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Arizona

Sedona's Healing Arts For Women: Yoga, Qi Gong, Ayurveda and More

Program No. 1063RJ
Join other women in the inspiring setting of Sedona to learn about and practice a range of healing techniques, focusing on mind, body, spiritual well-being and longevity.

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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
climate
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What kind of weather can you expect? Take a look!
itinerary
Please Note:
The itinerary for this program is different on certain dates.
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Sep 4 - Sep 9, 2023
Starting at
1,949
Nov 12 - Nov 17, 2023
Starting at
1,949
Itinerary Note

This weeks offering is a "level 2" program, offering a deeper exploration of the modalities with a modified itinerary.

Feb 4 - Feb 9, 2024
Starting at
2,099
May 19 - May 24, 2024
Starting at
2,099
Sep 2 - Sep 7, 2024
Starting at
2,099
Nov 10 - Nov 15, 2024
Starting at
2,099
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Sep 4 - Sep 9, 2023
Starting at
2,619
Nov 12 - Nov 17, 2023
Starting at
2,619
Itinerary Note

This weeks offering is a "level 2" program, offering a deeper exploration of the modalities with a modified itinerary.

Feb 4 - Feb 9, 2024
Starting at
2,829
May 19 - May 24, 2024
Starting at
2,829
Sep 2 - Sep 7, 2024
Starting at
2,829
Filling Fast!
Nov 10 - Nov 15, 2024
Starting at
2,829

At a Glance

Come to Sedona and be immersed in some of America’s most breathtaking scenery while exploring ancient and new practices designed to bring your mind, body and spirit into harmony. Join with like-minded women to cultivate techniques aimed at self-healing, good health and longevity. Learn about holistic healing and plants endemic to this high-desert environment. See why so many seek out Sedona for metaphysical meaning and spiritual healing.
Activity Level
Easy Going
Some walking on even ground. Elevations of 4,500 feet.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Sessions include exploration of Qi Gong, Jin Shin Jyutsu, yoga, Ayurveda, meditation and other healing arts.
  • Begin or elevate your practice under the tutelage of experienced practitioners from Sedona.
  • Hike into Sedona's famed red rocks to soak in their natural beauty, healing powers and spiritual energy.

