CO YOGA + Life® Magazine | Summer/Fall 2018 by YOGA + Life® Magazines

grow issue

Nurture Your Inner Gardener

ERIC ROONEY

WITH RESTORATIVE YOGA

TRAVEL

+ TELLURIDE + GARDEN OF THE GODS + AFRICA

SUP ROUNDUP GEAR FOR THE WATER

L I F E S T Y L E • C O M M U N I T Y • W E L L N E S S • N AT U R E • M O V E M E N T • A D V E N T U R E

SUMMER + FALL 2018

COOL SUMMER’S HEAT

BLOOMS IN DENVER

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REAL YOGA. REAL PEOPLE. REAL EVOLUTION.

“Thrive is what I would call a perfect blend of Yoga, transformation, and community in an idyllic, comfortable, and supportive environment that does not bely the powerful results of participation in this program. I developed a powerful new relationship with my body and discovered capabilities I thought were gone forever.”

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YOGA + Life® MAGAZINES Juli Rathke - Founder/Publisher The paper content of this publication has been certifiably reforested via PrintReleaf – the world’s first platform to measure paper consumption and automate reforestation across a global network of reforestation projects. LEARN MORE AT PRINTRELEAF.COM

With this issue, CO YOGA + Life® planted 98 trees! photo: flickr.com/nicholas_t | CC BY

CO YOGA + Life® OWNER + EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kim Fuller CO YOGA + LIFE® OWNER + DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS Bobby L'Heureux CREATIVE DIRECTOR Chelsea Connolly CO YOGA + LIFE® EDITORIAL INTERN Lexi Reich CONTRIBUTORS Juli Rathke, Kim Fuller, Bobby L’Heureux, Lexi Reich, Hali Love, Julia Clarke, Ange Stopperan, Sandy Ferguson Fuller, Jo Schaalman + Juli Peláez, Taylor Rose Worden, Dr. Jonathan Bloch, Dr. Penny Wilson, Jay Rush, Shenna Jean, Emma Murray, Heather Lindemann, Joy Martin, Kaity Rose, Kathy Hisey Baum, Mariah Rose Velasco, Sarah Klein, Wendy Wilkinson

PHOTOGRAPHY Zach Mahone, Corinna Lander, PHOCO, DJ Pierce, Meredith Austin, Jackie Nunnally, Dawn Publications, John Pendleton, Kaity Rose, Matthias Heil, Kathryn Samal Tanos, Vail Valley Cultivations, Julia Clarke, Jay Rush, Heather Lindemann, Gina Portolese, Sonya Pevzne, Stephanie Lonon, Real Evolution Yoga, Adrift, Philip Robinson, Kim Fuller, Brittany Wallace, Mariah Rose Velasco, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, Alakanana Ma, Kimber Pine, Yannis Papanastasopoulos, Sharon Pittaway, Emma Murray, Bonni Pacheco, The Conscious Cleanse, Arek Adeoye, Seth Beckton, Yoga On The Rocks

REGIONAL SALES Bobby L’Heureux NATIONAL SALES Juli Rathke, Bobby L'Heureux YOGA + Life® SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Tessa Powell EVENTS Addison Gumbert SUBSCRIPTIONS Please subscribe to our magazine at www.coyogalifemag.com ADVERTISING CO Office: 860.230.8650 | National Office: 815.414.YOGA (9642) bobby@coyogalifemag.com | www.coyogalifemag.com FEATURES If you would like us to consider you as a contributor, contact us at kim@coyogalifemag.com AFFILIATE OPPORTUNITIES YOGA + Life® Magazine juli@yogalifemagazines.com | 815.414.YOGA (9642) www.yogalifelive.com COVER Plant from Rooney Bloom captured by Zach Mahone 2018 CO YOGA + Life® Magazines. All rights reserved. No portion may be duplicated, in whole or in part, without the written consent of its publishers. Every effort has been make to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. The publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of information or omissions from the material provided. Company cannot be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services rendered by the advertisers published in this magazine.

Letter from the editor / Summer + Fall 2018

DEAR READERS, It’s time to Grow. Think of a flower as it pushes its way through the earth and up towards the sky. Determined and resilient, it emerges into the world as a steady yet delicate structure, revealing a beautiful combination of shapes and colors. It stands there with no expectations, fearless against a range of temperatures, too much water or not enough, often subjected to careless foot traffic and even intentional destruction. In the absence of doubt, fear, judgment, anxiety or stress, what would grow in your life, what would thrive? A flower has just a season, and it blooms with all its might. Just as nature shares her inspiring ways with us every day, let’s continue to support one another on our paths of evolution. This magazine is a celebration of wellness and vibrant living, from the moments on your mat to the blissful smiles shared on a hiking trail or during a meal with friends. We are here to encourage growth and we thank you for helping us cultivate a voice and share it with all our readers in Colorado and beyond. As we grow, we want you to, too. In Gratitude, Kim Fuller, Owner + Editor-In-Chief kim@coyogalifemag.com

photo by: kim fuller

Based in Vail, Colorado, KIM FULLER is a freelance writer, editor and photojournalist in addition to her role at CO YOGA + Life™ . She is also a yoga teacher and co-founder of In Your Element, a yoga and outdoor adventure company. Kim has been published in The Denver Post, 5280 Magazine, Yoga Journal, Elevation Outdoors, Mountain, MTN Town, Outside, Snowshoe Magazine, Gear Institute, SUP Journal and more. When she is not diligently writing and editing in her mountain nook, teaching yoga around town or finding a new adventure, find Kim at a local cafe or craft brewery, where she enjoys the more indulgent side of inspiration. See more of her work at www.kimfullerink.com, and follow her on Instagram @lifeinfull.

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contents / Summer + Fall 2018

CONTENTS

GROW 7 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

It’s time to Grow

10 COVER SPOTLIGHT

Eric Rooney on Plants + Community

12 INTERN + AMBASSADORS

Colorado dream team

PROFILES

teachers // entrepreneurs // studios

14 TEACHER PROFILES

Keri Bergeron, Joe Buckner and Kari Kwinn

20 STUDIO PROFILES + Bhava Yoga - Breckenridge + Origin House of Fitness - Fort Collins

LIFESTYLE

books // art // community // travel // what we love

24 “TALL TALL TREE”

A new picture book for all ages

25 COLORADO’S GARDENING GURU

Meet author and master gardener, Jodi Torpey

27 SCULPTING YOGA

Artist Jane DeDecker of Loveland, CO

28 MAKE YOUR OWN MALA

Step-by-step on how to craft a sacred garland of 108 beads

30 CO COMMUNITY Plant-loving eateries; Growe Foundation;

Durango’s Seed Studio

34 VAIL VALLEY CULTIVATIONS

Wholesale organic cannabis company

36 VISIT TELLURIDE

Head to Heaven this summer

38 GARDEN OF THE GODS COLLECTION

New health + wellness additions to this legacy property

Jay Rush reflects on the trip of a lifetime

42 WHAT WE LOVE

Our favorite goods for summer + fall

44 CO PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Lexi Reich writes on Boulder-based Cusa Tea YOGALIFELIVE.COM

photos by: Meredith Austin

40 OUT IN AFRICA

WELLNESS

ayurveda // health // inspiration // food

76 AYURVEDIC HEALTH

Alandi Ashram, Ayurveda Clinic and School

78 LISTEN TO YOUR GUT

Know your microbiome

80 YOUR NUMBER #1 FAN

Listen. Respond. Grow.

82 ESSENTIAL OILS

YOGA + FITNESS

movement // philosophy // business // in the practice // retreats

46 GROW YOUR ASANA PRACTICE

Give your props some love

48 COOL SUMMER’S HEAT

Restorative yoga sequence

52 YAMAS + NIYAMAS

Hali Love on Asteya, Bramacharya + Aparigraha

54 YOGA IN THE BOARD ROOM

Boost your bottom line with a yoga mindset

56 THE EXECUTIVE YOGI

How a practice can alter the brain

58 RITUALS OF THE ELEMENTS

Fire, earth, air + water

60 THRIVE!

Retreat with Real Evolution Yoga

OUTSIDE

Benefits in the blends

84 GROW YOUR CONNECTION TO FOOD

Mindful eating

86 RECIPES

Healthy and delicious meals from the Conscious Cleanse

88 5 WAYS TO GROW YOUR PALATE

Tip #4: Spice things up

EVENTS + DISTRIBUTION Colorado fun

92 GATHERINGS + Lead With Love + Yoga On The Rocks 94 EVENT LISTINGS

Summer + Fall fun throughout the state

96 DIRECTORY

CO YOGA + Life® Distribution Partners

98 NAMASTE

Cover photographer Zach Mahone

adventure // fresh air // environment // gear

62 ON THE WATER Adventures with Stand Up Paddle Colorado + Adrift 66 HIKE STEAMBOAT SPRINGS From the Continental Divide Trail to post-hike fuel 68 INTO THE WILD

A visit to Colorado’s mustang sanctuary

70 BETTY FORD ALPINE GARDENS

Mountain flowers and plants thrive in Vail

72 GEAR

Go outside and play

74 SUP ROUNDUP

Get your water gear

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profiles / About the Cover

Eric Rooney

On Plants + Community

I hope to infuse the deep foundational appreciation of earth's greens and the importance of recognizing their invaluable worth.

photos by: zach mahone

by kim fuller

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

ooney Bloom was created in 2015 by Eric Rooney. He generated the initial idea in San Francisco, California, and eventually launched his business in Denver, Colorado. Find him at The Grow Den, located at 1321 B. South Broadway. “In 2015, I started professionally working with plants in San Francisco. It began with simple purchases at the Flower Mart, and evolved into bringing home house plants to fill my condo. All the while and subconsciously, my life began to change,” he says. The cultivation of Rooney Bloom started with subtle changes in Rooney’s creative processes. “I immediately had pure joy from seeing, smelling and growing greens,” he explains. “I now share and show others how to benefit from plants: mentally, physically and through/with our emotional bodies.” He started Rooney Bloom in Denver to expand knowledge around earth’s precious plant organisms: to protect and benefit

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wholly, from and with the vast range of nature’s beauty. “Quality of life brought me back to Colorado from the West Coast, and I quickly saw a yearning for plant education,” he shares. “Rooney Bloom began as floral design, and has grown into other relatable paths. We now dabble in custom interior design with plants, educational opportunities at local schools, offering public classes, landscape installations, organic garden design, edible garden creations and more. Connecting with the community has allowed me to follow and adapt to the needs of anyone looking to improve their life, through plants.” Rooney says it’s important to know that plant care and maintenance is as easy as you want it to be. People can incorporate plants into their lives by slowly adding greens to places they spend the most time in. “Your home, bedroom, bathroom or office are great places to start,” he says. “Consider the time you are willing to dedicate to caring for these guys, then narrow your search

from there. Use me as a database for plant questions and suggestions. Start small and know that caring for these living organisms requires attention, consideration, and love all of which you'll get in return.” As Rooney Bloom continues to flourish, Rooney says can only imagine expanding further outside of the Denver and Colorado region. “I hope to infuse the deep foundational appreciation of earth's greens (and every other color of the spectrum) and the importance of recognizing their invaluable worth,” he shares. “I plan to continue developing creative ways that plant knowledge can be accessible to our community, our friends and family. As I grow, I envision a greenhouse with fresh food and plants year round, for everyone to enjoy. I will bring horticultural therapy to jails, health and wellness centers, hospitals and retirement homes.” +

www.rooneybloom.com

profiles / Ambassadors

CO YOGA + Life®

ambassadors ANGE STOPPERAN is a yoga teacher, business coach, mentor to yoga teachers, sound healing practitioner, designer of sacred space, and helps her students learn the practice of creating rituals to help ground and connect to their inner guidance. Along with her role as a CO YOGA + Life® Ambassador, Ange is a faculty member at the Colorado School of Yoga. Ange runs online business courses for yoga teachers through the Colorado School of Yoga. www.angestopperan.com CASSIE SCALES has been practicing yoga since 2010. She has completed 200-hour teaching certifications in both Power Yoga and Integrated Vinyasa™. She currently teaches at Mountain Soul Yoga in Edwards, Colorado, and is an Ambassador for CO YOGA + Life®. Cassie works as a Probation Officer in Eagle County, Colorado where she writes presentence reports for felony offenders. She spends her free time trail running and skiing through the beautiful Rocky Mountains, indulging in local eats, or cozying up with a good library book. She encourages direct communication, being fiercely authentic and cultivating balance between restoration and an active mountain lifestyle. KAREN FIENBERG has been practicing yoga for 11 years and is currently a teacher in training. A former competitive cyclist, she turned to yoga for increased mobility and strength, discovering that strength came from surrender. Yoga allows her to access the healing qualities of her mind and body. Her preferred styles are yoga nidra, Iyengar, therapeutic and restorative. Karen is also a health educator, fitness enthusiast, craft chocolate connoisseur and plant-based food advocate and activist. SHENNA JEAN is based in Aspen, Colorado. She’s a big fan of yoga, hiking, snowboarding, the Kansas Jayhawks and rosé. Shenna Jean loves her some personal and leadership development, be it a book, podcast, workshop or conference. She spends her days at the Aspen Art Museum and nights working on her photog skills and couples retreat company @adventuresandromance. LEXI REICH CO YOGA + Life® Editorial Intern After spending time experiencing a yoga ashram in the mountains of Colorado, Lexi became enthralled in the practice of yoga and meditation, and is excited to return to the sacred space soon to earn her yoga teacher training. Originally from Chicago, Lexi loves the holistic lifestyle she found in Colorado, and combining this passion with her writing is what makes her truly happy. As a journalism and English major at the University of Colorado Boulder, Lexi spends most of her time reading novels and writing for her poetry and reporting classes. Besides this, you can find her skiing, hiking or traveling. Follow her on Instagram @lexi_reich.

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profiles / Teachers

Yoga Teacher and Physical Therapist in Denver

interview By JULIA CLARKE

www.keribergeron.com

HOW DO YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY WORK IN SYNERGY TO INFORM YOUR APPROACH? Most of the time it feels like a symbiotic relationship in that the two really inform each other. My education in anatomy and body mechanics absolutely informs the ways in which I move and engage my body, as well as the ways I cue others to align and engage. What I did not initially expect was that yoga would teach me so much about how to help my physical therapy clients to take care of themselves. It has shown me that I need to teach changes in physical patterns, but also the skills to slow down, for clients

to be able to pause and recognize the patterns, to feel why and how the problem is occurring, and to recognize how much stress responses can govern our physical body. When clients start to feel these things, physical patterns change at a far more rapid rate and last far longer than me simply telling people what to do. AS A PT, HOW DO YOU CREATE A SAFE SPACE FOR YOUR STUDENTS WHILE LEAVING ROOM FOR GROWTH? It is a constant interplay between communicating specific cues and encouraging specific alignment, explaining the me-

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Photo by: Corinna Lander

Q +A

KERI BERGERON

chanics clearly so that students may have a kinesthetic experience of the principles, but also allowing students to have their own individual experience at their own pace. For me the key to not getting too caught up in my own agenda is regularly cueing students to feel. When they connect with what they actually feel physically and energetically in a given moment, rather than subscribing to what they think they're "supposed" to feel, it empowers students to develop a much deeper awareness and greater connection with their wiser Self. My hope is to foster autonomy rather than a greater dependence on the teacher. WHAT ARE YOUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES AS A YOGA TEACHER? My background makes it such that I can't help myself with specificity and safety. And studentship, first and always studentship. But beyond that, it is of the utmost importance to me that teaching always be a humble offering, and to express gratitude to students for their engagement in the process, not the outcome. WHERE DO YOU FEEL MOST INSPIRED? For me it’s not only a question of where (breathing deeply in nature, like so many of us here in Colorado), but also when. When I am taking good care of myself, getting sufficient sleep, eating consciously and practicing regularly, I feel most connected and most inspired. That of course means doing my physical asana practice, pranayama and consistent meditation, but also noticing how I treat myself internally. I need to actively cultivate kindness towards myself to be able to act and offer from my wiser Self. NAME THREE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DEEPLY INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE? My first teacher Charry Morris, who always leads with the kindest of hearts, offers her teaching without attachment to the results, and truly lives the practice of yoga. Amy Baker, my dear friend, who is always my mirror. She holds me accountable, lights my fire for growth, and is a tender guardian of my heart. And myself. For all the mistakes I have made and will make, and for all of the work I have done and will continue to do (sometimes with greater dedication than others), I have learned to trust myself more and finally feel like I have something of value to say, thanks to the practice and teachings of yoga. +

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NATURE: JULIA CLARKE, E-RYT 500 and MS Ayurveda & Integrative Medicine, hails from Scotland and found the rugged Rocky Mountains of Colorado just enough like home to move here in 2009. She is the co-founder of Mountain Soul Yoga in Edwards CO and a faculty member at the Colorado School of Yoga. In her free time, you can find her exploring Colorado's endless playground on foot, ski, bike or belay, or traveling the world.

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profiles / Teachers

interview By kim fuller owner + Editor in Chief

WHAT MADE YOU START BEAUTIFULLY SAVAGE BOXING STUDIO AND HOW HAVE YOU SEEN IT GROW? It was two things: My best friend challenging me by asking "what would you do if you got $4 million and could live off of the interest for the rest of your life?”, and losing my job. Probably the biggest factor in me starting my own business was for me to be able to share my story! Once I started living my truth, so many great doors opened for me. I felt that it was important for me to be raw and real as I feel that is missing in our world of social media highlight reels and people always trying to pretend that everything is perfect. I also know that I wanted to change people's perception of ex felons, homeless people and anyone who has struggled. I want to be a shining example of what a person can accomplish if they are given the chance and have even just one person believe in them. The other reason was that I felt that I could help people believe in themselves and fight for whatever they want in this life.

JOE BUCKNER Founder of Beautifully Savage Boxing in Fort Collins AT THE JANUARY CO YOGA + LIFE® EVENT IN DENVER, YOU SPOKE ON THE “ME TO WE” PANEL WE HOSTED. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR ETHICS AND METHODOLOGIES THAT REFLECT THIS ATTITUDE IN YOUR LIFE AND YOUR BUSINESS? For me and Beautifully Savage it is always about the collective. What is best for We. From day one we wanted to have a “We First” attitude when it came to business. Some of the ethics that we have can be found in our core values of Faith, Family and Fighting. We understand that group fitness is experiential so we take every measure to make sure that each part of the experience is spot on. The studio vibe, the music, the workout and the team breakdown at the end of class is all designed to foster a feeling of community and family. In my personal life it is the same. My main focus is on how I can leave every person that I come in contact with, a little better

WHAT ARE SOME WAYS YOU FIND INSPIRATION AND/OR MOTIVATION EVERY DAY? I honestly wake up inspired because I get to do something that I love and it also happens to be what helps me keep food on the table. I do listen to podcasts, read, follow certain folks on Instagram who make me want to level up and raise my game even more. I feel that if you are open to it, inspiration is everywhere. WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU AND WHAT IS NEXT FOR BEAUTIFULLY SAVAGE? Next for Beautifully Savage is location number two. That's my number one initiative for 2018 professionally. Personally, I have so many things that I want to accomplish this year that it's best to just stay tuned and watch them unfold! +

www.theartofpugilism.com

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photo by: PhoCo

Q +A

than I found them. I've found that when I am Me focused, life tends to be a little tougher than when I focus on how I can be of service to others.

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Exploring Yin with

KARI KWINN

photo by: DJ Pierce

Q +A

profiles / Teachers

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

ari and I sat down via video with our cups of tea (for her) and coffee (for me) to chat about all things Yin. Having recently taken a Yin teacher training with Kari, I resonated with her perspective on the practice and what it brought to me as both a student and teacher. Wanting to learn more, I asked for Kari to share a bit about how Yin has influenced her and grown throughout the yoga community. KARI, YOU HAVE TAUGHT YIN TEACHER TRAINING TO MANY YOGA TEACHERS IN COLORADO. CAN YOU SHARE YOUR OWN JOURNEY TO THE TEACHINGS OF YIN YOGA? I was exposed to yoga as a young child, so by the time I started to explore Yin, I had been teaching for 15 years. I was teaching and practicing a vigorous and athletic yoga at the time and feeling very worn down and undernourished. I decided to take a 10-day training with Bernie Clark who is considered a grandfather of Yin. For me, I found the practice to be challenging in an entirely new way and also a reprieve from personal stress. I never meant to start teaching other teachers but there was such a hunger for new ideas and approaches that I developed my own two-level training for yoga teachers and have been offering trainings for the past four years. What I have learned from both practicing and teaching Yin is that there are multiple “right" ways to work with the body. Yin opened the door for me to additional medicinal teachings, like Chinese medicine and ways to heal the body. I love exploring this with students who feel Western medicine doesn’t have answers for them, or if they are questioning a diagnosis and their future fate. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YIN AND RESTORATIVE? THEY SOMETIMES ARE THROWN AROUND INTERCHANGEABLY. IS THERE A DIFFERENCE? To me, Yin is an intention, not a vocabulary of poses. It is about becoming comfortable in your own body and connecting to how you feel in the moment, while still exploring the edge of sensation. Restorative looks very similar to Yin, but the intention is to feel held, supported and nurtured, without

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any sense of an edge. Both are part of a society’s proclivities toward masculine enhealthy yogic diet in my mind but the true ergy. Even more than that, a Yin practice difference between the two can be felt as is a practice that can follow you through an internal process. Your physical body is the whole arc of life and can support other an incredible teacher and so tuning into practices and activities. It teaches you to both what you need and how lean into discomfort and can your body responds to stillabsolutely enhance anyone’s interview By ness is important. practice who might be feeling burnt out or trying to disassojordan schultz CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT ciate from life’s experiences. YOU MEAN BY “EXPLORING AN EDGE” IN YIN? KARI, WHAT IS CURRENTLY INSPIRING The analogy that I like to use is the edge of YOU TO GROW? the Grand Canyon. When I talk to students Right now, my focus for the last year and a and ask them to explore the “edge” of senhalf has been on the process of recovery sation, everyone is going to interpret that from addiction and how that may relate slightly differently. Some students may walk and interrelate to yoga practice, as a way right up to the edge of the Grand Canyon in which people can support their process and dangle by their fingertips of the ledge. into healthy living. I’ve been focusing a lot Others may stay in the car and just peak at on the ideas of self-worth. I have so many the view. Yin is about finding the balance of tools in my toolbox, especially as somean edge, without overdoing it. The yoga mat one who grew up with yoga, but I still is a microcosm of life, it teaches you about look for places that I have disregarded or yourself and shows you about your tendenoverlooked, regarding my own personality cies. Yin is simply another way of exploring traits. I believe in the Kundalini practice and learning about who you are, without the of yoga; that when you practice you heal distraction of a lot of physical movements. the seven generations before you and the seven generations after you. To me, you IS THERE A BIGGER ROLE FOR YIN don’t have to enter a spirit realm or comYOGA IN OUR WORLD TODAY? mune with your ancestors to do this, but Yin Yoga is about seeking stillness and through practicing yoga, you are develbeing comfortable with your own emooping an understanding and transmuting tions and feelings that arise during the some of the things you have inherited so practice. Yin yoga is about exploring the that you don’t pass them down the line. opposites in nature, (light and dark, femiBy doing this, you absolve some of those nine and masculine, sun and moon). places you have come from and honor A lot of current yoga practices have a very your ancestors who did the best they masculine presence to them. Ashtanga, could with what they had. + for example, was born out of wanting to create warriors out of men and instilling a To learn about Kari’s yoga offerings disciplined practice for them to become or upcoming trainings, check out stronger. Yin is perhaps the feminine www.karikwinn.com. energy we need to balance out a lot of

JORDAN SCHULTZ is a Colorado native and long-time resident of Breckenridge, Colorado. She is a licensed social worker, a certified yoga teacher and an avid outdoorswoman. Jordan has experience in nonprofits and teaches for University of Denver. She is passionate about outdoor adventures, yoga and people. Her favorite place to be is outdoors with her husband and two labs. Follow Jordan’s adventures on Instagram at @skichica.

photos by: Meredith Austin

profiles / Studios

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Bhava Yoga

BRECKENRIDGE

enni Frank has been based in Breckenridge for four years, and in that time she’s dedicated a lot of her energy toward teaching studio classes, teacher trainings and other offerings at a few different studios around the county. “About a year ago, my appetite began to shift — I knew that an opportunity to create a bigger impact was on the horizon. I took a very inspiring trip to India and that is where it all ‘became,’” she shares. “During my time there, and from the moment I returned home, all signs led me to the opportunity: create a beautiful and welcoming space where locals and visitors alike can share the best of yoga and wellness. Everything fell into place.” She spent the summer of 2017 curating the vision, the team and the space. “Doors opened in January of this year and we haven't missed a day. I am blown away every time I step into the studio — it's becoming home for so many

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people,” says Frank. “Bhava is a Sanskrit term that translates to mean ‘a state of well-being’ or ‘becoming.’ I feel this fully encapsulates what we hope each individual experiences during their time with us.” WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO BRING TO COLORADO AND THE BRECKENRIDGE COMMUNITY? We're raising the yoga bar! Bhava Yoga is a destination for exceptional yoga and wellness services. Our vision was to create a beautiful space with unparalleled services and an abundant community. We have a variety of offerings for practitioners of all levels. Bhava Yoga is a welcoming space for both locals and visitors to connect and experience the power of a thoughtful, conscious life. We value yoga education and have designed our educational offerings to be dynamic and accessible for many. A stopping place on your yoga journey — no matter where you are!

