Last month I had the pleasure to go to Sedona for the weekend with Joe for his birthday. I didn’t have any expectations for the trip or for Sedona in general, but I was blown away. As you drive into the city, you are encompassed by these massive red stone mountains, which the city is famous for. You don’t really know how they are going to feel until you drive there and see them in person. There is an overwhelming energy to the place, which is another reason Sedona is so well known and such a hot tourist spot. Sedona lies in a vortex, which are “thought to be swirling centers of energy that are conducive to healing, meditation and self-exploration. These are places where the earth seems especially alive with energy. Many people feel inspired, recharged or uplifted after visiting a vortex.” This is why so many healers and wellness centers are in Sedona- it really is a place to recharge and look inward.

While we were in Sedona, we hit up some amazing places for food, hiking, relaxing, and healing. We even visited our own healer, Amalia Camateros of Earth Spirit Wisdom and had a life changing experience.

Here are our MY SEE’s when visiting Sedona:

TO EAT:

1. Chocolatree– Chocolatree is one of the best restaurants on the planet if you ask me. They offer more than just organic, local, sustainable food… they offer an experience. They serve a full menu breakfast, lunch and dinner with homemade 100% organic, non GMO, gluten free, vegetarian food. As soon as you enter, you have the option to dine inside or out in the garden and by all means, CHOOSE THE GARDEN! The garden is out back and is quite large, complete with tables, chairs, sofas, and the loveliest decorations. They also have the largest selection of artisan chocolate made on-site. The staff is the most friendly and they even offer a meditation room that groups can rent out. It’s really an amazing place and I can’t say enough about it.

2. Local Juicery– This is also one of the best places to get breakfast in Sedona. They offer everything from acai bowls, organic smoothies, their own juices and milks, and much more. It’s more of a grab and go type place but the smoothies were amazing after a long hike.

TO SHOP:

1. Crystal Magic– We were on the hunt for a great crystal store to get the full Sedona experience, and we had a bit of trouble finding one that wasn’t overpriced and touristy. Until we found this one! Crystal magic is quite large, with probably every type of crystal you could imagine. They also have other goodies like essential oils, salt rocks, and music.

2. Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village– This is one of the most touristy spots in Sedona, but it’s worth it just to walk around and see the structures. We didn’t really go into any of the shops (all really overpriced), but we took our time walking around- it’s beautiful!

3. Son Silver West Gallery– We stumbled upon this gallery on the way to our Cathedral Rock hike. It was the best shop in Sedona by far! The gallery has many different artisanal goodies, from pottery to outside structures and art to plants… It has everything and it is HUGE! We bought quite a bit of things here- including little hanging pots for the kitchen, magnets, and woven bowls.

TO HIKE:

1. Airport Mesa- This hike is very easy (less than 1 mile) to one of the best views Sedona has to offer. It’s right near Chocolatree, so we ate dinner there and headed up to this hike afterwards, full belly and all. It tends to get crowded since it is such an easy hike, so I recommend going there early if you want to get a spot for the sunset.

2. Cathedral Rock- This hike is more of a day hike- it will take you about 3 hours to get up and down. We took the straight up hike to get to the vortex’s, but there are other hikes around this one as well. The views were INCREDIBLE. Make sure to bring enough water and don’t underestimate the difficulty of this hike, as it was not easy. Go in the morning, too so it doesn’t get too hot out!

TO HEAL:

1. Amalia Camateros of Earth Spirit Wisdom Healing– We had the chance to experience a healing session with Amalia Camateros, ND. (Aust.) a shamanic healer, teacher and wisdom guide originally from Australia now living in Sedona. She is the author of Spirit of the Stones her spiritual autobiography that tells of her journey and how she got called to Sedona and into her Earth healing practice. We had the pleasure to experience one of her signature breath work sessions, and it was indescribable. Both Joe and I had out of body experiences and felt like we were reborn again purely from the breath work and Amalia’s guidance. It was pure bliss to go deep into the soul and talk, feel, and release deep, underlying things that had built up over the years.

Here is a summary of the interview we had with Amalia, after our session:

Tell me a little bit about yourself- What does a day in your life look like? How did you get into this work? Amalia got her start in Australia, where she hitchhiked around the continent and lived with Aboriginals. She then went back home to Melbourne to become a Naturopath doctor and opened up her own clinic. She came to Sedona after hearing the word “Sedona” in a stone circle meditation, without knowing where it was or what it meant. The next day, she had a dream about walking among the red rocks of Sedona and then the next day was summoned by a woman client that spoke from her higher self to convince Amalia to go to Sedona and reveal her true work. She left her home in Australia to follow the Call of Great Spirit.

What type of healing services do you offer your clients? She mostly takes her clients out on the land and in the elements, or what she calls the “Agents of Power”, and leads them through emotional clearing of “subconscious patterning” utilizing Earth’s Wisdom along with pscho-shamanic counseling and ceremony, shamanic dance and movement.

What are some of the daily practices, teachings, and/or books you recommend to people to improve their wellbeing? Amalia recommends to spend 5 minutes before you wake up to realign, connect with yourself and develop a still energy and observation for your day and again before you go to sleep another 5mins of dropping into the stillness and reconnect to your higher self. She also recommends 15mins of movement to move the stuck energy in the body such as stretching, yoga or dance to connect with and honor your body. Walking for 15 minutes a day to observe the clouds, trees, rocks and leaves, etc. inviting you to tap into the world of Earth’s wisdom.

How can people learn more and get in touch with you? You can get in touch with Amalia through her website, earthspiritwisdom.com and Her book, Spirit of the Stones can be found on Amazon.

Thank you to Amalia for this interview! The full interview will be available on a podcast coming soon (just spilled the beans, oops)!

Let me know if you all have been to Sedona before and what you loved there! It’s truly a magical place to visit, we will be back again soon.

Love,
Lauren

Sources: https://visitsedona.com/spiritual-wellness/what-is-a-vortex/