A few years back I started attending the Sedona Yoga Festival each May to learn more about yogic philosophy, yoga trends here and abroad, and new ways of sequencing, cueing, and adjusting student bodies. I attended to improve my teaching techniques and enhance my students’ yoga experience in the studio, which you can absolutely learn a lot about from a festival like this. But it has become so much more than that to me.
This year I took my intentions, with the help of a friend, to a whole new level. A little planning and preparing ahead of time ensured that I would make this weekend an unforgettable one and helped me reconnect to the people, places, and things dear to me.
Over the four days at the Hilton Bell Rock (technically more in the Village of Oak Creek, than Sedona Proper), I feasted me eyes on the gorgeous red rocks and felt the peace and calm of this special area seep into my weary brain and bones at every turn. I reconnected with friends, met amazing new people, danced, flowed, and bought custom jewelry made for me. I chanted, meditated, sang, breathed, and listened to diverse panels with people from across the globe. I learned about ayurvedic practices new to me and committed to implementing them in my daily life. I spent time alone and with my hubs, ate incredible food, and of course, realigned my chakras with an unforgettable somatic class.
Whether this sounds like pure bliss or pure torture to you, let me share a few takeaways I learned and see if they resonate with you, no matter where you spend your free time away from work and family:
- Smile and make eye contact anywhere and everywhere. It’s free, easy, and it shows you’re open to the people and experiences around you. You never know who you’ll meet!
- Listen to music that moves you. If it’s funky, like Kirtan, EDM, or anything I can play in a yoga class, keep your earbuds charged and listen to it on your own. Who cares if your family makes fun of you, listen to what you love! Bonus points if you dance to it in your kitchen, office, or car!
- Eat local! You probably know I’m a fourth-generation Arizonan because I usually lead with that when I meet people, but my pride in AZ runs deep. Supporting small coffee shops, restaurants, and wine bars has been a reliable way for me to support other business owners, enjoy better-crafted treats from passionate people, and discover hidden gems off the beaten path. Are they pricier? Sometimes, but the quality ingredients and the smug feeling I get supporting others make it totally worth it to me.
- Nature and spending time outdoors is healing. No matter your surroundings, take a moment to pause, breathe, and appreciate the beauty around you. The sky, the trees, the mountains, the flowers and cacti, the water, there is always something small to enjoy. Again, free, easy, life-changing.
- Plan intentional time with your sweetheart! The hubbub of work, parents, kids, friends, housework, yardwork, volunteering, parties, celebrations…can lead us to take our significant other for granted (read: me, I’m the one who takes advantage of my hubs when life gets busy). So imagine my surprise when a little intention around this getaway helped us reconnect and realign as the awesome couple we usually are, and knew we could be again.
You might not be able to plan a jaunt up the hill to Sedona anytime soon, but the good news is you don’t have to go there to pause and intentionally reconnect with the land, your people, or most importantly, yourself. You just need to get off the hamster wheel of life for a few minutes and invest time in one of the practices above or any other practice of your choice.
Let me know if you try any of these! I’d love for you to comment below on what works for you.