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY MAKES YOUR SPACE AND YOUR OFFERINGS UNIQUE? Our space is one of a kind. The design was curated with the intention of providing a welcoming and elevating yoga experience. In addition to our weekly yoga and pilates classes, we offer seasonal cleanses (spring and fall) designed by the concepts of Ayurveda (the oldest form of self-care), and enriching yoga education opportunities. We've got an in-house boutique stocked with exclusive yoga apparel, apothecary products from local and afar, craft jewelry, and so much more! Enjoy a cup of kombucha on tap in our cozy lounge space, where you can connect with fellow yogis before and after class. To top it off, we've gathered a team of passionate and seasoned teachers whom invest themselves fully into their teachings, and their personal practice. We did not skip a beat, or a detail, when crafting the space or the program — it's truly something special! WHAT IS COMING UP FOR BHAVA IN 2018? Yoga education is a big passion of mine. We are very excited to launch our 200hour foundational teacher training program in the fall of this year; a comprehensive program that will awaken your appetite for all things yoga and self-evolution. We've got a talented and dedicated group of in-house teachers leading the program who are ready to share the dynamic and ever-evolving practice of yoga! Our intention is to provide an enriching yoga education and exploration into self, nestled in a beautiful mountain setting. +

www.bhavayogaco.com .

profiles / Studios

FORT COLLINS

ven through the uncomfortable moments, physical movement can become a practice of refuge. That’s what Nicole Adams, founder of and teacher at Origin House of Fitness in Fort Collins, has created for her community. “Origin emerged as a safe haven for me as a teacher, but also as a practitioner,” she shares, “to be able to experience fitness and exercise, in a more mindful and accessible way.” Adams says she had a really unfortunate experience in a yoga class in her early 20s, and it is part of what inspired her to create this sacred space. “In short, I had a panic attack, re-lived trauma and the instructor’s response was to turn off the lights and leave me alone,” she shares. “After over 1,000 hours and training and certifications and over a decade of teaching, I’ve discovered that so many teacher trainings, and even teachers, lack

the skills to not only teach a safe and effective class, but also the tools to hold a safe space for a class, and all of the stories or ‘baggage’ attached to those people.” Adams says she initially made it her mission to understand the effects of trauma in the body, and how mindful movement or “exercise” could be used as a tool to understand and heal the mind, body and spirit. “Now, my mission is to teach not only my clients, but also other fitness professionals and educators the power of mindfulness and breath, the confidence and strength that comes from good posture and how to face daily challenges in life with grace,” she shares. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO BRING TO COLORADO AND THE FORT COLLINS FITNESS COMMUNITY? Aside from empowering people to make positive changes in their lives, both on and off of their mats and inspired through my

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY MAKES YOUR SPACE AND YOUR OFFERINGS UNIQUE? Origin’s mission is to make fitness accessible to every body, regardless of age or ability for instance. I also have a different approach to teaching, because of my story and personal experience, and the fact that the general population is becoming increasingly traumatized, I also incorporate trauma-informed care. I begin each one of my classes with a body scan, breath work and intention, and throughout class I educate and empower people to find their own unique alignment in postures and guide them to understand functional movement and muscle activation and engagement. I also address the mind-body connection, how often our minds can wander which can cause us to give up, when we might physically be able to push a little further. I teach people how to work with sensation in their bodies, how to discover the balance between pushing harder versus pushing to a point of self-destruction, and also to honor where their bodies are at, since it’s different day to day. I encourage people to learn and understand when they need to rest or modify and create an environment of safety and trust so people are able to make this decision and not feel embarrassed about it. +

www.originhof.com

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photo by: Jackie Nunnally

Origin House of Fitness

fitness-based classes, I’m really excited to train the next wave of teachers, barre fitness in particular. Barre is currently an unregulated field, meaning that just about anyone can become “certified" and with its popularity in the industry, it’s imperative that the certification process changes. I’m offering the most comprehensive training available to the public in the world, 200 contact hours, and am also in the process of getting my training third party certified. I’m also passionate about educating folks about trauma, and the importance of incorporating trauma informed care into fitness and educational systems. I’m currently working with Foster Care and Family Services to create a curriculum and training for perspective foster families. I hope to then expand my training to fitness professionals and educators.

paid partnership

TUNE OUT TO TUNE IN

oundOff is wireless headphone technology that allows you to tap into your own personal experience using sound without any barriers. This interactive experience helps people access, grow and explore their own inner-space. “We are able to go out into the community and provide uninterrupted engagement for the individual allowing full submersion into your practice whether it be fitness, yoga or meditation,” shares Phillip Galaviz, Colorado territory partner for SoundOff.

Learn more! www.soundoffexperience.com/venue/sound-off-colorado/

The technology allows limitless options for venues or locations, from events in art galleries and parks to rooftops and many other unique venues, SoundOff can help enhance the ability to completely engage yourself into a one-of-a-kind experience. Instructors are always in your ear as a guide, creating the feeling of personal instruction while you participate with a community of like-minded individuals. SoundOff is all about collaboration. It’s easy to reach out to Galaviz and his team of professionals to create a memorable experience at any event, anywhere. “Collaborating with others in our community always seems like the right thing to do and the right thing for my own personal practice,” Galaviz shares. “I want the ethics I carry in my own personal life to be reflected in my business practice. When people can collaborate effectively, anything can be accomplished, and a level of community and trust can be established as well as nourished. Circle your passion and square your conduct, this mantra is the tone I want resonating throughout SoundOff Colorado.” Galaviz and his team work with yoga, wellness, fitness and meditation events all over the state. Experience them at a festival silent disco, or witness a sea of stillness as they bring meditation to the masses. “The community in Denver has been so supportive and kind,” says Galaviz, “and we look forward to the endless possibilities.” +

lifestyle / Books

“TALL TALL TREE”

Get to know Anthony D. Fredericks, author of a new picture book for all ages

HOW CAN WE GROW AND LEARN FROM THE TREES? Resolute sentinels of time, trees consistently engender admiration and affection. Sixty thousand species have been celebrated by generations of botanists (both amateur and professional), as sources of wisdom, sacred beings, metaphors for youth and old age, for their solidity and sagacity, and for their ancestral roots and evolutionary resilience. They have been consulted by holy men, emperors and despots; praised

WHAT IS UNIQUE AND SPECIAL TO TALL TALL TREE? I’ve been writing children’s books about nature for approximately 30 years, not only to help kids find answers to their questions about the world, but also to generate more questions for them to go out and discover. Kids have a natural curiosity, and as a former teacher, I hope to nurture it. When I returned from the amazing Redwoods, I knew there was a story waiting to be written. My visit and research had uncovered a big surprise … there’s an entire world of creatures living high up in these towering trees, in a different climate range, rarely seen by humans! Scientists never believed it until a few people began to climb the titans. Counting up through 10 species, I reveal this magical realm to my audience. A garden in the sky! Chad Wallace’s exquisite color illustrations with hidden animals and shared activities for parents and kids, complete this interactive concept book.

HOW DO TREES INFLUENCE YOUR EVERYDAY? I practice mindfulness on my daily walks through the woods, around the neighborhood, or in a nearly park or forest. Our Pennsylvania home is situated on four wooded acres — a delightful montage of tulip poplar, maple, hickory and oak trees — also safe haven for a menagerie of wild critters and birds. It is our refuge and my retreat. Being among trees brings a mental serenity, a release of tension and a deep awareness of being present and available. Of course, a blue sky day, warm breezes, and humming some Clapton or Credence helps too! SO HOW DO YOU CONTINUE TO GROW YOUR LIFE? We all have the capacity to grow mentally — whether we are a six-year-old child or a 71-year-old author. I’ve always believed that writing is more about the process and less about the product. There is no such thing as the perfect book or, for that matter, the perfect life. There is always a scene or a situation that could use some change or improvement. We are always in process, we are never a perfectly completed project. Those who stop growing, stop living. Like the trees. I want to be a better writer today than I was yesterday. A better writer is engaged in a process … just as is a better person. And so I continue. + — SANDY FERGUSON FULLER

TALL TALL TREE is available directly from Dawn Publications www.dawnpub.com, 1.800.545.7475, online, or your favorite local independent bookstore. Hardcover $16.95; Paperback $8.95.

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Photos courtesy of: Dawn Publications

tand in tree pose. Stretch your limbs high to the sky. Root down. Branch out. Reach up. Stay steady. Strong. Grow your tree. Imagine possibility. What can we learn from the trees? Especially, the Tall Tall Trees, those magnificent coastal Redwoods? Award-winning children’s author Tony Fredericks was so inspired visiting these giants that he created Tall Tall Tree, just released by Dawn Publications. Tony shares with us about their significance and the surprises revealed in his new book.

by commoners and poets; revered by popes and disciples; and admired by commoners across the globe. Trees are graceful, irascible, magnificent, muscular, demure, sanguine, and quite often, just plain awesome. We have built our shelters in them, with them, and among them. In Africa, baobab trees have been used as prisons and classrooms. In Ireland, hollow trees became hermitages for Dark Age monks seeking solitude and penance. In India, fig trees are an embodiment of the human psyche and a dwelling for the gods. And in every civilized country, trees have been revered for their commercial value, environmental luster and visual splendor. They are, without argument, botanical companions and environmental educators.

aspiring Colorado green thumbs and weekend homesteaders. Even if youve successfully grown a gorgeous or edible harvest, Jodi Torpey’s books are go-tos and both belong on your shelf. Jodi shares her Denver home with Ivy, a rescue/shelter mix of Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Dalmatian and some kind of crazy terrier — a genuine sweet hybrid! Although fans of indoor container gardening, they relish the warm summer growing season. Their favorite way to spend the day together? GET OUTSIDE AND DIG! Globe Pequot Press recognized Jodi’s horticultural expertise from published articles and recruited her to write an insider’s guide to gardening in Colorado. “It’s the book I wished I had when I first started gardening,” she says. “Colorado is one of the most challenging places to garden — poor soil, wild weather, little precipitation and intense sunlight. And that’s on a good day and I’m a Colorado native!”

Meet Jodi Torpey: Colorado’s Gardening Guru!

Master Gardener and Award-Winning Author of The Colorado Gardener’s Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Centennial State

PHOTOS COURTESY OF: JODI TORPEY

Blue-Ribbon Vegetable Gardening interview By Sandy Ferguson Fuller

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ave you ever tried to grow a round, red, luscious tomato in your Colorado vegetable garden? Or perhaps chewable broccoli? Or lettuce without deer nibbles? Or here’s one … a full-size gargantuan great Halloween pumpkin?? Do your geraniums and peonies survive the summer? If you answer yes to any or all of the above, you’re ahead of the curve for most

WHAT HAS PROVEN TO BE MOST UNIQUE AND IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS BOOK, NOW IN ITS SECOND EDITION? All gardening is regional — what works in the mountain region is significantly different from successful gardening in the south. A state-specific gardening book is even more useful because it includes the quirks of gardening in the different parts of our beautiful state and offers solutions for overcoming those challenges. WHAT CHANGES/NEW INFORMATION APPEAR IN THE REVISED SECOND EDITION? WHY DID YOU UPDATE? The state-by-state gardening approach proved so successful that Globe Pequot requested a 2014 update. In the second edition, I added more of everything, including expanded plant lists and more how-tos, especially for vegetable gardening, growing in shade, xeriscaping and saving water in the landscape. The book has illustrations, but the front and back cover images, by John Pendleton, were taken in my own late-summer garden. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS TO GROW IN YOUR OWN GARDEN? YOUR VEGETABLES HAVE WON BLUE RIBBONS AT STATE AND COUNTY FAIRS. WHAT

lifestyle / Books

The most beautiful part of my home is the cocktail garden in the backyard. When the weather is warm, it’s the ideal place to relax after work with a cool drink and enjoy the view of the hummingbird feeder and other watchable wildlife in the yard. Butterflies, bees, other insects, squirrels, birds — they all love the cocktail garden, too. SO ABOUT THE WILDLIFE … HOW DO YOU RECOMMEND HUMANS CREATE A SUSTAINABLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEIR GARDENS AND THEIR FAVORITE WILDLIFE? My approach is to live and let live. I’m one of those gardeners who feeds squirrels and plants extra to share with them instead of trying to keep them out of the garden. Planting choices can make a difference, too. For example, there are ornamental plants that deer will resist. I always recommend 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants by Ruth Rogers Clausen. Colorado State University Extension (Fort Collins) also has many free resources for dealing with wildlife in the landscape.

IN ADDITION TO THE REVISED THE COLORADO GARDENER’S COMPANION FROM GLOBE PEQUOT, YOU RECENTLY PUBLISHED BLUE-RIBBON VEGETABLE GARDENING WITH STOREY PUBLISHING … BOTH BOOKS ARE AWARD-WINNERS. YOU’RE TOPS IN THE FIELD! ANY SIMPLE TIPS? I garden by the master gardener mantra of “put the right plant in the right place” to give plants the best conditions for success. High altitude gardeners can grow juicy red tomatoes, but it takes the right kind of tomato seeds and some extra work. I avoid plants that I know will be too fussy or require too much care. I have a small garden bed where I grow heirloom tomatoes, but I prefer to grow the rest of

my fruits, vegetables and herbs in containers on the patio. HOW DO YOU NURTURE YOURSELF AND OTHERS? For starters, lots of fresh fruit in season and hot Earl Grey tea! Next, gardening is a meditation because the simple act of placing a plant or seed in the soil relaxes the mind by focusing on the task at hand. There’s a growing body of research that shows the health benefits of gardening, plus if you grow your own organic produce, it adds creativity to your cooking, too. I’ve become an expert at small-batch preserving with the produce I grow. I’m passionate about helping others learn how to grow their own food — and then share the extra with others.

HOW DO YOU CONTINUE TO GROW YOUR DAILY LIFE? Open mind, open heart, open attitude. And wrap me in green … my favorite color! +

Jodi Torpey’s writing appears on her www.westerngardeners.com website and in many other home and garden digital and print media. The Colorado Gardener’s Companion: ($16.95) and Blue-Ribbon Vegetable Gardening ($16.95) are both available directly from the publishers, online or from your favorite independent bookstore.

SANDY FERGUSON FULLER began her children's book career over 40 years ago as a student of Maurice Sendak at Yale University. Once introduced, the picture book genre captivated her imagination with its unique blend of story and illustration. She is an international literary agent, editorial consultant, bookseller, author and illustrator. Her life’s work has exposed her to a wealth of ideas and wonder. She hopes that her own books, as well as those she has helped others to publish, will touch many souls, young and old. www.alparts.com

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Photo by: JOHN PENDLETON

ARE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL? I covet the Rose Monster, a John Cabot climbing rose that covers the arbor leading to the backyard. It’s massive and glorious in June when covered with pink, fragrant roses. I also love to grow heirloom tomatoes (especially Black Krim), all kinds of hot chile peppers, unusual eggplants, squashes and culinary herbs (especially basil). And it’s fun to experiment with drought-hardy plants to see what will survive in the xeriscape.

lifestyle / Art

Sculpting Yoga J

Jane DeDecker’s art shares the energy of the practice

By Kim Fuller owner + Editor in Chief

ane DeDecker knew from an early age that she was going to be an artist. Based in Loveland, Colorado, DeDecker says her mother tells the story of how she would let a very young DeDecker draw on her bedroom wall, and how she won the Deep River District Art Contest before she could even write her name. “Drawing has been a release since childhood,” she shares. “The human form and human nature are infinite sources of inspiration for me. Every creative thought comes back to life and living life.” DeDecker started practicing yoga 20 years ago. “I remember driving home every day by a family of cottonwood trees,” she says. “I was drawn by the way they were like siblings, their branches finding and stretching their way toward the sun. Yoga seems so elementally tied to all forces of nature, and a way to look inward at our place in the harmony of things.” She practices at home with videos and magazine sequences. “I find poses that speak to me at certain stages of my life — from bearing four kids, repetitive injuries, and just plain getting older,” DeDecker says. “Not just physically, but emotionally as well. Warrior pose makes me feel so empowered, when at times I feel defeated. Yoga covers so many bases.” When you look at her yoga sculptures, DeDecker hopes you see the strokes of clay, the energy and the mailability of the human form. “The sequence in which I develop and sculpt a human form begins with the spine, followed by the hip carriage, the legs and balance. The cranium speaks the intent. Most importantly follows my favorite body part, the rib cage — the beautiful bell shape that holds our breath, our heart.” In every piece, she explains, she tries to leave some of the beginning strokes of clay, and retain in the layers the process and discovery. “The process is very much like a yoga practice,” she says. “When there is a discovery in my practice, or a tie to my life story, a yoga sculpture will emerge. “I can never be sure what will strike an idea,” DeDecker adds. “I keep open to all possibilities as I navigate, perceive and digest the circumstances that life brings.” +

www.janededecker.com

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lifestyle / Art

A By Kaity Rose

HOW TO MAKE

Your Own Mala

mala is a sacred garland of 108 beads used in Buddhism and Hinduism for japa: meditation with mantra. Rudraksha and lotus seed malas have been used for thousands of years by yoga practitioners in India for counting mantras during meditation and increasing shakti, spiritual power. Mala beads are a form of protection from negativity on the spiritual path and serve as a connection to positive and divine frequencies of energy. Malas are a powerful, tangible reminder to come back to the present moment and align with a mantra, affirmation or intention. In yoga, 108 is a sacred number that reflects the essence of all life. It is a symbol of spiritual completion, similar to the sound of “Om.” By reciting mantra in rounds of 108, we align ourselves with the natural rhythm and sacred geometry of creation. When we create our own mala, we amplify the power of our yoga practice. Knot by knot, we imbue the mala with personal intention and healing energy. Making a mala takes practice and patience. However, once you’ve created your own mala, you will have a set of sacred beads bonded to your intention and your energy, which can then serve as a potent foundation for your practice. +

MATERIALS • 108 6-8mm beads. Choose from semi-precious stone, rudraksha or wood • 2-3 arm lengths of 1mm waxed, hemp, or nylon cord • 1 tassel • 1 guru bead, large enough to fit two strands of 1mm cord through its opening • Quick-dry glue • Round-nose pliers • Scissors • Optional: 3 counter beads of a different shape or texture from your 108 bead • Optional: beading needle

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DIRECTIONS 1 Gather your materials and pause for a moment. Reflect on the qualities of energy you want to grow and nurture in your life. Choose a mantra, intention or affirmation to support that.

3 2

2 String your cord through the “eye” of your tassel, and pull the cord until it is equal length on both sides. Knot the tassel in place. Use a needle to bring the cord through the tassel, if necessary. 3 String both sides of the cord through the guru bead and secure with a knot. 4 Add 27 of your beads and one counter bead to one side. Add 27 more, totaling 54 beads. 5 To begin knotting, slide the first bead close to the knot above the guru bead. Create a “pretzel loop” with the string. Take your pliers and bring the nose through the pretzel loop, gripping the cord directly above the first bead. Tighten the knot around the pliers so it lands directly above the bead. Slide the pliers out and tighten the knot against the bead.

4 5

6 Slide the second bead directly above the knot you just created. Repeat the process above for the remaining beads on this side of the cord. Leave the 54th bead unknotted. 7 As you get comfortable with knotting, you may wish to repeat your mantra, intention or affirmation with each knot that you tie, imbuing your mala with its energy. 8 Repeat steps 4-7 on the second side of cord. If using counter beads, tie a knot after the 54th bead and add the final counter bead unknotted.

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9 Knot the two loose ends of string together, completing the circuit of beads. Secure the final knot with glue. 10 Once the glue dries, activate your mala by holding it between your hands in prayer position, infusing love and healing light into the beads. 11 Cleanse and charge your mala by placing it in view of the full moon each month.

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KAITY ROSE (C-IAYT, RYT-500, ERYT-200, TIYT) teaches empowering yoga classes that focus on deepening connection to body, mind and life-force. Offering therapeutic yoga workshops, privates and retreats all across the globe, Kaity meets students where they are to create meaningful transformation and healing. She received her advanced credentials in Yoga Therapy through studying with Kripalu, Naropa University, and Integrative Yoga Therapy. Her Yoga Therapy sessions, classes, workshops and retreats are designed as guided journeys of selfdiscovery intended to bring more balance, harmony and peace of mind.

lifestyle / CO Community

COLORADO PLANT-LOVING EATERIES

Eat green + clean

Zeal

1710 Pearl St, Boulder Casual, stylish spot with a healthconscious menu of organic global dishes plus juices + cocktails. www.zealfood.com

Shine Restaurant & Potion Bar

2480 Canyon Blvd, Boulder Paleo, vegetarian & gluten-free dishes plus cocktails with herbal tonics in a lively setting. www.shineboulder.com

Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant

2010 16th St, Boulder Hip, compact locale that features eclectic vegetarian, vegan + gluten-free dishes plus organic wine. www.leafvegetarianrestaurant.com

The Corner Beet

1401 N Ogden St, Denver Set in an airy industrial storefront, this cafe offers cold-pressed juices + light vegetarian fare. www.cornerbeet.com

Watercourse Foods

837 E 17th Ave, Denver A cute cafe space with Watership Down-inspired murals sets the scene for vegetarian dishes. www.watercoursefoods.com

City O’ City

206 E 13th Ave, Denver Bohemian hangout dishing up high-concept vegetarian fare to meat + plant eaters alike. www.cityocitydenver.com

The Gold Leaf Collective

120 W Laurel St, Fort Collins A vegetarian + vegan eatery specializing in 100-percent plant-based, hyper-locally sourced and foraged dishes. www.thegoldleafcollective.com

Green Elephant Juicery

Locally produced cold pressed juice and organic fresh food with a mission to make it easy for people to eat healthy foods. www.greenelephantjuicery.com

Piante Pizzeria

520 S Main St #3M, Breckenridge Vegan pizzas with many local ingredients, plus beer + wine, in a cozy, rustic-chic setting. www.piantepizzeria.com

Rootz

737 Lincoln Ave, Steamboat Springs Vegan, vegetarian + gluten-free sandwiches & smoothies served in a funky, art-filled cafe. www.rootzcafe.com

Adam’s Mountain Cafe

26 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs Homey bar + eatery since 1985 with local art preparing mainly vegetarian dishes and homemade desserts. www.adamsmountaincafe.com

Thrive

Photo by: matthias heil

1509 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder Health-focused, vibrantly colored eatery preparing organic vegan dishes, desserts + smoothies. www.thriveraw.com

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COLOR ADO

Non-profit Spotlight

Growe Foundation

lanting the seed in children’s education, the Growe Foundation believes in hands-on learning to empower children through clean eating and environmental sustainability. This Boulder-based organization is at the forefront of an educational movement using gardens as living classrooms. The Growe Foundation develops online lesson plans that not only grow students’ connection to mind and body, but contain Colorado State Standards approved subjects like math and science that are applied directly into the garden. “Through the hands-on learning, what students learn in the garden has real-life application,” says Lisa Atallah, executive director. “Children don’t only understand, but embrace it.” Founded by New Zealand native Bryce Brown in 2006, the nonprofit brings its Garden to Table educational program to 19 schools across the Boulder Valley School District, and one self-sufficient Denver public elementary school. The

implementation process varies off of each school’s needs, but routinely consists of providing tools to install and upkeep a school garden, and also the online lesson plans teachers use for their classes. Based off a survey funded by the City of Boulder Health Equity program, student test scores have risen across the board from the experiential learning program. “There is a huge health problem with people not understanding what they are putting into their bodies,” says Atallah. Children are being fed advertisements in the media that are detrimental to their health. According to statistics provided on Growe’s website, 98 percent of the $2 billion in food and beverage advertisements viewed by children are for products that are high in fat, sugar or sodium. Transforming students’ connection to food by having direct contact with its growth and harvest process has lasting results. “Impacting their understanding at an early age sets a healthy life pattern for how they will live and eat,” says Atallah. “There is a lot

behind our eating choices.” The goal is for students to implement what they learn at school to their home life through practices such as composting, preparing fruits and vegetables in the kitchen and, most importantly, compassion. A major value for this organization is a zero waste principle; Flatirons Elementary School donated 128 pounds of food after their harvest to Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA), a local organization devoted to helping community members experiencing food scarcity. It’s a win-win: there is not only more than enough food for the children, but extra to be donated to the community. Student’s also learn economics as they build community in an academic setting. Many schools choose to partake in Fall Harvest at the Boulder Farmers Market, where students price and sell their vegetables to local community members. With sponsors like Whole Foods, results have shown success thus far: 93 percent of 4th graders say the garden nutrition lesson motivated them to try eat more fruits and vegetables and 98 percent of 5th graders say that climate lesson in the garden helped them care more about the environment in a 2012 survey. Growe is always looking for more support from volunteers or donations. Their annual fall fundraising event, Savor & Sample: A Growe Garden Gala, is a night for parents and community members to unite and raise money for their schools' gardens. Local restaurants serve garden-focused food and all ticket sales directly fund the Garden to Table Program. + — LEXI REICH

Check out volunteer opportunities and the fundraiser event at www.growefoundation.org or contact Lisa@growefoundation.org.

lifestyle / CO Community

DURANGO'S SEED STUDIO:

By Joy Martin

ith the chime of a bell, Kathryn Samaltanos calls her class of 6 to 12-year-olds to order, and the kids fall silent. They come into a comfortable seat on their mats, close down their eyelids and start to breathe mindfully. "Miss Kathryn," as they call her, guides them through a few yoga poses and then a

few minutes of meditation. You read that right: imagine a 6-year-old meditating. Sure, they squirm, says Samaltanos, co-owner of Durango's Seed Studio, but, with a bit of practice (and maybe a gold-star sticker incentive), these kids progress from sitting still for three minutes to nearly 30 minutes. Do they even know what they're doing?

