CO YOGA + Life® | Summer + Fall 2022

the

R E N E WA L issue

LIFE AFTER LOSS 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 2022

NATURAL HEALING + SPIRITUAL GETAWAYS

COLORADO IS PART OF THE YOGA + Life® FAMILY OF MAGAZINES.

PUBLISHER Jaunt Media Collective YOGA + Life® OWNER + EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kim Fuller YOGA + Life® OWNER + DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS Bobby L'Heureux YOGA + Life® MAGAZINES FOUNDER Juli Rathke CREATIVE DIRECTOR Chelsea Connolly MANAGING EDITOR Lexi Reich ASSISTANT EDITOR Lauren Farrauto COMMUNITY OUTREACH Laura Mills CONTRIBUTORS Cabrini Klepper, Elyce Neuhauser, Julie Bielenberg, Julie M. Gentile, Kali Basman, Kaitlin Emig, Kaity Holsapple, Kelsey Foster, Kim Fuller, Kimberly Nicoletti, Kristen Grace, Lauren Farrauto, Lexi Reich, Lisa Blake, Marisol Cruz, Marissa Angeletti, Marja Wilson, Olivia Lyda, Penny Wilson, Rachel Glowacki, Robin Hutchinson, Sandy Ferguson Fuller, Skip Hudson, Teresa Adele

PHOTOGRAPHY + ART Aaron Blanco Tejedor, Amauri Mejia, Ashlee Kay Photography, Brooke Austin, Chelsea Connolly, Chris Lawton, Craig Hoffman Photography, Hannah Grace, Joanie Schwarz Portraiture, John Felix Shaw, Karen Mills with Full Pour Media, Kim Fuller, Life Lens and Love Photography, Richard Seldomridge, Seth Beckton, Townsend Bessent

REGIONAL SALES Bobby L’Heureux NATIONAL SALES Bobby L'Heureux SUBSCRIPTIONS Please subscribe to our magazine at yogalifelive.com/cosubscribe/ ADVERTISING National Office: 860.230.8650 bobby@coyogalifemag.com | yogalifelive.com 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.

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FEATURES YOGA + Life® Magazine kim@coyogalifemag.com | yogalifelive.com AFFILIATE OPPORTUNITIES YOGA + Life® bobby@coyogalifemag.com | 815.414.YOGA (9642) yogalifelive.com COVER Cover photography by Townsend Bessent

photo: flickr.com/nicholas_t | CC BY

2022 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 made 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

YOGA + Life® publishers Kim Fuller + Bobby L’Heureux

DEAR READERS,

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s change is inevitable on this earth and throughout the life of each being on it, renewal is the celebration of every transformation as it comes to be. We’ve seen how drastic life shifts can be on any scale, from the immense global impact of a pandemic to unimaginable devastation from catastrophes like the Marshall Fire on December 30, 2021 in Boulder County.

We were inspired to theme this issue RENEWAL because in the cycles and seasons of the earth we know that with death there is life, as with every sunset there then comes a sunrise. After a fire destroys everything in its path, given time, the ash-covered ground will renew and yield new growth.

As CO YOGA + Life® writers started submitting their articles this past spring, so

many stories of resilience emerged — those who have faced adversity and come out changed, renewed, on the other side. In the pages that follow, you’ll read about teachers and leaders who are making a difference in their communities and beyond; you’ll be inspired to journey somewhere that lights you up and to connect with someone who may need that light; you’ll feel the sadness from those who have lost, and also the hope that rises in the spirit of renewal.

In Gratitude,

Kim Fuller, Owner + Editor-In-Chief YOGA + Life® Magazines kim@coyogalifemag.com

Photos by Kim Fuller

Based in Vail, Colorado, KIM FULLER is a freelance writer, editor and photojournalist in addition to her role at YOGA + Life®. She is co-founder of In Your Element, a yoga and outdoor adventure company, and a board member for the nonprofit Big Heart Big Hands. Kim has been published in a number of national publications and is the co-founder of Jaunt Media Collective, the publishing company behind YOGA + Life®, Spoke+Blossom and Covered Bridge. 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 kimfullerink.com and follow her on Instagram @lifeinfull.

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contents / Summer + Fall 2022

CONTENTS RENEWAL 5

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Rising up from the ashes

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ABOUT THE COVER Renewal inspiration with Townsend Bessent

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TEAM YOGA + LIFE®

The people behind the publication

PROFILES

CO influencers // teachers + leaders // studios

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COLORADO INFLUENCER Brittany Phelps Romano of Thrive Yoga Studios

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TEACHERS + LEADERS Cathy Phelps; Claire Ewing; Jeremiah Davidson

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STUDIOS Yoga House Montrose; Anya Yoga Collective

LIFESTYLE

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

22 YOGA + LIFE READING CORNER Reviews by Sandy Ferguson Fuller + Kim Fuller

24 MAKE ART. LIVE SIMPLY. BE HAPPY. Ridgway artist Deidra Krois

25 STORIES ON SKIN Reiki at Disruptive Ink Tattoo

26 JOYFUL JOURNEY HOT SPRINGS A getaway to reboot + renew

28 CO ESCAPE TO KINSHIP LANDING Comfort + community in Colorado Springs

30 TRAVEL Photo courtesy of Yoga House

Belize is calling

34 INNER LIGHT JUICE Get berry balanced

36 WHAT WE LOVE Essential products for summer + fall

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YOGA + FITNESS

movement // in the practice // seva // retreats

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38 YOGA SEQUENCE TO GROUND + UPLIFT Flow with more intuitive movements

40 TRANSFORMING TRAUMA + Tapping into soul power

42 RISING FROM THE ASHES Seeking renewal amidst deep loss

43 THE YOGA OF MENOPAUSE Practices to unify body, mind + spirit

44 RE-NEW, RE-YOU Come back to your circle of compassion

46 LIFE AFTER LOSS Humane Society helps after the Marshall Fire

48 BEYUL RETREAT Aligning humans with nature

50 RENEWING THE SPIRIT “I have to stop and quiet myself …”

WELLNESS

ayurveda // health // inspiration // food

60 CELEBRATING THE SEASONS Annual lessons from Ayurveda

OUTSIDE

62 3 SELF-CARE TIPS

52 BENEFITS OF FOREST BATHING

63 BODY, MIND + SPIRIT

fresh air // adventure // environment // gear

Renew your energy The quantum connection

Heighten + renew the senses

54 CLOUD LADDER VIA FERRATA Adventure day in Estes Park

64 REDISCOVER YOUR PASSION FOR WRITING “Creativity is great medicine for all …”

56 HUT CENTRIC CLIMATE PROJECT Support the 10th Mountain Huts initiatives

66 RENEW YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SELF Accepting your “here-and-now” body

58 GEAR GUIDE

68 RECIPES

Goods for summer + fall

4 recipes for renewal

EVENTS + DISTRIBUTION Photo Courtesy of Joanie Schwarz Portraiture

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gatherings // community listings // ambassadors // partners

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FEATURED GATHERING Telluride Yoga Festival; Vail Wine Classic

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EVENTS THIS SEASON June 2022 through November 2022

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YOGA + LIFE AMBASSADORS Meet these inspiring individuals

80 DIRECTORY YOGA + Life Annual Partners

82 NAMASTE YOGALIFELIVE.COM

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profiles / About the Cover

BY Cabrini Klepper

TOWNSEND BESSENT Photographer

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Photos by townsend bessent

I left the site covered in soot, and with an overwhelming reverence for Mother Nature’s uncanny ability to heal.

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other Nature takes the crown as the queen of renewal. Photographer Townsend Bessent captured this extraordinary image at a the burn site of a spring wildland fire in Gypsum, Colorado. According to Bessent, the picture represents a poignant contrast between death and new life; the blade of grass signifies a beacon of hope emerging from chaos and destruction. Just as verdure drives through the earth, begins again and takes root — so can we: ready for renewal.

“This fire was human caused, yet fire-adapted ecosystems require significant disturbances in order to reproduce and flourish. The burn releases nitrogen back into the soil, life is reborn, and the ecosystem is often better off for it,” Bessent explains. “I can’t help but make the comparison to ourselves — does it not often take significant disturbances in our lives for us to finally make a change for the better?”

Bessent says he felt blown away by Mother Nature’s ability to heal and replenish. His goal for the cover photo was to find a fresh burn and seek new life, but Bessent discovered burn sites regenerate quickly. Groundcover hurriedly sought to mend the landscape, limiting Bessent’s ability to capture what his imagination prophesized. He needed a compelling contrast between cessation and resurgence to symbolize new beginnings.

Eventually, on a day of mood-setting high-winds and rain, Bessent located the recent remnants of the Gypsum fire, which happened less than a week prior.

“The wind was scattering seeds over the flattened ground and moisture was providing the necessary means for life to begin again,” Bessent shares. “I left the site covered in soot, and with an overwhelming reverence for Mother Nature’s uncanny ability to heal.”

Fires play a significant role as a catalyst for change and rebirth. Bessent reflects on a Colombian tradition, where people burn a doll that represents the “old you” every New Year’s Eve. “You can place all the things you want to change about yourself inside and allow the fire to help you begin anew,” Bessent conveys. “We can all be that little blade of grass.” +

charlestownendphotography.com

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CABRINI KLEPPER feels passionately about yoga and meditation as gateways to living a more mindful, present life. When she’s not running or writing, she teaches at CorePower Yoga and the University of Colorado Recreational Center. She will graduate with a B.A. in journalism and minors in geography, business and sociology from CU. Cabrini currently interns at Jaunt Media Collective, the publishing company behind Spoke+Blossom, Covered Bridge and YOGA + Life magazines.

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profiles / Behind the Pages

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YOGA + Life®

meet the team

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1. KIM FULLER Owner + Editor-In-Chief

3. JULI RATHKE YOGA + Life® Founder

Based in Vail, Colorado, Kim is a freelance writer, editor and photojournalist in addition to her role at YOGA + Life®. She is co-founder of In Your Element, a yoga and outdoor adventure company, and a board member for the nonprofit Big Heart Big Hands. Kim has been published in a number of national publications and is the co-founder of Jaunt Media Collective, the publishing company behind YOGA + Life®, Spoke+Blossom and Covered Bridge. 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 kimfullerink.com and follow her on Instagram @lifeinfull.

