sarita (00:12.578)
Hello, Amazing You and welcome back to another episode of Back to Here with Sarita. I am so excited that you are here with me today. And just as a reminder, I wanted to say, if you're listening to this podcast on the platform of your choice and you actually like watching videos, I highly suggest you head over to YouTube where you can catch every single episode in video format.
sarita (00:42.782)
That way you can also see who I am and get to know me besides catching some of my shorter form videos on TikTok and Instagram.
sarita (00:56.714)
All right, today I'm going to be sharing my epic, epic trip to Sedona that I took back in New Year's.
And for those of you that follow me on Instagram, you probably will have seen the adventures that I had from San Diego, driving over to Sedona while stopping at the Grand Canyon along the way.
sarita (01:23.598)
I was posting in my stories on the daily when I was taking my trip and there were some beautiful, majestic things like sunsets, the Grand Canyon, not to mention the majesty of Sedona.
sarita (01:47.63)
So I don't know if you've been to Sedona before, but I highly recommend it if you have not because it is literally, literally magic. I fell in love with Sedona. Sedona captured my heart.
sarita (02:08.142)
So rewind a little bit. The reason I actually went to Sedona in the first place is because I had a dream download to go there.
So last year I tried a little something new and I was recording my dreams, meaning when I woke up in the morning, I was trying to recollect every single thing and capture as much as possible from my dreams by writing things down and recording them.
sarita (02:38.57)
And so like going to the gym, going to the workout, just getting better at stuff, I strengthened that muscle when it came to actually remembering my dreams.
sarita (02:52.166)
I remember so clearly in my dream that voice of a higher power literally said to me, go to Sedona for New Years. Like it was this divine, powerful voice that actually spoke to me during my dream. So I clearly got the message to book my trip.
And so it was September during that time. And if you remember from my last podcast episode where I was sharing my self-love journey, I was pretty much by that time feeling really depleted and overrun. So it was extremely encouraging for me to receive such a strong message. And I was in such a state of awe, and I'm still in a state of awe that I've never had
any dreams so clearly communicate to me to do something. So of course, what did I do the next morning? I booked my trip and I got verification the very next day when I was booking my trip after I saw my Airbnb price total that it was $777. How magical is that?
sarita (04:23.97)
So the last time I visited Sedona, it was about 50, I was about 15 and I was with my family on a family trip to the Southwest. So we saw a lot of different things besides just Sedona. And I remember falling so deeply in love with the Southwest. And actually at 15 years old, pictured myself moving there and marrying a Native American man.
I can still dream that, right? That's a possibility of that coming true. So it was really fun as I was experiencing this trip as an adult. It was fun to actually tap back into the version of myself that was younger, that was experiencing it for the first time. And it was really, really magical to have that experience.
sarita (05:15.918)
So one of the things that I wanted to do when I booked my Sedona trip was to make it as spiritual as possible.
sarita (05:28.267)
Ahem.
sarita (05:44.078)
So one of the things that I wanted to do with my trip to Sedona was to make it as spiritual as possible. While I've been in the spiritual and entrepreneurial spaces for a while, I've heard a lot of people talk about the magic of Sedona, either from visiting there or living there, and it's become this kind of mecca for all things woo-woo.
sarita (06:18.178)
So when I was planning my trip, I remember somebody...
sarita (06:37.474)
So when I was planning my trip, I remember somebody I was connected with had actually recommended a Native American shaman who provides spiritual experiences for people.
sarita (06:54.574)
So I made sure to look them up and book a sweat lodge ceremony for myself for New Year's Eve. And it was amazing during my whole trip. Every single thing that I chose to do allowed me to connect with somebody else to connect with somebody else.
sarita (07:31.426)
So for about four days before New Year's Eve, I threw everything.
sarita (07:52.706)
So about four days before New Year's Eve, I threw everything that I needed in my car, the car that I actually manifested in November. I threw everything in that car that I needed for my trip and drove off so I could record every single moment. It felt so free being on the road solo, listening to music with the windows rolled down.
sarita (08:20.326)
I think I love it because perhaps as a child, my family and I did a lot of road trips during the summer and we would visit pretty much all the United States and we would be in the car. So it's never been an issue for me to be in the car for long periods of time. And plus I equate being in the car on the go as feeling like freedom because you can literally take off whenever you want to.
sarita (08:52.814)
So on a whim before I visited Sedona, I decided to circle up to the Grand Canyon while stopping in Lake Havasu on the way. So I've been to the Grand Canyon on multiple occasions as a child and then also as an adult, but now it was really amazing to experience the Grand Canyon now that I'm more heavily into my spiritual journey and more woke.