General Notes

Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Cheryl Brenman
A licensed massage therapist with over 30 years of experience, Cheryl Brenman is a certified yoga and nomadics teacher and a certified Jin Shin Jyutsu self help instructor. While managing a private massage practice, Cheryl also teaches Swedish massage at the Sedona School of Massage, as well as yoga and nomadics at Los Abrigatos Health Spa. She has produced a nomadics DVD specifically for her older students.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Cheryl Brenman
Cheryl Brenman View biography
A licensed massage therapist with over 30 years of experience, Cheryl Brenman is a certified yoga and nomadics teacher and a certified Jin Shin Jyutsu self help instructor. While managing a private massage practice, Cheryl also teaches Swedish massage at the Sedona School of Massage, as well as yoga and nomadics at Los Abrigatos Health Spa. She has produced a nomadics DVD specifically for her older students.
Profile Image of Veronica Vida
Veronica Vida View biography
Veronica is an astrologer and expressive art therapist with a deep concern and passion for individual and planetary healing. She brings 30 years of experience in women’s spirituality, facilitating sacred rituals and ceremony. Veronica has worked with women, children, and families in a variety of settings, as a midwife, teacher, and therapist. Combining this rich experience with a master’s in counseling and expressive art therapy allows her to bring insight, compassion and creativity to her work.
Profile Image of Elena Bullard
Elena Bullard View biography
Elena Bullard began her yoga training at the age of four when her grandmother taught her Sanskrit chants. After receiving a B.A. in archaeology and an M.A. in sociology, urban planning and architecture, Elena spent the next 25 years in the corporate world, and as adjunct faculty at Arizona State University. In 1995, Elena settled with her husband in Verde Valley, and became a full-time certified instructor, leading a yoga certification course at the Arizona School of Integrative Studies.
Profile Image of John Graham
John Graham View biography
John Graham holds a degree in fine art from the University of Washington, and shares his love of nature through his oil paintings and alabaster carvings. He is a master gardener and maintains a landscaping maintanance business in Sedona, Ariz. John is fascinated by the study of UFOs and vortex energies, and enjoys sharing his knowledge with lifelong learners.
Profile Image of Shaeri Richards
Shaeri Richards View biography
Shaeri Richards is an inspiring speaker, hypnotherapist, improv teacher and the award-winning author of “Dancing with your Dragon: The Art of Loving your Unlovable Self.” Ms. Richards’ talents are many. Her background includes a 30-year career in radio and television journalism, filmmaking, acting and music. She's the author of an audio book for children and the writer/director of an award winning short film. Her spiritual studies are vast, and include ten years of training in a Sedona, Arizona mystery school founded by her mother.
Profile Image of Patricia Fonseca
Patricia Fonseca View biography
Patricia Fonseca has lived in Sedona since 2001. While her first career was that of attorney and legal author, she found new balance and purpose in her life when she began working with mentors for meditation, yoga, and the ancient Ayurvedic traditions. This new understanding led her to transition her career to include teaching in meditation, yoga and Ayurvedic lifestyle. She is also a hiking and nature expert and has developed her own line of Ayurvedic jewelry.
Profile Image of Anita Pietrofitta
Anita Pietrofitta View biography
Dr. Anita Pietrofitta is a board-certified, licensed acupuncturist in both California and Arizona, and is a nationally-certified as a diplomat of oriental medicine. She started her career as an engineer but later changed to healthcare after personally experiencing the benefits of acupressure, acupuncture, herbal medicine and studying the philosophies of East Asian medicines. She obtained both her master’s and doctorate degrees from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Her doctoral focus areas were integrative medicine, environmental medicine, women’s health and pain management.
Profile Image of Wendy Lindahl
Wendy Lindahl View biography
Wendy Lindahl is a creative catalyst, wellness guide, and muse in the Sedona community for the past 17 years. She creates and performs community building and inspired Music-Song-Dance experiences for peace, healing, and sacred ceremony. At Enchantment Resort, and privately, she offers Ceremony and Celebrations, Intuitive Readings, Dreamwork, and Creative Mentoring. She brings us her love of Body, Mother Earth, Spirit, and the Wisdom Within.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy
by Amy Lansky
Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy provides an in-depth and exciting account of the history, philosophy, and experience of homeopathic medicine. At the core of Impossible Cure is the amazing story of how the author's son was cured of autism with homeopathy. It also includes dozens of other testimonials of homeopathic cure, for a variety of physical, mental, and emotional conditions. Impossible Cure will serve as an invaluable guide to anyone interested in learning more about this intriguing form of health care. It has won endorsements from leading experts in alternative health care.
Peaceful Arts: Tai Chi, Meditation, Yoga, Stretching
by John Hudson, Paul Tucker, Marks Evans
The related disciplines of yoga, meditation, and tai chi are brought together in this practical guide to harmonizing your whole being. Become more in tune with yourself through the synchronization of body, mind, and spirit.
Sedona Hikes: 135 Day Hikes and 5 Vortex Sites around Sedona, Arizona
by Richard K. Mangum and Sherry G. Mangum
The best Sedona hiking guide! First released in 1992, the authors have worked constantly to keep this guide updated and current through this new, revised 6th edition. Each hike is shown on two facing pages with complete directions to the trailhead, description of the hike, interesting historical information and a map. Each hike also has an elevation change graph, season-to-hike graph, difficulty and mileage graph and a how-crowded graph. There is a beautiful eight-page section of color photos in the middle of the book.
Heal Your Body: The Mental Causes for Physical Illness and the Metaphysical Way to Overcome Them
by Louise L. Hay
This is a fresh and easy step-by-step guide, set up in an A-Z format. Just look up your specific health challenge and you will find the probable cause for this health issue, as well as the information you need to overcome it by creating a new thought pattern.
Sacred: Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life
by Beck, Peggy; Walters, Anna; Francisco, Nia
An informative introduction to traditional and contemporary religious concepts of North American Indians, and a standard reference for all U.S. and Canadian universities. 384pp
Prescription for Nutritional Healing: A Practical A-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs, and Food Supplements
by Phyllis Balch and James Balch
Written by a medical doctor and a certified nutritional consultant, this comprehensive guide to nutritional, herbal, and complementary therapies discusses natural healing programs for some 300 health conditions. Arranged in alphabetical order, it's a useful ready-reference tool, although it could have benefited from a good bibliography.
A Year of Living Your Yoga: Daily Practices to Shape Your Life
by Judith Hanson Lasater
Judith Hanson Lasater has been teaching an annual yoga retreat at Feathered Pipe Ranch, in Helena, Montana, for 28 years. When she learned that one of her students was collecting Lasater’s thoughts — which she called “Judith’s aphorisms” — Lasater decided to collect them in this book. Featuring one thought for each day of the year, along with a suggested practice, these brief, powerful insights reflect the author’s knowledge of classic yoga philosophy and years of experience. Humorous, inspiring, and surprisingly down-to-earth, they guide seekers both on and off the yoga mat. These aphorisms address love, asana, fear, trust, expectations, pranayama, suffering, laughter, presence, the Yoga Sutra, and much more. They emphasize the experience of being present to one's self and to life’s ups and downs — day by day, breath by breath, moment by moment. A Year of Living Your Yoga is a gentle invitation to readers to know themselves on a deeper level.
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6 days
5 nights
13 meals
5 B 4 L 4 D
DAY
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Sedona, AZ
D
Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock

