Dec 6, 2023 | Sedona Yoga
If you’re looking for a gift for the conscious seeker in your life, look no further. We’ve put together a Giving Guide featuring our friends and partners — as well as some recommended nonprofits to consider for end-of-the-year donations. We believe that gifting can be an extension of the mindful ways you live your life, and we are committed to showcasing some of the most beautiful products and experiences that support those larger goals and beliefs.
Please note that this is just a teaser of all the extraordinary gifts we are highlighting this year. To receive your free Giving Guide in all its complete glory, please sign up for our newsletter here. You will receive your 2023 Holiday Giving Guide upon confirmation of your email address.
Please note: If you are already signed up for our email, stay tuned to your inbox for a direct link to download!
The Root Board is the perfect embodiment of form and function. It is made from eco-friendly and highly renewable Moso bamboo. Weighing 28 lbs, it is purposely heavy to provide a secure foundation to place your mat. Expect it to elevate your yoga-at-home sanctuary while providing the stability you need for challenging balance and inversion poses. The Root Board is meant for all uneven or soft surfaces, such as carpet, grass, sand, and dirt. It’s portable, so take it with you on your yogis-in-the-wild (outdoor) ventures.
Take $20 off with a coupon code you will find in the Giving Guide!
Kerala Ayurveda
Explore the power of Ayurveda by giving one (or all!) of these extraordinary products from our friends at Kerala Ayurveda. Guided by CEO Vaidya. Jayarajan Kodikannath — who will be presenting at SYF2024! — Kerala Ayurveda is committed to mindful care, preserving ancient traditions, and meeting modern standards for safety and effectiveness.
Nov 1, 2023 | Sedona Yoga
November is upon us, and it’s that time of year to take stock and begin dreaming about next year’s adventures. As you embark on a new cosmic journey in 2024, take time to embrace intentional travels that resonate with the rhythm of your soul. Imagine: a palm-fringed beach in tropical gardens surrounded by 189 acres of pristine rainforest, flowing together alongside fellow yogis, in a location and with hosts strongly dedicated to doing real good in the world. It’s not too good to be true! Soul Community Planet (SCP) is on a mission to connect you with authentic, sustainable, mindful adventure — and they’re bringing their magic to the Elemental Connections Retreat in January 2024, at SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge in Costa Rica.
This incredible and remote retreat combines adventure and relaxation with a convenient all-inclusive model. Reachable by boat through mangrove wetlands, you’ll find yourself tucked away on the edge of the Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula, known as the most biologically intense place on earth. Reserve your space in this exclusive retreat today to experience daily yoga, meditation, guided ocean and jungle excursions, and much more — surrounded by the pristine beauty of remote beaches, waterfalls, botanical gardens, and protected rainforest.
The retreat will be led by yogi and smile-maker extraordinaire, Andrew Sealy. Andrew has spent his illustrious career prioritizing the planet and true, holistic wellbeing and joy. “I love having the opportunity to lead Yoga and Nature Reconnection Retreats in the heart of the jungle, and there is no place that compares to the absolutely lush paradise of SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge,” he says. “From seeing whales breach the water while practicing Yoga at the Seaside Yoga Shala, to enjoying the fresh scents of blossoming flowers while meditating, to awakening to the sight of a sloth enjoying the sunrise; leading retreats at SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge is an absolutely incredible experience that I highly recommend to anyone looking to deepen their relationship with Nature and Self.”
What Is Soul Community Planet?
Soul Community Planet (SCP) Hotels was born out of a vision to help make the world a better place by serving those who value personal wellness, social good, and the environment. At SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge this vision comes to life throughout every intentionally designed detail, from the sustainable upscale villas and bungalows to the wealth of outdoor activities at this once-in-a-lifetime Costa Rican destination. Retreats are designed to explore and journey through the environmental elements. Each element — Earth, Water, Fire, and Air — is connected to a specific Yoga and Meditation routine and specific activity to emphasize connection with the natural world while deepening the Awareness and Sensitivity of Soul, Community, and Planet. The beautiful natural setting of our retreats and the intentional practice of connecting to the elements around us can provide a more grounded and present mindset for both instructors and retreat attendees.
