(bright gentle music) - Hey, I'm Jayarr.

And on this season of "Trail Mix'd," I'm gonna take you around, under, and through Arizona.

Join me in my quest to see the best trails that Arizona has to offer, from the iconic spots to the hidden gems.

Along the way, we'll be diving deep into what makes Arizona's trails some of the best in the world.

So come on, let's take a hike.

(upbeat rhythmic music) (upbeat rhythmic music ending) (gentle meditative music) Were you aware that hiking can be healing?

Today, we'll hike a gorgeous trail in Sedona and spend some time learning about yoga and meditation.

And later, we'll chat with some experts on how hiking and spending time in nature can benefit us, and tour some trails in the beautiful Desert Botanical Gardens.

(gentle rolling music) - [Presenter] "Trail Mix'd" is made possible in part by a gift from Sue and Bill Ahearn.

(gentle rolling music continues) (gentle rolling music ending) Additional support provided by: - [SRP Presenter] SRP is staying ahead of the Valley's growing energy needs.

We're investing in one of the country's largest solar battery storage projects to deliver power that's as reliable as it is sustainable.

- [Whitfill Presenter] Whitfill Nursery, proud to support 8 Arizona PBS, a Valley tradition since 1946.

Over 200 acres of Arizona grown trees, citrus, and palms, complete custom design and installation, and Whitfill Nursery still does the digging.

Whitfillnursery.com - [Presenter] And by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you, thank you.

(birds chirping) (title whooshing) (air whooshing) (gentle meditative music) (bubble popping) (air whooshing) (bubble popping) (gentle meditative music fading) (air whooshing) - If you're dying to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city, I have a recommendation for you just a couple hours outside of Phoenix.

Renowned for its stunning red sandstone formations, vibrant art scene, and spiritual energy, this city attracts visitors from around the world.

The city is surrounded by towering red rock formations, such as Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, and Courthouse Butte, which are popular destinations for hiking, rock climbing, and photography.

The vibrant red hues of these formations create a breathtaking backdrop against the clear blue skies of the desert landscape.

Sedona's also known for its New Age spiritual community, and is often considered a center for healing and wellness.

Many believe that the area's rich in vortex sites, which are thought to be locations of intense spiritual energy.

Visitors often come to Sedona to meditate, practice yoga, or undergo various forms of holistic healing.

If you're looking for a place to find healing and tranquility, welcome to Sedona.

(footsteps padding) Oh my God, look who it is!

- Whoo, Jayarr!

- Mmm.

I am here today at beautiful Bell Rock Trail, in Sedona, and I am here with my longtime friend, Natalie.

We used to run yoga events back in the day, and I'm hoping that she will share with us some of her yoga knowledge, maybe play some instruments for us?

- Oh, so down.

- Are you down?

- Yeah, let's do it.

- Do you wanna hit the trail?

- Oh yeah.

- Well, come on, let's take a hike.

(low rhythmic music) (low rhythmic music continues) (low rhythmic music continues) (low rhythmic music continues) Super random thought, have you ever thought about hiking as a moving meditation?

- 100%.

I actually prefer doing solo hikes because it allows me the opportunity to drop super into the present, into my breath, into each footstep that I take, into all of the sights, the smells, the sounds.

It's a really beautiful experience.

(low rhythmic music continues) - So you are a wellness coach, will you explain to me what exactly that means?

- Absolutely.

So I work with people one-on-one and in group sessions to bring people back to a feeling of empowerment around their health and wellness.

So that's working with sound, movement, nutrition, just principles of the body and wellness to bring people back to wholeness.

- Do you ever sing as part of your practice?

- Oh yeah.

(laughing) - [Jayarr] How does the sound connect to healing?

- So we talked about using my voice, and the voice is so powerful because not only is sound powerful, it sends vibrations throughout the body that the body can respond to, but the voice particularly because it's our area of expression.

So it's how we express into the world our thoughts, our feelings, our creativity.

And when we use our voice, it actually resonates within all of the cavities within us and influences the water in our bodies to create change.

And so even just thinking about the words that we speak out into existence is so powerful.

- So why is hiking important to you?

- Hiking is important to me for a number of reasons.

One, connecting with nature is huge for me.

It's soothing to the nervous system, it gets me time to get outside, get some fresh air.

And I'm just getting the body moving, I mean, it's so important to stay active for your health, for your wellness, for your mental health too.

It's just all very paramount.

- It's like a long, slow dance.

- Yes.

(laughing) (low rhythmic music continues) - [Jayarr] Why is nature and hiking important?

