Zion Yoga, Meditation, Hiking, and Nature Retreat 2022

with Mary Susan Stults 

Date: June 8th - 12th, 2022

Locale: Springdale, Utah / Zion National Park 

Retreat to the exquisite Southwest next summer for 5 days on retreat in Springdale, Utah and Zion National Park. 

Explore, practice, hike, connect, and adventure next summer in Zion and Springdale, Utah! 

Retreat yourself in the summer of 2022 in beautiful SouthWest Utah and come along for 5 epic, transformative, and joy-filled days nestled in the canyons of Springdale and the awe-inspiring Zion National Park. 

Together we'll soak up and enjoy an incredible week filled with daily yoga, guided meditation, hiking on some of Zion's treasured trails that I grew up on, soaking and swimming, and so much more. 

We'll get creative in a painting workshop or two, reflect in a writing workshop, venture into the park for hikes, enjoy a dinner at the iconic Bit N Spur Restaurant, and take time to dive in deeply to our asana, pranayama, and meditation practices.

We'll be staying at edge of town in the more quiet area on the main street and within walking distance to the park, many restaurants, shops, activities, and not far from the free town shuttle stop for even greater ease of travel and moving about town. 

Come along for 4 nights, 5 days filled with views that fill the cup just outside our back door and plenty of yoga, hiking, meditation, art, adventure, and time out in nature. 

Let's celebrate a spacious return to true nature and think about nothing else than enjoying the day and taking incredible care of our bodies, minds, and spirits.

Questions: email us anytime at floatandflowllc@gmail.com 

Retreat Deposit: $500 non-refundable deposit 

(The deposit is non-refundable and this is because we book and pay for lodging and activities that cannot be refunded to us). 

Retreat Tuition: 

Begins at $1249~

$1249 Shared King (For ppl joining with someone they know only)

$1299 2 Queen Shared Room

$1649 Private King Room 

 Retreat Tuition

-Remainder of retreat tuition will be due 60 days prior to retreat start date or upon registration if student registers within 60 day window prior to retreat. The deposit is non-refundable and all retreat funds are due within 60 days of the retreat. No refunds will be issued after this 60 day window for tuition paid as we have paid in full for lodging and vendors by this point. Students may find someone to take their place if possible, or inquire if it is possible to apply a deposit credit towards a future retreat. 

Included: 

4 nights shared lodging 

Breakfast daily (A complimentary continental breakfast is included in hotel rate and lodging) 

Daily Yoga (1-2xs per day)

Hikes Together (2-3)

Daily Guided Meditation 

3 Dinners

Art Workshop/s 

Day Bike Rental (we will be biking in to one of the hikes)

Entrance Fee into the park for our hikes

Retreat Gift 

Journaling 

Writing Workshop

Yoga Nidra Practice 

Wifi 

Free parking at hotel 

Tea

Access to pool and hot tub on grounds 

Incredible Community  Time to relax, slow down, and fill that cup 

Not Included

Travel to and from retreat 

Lunches 

1 Dinner 

Souvenirs 

Alcohol 

Souvenirs

Travel Insurance 

Tips 

Lodging: 

La Quinta by Wyndham at Zion 

Hotel features a pool on site, fitness center, hot tub, 24 hour business center, coin-operated laundry, free parking, and gift shop. 

Each room features a refrigerator, desk, microwave, coffee machine, and free parking. 

Getting to nearby attractions is a breeze with the complimentary area shuttle.

Yoga

We will be practicing a strong, dynamic, and compassionate yoga practice and flow marrying together the traditions of Iyengar and Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. We will slowly and mindfully weave our way through alignment-based practices each day taking time to workshop asanas and come-see-come-look moments giving students the opportunity to demo postures as we practice. Expect longer holds, break-downs of alignment and postures, and a focus on the breath. Classes are appropriate for all levels from beginners to advanced practitioners and teachers. We ask students to be truly curious and expect to take a deep and joyful dive into the practice and your own inner ecology and wilderness. 

Meditation: 

We will be practicing guided Vipassana and Mindful Meditation during the retreat including breath meditations, heart meditations such as the Loving Kindness/Metta Meditations, and compassion meditations. 

Hiking

We will be getting out for a few hikes during our time on retreat. They will be moderate to difficult in level of difficulty. We will hike in Zion National Park and potentially outside of the park. If weather works with us we will be hiking The Narrows, Emerald Pools, and Angel's Landing OR an alternate hike TBA. 

Please bring good and supportive hiking shoes, a daypack to hike with, a reusable water bottle or camel pack with bladder, a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and layers as we know the weather can change in a flash at times. Also please know that all of these hikes and of course all activities are optional. I wish for students to listen to their needs deeply and with compassion on retreat. If someone wishes to skip a hike or activity, that is ok. Each student is the artist and designer of their own life and experience. 