Activity note: Hotel check-in available from 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration 4:30 – 5:15 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table in the conference room to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation. 5:30 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. All classes will be led by a local expert and take place in the hotel conference room, unless otherwise specified. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: We'll enjoy a meal in our resort conference room.

Evening: At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

DAY
2
Nomadics Class, Art Therapy, Yoga & Meditation
Sedona, AZ
B,L,D
Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock

Activity note: Gentle exercises and stretching during nomadics and yoga classes; cumulative duration of about 3.5 hours.

Breakfast: In our hotel conference room, we'll enjoy breakfast.

Morning: We’ll begin our morning with a "nomadics" exercise class, which blends yoga and stretching, to put you in touch with your body and help sharpen your focus for the week’s activities. Following our nomadics class, we will have a session focused on getting us "in the moment" by sharing individual stories and help the group to coalesce for the week ahead. As we get to know one another, we’ll also discuss ideas of how one can live more in the present by adopting simple everyday practices.

Lunch: In our resort conference room, we’ll enjoy a tasty meal.

Afternoon: Resuming in the hotel conference room, we will settle in for a presentation on art therapy given by a local expert with over 30 years of experience focusing on women’s spirituality, and facilitating sacred rituals and ceremonies. During this interactive class we will participate in creative hands-on activities to help us identify and cultivate our “inner voice” to make healthier and happier life choices. After a short break, our second class of the afternoon will be a soft yoga and meditation class. Through some practical exercises led by a local expert, we’ll start to explore how meditation is used to bring peace, clarity, and focus to our lives.

Dinner: In our resort conference room, we’ll enjoy a tasty dinner.

Evening: We’ll then regroup in our meeting room for another alternative health-related presentation led by a local expert.

DAY
3
Qi Gong, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Vortex Hike
Sedona, AZ
B,L,D
Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock

Activity note: Afternoon hike of approx. 2 miles roundtrip; about 2.5 hours; mostly flat dirt trails. Driving approx. 21 miles; about 1/2 hour one way. Slow movement, stretching, and breathing exercises during qi gong and restorative yoga sessions; hands-on classes run between 1 and 1.5 hours each.

Breakfast: In our hotel conference room, we'll enjoy breakfast.

