The God Spot and the Pearl Laguna team up for love and healing
Candice Bond has often found herself around those who could use a little healing.
As a personal injury attorney and the founder of Irvine-based Bond Legal, she fights to help individuals and families recover in the aftermath of tragedy.
That principle of building people back up has bled over into her philanthropic endeavor. Bond has taken to utilizing rejuvenating retreats to heal, sending those who go through them back into their communities to do further good.
The passing of her uncle, John Hungerford, whom she said died after a battle with the aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma, was a defining moment in how Bond chose to approach the mission. She has started a nonprofit to further the “healing is contagious” movement she named the God Spot.
“He wanted to pass without any medicine, so he was completely without the morphine,” Bond said. “I saw the end-of-life process with him, of him seeing heaven, seeing him seeing the other side. … When he did pass, what I wanted to do was be able to give people that end-of-life experience without them being at the end of life, where they actually have a moment to connect with themselves [and] appreciate things.”
Bond added that in her final interactions with her uncle, he encouraged her to be kind. Giving kindness without the expectation of something in return provides a path to healing, she said.
The God Spot has gone down that road, collaborating with local wellness retreat center the Pearl Laguna to offer eight women an all-expenses paid, week-long stay at the facility.
Close to 100 applications were received. The nonprofit asked applicants to share personal stories of why they were in need of a wellness reset. The winners were selected on Friday — three from outside the state — and their stays will begin on Oct. 6. The retreat for all eight guests is valued at $52,000.
Katresha Moskios, the yogini of the Pearl Laguna, said the winners were chosen because “they were open and ready for new beginnings.” She spoke about the union with Bond’s organization.
“[It was through] a combination of energies and both with the same goal to spread love and kindness to everyone,” Moskios said of their coming together. “That’s what we do here at the Pearl. That’s all about opening our hearts to all wonder in people’s lives. … That’s what this center is all about, and that’s what Candice saw as her vision, as well.”
The Pearl Laguna, which will celebrate its 15th year at its location in the canyon in October, was among the properties featured on Village Laguna’s Charm House Tour.
Placed in the foothills near the Big Bend, the windows are filled with natural light and have sweeping views of the greenery of the Laguna Coast Wilderness. A yoga room features a dozen distinct rugs, several of them depicting dragons. Candles are also lit during sessions.
In addition, there is an outdoor saltwater Jacuzzi, an infrared sauna, a gym area and massages. The off-site activities include hikes in the canyon and sunset walks along the coastline.
Moskios said a week-long stay offers the most benefits that are evident among the clients at check-out time. “They just look different. They feel better. They cleanse out, they slim down. They just do — from the juices and the vegetables.
“Some people don’t need to slim down. We have to feed them up. It depends on what’s needed for each person, so we work with that. They’re able to go inside, take time, and rediscover themselves. They rediscover who they are, the highest expression of themselves.”
The bedding is made of organic linens, and the rooms have private bathrooms. Personal digital devices such as cellphones may not be used in the common areas, such as the living room and yoga room. They weren’t allowed at all for the first three years the spa was in operation, but Moskios concedes she lost that battle, so there is Wi-Fi in the bedrooms.
“We don’t want the energy, and we want people to take a break,” Moskios added.
Bond, a Mission Viejo resident, said she had started her healing mission abroad in Peru a few years ago, but some people closer to home felt she could make an impact locally.
“Once you begin to say, ‘God, I’m going to help people,’ those doors are open,” Bond said. “It’s not an easy path. People go, ‘Well, don’t you have other things?’ I have a lot of other things I can be doing, so clearly, it’s a calling to help people heal.
“Katresha’s doing it to the point that she’s made the center. … They can be here, they can eat, they can be safe, they can be vulnerable, and then we can help them heal and get better in this environment. Environment is the big thing — it has to be a safe, good, comforting place.”
Additional planned events through her nonprofit include two Butterfly Meditation sessions at the rose garden at the Hotel Laguna, scheduled for Nov. 14 and Dec. 12.
“Healing doesn’t look like, ‘Oh, this horrible, horrible thing happened to me. I need to heal,’” Bond said. “It’s also just replenishing our spirit as we’ve given all year. We’ve given, and we’ve given. Healing, it’s a catch phrase, but it also means you’ve got to replenish that, replenish all that energy that you’ve given out.”
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