And I feel like there was something just so much more magical and intense about it when I was there. When I drove up into the park, I decided to go very shortly after it opened because I wanted to make sure to miss all the crowds, which I'm really glad that I did. Because when I left, it was chaos. So it was at that time, I believe, maybe December 28th, so just maybe a couple days before New Year's Eve, and it was morning.
So it was like 30 degrees outside. It was really, really cold, but it honestly did not stop people from getting out of their cars and just exploring and taking pictures.
Did you know that the grandeur and depth of the crayon
sarita (10:32.118)
Did you know that the depth and the grandeur of the Grand Canyon is literally impossible to catch, even with the most advanced cameras out there? Like, there's no technology out there that can capture its uniqueness ever. So visiting it is literally the best way to experience it.
sarita (11:13.602)
For me, experiencing it all over again with its colors and layers quite literally made me tear up because it made me think of the mother, our mother, mother nature that has divinely created this via magic. And that's what I love. It's so beautiful and just like us. And for anybody that's feeling like kind of down or sad, it's definitely a great place to visit because
its transformational power.
sarita (11:49.282)
So taking the detour to the Grand Canyon, the only way to get to Sedona was to drive to Flagstaff and then drive down to this, really through this really steep, steep decline through the, I believe it's called the Coconino National Forest.
And so I'm not really good at driving down super winding roads and declines and inclines where you're literally looking and seeing like the drop off, which is really scary. So I was really grateful that day that had actually gotten pretty busy because it was afternoon on a Saturday that there was a lot of heavy traffic. So it allowed me to kind of move through that anxiety, number one, but also to really
Take in my surroundings of the forest.
sarita (12:42.946)
The drive from Flagstaff to Sedona down that really steep decline, that forest, really reminded me of the forest in the movie, The Lord of the Rings that surrounded Rivendell when they were going up into the Elf area. And it was just so magical that this forest was so, it was like right in the middle of the desert. It was amazing.
sarita (13:21.514)
And as I came into Sedona from that really steep decline, I started to see the really, really famous red rocks. And at that moment, I literally felt like a shift in the energy. It was like three o'clock in the afternoon, and I entered in through the northern part of Sedona, and that enters you into downtown. And at that moment, I...
had a flashback memory of me as a 15-some-year-old going into the, you know, driving into the city for the first time. And it was just so magical that I tapped into that. And it made me feel really, really comforted.
sarita (14:10.69)
So fast forward, it is New Year's Eve and I'm heading to my sweat lodge ceremony.
sarita (14:21.354)
And I didn't know what to expect from this sweat lodge ceremony other than a transformational experience. So I was very open to receive whatever it was. And so when I arrived to my destination, I noticed there was quite a few people there. And so I was really excited that I actually was going to be able to experience this sweat lodge with so many people. And so the shaman invited us into his home and provided insight on.
the experience and purpose of the Swet Lodge. Ahem.
sarita (15:01.73)
He explained that in the sweat lodge, in the middle, there is a fire and the elements of water and fire create steam. And so whatever it is that we desire to release or let go of, we can physically or just mentally throw into the fire because the great spirit will take it away. Releasing toxins and negativity via sweating is a great way to release.
pass through stuff so it'll make us feel more comfortable when we come out.
sarita (15:39.094)
So our guide explained to us that the Swat Lodge is like a womb and so we must pay our respects by bowing down, putting our heads on the ground before we go into the space so we can really honor the sanctity of the space.
sarita (16:11.182)
So it was really beautiful. Our shaman explained that the sweat lodge is like the womb of a mother. And so we must bow down and pay respect as we go into the lodge itself by honoring the space and honoring the sanctity of the space. Each side, he explained, represented the four corners, north, south, east, and west, and also the different elements, fire, water,
Earth and Air.
sarita (16:45.094)
And before we entered into the lodge, our guide cleanses off with sacred smoke and doing some chants.
sarita (17:00.11)
So I believe the lodge had about 30 some other people in it. So you can imagine the intensity of the heat from the lodge itself, not only from the fire and the steam, but just all the bodies that were in there. And so once we got inside, our guide asked us to take a little bit of tobacco in our hands so we could bless it and throw it into the fire.
sarita (17:32.81)
I think the most magical aspect of the sweat lodge was the opportunity for all of us to go around and say a blessing or say what we were grateful for that we wanted or what we wanted to manifest in the new year. And it was just so magical to hear 30 some other people sharing what was going on in their life and what they were experiencing at that moment.
and it just really got me emotional.
sarita (18:22.414)
So you can imagine with as many people in there, it just got really, really hot. So luckily several times during the, I believe 90 minute ceremony, our guide did open up the door and allow some fresh air to get in because there were so many bodies at that time. And I personally was sweating so much. I actually became really, really lightheaded and I knew it wasn't because.
hadn't eaten or I wasn't hydrated. We were totally allowed to bring in water to the sweat lodge and keep hydrated. But I believe that it was just me actually releasing and shedding a layer of myself.