Morning: Our first morning session will be an introductory class on qi gong, a traditional Chinese practice that promotes health and wellness through slow flowing movement between a variety of postures accompanied by meditative focus on breathing. All of this functions in conjunction with a philosophical and spiritual understanding of qi (or “chi”), which is essentially “life energy.” The aim is to employ physical and meditative movements with focus to dislodge any internal blockages that may be preventing the free flow of qi through one’s body. In traditional belief, blockages of qi can result in sickness or emotional distress, while working to maintain the free flow of qi is a preventative measure to help one feel more relaxed, balanced, and healthy. The second half of the morning will be a class on Jin Shin Jyutsu taught by our Group Leader. Jin Shin Jyutsu is a form of acupressure that focuses on the healing benefits that can be achieved through the manipulation of our hands and fingers in coordination with breathing exercises. The practice dates back to early 20th century Japan. Setting out from the hotel, we’ll drive to a nearby trailhead to prepare for our next field trip.

Lunch: At the trailhead, we will have boxed lunches.

Afternoon: From the trailhead, we’ll go on a pleasant hike into Sedona's beautiful surroundings led by a local expert who will address the myth and reality of Sedona's famed vortex energy spots that are located throughout the red rock region. Along the way, we’ll also make stops to discuss the flora surrounding us and to soak up the scenery.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: Free evening following our dinner out.

DAY
4
Acupuncture, Yoga, Nutrition, Essential Oils
Sedona, AZ
B,L
Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock

Activity note: 1.5 hour active class of yoga with gentle stretching and breathing exercises.

Breakfast: In our hotel conference room, we'll enjoy breakfast.

Morning: After breakfast, we’ll learn about the healing benefits and belief structure of acupuncture through a presentation given by a local expert. Thought to have originated in China a few hundred years before the Common Era, acupuncture is now most often used as a form of pain relief in conjunction with other methods. Traditionally, however, acupuncture is also linked to qi (“life energy”) and the belief that its practice can have a positive influence on stimulating vital qi flows, which we discussed in one of our earlier lessons. Next, we’ll follow up our discussion with a yoga class with our full-time certified instructor who also leads a yoga teacher training and certification course at the Arizona School of Integrative Studies.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: After lunch, we’ll gather with a local expert for a discussion on Nutrition and LifeStyle. We will discuss herbs, foods and lifestyle approaches that enhance vitality, build our immune systems, and help us to create...and maintain...a healthy lifestyle. Upon regrouping with our local expert after a short break, our next class will explore the medicinal and healing benefits of Essential Oils.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
5
Qi Gong, Ayurveda, Free Time, Music
Sedona, AZ
B,L,D
Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock

Activity note: Gentle movement and breathing exercises during active morning qi gong class; less than 1.5 hours.

Breakfast: In our hotel conference room, we'll enjoy breakfast.

Morning: After breakfast, we will enjoy our second qi gong session led by a local expert in the conference room to build upon the foundations we learned earlier in the week. Resuming our lecture series, we’ll gather with a local expert for a discussion on Ayurveda, which is an ancient system of holistic medicine that originated in India. Translated from Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “life” (ayur) “science” (veda). Today it is viewed by the western world as a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), but for thousands of years Ayurveda functioned as a methodology for balanced health practice that included the individualized use of herbs, diet, exercise, meditation and spiritual practice.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Free Time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. You might like to explore some of Sedona's many red rock hiking trails, fascinating art galleries, backcountry and archaeological sites, or simply enjoy the amenities of the hotel.

Dinner: At the resort.

Evening: We’ll then return to the hotel’s conference room to enjoy a musical performance. Be sure to prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

DAY
6
Nomadics, Holistic Health, Program Conclusion
Sedona, AZ
B

Activity note: Gentle exercises and stretching during 1 hour morning nomadics class. Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: In our hotel conference room, we'll enjoy breakfast.

Morning: Gathering together, we’ll engage in another nomadics session exercising its healing arts. After a short break, we’ll have a wrap-up session to reflect on what we’ve learned during the program, and to share some of our favorite experiences from throughout the week together. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!






Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.