"In meditation, you just sit, and, in yoga, you do poses," says 9-year-old student, Charlee Bourdon. "Yoga is a way to get your energy out. Meditation is, like, a way to calm me down and get ready to do art." This simple practice lays the groundwork for the Seed Studio concept, which is rooted in the idea of planting, "seeds of creativity and mindfulness through art, yoga, meditation and play, while fostering an awareness of the importance of living in balance with nature." Charlee has been attending the Seed Studio's program, Lotus Girls, for eight weeks. Raised in Alaska by two rad parents from New Mexico, Charlee is pretty hip for a 9-year-old. She's already experienced #vanlife and is a budding artist, yogi and vegetarian of her own choosing. "[The Seed Studio is] important because it's a place to be safe and be yourself," says Charlee. "It's full of inspiration." Her mom, Sarah, was drawn to the art aspect of the Seed Studio for Charlee and, on a practical note, loves that the studio is reasonably priced, has a student-to-teacher ratio of 8:1 and holds hours until 5 p.m. during school holidays and on teacher workdays. Since Charlee started going, Sarah is now equally sold on the yoga and meditation pieces of the program, thanks in large part to the down-to-earth approachability of the Studio's two owners, Samaltanos and Heidi Craw. The Seed Studio was founded in 2011 by these two laidback, art-loving, yoga-practicing moms. When Samaltanos was 6 years old, she remembers dressing up in her "workout" outfit of leotard tights and joining her mom for a yoga class. It was the 1970s, so yoga was just becoming a part of the fitness industry. For Samaltanos and her little sister, yoga became a source for party tricks to share at the neighborhood pool, as in, "let's get in lotus pose and swim across the pool."

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Photos by: Kathryn Samaltanos

Growing Mindful Children

"It was just a seed being planted," says Samaltanos of those early yoga memories. After a 20-year hiatus, Samaltanos came back to her mat as a college student at the University of Georgia in Athens. Yoga shifted her world during this time, she says, and she's spent the last few decades growing as a certified yoga and meditation instructor, holistic body worker and sound therapist. Meanwhile, Craw hasn't stopped drawing since she could hold a crayon. Born and raised in Colorado, the smiling artist rolled straight from earning a Fine Arts degree from Fort Lewis College into teaching art to kids. "Art is a release," says Craw. "It allows you to express your shadow side without being weird or scared." When Craw met Samaltanos, Craw had a 5-year-old daughter and Samaltanos, a 5-year-old son. The moms were both teaching art and yoga respectively at a local school. It was apparent to them that yoga and art were promising seeds when planted into youngsters lives, so they made the bold move to step out on their own to start the Seed Studio. Seven years later, they've grown the homespun project to include workshops, summer camps and programs managed as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. While most programs welcome ages six to 12, their Seedlings program is tailored to 4- and 5-year-olds. On the other end of the spectrum, middle- and high-school-aged kids serve as mentors or Leaders in Training. The art portion of the Seed Studio isn't just a free-range, follow-your-heart teaching style. Rather, students are introduced to art methods and techniques using oil pastels, liquid watercolors, acrylic paints and heavyweight paper. They're taught responsibility in how to use and clean these tools properly. Whenever possible, the teachers incorporate reusable recycling materials, cultivating an awareness that old things can be up-cycled instead of throwing them away because, as Craw points out, "there is no 'away.'" While some after-school Seed Studio programs focus on shorter projects, weeklong summer camps have them woven throughout the days, with students working on "process art" that culminates with an art show at the end of the week. The teachers guide the classes to use the same media, but

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each kid comes up with their own concept, so that a papier mache creation could end up being a unicorn, eyeball or a dragon. "Nature isn't 'instant gratification,' so the kids explore 'process art,'" says Craw. "It's a beautiful unfolding." The yin to Durango's yang, the Seed Studio provides a healthy balance to our hyperactive community of mountain bikers, skiers, runners and doers. Kids are exposed to plenty of competitive opportunities, so it's important for them to also tap into their breath, their self-expression, their "shadow side," as Craw calls it. "Is there a rule book that says we have to be so serious, so competitive?" asks Craw. "Who makes up the rules? We — adults — make them up. Throw them away. Lighten up. Choose to be happy. It's never too late to start yoga or do an art class. And, if you're having problems figuring it out, spend some time outside in the dirt under a tree, and it'll come to you." While it's wildly encouraging to hear that kid-centric programs like the Seed Studio are popping up across our fertile mountain towns, there's definitely a demand coming from adults, with parents almost jealously dropping their kids off for a day of yoga, art and playtime outside. Why can't we go to summer camp and spend our days meditating and coloring? In our most bitter moments, we might sigh, remembering George Bernard Shaw's sentiment that "youth is the most beautiful thing in this world — and what a pity that it has to be wasted on children!" But the challenge should be to repeat Teddy Roosevelt's mantra that "comparison is the thief of joy." We should celebrate that kids and their inherent openness are getting exposed to these seeds of self-expression and mindfulness. Imagine what the world would be like if we'd had this kind of option growing up, if we'd entered middle school feeling okay

with our emotions and surging hormones. "We're trying to get these tools in now before they hit that individuation," says Craw. "If we do that, then we've done something good." +

The Seed Studio offers half-day, full-day and week-long programs throughout the year. For more information on how to enroll your kid into an upcoming Seed Studio program, check out their website at www.seedstudiokids.org.

JOY MARTIN is a freelance writer based out of Durango, Colorado, where paradise looks a little more like Rocky Mountain high, and pineapples aren't really that fresh. She's grateful for humble teachers with a good sense of humor and looks forward to learning more from them as her own teaching journey unfolds. For more on Joy, checkout www.joydotdot.com.

lifestyle / CO Community

COLOR ADO

Business Spotlight

VAIL VALLEY CULTIVATIONS TOUR DE FARMS BIKE TOUR EXPANDS, AUGUST 2018

ail Valley Cultivations is a licensed indoor recreational marijuana farm that sells flower to retail dispensaries. The grow operation is Certified Kind, an organic certification for cannabis growers and processors. “Our organic grow methods meet and exceed standards set by the National Organic Program,” explains Nate Lowe, cultivation manager and co-owner. “When federal programs will let us into their organic programs, we already qualify for their standards set in USDA Organic Certification.” Lowe says the business focuses on growing the best organic flower for their customers. "We are staunch believers in organic and sustainable farming practices, and love

the expression of the cannabis plant when grown in soil with organic inputs,” shares Lowe. “We get great feedback from our customers and a repeated comment is that they experience a ‘clean’ effect. Vail Valley Cultivations is one of two certified growers in the state of Colorado.” Expansion is the next step for Vail Valley Cultivations. Lowe says the facility has room to grow and a buildout for another flower room is the plan for later this year. “We are always testing and trialing — testing new strains, testing different organic methods and inputs,” he says. +

Follow the business on Instagram at @vailvalleycultivations.

Tour De Farms, hosted by Mt. Sopris Conservation District, is a day-long road bike tour stopping at the working gardens and farms of Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS), Flying Dog, Nieslanik Farms, and Roaring Gardens. For 2018, more farms will be included as this event grows in popularity. Riders head out from Carbondale early in the morning and enjoy road-rides of 17 miles between each farm before ending up at a Carbondale eatery for a lunch serving local produce, beef, and beverages from surrounding farmers and producers. The ride is family-friendly and riders of all abilities are encouraged! Pricing is $25 single, $65 family of three, $85 family of four, which includes the fully supported ride, lunch, t-shirt. For booking and more information visit

www.mountsopriscd.org

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Photos courtesy of: vail valley cultivations

Vail Valley business grows wholesale organic cannabis

The ultimate local farm tour on wheels takes place in and around Carbondale, August 11, 2018.

The bold, stylish + germ-resistant way to protect your yoga gear. And you. THEPUREBAG.COM

Eco-concious Active Wear

Created in Colorado Hand-made in Canada Win a FREE Pair of Yoga Leggings

Visit our website and tell us which leggings you love and why and you are entered! Enter by November 30, 2018

www.lillianbfashions.com • @lillianbfashions.com • distributor inquries welcome

lifestyle / Colorado Escapes

By julia clarke

telluride: heaven on earth

9 A.M. Salute the San Juans

Shake off the long drive with a yoga class at Telluride Yoga Center. This sunny space in the heart of town opened its doors in 1999 and with morning classes ranging from creative Prana Vinyasa Flow to classical

Ashtanga and Slow Flow, there’s something for everyone.

10:30 A.M. Fuel Up at The Butcher

& Baker Cafe

Opened unsurprisingly by a butcher and a baker, this hot spot is such a favorite they’ve moved to a bigger location to accommodate the throngs of hungry mountain folk seeking hearty fare. Their expertise lies in sourcing local, handcrafted and sustainable ingredients to create plates that are classic but inspired. Don’t miss the chilaquiles!

1 P.M. Paddle on Priest Lake

This adventure starts with an epic eightmile gondola ride featuring stunning views all the way to Mountain Village where the team at BootDoctors will take you Stand Up Paddle boarding on a pristine alpine lake, only 20 minutes from town but refreshingly free of cell service.

5 P.M. Après with the Locals

Conveniently awaiting you at the bottom of the gondola is Cosmopolitan where you can saddle up to the bar for happy hour. The regulars will prod you to try a local favorite, “The Flatliner,” a tasty blend of vodka, espresso, Baileys and Kahlua that has likely been the unfortunate demise of many unsuspecting tourists.

6 P.M. Dine at the Ranch

Telluride Sleighs & Wagons will pick you up for an enchanting horse driven wagon ride up to Aldasoro Ranch where you’ll watch the sun set behind the San Juans with a glass of wine, learn the rich history of the area, and dine family-style in a tent on charcuterie, sirloin and roasted local vegetables. The ranch has been in the Aldasoro family since the 1920s when they immigrated from Spain’s Basque Country and found the San Juans to be just like home. +

JULIA CLARKE, E-RYT 500 and MS Ayurveda & Integrative Medicine, hails from Scotland and found the rugged Rocky Mountains of Colorado just enough like home to move here in 2009. She is the cofounder of Mountain Soul Yoga in Edwards, CO and a faculty member at the Colorado School of Yoga. In her free time, you can find her exploring Colorado's endless playground on foot, ski, bike or belay, or traveling the world.

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Photo courtesy of: julia clarke

“

If Telluride ain’t Heaven, then Heaven can wait.” These words by American jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie are often proudly repeated by the locals around this quintessential Southwest Colorado town; and somehow, they’re not an overstatement. Telluride feels like the reason we all moved to Colorado: steep tree-lined canyon walls peppered with abandoned silver mines, the tumbling 365’ Bridal Veil Falls crowned by the stately peaks of the San Juans, and picturesque Main Street lined with modern eateries and landmark buildings housed within quaint Victorian architecture. It’s equal parts tranquil and dazzling, wild west and chic, where you can get lost on mountain trails and rub elbows with A Listers over an elegant meal. The best part? It’s well off the beaten track. Despite record ski and festival crowds, at a six-hour drive from Denver, and without a major highway in sight, Telluride offers a true retreat for Coloradans who want to get away but, well, don’t really want to leave Colorado. Take a road trip in shoulder season or during the week and find paradise.

lifestyle / Colorado Escapes

madeline hotel

telluride free gondola

madeline hotel

TRUE NATURE HEALING ARTS

STAY OVERNIGHT Telluride guests can gain some more elevation and stay in Mountain Village (above Telluride the town, accessed via a fun and free gondola). For those looking for Rocky Mountain luxury should book the Madeline Hotel. This “treat yourself” choice has top-tier amenities, a rooftop pool and delicious on-site dining. Unwind from the day’s adventure in a private living space that surrounds you with alpine-inspired design, soothing luxuries and breathtaking mountain vistas.

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Located in Carbondale, Colorado, True Nature just opened a new KIVA Events Center and luxury spa. Located in the beautiful Roaring Fork Valley at the base of 13,000 ft. Mt. Sopris, the destination now has a unique intentional space for sharing yoga, meditation, Vedanta, music, dance, personal growth and educational lectures, along with the property’s already impeccable architecture, Peace Garden, boutique, organic cafe and a full schedule of classes that truly inspire. Create your own personal retreat or participate in one of their many offerings.

www.truenaturehealingarts.com

Photos courtesy of: true nature healing arts

An inspirational retreat center for personal growth in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

lifestyle / Colorado Escapes

Garden of the Gods Collection

Health + wellness practices shine new light on this legacy property in Colorado Springs By Kim Fuller owner + Editor in Chief

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ardens have a way of inviting attention. Usually planned spaces, and most often outdoors, they are a display and cultivation of plants or another form of nature. For anyone who has looked upon Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, the red rock sandstone formations set against Pikes Peak are a prominent reminder of true natural beauty and inspiring spiritual energy. You can visit the magnificent landmark with free admission, and there’s another really special way to enjoy. Garden of the Gods Collection is a private club and luxury resort of nearly 70 years, and has recently opened a new spa and the International Health & Wellness Center. Here, a team of board-certified physicians work alongside other respected clinicians and an executive health coaching team to empower clients to take a proactive approach to their own healthcare, obtain optimal health and enjoy their lives to their fullest potential. After a tour of the beautiful new facility, I went in for energy work with Dr. Charlene Wang, a holistic registered dietitian and professor of nutrition, health and wellness. She helps improve the health of her clients by focusing on optimal nutrition for wellness and disease prevention. The treatment was energetically stimulating followed by a fascinating conversation with Dr. Wang about personal practices I can follow regularly to reduce tension and inflammation. The International Health & Wellness Center visit was directly followed with a grounding and luxurious Cleopatra Milk & Honey Float at the spa, which included a cocoon-like experience into a weightless water bed. Every minute in this blissful treatment seemed to clear away any fragments of stress within my body, and it created the space I needed to truly settle into the Garden of the Gods Collection for a few days. For those staying overnight, each guest room features its own private balcony or patio showcasing views of Garden of the Gods Park, with just-like-home additions that include a fireplace and refrigerator. Guests can enjoy actives like golf, tennis and swimming, and it’s easy to take full advantage of the facility’s new state-of-the-art fitness center and daily group classes. For meals, choose between several establishments, including the Grandview Dining Room that overlooks the stunning Garden of the Gods red rock formations and a towering Pikes Peak, and The Rocks Bar & Lounge, a popular spot to mingle and sip on craft cocktails made with fresh ingredients and local spirits alongside delicious fare, such as truffle french fries and Sweet Water Ranch bison sliders. Most mornings, I enjoyed breakfast at Beach & Cable, located within the Grandview Building which houses the Spa and International Health & Wellness Center. Great coffee and fresh morning pastries, including decadent bacon cheddar scones, are available alongside healthy green smoothies. I also enjoyed breakfast in the room one morning, and it was a delight to quietly savor the meal while witnessing the morning sun strike the incredible red rocks. Every day spent at Garden of the Gods Collection becomes a physical and spiritual rejuvenation. If I could gaze upon or walk through this incredible natural haven every day, I would, but for now, the memory of my lovely time in this place still sparks a reminder of why to always follow a path of joy and vitality. +

A P PA R E L . C O M

www.gardenofthegodsclub.com

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lifestyle / Travel

out in africa By JAY RUSH

catch myself staring at the long, curved, white objects positioned over the doorway from the foyer into the dining room of our friend’s home. My eyes wander around the ornate, colorful walls, the private alter replete with intricate tapestries, small statuettes and figurines of Indian deities adorn the walls and shelves. I recognize Ganesh, Shiva and a handful of others. I smile back at his mother and grandmother as they welcome us into their home, third and fourth generation Kenyans, daughters and granddaughters of immigrants, young and luminous in appearance. I look back at the objects above the entryway, my mind registering that “these should not be here” and at the same time acknowledging that I might not know what I do not know, that there may be something older at play, a deeper cultural phenomenon perhaps. We chatter over breakfast, dal and mo-

mos, colorful pastries laced with small talk. I sip coffee from delicate china as my friend’s mother insists on more cream, more sugar. Hers is a dutiful demeanor, not overly doting but born from an obligation, without fail, to a guest in her home. I am struck by the feeling of foundation, of deep roots, a family that has thrived in a city I had never visited, in a country I had never seen, on a continent I had only ever traced with my thumb on a cardboard globe. Later that week, as we drive through the city, I reflect on that morning: the piercing intellect in our hosts’ eyes even as we tiptoed around mundane, formal delicacy. The big, black Rottweiler tethered to the run in the backyard, conspicuously positioned between the nine-foot tall cinder block walls that form the perimeter of the property and the back door. Finally, back to the lustrous ivory crescents that hang proudly above the

floor. My head swims. Sitting next to me in the back seat, our friend Jakob adjusts his robes as he peers commandingly from the car into the swarming mass of pedestrians in downtown Nairobi. I am still processing this confluence of culture and impossibility in the fifth largest city in Africa as he calls out to a slender man dressed in street clothes hawking his wares on the corner. I wonder how he knows that this man is Masai too, how he can pick him out from the other tribes that have come to the city, the allure of money and opportunity a beacon for the rural masses. They click and clatter amiably, Jakob in his colorful shuka, row upon row of bracelets shimmering on his wrists as he traces the air with long fingers. We drive past the footprint of the flat mass of Kibera on the way to a small airport. Kibera is the city within the city, the slum that is home to

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a sixth of the population of Nairobi, by some estimates a million people. Tin roofs and tar paper walls blur past our windows as we take turns wondering about the daily lives of its inhabitants. This is the juxtaposition of poor urban planning, yes, but also a voice to the power of the people that call it home. I am not at all sure that most of its citizens despise it, that they may in fact find comfort in its aura and permanence. From the airfield, our small plane traces a line out of the city over the creeping tendrils of suburbs that stretch into the green farmlands that line the Great Rift, the abrupt geological steppe that opens into a massive valley that comprises the Mara, the Northern portion of the famous savannah of the Serengeti. We bounce from one tiny landing strip to another until, cruising over the fleeing haunches of a herd of zebra, we land. And then we are alone, sitting at a picnic table next to an army green shack from whence a radio antenna protrudes, bouncing gently in the calm, warm air. I wish I had a cigarette, something I can roll and light and kill the passing minutes. In the distance an arboreal silhouette strides interminable steps, yards at a time, the distance making the motion surreal. Even from a mile away, the giraffe seems enormous. Our guide arrives in the ubiquitous Land Rover, all smiles as he loads our bags into the truck and we roar toward the camp nestled in the bend of the river where countless hippos frolic and thunder nearby. A quick tour of our tented home for the next week reveals classic colonial effects: linen drapes open to a corridor through the jungle to the river below, yellow weaver birds flit industriously in and out of view. Clean white sheets on a big bed, a nightstand with a handheld radio, an exotic hardwood desk where some Hemingway-esque figure might have written correspondence in an earlier time. Outside, a gleaming, stand alone porcelain tub on a platform beckons. We meet one of the camp guards, a Masai, who carries a long bamboo stick. For hippos, he says. What happens if we see a hippo? Every man for himself, he laughs. We drive out to animals that night, just before dusk. As we crest the apex of a gradual slope overlooking the valley below, our driver stops and kills the engine. The air is still and quiet as the tall golden grass

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glows in the twilight. We take a collective breath as our eyes adjust to the fading light. Then a slight rustle and a shape appears in our periphery, followed by other shapes. Muscular forms cruise like ships in the night, a flotilla of deadly grace, a pride of lions intent and ghostly as they pass. Lips curl gently to the night air, an occasional glance in our direction, and then they are feet from the truck. Most striking perhaps, is that the entire pride, fourteen cats, flows in unison. No step out of place, muscles elongate powerfully, forms low and casual, confident in command of their dominion. And then they are gone, as quickly as they appeared.

on full display at every turn: A cyclone of buzzards wheeling overhead directs us to a fresh lion kill, since abandoned and then reclaimed by a healthy, spotted hyena neck deep in the body cavity of a fallen topi. We watch him work until he prances proudly away with the still intact heart in his powerful jaws. We ponder a lone bull elephant as he searches for shade in the hot afternoon sun, a leviathan upon the horizon. Hippos the size of propane storage tanks loll in the marshes. Leopards stalk gazelle. A cheetah intently lines up an antelope for a high speed chase, accelerates in a blink, dust flies, only to be thwarted at the last sec-

Muscular forms cruise like ships in the night, a flotilla of deadly grace, a pride of lions intent and ghostly as they pass. Lips curl gently to the night air, an occasional glance in our direction, and then they are feet from the truck. Most striking perhaps, is that the entire pride, fourteen cats, flows in unison. Dinner could be award-winning, here in the bush of all places, French in execution and impeccable. I wonder if I have traversed into aristocracy, and the thought bothers me. At night, a lion lows in the distance, a deep guttural statement that echoes through the river valley, almost too close for canvas walls. I cannot sleep, the sounds and the smells permeate a fever brain with excitement for tomorrow’s safari. In the morning our Masai sentinel walks us to breakfast, pointing out flattened vegetation where big animals crashed through the underbrush as we rested. The next day brings once-in-a-lifetime sightings, the beauty and cruelty of nature

ond when a large topi charges from a dirt mound and interrupts her trajectory. Every instant is a relic of pre-human natural history, in stark contrast to the steel towers, cell phones and teeming masses of the nearest cities. These occurrences, the ones we read about in children’s books and watched on documentaries, are mere clips in the lives of the most iconic mammals yet laden with consequence.They happen exactly as I imagined they would. This is, after all, one of the last places on earth where the vast migrations, the nail-biting predator-upon-prey dynamic, the breathtaking majesty of great creatures still exists on its own terms. +

JAY RUSH is a freelance writer and photographer. He lives in Vail, Colorado, with his wife Rachel, son Odin, and two corgi-ish mutts. He can be reached at www.jayrushphoto.com, email jay@jayrushphoto.com, or follow him on Instagram at @alpine_photo_studio

lifestyle / What We Love

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1. Arc’teryx Andra Coat Light enough for summer showers, protective enough for driving winter rain, this coat provides waterproof, breathable protection from city storms. The length provides extended coverage and the hood adjusts for a custom fit. $600 www.arcteryx.com

3. Mystery Ranch Bindle Bag A clean, unadorned shoulder bag tote. Two interior, zippered pockets provide secure storage for small items while the main bag closes with a snap. A seatbelt web shoulder strap spreads the weight for long-haul rambles. $65 www.mysteryranch.com

2. Blue Planet Eyewear Amador Oceana Chic pilot polarized sunglass featuring Natural Beechwood temples and 100-percent UVA/UVB polarized Lenses. Includes a woven case and cleaning cloth. $55 www.blueplaneteyewear.com

4. Edifer MP100 Mini Bluetooth Speaker A fully featured ultra portable Bluetooth speaker is small yet powerful, with 20-hour battery life and a dust and splash proof exterior. $29.99 www.edifier.com

5. Loll Designs Minimalist Dog Bowl This double dog bowl is made from recycled plastic with no finish or paint, which means it won’t flake off into your pooch’s water. What’s

more, its dishwasher safe for a squeaky clean both you and your pup will appreciate. $169 www.lolldesigns.com 6. Gili Yoga Mat Bag Handmade in Colorado, this bag is made from repurposed vinyl mesh and is waterproof, stainproof and ventilated. $40 www.gilibags.com 7. Uashmama Washable Paper Bags Washable paper bag made using a virgin fiber from cultivation and not through deforestation. The perfect organic storage solution that looks and feels like leather but is environmentally sustainable. $17 www.uashmama.com

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8. State Bicycle Co. Hanzo This bike is versatile and tough, yet classic at the same time. It's built on a durable steel frame in a classic hi-gloss red finish, chrome components, a flip-flop hub for freewheel or fixed-gear riding, and Van's "waffle pattern" grips. $299 www.state-bicycle.echoscomm.com 9. PonyBabe Tie-Back Cardigan This piece can be styled in so many different ways: loose and open, tied in front or back, or draped across the neck. Made from an ultra-soft blend of cotton and bamboo, it drapes beautifully and resists wrinkling. $144 www.ponybabe.com 10. Totem True Yoga Mats Each latex-free mat is made with anti-slip

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materials and natural tree rubber. With a slightly thick cushion for knee and floor poses, this yoga mat comes in a variety of unique designs printed with non-toxic, eco-friendly water based ink. $100 www.totemtrue.com

13. 686 GLCR Everywhere Multi Shell Pant A single do-it-all packable 10-pocket men’s pant, perfect for the go-everywhere, do-everything traveler who doesn't want to sacrifice style. $80 www.686.com

11. Bangs Stonehenge High Tops Let these carry you from experience to experience, reminding you to take every opportunity and support other people to do the same. $55 www.bangsshoes.com

14. OluKai Hi’ona Pa’i Sandals Made with full-grain leather, these feature an ankle strap with metal buckle for a customized fit and a laser-etched footbed. $110 www.olukai.com

12. Page Of Cups Soap Handmade soaps in Evergreen, Colorado, created with deep fascination with the healing power of botanicals. $12 www.pageofcup.com

15. Ukonserve Stainless Steel Containers These stainless steel containers are perfect for your zero-waste lunch or waste-free kitchen. $83 www.ukonserve.com

lifestyle / What We Love

COLOR ADO

Product Spotlight

Cusa Tea By lexi reich

usa Tea is transforming the way tea lovers sip their favorite beverage. Created as an instant organic tea option for anyone on-the-go, Cusa Tea dissolves in three seconds in both hot and cold water — and without all the added sugars and preservatives of most tea giants on the market today. This instant caffeine fix is the perfect all-natural companion for your next yoga class or outdoor adventure: portable, easy to use and purely delicious. The idea started on Founder Jim Lamancusa’s backpacking trip in the Colorado Rockies. While his friends were sipping instant coffee mixes, Lamancusa wondered why high-quality, instant tea wasn’t yet on the market as soggy tea bags weighed down his backpack. After nine months of testing different instant tea production methods, Cold Steep

Technology won the gold medal. Cold Steep Technology extracts all the goodness from the leaves over an eight hour brewing period without destroying flavor with high heat or extreme cold technologies. The result is a premium instant tea that tastes like a fresh brewed cup. And because you can never over-steep this tea, you will get

a perfect cup every time. Boulder based, Lamancusa launched Cusa Tea in May 2017 to share this bold creation. Cusa Tea earned premium tea status from glowing scores by a tea sommelier (like a wine sommelier — but for tea tasting!) Lamancusa believes enjoying tea is a cultural experience, which is why he only uses the top 5 percent of tea leaves in the world from China. “Cusa Tea has exceeded every expectation I had for it,” says Lamancusa. “‘Instant’ has a negative connotation, but once people taste this tea, they are converted for life.” A core value for this company is sustainability: tea should be going back into the land, not landfill. Billions of pounds of tea are thrown in the trash every year even though tea bags are filled with compostable loose leaf product. Because Cusa Tea is instant and without the steeping bag, less waste is produced. While the package holding the instant tea isn’t compostable yet, Lamancusa is actively on the lookout for a waterproof (the tea is sensitive to humidity), compostable version. “I believe in trying to give back as much as we can to the planet,” shares Lamancusa. The combination of quality ingredients and preservation process makes this tea unique. There are currently five organic flavors available: English Breakfast, Oolong Tea, Mango Green Tea, Organic Green Tea and Lemon Black Tea. The ingredients are simple: pure tea and real fruit. +

Give it a try on your next mountaineering expedition or as a morning pick-me-up at www.cusatea.com.