SCP practices what they preach, too, through the impacts of the Every Stay Does Good® program. Through this program, every time you choose to stay at an SCP Hotel you provide well-being resources to adolescents, light the home of a family in need, plant a tree in an unnaturally deforested area, and more!
Learn More About SCP — and Enter a Retreat Giveaway! — at SYF
Stop by the SCP booth at Sedona Yoga Festival for a mindful moment to relax in their lounge, explore apothecary products from their partnership with Anima Mundi, and enter a retreat giveaway! The SCP team will have all the details on their January Elemental Connections Retreat with Andrew Sealy at SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge in Costa Rica, as well as an upcoming May retreat at SCP Mendocino Inn and Farm with SYF presenter Peter Sterios.
We hope you’ll accept the invitation to participate in this consciousness-raising conference March 14–17, 2024! Tickets available now.
Oct 4, 2023 | Sedona Yoga
The biggest question of our time just might be “What does Unity look like?” Spanning in-person connection, video connection, text connection, and phone connection, there are plenty of ways for us to come together and explore what it means to be in a shared or unified space. And yet while technology has brought us closer together across the globe, we are still facing so much division internationally, intra-nationally, and societally. The theme for SYF2024, All Together Now, asks us to ruminate on this: Despite being more “connected” than ever, our world is still largely defined by what separates us. How does Yoga help?
Yoga, of course, is a practice of unity, an exploration of what it means to link body and breath, thoughts and movements, stillness and evolution. It can be a deeply personal and private endeavor, but is one most effectively explored with the support and guidance of experienced teachers and community. So what happens when we come together in intention and consciousness?
There’s no shortage of studies on the power of togetherness, and as we all continue to emerge into a post-pandemic lockdown reality, there are no shortage of personal anecdotes on the importance of face-to-face togetherness, either. As writer Gretchen Kelly eloquently puts it for The Good Men Project:
There’s something special that happens when people come together. There’s a humanity in showing up to share an experience. There’s connection with people who are otherwise strangers. It gives me hope every time I go to a show. Hope because there is power in people. There is energy and strength in being united and finding a common purpose. Hope because for all of our differences, there are times when we can come together and make something incredible happen. Hope because we are all broken, flawed, beautiful people just trying to make it in this world.
As you explore what All Together Now means personally for you, we invite you to consider the following:
- How do we hold each other in community as we walk our unique paths?
- What tools and practices and networks support us in evolution of the collective consciousness as well as our own?
- How do the two interplay and are in fact one and the same?
- How do we together build the future and how do our collective and individual actions in the now serve to co-create that future?
- What does yoga have to offer us to support the will and energy required to build a just and abundant world joyfully while navigating the many crises we face together as one human family in the company and respect of our plant and animal neighbors?
Never has it been more compelling for us to proactively create — in our unique way — toward the collective goal of peace, equanimity, and compassion. The Sedona Yoga Festival is an opportunity to co-create the future you want to see, and that begins with togetherness. We can’t wait to be together with you in March!
The 11th Annual Sedona Yoga Festival is March 14–17, 2024, in Sedona. Tickets on sale now!
Lead image by Ty Dobbs.
Sep 20, 2023 | Sedona Yoga
by Lisette Cheresson, SYF Communications Director
photo by Ty Dobbs
The autumnal equinox is upon us — the moment of equal parts light and dark, night and day; the moment when the world is in a state of balance, at least on its axis. It ushers in the changing of the seasons, a moment of transition from the levity and playfulness of summer to the beginning of a more introspective season brought on by those shorter days and nights.
Yoga is many things, of course, but can be at its foundation viewed as a practice of balance; both physical and metaphysical, in mind and in body, in philosophy and in practice.
The idea of balance is touted often in asana classes: classes are sometimes constructed entirely upon sequences that build to a peak balance pose. Instructors will often use postures such as Tree Pose to illustrate that the sense of inner calm necessary to hold the pose can be illustrative in other moments or challenges in life. The resiliency required by balancing asanas can be viewed in other contexts as lessons for living a more balanced life.