- For me, nature and hiking is important because it allows me an opportunity to come back to my body and calm my nervous system in a very chaotic, overstimulated world.

- It seems important- - Yeah.

- With cell phone signals and wifi signals and all that.

- Yeah.

- Bring it back to base.

- Yeah, you have to.

(bubble popping) (low rhythmic music continues) - Sedona has this kinda like flat rock / mesa energy, and I'm lookin' around and seein' all these spots, really wantin' to set up the mat and do some yoga.

- So many spots in Sedona give that yoga energy.

(laughing) - Yeah.

(low rhythmic music continues) (low rhythmic music ending) What do you think about the trail so far, like the physical exertion needed to get this done?

- It's a pretty, pretty easy trail for me.

I'd probably rate it like a 3/10 difficulty.

- [Jayarr] Okay, okay, well, that's the Natalie scale.

Now, what would you rate it for the average person, visiting from out of state, non-hiker?

- [Natalie] Um, I don't know, maybe like a five.

(Jayarr and Natalie laughing) It's hard to say.

- Maybe we'll bump that up to a 5.5 for the sweat under my armpits.

(Natalie laughing) Give it a 0.5 lift.

When's the last time you've been up here hikin'?

- To this trail?

It's been- - Well, like Sedona in general.

- I mean, I come down to Sedona pretty frequently.

Since I live up in Flagstaff, it's a quick trip down the trail.

But usually, I stay more in the Oak Creek Canyon area, a higher elevation.

- Speakin' of, I swore I saw somebody up in a crack, like way, way up there, definitely off trail.

- Oh yeah, there's definitely climbers that come up here and climb up to the tops of some of these crazy outcroppings.

It's wild to see.

- Do you see any faces in there?

- I see some people.

♪ I see trees of green ♪ (Natalie laughing) I'm feelin' pretty stoked to do some yoga, you wanna go find a spot?

- Yeah, let's do it.

- Alright.

(footsteps crunching) So when you're in the wild, what's the criteria for you're choosing a good spot to do yoga?

- Of course, somewhere that's flat and level, so you're not like fallin' off a cliff.

Somewhere that ideally doesn't have any pebbles, and rocks, and dirt everywhere.

- [Jayarr] Do you ever use like a broom or a pashmina to sweep the rocks away?

(Natalie laughing) 'Cause let's be honest, during Shavasana or any like Warrior 3, you can feel every little rock that's under your mat.

- [Natalie] (laughing) Yup.

- [Jayarr] But that's where the real work is, is like getting through that, right?

- [Natalie] Yeah, that's where the true work of yoga begins.

(droning meditative music) Okay, let's start at the top of your mat.

Start with the feet hip-distance apart, spread the toes wide, really ground down into the earth.

(drum chiming gently) (droning meditative music continues) Continuing to breathe deeply.

(drum chiming gently) (droning meditative music continues) And allow yourself to connect to the nature, and the sounds in your inner world.

(drum chiming gently) Inhale, sweep out and up.

Reaching up, maybe glancing up towards your hand.

And then exhale, Swan Dive down.

Soft bend into the knees, a flat back, coming into a forward fold.

(drum chiming gently) (droning meditative music continues) Inhale, sweep the arms up overhead.

Right fingertips reach towards the ground, left fingertips towards the sky, side body lean.

Exhale, coming forward.

Foot between the hands.

Inhale, rising up.

(droning meditative music continues) And then exhale, bringing the forearm to the thigh, reaching left fingertips up overhead, bicep next to ear.

Finding child's pose just for a moment here, maybe a little sway from side-to-side.

(droning meditative music continues) Taking a moment to find grounding and stillness wherever you are.

(drum chiming gently) (droning meditative music continues) (Natalie breathing deeply) Coming back to your breath, deepening your inhales and exhales.

(Jayarr breathing deeply) (droning meditative music continues) Whenever you feel ready, allow your eyes to open, receiving the lights, the sights, and the experience of the world around you.

(wind whooshing) (Natalie laughing) Mmm.

- Aw, I missed you.

(Natalie laughing) - I missed you too.

- It's exactly as I remember.

(Natalie laughing) Wow, a fantastic, fantastic time.

Thank you so much, Natalie.

(Natalie laughing) I'm barely here, but I'm here with you guys, so I'm coming back into myself.

But a fantastic hike, an amazing day in the sun, Bell Rock, Sedona, Jayarr, Natalie, you guys.

Much love.

Thank you as always for your time, and we'll catch ya on the next trail.

