Do you ever tell yourself …

My book doesn’t matter. People have written about this before. What could I possible say that would make a difference?

That, my dear, is stinkin’ thinkin’.

Your. Message. Matters.

I was at a marketing training this month and the topic of having a Big Idea for your marketing (and business) came up. Even with my years of helping people to finally write (and publish!) their books, I couldn’t see my Big Idea. It’s like trying to see your own nose – you just can’t unless you use a mirror.

In talking it through we realized that my Big Idea was the one thing I say to ALL of my clients, prospects, people I meet at events, etc.

Your. Message. Matters.

Here’s the thing: you are the only person on the whole planet who is the unique sum of your experiences, feelings, knowledge, and opinions. All that comes together into your own world-view.

Sure you might catalog and classify your opinions through the lenses of your life like:

• Political party
• Religion (or lack thereof)
• Where you live
• Ethnicity
• Culture
• Gender

Or what you think about marriage, guns, equality, feminism, or the importance of bananas in smoothies.

The point I’m trying to make is that you’re so much than just your labels! There are things you care about – passionately, deeply – that you know you are meant to share with the world.

THIS is your message.

It is the information that only you can share. And it matters.

Your message matters to you (of course!) but more importantly, it matters to the people you’re meant to reach.

Will that be everybody? Of course not! But there are people going through life who need to hear what you have to say – and most of them don’t even know you exist.

So when you keep your message to yourself – using whatever hallucination makes you happy today – who are you really hurting?

When you aren’t sharing the message that can:

• Help someone be healthy
• Change a marriage or relationship
• Help someone know they’re not alone
• Fix a business
• Teach a skill, recipe, or philosophy
• Change someone’s perspective – and change their actions

Then you’re hurting the very person YOU’RE meant to help.

Your message matters to you, it matters to that person, and it matters to me. See, MY message is that I’m a word-person, a story-person, a MESSAGE person. My message is to help you take your message and get it out – to share it, to help it have meaning, to help you touch the lives of others.

YOUR. MESSAGE. MATTERS.

To get started finding yours, register for the session at Sedona Yoga Festival, “Finally Write Your Book: Ditch the Mental Monsters, Uncover Your Message, and FINALLY Write the Life-Changing Book You’re Called to Write”

https://sched.co/a6Ds

WeTravel is thrilled to support the Sedona Yoga Festival, a unique opportunity for us to come together as a community in one of the most striking natural environments on earth. Here, shifts in knowledge and perception are amplified by the landscape’s visual beauty and intentional energy; the transformative potential of the experience is similar to what one might expect on retreat. So, if you return home from your weekend in Sedona called to take your practice on the road, check out these four off-the-beaten path retreat destinations. All evoke the Arizona landscape in different ways, yet each offers its own distinct sense of place and local energy.

The Spitzkoppe, Namibia

The Spitzkoppe, also known as the “Matterhorn of Namibia” is a group of granite peaks located between the towns of Usakos and Swakopmund in the Namib desert of Namibia. All around the Spitzkoppe, hundreds of bushmen rock paintings can be found. While some have been damaged by vandalism, among those that remain are ancient depictions of rhinos, who roamed the area long ago. For yogis who also enjoy hiking and climbing, Spitzkoppe is an ideal retreat location; terrain can be found to please all levels of mountaineers. And for those that would like to see more of the Namibia’s highlights, Etosha National Park’s wildlife and the Skeleton Coast’s inland shipwrecks are easy side-trips.

Cappadocia, Turkey

Cappadocia is known for its distinctive “fairy chimneys,” tall, cone-shaped rock formations. These chimneys soar above an extensive network of cave dwellings carved into valley walls; they were originally constructed as Bronze Age homes, and much later used by early Christian populations in hiding. Many small, richly-frescoed cave churches from this period remain intact. Today, many of these cave homes remain inhabited, forming small villages spread across the hilly, arid region. Don’t miss the sight of thousands of hot air balloons surveying the landscape at dawn, or the sound of the call to prayer ringing through the cave architecture five times daily.