Juli is a multi-passionate entrepreneur and has been publishing magazines since 2002. She is the creator and founder of the YOGA + Life® brand. She is a multifaceted business woman, author, teacher and influencer bridging the gap between the yoga and business worlds while remaining a fearless optimist for the human condition. Join Juli on Y+L’s new online platform called, “The Practice,” with her weekly classes and musings. Juli is also completing her first book which provides a road map for success in life and business while navigating those constant obstacles. Julirathke.com

2. BOBBY L’HEUREUX Owner + Director of Partnerships At the heart of his work, Bobby thrives on community and connection. As co-founder of Jaunt Media Collective, the company behind YOGA + Life®, Spoke+Blossom and Covered Bridge, Bobby successfully develops and sustains collaborations with entrepreneurs and businesses all over Colorado and beyond. Bobby lives in the Vail Valley where he teaches yoga and runs Big Heart Big Hands, a non-profit that supports mountain safety and awareness. He is a legacy ambassador for Lululemon and Lolë, and his yoga classes are always led with a big smile and a relaxed demeanor. jauntmediacollective.com.

4. CHELSEA CONNOLLY Creative Director With a cultivated eye for design, Chelsea's work has been influencing luxury publications and brands for over a decade. Chelsea calls Breckenridge her home but the Colorado native has been shaped personally and professionally by living all over the world. In addition to designing CO YOGA + Life® and Covered Bridge, you'll find her spearheading the look and feel of award-winning beauty brands, world-class restaurants and bespoke boutiques. In her spare time, Chelsea enjoys the Colorado outdoors, live music, yoga, entertaining, traveling the world and spending time with her husband and two young sons.

Follow her on Instagram @thechelseaconnolly.

5. LEXI REICH Managing Editor After experiencing a yoga ashram nestled in the mountains of Colorado, Lexi became enthralled in the practice of yoga and meditation, and earned her yoga teacher training at the sacred space. Originally from Chicago, Lexi

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loves the holistic lifestyle she found in Colorado, and combining this passion with her writing is what makes her truly happy. Outside of her role as managing editor at Jaunt Media Collective, the publishing company behind YOGA + Life®, Spoke+Blossom and Covered Bridge, Lexi spends most of her time freelancing and leading yoga classes. Besides this, you can find her hiking or daydreaming about traveling.

Learn more at lexireich.com.

6. LAUREN FARRAUTO Assistant Editor An avid reader and writer for as long as she can remember, Lauren has always loved the power of the written word and a good story. As assistant editor for Spoke + Blossom, YOGA + Life® and Covered Bridge magazines, her dreams of helping others craft their own stories are finally becoming a reality. Lauren is a recent graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder with a double major in English and Women and Gender Studies. When she's not knee-deep in edits for Jaunt Media Collective, Lauren can be found in her home state of California curled up with a good book.

7. LAURA MILLS Community Outreach Laura is a member of the Jaunt Media Collective relationships team. She loves everything outdoors, especially if she can bring her border collie puppy, Fern. A change in career paths lead Laura to expand her horizons and take a stab at creating content. If not in the woods, you can find Laura on the beaches of Maine, where she has lived for most of her life.

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Connect with the YOGA + Life® community!

yogalifelive.com YOGA + Life® creates connection and conversation about all things movement, wellness, travel, food, outdoors, gear, sustainable living, arts, culture and more.

We are an international community containing regional yoga and lifestyle magazines — print and digital publications showcasing content that truly informs + inspires.

profiles / Colorado Influencer

Photos courtesy of Brittany Phelps Romano

CULTIVATING CONSCIOUS COMMUNITIES

with Brittany Phelps Romano

by Kimberly Nicoletti

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rittany Phelps Romano is the first to admit how challenging owning a yoga studio is. She opened her first studio in Crested Butte in 2017 and quickly learned how many various skillsets it takes, from marketing and human resources to accounting, sales and merchandise. That’s why she founded Thrive Yoga Studios.

The brand supports 80 yoga teachers in seven studios — Crested Butte, Gunnison, Eagle, Frisco, Fruita and two locations in College Station, Texas — with business resources they need, including development workshops, administration and marketing.

“I want to eliminate [for other teachers] the years of poor decisions, business mistakes and hard lessons I had,” she says. “I want to give people as many opportunities to connect with each other and practice how to sustain a studio.”

Romano’s business model revolves around cooperation, rather than competition. With support, she believes we can collectively create a better world — one studio at a time.

“Now is an important time for yoga studios, because so many have closed, and so many people are fearful of gatherings and the economy. It’s a profound time to step into wellness-based spaces. People need it now more than ever,” she believes. “I have this thought that if there was a yoga studio in every part of America, it would be a completely different country.”

Her goal: to provide tools for people to live meaningful, expressive and joyous lives through yoga.

BECOMING A YOGI-PRENEUR Romano first started practicing yoga in high school but completely fell in love with it in 2008 when she lived in an ashram on the Big Island of Hawaii. There, she discovered the power of daily practices and rituals — even little hand gestures throughout the day, based on purification.

“I was looking for clarity, direction and was in pursuit of a clear, well-intended lifestyle,” she recalls.

Now, meditation, movement and breathing shapes her life. She surrounds herself with others who also pursue self-knowledge, clarity of mind and a life full of intention. And, that has allowed her to step outside her comfort

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I have become intimately aware that it’s not about the summit. It is about each individual’s journey to thrive, to live a meaningful life and to do work that benefits all beings. zone and grow even more.

So far, starting Thrive Yoga has been the “greatest adventure of my life, full of taking risks, facing fears, accepting challenges, developing patience, adapting to environments and evolving to live into my highest potential,” she says. “I have become intimately aware that it’s not about the summit.

It is about each individual’s journey to thrive, to live a meaningful life and to do work that benefits all beings.”

THRIVING STUDIOS After a steep learning curve, Romano opened three studios by 2019. In 2020, she licensed her brand as Thrive Yoga Studios.

Last year, she expanded to Gunnison, Frisco and Texas and is working on opening more locations. Each studio has its own particular flavor, based on the community, owners’ passions and diverse instructors.

Romano teaches at one of the newest studios in Frisco, which acts as a community gathering space, both on and off the yoga mat. In addition to daily yoga classes, Thrive Yoga Summit offers special events and cer-

emonies for people with a range of movement abilities and spiritual growth stages.

It also partners with community agencies, like Summit Advocates, which has given a presentation about domestic violence awareness, followed by a trauma-informed yoga class.

“Being part of Thrive Yoga has helped tremendously in figuring out logistics,” says Thrive Yoga Summit owner Mia Tarduno. “It helps with every aspect of how to start a business, from financial investments to programming.”

Romano helps Tarduno keep an eye not just on daily business operations, but also on short- and long-term goals.

“Brittany is one of the most hardworking people I’ve ever met, and 99% of that work is for other peoples’ benefit,” Tarduno says.

“She works so hard to make sure people feel accounted for and loved and supported.”

Whether it’s her studio owners or yoga students, Romano gets to know everyone on a personal basis.

“She really relates to people inside and outside of the studio,” Tarduno shares. “She has an individual relationship to every single one of the students.”

As an instructor, she reminds people to “hug themselves, to stay connected to who they are. To be quiet and to drop beneath your thoughts is incredibly renewing.” As founder of Thrive Yoga Studios, she reminds studio owners to apply the principles of yoga in their daily lives as they teach, lead, interact with the world and go about their personal and professional lives.

“If people want to open a studio, we want to support them,” she says. “We’re holding space. We want to see people be successful.” +

thriveyogastudios.com

KIMBERLY NICOLETTI is an award-winning freelance journalist, editor and writing coach. She has taught yoga, Nia, Zumba and tai chi throughout Summit County, Colorado, and earned a master's degree in Somatic Psychology and Dance Therapy from Naropa University. She loves traveling, outdoor adventures (especially floating through deep powder and diving), photography, dance, her dogs and her family.

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profiles / Teachers + Leaders

How a Nonprofit Leader Will Take Intentional Time for Renewal

by Marisol Cruz

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elf-care is ingrained in Cathy Phelps’ leadership style. As the executive director of the Denver-based nonprofit The Center for Trauma and Resilience (CTR) for the past 18 years, Phelps has dedicated her life to helping others heal from trauma. At CTR, her staff help people recover through their suite of healing practices — trauma sensitive yoga, ear acupuncture (Acudetox) and individual and group therapy, to name a few.

But, just as the CTR staff practices compassion with the people they serve, they are also intentional about caring for themselves. Under Phelps’ leadership, much of the staff have become registered

yoga teachers (like herself) and have been trained as Acudetox specialists. “We can be so much more when … we’re not dragging ourselves around,” Phelps says.

Leading a growing nonprofit can feel like a 24-hour job, however. “My team is really good about taking care of themselves and taking care of me, but you always feel like you’re the director of a nonprofit, and so you are in charge all the time,” Phelps states.

So, when she saw the announcement from The Colorado Health Foundation for the nonprofit sabbatical program, she lit up. “It was so out of the ordinary. No one invests in nonprofit executives in this nature,” says Phelps.

The program provides nonprofit leaders with the opportunity to take a three to four month paid sabbatical with funds to also cover staff development and interim leadership while they are on leave. Recipients are required to completely step away from their positions, cut all communication with their staff and focus on whatever is meaningful for them. “You could stay home and watch Netflix!” jokes Phelps.

When Phelps learned that she had won one of the four awards given in 2021, she felt like a lottery winner. She was bombarded with ideas of what to do — from seeing the Seven Wonders of the World to traveling to Indonesian islands. But, she knew she needed to do what fueled her. “I had to take time to get quiet [and figure out] what makes sense for me.”

Phelps has big plans for her four months away. From a month in Mexico to immerse herself in language and culture to an African safari and private salsa lessons — she is going to do what she has never had the time to do before.

To learn more about and support The Center for Trauma and Resilience visit traumahealth.org or visit coloradohealth.org/nonprofitsabbatical-program to read more about The Colorado Health Foundation’s nonprofit sabbatical program.

For over 10 years, MARISOL CRUZ has practiced yoga for its profound healing and revelatory qualities. She believes that yoga is a tool for gaining a deeper understanding of ourselves and the way we relate to the world. In her classes, Marisol focuses on pranayama breathing exercises and vinyasa practice to guide students through their own personal experiences. When she is not practicing yoga, Marisol dedicates her days to serving the community through her work with nonprofits. She lives in Denver with her husband and two little boys.