(Jayarr and Natalie laughing) (air whooshing) Sedona is an incredible place to get away and focus on your physical and mental health.

But if you're stuck in the big city, there's a place that's a lot closer to home.

(air whooshing) (bubble popping) (air whooshing) City life can be exhausting, and sometimes in the hustle and bustle, it's tough to find time to get away.

So if that's the case, welcome to the Desert Botanical Garden.

(calming rhythmic music) (calming rhythmic music continues) (bubble popping) (calming rhythmic music continues) In 1937, the Arizona Cactus and Native Flora Society sowed the seeds of an extraordinary venture.

Two years later, in 1939, their vision took root at the current site, blossoming into a garden adorned with over 50,000 plants.

(calming rhythmic music continues) The Desert Botanical Garden encompasses 140 acres, including five main trails.

Located to the right of the entrance, the Desert Wildflower Loop Trail offers a striking display of colorful desert wildflowers.

This tiny trail, just 1/3 of a mile long, introduces you to the vital role these flowers play in Arizona's ecosystem.

The Sonoran Desert Loop Trail, a 1/4-mile loop, provides breathtaking views of the iconic saguaro cacti and glimpses of the surrounding city.

While the rest of the botanical garden trails are fairly flat, this trail does include a slight amount of elevation.

And don't forget to check out the telescopes at the top of the loop.

The central and oldest trail is the Desert Discovery Loop.

Its brick path guides you through the Desert Botanical Garden's oldest desert plantings.

Venture to the right of the Desert Discovery Loop, and you'll find the herb garden, a collection of desert-adapted herbs.

It's also the garden's tiniest trail, at just 1/10th of a mile.

Lastly, there's the interactive Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert Loop Trail.

A favorite among kids, this trail offers not only scenic views, but also insights into how Indigenous people used to live, work, and survive.

(calming rhythmic music continues) (air whooshing) (bubble popping) (calming rhythmic music continues) (air whooshing) Today, we're exploring the Desert Wildflower Loop Trail.

So come on, let's take a hike.

(calming rhythmic music continues) (calming rhythmic music continues) (bubble popping) (calming rhythmic music continues) (hinge squeaking) So I've been on a lotta hikes around Arizona, and I've never in nature seen prickly pear with pads this big.

So just coming here and being this close to this big, and thick, and healthy of a prickly pear pad is really satisfying.

(air whooshing) Today, I spoke with Tina Wilson, the senior director of horticulture, here at the garden.

- So my job and the horticulture team, we're in charge of really making sure all the plants are cared for.

So whether the guests see them on the trails as they're walking through, or our collection plants that we have in our greenhouses, the horticulture team cares for those, makes sure they're in good shape, they're thriving, and making it the best possible show we can.

- Tell us about the variety of plants that you work with.

- Yeah, so it's mostly desert plants, (laughing) obviously, but what we really try to do is our collection are from desert plants around the world, and then desert-adapted plants.

So we have a lot of different things, a lotta different mixture of plants.

And I think one of the things people don't realize is the Sonoran Desert is one of the most biodiverse deserts in the world.

So when you come into Phoenix or you come into the garden, you're like, "I wasn't expecting that," well, that's because of where we live and the different types of plants we're able to grow and care for.

(calming rhythmic music returns) (calming rhythmic music continues) - Another really interesting surprise, you know, there's all types of new species that you'll find when you come around the corners here.

And here, we have a prickly pear with needles, the longest I've ever seen.

Let's see what breed of cactus this is.

This is the black-spine prickly pear, Opuntia macrocentra.

And one of the coolest things about this Desert Botanical Garden is they have all different species.

Maybe rare, but definitely unique, I've never seen anything like this before, four-inch needles.

(calming rhythmic music continues) So there's something popular right now, there's a buzzword called "plant bathing" or "nature bathing," and there's a lotta that happening here.

Can you kinda elaborate on the connection between health and wellness and being close to all these plants?

- Yeah, you know, for the horticulture team, that's just our job to be in nature.

So it's almost part of the working environment, just to be bathed in nature, and I think that really benefits us as a team and the people who work here.

But one of the great things about the garden is I love that people, and I hear this quite a bit, and people don't mind sharing, that if they've gone through something personal, the first place they think of is the garden for healing.

They wanna come and just sit, maybe have some respite, maybe just be in a place that's quiet and in nature, and to just absorb it, walk around.

Or they like to be in the garden when things are happening and they feel like this is their safe place to be outside of their home.

So there are lots of visitors, members, volunteers, who consider the garden as one of their places to go to recenter, recalibrate, and just to be, and then walk away feeling much better.