LEXI REICH CO YOGA + Life® Editorial Intern. After spending time experiencing a yoga ashram in the mountains of Colorado, Lexi became enthralled in the practice of yoga and meditation, and is excited to return to the sacred space soon to earn her yoga teacher training. Originally from Chicago, Lexi loves the holistic lifestyle she found in Colorado, and combining this passion with her writing is what makes her truly happy. As a journalism and English major at the University of Colorado Boulder, Lexi spends most of her time reading novels and writing for her poetry and reporting classes. Besides this, you can find her skiing, hiking or traveling. Follow her on Instagram @lexi_reich.

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

paid partnership

DRISHTI BEATS Tell us a little about Drishti Beats as a group and what you offer for yoga classes and events. The short answer is that Drishti Beats establishes an inspirational space for a new yoga experience! Yoga represents Union — a community and a connection between the mind, body and breath. Vinyasa means to place something in a specific way. As Yogis, who are also musicians and music producers, we strive to integrate our minds, bodies, breathing and Vinyasa flow movements with our music. To start, we create our own melodies and lyrics with specific yoga movements in mind and then use that musical foundation as an organic vehicle in our Drishti classes to build the experience of community through the Vinyasa flow and breath connection. When we teach our Drishti Yoga Class, the instruction, music and movement are all carefully composed to collaborate harmoniously, creating a dynamic “woven fabric” of meaningful yoga movement. We build momentum, inviting our participants to explore a new and heightened yoga experience. Sometimes the teacher is simply the instructor … coaching and assisting. Sometimes the vocalist is singing a message that is supported by the teacher’s hands-on coaching. But always, the live music and movement are intrinsically connected. Offering Drishti Beats classes at events allows yoga enthusiasts and new-to-yoga participants the opportunity to engage in something innovative, fun and serenely musical. I mean, in how many classes do you have a saxophone player or a violinist inspiring you during savasana? Or just imagine a rapper/beatboxer and singer sending a beautiful life message as you breathe into a downward dog. Why do you think Drishti Beats creates a unique experience at yoga and music festivals throughout the world? We produce our own music specifically for our classes. People who

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methodologies covered? When and where is your next training? Our yoga teacher trainings are held in our fitness clubs in Northern Virginia. Our curriculum prepares trainees to become great, inspirational yoga teachers. We are committed to ensuring that our graduates are totally prepared to confidently enter the yoga world and deliver a creative, informative and safe Vinyasa Flow yoga class. Our next teacher training begins this autumn on October 6th and runs every other weekend for 12 weeks. After successfully completing our training course, many of our graduates are given the option to teach a class within our fitness club schedules. attend music and yoga festivals are looking to expand their horizons … hear new music and try new classes, and they are eager for something different. Drishti Beats offers that. And our music is available on all music platforms — i.e. Spotify, iTunes, SoundCloud — for listening enjoyment and/or teacher's playlists after attending the event. Along with your tour, we noticed you also developed teacher trainings for Drishti Beats. Can you share more about your trainings and some of the

What is next for Drishti Beats and where can our readers find you in Colorado this summer? Don’t miss us at Telluride Yoga Festival on July 21st and at Yoga On The Mountain in Snowmass on July 28th. Go to our website www.drishtibeats.com to see our schedule at national and international events. The Drishti Beats Crew is so grateful that we can do this fulfilling work together and look forward to providing blissful experiences to all who participate in our classes! Namaste. +

Upcoming Tour Dates! May 18 and 19 • EDC Las Vegas Music Festival June 19 • Alaskan Cruise July 21 • Telluride Yoga Festival July 27 • SCW Mania, Atlanta GA July 28 • Yoga On The Mountain, Snowmass, CO August 24 • Mysteryland Music Festival, Amsterdam, Netherlands September 21 • SCW Mania, Philadelphia, PA www.drishtibeats.com

Scan to download free music!

YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

GROW + DEEPEN

your Asana Practice by Heather Lindemann

A student, teacher, seeker and voyager, HEATHER LINDEMANN, is a body positive advocate and yoga teacher who is passionate about sharing yoga as an pathway to an inner state of love and wisdom. Co-founder of Mudra Yoga Studio in Denver, CO, a 500-hour Yoga Alliance Certified yoga teacher, and a community partner of the Yoga Body Image Coalition, Heather’s teaching is rooted in the Tantric lineage and the belief that yoga is for any body. She believes that light and shadow are intrinsically linked and that with practice, patience, breath and willingness, yoga can show us the lessons of the shadow and bring light into any body, into any life and connect us to universal love. From leading retreats to yoga teacher trainings to her weekly classes, Heather lives in Denver where you can find her petting any animal that will let her, sitting among trees and living life fully.

PROPS 101

ALIGNMENT: A safe practice is an aligned practice yet every body is built differently. While broad alignment will serve most bodies (for example “arms over head”) more subtle cues show up differently depending on flexibility, shape and anatomy. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) is the easiest example of how this might arise. A body with tightness or restriction in the hips and hamstrings will see rounding in the lateral body in this pose. A hyperflexible body might miss length in the spine. The simple act of bring the lower hand to a block is revealing for both body types. STRENGTH: The secret many don’t know is that props can build an ultra-fierce practice and create strength. We all fall into habits in our practice that can create a pattern in how our muscles engage. Props allow us to use the full spectrum of our body by reminding the lesser used muscles to engage. For example, a block placed between the inner thighs for Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) will develop awareness and strength in the inner thighs thereby taking some stress out of the lower back. Take it a step further and play with the block between the inner thighs and flow from Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) to Kumbhakasana (Plank) to Bhujangasana and you’ll feel a new way to engage lesser-used muscles in profound ways. EASE: While props can be used to offer fierce strength, they can also offer deep ease. Shaking and struggling in a pose takes us away from the breath (and prana) and can stress the body in ways that may create injury. Add a prop to a struggling pose and the body will drop in from a place of connection to the breath. It’s the difference between practicing with short, tight breaths and shaky, panicked muscles rather than even, smooth breathing and engaged, nourished muscles.

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Photos by: Heather Lindemann

s I walked into yoga class, I grabbed my standard props (two blocks and a blanket) and found my spot. I then heard the instructor say, “If you feel like cheating today, grab some blocks.” There I sat, the only one in class with props feeling a mix of indignation and shame. And then I practiced as I always do — with the support of props to give my body space to open, move and flow. Props have received a bad rap, yet these amazing tools can exponentially grow and broaden any asana practice. Not only do props support the asana practice, they help our bodies find space and flexibility with a deeper ease. Additionally, in some cases, props can allow a body to stay longer in a pose thereby creating strength, muscle memory and stamina. Props were first introduced by legendary yoga teacher, B.K.S. Iyengar. As he increasingly taught yoga to a broad population he realized that by using simple objects he could help students find the therapeutic benefits of asana and achieve deeper connections to the poses. From this quest to support students in deepening their practice, Iyengar innovated what we know today as yoga props. Props can deeply inform and grow any active asana practice, yet it’s important to note that props are also a foundation for slower, restful practices like yin and restorative yoga. The uses are wide and far. Next time you practice, grab a few props and play. Your practice and your body will thank you. +

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YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

by Kathy Hisey Baum

COOL SUMMER’S HEAT WITH

he canyon-like treads on your running shoes have worn down into a rubber blob. There are a few new dings and scrapes on your mountain bike and your shins. And Saturday’s hike up Longs Peak followed by Sunday’s SUP yoga class have fused your glutes and core to your body like a cast. Like most of the state’s active population, Colorado yogis head outside as soon as the days grow longer and the temps heat up. Ok, maybe we get outside throughout the year, but in the warm weather months every

empty slot in our calendar is filled with road trips, hikes, races and yoga festivals. Sometimes by the middle of August, however, we can start to feel a little fried. Too much yang (think heat and activity) without a balance of yin (cool, restful energy) can throw our bodies and our nervous system out of whack. When we’re out of balance, we feel tired and mentally burned out, and possibly even set ourselves up for injury. Adding restorative yoga to your summer routine can bring some yin balance to your yang activities. Take a cue from your dog.

Watch him run around the dog park playing, chasing and jumping. Not long after, he’s down for an impressive nap. Try the following poses with yoga props or any blankets, towels and pillows you have around the house. There’s only one rule: get comfortable. Add as many props as you need to support your body. For an even deeper rest, place a cool washcloth over your eyes. Turn on some relaxing music and put the phone on airplane mode. Set a timer and do each pose for about five minutes.

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photos by: Gina Portolese

Restorative Yoga

3 1. WIDE-LEG FORWARD FOLD — Create some cooling energy while you get a gentle hamstring stretch. Sit on the edge of a blanket, bring your legs wide and tilt your pelvis forward. Keep your spine long as you rest your forehead on the seat of a chair. You can fold lower to the ground if you’re more flexible, but have some support under your head to soothe your neck muscles. 2. CAT PULLING ITS TAIL — This one might not exactly feel “restorative” — depending on how many miles you’ve logged on the trails. But it’s a good way to release tight quads and hip flexors. Lie on your side and lengthen your top leg in front of you. Bend your bottom leg and bring your heel toward your butt. Grab onto your bottom foot and pull it closer to your pelvis for a little stretch along the front line of your body.

3. SUPINE CRESCENT MOON — Increase space in your chest and ribcage for high altitude breathing. Lie on your back with your feet together and reach both arms overhead. Walk your arms and legs to the right edge of your mat. Grab onto your opposite wrist and cross your left ankle over your right. Keep both hips even on the ground. If your shoulders are uncomfortable, either put a blanket underneath them or bring your arms back down by your side. 4. TWIST — Set a bolster or pillows against your right hip. Tuck your feet behind you and put a blanket in between your knees for joint support. Get tall in your spine, then rotate until the center of your chest is lined up with the bolster. Lie all the way down and turn your head in the same direction as your knees (look behind you only if it feels comfortable on your neck).

YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

5. BOUND ANGLE — Make a ramp with your bolster and two blocks, or a pillow and a few books. Sit close to the ramp, bring the soles of your feet together and open your knees into a diamond shape. Lie back with a rolled up towel under your neck. Be sure and prop your thighs with enough blankets so your legs can completely relax. Rest your arms by your sides and prop up your elbows if they don’t reach the ground. 6. LEGS UP THE WALL — A gentle inversion is the best therapy for swollen legs or an achey back post-workout. Lie on the floor with your hips close to a wall and reach your legs up. Adjust the distance from the wall according to your hamstring flexibility. You can also put a strap around your calves to hold your legs up with minimal muscular effort. Elevate the hips slightly on a blanket, which sends a signal to your brain to let go and relax. 7. SAVASANA — Let the calm vibes sink in a little longer. Use plenty of props to hold up your body and reduce any remaining tension. Inhale smoothly and deeply, followed with even longer exhales. Soften your abdominal muscles completely. A blanket on your belly will give you an even more grounded sensation.

KATHY HISEY BAUM is a freelance writer and yoga teacher in Denver. You can follow her writing at www.wellbeingprime.com or on Facebook at Tales of a Middle Aged Yogi: www.facebook.com/KathyBaumYoga/.

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YOGA + FITNESS / Philosophy

by Hali Love

GROW WITH GR ACE:

JUST LIKE THE LOTUS Yamas + Niyamas Part 2

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he magnificent lotus flower, Nelumbo nucifera, is viewed by many as one of mother nature's finest creations. It’s a divine wild flower that perseveres through murky, muddy waters to alas float gracefully upon the darkness from which it was born. The lotus is a beautiful representation of life itself. I feel that we, each of us, have the ability to not only go through, but “grow through” our life, specifically our perceptual dark times. We have the ability to persevere with grace and allow our authentic beauty to shine. It’s a nice idea, isn’t it? But how can we actually turn this somewhat of a “yogi concept” into a tangible action? Well, we can explore this idea by diving into yoga’s roots, specifically the "Yamas and Niyamas." In the last issue of CO Yoga + Life®, we explored the first two Yamas: 1. Ahimsa: Non-Violence, self love and kindness. 2. Satya: Truthfulness in thought word and action. In this issue we will expand on how the final three Yamas can be used to evolve your life. The following three Yamas (self observances) are: 3. Asteya: Non Stealing 4. Bramacharya: Moderation 5. Aparigraha: Non Coveting In the Buddhist Tradition, the lotus represents purity and detachment from life’s desires. Purity and detachment from life’s desires are really what the last three Yamas embody. Asteya (non stealing) goes far beyond the physical act of stealing. The most important aspect involves embracing each and every one of the Six Human Emotions: Fear, Anger, Grief, Discontentment, Contentment, and Joy. When I first learned this, I was a bit confused, but check this out: As humans, we were designed to feel. We were born with the capacity to feel the Six Human Emotions as described above. We were born without the filter of believing that Joy is better than Anger. But if you take away our social conditioning — emotions are emotions. Feelings are valid, and joy is NOT better than anger — it is an equal.

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The lotus is a beautiful representation of life itself. We have the ability to persevere with grace and allow our authentic beauty to shine. Yeah right! Who wants to be angry? Well, I do! I have been responsibly expressing my anger for years now (note the word “responsible”); and it was not until I started this practice that I really understood that anger is in-fact a healthy emotion — as is joy, grief, discontentment, fear and contentment! Consider that the most sought after life desire is to be happy. Fair enough right? But what about the other five emotions? If we are always striving and reaching for happiness, are we not robbing ourselves the experience to feel and express the rest of the emotions? I would say most definitely, yes. For me Asteya (non stealing) means to allow an experience to happen (not to rob an experience of happening). This does not mean to punch out the next a-hole that ticks you off. What it means is to acknowledge your anger and express it in a responsible manner that will not have a negative impact on anyone around you. Asteya merges with the next Yama: Bramacharya (moderation). There are so many do’s and don’ts in the world today — would you

agree? Don’t eat gluten. Don’t drink alcohol. Don’t eat meat, and for the love of God, don’t you dare eat that chocolate cake!!! Question: If we are truly practicing Ahimsa (kindness), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non stealing) and Bramacharya (moderation), would there ever really be a problem with over consumption? Or over expression (like punching out the a-hole)? Or gossiping? Or lying? Or contributing to self harm in any way shape or form? No, there would not. Bramacharya, or moderation, can be used to check yourself before diving into the fleeting pleasure of life’s desires concerning the food we choose to put in our body, the sexual encounters we choose to partake in, alcohol consumption, sugar intake, etc. The final Yama: Aparigraha (non coveting), allows one to be content with what we have, and content with what is. Just as the lotus is content with displaying its beautiful petals atop the muddy water it travelled through to reach the light of day. I feel that contentment in itself is the highest form of gratitude. The practice of it for me is to open to gratitude in any situation. To grow the practice of Aparigraha, think of gratitude as the seed of true love. Compassion in action is the water that nourishes the seed and allows growth to commence. The desire to connect with another can spark curiously, and present the question: Is this true love? When true love in fact blossoms for another, freedom is born. When the gentle breeze of self love caresses your existence, you are delivering your greatest gift to the world ... all the while truly living Ahimsa, Satya, Astya, Bramacharya and Aparigraha. Conclusion to The Yamas. Stay tuned for my next article as we dive into the following five principles: The Niyamas. +

Wishing for a world of true community and connection, endless organic almond milk lattes and perfectly ripe avocados, HALI LOVE is a yoga teacher, coach and author. Her purpose and passion is to inspire lasting healing to people who are truly ready for change, through natural health ideologies, yoga, meditation, fitness classes and life coaching. Having recently entered her fabulous forties, this Canadian turned Costa Rican yogi is busy not only being a proud mama to her beautiful 9-year-old daughter Bili Be, but is also managing her booming retreat center and studio in Costa Rica: Playa Negra Yoga & Barre. From sipping chardonnay at sunset, to burpees on the beach, to facilitating YTT's and managing her online programs, you will find this gal living and loving her most authentic life. halilove.com / playanegrayoga.com / multistyleyoga.com

YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

by juli rathke yoga + Life® founder

THE EXECUTIVE YOGI

How bringing a yoga mindset to your business can boost your bottom line 54

have said it many times, “Who you are at home is who you are at work … eventually the two of you meet!” Are you that person who is practicing daily at a studio but when you show up at work you become someone else entirely? Perhaps you find your stable and good paying job so unrewarding that you want to quit so you can attend a YTT in Costa Rica or somewhere exotic, in hopes of reconnecting with your true self, purpose and/or dharma? I have come to find this story is really not that unique. During my career of teaching for more than 24-plus years, and as a faculty for Meta Yoga Schools while running retreats around the world through GOYO Adventures, I have come to find most people dive into a retreat-like environment or a YTT immersion because they are seeking some sort of transformation or are in transition in life, relationships or careers. What I have also noticed about this trend is that a lot of people have simply forgotten how to bring their passions with them, instead, are seeking their passion and purpose outside of themselves or thought their work or someone else was going to bring it out for them. Over the past decade, I have had the amazing opportunity to work with individuals whom have felt similarly — so deep into their career and lifestyle they can’t seem to figure out how best to positively influence their business and life, so they can be truly happy and still get the high-pressured job done. At any level, making money and moving the needle (or even paying your rent) become a priority, and passions and influencing in a positive way take a back seat to business goals and company growth. I have since devoted my career on influencing others by bringing yoga to those who may never visit a studio or who may never even realize their newfound clarity in life and business can be attributed to the practices of yoga (and I am not talking about asana — though I recommend sneaking it in when you can). I have also committed to dispel the emerging stereotype that yogis are soft, poor business people, and that abundance in terms of financial gain isn’t of importance. The process of bringing a yoga-mindset to the boardroom dwellers began with my intention to do so, and fortunately, I have had the opportunity to work

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with amazingly influential people and businesses who were also progressive enough in their thinking and were open to the idea of doing things just a little bit differently. Here are a few things I have implemented or observed on an individual or business level that have increased the bottom line while creating a trajectory of career growth and personal development leading to a happier and more productive and balanced individual/team/company.

1. ACTIVE LISTENING (RASA — see sidebar) In our practice we learn to “monotask” or shut off backwards and forwards thinking as we aim to become present. It is time to focus again and practice the skill of mindful listening. Not just because we owe our full attention to others when we converse, but because the positive emotions of a truly good conversation have the potential to make us happier. In the boardroom, really focusing on the thoughts and opinions of others allows you to create empathy and a true understanding of where someone’s motivations may be. And with an open-mind you become infinitely more creative in strategizing together. It creates an environment of growth and development and our responses come from a place of openness. As an influencer in your company, taking this approach can also help you lead by example in your behavior so that those you work with will also start to become more present listeners and this can leverage the entire team and even persuade when necessary.

WHAT IS RASA? The acronym RASA. You can use this framework to improve your general listening skills. It’s an acronym called RASA, which is the Sanskrit word for juice or essence. RASA in this instance stands for Receive, which means pay attention to the person; Appreciate, making little noises like “hmm,” “oh,” “okay”; Summarize, the word “so” is very important in communication; and Ask, ask questions afterwards.

See the whole TED talk by Julian Treasure here:

www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_5_ways_to_listen_better

3. ENERGY SYNC (In the realm of Reiki) This is one of my favorite yoga to boardroom transfers. In the yoga studio, we share a unique kula (community) experience where by the end of a class or practice we all have shared something unique together but unspoken. How do you bring that same impactful energy to your workplace? I have studied the practice of HeartMath® of syncing your own energy vibrations to that of the people you are working with and or possibly selling to. In this practice, you learn to sync your energies together and some believe it is possible your hearts will beat synchronously. This is very beneficial when trying to sell or pitch an idea or a product to someone you just met. The initial five to ten minutes of meeting this person is getting to know them and syncing up. Small talk and energy syncing practices are done without the other person even knowing it. It is a tried and proven true technique in top sales performers across many industries in the world.

2. SHUT DOWN + LOG OFF

4. PASSIONS TO WORK

(Meditate or Dyana) This may seem counter-intuitive, but we all have our highs and lows throughout the day and when we hit those lows (typically around 2 to 4 p.m.), our cognitive ability is diminished, and our productivity goes down. In the board room or in the office, a supported environment of five minutes of meditation reboots our synapses, reduces brain clutter and increases that cognitive coherence. This is also an important tool to use prior to giving a presentation, crunching numbers or when you need to confront an employee on performance issue as our emotions can sometimes get in the way of our thinking and communicating clearly.

(Dharma) We all have something we are passionate about whether its reading books, traveling, volunteering, music, yoga, good food, etc. How do you share these passions in a job environment in a rewarding and fulfilling way? When I’m

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coaching an individual, their energy and facial expressions usually perk up when they tell me what they do when they aren’t at work. When pressed with the question, “Is there a way you can share that here?” Most people respond with “I don’t know?” Perhaps you can start a book club with some peers at work or teach yoga at lunch time in an unused office space or boardroom! I will never forget walking into a boardroom and found ten people lying on the floor with the chairs scattered. They were in sivasana at 2 p.m. in the afternoon on a Thursday (low cognitive time for the 9 to 5’er). They had dialed up the Headspace® App and connected someone’s phone to the Apple TV to broadcast throughout the room. If that isn’t bringing your passions to work and positively influencing others, then I don’t know what is. I truly believe there is a shift in how people who aren’t currently practicing yoga are perceiving the benefits of yoga and meditation. But it will take bringing it to them. I hope you too can see the opportunities that lie ahead for bringing your yoga mindset to your work and possibly even influencing in such a way where you are sharing your passions and rallying your co-workers to think bigger while continuing to be creative and innovative in a world—at this time and space — that needs it most. +

JULI RATHKE is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, the founder of YOGA + Life® Magazines, wife, mom of three and a yoga and fitness teacher for over 20+ years. She is now a human condition expert and an unshakable optimist. She serves as a high performance executive consultant, personal mentor, speaker, motivator and retreat leader. Connect with her at www.julirathke.com or at www.yogalifelive.com.

YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

by Emma Murray

GROWING GREY MATTER

Grows Humanity

few days after one Thanksgiving, I was carrying 50 pounds on my back — convinced if I didn’t sit down soon, kick off my boots and eat something, I’d topple over. Paces ahead of me on the rugged trail, my boyfriend Jor-

dan glanced back, responding to my groan with a smile. The silver glacier we passed and the towering emerald trees through which we wove meant nothing to me. All I saw was the tiny campground up ahead, growing larger with every step.

A dark-eyed man sat in an SUV-sized wooden structure at the mouth of the campsite. “10,000 pesos.” he said. I looked at Jordan. We had to pay? To camp? In the backcountry? After already having paid an entrance fee to the national park? I threw

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Photo by Sonya Pevzne

How meditation physically, positively alters the brain

down my backpack and stormed off, leaving Jordan to respond alone. I zigzagged through the trees to a clearing beyond the campsite and sat down on a stump. I was sick of paying for outdoor experiences. What right did he have to profit from the earth, anyways? No, the fee wasn’t outrageous. It was just unexpected, and on my traveling budget it felt disproportionately harsh. I resented the dark-eyed man, though I knew he was just doing his job. He was protecting the earth, in a way. When I finally walked back, Jordan had already set up the tent. Months later, I thought about this moment and the chain of emotions I’d undergone: outrage, followed by self-consciousness, then consideration, then understanding. In those intermediary months, I’d been kneedeep in an investigation about the effects of meditation on the brain. After sifting through dozens of psychology studies and neurological experiments that examined “mindful sitting,” I’d learned a few things — namely, about how and why we react to the world around us, and how meditation can improve that reaction process. Essentially, when we encounter external stimuli that are of particular significance, our brains fire through a series of automatic neurological patterns that form our emotions. That is, I got frustrated when slapped with an unexpected, straining fee. The thing is, emotions evolved to be temporary and particularly sensitive. As you can imagine, it’s extremely important that emotions “turn on” at key moments, like when fear causes you to jump away from a snake. In my case, my outrage led me to question why the fee existed, and to contemplate its authenticity, purpose and safety. It’s equally important, however, that emotions “turn off” when either our perception or the circumstances in the external world change. If they didn’t, you’d still be operating on high-alert long after the snake had left, or you realized it was just a toy. Though everyone’s reactions differ in magnitude and length (the rate at which emotions are switched on and off), what everyone shares is the ability to train, or condition, their brain to respond in certain ways to stimulations. Meditation—as the vast majority of neurological and psychological research that I surveyed supports—is

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one tool that conditions the brain to react in a positive way. It turns out meditation can physically alter the brain, yielding permanent changes to its composition and structure. It’s only been in the past decade or so — as meditation has gained more popularity in the “West” — that North American research labs have sourced enough material to evaluate the bold anecdotal claims (and praise) for meditation’s capacity to heal and bolster happiness. Since then, hundreds of studies have been conducted analyzing the effects of meditation and its intersection with a variety of other subjects from psychology to nutrition, philosophy and education. It’s now widely accepted that meditation positively and relatively reliably affects the brain. When you meditate, the largest change scientists have observed occurs in the amount of grey matter in your brain. Grey matter is a type of tissue located throughout the central nervous system that facilitates two critical brain functions: information processing from sensory organs and neuron nutrient transport. The more grey matter a brain houses, the more efficiently signals from sensory organs can be processed, the more accurate our emotions and our reactions are. Meditation aids the growth of mental muscles — much like going to the gym and working out biceps will yield stronger, larger arms — by dedicating uninterrupted time to mental cultivation. Developing more grey matter allows the brain to process information more accurately, more efficiently and more reliably. By streamlining the connection between sensory input, information processing and reaction, the meditator can make better decisions — that is, decisions that result in appropriate, positive actions. I realized by increasing our emotional accuracy, what meditation really does is expand our ability to empathize. Thinking

back to my time sitting on the tree stump behind the campground, that was part of my emotional process. After experiencing outrage and moving through my financial insecurities, I was able to resume a calm and collected state long enough to reconsider the situation. The dark-eyed man was doing his job, protecting the earth from overuse. That was something we had in common. I could empathize with that. Many studies show that meditators are equipped with the skills for attaining and maintaining this calm, collected brain state — proven through a variety of tests that include monitoring heart rate and skin conditions. In turn, it was reported that this state can foster empathy, sympathy and an increase in general good moods. Empathy is important. Not only did it allow me to continue our backpacking trip with a genuine smile, it often acts as motivation to engage with the larger world in a certain way. When we see others in pain, we understand (maybe even feel) the pain, motivating us to reduce or confront the source. When we see others are happy, we resonate with the happiness, and commend whatever act it was that induced the feeling. This induces a pattern of perpetuating the good (what brings happiness), and condemning the bad (what brings pain or other adverse reactions). In this way, empathy plays an important part in moral judgment, and one could argue more empathy throughout the world would lead to a more harmonious place. Cultivating meditation practices will help humans accurately translate stimuli, leading to better decision-making, and, thus, more empathy and its ensuing harmony. Meditation is no different from other aspects of life. Practice is key. One study showed as little as seven minutes a day can make a difference. Next time, maybe, I’ll reach my empathic point before Jordan even gets the tent out of the bag. +

EMMA MURRAY is an award-winning adventure writer and all-around mountain lover. Her work has appeared in the pages of national magazines, local papers and academic journals. She currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, where you can find her running dirt paths or scaling vertical rock when she's not behind a keyboard or curled up with a book. To follow along her daily adventures, search for @emmaathenamurray on Instagram. To peruse her other work — fiction, nonfiction and otherwise — visit her website: www.emmaathenamurray.com.

YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

By Ange

photos BY: Stephanie Lonon

stopperan

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

rituals

OF THE ELEMENTS

he elements are all around us — we can see and feel them every single day. The elements are also apart of us internally. The elements of Fire, Earth, Air and Water each represent a type of energy that serves a purpose within everyone. Fire element represents our radiant light, warmth, brightness, and expression of self. Earth element is described as feeling grounded and centered, more attuned to the physical world, patient and disciplined. Air element symbolizes creative expression through thoughts and ideas, visualizations, social interactions and mental sensations. Water element is connected to our emotions, intuition, deep reflection and empathy for others. The elements are mentioned in multiple subjects; for example in the Chakra System, which is made up of seven energy centers in the body where energy flows through, the elements are the base for our first four Chakras. In Astrology each zodiac sign represents a specific element. In Ayurvedic studies, the Doshas (which are described as the dynamic state of balance between the mind, body and environment) also include the elements. Dependent on the day, time of year, body type, mental and emotional state, each specific element can feel balanced or imbalanced. We can intentionally balance our internal elements by practicing specific rituals. When we feel imbalanced it’s a reminder to our mind and body to pause for a moment, connect back to ourselves and honor the inner rhythm. Here are a few rituals based on balancing the elements:

EARTH • Go barefoot, step into the earth, feet rooted into the dirt. • Pack a picnic, sit in the park, play with the grass, run around the trees. • Garden and plant flowers, sink your

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hands deep into the earth. • Wander, leave the GPS at home and connect to your inner compass. • Meditation practices. • Journal, reflect on what you feel like when you are balanced and centered. • Practice grounding yoga poses like child's pose, warrior two, mountain pose and cat/cow.

WATER • Take a long bath or hot shower, give gratitude to the water. • Enjoy a tea ceremony. • Sit next to a running stream and listen to the sounds of water moving. • Play with water, go for a swim or paddle on the lake. • Create fluid movements with poses like cat/ cow, downward dog and flowing back and forth from warrior two to reverse warrior.

FIRE • • • • •

Drink warm teas. Eat food with warming spices. Breathwork like Kabalabatti. Gather around the campfire with friends. Honor your light, reflect on how you shine your gifts with the world. • Connect to your inner desires, what makes you feel awake? • Try a heated yoga practice including poses like plank, dolphin, core work and balancing table.

AIR • Let the wind inspire your thoughts — sit down to write, draw, paint or create a vision board. • Wind is also transformative, allowing yourself to shift, let go of thoughts you’re holding onto and allow renewal to begin. • Sit down with a supportive friends to chat and share stories. • Brainstorm, create lists of thoughts and ideas. • Reflect on practicing Self-Love, what does that entail for you? • Practice inspiring and uplifting yoga poses like, arm balances, warrior three and half moon. +

THE FIRST FOUR CHAKRAS INCLUDE THE FOUR ELEMENTS. First Chakra is our root, located at the base of our spine representing the earth element. Second is our sacral Chakra located just below the navel, relating to the water element. Third is our solar plexus Chakra located at the point where our rib cage meets, in the upper abdominal region, representing the fire element. Our Fourth Chakra is the Heart, located in the center of our chest and is correlated with the air element.

Along with her role as a CO YOGA + Life® Ambassador, ANGE STOPPERAN is a yoga teacher, business coach, mentor to yoga teachers, sound healing practitioner, designer of sacred spaces and helps her students learn the practice of creating rituals to help ground and connect to their inner guidance. Ange is a faculty member at the Colorado School of Yoga. Ange runs online business courses for yoga teachers through the Colorado School of Yoga. www.angestopperan.com

By kim fuller owner + Editor in Chief

THRIVE!

Engage, expand and evolve with Real Evolution Yoga

t’s a challenge for me to set aside the hustle of life sometimes. I resist restorative practices, skim the surface of conversations, keep my gaze on a narrow line of focus and emphasize completing tasks as if all fulfillment can be found by crossing off obligations. We arrived at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa in San Luis Obispo last October, a beautiful time to be on California’s Central Coast. The air carried a whisper of autumn but was mostly still holding on to the heat of summer, and although I felt overwhelmed with deadlines for what was the upcoming issue of this magazine, I was excited to settle into this new place for a week; to dive into the transformative and

inspiring programming that I had once experienced through Real Evolution Yoga. My yoga certification is through REY, but I had not yet spent an immersion with co-founders Elizabeth and Tom Lutes. I already knew that REY dives deep into a variety of practices, from Kundalini chanting, meditation and energetic Vinyasa, to hours of engaging, confronting and enlightening group conversations. The Thrive! retreat delivers an integrated methodology and holistic experience for developing real vitality in all four domains of being human. This involves building a set of habits and practices which strengthen the nervous system, create dynamic supple strength in the physical body, refresh the emotional

body and generate an enlivening worldview. Real Evolution Yoga reminds students how "each moment is an opportunity to choose – to engage, to be at cause, to learn, to evolve, to connect deeply with others, to cultivate joy, build vitality and to contribute. With this awareness, we generate and live into our vision for ourselves, our community and our world." For me, the seven-day retreat was an opportunity to be with every aspect of myself, from the resistance to the release, and right into the heart of community, love and connection. The nagging pull of deadlines and to-dos that often seem to highjack my consciousness began to soften and fade, creating space for my mind and my heart that I so desperately needed. REY’s programming is built on the pillars of full expression, real community and conscious evolution, and the experience left me feeling open and expansive. My light felt brighter than ever, with new practices I could now bring home and integrate into my life. Another past Thrive! participant, Karen Buxel, shared this testimonial with REY, “For me, the most powerful part of Thrive! was the opportunity to press pause on my life for a short while to really explore myself on levels that are accessed only by coming together so intentionally to do this work.” One of the practices at Thrive! is the development of an “I AM” statement. This resonated with me deeply as a reflection of how I know myself most authentically, and how I want to continue to evolve. I feel compelled to share it here, and really, everywhere: ”I am vibrant. I am bright and I am whole. I am a one with nature — a spark of inspiration; a flow of love; a solid ground; a breath of creativity. I am a compass for community. I am me and I am free.” What is your “I AM”? Your light is a gift to this world. Thrive! is a beautiful reminder to let it all shine — to illuminate your life and to inspire others to radiate their gifts as well. +

Thrive! with Real Evolution Yoga is October 21-28, 2018 in San Luis Obispo, California. Learn more and register at www.RealEvolutionYoga.com/ programs.

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Photos courtesy of: Real Evolution Yoga

YOGA + FITNESS / Retreats

community-driven yoga shala of Breckenridge Meta Yoga Studios would like to express our gratitude to our incredible instructors. We appreciate your constant commitment to deepening your practice and sharing this knowledge with our studio. We are so grateful to be on this journey with you!

experienced teachers • incredible views • welcoming community (visit our website for details)

continuing education

upcoming yoga teacher trainings

SUP Yoga YTT Yin Yoga YTT Four Desires Yoga Nidra YTT Myofascial Release

Unlock Your Inner Teacher and Develop the Skills to Teach. Instruction in Asana, Anatomy, Ayurveda, Meditation & Pranayama, Yoga History & Philosophy, Mantra, Sanskrit & Purposeful Sequencing

metayogastudios.com 118 s. ridge st. breckenridge

970.547.YOGA

drop ins welcome Over 50 classes offered weekly in a variety of styles. Gentle, Hot, cYoga, Vinyasa, Hatha, Nidra, Restorative, Yin, Sculpt, Acro, SUP, Outdoor and Hiking

Outside / Adventure

ADVENTURES

on the Water

Stand Up Paddle Colorado + Adrift Dinosaur have river trips for everyone By kim fuller

photo COURTESY OF: ADRIFT

owner + Editor in Chief

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olorado may be landlocked, but the state still offers plenty of water adventure. Two years ago, Stand Up Paddle Colorado founders Scotty Stoughton and Javier Placer, set off on a journey to SUP the entire Grand Canyon from Lee’s Ferry to Lake Mead. While on the river, they began to conceive of a way to try and offer similar transformational experiences in remote canyons that possibly were less daunting or committed as the three week endeavor they were on. They were convinced that as the reaches of the sport continued to push boundaries and people became more enthralled and comfortable in rivers, raft supported SUP multi-days could become its own niche.

More than Just a River Outfitter Stand Up Paddle Colorado (SUPCO) was founded during the SUP genesis in the Rocky Mountains. Javier Placer had been one of the handful of pioneers in the Arkansas River Valley that were starting to push the whitewater portion of SUP. While guiding as a commercial river guide, he would spend his afternoons and time off charging the sections he knew well and seeing what was possible. In 2009, Placer acquired the permit from Gore Canyon to State Bridge on the Upper Colorado River, and SUPCO still has it. He saw the Class 2 sections from Pumphouse to State Bridge as a perfect instructional and friendly section that had all the ideal flow and features perfect for downriver SUP outfitting. In 2011 Javier Placer met musician, event producer and fellow paddler Scotty Stoughton while the company based itself in the resurrected riverside music venue State Bridge. While there he also met other SUP river chargers in the Vail Valley, Joey Saputo and Craig Yarde. “Out of many paddle sessions, the result was a perfect mixture of camaraderie, experience, muscle, connections and capital to attempt the first SUP focused outfitter in the state. Going on nine years now, SUPCO has evolved to more than just a river outfitter,” Placer explains. “With hubs in Dillon at the Dillon Marina and Nottingham Lake in Avon, we offer instructional and rental services with top caliber personnel and equipment. The unique three waterfront locations that SUPCO has had over the last four sum-

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Outside / Adventure

found in our first years operating there that given the opportunity, most kids and teens wanted to paddle into each other and try to knock each other off the boards. When we found an inflatable field with goals that could contain six to eight people while they played a combination of lacrosse and water polo, we knew we were onto something fun and unique.” The water “field” has been a hit for locals, wedding groups, bachelorette and bachelor parties as well camps and corporate groups.

Intimate with the Natural World Last year, Placer and his partners acquired Adrift Adventures Dinosaur. “At Adrift, we have really been trying to think outside the box of traditional outfitting,” he says. “We are really trying to cultivate unique experiences and partner with yogis, chefs, musicians, NPO’s, schools and well known athletes to create specialty trips in these majestic canyons that are transformational.” Adrift was the “missing piece,” Placer adds. “As far as mere progression goes, it’s the equivalent of taking someone from bunny slopes to double black diamonds,” he explains. “Adrift will always be first and fore-

most a rafting outfitter as it has been since the 1970s. Our twist on it though, definitely has a lot more SUP offerings. The rafts offer amazing support and the option for guests to rest or pass on a rapid if its too heavy for their comfort level.” Placer says they are working in partnership with the Park Service in Dinosaur National Monument to create the safety protocols and equipment specifications for commercial SUP guiding on the Yampa and Green Rivers. “We really feel like the canyons and rivers we provide access to are some of the best in the west,” Placer shares. “With limited launches and a max group of 25 people, you can’t help but feel intimate with the natural world you enter and the group you are sharing time with.” These trips are what make lasting memories, Placer says, and the canyons and the river will leave an indelible impression on you. +

Learn more at www.standuppaddlecolorado.com + www.adrift.com, and check out the CO YOGA + Life® Magazine Adrift trip in August 2018.

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photo by: Philip Robinson

mers has made it a top resource for visitors, as well as an outlet for local camps, schools, families and community functions.” Stand Up Paddle Colorado has created and coined the phrase the Family River Adventure for its multi disciplinary excursion on the Colorado River. Possibly one of the most inclusive water adventures you could do in the state, there is literally a place for everyone on the trip from two years old to 100-plus years old. With three different crafts to pick from: SUP, SUPsquatch (the giant family SUP) and rafting, there really is something for the thrill seeker and the tame of heart. On the lakes, Lake Dillon is a world renowned sailing lake with unpredictable wind patterns and gusts that create white caps and small waves. With SUPCO’s 22foot pontoon boat, they have created Rocky Mountain downwinders where they drop you off in a protected cove and then you paddle out of cover and ride the wind and micro swell on 14-foot performance boards. It’s a way literally go surfing on a lake at over 9,000 feet in elevation. To liven things up at Nottingham Lake in Avon, SUPCO purchased the only SUP Polo field and kit in the state. “It’s one of the most fun activities you can do on a calm lake,” Placer says. “We

From River to

VINYASA

Join Bobby L'Heureux & Kim Fuller on the

CO YO G A + L i f e ™ M a g a z i n e T r i p | A u g u s t 2 6 ( 4 d ay s ) Unplug on our yoga retreats and ﬂow right into your vinyasa. Raft down the Green or Yampa River and experience beautiful waterfalls, remote canyons, and stunning scenery in two of the most cherished river sections in the west. This Dinosaur National Monument wilderness yoga retreat will provide you with comfortable camping, organic meals, and a rejuvenated spirit.

multi & one day river trips available | adrift.com | 800.82 4 .0150

BUILD YOUR OWN

family river adventure Rafting the renowned Colorado River is a perfect family activity with children as young as four and adults of any age. Build your own custom river ﬂeet by selecting from a variety of stand up paddle boards, Supsquatch boards, and rafts. Experience a completely unique and memorable adventure down the river!

RAFT $49/adult | $42/child

SUP $109/adult | $50/child tandem

SUPSQUATCH $60/person

Ready to tackle the river on your own? $59/rental We have a full ﬂeet of stand up paddle boards available for 3 hour rentals.

outside / Adventure

HIKING HOT SPOT:

Steamboat Springs

From Continental Divide Trail support to maintaining beautiful trails, this mountain town offers miles of exploration

By photos by: kim fuller

kim fuller owner + Editor in Chief

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

n 2018, the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) celebrates its 40th anniversary. In its evolution, the trail has remained an amazing way to explore the backcountry on a non-motorized, primitive trail that runs along the backbone of the North American continent. Steamboat Springs is amidst the process of becoming a CDT Gateway Community. It’s a distinction of specific towns that recognize the unique economic and cultural value that the CDT brings. They make services accessible to hikers, educate local residents and advocate for continued access to public lands. Some Steamboat businesses are even known as “Trail Angels,” and help through hikers along their journey. Head to Steamboat Springs this season for some great hiking along the CDT and beyond, and experience why this area deserves to be recognized as a Gateway Community for the nature lovers who live there and come to visit.

Hike to Fishhook Lake, Lost Lake and Lake Elmo Trail on Rabbit Ears Pass Along the Continental Divide Trail Distance: 1.5 miles, each way Hiking time: 1.5 hours Fishhook Lake, Lost Lake and Lake Elmo Trail is three to four miles round trip (depending on how many lakes you want to visit). It’s an out and back and moderately trafficked trail, accessed from U.S. 40 on

Rabbit Ears Pass, then about 20-minutes north on Road 315. The trail is best used from June through October, dogs are allowed, and provides beautiful rolling terrain to the lovely lake destinations.

Hike to Upper Fish Creek Falls Distance: 2.5 miles, each way Hiking time: 1.5 hours each way This hike begins at a busy trailhead and quick jaunt to lower falls, and then begins to climb toward Fish Creek Falls. It’s about five miles total, with a turnaround point at the stunning mountain waterfall. Dogs can be brought on a leash, and the trail is best used from May until September. To get to the trailhead from Lincoln Avenue (Highway 40), go north on 3rd Street then a right on Fish Creek Falls Road. It’s four miles to the parking lot and trailhead.

Hike to Strawberry Park Hot Springs Distance: 3 miles, each way Hiking time: 1.5 hours up, less coming down Your reward is Strawberry Park Hot Springs when you take the six-mile out and back trail to this sweet destination — bring your suit and money for admission! The Hot Springs Trail is Forest Service Trail 1169, accessed from Mad Creek Trailhead and best used from April until September. Dogs can hike the trail, but need to be on a leash at the hot springs. +

FUEL UP! Creekside Café is a breakfast and lunch staple in downtown Steamboat Springs. Right on the creek and surrounded by an award-winning garden, the menu highlights local ingredient and creative cocktails. Locally owned and operated, Salt & Lime features progressive Mexican dishes created using traditional cooking techniques and regional ingredients. Check out the rooftop for an afternoon margarita.

BOOK YOUR STAY Family-owned and operated, Moving Mountains offers homes and residences as vacation rentals. Add special amenities like a guide service, or a private chef to enjoy a delicious and low-key meal in a home-away-from-home.

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

Outside / Fresh Air

The Great Escape

Connect to the wild at eastern Colorado’s mustang sanctuary By Mariah rose

photos by: Brittany Wallace + mariah rose velasco

velasco

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

he dirt country road leading into The Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary had a comforting familiarity to it. I felt like I was driving home, which was strange, as I had never in my life been to Deer Trail, Colorado. I watched antelope bound through the tall grass and sage until they disappeared in the dust that billowed out from my car’s tires. Upon arrival I was warmly welcomed by Stephanie Linsley, the equine manager and trainer at The Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary, known as GEMS for short, along with Carson and Preston — sons of founder Michelle Sander. We struck up conversation like old friends and they took me on a tour of the facilities. They told tell me stories, introduced me to the horses and burros, and made me feel welcome. Even though everyone was busy preparing for the upcoming clinic, the energy was laid back, a patient country pace that felt restorative and comforting. When it comes to horses, rushing never helps. Horses, and especially mustangs, require of us a type of patience and acceptance that I liken to waiting for sprouts to pop up, or waiting for a baby to be born. Everything happens in its own timing, and it is perfect. Trying to rush only causes unnecessary stress, and gets you nowhere faster. So it was no surprise to me as I watched the staff check off the last of the tasks to complete before the weekend's festivities — everything was done with the same calmness, patience and purposeful attention I have come to expect from people who live and breathe horses. After we were treated to a delicious and hearty family-style meal, gathered together around a long farm table, we made our way through the pasture out to the cabins where the other clinic attendees and I would be staying for the weekend. Michelle and her staff helped me feel right at home, extending energy that felt like being with family I hadn’t seen in awhile. The cabins are charming and bright. Each cozy oasis has a comfortable bed, dresser and chair to sit in while you pull your boots off after a long day in the saddle. The cabins are brand new, with attached decks where you can sit and enjoy the crisp evening air, and cozy propane heaters to keep you toasty in the winter

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months. But it’s what’s beyond those walls that really got my heart beating. Just over the little hill behind the cabins, you look out across acres and acres of rolling grassland, sage, rabbit brush, pine trees and arroyos. Those same acres are the permanent home to the wild herd of mustangs that GEMS has rescued over the years. That evening, a classic Colorado rain storm and blown through and was moving out. Dark storm clouds loomed on the horizon and the swirling white clouds above us parted in the wind, allowing the golden rays from the setting sun to showcase their vibrance. I will never forget watching the mustangs trot up the ridge in the golden light, rain water dripping off their backs and long, wind-tangled manes. They carry a mysterious magic with them that invokes wonder and curiosity. I found myself breathing deeper, my senses heightened from my proximity to something so beautiful and so wild. GEMS offers Sanctuary tours to the public too, so guests can experience the magic of the mustangs just like I did. Few have the privilege of seeing mustangs in the wild, as they are quite elusive after years of being rounded up by helicopters, and then penned for months on end in government-run holding facilities. Horses are prey animals, so their primal instinct is to run from anything that seems unusual. Horses are also social animals, and develop strong bonds to their young and to other horses in their herd. So you can imagine the fear and stress the wild mustangs endure when they are chased into metal pens with unfamiliar horses and confined to small spaces where they can’t run away. That is exactly why the The Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary exists — to provide an outlet and relieve pressure for the mustangs in holding, and to connect them with the right trainers and homes. There are over 50,000 mustangs in tax-dollar funded holding facilities around the country, and another 50,000 or more out on the range. The Bureau of Land Management has estimated that the manageable number of mustangs should be closer to 27,000 in order to effectively manage the resources and grasslands for the grazing of wild mustangs and burros, and land leased to local ranchers for grazing livestock. From spending decades in some of the

most sparse and wild country you can imagine, mustangs have evolved to be extremely hardy, and given time in the right hands, they can turn into amazingly hard-working equine partners. Michelle and the team at GEMS believe in them, and have dedicated their lives to finding creative solutions to the problems that the wild mustangs face. GEMS and its volunteer Sand Wash Advocates Team help with mustang herd management both on and off the range by providing a storefront, adoption programs, training, clinics and education at the Sanctuary, as well as providing assistance with fertility control, herd documentation and promotion of the range land and wild horses. One of the innovative ways to support the mustangs and relieve some financial pressure Michelle and her team have come up with is through yoga. They are collaborating with yoga teachers to offer retreats, in edition to their horsemanship clinics, adoption events, trainer incentive programs and fundraisers at the Sanctuary. They have a gorgeous yurt for yoga with a stunning deck that looks out over the acres of pastureland. The slower, more patient pace of the mustang sanctuary, and the way you are immersed into the beauty and wildness of nature creates the perfect environment to practice yoga, meditate and connect with yourself. As I watched the sunset on my last evening at the Sanctuary, I was reminded of a quote by John Muir: “I went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out until sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” There are few places in the world that have won my heart the way The Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary did, and I credit that to Michelle and her family and team, and to the mustangs that roam free there. GEMS inspires feelings of freedom, and of belonging simultaneously. Through Michelle’s dedication to her father's vision, and her own creativity, she has succeeded in developing a sanctuary for wild beings to find themselves — and not just mustangs, but humans too. No matter what trials they have endured, or how troubled they have become, she welcomes them home and allows them to be free. As I reluctantly drove away, I was profoundly present to how much I needed a

Outside / Environment

weekend at the Sanctuary to remind me of who I am and why I am here. Going out to this piece of eastern Colorado really was more like going inward, toward my true nature and into my wild and inspired self. If you are inspired to visit, or support GEMS or the wild mustangs, there are many ways to help. GEMS is a non-profit, and relies on donations to support the permanent sanctuary herd and the cost of providing a home, feed, veterinary and farrier services and training for the wild mustangs to prepare them for adoption. You can donate, sponsor a mustang, adopt, attend a retreat or clinic or volunteer. The future is uncertain for so many wild mustangs, and they are in dire need of our support. Help these mustangs find a new home, and they will inspire the wild and true nature within you. +

For more information on The Great Escape Mustang Sanctuary, visit www.greatescapesanctuary.org.

