A Tranquil Sound Healing Experience, Vegan Menu and Peaceful Sleep Package at Mountain Shadows Resort

Now through and the end of the year, Mountain Shadows Resort in Paradise Valley is offering a haven of experiences you cannot miss. You can take your meditation to the next level, encountering a self-healing, peaceful, gratitude therapy you’ve been craving, or rest easy with an ultra-relaxing sleep package. The resort is also offering a new vegan menu, packed full with a beautiful array of vegetables, so you feel good from the inside out.

PRIVATE SOUND HEALING IN THE SHADOW OF CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN

Led by local wellness expert Cortney Halstead, enjoy a one-of-a-kind desert serene event, whether you attend alone or with a small group. Rejoice in the sound healing (a.k.a retraining your nervous system) with tactics getting you back to Self. 

While some of you are familiar with meditation, sound healing meditation is one of those newer trends I have always wanted to try, but, as with everything, life gets in the way—until we are forced to slow down. 

I visited Mountain Shadows Resort earlier this month with the ICONIC LIFE team and I was pleasantly surprised by the sight of pillows and blankets during our sound healing session, which were all too appealing. So, what the heck is sound healing, you might ask? For anyone who finds Shavasana is their favorite yoga pose, sound healing is for you. 

It involves getting comfortable, then you’ll be instructed to close your eyes, simply focusing on your breathing and listening intently to the sounds conjured by the sound healer using large crystal singing bowls to help lull you into a deep meditative, relaxed state. If you’re wondering, the crystal bowls are played by swirling a wooden mallet around the rim, a bit like running a wet finger around the perimeter of a wine glass. 

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There were various sounds throughout the 45 minute sound healing—some I heard vividly and others that were more normal background noise. But unlike guided meditations, where the talking seems to inspire my brain to drift off to think about to-do lists, I was soothed into an almost dream-like state while still being aware of the noises. I noticed every cell of my being was vibrating. I felt a flow of energy through my body, a connection to myself with such deep contentment. 

The sound had guided me to relax, open up, breathe deeper and experience a feeling of stillness that I had not experienced before. My advice? Drink plenty of water afterward and have no expectations. Know that you will feel calm, peaceful and much lighter when you leave. Who can say no to that?

The 45 minute experience costs $200 for 1-4 locals or $150 for 1-4 overnight resort guests.

‘MOON & STARS’ SLEEP PACKAGE

We all know the importance of a good night’s sleep, and Mountain Shadows Resort is making it easier than ever to get that peaceful night of rest with their newest sleep packages. The Moon & Stars Sleep Package starts with a cup of Ayurvedic wellness-inspired Golden Moon Milk, containing “turmeric to combat inflammation, lavender and cardamom to aid in relaxation and restorative plants, including reishi and blue lotus”

The package also includes a 90-day sleep journal to help you analyze your sleep, providing a beneficial morning ritual, while a spray of Star Dust Pillow Mist—a blend of lavender floral water, cedarwood and Himalayan pink salt—can help you find calmness. The package is complete with a mulberry silk Brooklinen constellation eye mask when you’re ready to get some shut eye.

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VEGAN HARVEST TASTING MENU

Hearth ‘61 is the award-winning restaurant within Mountain Shadows Resort that offers a modern take on American food, and their newest offering is packed full of good-for-you vegetables. Offered through the end of 2022, the vegan menu is a delectable four-course meal from Chef de Cuisine Alfred Muro.

The first course is a celeriac salad with spiced walnuts and agrodolce vinaigrette, followed by a rich-in-flavor parsnip confit with curry chickpea stew. For the main dish, enjoy a carefully prepared roasted portobello mushroom with eggplant couscous and romesco. The fourth and final course is a mouth-watering strawberry lemon tart with ginger meringue and coconut crème anglaise. The vegan menu is available nightly for $89 per person, plus tax and gratuity.