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PHOTO courtesy of the Center for Trauma and Resilience

FINDING INSPIRATION

But of course, fueling her soul also includes sharing her gifts with others, and Phelps’ passion for healing trauma remains her guiding light. Through one of her Zumba connections in Denver, she learned of a community in Kenya that had recently experienced the traumatic loss of one of its members, an elite athlete, who was stabbed to death by her husband.

“We could really use your help,” she was told, so she decided to make some adjustments to her plan. She will take her tools of trauma sensitive yoga, compassion fatigue workshops and art therapy to the local girls’ school in Kenya to assist in their healing and recovery. She hopes to leave them with the tools they need to continue their healing journey. “It’s a twist to my sabbatical, [and] I am excited to work with them,” Phelps shares.

Phelps knows that this experience will be life changing and will undoubtedly impact the way she leads. “I’m always looking for inspiration, and it seems to find me, or I find it … I think this [sabbatical] will contribute to that,” she believes.

Working at a place that is trauma-serving 365 days a year is an exercise in self-care and self-compassion, and Phelps understands the importance of being gentle with ourselves. As a longtime nonprofit leader, stepping away from her position is a vulnerable experience that takes courage and trust.

“There is something about being able to step away … to see if what you have built will sustain itself,” reflect Phelps. But, she knows that this opportunity is exactly what she needs, and she has no reservations about leaving. She quotes Nelson Mandela, “I never lose. I either win or learn.” +

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profiles / Teachers + Leaders

STRETCHING + CONNECTING

Claire Ewing Aligns People with Themselves and Others

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laire Ewing is a natural connector. As a yoga instructor in Eagle, she helps people deepen into their true selves, and as a marketing expert, she connects business owners with their communities.

BRANDING When Nicole Hustad hired Ewing to market her handmade blankets company, it was like “a match to kindling,” Hustad says. “It just took off with her joining the team. She always had great ideas. She really gets to know people. Her networking is incredible.”

After training as a yoga instructor through CorePower Yoga, Ewing worked as the national marketing manager. From 2014 to 2019, she opened more than 50 studios nationwide, forging partnerships with players like REI. From there, she traveled all over as a lululemon ambassador. Though she loved her career, she felt something was missing — mostly, an outdoor lifestyle.

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In 2019, she and her husband quit their Denver-based jobs and moved to Eagle, her husband’s hometown. She launched Brand and Body Fit, supporting entrepreneurs with marketing, while also teaching yoga classes and hosting yoga retreats. She specializes in shaping up both peoples’ brands and their bodies. To her, branding involves showing up in the world authentically as you are, while fitness lends confidence.

MOVING INTO HEALTH Ewing grew up as a ballet dancer, which became a touchstone during her parent’s divorce.

“In the studio, I was able to get clear and present,” she recalls, talking about how much better she always felt when dancing.

“Movement is truly healing, not just for physical issues. Mentally and emotionally, stagnant energy can be shed away with the power of movement.”

After college, she discovered yoga

allowed her a similar feeling of presence in her body, something essential to balance her self-described Type A personality.

Her yoga classes revolve around power yoga and yoga sculpt, blending strength with surrender for a full body-mind experience. She credits her CorePower training for her ability to develop foundationally sound classes that warm up the body intelligently and allow time for respite.

Another major component of her classes involve connection: she truly gets to know her students.

“The yoga room is the biggest place of connection, where I’m able to authentically show up,” she says. “My life is transparent.

I let them know that I’m just a human being.

I’m not some euphoric yogi up on a stage; I’m learning just as much as they are.”

FERTILITY JOURNEY Her transparency led her to create an infertility awareness group, which incorpo-

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Photos courtesy of Claire Ewing

by Kimberly Nicoletti

rates mindful movement classes and guest speakers to support women going through fertility challenges.

After about two years at a fertility clinic, Ewing understands firsthand just how difficult infertility is.

“A big part of it was the fear of being judged and the loneliness,” she shares. “I want to be an advocate and normalize the situation; one out of eight families deal with infertility.”

She has generated a tribe of supportive people who support all types of families, from adoption to fertility treatment and more.

After giving birth to her daughter, Blake, on Valentine’s Day 2018, she and her husband now are undergoing their second fertility journey.

“Blake is my guru,” she says. “She teaches me about patience and a whole new way of being a mom.”

Ewing is passing her love of yoga onto her daughter at an early age; the two practice “good-night yoga” together, taking deep breaths, moving their bodies and

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releasing any tension before bedtime. She also teaches monthly preschool yoga classes in the Vail Valley.

HEALING MOVEMENT Ewing’s own struggles, along with her father’s mental illness, have shown her how resilient and strong humans are. Through her branding and yoga business, she continues to connect people with their core strengths.

“Mental health and wellness in mountain communities is essential,” she says, explaining how movement draws people out of their heads into a more creative, clear space.

While she blends yoga with weights, cardio and upbeat, relatively loud music, she encourages students to listen to, and honor, where their bodies are at on a daily basis.

“She has such a fresh take on yoga,” Hustad says. “I just love the energy she brings to class. She’s very empowering of others — especially women. You feel very seen and encouraged.”

Movement is truly healing, not just for physical issues. Mentally and emotionally, stagnant energy can be shed away with the power of movement.

“I love continuing to learn about incorporating the body, mind and spirit into a workout,” Ewing adds. “Sometimes you need more cardio, sometimes you need calming or the ability to surrender. The adaptability of yoga is what I continue to learn.”. +

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profiles / Teachers + Leaders

Breathing Culture + Community Into Denver’s Yoga Scene

by Lauren Farrauto

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student of many different cities and styles, Jeremiah Davidson holds a unique perspective of yoga and our community. He was born and raised in Colorado, but didn’t begin practicing yoga until he moved to Santa Monica, California at age 20. He then moved to New York for grad school, where his practiced deepened into a daily ritual, before coming back to Colorado in 2016.

“I have a wealth of loose focus yoga, because I’ve touched my toes everywhere,” Davidson explains.

Today, you can find him across Denver at Black Swan Yoga and Trufusion. Growing up in this area during his teenage and new adult life, Davidson was able to witness the growth of his local community.

“I like that Denver has become a melting pot,” he says. “I’ve found that yoga is regionally specific — different verbiage, styles and flow. I believe that the Denver culture and community are represented in the yoga room.”

For him, it’s fun and exciting to witness this ever-changing yoga community. Davidson endeavors to support his commu-

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nity through his teaching. At Black Swan, classes are donation-based, allowing him to “help anyone who wants to step forward onto the mat,” as he puts it. Black Swan has two locations — one in the Capitol Hill area and one on South Broadway.

He describes TruFusion as health and spiritually focused, a place where he can work on alignment and meet all different types of yogis. TruFusion is located just off of Colorado Boulevard.

All are welcome in his classes, and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, some may expect Davidson to place special emphasis on holding classes for queer people.

However, he views it differently.

“We’re all just here to learn, love and grow,” he believes. “Being gay is a funda-

Ever since she was little, LAUREN FARRAUTO has loved a good story.

Now, her passion has led her to a career of helping others craft the stories they want to tell. When she’s not curled up with her latest read, Lauren can be found spending quality time with her family and friends in the Bay Area.

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Photo by Brooke Austin

JEREMIAH DAVIDSON

mental part of my identity, not a separate identity. My internal spiritual side isn’t labelled. Rather than queering my space, I normalize diversity in the room.”

All are welcome in his classes. There is no need to define yourself by a certain label, just show up as you are and experience the journey.

Davidson employs a combination of focused and spiritual yoga: focus on the practice and connection with your spiritual side. He guides his classes with the belief that through commitment and discipline to the practice, participants can achieve freedom on the mat. His favorite style is power vinyasa. Under Davidson’s guidance, students can expect a physically and spiritually rewarding experience that’s in alignment with one’s healing and growth.

He is also a proponent of yoga as a healing methodology. After breaking his ankle and undergoing five different surgeries, Davidson realized that his physical therapist was utilizing a lot of the stretches and techniques he already knew from his yoga practice.

“Heated yoga, specifically vinyasa and bikram, changed my ability to move and was really helpful to the healing process,” he recalls. “Although injuries are isolated, it affects us everywhere, so I took a holistic full-body approach to it.”

This view of injury is similar to Davidson’s perspective on renewal.

“What I first think about renewal is reassuming,” he says. “It isn’t a start over, but rather a continuation in a new and different way. Coming out of the pandemic, we don’t return. We move forward. Forward is the only way to go.”

He likens this concept to supported fetal position — a position of rebirth — where one can feel safe and supported in their yogic journey. It is often a position we return to when we need a break, breather or time to rest, but you can always begin again from there more empowered than before. +

profiles / Studios

by Kimberly Nicoletti

Yoga House MONTROSE

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Photo courtesy of Yoga House

hen Chanel Brooks prevented Yoga House from closing its doors after the pandemic, she wanted to serve the Montrose community by making it a beacon of hope. And, that’s exactly what it’s been.

“Yoga House saved my life during the pandemic,” says Maddie White, who has taken classes at Yoga House for four years.

“I was so depressed, as a lot of people were, and I had a hard time connecting with other resources.”

She also had a broken leg. She reached out to Brooks, who taught her meditations and breathwork she could practice while healing physically.

“It really lifted me out of depression,” White says. “I hadn’t experienced ‘off the mat yoga’ until working with the mind-body connection with Chanel and taking every experience moment by moment and breathing through it. Every class I’ve taken with her, I’ve tapped into a certain part of myself, whether it’s physical or emotional, and have felt a special release and connection with myself and with the community after class. People from all different professions and ages come there. It always feels comfortable and safe.”

FROM RUNNER TO RUNNING A BUSINESS Brooks excelled in cross-country running in high school but suffered injuries, because she hated stretching. Her coach suggested yoga.

From Brooks’ first class, she recognized

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how challenging and triggering it was for her.

“In my first yin class, I never wanted to crawl out of my skin so much. The deep stretch hurt me to the core of my belly. Then, I got out of class, and it was a 360. I felt something I never felt before,” she says. “I could see this practice was opening me up … and that’s where my teaching urge came from.”