HOW DOES YOUR

MARIAH ROSE VELASCO was born in the foothills of Colorado and grew up exploring the surrounding open space, aspen grooves, wildflower fields and red rocks. It’s no wonder that she has spent a majority of her lifetime outside, immersed in nature. She enjoys every moment of fresh air and sunshine, whether it be while hiking, backpacking, skiing, riding her horse Govinda, or walking her two pups Jonah and Nahko down the trails. After working in the ski industry, in studio management, retail and the service industry, she found her way back to horses. She has a knack and passion for taking care of them and guiding trail rides. She also co-founded In Your Element, a local yoga and adventure company, as a platform for her to share her passion for nature, yoga, meditation and self-development. Mariah’s writings are inspired by her passions, and she is honored to share them with you.

Garden Grow?

Admiration and education bloom at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail by Sandy Ferguson Fuller

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Outside / Environment

eautiful Colorado is home to bountiful bouquets and bushels of flowers and plants. Many of these blooms have acclimated to high altitude and dry climate, growing freely on the eastern plains and western mesas. The rare alpine species found in Colorado’s mountains have a more challenging task in sustaining life, and the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail aims "to deepen understanding and promote conservation of alpine plants and fragile mountain environments,” according to the Gardens’ mission statement. Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is the world’s highest botanical garden. At 8,250 feet, the garden specializes in alpine plants from around the world and shelters the National Collection of Colorado’s alpine flora. In 1983, the original idea for the Gardens came through the collaboration of two longtime Vail residents, landscape designer Marty Jones and Helen Fritch, a gardening hobbyist. Together they cultivated a vision for their unique showcase: “To be an internationally acclaimed botanic garden for alpine horticulture, education and conservation.” Former First Lady Betty Ford shared this passion for the gardens. Betty grew up loving flowers … how could you not with the maiden name of Bloomer?! “When I was a little girl, I spent many cherished hours with my mother in her garden,” Mrs. Ford said. “She wisely marked off an area for my very own plants. As we worked together, she nurtured me as she nurtured my love of gardening.” Betty became very involved during her frequent visits to their Vail Valley home and, in 1988, the Gardens were named in her honor. Neither of the original founders, nor Mrs. Ford herself, could envision the popularity, reputation and legacy the Gardens would grow to enjoy. Current executive director, Nicola Ripley, generously shared information and photos with CO YOGA + Life® about the current species, special features, programs, personnel and future plans for the Gardens. WHO CARES FOR THE GARDENS AND SELECTS THE PLANTS? Nick Courtens is the curator of plant

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collections and works closely with Nicola. They bring in three summer interns from horticultural and environmental education backgrounds. Volunteers may also help with gardening two mornings each summer week. HOW DOES THE VAIL VALLEY LOCATION AFFECT UNIQUE ASPECTS OF THE GARDENS? Despite the high elevation, the good snow cover in the winter enables growing many more plants than one might expect. The snow offers a blanket in the winter and often covers the plants before the ground freezes and persists until temperatures have warmed in spring. WHAT PLANTS ARE EXCEEDINGLY RARE OR EXCLUSIVE TO THE GARDEN? Nicola mentions a nationally important Gentian collection and Penstemon collection as well as the National Collection of Colorado alpine flora. Some of Colorado’s rarest plants such as Parachute Penstemon (Penstemon debilis) and Dwarf Rocky Mountain Saxifrage (Saxifraga saximontana) find a safe haven in the Garden. Today, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is comprised of four distinct sections; Mountain Perennial Garden (1989), Mountain Meditation Garden (1991), Alpine Rock Garden (1999), and the Children’s Garden (2002.) The Gardens’ plant collection showcases more than 3,000 species of high-altitude plants from the Rocky Mountains, as well as other regions of the world. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EXPANDING PROGRAMS AND SPECIAL EVENTS HOSTED IN THE GARDENS AND THE EDUCATION CENTER? Imagine anything from Bluegrass concerts to butterfly launches to Haute Cuisine celebrations to fashion shows to afternoon teas and tours to school and summer kids’ education programs to yoga! HOW ELSE IS COMMUNITY OUTREACH GROWING? Check out the free downloadable Alpine Wildflower App available on their website, www.bettyfordalpinegardens.org to help

you identify flowers while on a hike or at home. There are opportunities to volunteer and to donate, and the gift store in Vail Village is open year-round. +

Be sure to try Yoga In The Gardens! It’s the perfect, peaceful venue. Yoga this summer will be 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, June 11 through September 3. It’s held in the Alpine Plaza of the Gardens and is $15 per person.

PATAGONIA ACTION WORKS Fight for the planet with hyperlocal grassroots activism Outdoor clothing company Patagonia has launched a new digital platform connecting people with local grassroots organizations working to save the planet. The goal of this new platform, called Patagonia Action Works, is to help Patagonia customers learn more about local environmental issues and how to get involved with events, petitions, fundraising and volunteering time and skills. Specifically, Patagonia Action Works allows people to find environmental non-profits based on issue and location. It also provides links for grassroots organizations who are new to Patagonia to apply for funding. “If we could connect our community, friends and customers directly with local groups working on issues they are passionate about, suddenly these organizations would have the capacity to achieve even more,” said Lisa Pike Sheehy, vice president of environmental activism at Patagonia. “Everybody has a role to play in this movement.” Check it out at

www.patagonia.com/actionworks

outside / Gear

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1. Leatherman Collector’s Edition PST This collectible tool takes design inspiration from the original PST released in 1983. Simplicity, utility, and portability makes it a classic. Each piece is stamped with Tim Leatherman’s autograph and serialized up to 500 on the inside handle. $274.95 www.leatherman.com 2. Adidas Tracerocker Parley Top This men’s athletic shirt features yarn spun from reclaimed and recycled ocean waste, as well as Climalite soft and lightweight fabric for superior moisture management. The back has a mesh material for optimal ventilation. $29 www.adidas.com

3. K9 Sports Sack Dog Carrier Meticulously developed by dog owners to be lightweight, safe and comfortable. Now you can explore, travel, have fun and grow closer to your pet than ever before. $69.95 www.k9sportsack.com 4. Kammok Colorado Flag Hammock Show your state pride with these packable yet incredibly strong hammocks. A camper’s secret weapon in the backcountry. $79 www.kammok.com 5. AfterShokz Trekz Air Light and organically designed, these open ear bone conduction headphones have a secure fit and ensure quality sound. $179.95 www.aftershokz.com

6. Adidas Voyager Parley Camo Short Built with Climalite technology and yarns made from reclaimed and recycled ocean waste, these men’s shorts are not only eco-friendly, but stylish and comfortable enough for off trail activities. $69 www.adidas.com 7. Garneau Cityzen Collection Urban Skirt This bike skirt includes detachable inner shorts with a removable chamois and elastic waist that ensures maximum comfort. $64.99 www.garneau.com 8. Tecnica Forge Boots Designed to meet the demands of serious trekkers that are looking for the highest level of comfort and protection to move confidently on variable terrain for single or multi-day treks. $250 www.tecnicausa.com

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9. Adventure Medical Kits Adventure Dog Series Because they love the freedom of the trail as much as you do, this kit has comprehensive first aid solutions to keep both you and your fourlegged hiking buddy safe on all your adventures together. $50 www.adventuremedicalkits.com

11. Smartwool PhD Outdoor Light Mid Crew Socks Featuring a versatile, multi-sport design, this lightweight style is durable and comfortable. The Mid Crew height sits at an ideal height for a low trail boot. $20.95 www.smartwool.com

10. Arcteryx Cerium SL Hoodie Designed primarily as a midlayer, lightweight packability makes this jacket an effective standalone during rest breaks, evenings at camp, or on emergency bivvies, and the insulated hood adds even more warmth. $349 www.arcteryx.com

12. Thule AllTrail 45L Backpack A versatile, all-around pack built to withstand any season and countless activities. $179.95 www.thule.com

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13. Patagonia Packable Wader The highest-performing, lightest, mostpackable waders on the market, featuring new seamless booty technology. This is the ultimate backcountry or travel wader. $349 www.patagonia.com

14. Fjällräven Abisko Trekking Tights Technical trekking tights in highly functional stretch fabric with reinforcements for extra durability in rough terrain. Practical pockets and waist with belt loops and a fly. $175 www.fjallraven.com 15. Black Diamond Momentum Women’s Rock Shoes Designed specifically for a woman’s foot, the Women’s Momentum is the perfect entry-level climbing shoe for all day comfort at the gym or crag. $89.95 www.blackdiamondequipment.com 16. My Charge Portable Power Outlet Designed to replace the heavy and bulky generators used when tailgating or camping, the Portable Power Outlet is a streamlined power source has enough output to power a laptop. $179.99 www.mycharge.com

outside / Gear: SUP Roundup 1. Hala Asana - 10’6” x 34” x 6” $1199 (paddle, pump, bag, 3yr warranty) This is the most versatile board I tested. It is very stable and has rocker and a raised stomp pad making it easy to flow into an expedition or whitewater adventure. The center handle made it easy to carry and did not get in the way during activities like I thought it might. The Hala Asana has a threepoint rigging system on the nose and has seven total rigging points making it easy to grab water in downdog and tie the board off to almost anything. 2. SOL Shiva - 10’ x 36” x 6” $1099 (paddle, pump, bag, 3yr warranty) The SOL Shiva is the best board for yoga that I tested. You can really feel the extra two inches of width in the stability of the board when practicing, and I liked that there was center handle under my back. I couldn’t figure out the specialized carrying strap, so it made it a little tough to carry the board to the water. The single center fin with the quick fin release system made this wide board easy to maneuver when making a surf turn and is great for quick fin removal. www.solpaddle.com

3. Red Paddle Co. Activ MSL – 10’8” x 34” x 5.9” $1399 (titan pump, bag, water resistant phone case, 2yr warranty) The Red Paddle Co Activ is a great board for flat water. It had a really nice deck pad with a center line for body positioning. The Titan Pump that comes with Red Paddle Co. boards has a dual cylinder, so inflating the boards was less strenuous. The carrying handles have been moved to the sides keeping them out of the way during activities, but it made carrying difficult. Overall another great board for a fun and active day on the water. www.redpaddleco.com 4. Chums Downriver Rolltop Bag - $59 Perfect for your next SUP adventure or class on your board. Store your phone or camera for those awesome shots. Our keep your supplies and snacks for the extended day on the river. www.chums.com

5. Vibram V-Aqua - $90 That barefoot feel with lots of grip while protecting your feet. You can do yoga in these and still walk on rocks. www.us.vibram.com

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6. Beyond Coastal Coconut Lip Balm - $2.99 Sun protection and hydration in an awesome flavor. If coconut is not your jam they have some other flavorful varieties www.beyondcoastal.com 7. Body Glide Sunscreen Balm - $9.99 Stores perfectly in your Downriver Rolltop Bag or pocket keeping you protected in the sun as well as rubbing that causes chafing and raw skin. www.bodyglide.com

8. Astral Loyak - $85 SUP to the streets with this self-draining shoe with style. Fashion and function with the Flex-Grip™ outsole for balance and grip. www.astraldesigns.com

9. Astral Airbelt - $119.95 Great PFD (personal floatation device) for calm water and your next class. The elegant design keeps it out of the way and satisfies the rules of most lakes. www.astraldesigns.com

by bobby l'heureux

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Jane DeDecker

ZEN “Eagle” 26” x 4” x 6”

WITH

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By julia clarke

EVOLVING HEALTHCARE

with Ayurveda

oyful. Clear. Inspired. Free. Four words emerge effortlessly from deep in my consciousness and rise to the surface of my mind. I’m sitting cross-legged in a treatment room at Alandi Ashram, Ayurveda Clinic and

School, a center for healing in Boulder for 28 years. At the behest of my guide Sierra Brashear, a second year student practitioner, I’m visualizing my desired state of wellbeing, words that will form the foundation for my journey to self-care.

Ayurveda and I have had a long love affair. Meaning “science of life,” it is one of the world’s most ancient traditions of holistic medicine, sometimes called the father of Chinese Medicine. I discovered it in childhood and became a practitioner in my late twenties, pouring myself into the infinite wisdom contained within its tomes. I followed it to its birthplace in India, where I experienced the weird and wonderful world of Ayurvedic massages, steam therapy and enemas, before turning my studentship into a master’s degree. For two hours we pour over my health. Brashear takes my pulse conscientiously, seeking signals of imbalance. We discuss everything that could be influencing my health: family history, diet, relationships and even bathroom habits. “My motivation in life is to leave the world a better place,” explains Brashear. “My undergraduate and master's degrees are both in international environment and development, but after having completed these degrees, I felt disheartened because the ways that I saw to make a difference in the world were very macrocosm, which didn’t resonate with me. Something in me realized that if we want to heal our planet, we must start with healing ourselves and each other.” Like most, my chief complaint is stress, much of which stems from a knee surgery last year. An unfortunate spill on the slopes introduced me to the stark failure of American society: the healthcare system. The ensuing months bore thousands of miles driven for treatment, hurried consultations where my concerns were neither asked about nor dealt with, mounting bills and growing anxiety. According to Brashear, people who’ve been chewed up and spit out by the healthcare system are often the ones who eventually stumble through the doors of Alandi, depleted and desperate, where instead of a brusque appointment with an overworked provider they find someone compassionate and skilled who will listen, observe and co-create a workable plan for health. “The Western medical system deals largely with treatment of symptoms, rather than root cause. Yet many people are experiencing symptoms that Western medicine hasn’t figured out how to mask, while others are disinterested in the side effects caused by

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photo by: Alakananda Ma

wellness / Ayurveda

prescription medications. In neither case is the whole body system considered, leaving quite a lot of people suffering with their symptoms with no guidance for healing.” These people, who she says come seeking relief from everything from chronic pain and anxiety to fertility and digestion issues, often find both relief from their symptoms and spiritual guidance and connection. “Alandi Ayurveda’s role is to provide guidance for healing that focuses on the whole person, starting with discovering the individual’s unique constitution, and then rebalancing the elements within the body and mind through nutrition, lifestyle and gentle herbal treatments.” Ayurveda sees the human physiology as being composed of the five elements, and any disorder as dissonance at this quantum level. Treatment favors diet, herbs, routine and consciousness-based practices like yoga and meditation to re-harmonize the subtle physiology. The heat of inflammation is described as excess fire, and treated with cooling foods and behaviors, while the heaviness of depression is perceived as excess earth and balanced with light and stimulating measures. It is as simple as it is effective and this is what I love about it. Alandi was founded in 1990 by Alakananda Devi, one of the first Western physicians to teach Ayurveda under the tutelage of the esteemed Dr. Vasant Lad, and her partner Sadananda. A small, unassuming house on a quiet residential street efficiently houses residents, treatment rooms, an apothecary, and the school where a small close-knit group study to become practitioners or doctors. The depth of wisdom here is impressive and the comprehensiveness of our consultation foreshadows their entire approach. Two weeks later I receive my treatment plan: 19 pages detailing my health, changes to make to my diet, a protocol of herbs to take, oils to use, mantras to listen to, aromas to inhale and more. Armed with a personalized manual aiming me towards my desired state of wellbeing, I feel supported for the long road ahead. This is not a quick fix solution, as Brashear points out, but an interactive and rewarding journey of participation and progress: “The people who come to us have to be able to put in the work to heal themselves, but ultimately, it’s very worth it.” +

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4 AYURVEDIC TIPS FOR SELF-CARE FROM ALANDI AYURVEDA STUDENT PRACTITIONER SIERRA BRASHEAR EAT AND DRINK ONLY WARM ITEMS. In Ayurveda, healthy digestion is the foundation of deep wellness. Your agni, or metabolic fire, is responsible for transforming what you take in to your body into the wellness that supports thriving existence. It is essentially the energy of transformation, and keeping it healthy helps ensure that your doshas (combination of elements) return to balance and remain there. When agni is healthy and the doshas are balanced, disease can not manifest. One very important way to care for agni is to intake only cooked food and warm beverages — this means no ice water! Warm beverages (such as warm lemon and honey water) help kindle the digestive fire, while cold ones dampen it.

SLEEP AND EAT AT REGULAR TIMES. Another very important part of healing with Ayurveda is aligning your routines with the rhythms of nature, including the daily cycle of the sun. You might be surprised by how much can shift simply by leveraging the energies available at different times of day, as well as by creating consistency across your days. Waking up before 6 a.m. synchronizes your body to the rhythm of the sun, and is the ideal time to eliminate both physical and mental wastes. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. is when your digestive fire is the strongest, so it is the ideal time to eat your main meal, and is also the best time to do your most strenuous mental activities. Eat a small meal by 6 p.m., and go to sleep before 10 p.m. to ensure a good night’s sleep and healthy agni the next day.

TAKE A WALK AFTER EACH MEAL. Our bodies are designed to move after intake of food, to support digestion and avoid lethargy. After eating, take a 10-15 minute stroll outside. As you stroll, take a deep breath in to take in the prana (life force) of the natural environment.

SCRAPE YOUR TONGUE. One of the goals of Ayurveda is to clear toxins from the body. During each night, your body is pulling toxins from the deep channels toward the external channels. In the morning, many of these toxins have collected on the tongue, and using a tongue scraper removes them so you don’t swallow them. Tongue scrapers are available on Amazon, at Whole Foods and Alandi.

JULIA CLARKE, E-RYT 500 and MS Ayurveda & Integrative Medicine, hails from Scotland and found the rugged Rocky Mountains of Colorado just enough like home to move here in 2009. She is the co-founder of Mountain Soul Yoga in Edwards, CO and a faculty member at the Colorado School of Yoga. In her free time, you can find her exploring Colorado's endless playground on foot, ski, bike or belay, or traveling the world.

wellness / Health

our body is an ecosystem to itself, host to trillions of microorganisms residing within the environmental niche of your human self. Several hundred different species of bacteria, fungi, yeast, viruses and other cellular organisms live in your gastrointestinal tract, mouth, vagina and skin. They are collectively referred to as your microbiome and you plus them compose a single ecological unit that has co-evolved synergistically since the beginning of time. The cells of your microbiome outnumber your own cells ten to one and account for a 100 times greater fold in gene expression than what your human genome is capable of. While DNA is 99.9 percent similar between every person, our microbiomes are incredibly diverse and scientists are correlating specific microbiome patterns with certain disease states and behaviors, and is accounting for more than what genetics alone can predict. A thriving microbiome serves vital immunologic, anti-inflammatory, metabolic and homeostatic functions. It helps us digest food, produce vitamins, educate our immune system, pull nutrients in, push toxins out, protect from disease, fight off harmful microorganisms and even regulate mood. Studies have linked changes in the microbiome to obesity, heart disease, arthritis, IBS, allergies, diminished response to cancer immunotherapies, and neurological disorders like Parkinson's, pain sensitivity, eating behaviors, stress responses, emotional dysregulation and even social interacting. We are thus on the verge of a new health revolution that's asking “If we damage our microbiome, what other health problems are we causing?”

Dr. Jonathan Bloch

LISTEN

to your gut

And Treat Your Microbiome Like a Temple 78

SUPPORT YOUR GUT HEALTH

The process of building your microbiome starts immediately after birth. We're born sterile inside. Passage through the birth canal introduces both gut and skin microorganisms from your mother. Breast milk introduces more bacteria from all over the body. Food from dirt takes over and the microbiome fully matures by age three. It’s a process of symbiotic co-evolution where our microbiomes are as much a part of our human landscape as the person themselves.

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photo by: kimber pine

When things go wrong with the microbiome, from stress or diet, it becomes depleted, thinned and overrun by pathogens. This eliminates the protective effect and the gut lining becomes exposed. Direct effects of inflammation cause the gut to erode (leading to poor nutrient absorption and food sensitivities) and even fall apart (leading to leaky gut and direct input of toxins to the bloodstream). So what’s the number one way to treat your body and microbiome like a shrine? Remove toxins and pathogens from your body while focusing on what goes in through diet. Agricultural and pharmacologic antibiotics kill off the microbiome, so do food pesticides. GMOs, food irradiation, microwaving, overcooking and over-utilized sterilization processes deplete the microbiome before food even hits the plate. Replacing good ingredients with refined sugars, processed flours, fillers, etc., serves to support yeast and parasite growth that competes with and replaces the microbiome. Finally, modern world stress weakens and inflames our microbiome, which in turn sends out the immune-mediated biological markers that augment self-fulfilling cycles that spiral us towards autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue and pain. • Recommendations suggest getting the most probiotic diversity from diet by eating probiotic foods ranging from kombucha to sauerkraut and yogurt. • Prebiotic diets utilize natural forms of fiber that increase GI motility and bacterial turnover, which encourages low populations to flourish. Inulin and oligoscaharides make the best prebiotic fibers and are found in foods like onions, garlic, asparagus, green bananas and whole grains. • Fruits and vegetables are a top probiotic and prebiotic foods. Modern diets lack sufficient fiber. Fiber not only feeds the microbiome, it aids stool transit times. Digestion is a time-sensitive process by which we want to absorb the good before things begin to putrefy. • Removing toxins from your diet and body is tough no matter how carefully you

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A thriving microbiome serves vital immunologic, antiinflammatory, metabolic and homeostatic functions. choose food. According to David Sandoval, pesticides are found in more than 75 percent of the food we eat and every American tested has been shown to have it in their bodies. Chelation is a difficult process by which we use substances to bind and remove toxins/metals from our body. Chlorella is a normal microbiome organism that produces glutahione, the major natural chelator in humans. Other products like Biome Medic® are being marketed as pesticide chelators. • Avoid antacids in leu of having natural stomach acidity that kills harmful bacteria. • Chew food well. Saliva has many semi-dormant probiotic bacteria that get mixed into and activated with food, and can literally make a scoby out of each meal. • Processed sugars and corn syrup inflame your cells and serve as superfood for yeast and candida mold species that take over and replace the normal microbiome.

