New Mexico
Finding Your Bliss in the Land of Enchantment for Women
Program No. 21742RJ
Experience the restorative traditions of Santa Fe as you learn about traditional healing techniques, hike the red rock country around Abiquiu and enjoy local cuisine with expert chefs.
Enroll with Confidence
We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more
Protecting the Environment
We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
6 days
5 nights
12 meals
5B 3L 4D
1
Program Registration, Orientation, Dinner
Santa Fe, N.M.
3
"Women of the Wild West" Lecture, Canyon Road, Free Time
Santa Fe, N.M.
4
Ghost Ranch, Landscape Exploration, The Feasting Place
Santa Fe, N.M.
5
Yoga, Meditation, Cacao Experience, Cooking Demonstration
Santa Fe, N.M.
6
Program Concludes
Santa Fe, N.M.
At a Glance
Take a break from the stresses of daily life and escape to Santa Fe and the Land of Enchantment on a women-only educational retreat. Join other women as you relax in high desert beauty, stimulate your mind and experience new cultures. Learn healing practices used by indigenous peoples, and discover the curative power diverse traditions from other cultures have brought to New Mexico. Learn how to prepare delicious cuisine, gain flexibility with yoga and hike through glorious landscapes.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to 4 miles at a brisk pace over paved, uneven sidewalks and unpaved surfaces. Yoga appropriate for novices and experienced practitioners. Optional hikes of 1-5 miles on varied terrain with elevation gains. Elevations of 7,000 feet.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Learn about Indigenous healing practices from a traditional healer.
- Journey to Ghost Ranch and marvel at the colorful landscape on a private tour of Georgia O'Keeffe country.
- Enjoy private cooking demonstrations taught by local chefs.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Lois Ellen Frank
Lois Ellen Frank, PhD, is a Santa Fe-based chef focused on Native American foods. She is also a Native American food historian, culinary anthropologist, photographer and James Beard Award-winning author. She is a featured instructor of the Southwest Indian Nations at the Santa Fe School of Cooking, and is chef and owner — along with Native Chef Walter Whitewater of the Diné Nation — of Red Mesa Cuisine.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Lois Ellen Frank
View biography
Lois Ellen Frank, PhD, is a Santa Fe-based chef focused on Native American foods. She is also a Native American food historian, culinary anthropologist, photographer and James Beard Award-winning author. She is a featured instructor of the Southwest Indian Nations at the Santa Fe School of Cooking, and is chef and owner — along with Native Chef Walter Whitewater of the Diné Nation — of Red Mesa Cuisine.

Patricia Padilla
View biography
Patricia Padilla was born into eight generations of Curanderas — an age-old Hispanic healing tradition. She ran her own alternative medical clinic in Lyons, Colorado serving the community as an acupuncturist and herbalist for 20 years. She also published and wrote for a local weekly newspaper for 24 years. After a lifetime of treating patients and teaching about personal and community health, she now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she continues to work with people, writes, teaches and creates "one-of-a-kind" beaded leather bags.
Debbie Widrick
View biography
Debbie Widrick is a certified personal trainer with 35 years of experience in the field of health and wellness. She believes with her whole heart that developing a strong yoga practice is key to maintaining a strong healthy body and managing stress levels as we age. Debbie is a 200-hour certified instructor who teaches Viniyoga, Hatha, Restorative, power, and Vinyasa Yoga.
Ellen Morris Bond
View biography
Ellen Morris Bond has spent most of her adult years in northern New Mexico, graduating from the University of New Mexico Honors Program. She completed a Master’s Degree in Community Development at University of California-Davis. As a non-profit director, Ellen forged strong collaborations with local and regional organizations such as health councils, community foundations, tribal groups, hospitals, public schools, rural health clinics, and faith groups. She now volunteers with the local acequia/water organization and leads art and architecture groups at La Fonda of Santa Fe.
Norma Naranjo
View biography
Norma Naranjo and her husband Hutch have been planting and raising their own crops in Santa Clara Pueblo for more than 30 years. They farm much as their ancestors did over 500 years ago: without chemical fertilizers and pesticides, grass fed beef and home grown ingredients. Crops such as chili, chico corn, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers are canned, dried or frozen. During the feast meal, there is horno baking, tamale making and other traditional elements. This is a time to share cultural backgrounds.
Suggested Reading List
(11 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Finding Your Bliss in the Land of Enchantment for Women
Program Number: 21742
Georgia O'Keeffe and New Mexico: A Sense of Place
Georgia O'Keeffe and New Mexico is the first book to analyze the artist's famous depictions of Southwestern landscapes.
Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest
This illustrated introduction provides an in-depth look at the ancient cultures that first inhabited the pueblos and cliff dwellings of the American Southwest. Organized chronologically, it features hundreds of maps, mostly black-and-white photographs and site diagrams.
Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky: Modern Plant-Based Recipes using Native American Ingredients
This enriching cookbook celebrates eight important plants Native Americans introduced to the rest of the world: corn, beans, squash, chile, tomato, potato, vanilla, and cacao—with more than 100 recipes.
Mary Colter: Architect of the Southwest
This extraordinary book about an extraordinary woman weaves together three stories-the remarkable career of a woman in a man's profession during the late 19th century; the creation of a building and interior style drawn from regional history and landscape; and the exploitation, largely at the hands of the railroads, of the American Southwest for leisure travel.
Spider Woman's Granddaughters: Traditional Tales and Contemporary Writing by Native American Women
A powerful collection of traditional tales, biographical writings, and contemporary short stories, many by the most accomplished Native American women writing today, including: Louise Erdrich, Mary TallMountain, Linda Hogan, and many others.
A Thousand Voices (video)
From the proverb, “It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story,” this is a documentary that builds from thousands of voices to present one universal story of New Mexico’s Native American women.
https://www.pbs.org/video/a-thousand-voices-ivvvsd/
OM Yoga, A Guide to Daily Practice
Clear and concise, Cindi Lee's superb guide uses easy-to-follow illustrations to show poses.
Radical Compassion: Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with the Practice of RAIN
In this heartfelt and deeply practical book, Tara Brach offers an antidote to today's ever-increasing onslaught of news, conflict, demands, and anxieties--stresses: an easy-to-learn four-step meditation that quickly loosens the grip of difficult emotions and limiting beliefs.
A History of Spirituality in Santa Fe: The City of Holy Faith
Santa Fe city historian Ana Pacheco documents the rich religious and spiritual history of this high-mountain metaphysical community.
Garden in the Dunes
Our narrator, a precocious girl named Indigo from a nearly extinct Native American tribe, is adopted by a well-intentioned rich naturalist and his depressed wife. A thematically rich novel that illuminates the ways the two cultures interact with nature.
The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound (video)
This documentary tells the story of how over 100,000 railroad station waitresses opened up the doors of the American West and the workplace to women and change history. A James Beard Award finalist.
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/23102 (fees may be associated for a download)