And so whenever the guide actually put water onto the fire, it created this steam. And so every single time that occurred, he recommended us to take in deep breaths. So then we were really fully experiencing this within our whole body.
sarita (19:43.714)
So one of the things that people have asked me since I came back and I've been sharing this is that they're wondering, didn't it smell with all those bodies in there at one time? And you would think yes, but actually the shaman was really great about adding different oils and different incenses to the experience. So in reality, it did not smell. It was just completely fine. But everybody was going through the same thing.
meaning we are all shedding a layer.
sarita (20:26.306)
And so after everybody had shared something, we took our hands and we prayed together and the ceremony ended. And so we left the lodge the same exact way as we entered, which was prostrating down and putting our heads down and giving thanks to the womb, the mother, for holding space for us.
sarita (20:51.874)
So the aftermath of the lodge was quite a blur for me because I don't really remember too much because I was feeling so depleted, but like in a good way, like after you exercise or after you go through like a really great breath work and you know, session, it was just a reminder that.
sarita (21:33.038)
So the aftermath of the lodge was quite a blur for me because I don't really remember because I was feeling so depleted, but like in a really good way, like after you exercise or go through like a really great breath work session, it just reminded me that my body was experiencing something. And so it allowed my ego mind to really detach from everything. So it was like kind of challenging for me to process and like put words together.
And it was just, it was really great to actually connect with some people afterwards, just being like in this state of complete bliss, like with each other.
sarita (22:23.754)
I do remember connecting with a couple other people and being invited to do other things, which was amazing. But it was just a reminder that our body gets to experience things and we really get to let the ego mind go.
sarita (22:40.386)
So the next day was New Year's Day and I decided to go on a hike to celebrate and to really reflect on my experience thus far in Sedona and more around my sweat lodge ceremony.
sarita (22:58.11)
And I realized one pivotal thing that being in sacred ceremony with so many other people, the energy of Sedona, all that experiences thus far, I realized that everything that I had been worrying about during the year in 2023, things like wanting to get validation, seeking completeness, failure in dating, maybe failure in business endeavors.
financial problems, I realized that so much of that stuff, actually all of that stuff did not matter anymore. And that what did matter was the journey that I am on right now and the moment that I was in that moment because I had released so much during my time there in just a couple of days.
sarita (24:06.894)
I was so grateful and remain so grateful that I was able to connect with that shaman and other people and take hikes and go to different vortexes, inhale such the fresh air in Sedona, cook really healthy meals for myself, discover wineries, go to some magnificent crystal shops and things like that in Sedona.
sarita (24:40.374)
So it's kind of cute. Sedona reminds me a lot of Ocean Beach, where I live, because where I live is kind of like hippie new age. And there's a lot of people that are into tarot cards and crystals. And there's yoga studios. And I feel like Sedona is very, very much like that, but a little bit more on the upscale side and also has the cowboy twang to it.
sarita (25:15.554)
So one of the things that I was reflecting on during my trip and then after I left was that Sedona, the experience of Sedona allowed me to experience myself through myself. Like when you allow yourself to experience something with an open heart and an open mind,
you could receive so much more. And I know that dream download was for me to discover more about myself and literally shed and leave behind the things that were no longer serving me and that I could be at peace with myself completely as I entered in 2024. And I discovered that like the things that I thought were taking my energy or that I was at war with.
friendships that weren't working out, finances being unhappy with work, you know, all the things that I was contemplating and focusing on. I realized that it had nothing to do with them. It had to do with me and that it was me literally facing me and maybe a version of myself that was unhappy and unsettled and that I didn't need to be that person anymore and that I could just be at peace with myself.
for being me and being present.
Thank you.
sarita (26:50.603)
Now don't get me wrong.
sarita (27:07.429)
Ahem.
sarita (27:21.482)
Now don't get me wrong, after I did come back to San Diego, it was kind of a bit of a reality check jumping back into the everyday mundane. But the fact that I was able to experience something profound over there in Sedona, I know that I can literally anchor in those feelings any time that I desire and that...
Sedona allowed me to experience myself in my true capacity and that I loved, that I do love myself and that I do care for myself and that I am protected, I am guided and provided for.
sarita (28:10.818)
Sedona, you have my heart. I will be back very soon.
So this concludes my transformational episode in me sharing my journey and experience in Sedona. Thank you so much for being with me today. Make sure to hit the subscribe button on the podcast on whatever platform it is you are listening or watching this on because that way you will know when a new podcast episode drops.
sarita (28:46.214)
Again, thank you so much for being here today. I love it that you are always here.
sarita (29:05.098)
Again, thank you so much for being here today. I will see you soon in the next podcast episode. And in the meantime, as always, keep being the amazing you that you are. See you soon.