In late 2012, she became a certified instructor. In early 2020, she was just about to launch a teacher training with Yoga House’s then-owner, Melissa Lowe. When COVID-19 hit, Lowe decided to sell Yoga House to focus more on her family. Meanwhile, Brooks gave birth to her son on February 2.

Still, Brooks knew she couldn’t let what she saw as the heartbeat of the community die.

So, she dug deep into her faith and worked with Region 10. The nonprofit linked her with a mentor and helped her with business plans and grants. By August 2020, Brooks and her husband owned Yoga House.

TRANSFORMING INDIVIDUALLY + COLLECTIVELY When Brooks started pushing the envelope of what’s possible in yoga by introducing Khalsa Way practices to a traditionally conservative community, some people left. But, new students filled classes.

“Khalsa Way is a prenatal Kundalini style of yoga, and it showed me how creative you could be in yoga classes,” she says.

She introduced chanting and breathwork in small, digestible portions, “listening to my

audience and also doing what sets my heart on fire,” she adds.

Running the Yoga House, teaching and raising kids kept her busy. Then, her dad unexpectedly passed away in September 2021.

“I was trying to run the business like a generator (which Human Design refers to as the ‘builders of the world’) and not taking time to talk to my dad, because I was too busy,” she says. “It caused me to really pause and see the bigger picture. It woke me up and made me see what I did to him and what I was doing to my kids and husband — trying to be in control and run a business.”

She stepped away from teaching to take time to heal and discovered Yoga House continued to thrive. Slowly, she returned to teaching classes through Colorado Mesa University, allowing herself to be raw and authentic.

“It showed me how much I had to diligently hold my values to be of service and bring value, motivation and inspiration to the community,” she says. “Doing things that align with my values gives me energy back. I learned that my business can give me energy back, as long as I stay in alignment with what matters most to me. I’m so grateful, because I’ve had more opportunity to grow and more opportunity to become more of who I am and feel into these uncomfortable parts.”

She also discovered she’s a reflector, according to Human Design. Reflectors are meant to be the heart of their community, much like Yoga House is.

“I have a gift and a light, so I have to sit and hold that light,” she adds. “I’m creating this light so when it’s dark, people can come and find us.”

Yoga House aims to make yoga available for everyone through events and classes that motivate, challenge, inspire and create community.

“There’s so much stress and trauma given our (universal circumstances). If we can all focus on ourselves on an individual level, then we can show up better for our families and communities,” White believes. “Yoga House just promotes a healthy lifestyle.” +

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by Lauren Farrauto

Anya Yoga Collective COLORADO SPRINGS

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alk through the doors of Anya Yoga to be greeted with light and life — a wide open space to immerse yourself in practice. Something owner Janell Duncan was particularly thrilled about when she first moved into Anya Yoga Collective’s current space was the number of windows where she could put plants and let in the sun to form an oasis for the burgeoning community in Colorado Springs.

“We strive to offer a shala environment at Anya Yoga. We are simple with beautiful, large plants,” she shares.

Shala is the Sanskrit word for home. Duncan hopes that Anya Yoga can be a place where both students and teachers of yoga can come to share experiences, practice and grow with one another. “Our focus is community,” she says.

And, that has been the case since the

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very beginning. Back in 2014, the teacher Duncan had personally been practicing with moved away and asked Duncan if she’d be willing to take over for their small group. A little unsure of her abilities, she accepted. A few months later, the group lost the partial lease on their current space, opening the door for Duncan to take a leap of faith.

“I decided, with trepidation, to lease our own space, just for us,” she recalls. In 2014, her first studio, then named Aranyani Yoga, was born in Woodland Park.

“I continued studying and learning yoga, slowly began to learn to make a website and, towards the end of our six years there, began to host teachers,” she adds.

But in March 2020, they were forced to close. Due to the studio’s small, 750-squarefoot size, social distancing became impossible. Unable to reopen, Duncan was unsure of what the future would hold. After five

months of closure, she found a new space that had “everything I ever wished for … even our own bathroom!” she jokes.

She changed the name to Anya Yoga, and the rest is history.

The studio focuses on Ashtanga and Rocket yoga styles. Ashtanga is a six-set system that progresses off of previously established moves. It is intended to build strength, flexibility and range of motion.

Additionally, they hold a class called Mysore mornings. Named after the city in India, Mysore mornings allow students to receive one-on-one instruction from their teacher.

Rocket yoga, coined by Larry Schultz, was founded to make Ashtanga yoga more accessible. The three-step routines are intended to renew energy and generate more vitality in the body by focusing on the joints and all systems of the body in harmony.

Anya Yoga Collective offers donation-based drop-ins for their classes, and loves to host teachers trained in these two lineages. “We love bringing in some of the most inspirational teachers around for our community to practice with. Our teachers also are all incredibly passionate about their own practices. They all teach from this incredible place of love and knowledge they gain from their own practices,” Duncan shares.

Duncan and her teachers offer a variety of workshops and special classes throughout the year in addition to regular classes.

Scholarships for their workshops are available, as well.

As we move forward from the pandemic, Duncan hopes Anya Yoga can be a source of support and renewal in Colorado Springs.

Moving the studio and trusting the process through the uncertainty of it all was so rewarding. Her main goal is to give back to others as best she can.

“Everything I’ve done has been for the students to have a practice space and community,” she adds. +

anyayogaco.com

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Photo courtesy of Anya Yoga Collective

profiles / Studios

paid partnership

INTRODUCING

LIGHTWORKER UV Fitness & Yoga Mat Sanitizer

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s yogis, our work starts with spreading our internal light out into the world. Lightworker UV — the creators behind the industry’s first UV-C mat sanitizing machine — understands this best. As a brand rooted in bringing safety, peace of mind and light back into the yoga and fitness community, its company mantra “We Spread Light” has never been truer.

Created by yoga enthusiasts for yoga enthusiasts, the Lightworker is an industry leader in chemical-free mat sanitizing. The user-friendly machine is designed to deactivate and destroy 99.9% of the bacteria, viruses and fungi that have accumulated on mats used at gyms, yoga studios and in the home. Unlike traditional mat sprays and sanitizers that need drying time, the Lightworker leaves mats fresh and odor-free using pure light within seconds.

“We are committed to helping the industry we know and love rebound and adjust to the required changes necessary to practicing in a safe and healthy environment,” says Paul Custer, director of product development. “We are determined to do good within our community, focus on giving back and continue to spread light.”

The Lightworker machine guides each mat through a high-intensity UV-C light chamber, exposing both sides to concentrated germicidal light that deactivates microorganisms by destroying their DNA. Lightworker controls both the intensity and exposure time to the light, as well as the distance from the mat, ensuring that every square inch of each mat is treated with UV-C and harmful organisms are deactivated instantly. This machine processes most mats up to 26 inches in width and ¾-inch thick. Whether gym-lovers want to sanitize a thin yoga mat or a thicker exercise pad, the Lightworker has them covered. It’s ideal for customers at yoga studios and gyms to clean their own mats before and after use; it acts as a clear demonstration of a space’s commitment to health and safety.

“Not only is it environmentally friendly and a ‘green’ way of cleaning mats, but it’s cost-effective and an efficient alternative to traditional fitness mat cleaning processes,” Custer adds. In addition

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to leaving no harmful residues, Lightworker has a long life and is energy efficient, requiring less than $1 of electricity for a full 10-hour day. The machine is almost 100% recyclable and does not contribute to recurrent waste streams or recurrent fossil fueled shipping of consumable products. Studio employees have a non-toxic option to clean rental mats that doesn’t require scrubbing mats, and members have confidence that all mats are sanitized with light, every time.

Before its redesign in 2021, the company’s original UV mat sanitizer, the Matsana, was created in 2009 by John Burnaby. Ahead of his time, and a full decade before the COVID pandemic shook the world, Burnaby became an expert on how bacteria and viruses collect on exercise mats, and the effectiveness of UV-C light in eliminating them.

“Regardless of the evolution in name, brand or design, our UV mat sanitizer will forever be infused with John’s light and inventive spirit,” says Lauren Meers, customer sales and service lead.

The creation of the Lightworker UV product was a combined effort between Peter Sterios (founder of Manduka Yoga Mats), Blake Beltram (co-founder of MindBody Software) and Derek Spurlock (Lightworker CEO). “Their inspiration, vision and direction have fueled our successful improvements and modifications to enable an amazing upgrade from the original Matsana,” Meers shares.

And the light doesn’t stop there. Lightworker UV is passionate about helping the fitness and wellness industry thrive. For some studios, the Lightworker UV machine is an effective tool to generate revenue for the business.

Members can pay for use, or the studio can implement cleaning rates into memberships so everyone is incentivized to clean their mats as often as they need to! Lightworker UV is gearing up to give back to the yoga industry in meaningful ways, including plans to implement a corporate social responsibility model that sets aside a percentage of profits. Give back structure will be focused on scholarships for students to practice at their local studio, earn yoga certifications, and attend trainings and worldwide yoga retreats.

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lifestyle / Books

YOGA + LIFE

Reading Corner THE SCARECROW

By Beth Ferry Illustrated by The Fan Brothers

A review by Sandy Ferguson Fuller

bestselling author teams up with award-winning illustrators, Terry and Eric Fan, to orchestrate The Scarecrow, a picture book already tapped as a classic for all ages. The Fan Brothers’ full-color illustrations showcase a soft and realistic palette. They feature a simple scarecrow and his friends and capture the nuances of nature. This signature book, rich in allegory, belongs in adult collections, too.

The story begins as summer flows into autumn, and Scarecrow — new to his post — boldly protects the upcoming wheat harvest. No creature dares to enter his field. He scares away anything that creeps, crawls, scampers or soars. By wintertime, he finds himself completely alone with no company, no purpose, no place to go, dreaming only of the promise of the changing seasons.

Spring comes. When a tiny, scared crow drops at his feet, Scarecrow adopts the fledgling bird and gives it a safe place to live in his front pocket, close to his heart of hay, through the summer and fall. From a distance on his pole, he still watches over the fields, but his true attention turns gently to his new friend. Scarecrow knows that he must stay, and crow must fly away when the cold arrives. Indeed, his spirits sink once more when crow leaves and nothing is left to warm the winter. Broken pole. Broken heart. Scarecrow starts to fall apart.

