimum states of health and align with their purpose on the planet.
RUNGA takes a multi-faceted, luxurious, hands-on approach to sustainable wellness and longevity. The weekend was abundant with organic, nutrient-dense, plant-based and paleo cuisine food prepared by chefs Emilía Rún, Plant Based Chef, Kundalini Yoga & Mindfulness Instructor and Seamus Mullen, an award-winning chef, restauranteur and cookbook author. Natural and biodynamic wines from Dry Farm Wines were flowing... The energy of the intimate group of health experts and attendees was relaxed, informative, and incredibly supportive.
Daily activities included breath-work, meditation and mindfulness practices, one-on-one bodywork, as well as a full spectrum fitness, detox and longevity training program - complete with daily ice baths and infrared therapy! Another key component to the RUNGA offerings included lifestyle coaching by Ben Greenfield, podcast host and Human Optimization Expert.
Scott left the retreat feeling inspired, engaged, and motivated. We are proud to have supported this event with our adaptogens and are excited to continue to collaborate with the Runga community in the future!
Ice bath therapy - Scott stayed in for seven minutes!
The emphasis was on cooking with whole foods, using locally sourced organic and biodynamic, seasonal ingredients.
Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEFT) to charge the cells with positive electromagnetic current.
A Conversation with Scott Linde and Joe DiStefano
Joe: Our mission is to create a scenario where people walk away feeling empowered with sustainable practices they can incorporate into their everyday. Our immersive single and multi-day retreats are designed to jumpstart this journey, combining education, application and modern technologies to curate an unforgettable, transformative experience. Once people return to their everyday lives, they feel noticeably different and are equipped with the tools to sustain this new quality of life.
Scott: What is the intention behind these group format for retreats?
Joe: Humans have always existed together in community, and socialization is a key ingredient to human happiness and purpose. When it comes to living fully, the truth is, we just don’t do it alone. For this reason, RUNGA events have become more and more intimate over the years and are curated in such a way to ensure that everyone is an active participant. This helps guests tap into a sense of belonging—knowing that you have a community that supports you, that enjoys the same nourishing food as you do, that meditates, that cares about wellness as much as you do— and helps them connect with their truest objectives, allowing these practices to be set in a self-defining and sustainable way.
Scott: We got into some pretty unique extreme practices like cold immersion, kettlebell training etc. What is your favorite self-care practice and why?
Joe: While breath is core to our teachings and transcends all of them, my personal favorite is not necessarily the most important for people. As a teacher and educator, my favorite is the nature in which we teach movement and fitness. Because our approach is so polarized from conventional fitness training, people see results quickly and find it more practical. However, your intention needs to be clear in order to accept what we teach, and that’s where breath, meditation, and mindfulness come in, which I believe sets the foundation for any transformation that follows.
If you’re not open to receiving, you’re not going to.
Scott: How can people directly experience RUNGA or find access to RUNGA’s work?
Joe: In 2020, we’ll be launching a handful of single and multi-day events. I highly recommend joining the RUNGA email list on our website to receive our newsletters and be the first to know about upcoming experiences. If you’re interested in learning more about my approach and getting to know other experts in the industry, listen to my podcast, Stacked with Joe DiStefano.
Scott: What is your vision for where RUNGA is headed?
Joe: RUNGA is a purpose-driven organization. I like to say we meander with purpose—aiming to create the most detail-oriented wellness experiences in the world while providing the highest lifetime value to our clients. We are setting the intention to make these experiences available to more people in years to come, especially within the corporate setting, but not at the expense of any element of it. We share that value with Sun Potion in that we could sell more if we reduced some of our quality or attention to detail, but we’re not willing to do that. We’re willing to grow but not willing to change.
Such a beautiful way to celebrate the launch our elixirs!
Images courtesy of Runga life, @RUNGA
Photographed by Tammy Horton, @tammyhortonphotography