Uluru / Ayer’s Rock, Australia

Uluru (also called Ayer’s Rock) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the south of Australia’s Northern Territory, approximately 450km from Alice Springs. Uluru is sacred to the Aborigonal Pitjantjatjara Anagu people, and figures prominently in their creation stories and epic tales. The rock outcropping is home to an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves, and ancient paintings. While striking at any time of day or year, it appears to change color by the hour and season and glows its reddest at dawn and sunset. Uluru’s remote location makes it an ideal choice for retreat groups looking for an “off-the-grid experience,” yet rising tourism to the area also means increasing choice in terms of accommodation.

Petra, Jordan

Petra, called the “Rose City,” because of the color of the rock from which it is carved, has been inhabited as far back as the fourth century BCE. Control over the area has passed from the hands of the Nabateans to the Romans, the Byzantines to the Crusaders. Petra was named a Unesco World Heritage site in 1985 and voted one of the “new” seven wonders of the world in 2007. The complex’s striking stone-carved buildings are especially dramatic at night, when they are lit only by thousands of individually-placed candles. Petra is easily accessible from the major city of Aqaba on the Red Sea, which is home to white-sand beaches and excellent diving sites.

Human beings, by nature, are social animals. Even the most introverted among us—those of us who prefer a personal practice to a room of sweaty yogis, or curling up with a good book to a glamorous cocktail party—ultimately need some kind of human contact in order to truly thrive. In fact, one study conducted by UCLA found that threats to one’s sense of belonging elicit a physiological response that felt very much like physical pain. In short: isolation hurts.

So, with our eighth annual conference literally right around the corner, your friends at Sedona Yoga Festival wanted to *reiterate* our ever-so-compelling case for practicing alongside a group of aum-azing like-minded beings. Here are four solid reasons to embrace the power of community—and immerse yourself in the high-vibe wonders of this unforgettable weekend. 

1) Community Promotes Consistency.

We definitely don’t dispute the benefits of a regular home yoga practice. Practicing at home is free, it’s convenient—and your dog doesn’t care when you last showered, or whether or not you snore in savasana. But practicing in a group certainly has its merits, too. For starters, studies show that people who exercise in a group enjoy enhanced duration, motivation, conversation and inspiration, as compared to those who do the same activities alone. 

And, while it’s true that a solo practice will release endorphins, moving your body in a room full of other bodies gives ALL of you access to the group’s good vibes. Smiles release additional happy juice (bonus!) and practicing in a group has been proven to help get you through any particularly long holds (Yin yogis, we’re looking at you). Beginners can take posture and form cues from more experienced practitioners—and hopefully there’s some juicy dharma, too. 

2) Community Heals Trauma.

Holding space for survivors of trauma has become a foundational part of Sedona Yoga Festival; if you haven’t read our founder Marc’s story, take a peek here. With each year that our Yoga for PTSD Training flourishes and evolves, we continue to be humbled by the beauty and resilience of the human spirit. But did you know: almost any member of society—trained or not—can be an integral part of the healing process? 

One of the most damaging things about trauma is our shattered sense of belonging. The experience removes us from the perceived safety of everything that came before, and places us in a foreign environment; we’re suddenly the sole inhabitant of our own lonely and terrifying planet. “Trauma shatters the construction of the self that is formed and sustained in relation to others,” says Judith Herman, best-selling author of Trauma and Recovery.

This sense of isolation prevents healing, Herman (and her contemporaries) insist. So it’s critical that trauma survivors connect with others with similar experience. Studies suggest that sitting in a group therapy session, even without contributing, can begin to lay the groundwork for addressing the shame and confusion that’s making them feel so alone. In feeling non-judgmental empathy for others, we begin to turn that compassion inward.

3) Community Supports Happiness.

For as long as we’ve been on this beautiful planet, humans have been chasing happiness. We’ve attributed it to health, love, money, environment, experience and even our pets. We’ve heard that happiness is a practice…or a choice…or that it’s not even a noble goal. Chances are, the real truth will continue to elude us. But we did find Harvard’s recent research—the longest study of adult life yet to be conducted—verrrry interesting. 

The most significant finding of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which started in 1938, is that solid relationships are the most predictive element of a happy life. The study’s author, psychiatrist and Harvard Medical School professor Robert Waldinger, says, “It turns out that people who are more socially connected to family, to friends, to community are happier—they’re physically healthier and they live longer.” 