Spring comes again. When a large black bird drops into the field, Scarecrow invites him in with open arms. Crow has come back! Next, a mate arrives, and the two birds help put Scarecrow back together, stuffing him full of fresh straw and straightening him on his pole. In return, Scarecrow guards a nest holding five small eggs that the crows build in his front pocket. Instead of scaring away the neighborhood creatures, he lets them share in the new family that he is helping to raise and keep safe in his own pockets. For seasons to come, Scarecrow will not be lonely again.

New life. New hope. New purpose. New joy. Restoration and revival.

Renewal. The promise of the changing seasons. +

SANDY FERGUSON FULLER is a publishing industry professional with over 50 years spent as author, illustrator, international literary agent and freelance editor. Her primary focus is children’s picture books, originally mentored by Maurice Sendak as a student at Yale. Once introduced, the picture book genre captivated her imagination with its unique blend of story and illustration. She hopes that her own books, as well as those she has helped others to publish, will touch many souls, young and old. She is a regular contributor to CO YOGA + Life.

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60 HIKES WITHIN 60 MILES: DENVER AND BOULDER

By Mindy Sink review by kim Fuller

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indy Sink grew up in Boulder and has spent most of her adult life in Denver. Thanks to her book, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Denver and Boulder, Sink says she has gained a new appreciation for the beautiful and majestic settings that surround the Mile-High City.

“I'm so glad I said yes to this project,” shares Sink. “It changed me and my relationship to my own body, how I can connect with friends on the trails, my appreciation for the seasons and reset my own mental health from time to time."

For the third edition of this popular guidebook, Sink’s assignment was to select "60 of the best hikes within 60 miles of Denver or Boulder" and write about them. An avid hiker, she explored every trail she could find. The hikes were chosen for their proximity to Denver and Boulder, and Sink took special care to feature a variety of terrains, challenges and scenery.

"My motto as I did the research for this book and hiked over 70 trails in a year was that if I could do it, anyone can do it,” Sink says.

“I am not an athlete or a risk taker. I simply kept putting one foot in front of the other and showing up.”

Within the book, full-color photography and a full-color map accompany each entry. At-a-glance information (such as distance, difficulty and hiking time) helps readers to quickly choose a trail that’s right for their needs. An in-depth description of the route and GPS coordinates aid readers in knowing where to go and what to expect along the way. This guide has everything a hiker needs to get out and find a trail in every season. It is an essential addition to every bookshelf in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and beyond.

Whether you are a once a year hiker, setting a goal of 52 hikes in a year or an experienced backpacker even, Sinks says there is value in having this book at hand for those quick jaunts into the foothills.

She adds how it’s especially handy when you have visitors who want to try hiking for the first time, so you can choose elevation, distance and seasonal scenery to suit their abilities and preferences.

"When you set out on your first hike from this book, make a mental note of what you think you know about yourself,” says Sink. "Check back in every 10 or so hikes to see if you gained a new appreciation or understanding of what you are capable of with your body, your time. I learned that while I might not be a fast hiker, I sure enjoy taking the time to appreciate the trees, the leaves, the water, the flowers, the clouds and maybe some wildlife.” +

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lifestyle / Art

Make Art. Live Simply. Be Happy.

Ridgway Artist Deidra Krois is a Self-Taught Potter with a Message

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life bundled in joyous sparkling creativity — a husband, three kids, two Labradors and two cats in a handmade, earth-plaster, strawbale home enveloped by the stunning San Juan Mountains — is what propels Deidra Krois to create art that speaks to its new owners.

Her functional and decorative ceramics are hand-thrown and stamped or etched with heartfelt messages, poetry and impactful quotes by the Dalai Lama, Muir and Gandhi. The self-taught Ridgway potter says she looks to her three children to learn how to be a better person everyday and to walk through life with an open heart.

“I am inspired by my mountain lifestyle,

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global adventures and the universal truths captured in poetic verse and profound quotes,” Krois says.

From her simple home studio on a Colorado mesa at 8,800 feet, surrounded by three acres of alpine forest, Krois handthrows mountain themed pots and mugs on a potter’s wheel and builds them from slabs of chocolate, ochre and porcelain clay.

The central Pennsylvania native studied Architecture at Penn State before transfer-

ring to Colorado State University to study Fine Arts, where she took a ceramics 101 class and graduated with a BFA in Fiber Art. A swift move to Telluride landed her a ceramic studio manager gig at the local Ah Haa School for the Arts. In 2002, Krois and her husband migrated down valley to Ridgway to raise a family together. She put art on pause for 10 years as a stay-athome mom before going back to work at a local clay studio and, eventually, launching Wishing Star Pottery in 2014 and Ridgway’s Mountain Girl Gallery in 2017.

Krois’ art communicates power through positive affirmations as she works with a focus to motivate mindful living through ceramics. A self-described wanderer, seeker, gardener and environmentalist, Krois says she was drawn to the physical and meditative nature of making pots on the wheel.

“I have fostered my love affair with clay and words by creating a ceramic business that inspires the world one pot at a time,” she shares. “I treasure the feel of earth in my hands, molding and manipulating it into timeless pieces of art that are used, loved and cherished.”

Next up: Krois is studying a new digital drawing program to turn her drawings and design patterns into handmade stencils and resists using a cutting printer. Watch for new mountain designs and patterns inspired by travels to Greece and Mexico in 2022.

“I aspire to inspire,” Krois adds. “I do what I love. I love what I do.” +

wishingstarpottery.com

LISA BLAKE is a freelance writer living in Breckenridge, specializing in dining, outdoors, ski resorts and wellness. She is happiest on her mountain bike, yoga mat or in a raft with her husband, son and pug.

Her work has been featured in Aspen Modern Luxury, Purist, 5280.com and GoBreck.com. Find her at lisablakecreative.com.

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Photos courtesy of Deidra Krois

by Lisa Blake

lifestyle / CO Community

Stories on Skin

Reiki Ink Reimagines the Tattoo Experience

by Lexi reich

Photos Courtesy of Disruptive Ink Tattoo

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or many, the process of inking signifies a transformation, a birth to a new self. However, traditional tattoo shops often breed an environment where the client is almost ashamed for exhibiting signs of pain.

Sandra Lin opened Disruptive Ink Tattoo Studio in Lakewood, Colorado to change the status quo. From covering self-harm scars to first responders and members of the LGBTQ+ community looking for a safe space, Disruptive Ink has seen clients from a huge variety of backgrounds. No matter the case, Lin’s team welcomes all who wish to undergo the sacred marking of one’s skin in both a friendly and compassionate setting entirely free of judgement.

Even with the rise of queer-owned tattoo parlors popping up across the country, Disruptive Ink is an anomaly in the world of permanent ink; it offers a “Reiki Ink” add-on to clients during their

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tattoo session. Ink-lovers have traveled as far as 700 miles to work with Lin and her on-site Reiki certified master, MateoLuis, who is also an American Sign Language interpreter — a clear sign on the impacts of the studio’s trailblazing efforts.

“As a deaf person, I've never heard of a shop that was as accessible as Disruptive Ink,” says Ashley Greene, a Texas native who visited Disruptive Ink to be tatted twice. She says that as a disabled person, she would show up to her appointments at other tattoo shops across the country only to encounter the same, reoccurring experience: zone out on Netflix, pay and leave. At Disruptive Ink, her experience was anything but strictly transactional.

While Lin let her art unleash on Greene’s skin, MateoLuis interpreted the scene while simultaneously conducting a Reiki session complete with breathwork and crystals.

MateoLuis says his sessions are all-inclu-

sive, meaning a client may encounter cards, breathwork and stones in addition to Reiki and other energy medicine tools depending on individual needs.

“Reiki works on the four bodies: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual,” Lin explains. “When we take this and apply it to the tattoo experience, we see some powerful healing take place.”

Whatever the client’s past that brought them to her table, Lin says people are seeking a way to release, commemorate, honor, ritualize or mark something significant in their life. The touch of a tattoo needle can be healing for clients when the atmosphere is relaxed. By connecting with the four bodies, the tattoo experience turns inward, offering a new level of depth and meaning, as Lin puts it. +

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lifestyle / CO Escapes

RENEWAL GETAWAY:

Joyful Journey Hot Springs

by Lisa Blake

Reboot in a Yurt and Healing Waters at this Sanctuary for the Soul

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comfortable 98 degrees to 108 degrees.

Each pool is drained and cleaned nightly, and Joyful Journey is one of the few hot springs with natural hot mineral water that does not give off an egg-like sulfur odor.

Three pools — including a peaceful whisper-only pool with postcard mountain views — and two Jacuzzi hot tubs dot the rustic property. Guests melt into therapeutic artesian waters to absorb mineral contents that have been known to soothe muscles, improve blood circulation and detoxify the body’s lymphatic system.

Accommodations range from minimalist hotel rooms with private bathrooms and aspen wood furniture to native tipis, furnished all-season yurts and RV and tent campsites.

All walks of life are welcome; Joyful Journey is LGBTQ+ friendly, cannabis friendly and pet friendly. Walk the meditative labyrinth path and then retreat to the community dining room for nourishing homemade

Photos courtesy of Joyful Journey Hot Springs

here’s a stretch of the ruggedly stunning San Luis Valley — 32 miles south of Salida and 50 miles north of Alamosa — that Native American elders and spiritual gurus have dubbed one of the most sacred and energetically active spaces in North America.

Rejuvenating waters spiral up from the earth. The red-hued Sangre de Cristo mountain range stretches along the horizon.

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve rises and drops in a sandy natural wonder, and the mystical mecca of Crestone is just 30 minutes away. Embracing cool summers and sun-soaked winters, Joyful Journey Hot Springs intersects the valley floor at 7,700 feet, inviting guests in for a relaxing pause.

Joyful Journey waters are said to be encoded with the energy of the earth. Water rises from the travertine springs at Fahrenheit temps between 120 degrees and 145 degrees, and the spa maintains pools at a

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THE MINERALS + THE BENEFITS Joyful Journey pools are filled daily with natural, mineral-rich geothermically heated water. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most beneficial minerals found in the therapeutic waters.

ZINC Important in brain function, an essential mineral found in every cell of the body, lessens the duration of colds, flu and infections. Assists in controlling mental apathy.

PHOSPHATE Aids in hair growth, helps counteract fatigue, important for regular heart and kidney function.

POTASSIUM An electrolyte found in the body, regulates blood pressure and heart function, maintains the body’s fluid levels.