The more general teachings of yoga are also pertinent as we explore the idea of balance in practice. We seek the balance of integrated movement and breath. We aim to live a life in pursuit of service to others and in the knowing of our interconnectedness. When living in integrity of our dharma, we seek balance of personal goals with those of our human family as a whole. We are called to explore the balance of light and dark in our lives, and strive for living in the light even while acknowledging the shadow of our darkness.
Sutra 2.46, “sthira sukham asanam,” can be interpreted as a philosophical call to balance. It translates to an instruction that postures need be both steady and easeful; that when we come to practice meditation or asana, we are seeking that balance of effort and ease. We open our minds and hearts to meditation when we are able to sink into our breath, and be fully in the present, without being aware of pain or unease in our physical bodies. We are in the most expressive version of asana when we are steady and still in our expression — not when we hit the most “advanced-looking” version. The balance of ease and effort defines the way that we integrate our yoga into our selves, and informs the way these lessons show up in our everyday lives.
And so, on this autumnal equinox, may you find both comfort and inspiration in your practice, and in the natural world as we tip the scales toward winter. Happy fall!
Apr 18, 2023 | Programming Spotlights, Sedona Yoga
by Judyth Shamosh, Ph.D., Systems Herbalist
Ayurveda
A philosophy for perfecting
through the art of the heart,
the timeless Truths of millennia
balancing Beauty
and graceful Goodness
to manifest our material matter
in harmony and healthful rhythm
to understand the Universe
to understand ourselves.
~J. Shamosh
Ayurveda is the earliest form of medicine on our planet originating in India well over 5000 years ago. It was, at first, a Vedic oral tradition before it was eventually written down. From northern India, the knowledge and wisdom of Ayurveda spread and was modified as it expanded throughout the world. Ayurveda is the Big Bang of medicine.
Ayurveda for over 5000 years has continually valued what modern physics has shown to be reality—the foundation of life is consciousness and body or energy-matter, but the essence of life is the spirit-awareness, the “heart of matter” –part of the living cosmic web of life. Our lives are physics and poetry, matter and expression, context and awareness. It is this fundamental understanding and wisdom of all aspects of life that renders Ayurveda so valuable in maintaining our health.
The vital science and system of Ayurveda provides guidance for living in harmony with our inner, microcosmic, and outer, macrocosmic, environments as well as other beings around us. Ayurveda’s way of teaching us is very poetic, because life is poetic, with much more going on between the lines than is readily apparent by just the material facts themselves.
Ayurveda is unique in that it clearly informs us how to live in harmony with Nature. One may call it the original ecological worldview where the fundamental interdependence of all living systems is primary. Ayurveda encompasses all aspects of life—our physical bodies, our thoughts and emotions, our spiritual connections, our relationships and inter-relationships to each other and the other living systems in our environment. Ayurveda teaches us how to maintain a dynamic harmony with these concepts to maintain and regain our health.
The Five Phases of Ayurveda precisely and poetically, describes the energetic processes that are inherent in the energy and matter of our bodies. The actions and experiential effects of the Five Phases transmit the chemical actions or potency of herbs and foods into our bodies to help us heal and maintain our health. Ayurveda’s foundational theory of the Five Phases combine in different ways to constitute our doshas. Learning the roots of the Five Phases gives us a more profound understanding of our doshas.
Explore more Ayurveda techniques, recipes, and foundational philosophy with Judyth and many more at SYF2023 April 27–30! Passes available here.
Apr 15, 2023 | Sedona Yoga
Nature Beyond Thread‘s activewear are original designs curated by founder Noelle Kristine’s captivating photographs of stunning natural landscapes, encountered during her global travels. The images evoke a sense of tranquility, serenity, and harmony. Scientifically, looking at pictures of nature speeds up mental restoration and improves cognitive functioning — as well as restoring focus, reducing depression, and improving our overall mood. This means that stepping into NBT’s activewear will not only help you remember to ground throughout the day; gazing at the intricate patterns of nature on your body will also help put you in a better mood and help restore focus. Their activewear also serves as a much needed, gentle reminder that you ARE nature — fashioned from the very same particles as the powerful ocean, grains of sand, ridged mountains, starry skies, and rippling plains.