By contrast, Waldinger found that people who feel isolated experience dramatic health declines and brain function issues in mid-to-later life—ultimately living shorter and less happy lives than those who are grounded in and supported by their communities. 

4) Supporting Community Creates MORE Happiness.

If you read our December post, you already know that giving is good for you. But we thought we’d provide a little more detail about giving back to your community. Studies have shown that regularly volunteering within one’s community can boost your resilience to stress, illness and loneliness—three societal evils that Waldinger’s study warns against. 

Another study found that altruism is contagious; those who witness acts of kindness are more likely to perform their own. Still more studies found that regular volunteers enjoy lower blood pressure and reduced chronic pain, along with a higher sense of purpose and…you guessed it…our old friend HAPPINESS! Kind of a win-win-win, if you will.

In summary—where and when should we be waiting with your welcome hug? In these challenging and polarizing times, it’s more critical than ever that we FIND OUR PEOPLE and spend quality time in their company. Here at Sedona Yoga Festival, we’ve spent nearly a decade creating one of the most vibrant, innovative and welcoming yoga communities on the planet. Together, we are building the future of yoga, brick by brick. We invite you to work…and play, and celebrate, and rejoice…alongside us next week. Hope to see you there!

1) Yoga Changes Your Brain

Actually, everything you do has the power to change your brain! Scientists (and yogis) have known this for years, but it wasn’t until Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s tome, The Power of Positive Thinking, hit bookshelves in 1952 that the Western public started pondering the mind-body connection. Just as our muscles can be trained to stretch to a certain point or lift a certain amount of weight, our brains can be trained to follow healthier pathways.

When you practice yoga, you’re combining three critical components: calming thoughts, intentional breath and physical challenge. Without the first two, your body will react with a standard stress response: a sudden flood of cortisol (your body’s fight-or-flight hormone), shortness of breath, mental anxiety and all kinds of other fun stuff. But when you combine all three, you’re training your brain to help your body stay calm in times of stress. It’s a neat trick—and over time, it can help you stay chill as heck in all kinds of stressful situations. 

2) Yoga Changes Your Mood

Given the quick overview above, it probably won’t surprise you that retraining your brain to be a reliable feel-good machine will make you…well, feel pretty good. Studies have shown that yoga can help reduce anxiety and depression—and in some cases, regular practice was just as effective a treatment for these conditions as cognitive behavioral therapy. 

Some researchers believe this is due to yoga’s ability to dramatically increase production of GABA, a brain chemical with a cellular signature very similar to that of classic anti-anxiety medications like Xanax and Valium. The feeling of a little GABA boost is exactly what alcohol mimics, too—an instant dip in anxiety, accompanied by warm relaxation. Now for the really good news: in one study, subjects enjoyed a 27% GABA increase after just one hour of yoga. 

3) Yoga Changes Your Outlook

You don’t have to be a neuroscientist to make a connection between improved stress response, reduced anxiety and more feel-good chemicals with greater well being. Because like yoga, happiness is a practice—and the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Case in point: in one well-known meditation study from the 1990s, researchers tracked the brain waves of both novice meditators and practiced Buddhist monks during an extended meditation on generalized compassion.

While both groups, even the novices, showed a marked increase in gamma signals—the brain waves associated with perception, connection and higher consciousness—in the monks’ brains, gamma signals kept firing even when subjects weren’t meditating. The monks’ minds also showed a steady stream of activity in the parts of the brain that connect us to empathy and unconditional love. So yeah…I’ll have what they’re having, please.

4) Yoga Changes the World.

Now, if you already have a regular yoga practice, we’re just helping you collect scientific backing for things you already know in your heart. But we’d like you to take a moment to imagine the power of practicing in a group of like-minded seekers, in one of the most spiritually charged landscapes in the world. There’s a collective shift that happens when we come together in service of evolution. That’s not something that happens every day, friends—but it IS something that happens every year, and you should be with us in 2020.

What? You say you don’t have a regular practice, but now you’re feeling like you should? TRUST THAT FEELING. Those are your imaginal cells talking—and they’re waiting to take you anywhere you want to go.