- It's definitely been that for me today.

You know, even though we're in the middle of a production, just walking around the spaces, seeing the people, and the quiet, to have a break from the highways and the streets, and just to be in, I mean, everywhere you look here, there's something green.

So really satisfying, good for the spirit.

- Yeah, I'm a green person, so it's always nice to be in all that light and green.

- Well, thank you so much for chattin' with me today.

- You are welcome, I'm glad you guys could come out for a visit.

- Yeah, thank you.

Ugh!

Okay, I know this one, this is a crested cactus.

These occur one in every 200,000 normal cacti, at least according to the internet, we know we can believe anything that we read on the internet.

But extremely rare cactus, and really cool that it's featured here at the botanical garden.

It almost looks like a crown, it gives it kind of a royal vibe.

But also, let's be honest, it kind of looks like an alien.

(Jayarr laughing) At the end of the Plants and People Trail, I met with Dr. Jilsy Dins, an expert in social work, Ayurvedic medicine, yoga, and body work therapy.

(calming rhythmic music continues) Really good to meet you, thank you for joining.

For those who don't know what Ayurveda medicine is, could you give us a short summary?

- Ayurveda, it is a very ancient system of medicine, which originates in India, like 5,000 years back.

Ayurveda, the name itself, means "the signs of life."

And it mainly with the herbs, the medicines are made of.

And in India, it is like the mainstream of medicine it is.

- [Jayarr] So how does hiking in a garden like this contribute to wellness and stress reduction?

- We know that a lot of people are suffering from anxiety, depression, due to the stress in their daily life, right?

So when a person hike in a green environment, the anxiety is coming down.

So the studies, I think in Stanford University, in 2015, shows that in a green environment, when a person hikes, the body will produce more endorphins.

Endorphins are the hormones which reduce the pain and increase the pleasure experience.

The endorphins will increase, and you know, the serotonins, the happy hormones, right?

That sensitivity also, the body will increase.

So of course, it will reduce the anxiety and depression.

And another thing is that when we add a little flavor of mindfulness into hiking, then we don't dwell in the past, we don't ruminate about our past traumas and everything coming to us, right?

- It sounds like you're referring to being present.

- Being present, mindfulness, yes.

We have the five senses, right?

If you put that five senses into what we do, that is mindfulness.

When it comes to hiking, when we walk in a trail, whether it's a forest or wherever it is, we can smell the fragrance of flowers, we can hear the birds chirping, we can see the greenery around us.

When all of our five senses are engaged along with our hiking, that is mindfulness.

And that's a sort of meditation too, it is called the walking meditation.

Interesting, right?

- Yeah.

(air whooshing) This is the Shade Garden, and the plants that reside here specifically thrive in the shade.

And us as desert dwellers, we receive a lotta sun throughout the year, so being here really reminds me that it's important for humans and plants to get some rest.

(calming rhythmic music) (birds chirping) (calming rhythmic music continues) (water dripping) (calming rhythmic music continues) (air whooshing) (bubble popping) (calming rhythmic music continues) (air whooshing) Next, we're checkin' out one of the longer trails in the park, the Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert Trail.

Come on, let's go!

(calming rhythmic music continues) (footsteps crunching) (birds chirping) (calming rhythmic music continues) (calming rhythmic music continues) (calming rhythmic music continues) (calming rhythmic music ending) What are some of the physical benefits of hiking, or are there specific muscle groups that benefit from this practice?

- Hiking is a type of resistance exercise, where the whole body from head-to-toe is having a workout.

Even for the bones, it is beneficial.

That's why to increase the bone density, hiking is a good one.

And then coming to other benefits, the physical benefits, it will lower the blood pressure.

Then for the heart health, it is good.

(calming rhythmic music) (footsteps crunching) - Wow, this time of day is magical.

The way that the light kinda shoots through the leaves, and you can feel the end of the day coming, time to relax.

(calming rhythmic music continues) Whether you're interested in meditation, hiking, bathing in the beauty of the desert flora, or just learning about some plants, both Bell Rock, and Sedona, and Desert Botanical Garden are wonderful places to rest and take care of your physical and mental health.

(calming rhythmic music continues) Thank you for joining me at the Desert Botanical Garden.

I hope you found some relaxation, I know I did.

(Jayarr breathing deeply) We'll catch ya on the next trail.

(footsteps crunching) (calming rhythmic music continues) (calming rhythmic music continues) (calming rhythmic music continues) (calming rhythmic music fading)