Their distinctive clothing line transforms these mesmerizing landscapes into wearable masterpieces that allow individuals to showcase their love for nature while embodying a sense of adventure and exploration. Through NBT’s extraordinary creations, you’ll discover the perfect fusion of art, fashion and sustainability brought to life in their stunning active wear collections. Immerse yourself in the beauty and serenity of nature, masterfully woven into every garment and join their mission to create a world where style, nature and ethical practices unite to leave a lasting impact.
We caught up with Noelle to learn more about how this incredible brand came to be. Read on for more!
So cool that you drew inspiration from your travels to create NBT clothing. Is there a particular space or story that stands out to you?
I had been traveling alone with my camera for years, capturing the intricacies of remote regions and environments that were only visited by others, occasionally. The photos from these solo adventures are filled with excitement, enjoyment, and fond memories of all that I have experienced and the people that I have met along the way. Nonetheless, solo travel is, inevitably, an isolating experience. My landscapes invariably capture that isolation. Much like my own approach to life, landscapes that we see in places like National Parks are content with themselves, fearlessly independent, and unafraid of changing on their own time, at their own pace. They change slightly, slowly and cautiously, yet never make an excuse for their own growth and transformations. I am hoping that our designs will inspire exploration for others and for them to create their own personal connections to nature, people and art.
What’s a way nature / nature-inspired beauty has fostered a sense of connection or calm in your own life?
When I was younger at my family’s cabin in Lake Tahoe, my dad introduced me to skiing at Heavenly Mountain and that forever changed my view of the natural world. Even though I was terrified at the time, I was so mesmerized by the superb beauty of the jagged granite snow-capped mountains that surrounded me. I was in absolute awe of the epic setting and from that moment on I began to have a love for the outdoors and the feeling it gives me. I am at peace when sporting yoga pants and a backpack on an outdoor adventure. Beyond capturing its natural splendor, outside — among the dirt, trees, rocks, sand, water, grass, and flowers.
What inspired you to create “wearable nature?” Was there an “aha / eureka moment” for you?
After learning about the positive effects that nature and nature photography have on the brain, it sparked a sense of hope + inspiration when looking at my landscape photographs in the darkest depths of 2020. I decided to take this inspiration in my work to pursue it further. It’s important to recognize the power that nature has in our lives, and to find ways to incorporate it into our daily routines. Sustainable fashion became a passion of mine after researching the impact that fast fashion is having on our planet. I loved the idea that this seamlessly blends some of my other passions such as landscape photography and the great outdoors. I also love that it has relived my adventures while inspiring others.
What do you want people to feel when they wear NBT clothing?
Our imaginative approach offers customers an opportunity to stand out from the crowd and showcase their passion for art and nature. Wearing NBT is not just about style; it’s also about sharing a story and connecting with a global community of like-minded individuals who value the planet and its diverse beauty. Not only do we want them to feel calm and grounded throughout the day, but we also want women to feel empowered – Nature is Art, so we want them to become the art and unleash the artist within them.
Do you have a personal favorite piece or collection?
Of course, all are a personal favorite but when deciding which designs to choose for our launch, my Death Valley photographic collection stands out. The stark beauty of the landscape provides compositions, textures, patterns, and shapes that are both subtle and striking. In this collection, you can see how the landscape changes depending on the time of day and how the shifting light can transform the scene from ordinary to extraordinary with colors and shadows that dance across the landscape and the details within. For example, our designs named Mesquite and Sand Dunes sets are taken at the same location but at different times of the day. Mesquite was taken at sunset while Sand Dunes was taken at sunrise.
How often do you come out with new patterns/series?
We launched at the beginning of 2022 so it’s been a year pushing the first 11 designs to bring brand awareness and sharing our story. Nature Beyond Threads will be coming out with new patterns and collections this year.