Biking 

We will be biking into the canyon to trails on one to two days and it is a more easy to moderate ride. 

Springdale 

Athens…Cuzco…Springdale. 

Every big destination needs a host city - somewhere to get you fed, watered and rested before you set out on your adventure. Cuzco is basecamp for Machu Picchu, the Acropolis sits above Athens and Zion National Park has Springdale.

There's a bend in the road just past Rockville where early glimpses of Zion National Park's famous red rock monoliths become a constant horizon. The soaring canyon walls of Zion are Springdale's postcard backdrop. 

Here, every sunrise is a natural phenomenon of shadows falling away like curtains and multicolored sandstone coming alive before your eyes. At dusk, the icons of Zion glow with the lingering light then yield the spotlight to the Milky Way. Zion National Park sets the bar high for unforgettable landscapes and outdoor adventure. It takes a special town to step up to that standard. Welcome to Springdale, Utah.

As the gateway to scenery and adventure, Springdale is a little different than the other towns near Zion National Park. The charming town of 500 permanent residents welcomes a couple million visitors from all over the world to their spectacular corner of southwest Utah — though happily spread out across the year, primarily during the spring through fall.

Springdale, Utah is also home to several beautiful galleries of fine art, photography, Native art and craft, jewelry and local gems and minerals. Both the David J. West Gallery and Fatali feature Zion National Park in spectacular light and from perspectives that truly capture the canyon's majesty.

But Springdale is an adventure town at heart. As the gateway to Zion National Park and nestled along the North Fork of the Virgin River, Springdale is an ideal place to get outfitted for adventure not only in Zion, but to numerous other parks, monuments, and recreation areas of the western Colorado Plateau and desert southwest.

It rests in the shadow of the towering red, white and pink striped cliffs that define Southern Utah, essentially an incorporated annex of the park proper, giving you incredible views right from the main drag, aptly named Zion Park Blvd. It’s got plenty of entertainment for those of us not quite ready to renounce civilization altogether, and lots of outdoor adventures for those of us who are.

Springdale’s the perfect getaway and gateway: Laid back, all the amenities and incredible access to unforgettable nature and adventure.

Zion National Park 

Utah's First National Park

Follow the paths where ancient native people and pioneers walked. Gaze up at massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red that soar into a brilliant blue sky. Experience wilderness in a narrow slot canyon. Zion’s unique array of plants and animals will enchant you as you absorb the rich history of the past and enjoy the excitement of present day adventures.

Almost 12,000 years ago Zion's first peoples, who are now almost invisible, tracked mammoth, giant sloth, and camel across southern Utah. Due to climate change and overhunting these animals died out about 8,000 years ago. Humans adapted by focusing on mid-sized animals and gathered foods. As resources dwindled 2,600 years ago, people tuned lifeways to the specifics of place. Such a culture, centered on Zion, differentiated over the next 1,500 years into a farming tradition archeologists call Virgin Anasazi.

Zion's geology provided these and later pioneer farmers a combination rare in the desert: a wide, level place to grow food, a river to water it, and an adequate growing season. On the Colorado Plateau crops grow best between 5,000 and 7,000 feet, making Zion's elevations -- 3,666 to 8,726 feet -- almost ideal. Differences in elevation also encourage diverse plants and animals; mule deer and turkey wander forested plateaus; bighorn sheep and juniper prosper in canyons.

The Anasazi moved southeast 800 years ago, due probably to drought and overuse. Soon after, Paiute peoples brought a lifeway fine-tuned to desert seasons and thrived. In the 1860s, just after settlement by Mormon pioneers, John Wesley Powell visited Zion on the first scientific exploration of southern Utah. By hard work and faith pioneers endured in a landscape that hardly warranted such persistence. Flash floods destroyed towns and drought burned the crops. Only the will to survive saw Paiute, Anasazi, and European descendants through great difficulties. Perhaps today Zion is again a sanctuary, a place of life and hope.

Travel to Springdale and Zion National Park 

By Car

Zion National Park is located on State Route 9 in Springdale, Utah. All mileages below represent the distance from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center.

From Las Vegas, Nevada (163 miles), Mesquite, Nevada (80 miles), and Saint George, Utah (40 miles):

From Salt Lake City, Utah (307 miles) and Cedar City, Utah (57 miles):

From Page, Arizona (118 miles) and Kanab, Utah (45 miles):

From Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah (86 miles):

From Grand Canyon National Park: North Rim, Arizona (126 miles):

From Grand Canyon National Park: South Rim, Arizona (253 miles):

By Plane

International Airports:

Las Vegas, Nevada (170 miles)

Salt Lake City, Utah (300 miles)

Regional Airports:

Saint George, Utah (49 miles) has flights from Salt Lake City, Utah and Denver, Colorado.