MAGNESIUM Strengthens muscles, vital for the nervous system, helps protect against cardiovascular disease and lowers high blood pressure. meals, (breakfast and dinner are included with overnight stays) that include eggs, pancakes, pastas, grain bowls, soups and salads with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options available.

Joyful Journey is a special hot springs and spa for those who appreciate a magical, no-frills destination wrapped in genuine appreciation for straightforward zen and rejuvenation. Happy soaking!

Don’t Miss: The Joyful Journey Yoga Combo. Guests looking for a restorative Sunday can join a yoga class from 8 to 9 a.m., enjoy a healthy breakfast from 9 to 10 a.m. and then soak in the hot springs from 10 a.m. to noon for only $25. Call to reserve a spot. +

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BORON Helps prevent osteoporosis and arthritis, assists in building and repairing joints, plays a role in brain function.

CALCIUM Assists with heart rhythm, blood clotting, nerve transmission, foot/ leg cramps and menstrual and menopause issues.

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lifestyle / CO Escapes

Kinship Landing

The Colorado Springs Adventure Base for Travelers Seeking Comfort + Community accessible rooms are also available.

The most unique room on the property — and perhaps in Colorado — is the camping deck. It’s like a glamping experience, but elevated. The personal urban campsite can fit up to six people and overlooks Pikes Peak, Cheyenne Mountain and the Front Range.

It’s the perfect spot to unroll a yoga mat and flow with the sun. But unlike the wilderness, the room features a heated bathroom with soft towels and a walk-in shower.

Upon check-in, guests can grab a healthy bite at Homa Cafe + Bar, which hugs the hotel’s front desk. The lobby serves as a hub for locals and visitors alike to cowork, eat and hang out. “Homa” comes from the word “human” in Esperanto, a defunct language created in the 1800s to foster world peace and international understanding through one shared dialect. Intentionality is really woven into every aspect of Kinship Landing.

The eatery has everything from acai bowls and sandwiches to handcrafted cocktails and hard kombucha. Imbibe in the cozy booths, fireside lounge, solo and community tables, large outdoor patio or the sun-filled greenhouse. One of the main draws to the property, the indoor and light-filled greenhouse space — or Greenhaus — is available to rent for private yoga retreats, businesses

by lexi reich

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photos by Richard Seldomridge and ashlee kay photography

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ocated in downtown Colorado Springs, Kinship Landing is a beacon of inspired lodging in the Pikes Peak region. A stay at this year-old boutique hotel is a curated experience fit for travelers of all budgets.

Bobby Mikulas, CEO and co-founder, says the property has “everything you need and nothing you don’t.” He envisioned the fresh, modern and functionally designed space as a network for travelers to connect and launch their next adventure. As the day turns golden, the hope is for Kinship Landing to be a home to relax and rejuvenate in, and it’s clear that dream has become a reality. The bespoke concept has been featured nationally for its unique take on hospitality.

The local craftmanship shines in each room and creates an earthy yet welcoming vibe. 34 private guest rooms and six eight-person bunk rooms all feature gear storage, handpicked art, Tuft & Needle mattresses and keyless entry. Whether you’re a solo traveler, family or large group, Kinship Landing has you covered. Accommodations range from king suites with mountain views and a soaking tub to shared or private group bunk rooms with privacy curtains, charging ports and two bathrooms.

Pet-friendly upgrades and handicapped

meetings or other events.

If guests ask the front desk for a hotel gym, they’ll instead be ushered to outdoor recreational sites like the Manitou Incline or a local yoga studio. If they ask the café for espresso, they’ll be guided across the street to Loyal Coffee for a world-class latte. It’s all about community. If one would rather keep it simple, Kinship Landing staff communicates by text for recommendations or to answer any questions. It’s an incredibly personal touch that makes a big difference.

If you’re looking to plan your next Colorado escape this season, head to Colorado Springs, the town just named one of the top 10 emerging destinations in the world by TripAdvisor’s 2021 Travelers’ Choice Awards.

Once you arrive, Kinship Landing will take care of the rest. +

kinshiplanding.com

Cooking up your BRECK CRAVINGS

Open Daily 113 S. Ridge St. • Breckenridge, CO 80424 • birdandcow.com

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lifestyle / Travel

by lexi reich

Belize: More Than Beaches + Booze

In honor of its Mayan roots, Ka’ana (or “heavenly place”) is an award-winning resort in the quiet town of San Ignacio.

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he transition from Colorado’s blustery and snowy winter landscape to lounging beneath the invigorating Caribbean sun and surrounded by vibrant greenery was — as I’m sure you might imagine — very welcome. Each inhale and exhale during my time in this Central American country was packed with mindfulness, gratitude and pure wonder.

Belize — only a mild four-hour flight from Denver — offers all the luxuries of more frequented vacation hotspots minus the typical tourist traffic. It’s a humble oasis brimming

with extensive ecological and cultural beauty, making it the perfect destination for those seeking to blend adventure and relaxation. It’s difficult to express just how beautiful this hidden gem is, but it’s very obvious that the Belizeans have done an excellent job preserving the variety of stunning environments their home boasts.

Plus, Frontier Airlines recently announced non-stop flights from its home base in Denver to Belize City starting at just $83, making the trip more accessible than ever before.

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Photos courtesy of Ka’ana Resort

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It’s a Wellness Lover’s Paradise

CAYO DISTRICT

My trip started with a fresh taste of warm Belizean hospitality — being served homemade tamales in the country’s western Cayo district. My hosts were a group of women native to the area belonging to the San Antonio Women’s Co-op. In addition to their incredible cuisine, I was privileged to hear stories of their ancestry and cultural history.

Cayo is renowned for its numerous parks and ecological reserves. Close to the Guatemalan border, it is a dazzling green paradise that also happens to be loaded with exceptional historical sites, like the striking El Castillo pyramid towering over the Xunantunich ruins and Caracol, the country’s largest Mayan ruin.

In honor of its Mayan roots, Ka’ana (or “heavenly place”) is an award-winning resort in the quiet town of San Ignacio.

Thanks to its eco-luxury design, it beautifully complements the lavish green of its mountainous surroundings. It really is the ideal home base for anyone adventurous enough to venture into the country’s lush interior.

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After a long day traveling, arriving at the resort is a refreshing kickoff to your stay.

Interweaving pathways lead to a pool with cocktail service and a sunbathing terrace, an organic garden and the La Ceiba Restaurant, which specializes in farm to jungle cuisine. For the wellness lover, the luxury spa features treatments like holistic Reiki healing and Maya abdominal massages.

The boutique property is comprised of 17 private suites and villas that were clearly designed to ooze hospitality. Some rooms offer outdoor baths and showers, while others feature private pools. At Ka’ana, only the tranquil flow of water and the sweet natural harmonies from the jungle reign. It is a breathtaking respite from the chaos of urban life. Needless to say, the quality of sleep I got each night was unmatched.

Guests can also get their flow on as yoga is offered on property and at nearby Mayan temples. Or, take a hike at Big Rock Falls for a breathtaking swim under the locally loved waterfall. Ka’ana thinks of all the details and packs a delicious picnic lunch to fuel your adventure.

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lifestyle / Travel

SAN PEDRO

Learn more at travelbelize.org

Photos courtesy of Grand Caribe

Arrive by plane or ferry, San Pedro is a postcard-worthy town located on the island of Ambergris Caye, famous for its sandy dive bars, wooden houses and seafood restaurants galore — an ideal spot to bookend a week-long trip to Belize. Here, I took the time to curl my toes in the sand and indulge in the Belizean way of life — travel by golf cart, then stop and stay awhile.

Many plant-based options are available to visitors, like oat milk lattes and vegan banana bread at Farmhouse Market & Café or veggie tacos and berry sorbet at The Truck Stop. Or, for a fan-favorite, the sunset dinner cruise with Island Dream Tours is perfect for vegans and carnivores alike with its buffet-style food and endless cocktail options.

As soon as the sun sets, the party begins!

For a high-end but family-friendly accommodation, the Grand Caribe was impressive from the first look. Its 72 one- to five-bedroom condos all have ocean views and balconies to admire them from. The property’s 500-foot stretch of private beach features free paddleboard and kayak rentals in addition to plush lounge chairs and unlimited towel exchanges. It features three restaurants, a fitness center and a full-service spa and salon to get your

zen on. The on-site tour and concierge staff members are ready to guide guests through diverse Belizean excursions.

If anything, experiencing the Great Blue Hole from the sky is a bucket-list opportunity. The giant marine sinkhole is a wonder of the world that can be seen through a Tropic Air flyover tour. Stepping onto the 11-seat aircraft for the hour pushed me out of my comfort zone in a way that promotes growth. The one-of-a-kind, uninterrupted view makes this well worth the investment.

When you’re ready to dive into the bright blue Caribbean water, snorkeling at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley is as incredible as it sounds. It was pointedly instilled into guests that Hol Chan Marine Reserve is a sacred haven for marine wildlife.

For the yoga-seeker, Ak’bol Yoga Retreat hosts drop-in yoga classes at the end of its pier overlooking the reef. Mats are available and meditation is offered at the end of each class. Ak’bol also has free weekly discussion groups over ancient yogic texts, making it a hub for wellness enthusiasts worldwide.

Overall, a visit to Belize is soaked with an intimate connection to mind, body and spirit. If you’re looking for a sign to book your trip, this is it. +

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paid partnership

DANAKNERL HOLISTIC HEALING GUIDE

IS IT TIME TO ILLUMINATE WHAT IS POSSIBLE FOR YOU?

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hen Dana Knerl started her holistic healing practice in the Vail Valley seven years ago, not many people knew what Reiki or energy healing was. Due to a tumultuous past two years, she has seen more people than ever before drawn to her work to explore the spiritual aspects of health and wellness. As a leading light, Knerl guides empaths and healers through holistic healing toward their divine purpose.

“New clients frequently tell me they are having a ‘spiritual awakening,’ or they are noticing how they feel and experience other people's energy,” Knerl shares. “I tell them they have come to the right place, and they are not alone. To me, it seems like ‘woo woo’ is becoming more mainstream, and spirituality and the metaphysical are being embraced as a part of who we are collectively.”