2020 Vision: Clarity Of Purpose

Setting Your Intention for a Meaningful Decade

It’s Resolution Season, y’all! Which means for the next six weeks or so, it will be virtually impossible to enjoy a nice meal with your newly minted (and probably temporary) vegan/paleo/keto/whatever friends. But now that it’s officially 2020, your friends at Sedona Yoga Festival would like to suggest digging a little bit deeper than quitting carbs, starting a compost garden, or whatever it is you’ve decided to forego or build this year.

It’s a shiny new decade, after all—and that gives us all an incredible opportunity to fill our tabula rasas with brand-new intention for the next 10 years. Now, we’re not against carb cutters and whatnot; there is absolutely nothing wrong with resolving to live a healthier life. But did you know: simply having a defined life purpose can be good for your health, too? Multiple studies suggest that the pursuit of meaning supports a deeper and longer-lasting (eudaimonic) sense of well-being than living a more self-centered (hedonic) life.

Born in Fire

For those of us here at Sedona Yoga Festival, finding that sense of purpose was not only nurturing on a deeply personal level; it also helped to foster physical and spiritual healing for hundreds of total strangers. And, like so many transformation stories—with narratives crossing multiple spiritual disciplines—it all started with a fire. In Hindu mythology, the fire god Agni is an agent of wisdom and rebirth. But as always, transformation is not without discomfort.

For many years, conference co-founder Marc Titus was a trained wildland firefighter and served as Air Support Group Supervisor/Helibase Manager on the SW Area Type 1 Incident Management Team. It’s not like his life didn’t have purpose. He had dedicated himself to a life of service, protecting life, property and resources from catastrophic wildland fire: a job that requires perseverance and no small amount of personal risk. Then, during the catastrophic California Firestorm of 2008, in what is believed to be the worst aviation loss-of-life incident in wildland firefighting history, a helicopter went down. Nine wildland firefighters—Marc’s brothers in fire—lost their lives.

Yogi, Heal Thyself

For the next seven days, Marc helped to manage the heartbreaking aftermath of this horrific accident—which lived at the heart of an equally horrific natural disaster. And then, for the next 10 years, he struggled with a level of physical, emotional and spiritual chaos he couldn’t begin to understand. He didn’t have the language to express what was happening inside him. The people close to him struggled, as well; he was difficult to work with…to live with…to be with. But he got help. Ultimately, it took a 40-day stint in a psychological treatment center to even begin unpacking the mysteries of Marc’s significant post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Understanding PTSD—and getting the help he needed to rise from the ashes of his trauma—quite literally saved Marc’s life. Trauma-resilient yoga was a big part of the ongoing solution. So, years later, when Sedona Yoga Festival was in its infancy, festival co-founders Marc and Heather made it their mission to help others step out of the darkness. Today, our Yoga for PTSD Training has trained hundreds of teachers to help people living with PTSD. 

This life-changing immersion is a complete 20-hour certification track offering training in all the ways yoga benefits trauma survivors. Based on the understanding that trauma is held in our cells—that it’s physiological rather than psychological—our curriculum is rooted in yoga’s ability to heal the communication between mind and body with conscious breath, movement and concentration in a safe, secure and supportive environment.

What is it YOU Plan to Do? 

We’re fortunate to have an incredible platform with which to spark healing on a grand scale. And, from the beginning, our Yoga for PTSD training has provided us with a meaningful way to give back to the communities that have supported us for so many years—from Marc’s firefighting peers and other first responders to our Sedona neighbors and the global community of yogis that has enfolded us over the past decade or so.

Maybe you’ve already got a favorite cause; if that’s the case, it’s the perfect time to recommit yourself to making a difference there. But if you don’t—yet—what a blessing! We encourage you to explore new ways to share your energy this coming year…and all the years after that. As renowned nature poet Mary Oliver once said, “Tell me—what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Read more about PTSD and Marc’s journey here.

The Greatest Gift

Why Giving Really *IS* Better Than Receiving
+ 5 Tips for Giving Selflessly this Holiday Season

We’ve all heard the old adage, and it’s hard to disagree. This idea, after all, spans multiple traditions and texts—from the Bible to the Bhagavad Gita and beyond. Early in the spiritual trajectory of American mystic Ram Dass, he asked his teacher, “How do I raise my divine energy?” To which guru Neem Karoli Baba replied simply, “Feed everyone. Serve everybody.” This concept of seva, or selfless service, is a kind of road map for the yogic journey.