Cedar City, Utah (60 miles) has flights from Salt Lake City, Utah

Large Vehicles

Vehicles sized 11'4" in height or 7'10" in width, or larger, are required to have an escort, or traffic control, through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel.

Retreat Guide

Mary Susan Stults 

www.marysusanstults.com/

Been hanging on the mat since 1991 

Born in Fort Payne, Alabama, I was raised in Cedar City, a town in southwest Utah about an hour from Zion National Park. An avid nature lover, I grew up exploring the many hiking trails, rivers, rocks, mountains, canyons, and the endless outdoor beauty of Utah and Colorado with my family and friends. Despite growing up landlocked I grew up with a deep love and appreciation for the ocean and water and that passion has only grown with each passing year. After moving to Boulder, Colorado in 2001 to attend the University of Colorado-Boulder, I made Colorado my mountain home for over 20 years until I traded the mountain life for the island life and moved to Hawaii in 2018 to the Garden Island Kauai.

My yoga and meditation practice and path began with my mother as a child at home in 1992 and continued in the studio at the age of 14 in 1997 with the practice of Ashtanga Yoga as taught by Sri. K Pattabhi Jois. I practiced Hatha, Ashtanga Yoga, and Iyengar Yoga as taught by BKS Iyengar throughout highschool and early college and in 2002 began practicing at Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor's studio, the Yoga Workshop in Boulder, Colorado. 

Years later I had the blessing and great fortune to be introduced and led to Master and Mentor-Teacher Maty Ezraty with whom I studied intensively, mentored with, and assisted until her recent passing. Over thousands of hours and many years of study, mentoring, and practice, Maty influenced my practice and life on and off the yoga mat greatly and will forever be my greatest teacher and influence. Maty encouraged and influenced me to delve deeper into the yoga practice and approach both the daily practice of yoga and life from the subtle body. Over the years I have had the opportunity to practice and learn with many wonderful yoga and meditation teachers aside from Maty including Dharma Mittra, Judith Hanson Lasater, Richard Freeman, Seane Corn, Peter Doobinin, Carrie Owerko, James Brown, Jack Kornfeild, and many others. I look forward to studying with Chuck Miller and Dona Holleman in the future. 

I teach internationally and in the U.S and am a certified 500+HR E RYT Yoga & Meditation teacher, educator, and practitioner, a WPA/Paddle Into Fitness Certified Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) and SUP Yoga teacher, certified Kids Yoga teacher, certified Adaptive Yoga teacher, and am known by all for my enthusiasm, heart, and positive outlook. I teach a knowledgeable, dynamic, refreshing, and compassionate alignment-based yoga practice that intelligently weaves together the traditions of Iyengar Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga. Many describe my energy as contagious, finding my nurturing, wise, soulful, & patient style of teaching to be welcoming & supportive to all. For me being a student of the practice of yoga is as important as being a teacher, we are students first, and teachers second. 

Expect the teachings to be greatly reflective of Maty Ezraty, Sri. K Pattabhis Jois, and BKS Iyengar, as well as from my near 30 years of practice, and classes are open to anyone ready to explore more deeply. I invite all students to let go of expectations, to be truly curious and compassionate, and to embrace and befriend an explorer's mindset within our own inner ecology. I approach and understand yoga as a spiritual practice and discipline and a healing art. We learn to trust our own intuition and innate wisdom, "we do not learn to be intuitive, we already are." The Yoga practice is a re-remembering and recognition of our wholeness and of the truth that we are always evolving, transforming, and are under constant construction; there is infinite room for learning, progressing, and creative expression. The practice offers a moment to awaken and a continuing opportunity to return home to the beauty of our own being and self. As a friend says, "This practice intends to provoke us & to inspire the bigger questions triggering one’s own awakening…the truth is-It is never complete, it is never finished, it’s infinite."

I wholeheartedly believes that Yoga, Meditation, and Stand Up Paddleboarding, and SUP Yoga are for everybody, and am passionate about sharing these gifts, as well as my love of nature, adventure, travel, living well, environmentalism, ocean conservation, and the outdoors with all ages. 

#liveyourpractice  #includeitall

Questions 

Please email floatandflowllc@gmail.com

***PLS NOTE:

NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED FOR CANCELED TRAVEL/TRIPS DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS RETREAT AND HOW QUICKLY IT SELLS OUT. WE NEED TO BE SURE WE HAVE THE CORRECT NUMBER OF ATTENDEES FOR THE LODGING. PLEASE CONTACT MARY TO SEE IF HAVING SOMEONE ATTEND IN YOUR PLACE IS POSSIBLE - A CHANGE FEE OF $100 WILL BE ASSESSED FOR ANY STUDENT CHANGES OR TRANSFERS IF APPROVED~ 

MAHALO ~