A woo woo trip to Sedona Arizona held a spot on our must visit list for a long time. We wanted to feel the healing power of the famous red rocks, do some hiking and meditation, visit art galleries, get close to vortexes and experience the spiritual, new age vibe that area is so well known for. Earlier this year we found ourselves with an extra-long weekend thanks to a bank holiday and had a ‘use it or lose it soon’ companion ticket. It was time to finally visit Sedona. I booked the airfare and then started framing out the rest of the details. For shorter getaways we try to cram as much as humanly possible into every day to make the most out of our adventure. The three-hour time change and direct flights between home and the desert works to our advantage if you don’t mind long travel days. Bonus that we have friends and family that live in the greater Phoenix area and hoped we could arrange a visit or two.
A few group chats later, we managed to work out meeting a group of Jaime’s fraternity brothers for lunch on the North side of Phoenix once we landed. And on the way back we made plans to see one of my sorority sisters and then have dinner with J’s Aunt and Uncle before flying home. This trip was coming at the perfect time for us. The holidays were over which meant we had entered the frigid, dreary blah time in Michigan where we don’t see the sun for months on end. We were both ready to escape the frozen tundra. With three nights in Sedona we knew that we could jam a lot of fun into our long weekend getaway. And boy did we!
Things to do
We really wanted to lean into the spiritual wellness retreat aspect of Sedona and combine that inner work with hiking and vortexes. Sedona Vortex Retreats had everything we were looking for and more. Check them out here. They offer packages like Vortex Immersion, Finding Your Purpose, Shamanic Journey, De-stress Your Life, Healing Journey and Couples Connection. Each of these can be mixed and matched with meditation sessions, Chakra balancing, spirit coaching, hypnotherapy and so much more. I sent a wish list of what we were hoping to see and do, and we ended up with a custom-built itinerary spread over two days that included a little bit of everything.
Iala and Akal are two of the nicest, most genuine humans and were amazing to work with. They are both incredibly knowledgeable about the area and offered lodging suggestions and recommendations on where to eat. The directions to the meet up points were clear and easy to understand which is important when meeting in remote, hard to find spots. They provided guidance on what to pack and how to best schedule our time so Jaime and I could have joint sessions, individual sessions and lots of active downtime spent in the great outdoors. There were no tour vans. No crowds. No lines. It was just our guide, the two of us and the awe inspiring beauty of Sedona.
Here’s an overview of how we spent our time:
Day 1
An early morning direct flight from Detroit to Phoenix had us eating lunch in the glorious sunshine before noon with our friends. Followed by a two-hour scenic drive north including a coffee stop for some much-needed caffeine, we arrived at A Sunset Chateau. I picked this place solely based on location, but it also checked so many other boxes. The onsite restaurant served an early breakfast, which was important as our meet up times were before some of the local dining places opened. Well-appointed rooms complete with full kitchenette, living room with fireplace and a front porch area that had a gorgeous red rock view. The bedroom was spacious, had a ton of storage and the bathroom included a soaking tub with plush robes. Jaime rolls his eyes at me every time, but I love, love, love rooms that include a good robe. Let me tell you that those robes came in handy for the outside walk to the hot tub. It gets shockingly cold in the desert after the sun goes down! Had it been warmer we would have taken advantage of the large saltwater pool and various star gazing spots in the surrounding gardens.
After unpacking and getting the lay of the land, we set out in search for dinner. After such a long travel day we were hungry and getting tired, not a good combination. We got lucky and found bar seats at a charming Mexican restaurant where we could watch football. Go Lions! We sit at the bar a lot when we’re traveling. It’s a great way to meet people and almost always you can get into places without a reservation.
Day 2
We woke up to a frozen winter paradise! Check out the Buddha covered in ice below. I wasn’t kidding when I said it got cold in the evenings during our stay. Despite the chilly morning it was still nicer than the weather we were having back home, and it warmed up quickly as the day went on. We met our guide at a tiny roadside parking lot near the Airport Mesa Loop Trailhead. This was the first of many times we were thankful to be with someone who had the local/ inside information of where to go. Instead of blindly following the main trail that everyone else was taking, Akal took us down another less traveled path where we sat on the red rocks under a twisted Juniper tree in complete silence watching the sun peak up over the top of the ridge. We had an entire valley all to ourselves. It was such a peaceful time of reflection sitting with our thoughts amidst the birds and the wind. We learned about the significance of the main vortex sights and dove deeper into the history of area. The conversations we had with Akal were enlightening. He is a gifted healer and we had already gotten so much out of our time together. It had only been a few hours and already the seduction of Sedona had captivated us both.
The afternoon session was all about immersive sound meditation. Akal had explained how every atom and electron in your body vibrates at a certain frequency and tapping into that frequency with sound can act as a powerful conduit for inner growth and healing. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I was going in with an open mind. We walked into this yurt type of structure with a tee pee style roof that allowed natural light to shine down through the center. In the middle of the space were two low to the ground cots full of pillows and blankets. On the walls hung an enormous collection of gongs, rattles, bells and other noise makers. Not just one or two here or there. Every available inch of wall space was covered with unique musical instruments of all sizes, shapes and materials. It was like a beautiful mosaic work of art. The floor around the cots was surrounded by Tibetan and crystal bowls, conch shells, flutes and horns leaving just a small walking path between the cots and the circular perimeter of the walls. After getting comfortable on the cots, we were instructed to close our eyes and free our minds of thoughts. For the next hour and a half it felt like I was floating through time. I was lost in a deep, relaxing meditative state while listening to a beautiful symphony of eclectic music I could somehow feel and much as I heard. And then it was over. As I opened my eyes I felt rested and full of a deep, all knowing peace that I hoped would never end. I wish I had an audio visual recording of the session to see Akal moving non stop around the yurt playing all of those instruments to see how he created such incredible music. It was one of the most unique and memorable things either of us had ever experienced.