• Yeast is not probiotic. It produces large amounts of gases CO2 and ethanol which further irritate and compete for your body's use of oxygen. • Meat protein is hard to digest, which not only slows transit time, its byproducts of metabolism (ammonia, sulfites, methane and ethanol) could be comparable to the main ingredients in household cleaners, explosives and gasoline. Once our food was as pure as the earth, water ran clean and dirt was full of minerals. We lived by our gut instincts. We woke by the sun, slept by the stars and a real circadian rhythm versus go-go modern day challenges. We did not eat coloring, flavoring, added sugar, binding agents, fillers, hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, radiated ingredients and GMOs. The microbiome is not well understood yet is receiving a lot of recent attention, this may be because our modern world has made it almost impossible to care for it. Evolutionarily, microbial symbiosis of the intestinal tract started in the ocean when we were primitive wormlike ingestive tubes, and we have since evolved into a complex single ecological unit. We know the microbiome has widespread physiologic roles that are positive for us, that we use the same chemical messengers, share DNA, low numbers correlate with different disease conditions, and while it cannot speak, it has mastered unique ways of signaling the entire body. All together it raises a very esoteric question of whom exists for who. It's like the alien invasion never left, they still reside inside and are desperately trying to tell us something about both our environments ... so what is your gut telling you? +

DR. JONATHAN BLOCH is a full spectrum integrated family practitioner and osteopathic physician with a mission is to inspire personal health through mind, body and spiritual practices. You can learn more about him and his practice at www.yogischoicehealthcare.com

wellness / Inspiration

icture your #1 Fan, the one who loves you most and is there for you through thick and thin. Have you pictured someone? Maybe a spouse, parent or best friend came to mind. While all these people are great cheerleaders in life, the #1 Fan I’m speaking of is much, much more. Your #1 Fan is your body. That’s right, your #1 Fan is your body; the only one who shows up for you day in and day out, regardless of how you show up for it in return. It took me almost too long to realize this. I was 34 years old, had just had my second child and was motivated to lose the baby weight. Off to the gym I went, only to return home after the first aerobics class with a swollen elbow; I could barely extend my arm. It was spin class the next day that made my hip do the same thing … the class after that it was my knee. I wanted to believe it was just because I was out of shape, but my gut was telling me something much, much bigger was going on. And boy was I right.

Just a few months later my body was consumed with pain. I could no longer hold a pen to write, open a jar or carry my baby up the stairs. But it didn’t stop there; chronic fatigue, headaches, stomach aches, brain fog and memory loss became part of my daily routine. And then came the dizzy spells and muscle weakness that eventually landed me in the hospital because I couldn’t walk. My body was failing me, and not one doctor had an answer. After almost two years, my day of knowing arrived. I was so excited and eager to hear the plan to fix my ill body. The doctor shared that

ANGELA GAFFNEY, CHC, is a catalyst for healthy transformation. After overcoming a disease she was told would take her life, Angela teaches others simple strategies to achieve health and excel in their career. Angela is the best-selling author of Feel Good, Look Good, For Life. To hire Angela to speak at your next event, discuss a wellness program for your corporation, or take advantage of complimentary health tools, please visit www.AngelaGaffney.com.

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photo by: yannis papanastasopoulos

LISTEN. RESPOND. GROW.

I have a rare neuromuscular disease called mitochondrial Angela myopathy; the bad news, he said, it is progressive and will Gaffney attack one organ system after the next. He didn’t know of any good outcomes and said to “go home and prepare for what’s to come.” I wished my gut had been wrong and the worst part of it all is I NEVER saw it coming. For months I tried figuring out how to die gracefully. I woke up one morning and in an instant my thoughts shifted; I decided I was going to figure out how to live! That moment was the biggest moment of my journey and it started with my mind … shifting perspective and choosing to participate differently in life. If you’d like to get healthy, stress less and live more, you too will need to shift your thoughts and choose to participate in a new way. Start with these three ideas: 1. LISTEN: The body speaks to us every day; maybe you feel tired, have a headache, or knee pain. These are all signs the body is giving us in hopes that you might slow down, pay attention and respond. All too often, we dismiss what’s going on and move forward with our day. How can we demand that the body support us when we haven’t provided it enough in return? Take time to listen, it’s a vital first step to health. 2. RESPOND: Listening is a fantastic start, but then you must do something with the information. Speak to your body just as you would a small child, let it know that you’re there to work as a team and support it in health. Take extra time for self-care when needed, see a doctor, or go get a massage. Your body will love you for it and respond in return. 3. GROW: There can be a LOT of guilt associated with not doing enough. Especially when a diagnosis is part of the journey, we begin to question our past choices. Don’t allow yourself to go there. Focus on moving forward every day. Learn from your past choices, choose differently and participate in a new way going forward. This allows us to grow as a person and maintain good health. Health is not about perfection, it’s all about progression. One step at a time. +

wellness / Health

Essential Oils

And Their Potent Benefits

supporting the movement away from pharmaceuticals to relieve pain and anxiety. Rachel Luplow, a lead therapist at SunWater Spa in Manitou Springs, Colorado, uses seven essential oil blends in her 90-minute massage — Chakra Journey. “The concept behind this treatment is to use these essential oil blends from head to toe as each one is designed to balance one of the seven main chakras in the body,” Luplow explains. The following are three oils used for three of the chakras. “The first blend is Luminous — lavender, ylang ylang, pink grapefruit — attuned to the crown chakra at the top of the head and helps calm the nervous system and lessen headaches. Moving down the body, the Heartful blend — rose and germanium — helps to balance the center of the chest including the immune system and blood flow. A third blend, Sensuous — pink grapefruit and jasmine — is attuned to the chakra near the belly giving a sense of emotional security and relaxation.” Although there are more than 100 essential oils and blends available today, the following is a bit about five of the most popular scents, with broad perceived health benefits.

FRANKINCENSE

Wendy Wilkinson

e have all heard or read about the perceived benefits of using essential oils to cure what ails you; and the myriad of ways that they are used — from direct application to the skin in massage and key chakra points, to diffusing, steaming and/or adding to a hot bath. Pure essentials oils are highly concentrated compounds that have been pressed or distilled from plants and do not have the fatty or oil component found in cooking oils. Having been used for more than a thousand years, but trendy for more than a decade, they are called essential as they carry the distinctive fragrance or essence of the plant or plant part they are derived from. These oils have seen an 80 percent rise in use since 2007,

LAVENDER

Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils on the market and for good reason. It smells great and is an effective stress-relieving oil. The name stems from the Latin word "lavera," meaning to wash. In addition to stress-relieving properties, lavender is a healing aid against colds, flu and migraines. Add a few drops to a diffuser or even your pillow before bedtime to get a good night’s sleep.

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photo by: sharon pittaway

Frankincense is one of the oldest and most useful essential oils in the world, extracted from the resin of one of four species of the genus Boswellia. Some of the many uses and benefits of Frankincense essential oil include as a mood enhancer and stress reducer, an anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial, as well as a digestive aid. Frankincense oil can also help to fade scars and heal wounds faster, as well as ease itching from insect bites and other skin ailments.

PEPPERMINT

Peppermint claims a longer list of uses and benefits than any of the other oils including cold and flu prevention as well as treatment of symptoms, relief of joint and muscle pain and inflammation, alleviating headaches and clearing up skin conditions. Use peppermint essential oil to improve digestion, relieve nausea and eliminate gas or bloating.

emma murray

TEA TREE

Tea Tree essential oil is distilled from the leaves and young stems of the Melaleuca alternifolia tree. Not to be confused with the tea shrub Camellia sinensis, the oil of the tea tree is actually quite toxic if ingested. However, this favorite among essential oils has earned the moniker “medicine cabinet in a bottle” for its extensive list of extraordinarily beneficial external uses.

THIEVES

Thieves is a powerful combination of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus radiata and rosemary essential oils for an aromatic blend that fills any space with a rich, spicy aroma. The blended oil is thought to shorten the length of a cold and is also used in dish soap and toothpaste.

RESPECTED BRANDS + WHERE TO FIND THEM: Boulder – Ananda Apothecary www.anandaapothecary.com Colorado Springs – Debbi's Aromatherapy (can do custom oils) www.debbisaromatherapy.com Manitou Springs – Salus www.shopsalus.com

t’s no secret spending time under the sun boosts your mood and energizing Vitamin D levels. But just as important as it is to enjoy fresh summer air outdoors, don’t forget rehydrate once you’ve been out in the heat. This summer smoothie restores essential vitamins and minerals with uber-hydrating ingredients, ensuring you stay energized throughout the day and keeping your skin and hair glowing from within. The smoothie base — avocado, and steamed-then-frozen cauliflower and zucchini (which, we promise, you can’t taste) — is nutrient-dense and has a thick consistency. The pineapple and mango add a citrusy highlight, and the cucumber, aloe vera juice, and coconut water deliver hydrating elements. Creamy when blended, these nourishing vitamins and healthy fats will sustain you all day. When it tastes like a tropical dream, what more do you need to complement a hot day in the sun?

Ingredients

WENDY WILKINSON has been a writer and publicist in the celebrity/lifestyle worlds for more than twenty-five years. Her work has been published in many national and regional publications including the Los Angeles Times, Colorado Living Well, Cowboys & Indians, and Fit and Fit Yoga. As an author she co-wrote Parents at Last, Celebrating Adoption and the New Pathways to Parenthood, People We Know, Horses They Love, with cover Robert Redford, and Morgan Freeman & Friends, Caribbean Cooking for a Cause.

½ cucumber ½ avocado ⅓ cup steamed-then-frozen cauliflower (cut into chunks, steam, then freeze overnight) ⅓ cup steamed-then-frozen zucchini (cut into chunks, steam, then freeze overnight) ⅓ cup frozen pineapple ⅓ cup frozen mango ½ cup full fat coconut milk ¼ cup coconut water ½ cup aloe vera juice Optional toppings:

Hemp seeds Shredded coconut Fresh fruit Sprouted nuts (in a bowl, cover raw nuts in water and let sit overnight, rinse before eating) Preferred granola Instructions Chop avocado and cucumber into chunks and place in blender. Add coconut milk, coconut water, and aloe vera juice. Add cauliflower, zucchini, pineapple, and mango. Blend on high for 2 minutes. Add more (or less) coconut water to find your favorite consistency. Finish with toppings of your choice!

photo by: Emma Murray

Vail – Vitality Center at Vail Mountain Lodge (sells Floracopeia Essential Oils) www.floracopeia.com/Shop/

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SUN REPAIR SMOOTHIE

wellness / Food

connection to food

By sarah klein

hat is food to you? Comfort? Fuel? Confusion? Yet another thing you have to do? For some of us mealtime can lead to rushed confusion and more stress. We grab food off grocery store shelves packed in plastic verse from the earth these days. The inescapable pervasiveness of processed and packaged food has created a disconnect for us, impacting our health, the health of the planet and our ability to eat mindfully. A study showed that 60 percent of calories bought in the U.S. are highly processed (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology). We all know processed foods are no good for our health but have you thought about how they impact your relationship to food? What would change for you if you brought the mindfulness skills we practice in yoga to the dinner table? The grocery store? Most unwanted food habits happen unconsciously. When we are truly present and aware, we avoid overeating, unhealthy foods and unethically sourced foods. As we take greater interest in the origin of our food we inevitably increase our health and the health of the planet. (Recent little factoid, did you know that the livestock industry is more responsible for our planet's excess greenhouse emissions than the auto industry?) Yoga reveals the power of awareness. Yoga asks us to slow down in order to observe. Awareness can cure. Awareness connects us to our inner knowing. Eating with awareness (or eating mindful) not only impacts what we eat, but how we digest. Our nervous system and digestive system are highly interconnected. When we are in a mindful state we turn on our parasympathetic nervous system — i.e. our rest and DIGEST state. Only in this state can our body appropriately and efficiently pull nutrients from the food we eat. When we eat in a state of stress because, say we are reading emails or rushing from one thing to the next, our blood moves away from the digestive track. Why focus on digestion when the body believes it is in a stressful situation? Our nervous system is

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photo by: Bonni Pacheco Photography

GROW YOUR

like a light switch; we can’t be mindful and stressed at the same time. So, for a multitude of reasons, bringing your yoga practice to the dinner table has many benefits. All good relationships require quality time and understanding — your relationship with food is no different. The more we connect, the more we appreciate. Understanding how much it really takes to get that kale salad from the dirt to your plate will help you savor each bite with gratitude. Strive to transform your eating experience into an act of mindfulness and a ritual of pleasure. Imagine how that will impact your health! There are many ways to deepen your connection with your food: • Head to your local farmers' market and meet the hard working farmers who plant those seeds. • Sign up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), which ensures you will be eating local all summer long and getting creative with a fresh box of goodies each week. • Get into the kitchen and cook. Make cooking an expression of creativity. The more we interact, the more we connect and respect. But one of the oldest and best ways to grow your connection to food is to get down and dirty, in the dirt. Gardening. What better time to dive in than now? Research shows that gardening can lead to incredible health benefits, like decreasing risk of dementia (yup, a 2016 study showed gardening lowered one's risk by 36%), boosting mood, decreasing stress and helping sleep habits. With too many potential benefits to list, a home garden is a no-brainer. +

HERE ARE A FEW TIPS TO GET YOU INTO THE DIRT THIS SEASON AND GROW THAT CONNECTION TO FOOD: 1. START SMALL. Hold off on that tractor down payment. No need to become a farmer overnight. Start with one veggie or one herb. Pick something you will absolutely enjoy. Stick it in a visible place, making it easy to remember to water it. Notice the experience you have when eating this homegrown treat. 2. YOU DON'T HAVE TO START FROM A SEED. Starting from seed can be amazing, and it opens the door to more varieties but it's significantly more involved. Consider using baby plants called "starts." Let the professionals with the practiced green thumbs kick things off for you. 3. THINK LIGHT, SOIL AND WATER. Soil is essentially your plant's food, make it nutritious. Enrich your soil with bulk compost or aged mushroom soil. Mix 50 percent of that with 50 percent native soil. Give your new plant friend around 6 hours of daytime light. Set a calendar reminder so you don’t forget to water — soon you will get your own sense of your plant's water needs just by looking at it. Just like us, your plant needs food, water and light. 4. MAKE A RAISED BED. Ready to commit? This allows you to control the soil and nutrient blend, critical for success. Never make the bed wider than 4 feet (so you can pick without stepping on plants) and be mindful to use nontoxic materials. 5. JOIN A COMMUNITY GARDEN. Don’t have the space? Want a like-minded community for support? Join a community garden. 6. HAVE FUN AND PRACTICE NON-ATTACHMENT. Bring a spirit of playfulness and an open mind to your gardening. Have fun, connect to nature and, just like yoga, let it be about experiencing verses accomplishing.

SARAH KLEIN, owner of Whole Health Lab, lives in the southwest corner of Colorado and enjoys spending her time in the mountains, on her yoga mat and in the kitchen. She uses her background in health psychology, nutrition and yoga to teach that true health is a balanced recipe of consistent exercise, whole foods, positive thoughts, healthy relationships and meaningful work. Sarah runs 200-hour yoga teacher trainings, teaches yoga and wellness retreats around the globe and works one-on-one with clients to create whole health through yoga and nutrition. Learn more about Sarah: wholehealthlab.com and on Instagram @wholehealthlab. Join her in Cuba this November for an international yoga adventure!

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wellness / Food

HEALTHY + DELICIOUS

RECIPES FOR THE SUMMER By Jo Schaalman + Jules Peláe z

ver heard the saying, “we eat with our eyes first?” Well, these recipes are a feast for the senses! Bright, colorful and refreshing, these warm-weather favorites don’t just make your table look beautiful — they fill your body with an array of antioxidants and vitamins, giving you a boost of vibrancy in every bite. So feast your eyes on these yummy dishes and rest assured that you’ll be cultivating good health through and through.

LA PALOMA ROSA Yields: 4 servings Ingredients: 1 cup fresh grapefruit juice 1 cup organic blanco tequila ¼ cup fresh lime juice 1 ½ TB. Lakanto Handful of fresh mint, crushed Pink Himalayan sea salt Ice cubes 1 cup club soda Instructions:

Photo Courtesy of: The Conscious Cleanse

In a cocktail shaker (or quart-sized mason jar) combine the grapefruit juice, tequila, lime juice and Lakanto. Crush the mint leaves in your hands releasing the essential oils while keeping them whole. Add the mint leaves to the same container. Stir, wait five minutes, and stir again. To prepare each drink, run a lime wedge along the edge of half of each glass, and dip rim in salt. Pour ½ cup of the grapefruit mixture into each glass filled with ice. Top off with about ¼ cup of club soda. Garnish with any extra mint you may have. ¡Salud amigos!

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SUMMER COLESLAW

LEMON BALLS Yield: 16 balls Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups almond flour 1 TB. coconut flour ¼ cup macadamia nuts 1/4 cup + 2 TB. freshly squeezed lemon juice 3 TB. honey 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. lemon zest 1/4 tsp. sea salt ½ cup shredded coconut Instructions: In a food processor combine almond flour, coconut flour, macadamia nuts, lemon juice, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, lemon zest and sea salt. Roll about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into a ball. Place shredded coconut on a small plate, and roll each ball in coconut to coat. Store in the freezer or refrigerator until ready to be served.

Yield: 6-8 cups Ingredients: ½ red onion, thinly sliced 1 TB. sea salt Juice of 1 lime ½ head red cabbage, shredded 1 cucumber, sliced into half-moon shapes 1 lb asparagus, sliced into thin discs (with the last woody inch discarded) ¼ cup parsley, chopped 1/3 cup apple cider or rice vinegar ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil ½ cup walnut pieces (optional) Instructions: Begin pickling the onion before shredding and chopping the salad. First, put the onion slices into a small bowl and cover with sea salt. Toss to mix and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the cabbage and slice the cucumber. Add both to a large bowl. Rinse the salt off the onion with warm water and add slices back to the same bowl. Pour lime juice over the onion, toss to mix, and let sit another 10-20 minutes. Next, slice the asparagus into small discs and chop the parsley. Add both to the large bowl with cabbage and cucumber. Add vinegar to a medium bowl and slowly whisk in olive oil. Drizzle the vinegar and olive oil over the cabbage, cucumber, asparagus and parsley. Now that the onions have softened and turned a pinkish color, drain the remaining lime juice into the large mixing bowl. Give the onion slices a quick, rough chop and add to the large bowl. If using, add in the walnut pieces. With a large spoon or tongs, mix everything together so that all vegetables are coated in dressing. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve as a main dish salad, as a side salad, or use slaw as a topper for burgers or lettuce wraps. Store in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

JO SCHAALMAN and JULES PELÁEZ are co-founders and authors of the program, "The Conscious Cleanse: Lose Weight, Heal Your Body and Transform Your Life in 14 Days," a best-selling, step-by-step guide to help you live your most vibrant life. Together they’ve led thousands of people through their online supported cleanse with their accessible and light-hearted approach. They’ve been dubbed “the real deal” by founder and chief creative director Bobbi Brown, of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, beauty editor of the TODAY show. To learn more about “Jo and Jules,” the Conscious Cleanse and their 80:20 Lifestyle Plan, visit www.consciouscleanse.com.

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wellness / Food

5 WAYS TO GROW

Your Palate

o you find yourself in a food rut? Eating the same things all the time? Do you crave variety? Do you just want to try some new foods, but don’t know where to start? Are you a “picky eater?” Taking tiny steps to grow your palate can open up a world of tasty possibilities. You don’t have to start big. Just like a flower peeks out of the earth when it is starting to grow, taking tiny steps to explore new tastes can set your palate up for big, exciting changes. If you’ve wanted to try new and different foods, here are 5 tips to get you started.

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Photo by: arek adeoye

By Dr. penny wilson

TRY A FOOD YOU DIDN’T LIKE AS A KID. Did you know that children have more taste buds than adults? This is one reason why you may not have liked certain foods as a child. Just because you didn’t like a food as a kid doesn’t mean you’re destined to dislike it as an adult. Give that food a chance and try it again to see what you think. If you still don’t like it, figure out why — is it the taste, texture, smell, color? If you know the why behind not liking it, you may be able to change it (keep reading for ideas on how to do that). Or, you may be surprised and find out that you DO like it.

FIGURE OUT IF YOU’RE A “SUPER TASTER.” Super Tasters are those that have a genetic predisposition to find certain foods bitter especially those from the Brassica family like brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage and other foods like grapefruit, coffee, and cilantro. How do you know? If you’ve had your genetics run, look for the SNP TAS2R38 and see what it says. If you haven’t done your genetics you can tell because you find those and other foods bitter. If you are a Super Taster you’re less likely to eat vegetables. If you know you’re a Super Taster, then you can use some of the tips below to get more veggies on your plate (and in your stomach).

TRY A NEW COOKING METHOD. Have you tried roasting your veggies? It is a great way to make up a huge batch of veggies to eat and have for later. Chop them up, toss them with some olive oil, salt and pepper, spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees F for 30-45 minutes. Be sure and stir them around at least once. If you’re a Super Taster, roasting those bitter veggies (like brussels sprouts) inactivates the compound that makes them bitter.

SPICE THINGS UP. Herbs and spices can make cooking a lot of fun. Next time you’re at the store or farmers' market grab a new spice or herb blend. Spend a couple of minutes looking online on how to use it then DO IT! You may find a new best herby friend. I like to mix in some Herbs de Provence in my roasted veggies from tip 3 above. You can use dried or fresh herbs and all sorts of different spices.

BUY A NEW FOOD. Have you seen all those “strange” foods in that “special” area of the produce section? Ever wondered what they taste like? Take a step outside your comfort zone and find out. Next time you walk by those bins, search on the web what it is, how to pick a good one and ideas for preparation. Then, grab one and use it when you get home. +

PENNY WILSON, PHD, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She has two focuses: helping people learn about eating to fuel their lives and helping women with digestive issues take control of their symptoms so they can lead a normal life. She loves spending time with her husband, John, and her dogs. She hikes, skis (both alpine and Nordic), bikes and travels. www.eatingforperformance.com

wellness / Growth

aging

We Rot at the Core By tom lutes

Loosing first what cannot be seen, We surrender possibility in life, And give up far more than needed. It lives in the belly. That vision of unlimited possibility, That will to grow newly, The possibility of rebirth, All disappear into a subtle resignation. It’s winter in our heart, And spring rarely comes.

Having never learned to listen, Deeper needs go unheard, Stifled and unanswered. Meaning and purpose Give way to survival. The hole at our center, The true hunger, Grows. Resignation deepens Into a new normal. Fresh possibility disappears Into benumbed, dulled habit. Routine and automatic pattern Occupy and permeate us — Mentally, emotionally, physically. Every day, 24 hours a day, We practice unconscious Movement, feeling and thought. All of it generated by a mindset Dry of connection To deeper meaning and purpose. Just as energy follows attention, And body reflects consciousness, So the interlocked physical system Begins a domino effect Of compensatory moves: Core strength wanes Belly extends

Low back locks Spine tightens Hips stiffen Hamstrings shorten Stride contracts Shoulders slump Balance wanes We have become a shell of ourselves, Looking healthy on the outside But having no center, No healthy core, And no purpose to back it up. We have little marrow in our substance, Little gist to our grist, And what is there has no foundation. The hole at our center has taken over. On we drift, Until our biology Perfectly mirrors Our state of mind. Life’s storms inevitably come. With us hardened, unsteady, and inflexible, The winds blow long and strong. Soon we fall. Break a hip. Get pneumonia. And pass on.

TOM LUTES, is a co-founder and teacher for Real Evolution Yoga. He has devoted his life to the study and practices of human development. For over 30 years he has been a coach, facilitator and trainer, working with over 200,000 people with diverse backgrounds, from corporate executives to at-risk youth, yoga teachers to athletes. Tom draws from the fields of somatics, interpersonal communication, experiential learning, energy work, and martial arts in his work, seamlessly blending a variety of tools to powerfully contribute to his clients. He is widely known for his skill in coaching people through transition in order to evolve into the next best expression of themselves.

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Photo by: marcelo silva

Dis-ease starts deep in the unseen With a small wound in the fabric Of our self-regard. Remaining unexplored and unresolved, We now learn to live With a Self that is compensated. Nervous system stiffens to accommodate. Eyes harden almost imperceptibly. Integrity of BodyMind now slightly reduced. Without wholeness consciously recovered, And that ground being taken back, We shrink the game And learn to settle for less.

paid partnership

As a therapist who specializes in repairing and strengthening relationships, I am this guide for lost couples. When a relationship is on the brink, and it can feel like there’s no other option but to separate, I step in to reassure all hope isn’t lost. I’m able to set the pace and redirect conversations so that we can discover what is at the core of the disconnection. The work I do with couples lasts. Because we don’t get distracted by “skills” and “tools” that dissolve overtime. We work to get to the true emotional core. It is only through emotions that we can build and create lasting heartfelt connection. The Couples Retreat experience is a unique service I provide, offering an alternative to ongoing therapy. It’s a perfect answer for couples who desire a weekend away or who crave a more intensive or private experience. The Couples Retreat explores the dynamics of your relationship to rediscover deeper emotional connection. It’s a perfect blend of mountain adventure while also working to strengthen (and save) your relationship.

Photo by: TIMO STERN

LOVE IS THE GREATEST ADVENTURE W

hen exploring the mountains, sometimes you get lost. You get turned around and confused, unsure which way to go next. The same feeling of being lost often happens in relationships too. We become disorientated by the disconnection we feel, bewildered by how we got to this point and unclear what to do next. It’s a scary place for couples. And just like on the trail, when you become lost, this is when couples need an expert guide to show them the route back to feeling secure and solid together.