But the trick, as it turns out, isn’t so much the giving part.

On some level, you probably already know that generosity feels good. There is evidence that the act of giving activates our brains’ pleasure centers—releasing dopamine (feel-good juice), serotonin (mood-regulating juice) and oxytocin (compassion juice). Can your kombucha do THAT? Didn’t think so. In fact, clinical studies link giving to greater happiness, reduced depression, lower stress levels, higher self-esteem, lower blood pressure and even longer life.

So why don’t we, as a species, give more? Answer: the ego. When the brain steps in front of the heart, we start to crave recognition for our actions. The ego may want acknowledgement, adulation, validation, reciprocity; any number of actions to complement our own. And suddenly, the good vibes we got from giving vanish—poof!—like Keyser S?ze. So, as we enter the time of year set aside for giving THINGS, your friends at Sedona Yoga Festival would like to suggest a wonderful alternative: giving of YOURSELF. Here are our top five seva tips!

1) Lazy Seva: Gifts of Donation. Hey, no judgment! We’re all busy, and this time of year is bananas. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference just by opening your wallet. December is a great time to make a donation of any amount to a cause that’s close to your heart. From your local women’s shelter to an international clean-water organization, donating literally takes just a few clicks these days. Not sure where your money will mean the most? Get a watchdog: Charity Navigator and Charity Watch can help you narrow your recipient by cause, percentage of donations that go to overhead and even how much executives are paid. 

2) Free Seva: Gifts of Service. Sometimes, the best things in life really ARE free—and there’s always somebody who needs a helping hand. The cool thing about gifts of service, though, is how personalized (or not) you can make them. Got a friend who’s always complaining about the color of their kitchen, or the weeds in their yard? Spend a day helping ‘em out. An elderly neighbor who can’t shovel their walk? Lend a hand; they don’t even need to know it was you. In fact, anonymous volunteering to help those less fortunate may be the purest form of giving there is; you can’t crave acknowledgement if you’re a total ninja about it. 

3) Maker Seva: Gifts of Creation. Listen, not everybody’s crafty. We get that. If you’re one of those people whose “canvas & cocktail” creations never quite look like the example…SAME. But can you write a poem, or follow a recipe? If you’re planning to give actual gifts this year, we hope you’ll consider making something for the special folks in your lives. Trust us: a week of lovingly prepared freezer meals or a tiny watercolor painting, however “unprofessional” or “imperfect,” will likely be your recipients’ most treasured prezzies—this year or any year. 

4) Relationship Seva: Gifts of Sacrifice. Maybe it’s just us, but there are days—perhaps years—during which all we really want for the holidays is for the members of our household to STOP doing that one thing. And guess what? If you’re having that feeling about somebody else, you can bet your sweet asana that another household member has a similar wish re: you. So this year, why not make a solemn promise to NOT do that thing your partner, parent or kiddo doesn’t love all that much? Maybe your sweetie would prefer that you stay off your phone during meals, or your teen would prefer that you refrain from referring to things as “straight fire.” Let your recipient choose. No matter what they pick, your loss is their gain. 

5) Check Yourself Before…Well, You Know. What does Ice Cube have to teach us about seva? A few things, actually. If we’re putting a seva filter on our holiday giving, “check yourself” can have multiple meanings. First: go into the season with some healthy realism. There’s only so much of you to go around, so let’s not burn this temple to the ground over the next 30 days! This will not only enable you to enter the New Year with calm, grounded energy—it will also help to curb the resentment that can build when you’re overextended.

Second: if you do start to feel a pity party coming on, it’s either because (a) that pesky ego wants recognition for your actions, or (b) you’re actually filling others’ cups at the expense of your own. In either case, kindly check thyself and make some healthy adjustments. And finally, third: receive. Say it out loud with me: RECEIVE. As it turns out, your self-proclaimed seva season is a wonderful time to practice receiving the gifts around you. Whether a holiday traffic jam is ‘bout to teach you some patience, or your office Secret Santa made you some dodgy-looking mystery muffins, there is magic in the surrender. No wrecking required.