The retreat is built around a small circle of women staying together for four days at a private property on the Sunrise Mountain Preserve, about 25 minutes north of Phoenix. The schedule has a clear arc: Thursday you arrive, check in from 15:00, get a welcome gift bag and gather for an opening circle over botanical tea before an Ayurvedic dinner, breathwork and a sound bath under the stars, finishing around a campfire. Friday starts with morning yoga, then a nutrition workshop called Eating for Strength, Energy & Longevity, a cook-together lunch, and Heather's What If You Gave Yourself a Year? workshop in the afternoon. The evening is ceremonial cacao, breathwork and a therapeutic sound bath.

Saturday is the biggest day. Breathwork and meridian tapping come first, then The Wild Exhale Desert Hike — a guided five-hour moving meditation on the Sunrise Mountain trails with reflection prompts and stretches of silence. Guests who would rather not hike can take The Still Path, a gentler option on the property. The late afternoon brings an integration circle, then a celebration dinner, a sound bath under the desert stars and a fire ceremony. Sunday is gratitude yoga, a final breakfast and a closing circle where each guest names the commitment she is taking home, with check-out at 10:00.

What separates this from a generic yoga weekend is the combination of a named author leading workshops, an Ayurvedic-trained chef cooking every meal, and a property with a pool, hot tub, infrared sauna and labyrinth on 2.5 acres. The reviews on the page single out the upstairs yoga space with doors opening onto the mountain view, and Lana's cooking from the garden and the property's chickens.

Heather Monthie has worked for nearly three decades in education and personal development. She is a yoga teacher, certified personal trainer, mindfulness coach, nutrition coach, sound healer and energy practitioner, and founded Operation Fit AF 365 Days Body Transformation Challenge and Yoga by Heather. Lana has trained in yoga and wellness for over 25 years, specialises in prenatal yoga and yoga for anxiety and depression, has been a doula since 2002, holds a Master's in Counseling and Psychological Services from St. Mary's University, and studied at The Chopra Center as a Perfect Health (Ayurveda) Instructor and Primordial Sound Meditation teacher. Mark is a NASM certified personal trainer with more than 30 years' experience, a Precision Nutrition certified nutrition coach and a certified breathwork coach.

The setting is the Sonoran Desert at the base of Sunrise Mountain. The Sunrise Mountain Trail has three loops of increasing difficulty; the final one gives views across the desert and at sunrise. Lake Pleasant Regional Park is nearby, and the page lists cycling, fishing, hiking, horse riding, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, swimming and wildlife watching in the surrounding area.

What's included

- 3 nights in shared quad accommodation at the retreat centre - All meals, prepared by an Ayurvedic-trained chef - Water, tea and coffee served throughout the day - Daily yoga classes - Daily meditation classes - Nutrition and cooking workshops - Guided nature hikes through the desert landscape - Access to the pool, hot tub and infrared sauna - Pre- and post-retreat support from the team - Parking - Luggage storage - Wifi connection - Welcome gift bag

What's not included

- Airport transfers - Flights - Travel insurance - Visa fees - Additional activities not included in the itinerary - Additional treatments - Gratuity