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THE COUPLES RETREAT EXPERIENCE Private + Personalized Unlike other couples or marriage retreats, this experience is an individualized and private experience. Our time together is customized to your relationship goals and needs. You won’t need

to worry about the strangeness of being with other couples and can focus solely on each other. Because after all, this is YOUR relationship. A Mountain Getaway These retreat experiences are so special because they provide the additional opportunity to escape into the mountains together. This protected time away from distractions like work, children and other responsibilities is often essential to reconnecting. Couples spend time hiking, taking in views of the Gore Range, and simply being together. I provide ample time between our meetings to schedule adventures and the ability to explore the surrounding mountains. Expert Guidance As a Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist (EFT), understanding the challenging dynamics that create disconnection in relationships is my specialty. EFT carries 20+ years of research to validate its effectiveness in helping couples heal, even when they are on the brink. Couples often tell me how different their experience is when working with me compared to other therapy experiences. + Jessica Heaney, LCSW and Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist, is located in Vail, Colorado. She owns and operates the Vail Relationship Institute.

Join me in the Colorado mountains and let me guide you back to feeling connected again! Register for your weekend getaway now, before they’re all booked! www.vailrelationshipinstitute.com/couplesretreat

events / Gatherings

Lead With Love Summit ASPEN | OCTOBER 25-28, 2018

overall theme relevant to its audience and resonant with what’s needed in the world. In order to better align with their mission and service work provided through Project Wellness, this year the Summit is turning its focus towards CEOs of companies making a change, with the likes of Manduka, Whole Foods, Virgin Unite and many others being added to the lineup. While last year featured different learning tracks for entrepreneurs or community members, this year the focused tracks will be in three different types of leadership: self, society and global. The goal is that attendees will spend quality time with global thought leaders and be able to walk away with tangible ways to make a difference in their own personal leadership, which can be carried forward to making an impact in their own communities and workplaces. If you’re committed to being the change, if you love learning from some of today’s most inspiring leaders, if you’re into finding tribe and spending time with like minded individuals from all around the world, it’s best to block off your calendars for Oct 25-28 and grab your tickets early. See you in Aspen! +

Lead With Love Summit is a four-day leadership conference open to all. Hosted at the Aspen Meadows Resort in Aspen, Oct. 25-28, 2018. Save $100 on your ticket with code “COYOGALIFE” For more information visit www.ileadwithlove.org.

SHENNA JEAN is based in Aspen, Colorado. She’s a big fan of yoga, hiking, snowboarding, the Kansas Jayhawks and rosé. Shenna Jean loves her some personal and leadership development, be it a book, podcast, workshop or conference. She spends her days at the Aspen Art Museum and nights working on her photog skills and couples retreat company @adventuresandromance. Shenna is also a CO YOGA + Life® Ambassador.

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photo by: Seth Beckton

ou’ll be hard-pressed to find an event that intersects the avenues of leadership, mindfulness, global consciousness, self-love, yoga, relationships and business better than the Lead With Love Summit in Aspen, Colorado, held this upcoming October 25-28, 2018. The tranquil and beautiful setting of Aspen in the off-season sets the perfect stage for the Lead With Love Summit, an immersive and transformational conference designed to focus on the mind, body, spirit and heart. It is an intentionally intimate gathering, as the home base of the Aspen Meadows Resort can only accommodate 500 guests. The event has been a sell-out every year, as the experience of spending time with the likes of previous speakers Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson nestled in the heart of the mountains almost seems too good to be true. Change is currently afoot for the non-profit, as they’ve recently shifted the name of the organization — Aspen City of Wellbeing — to the name of the summit — Lead With Love — as well as updated the structure of their organization. Gina Murdock, founder and co-director, shares more on the reason

behind the name change. “We believe what you focus on grows,” says Murdock. “With the success of our annual event, Lead with Love, we’ve felt an energy with this movement that feels very alive, joyful, relevant and impactful. The mantra ‘Lead with Love’ guides us individually and as an organization everyday. It is what we aspire to and what we work towards and we’ve heard from our community that this phrase and movement is something that touches and inspires them as well.” “We exist to shift culture from fear to love,” explains Nicole Lindstrom, program director for Lead With Love. “We do that through our Summit, local trainings, our service programs and retreats. We’re really excited about what we have to offer and how we can serve our community.” And not to worry; all the hard work that the team has been getting up to in implementing workplace wellbeing in the community under the former name Aspen City of Wellbeing is still very much alive and well and now known as Project Wellbeing. The programs have seen tremendous success when partnering with the likes of Pitkin County, City of Aspen Public Works, Aspen Valley Hospital and Aspen Community School to bring mindfulness, yoga and meditation to their workplaces. With the change in name, the LWL team looks to expand the service work locally and globally. In its third iteration this year, the Summit is pushing to keep the content, speakers and

yoga on the rocks

2018 SCHEDULE THE RIVER June 9 • Paige Butkus June 16 • Kady Lafferty June 23 • Christen Bakken June 30 • Christa Schwind CORE POWER YOGA July 28 • Tunde Borrego + Raj Seymour August 4 • Beryl Fanslow August 11 • Derise Anjanette August 18 • Kacey Kingry + Kelly Wilson For more information, visit Red Rocks — Yoga at yoga.redrocksonline.com/yotr.

Photo courtesy of: yoga on the rocks

ummer is upon us and we are blessed with a plethora of fun under the Colorado sun. Come experience the true meaning of sun salutations as we welcome the light of day in one of the most magical places on earth. Yoga on the Rocks, presented by Denver Arts & Venues, has returned for its sixth season, partnering with The River and Core Power Yoga to unite us as one community. Whether you are brand new to yoga or a seasoned practitioner, Yoga on the Rocks is sure to open your body and your heart, while fostering the joy of being alive in this moment. Red Rocks Amphitheater is a world-renowned music venue and pristine piece of nature. The energetic vibration of the venue alone is worth the trip. Many of the greatest creative minds of our time have graced the main stage and left a little piece of their hearts behind. Experience for yourself the kind of oneness with a source that happens off the mat: the divinity you feel when walking around the grounds, marching up the steps or gazing out from the stands. You come to remember just how beautiful the natural world is and that you are a part of it all. Yoga is the connection to our roots; it is the connection to the rhythm of the earth. Think about it in this way: we have a body that

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

moves and continuously changes, and we live among a constantly changing and moving body. I believe our purpose in life is to use our bodies as instruments of joy. The cosmos is an inexhaustible celebration and our purpose is to recognize it and to partake in it. My experience of Yoga on the Rocks last year was nothing short of phenomenal. As I closed my eyes, I felt an invigorating pulse move through me, the same kind of charge I feel when I fall deep into a writing flow or chant after class. In that moment it was clear to me that one of the reasons I practice yoga and meditation, arguably the utmost reason I practice, is to experience being a part of something bigger than myself. We all practice at one studio or another, but ultimately we all come from the same community. We may each have different reasons for stepping onto our mats, yet we arrive together. I have often heard that your

intention is magnified by the amount of beating hearts in the room. Joining together as a community of 2,000-plus yogis now becomes a powerful agent of change. I have thought many times while practicing that the amount of love and happiness generated in one area has to move in the earth in a positive way. Yoga on the Rocks reveals the grandeur of our collective breathing. I bow in deepest gratitude for Denver Arts & Venues, Red Rocks Amphitheater, The River and Core Power Yoga for bringing us together year after year. My invitation for our community is to keep the loving and healing energy alive. Where do we go from here and what can we do next? We practice so we may skillfully take yoga off our mats and into the world. I think this year we should show our appreciation for the event and make a game plan to change the world. We are all in this together. Together we are stronger. +

TAYLOR ROSE is a dreamer, writer and wildly energetic being. She has her Masters in Environmental Leadership, is certified in Authentic Leadership, and teaches various forms of yoga. She believes we are a physical embodiment of the sacred source and our purpose is to not only witness, but to participate in the inexhaustible celebration we call life. Taylor Rose strives to help others reach new levels of awareness and appreciation for the magic and mystery of our world, both internally and externally. www.taylorroseyoga.com.

events / Community Listings

Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival

Cañon City, CO June 22 – 23, 2018 This whitewater festival features kayak, stand up paddle board, raft and river board competitions along with other events to promote the outdoors and an active lifestyle. www.visitcos.com/events-calendar/annual/royal-gorge-whitewater-festival/

Colorado Lavender Festival

Palisade, CO June 29 – July 1, 2018 An annual festival celebrating lavender and its many uses. There are coach tours with culinary delights, an open vendor park and self-guided tours. www.coloradolavender.org

Colorado Springs Art & Music Festival

America the Beautiful Park, Colorado Springs, CO June 30 – July 1, 2018 A 4th of July Holiday weekend at America the Beautiful Park with live music, national artists, creative stations and a 65-foot water fountain to play in. www.coloradoeventsandfestivals.com

July

Hot Air Balloon Rodeo

Campout for the Cause

Buena Vista, CO June 1 – 3, 2018 Celebrating 10 Years of Music, Yoga + Community. An annual experience held in the Colorado Rocky Mountains featuring live music, camping, yoga, lifestyle workshops, stand-up paddle boarding and more. A portion of the proceeds go to local non-profits. www.campoutforthecause.org

Telluride WOW Festival

Telluride, CO June 7 – 10, 2018 This weekend is for those who are ready to get back to the simplicity of life, for those ready to stop and enjoy the beauty of nature, good food, healthy activity and good company. www.telluridewow.live

GoPro Mountain Games

Vail, CO June 7 – 10, 2018 The country’s largest celebration of adventure sports, music, yoga and the mountain lifestyle. Professional and amateur outdoor adventure athletes from around the world converge upon the mountains and rivers of Vail. www.mountaingames.com

Snowmass Rendezvous Craft Bear Festival

Snowmass Village, CO June 9, 2018 This festival summons 30 Colorado craft breweries to the mountains of Snowmass for a perfect day of beer tasting and live music. Get tickets early they sell out! www.snowmassbeer.com

Hanuman Festival

Boulder, CO June 14 – 17, 2018 A community-oriented yoga and music festival with world-class yoga instructors, mind-blowing music and inspirational experiences. This festival is curated to uplift your spirit, nourish your body and remind you of the magic of life. www.hanumanfestival.com

Crested Butte Bike Week

Crested Butte, CO June 20 – 24, 2018 A four-day celebration of all things mountain biking with clinics, a film festival, the Chainless World Championships, beer and lots of parties. This is the longest running mountain bike festival in the world. www.cbchamber.com/events/cb-bike-week

Crested Butte Wildflower Festival

Crested Butte, CO July 6 –15, 2018 Surround yourself in the symphony of wildflowers that is Crested Butte. This festival has been sharing Mother Nature’s colors with flower lovers in fun, fresh ways since 1868. www.crestedbuttewildflowerfestival.com

Colorado Black Arts Festival

Denver, CO July 13 – 14, 2018 This festival has attracted patrons and artists from around the world and has become a premiere celebration of African-American arts and culture. www.colbaf.org

Telluride Yoga Festival

Telluride, CO July 19 – 22, 2018 A four-day yoga and wellness gathering featuring world class presenter and more than 100 offerings including yoga, meditation, music, hiking, dining, SUP yoga, social gatherings and more. www.tellurideyogafestival.com

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

photo by: Ruslan ZH

June

Bald Eagle Lake, Steamboat Springs, CO July 14 – 15, 2018 Artistry and color combine in the air while balloon pilots participate in navigation contests and dipping into Bald Eagle Lake. www.steamboatchamber.com/signature-events/hot-air-balloon-rodeo

German Fest Denver

Lakewood Heritage Center, Denver, CO July 21 – 22, 2018 Everything German and activities for the entire family with kids activities, traditional foods, dancing and mugs of beer. www.germanfestdenver.com

Yoga on the Mountain

Snowmass Village, CO July 27 – 29, 2018 YOTM features over 50 yoga classes from national and local teachers, presentations, discussion, meditation, live music, kids yoga, hikes and eco-friendly shopping. Check out this year’s lineup of teachers and performers. www.yotmfestival.com

Mountain Fair Carbondale

Carbondale, CO July 27 – 29, 2018 An annual mountain tradition with vendors, live music, performing arts, interactive and creative experiences for children and good eats. www.carbondalearts.com/mountain-fair

August ARISE Festival

Loveland, CO August 3 – 5, 2018 ARISE is a musically diverse festival-wonderland experience with live music, yoga, workshops, themed camps, art gallery and installations, children’s village, speakers, films and more. www.arisefestival.com

Steamboat Movement Fest

Steamboat Springs, CO August 9 – 12, 2018 A four-day experience consciously connecting through movement, music and the great outdoors. Showcasing many talented people from Steamboat and around Colorado. www.steamboatmovementfest.com

Outerbike

Breckenridge International Festival of Arts

Breckenridge, CO August 10 – 19, 2018 Inspired be the themes of environment and mountain culture, the 10-day multi-arts festival features an eclectic mix of music, dance, film, visual arts and family entertainment. www.breckcreate.org/bifa

GORE Fest

Rancho del Rio, Bond, CO August 24 – 26, 2018 An event for everyone with family floats through Little Gore Canyon, downriver races through Gore Canyon, and the Marathon down river SUP race from Pumphouse to Rancho del Rio. https://downriverequip.com/gorefest-2018/

September

Mt. Crested Butte Chili and Beer Festival Mount Crested Butte, Crested Butte, CO September 8, 2018 The annual Chili and Beer Festival with locally made chili, craft beer and live music. www.cbchamber.com/events/beer-and-chilifestival

Run Rabbit Run

Steamboat Springs, CO September 14 – 15, 2018 The Run, Rabbit, Run 50 and 100 Mile Endurance Runs have the largest purse in the world for trail ultra-running. Win up to $165,00! www.steamboatchamber.com/running-series/ run-rabbit-run

Mountain Harvest Festival

Paonia, CO September 27 – 30, 2018 An annual celebration of local music, art, farms, food and spirits organized by Mountain Harvest Creative. Held in charming Paonia. www.mountainharvestfestival.org

Crested Butte, CO August 17 – 19, 2018 After an incredibly successful inaugural year, Outerbike returns. Hop on the lift to test the latest and greatest bikes on the diverse trail network. Attendance is capped, so register early. www.outerbike.com

NoCo Baby Expo

Velroma Festival

Fortoberfest

Denver, CO August 17 – 19, 2018 Music, bikes, beer, food trucks, games, art installations and exhibitors. Join for some good local fun! www.veloramafestival.com

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Fort Collins, CO September 29, 2018 This expo is the premier event for all new and expecting parents. Enjoy over 65 vendors, kid’s activity zone, food truck court and workshops. www.nocobabyexpo.com

Fort Collins, CO September 15, 2018 More than 10 hours of live music in Old Town Square. This Fort Collins-style festival comes equipped with food, plus specialty beer offerings. www.downtownfortcollins.com/events/fortoberfest/

October

Peru Friends & Family Yoga Adventure with Y+L Founder, Juli Rathke

Peru October 6 – 13, 2018 Experience the energy, mysticism and culture of the sacred valley of Peru. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse yourself in Andean culture and experience the incredible healing energy of Peru. www.goyoadventures.com

Applefest

Cedar Ridge, CO October 6 – 7, 2018 Celebrating the local apple harvest with music, craft beer, wine and the arts. www.cedaredgechamber.com/events/

Rocky Mountain Literary Festival

Golden, CO October 20, 2018 Award-wining authors and appreciative readers gather in the Rocky Mountains to celebrate the shared passion of the writing and the reading of books. www.rockymountainliteraryfestival.org

Lead With Love

Aspen, CO October 25 – 28, 2018 Lead With Love is a transformational and immersive four-day leadership summit focusing on the mind, body, spirit and heart. www.ileadwithlove.org

November Rim Rock Run

Fruita, CO November 3, 2018 One of the most scenic races, winding over the Colorado National Monument from Grand Junction to Fruita. www.rimrockmarathon.com

Denver Arts Week

Denver, CO November 2 – 10, 2018 The nine-day celebration of all things art in The Mile-High City, featuring more than 300 events at a wide variety of art galleries, museums, theaters and concert halls. www.denver.org/denver-arts-week/

partners / Directory

where to find us Barber’s Den

+ 3210 Tejon St Denver, CO

+ 7555 E Academy Blvd Denver, CO

Evolve Yoga Denver

057 Edwards Edwards, CO 970.936.8091

1321 S Broadway St Denver, CO www.evolveyogadenver.com 720.519.0868

Beautifully Savage

Garden of the Gods Collection

210 E Oak St, STE E Fort Collins, CO www.theartofpugilism.com 970.305.5195

Bhava Yoga

505 S. Main St, A5 Breckenridge, CO www.bhavayogaco.com 970.409.3375

Café Playa Negra and Playa Negra Yoga Studio Guanacaste Province Los Pargos, Costa Rica www.playanegrayoga.com

Endorphin

717 Sylvan Lake Rd #A Eagle, CO www.myendorphin.com 970.328.5770

Yoga/Barre

www.myendorphin.com 303.993.4041

+ 2700 S. Broadway, Unit 201 Englewood, CO

+ 2212 Kearney St

Denver, CO

+ 3115 E. Colfax Ave Denver, CO

+ 2501 Dallas St., STE 144

Denver, CO

+ 66 South Logan St Denver, CO

Cycle/Hiit

www.myendorphin.com 303.993.4041

+ 2738 S. Broadway, Unit 201 Englewood, CO

+ 3170 E. Colfax Ave

Denver, CO

+ 10155 E 29th Drive, STE 130 Denver, CO

3320 Mesa Rd Colorado Springs, CO www.gardenofthegodsclub.com 800.923.8838

GOAT Training

210 Edwards Village Blvd, #A-209 Edwards, CO www.goattraining.com 970.306.8524

High Country Healing

www.highcountryhealing.com

+ 40801 Highway 6, STE 5 Avon, CO 970.470.4794 + 191 Blue River Pkwy, #202 Silverthorne, CO 970.468.7858 Hot On Yoga

5740 North Carefree Cir, #260 Colorado Springs, CO www.hotonyoga.com 719.440.4800

Hovey & Harrison

Loveland Community Yoga 284 E 29th St Loveland, CO www.lcyoga.com 970.368.9642

Lululemon Vail Village 193 Gore Creek Drive Vail, CO www.lululemon.com 970.476.7040

Meta Yoga Studios

118 S Ridge St Upstairs Breckenridge, CO www.metayogastudios.com 970.547.9642

Mindstream Yoga

2733 Council Tree Ave, #129 Fort Collins, CO www.mindstreamyoga.com 970.266.9642

Mountain Soul Yoga

56 Edwards Village Blvd, Unit 204 Edwards, CO www.mountainsoulyoga.com 970.446.6485

Mudra Yoga

www.mudrayogastudio.com

+ 1550 S Pearl St., STE 202 Denver, CO 720.341.2233 + 560 S Holly St., #15 Denver, CO 303.388.8501

Café/Bakery/Market 56 Edwards Village Blvd, Unit 120 Edwards, CO www.hoveyandharrison.com 970.446.6830

O2 Aspen

Karma Yoga Center

Ohana Yoga

1705 S Pearl St Denver, CO www.karmayogacenter.com 303.284.8617

Little Lotus Yoga

110 E. Lincoln Way, Unit D Cheyenne, WY 82001 www.little-lotus.com 602.690.2265

Living Yoga

408 S Mill St Aspen, CO www.o2aspen.com 970.925.4002 2308, 4342 Tennyson St Denver, CO www.ohanayoga.com 303.495.5260

Outlaw Yoga

2590 W Main St Littleton, CO www.outlawyoga.com 269.779.5432

1776 South Jackson St, STE #810 Denver, CO www.livingyogadenver.com 303.758.0780

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Pearl Street Fitness

www.pearlstreetfitness.com 720.441.5204

+ 1107 S Pearl St Denver, CO

+ 3977 Tennyson St

Denver, CO

Piante Pizzeria

520 S Main St, #3M Breckenridge, CO www.piantepizzeria.com 970.423.6693

Radiance Power Yoga

2704 28th St Boulder, CO www.radiancepoweryoga.com 303.440.9642

Revolution Power Yoga

101 Fawcett Rd Avon, CO www.revolutionpoweryoga.com 970.478.3176

Roots Rx

www.rootsrxstores.com/about

+ 400 E. Hyman, Unit A102 Aspen, CO 970.900.9333 + 165 Southside Dr Basalt, CO 970.539.9333 + 40690 HWY 6 Eagle Vail, CO 970.399.9333 + 210 Edwards Village Blvd Edwards, CO 970.446.6570 + 145 Front St Leadville, CO 719.486.0912 + 1198 B N Main St Gunnison, CO 970.641.3044 Samadhi Center for Yoga www.samadhiyoga.net 303.860.9642

+ 639 East 18th Ave Denver, CO

+ 1070 Bannock St Denver, CO

+ 3496 S. Broadway Englewood, CO

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

St. Julien Hotel & Spa

Yoga Center of Steamboat

SunWater Spa/SunMountain

Yoga Joy Littleton

Sweaty Buddha

Yoga Loft Boulder

900 Walnut St Boulder, CO www.stjulien.com 720.406.9696

El Paso Blvd Manitou Springs, CO www.sunwellness.net 719.696.7077

100 Jenkins Ranch Rd Durango, CO www.thesweatybuddha.com 970.403.8885

Telluride Fuel

205 E. Colorado Ave Telluride, Colorado www.fueltelluride.com 970.708.1590

Telluride Yoga Center 201 West Colorado Ave Telluride, CO www.tellurideyoga.com 970.729.1673

Vail Vitality Center

352 E Meadow Dr Vail, CO www.vailvitalitycenter.com 970.476.7960

Yellow Belly

www.yellowbellychicken.com

+ 2161 N. Frontage Rd, #14 Vail, CO 970.343.4340 + 2525 Arapahoe Ave Boulder, CO 303.532.4596 + 2501 Dallas St Aurora, CO 720.259.2393

701 Yampa Ave Steamboat Springs, CO www.yogacenterofsteamboat.com 970.875.4568 8501 W Bowles Ave, #1275 Littleton, CO www.yogajoylittleton.com 720.520.9930 www.yogaloftboulder.com 720.612.4321

+ 633 S Broadway, Unit N Boulder, CO

+ 6565 Gunpark Dr, Unit 108 Gunbarrel, CO

Yoga Off Broadway

717 Sylvan Lake Rd Eagle, CO www.yogaoffbroadway.com 970.328.9642

Yoga Pod® Boulder

1890 30th St Boulder, CO www.yogapod.com/boulder/ 303.444.4232

Yoga Pod® LoDo

1956 Lawrence St Suite 100 Denver, CO www.yogapod.com/lodo/ 303.593.0018

Yoga Pod® Lowry

101 N Ulster Ct Suite 101 Denver, CO www.yogapod.com/lowry/ 720.372.7129

Yeti’s Grind

www.yetisgrind.com

+ 330 Broadway #C Eagle, CO 970.328.9384 + 141 E. Meadow Dr, #108 Vail, CO 970.476.1515

Contact bobby@coyogalifemag.com to inquire about becoming a distribution partner.

namaste / Parting Shot with Zach Mahone

COVER PHOTOGR APHER

WHAT WAS YOUR INTENTION BEHIND THIS PHOTOGRAPH, AND SOME OF THE METHODS YOU USED TO CREATE IT? I saw this photo midway down a 21-day self-guided Grand Canyon adventure outside one of our campsites. This prominent piece of rock struck me and I thought, how cool would it be to see someone standing on top of it in line with the horizon? Since I knew I was the only one who would scramble up the rock, I took a test shot of how I wanted it composed, set the exposure, and handed the camera to a friend. I then scrambled up on the rock and did a couple poses for the quasi self-portrait. WHAT BROUGHT YOU INTO PHOTOGRAPHY, AND WHAT HAS INSPIRED YOU TO STICK WITH IT CREATIVELY AND PROFESSIONALLY? Music photography is what got me hooked. I realized I could get into shows for free and have a lot of fun in the process. My first paid gig was as a stringer back in 2006 with the Daytona Beach News Journal. As a newspaper photographer you are constantly shooting

all kinds of subjects, which was a great way to get thrown into the world of photography. Since then, my business has evolved from shooting just music photography to a much more dynamic portfolio including weddings, editorial, commercial, architecture, adventure travel and classical music. Photography has provided a way for me to make a living and maintain a very unique lifestyle. I feel very fortunate to be able to do something I’m passionate about and make a living doing it. Photography has led me to some really incredible places and provided me with experiences that I would not have had otherwise. WHAT PROJECTS AND CAREER MOVES ARE YOU CURRENTLY EXCITED ABOUT? This fall I’m planning a two month trip back to Asia, covering Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia. I’m really excited for my time in Papua New Guinea. I’ll be going on a twoweek paddleboarding adventure documenting it for a paddleboard brand and shooting for a local tourism publication. +

ZACH MAHONE is a freelance photographer based in the Rocky Mountains. He has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Outside Magazine, 5280, and has worked with many outdoor brands such as Adidas Outdoor, Jet Boil, and Maui Jim. Zach likes to follow his passions of rock climbing and paddleboarding in the summer and snowboarding/skiing in the winter. He recently built out a sprinter van is currently embracing the nomadic lifestyle, taking jobs across the country and the globe. www.ZachMahone.com

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

photoS by: Zach Mahone

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