As a Holistic Healing Guide, Knerl sees clients from a wide variety of backgrounds with a wealth of different experiences — virtually and at her office in Avon, Colorado. She offers healing experiences like Reiki, Akashic Records readings, home energy clearings and holistic healing programs.

Her philosophy through it all? “You are your own healer.”

CO YOGA + Life Magazine sat down with Knerl to learn more about her unique offerings as a Holistic Healing Guide, especially taking a close look at her signature offering: Illumination.

You specialize in helping healers care for themselves. What's it like to be a teacher of teachers?

Every opportunity I have to work with another healer or lightworker is such a gift, and I feel honored to do so. It is vital for healers to move through their own healing and maintain a self-care routine in order to effectively help others heal. I often share with clients some of the challenges I have experienced in my own healing process. My clients often express their relief and gratitude to know that, as a healer, you do not have to be perfect. We are all on this journey together, and sharing our experiences, gifts and wisdom can have an incredible healing impact for others.

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Tell us more about the Illumination Program. Why is it a unique offering and what can people expect to walk away with?

14 years ago, when I began my own Reiki training, I felt a bit alone in the process. The first two levels of Reiki training are generally very brief (about two days total). After I completed this initial training, I had so many questions. I would have loved to connect on a deeper level with a guide or mentor. Later I went on to get my Reiki Master training, but I still had a thirst for knowledge around energy healing and the chakras. I gained a wealth of knowledge through my own research and working with clients, but there were times when I absolutely wanted some support. That is what inspired me to offer Illumination as not only a holistic healing journey (because healers need healing, too), but also a mentorship in energy healing.

What makes this program unique is the individualized one-on-one guidance, and the structure which includes a strong focus on self-care and receiving the healing modality of Reiki that you are learning to give to others. Clients leave the program with the ability to identify their own energy imbalances and self-care tools to bring themselves back into energetic alignment. The intention behind Illumination is to help shed light on who you are energetically and how to heal and harmonize your own energy. When someone is ready and open to step into this deeper healing process, I've seen people significantly decrease their anxiety and release trauma, reconnect to their joy and passion for life, build their confidence, feel unconditional self-love, express their truth, ignite their intuition, deepen their spiritual connection and so much more.

Illumination is offered both in-person and virtually, so you can move through this experience from anywhere in the world. An introductory phone call is required so any potential client and I can chat to make sure it is a good fit for both of us to work together. Registration for the program is available throughout the year on a rolling basis.

danaknerl.com

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lifestyle / What We Love

GET BERRY BALANCED WITH

Photos courtesy of Inner light Juice

Inner Light Juice

By Rachel Glowacki

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

O

n a bluebird Colorado day, I was in line reading over the Inner Light Juice menu, having a hard time deciding between Eyes Wide Open juice (carrot, apple, ginger, lemon) and the Conscious Creator smoothie (banana, orange, turmeric, coconut, lime, vanilla protein, goji berries, chaga, flax, date, homemade almond milk) — both things I needed energetically and nutritionally. I decided to get both, because the homemade almond milk (raw almonds, purified water, cardamom, vanilla, date, maple syrup, sea salt) sounded incredible, and I am a sucker for anything with ginger. As I waited for my juice and smoothie, there was a sign to fill out a gratitude card and then put it into a jar. If they pulled your card, you got a free juice that week. After I paid for my nourishing goods, the owners Tricia and Keith said, “Bring your jars back next time, and you will get a $1 for each jar you bring back towards your next order.” What? Yes, they are the real deal and value sustainability.

They pour their heart and soul into their food, where you can actually taste the light and love infused with each sip.

Meet Treasure (Tricia) Schultheis and Keith Carrieri, co-owners of Inner Light Juice, a mobile juice trailer serving all organic, raw, cold-pressed juice and super-food smoothies.

However, Inner Light Juice is more than a mobile juice trailer; it is a love story towards transformational health and well-being for self, each other and our planet.

HOW DID YOU TWO MEET AND COME UP WITH INNER LIGHT JUICE? Treasure Schultheis/Keith Carrieri: We actually both grew up here in the Vail Valley, but did not meet until our mid-twenties at a recovery group. We instantly connected and began liv-

ing the path of sobriety together. We swapped out alcohol for juice, partying for meditation, and meat and dairy for fruits and veggies. We have fallen in love with this path of conscious living, each other and creating Inner Light Juice together. We believe that we all have an inner light within. That light can dim or go out, and when you choose to eat mindfully, your food can help reignite that light. We are what we consume. When we consume health, we receive more health.

THIS ISSUE IS ALL ABOUT RENEWAL. WHAT INGREDIENTS WOULD YOU USE TO MAKE A “RENEWAL SMOOTHIE” AND WHY? We have to start with love. That is our main ingredient. We train all of our employees to use intention and channel good vibes into the food. For a renewal smoothie, we would use nutrient dense ingredients that bolster immunity, recovery, detoxification, stabilization and energy, such as leafy greens, fruits and veggies, and of course superfood powders such as spirulina, chlorella, maca, chaga and reishi. These ingredients are all raw and minimally processed to keep the integrity of the plant in order to get as much vitamins, minerals and enzymes into our bodies as possible.

WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND ALL THIS NUTRITIOUS DELICIOUSNESS? We are mobile! Please check our website homepage, Instagram or Facebook for our weekly schedule including hours and locations. +

innerlightjuice.com

RACHEL GLOWACKI is a yoga teacher, writer and thought leader in the kids yoga field. She specializes in mindful movement for all ages and abilities and has been teaching since 1999. She's an award-winning author of the Kids Yogaverse storybook apps. Rachel hopes that one day mindful movement will be taught regularly in schools just like math and science! She believes that a calm brain is a learning brain and a healthy body is a happy body, principles she shares with her students young and old. Rachel lives with her husband and two sons in Edwards, CO.

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GREEN GODDESS RENEWAL SMOOTHIE Nutrient-dense powerhouse smoothie packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants!

Ingredients: 1 banana 1 green apple, diced 1 packed cup spinach 1/2 tsp. chlorella 1/2 tsp. maca 1 Tbsp. raw honey 1/2 cup coconut milk 1 cup ice Directions: Add all ingredients together in a blender, adding the spinach first and coconut milk and ice last. Blend until smooth. Pour into your favorite glass or jar. Enjoy immediately while smiling and have the best day ever.

CHECK OUT INNER LIGHT JUICE'S NEW STOREFRONT 115 E 2nd. St. Unit #2 Eagle, Colorado

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lifestyle / What We Love 2 1

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1. Kāma This origami-style surface is your portable platform for adventure and mindfulness. It’s a honeycomb-shaped “space within a place” that can be used for activities that range from yoga to an open-air picnic. With each mat, Kāma keeps over 160 plastic bottles out of landfills. $220 kamasurface.co 2. Daygold These CBG tinctures are made to interact with the endocannabinoid system to enhance pleasure and motivation, regulate sleep patterns and alleviate pain. Daygold has three thoughtful formulas: Restful Night to lull the body into nourishing rest, Easy Relief to help you flow through your practice without stiffness or pain, and Calm Mind to ease stress and help yogis connect to the moment. $99 per bottle daygold.com

BY YOGA + LIFE ® TEAM

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3. Ibex Lizzi Tights A durable blend of merino wool and nylon create the durable fabric for these compression tights.

They are thermoregulating, moisture-wicking, odor-resistant and wrinkle resistant. The tights are versatile and great as a one-pant-does-it-all travel essential, and they’re also available in a pant style. Wear them during leisure activities, taking yoga classes, hiking or dress them up for dinner with a nice sweater. $175 ibex.com 4. Bedrock Freshstick This zinc-based deodorant is plant-based and plastic-free, combining matcha green tea and zinc oxide to calm redness, razor bumps and soften skin. We love the refreshing scent and how the mineral and matcha work together to ease odor and irritation. $15 bedrockskin.com

5. Mad Rabbit Replenish Body Lotion If you have tattoos, this lotion will become your best friend. It uses plant oils and butters with Vitamin A to combat dry and irritated skin. The moisturizer is designed with ink in mind, but it universal for all skin types. $25 madrabbit.com 6. 42 Birds Cork Yoga Mat “The Imperial Eagle” The sustainable cork on this mat is non-slip with natural anti-microbial properties that resist mold, mildew and bad smells. At 6 millimeters thick, there is a comfortable natural rubber base. This mat is ideal for someone who likes extra padding and who enjoys the extra weight that rubber provides. $82 42birds.com 7. Athletic Lite The non-alcoholic beer scene just keeps getting more dynamic, and Athletic Brewing seems to be leading the movement. Their new NA light beer, Athletic Light, comes in at only 25 calories and 5

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grams of carbs per 12-ounce can. We’ll cheers to that! $13.99 per 6-pack athleticbrewing.com 8. Sanuk U Furreal ST Blanket Sink your feet into the soft foam foot bed of these flip flops, crafted with recycled materials.

This style celebrates a love of textiles made with sustainable materials, like responsibly sourced cotton, recycled polyester, reground foam and recycled rubber. $50 sanuk.com 9. Picture Mataikona SS Shirt It’s nice to have that go-to piece that you’ll want to grab most days of the week. This stylish shirt made with organic cotton is simply that, and the print we feature here offers extra flare. $72 picture-organic-clothing.com 10. Carbonnique Beauty Roller Carbonnique was co-created by two female founders and is made of walnut wood and biocompatible technical ceramic. The actual feel YOGALIFELIVE.COM

is meant to mimic the massage techniques used by estheticians during facials. The two massaging balls gently knead the skin to lift and contour. It’s 100% portable and the starter kit bundle includes one face and neck massaging tool and their signature Rosehip massage oil. $159 carbonnique.com 11. Radiant Malas Based out of Boulder, Colorado, Radiant Malas are hand-made with high-grade, sustainably-mined, allnatural crystal gemstones. Never dyed or artificially enhanced, each unique strand is knotted with the traditional over-hand technique, then finished with a distinctive guru bead and hand-tied tassel.

