Savanna Hermitage

The Savanna Hermitage is a small off grid solar powered retreat community of experienced practitioners of meditation, qigong, and yoga located near the Chiricahua mountains of Southeastern Arizona. This retreat offers the unique opportunity for experienced practitioners to have a solitary practice experience, while also benefiting from the support of other experienced practitioners onsite. Mature, experienced, self motivated, independent, and self sufficient individuals with established higher consciousness practices and lifestyles, and high levels of physical, mental, and emotional health and stability are encouraged to apply.
The Savanna Hermitage accepts applications for solo retreat guests at $80 for 3 days/2 nights, $200 for 7 days/6 nights, $300 for 14 days/13 nights, and $400 for 30 days/29 nights. Qualified individuals may inquire about scholarship and/or work exchange. No outdoor pets at the resident/guest cabin rooms, please (to protect the many wild rabbits, birds, etc). The Savanna Hermitage currently has two small furnished private rooms available for individual residents and guests, each with a separate outdoor entrance, comfortable twin bed with complete bedding, shelves, clothes rack, table, and floor space for solo meditation and yoga. Each room is equipped with a meditation zabuton mat, seiza bench, crescent zafu cushion, and yoga mat. The rooms are housed in a brand new zero carbon emissions eco cabin equipped with off-grid solar electric, passive solar heating, natural cooling, rainwater collection, and a passive solar box water heater. There is a shared kitchenette in the adjoining shed, and also a private outdoor bathing stall and flush toilet. In addition to staying in this cabin, residents and guests have the opportunity to learn about the construction and operation of a simple, inexpensive eco-cabin. Your carbon footprint while at the retreat is well below 10 percent of the average U.S. citizen. Perfect for low budget, eco-conscious, and simple living practitioners.
Residents and guests are requested to prepare their own food and meals at the Savanna Hermitage. Basic vegetarian and vegan food ingredients such as lentils, millet, pinto beans, brown rice, rolled oats, popcorn, walnuts, olive oil, seasonings, and some fresh produce are provided, and guests are welcome to bring and purchase locally their own food preferences. There is a small grocery 10 miles away with very limited options, and the nearest supermarket is 40 miles. The caretaker host often has some fresh home grown kale available, and there are plenty of containers provided of reverse osmosis filtered water filled at the water store.
Cultivating a meditative lifestyle of higher consciousness is the core foundational practice at the Savanna Hermitage. Many forms of meditation and higher consciousness practice are welcome, including zen, mindfulness, vipassana, transcendental, qigong, yoga, and others. Residents and guests are encouraged to spend an average minimum of 2-3 hours a day practicing sitting, lying down, walking/hiking, and movement meditation, qigong, yoga, and other higher consciousness practice, and are solitary and self-directed. The caretaker host is also available to facilitate meditation, qigong, and yoga practice upon request, and residents and guests are welcome to share their practices with others upon request as well (optional). Support meetings are offered on a weekly or monthly basis where residents and guests are welcome to share how their practice is progressing, to identify areas for improvement, and to request comments and advice from others.
In addition to the solo practice space in each guest room, the Hermitage property also has an outdoor meditation/qigong/yoga circle for solo and group practice, and also contains over a mile (1.6 kilometers) of walking meditation nature trails for guest use and enjoyment anytime. Endless miles of amazing hiking trails throughout the nearby Chiricahua mountains feature stunning rock formations, evergreen forests, and magnificent waterfalls. The caretaker host has been hiking there regularly over the past 15 years, and is available to guide hikes upon request that engage the uniquely powerful earth energy by incorporating meditation and qigong.
There is plenty of free time, and residents and guests are encouraged to utilize it to support their higher consciousness lifestyle through reading, walking, hiking, immersion in nature, contemplation, and deepening their meditation and higher consciousness practices. Residents and guests are encouraged to practice digital minimalism, i.e. minimizing the amount of time online, and staring at a screen. Aside from phone service, there is currently no internet onsite, and more than very occasional use of videos, movies, television, and social media is discouraged. There is good cellular phone reception that can be utilized as a wifi hotspot as necessary, and there are broadband internet and books available at a nearby public library. The Hermitage also has a small collection of excellent books available for residents’ and guests’ use.
The Savanna Hermitage is a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for women, LGBTQ individuals, and people of color. Discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation is prohibited, and all residents and guests are asked to refrain from sexual/romantic advances toward others during their stay.