A nice dinner followed by some hot tubing and we both slept like rocks.
Day 3
We woke up energized and raring to go. Was the vortex energy up’ing our endorphins? Maybe it was simply all the fresh air, blue sky and sunshine? Whatever it was, it was clear that Sedona was addictive, and we wanted more. This morning’s meet up with Akal took us to the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park. You can read more about this prayerful place here. There are fewer than 100 stupas in the entire Western Hemisphere and the one in Sedona is thought to be extra special thanks to the added energy the area emits. The Stupa is a hallow 36 foot tall structure that is completely filled with hand selected items and offerings from all seven continents, hundreds of millions of written prayers, handmade tsa-tsas, antidotes for various kinds of human suffering and exceedingly rare relics from past Buddhas. Everything on the Stupa grounds is steeped with deep spiritual meaning and purpose – from the beautiful mahogany statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, prayer flags covered in Tibetan and Sanskrit writing to the spinning prayer wheels. While walking clockwise around the stupa you are encouraged to pray and mediate as the power of prayer is said to be magnified at a stupa. If you choose to leave a written prayer in the prayer book, know that it will be read, blessed and likely travel the globe to be used as filler in a future stupa.
Near the Amitabha Stupa sits an authentic Native American medicine wheel. We arrived early enough in the morning to have this spiritual rock formation to ourselves. After a smudging and aura cleaning, Akal chanted and danced with rattles as we walked through the wheel and completed an emotional releasing ceremony.
While visiting the stupa grounds, I often found myself with tears rolling down my face. In fact, this happened to me often during our time spent on the land during our trip. Turns out that I’m one of “those people” who can feel the natural vibrations of the area. Being so close to the higher energy sources near twisted juniper trees and other major vortexes brought out the waterworks. I kept trying to tell Jaime that I was enlightened….now I have proof. Thank goodness for waterproof mascara!
The stupa sits at the base of an area surrounded by towering red rocks and miles upon miles of hiking trails. Armed with our walking sticks and day packs, we set out on a long trek following Akal through narrow crevices, climbing through gaps and scrambling up barely visible paths until we reached the top. We had a lot of time to just sit in the sun alone with our thoughts while taking in the beauty of the vast other worldly landscapes that surrounded us.
We truly, truly enjoyed our day and a half with Akal. He taught us so much and the deep conversations we shared filled both of our cups. While we were planning our itinerary, Iala had suggested that Jaime and I both have a Jin Shin Jyutsu session. This was something new to us and sounded interesting so of course we wanted to give it a try. After saying goodbye to Akal, we took a short drive to meet with Aurora, a gifted Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner. Jin Shin is a Japanese form of acupressure where various pulse points are held throughout the body to rearrange and balance your energy. Aurora graciously spent her entire afternoon talking with us after our sessions and even gave us hand drawn diagrams and worksheets so we could practice Jin Shin ourselves at home. I could have listened to her stories all evening. What an enchanting woman.
Day 4
Booking a red eye home was going to make for another long travel day, but the extra hours gave us the ability to enjoy an almost full day in Sedona before driving back to Phoenix. We spent the morning getting one last hike in before grabbing lunch and doing some shopping. Needing to get our paranormal and alien fix before leaving town, we stopped at The New Age Center for a psychic reading where we each got a peek into our future. Will let you know in ten years how accurate those predictions turned out to be.
Sedona packing and planning tips
- Reservations are highly encouraged for just about everything from tours to restaurants. If there’s something on your must do list, plan ahead so you aren’t disappointed.
- You could easily spend months in Sedona and not be able to see all the sights or hike all the trails. All of the Insta famous spots are also Insta busy. Keep that in mind as you make your plans. If following the masses to these places, getting stressed out about parking and then waiting in line in the hot sun to take a picture is your thing – go for it. None of that sounds fun to me in the least. Instead, consider hiring a guide like we did or visit places that are not on the internets top 10 list. There’s beauty everywhere you turn and solitude can be yours if you know where to look.
- If you visit during the winter months like we did, don’t forget sunscreen! And chapstick and extra body lotion. It’s so, so dry and after just a few days my skin needed all the extra moisture it could get.
- Speaking of moisture, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. The elevation combined with the lack of humidity is going to make you thirsty. Take a refillable water bottle and keep that sucker full. If you indulge in a cocktail, take it slow. You might find that alcohol hits differently and faster than you’re used to.
- We dressed in layers and were constantly taking things off when the sun peaked out and putting them back on when descending on the backside of mountain hikes.
- Take lots of socks and wear comfortable, broken in hiking shoes.
- Know that whatever you wear is going to be covered in a fine layer of red dust. White hiking pants or brand new tennis shoes aren’t a great choice.
- I hope this goes without saying, but be respectful of the environment. Leave no trace.
- You might need to pay for trailhead passes or parking. Do your own research as rules for this seem to change often. You don’t want to get back to your vehicle and find an expensive citation attached to your window for parking in an unsanctioned spot.
- If you’re hiking with a day pack, make sure it’s not too big so you are able to shimmy through tight spots safely. And bringing a walking stick is a great idea.
Our long weekend escape to the desert exceeded all expectations. With so much to see and do, it’s easily a place we could see ourselves visiting again.