Choose your mala by gemstone or by intention to align with your personal journey. $64-$218 radiantmalas.com 12. Gnarly Sports Nutrition Vegan Protein Gnarly just transitioned all of their product packaging from plastic tubs to steel tins or recyclable bags; they are the first nutrition supplement brand to utilize steel and ditch the classic, plastic tubs. This vegan

powder combines a plant-based protein blend with 14 essential vitamins and minerals for complete vegan nutrition on the go. $61.45 gognarly.com 13. Kuli Kuli SuperGummies Get an uplifting, caffeine-free boost with these plant-based and gelatin-free gummies, available in three flavors: Green Apple Moringa + SuperGreens, Berry Moringa + Chaga and Lemon Moringa + Turmeric. SuperGummies feature an innovative pouch format, sustainably made with post-consumer recycled plastic. Each SuperGummy packs a powerful punch with 200plus milligrams of moringa. kulikulifoods.com 14. Formulary 55 Mother Earth Shea Butter Bath Soap This fresh new scent is born out of the brand’s commitment to sustainability. With each purchase of Mother Earth Shea Bar Soap, Formulary 55 will donate $5 to the Earthkeeper Nature School, an outdoor-based preschool and kindergarten serving the Pueblo, Colorado area. $12 formulary55.com

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YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

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1. SUKHASANA / SEAT WITH HAND ON EARTH AND HEART

Seated on the root chakra, you may feel comforted by the grounding support of the mat and floor beneath you.

Sit with your legs crossed in an easy position.

It might be more comfortable to sit on a block or blanket, or prop up your knees. Place one hand on your heart and one hand on the ground. Breathe and feel the firm steadiness beneath you and within you.

2. VIRABHADRASANA ONE / WARRIOR ONE WITH HANDS BEHIND HEAD

Yoga Sequence

by Teresa Adele

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e are encouraged to come to our yoga mat through all seasons of life and emotions. We’re told that consistency will reap rewards, both physically and spiritually. But, some days are just plain hard. Some seasons are cold and stiff or gooey and full of resistance. How do we show up on those days?

Some days, rest is exactly what your body needs. On others, it may help to flow with more intuitive movements. On days when showing up for your physical yoga practice feels hard, listen to your body and give it the space to express itself.

This sequence taps into the root, solar plexus and crown chakras to ground and uplift. It can help to process change, pull up out of the weeds of life or just feel nice in the physical body. It works with the energetic body of the chakra system.

Chakras are said to be swirling energy centers throughout the spine, starting from the base and moving up to the crown of the head and into the aura. When we support the root chakra, we feel safe and grounded; the solar plexus fires up our confidence and self-efficacy, and the crown chakra is the mental and spiritual energy center — harmonizing and protecting the entire system.

On days where you feel like you could benefit from a revival, a rebirth, it’s best to find a physical yoga practice that honors the energetic body, as well as the physical one. It helps to move with intuition rather than discipline. When we honor our whole self, even the sticky and reluctant parts of ourselves, we have the opportunity to heal and move forward with more wisdom than before.

Warm up with sun salutations or add them at any point between these postures. +

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3. VIRABHADRASANA TWO / WARRIOR TWO This stance is one of a warrior prepared to defend and destroy those that stand in the way of love and all that’s worth fighting for. Imagine swiftly brushing away all that stands in your way on the journey to your highest self.

From downward-facing dog, step your right foot forward between your hands and come to stand. Bend deeply into the front knee, gazing down to see the knee track over the outer toes. Firm your gaze beyond the fingers of the front hand as you reach back with the other hand. Roll your shoulder blades together and down your back. Conjure up all the strength of the earth beneath your feet and extend it through your fingertips. Stay for five breaths and then switch sides.

4. NAVASANA / BOAT This pose ignites the fire within while keeping a light and buoyant heart.

From a seated position, bring the soles of your feet to the floor with knees bent and your hands behind your knees. Rock back, so you are balancing on your sacrum (not your tail bone). Draw your

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photos courtesy of Revolution Power Yoga

Ground + Uplift

Rooted through your feet, heart light and strong, relax your head in your hands as you stand in your power.

From downward-facing dog, step your right foot forward. Keep both heels grounded as you bend deeply into the front knee with both hips facing forward. Extend your arms up and clasp your hands at the nape of your neck. Draw the elbows back and shoulder blades down, away from the ears. Lift your gaze and let your head fall into your hands as you breathe and feel lightness travel through your chest. Stay for five breaths and then switch sides.

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chest forward, widen your collar bone and become light with your hands. Extend your arms out, palms face up, and breathe. Draw the navel in and up, and stay for five breaths.

5. SIRSASANA (II) / TRIPOD HEADSTAND (with modification) There’s nothing better for shifting perspective than to turn things upside down. This posture also stimulates blood flow to the heart and brain, which may increase feel-good neurochemicals.

From tabletop, bring the top of your head to the floor roughly a foot above your fingertips.

Typically, when your wrists are below your elbows you feel most stable. Tuck your toes and lift your hips, walking the feet closer, so your hips stack over your shoulders. Place your knees on the backs of your arms. Stay, or, use your core to lean slightly back and draw the knees in to lift up.

Modification: If you have six blocks, stack three and three shoulder-width distance apart, directly against the wall. Place your fingertips at the end of the blocks and place your head between the two stacks. Your head should not touch the floor and the blocks should be very stable. Tuck your toes and lift your hips, slowly walking them closer to bring your legs up against the wall.

6. BALASANA / CHILD’S POSE Return to earth and rest your center of intuition on the floor or a block.

From tabletop, extend your arms forward, and press your hips back by your ankles. Your knees may be together or as wide as the mat, whichever is more comfortable. Rest your head on something — if not the floor, then a block or a pillow. Rock side to side to massage your third eye and open the hips. Stay for five breaths, or as long as feels comfortable.

7. SETU BANDHA SARVANGASANA / SUPPORTED BRIDGE

Let the ground support you as your hips rest, raised on a prop, letting your body relax.

From laying down, bend your knees to bring the soles of your feet on the ground. Lift your hips and slide a block or pillow under them. There should be no discomfort, and you can adjust the prop until you can rest comfortably with no effort. Allow your hands to rest, palms face up, by your sides or above your head. Notice where you feel open and where you feel support.

8. SUPTA VRKSASANA / RECLINED TREE Just like standing tree, reclined tree allows your roots to reach deep and your branches to grow to the sky.

From laying down, bring your right knee into your chest, a little to the right to avoid the ribcage.

Draw your right foot to your left leg, either above the knee or below down to the calf. Let the knee fall towards the ground (or a pillow). Just like standing tree, both legs may be active and both feet flexed as if standing flat on the ground. Imagine growing as tall as you can, soaking in the sunshine with your roots firm and strong.

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TERESA ADELE is a writer, yoga teacher and writing coach located in Boulder, Colorado. She works to make whole-body wellness more accessible for everybody through science-backed health education, helping wellness professionals write and creative yoga sequencing. To learn more or book a session, visit teresaadele.com.

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YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

ALCHEMIZING TRAUMA

by Kaity Holsapple

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he memory of trauma, from big to small, lives in the body. This is becoming more common knowledge as time goes on, but it’s what we do with this knowledge that counts. Stepping into your own somatic healing journey is what transforms this knowledge into deep, soulful wisdom.

Soma has two etymological roots. In Sanskrit it means “nectar,” and in ancient Greek it means “body.”

I believe there is no coincidence in the shared meaning of these words. Indeed, the nectar of true and integrated healing can only be truly accessed through the portal of your flesh and blood. The body is not only your portal for healing, but the gateway for embodying your light and divinity.

It can oftentimes feel overwhelming to

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know where to begin in pursuit of healing deep wounds and reclaiming the nectar of your soul. There are times when connecting with the body can feel deeply unsafe, especially when intense sensations related to trauma are still overwhelmingly present and alive.

While at times it can feel like your body is the enemy, your soma is simply a translator of energy. The more blocked and knotted up your energy is, the louder the signals of discomfort, pain and overwhelm become.

The clearer and free-flowing your energy is, the more connected, radiant and grounded you get to feel.

When you begin to slowly and gently unwind the blockages in your energy field, you are creating more and more space for your essence — your soul — to root into your

body. Gentleness, slowness and compassion are key for starting down the path of somatic trauma healing.

I have experienced this firsthand through a deep journey of healing from PTSD and sexual trauma. Through the wisdom and intuition of my body’s healing, I channeled a trauma healing process called somatic yoga therapy to support others in healing from the impacts of sexual, physical and relational wounding.

The primary goal of somatic yoga therapy is to restore your connection to the safety and intuition that resides within your body through gentle movement, awareness and mindfulness practices that support rewiring the neural networks that keep you in a traumatized state. Once a foundation of inner safety and intuition are established, you are guided into the realm of trauma integration and “soul retrieval.” There is no timeline for this sort of healing, other than the timeline of your own body’s readiness.

Somatic yoga therapy is an individualized healing process that encourages you to drop into a deep connection with the intuitive wisdom of your own body. From this wisdom connection, organic impulses for healing naturally arise. These impulses are supported by a myriad of tools and resources from the yoga tradition (such as movement, sound healing, energy work or breathwork) that encourage a full discharge of energy. As this energetic release begins, more soul power, or self-energy, “you-ness,” shakti, aliveness, is able to take root in the body. This act of “soul retrieval” supports the deepest, most sustained healing possible and supports you in embodying your fullest self-expression in life, love, health and beyond.

You can’t change the past, but you can learn to release past energies that keep you stuck in reliving your past in the present moment. Through healing trauma, you can begin a vital initiation into more “soul power” and aliveness than you’ve ever known. +

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Photo by aaron blanco tejedor

Into Soul Power

®

THERE ARE FOUR FOUNDATIONAL PILLARS in the somatic yoga therapy process:

RESCUE

S CA N T H I S + S I G N U P To receive inspiring emails from YOGA + Life®

Gently guide your body back to a sense of safety and presence. Learn how to cultivate safety, grounded-ness, security, compassion and be at ease in your own skin.

REPLENISH Nourish yourself by learning to be sweet, slow and soft with yourself. You’ve gone through a LOT. Now is the time to rest and replenish, so you can have more bandwidth to heal.

RELEASE Integrate the traumatic imprint, so you can fully embody the shiny, bright human you were born to be. Let go and release the past one breath and sensation at a time.

RECLAIM Retrieve what has been lost, such as your sexuality, your power and purpose, your joy and will to live. These “lost” gifts are deeply connected to your soul essence and its ability to come home to your body for you to feel more and more YOU.

Through the journey of healing her own PTSD, KAITY HOLSAPPLE channeled and created Somatic Yoga Therapy, an integrative healing art form that gently and effectively alchemizes trauma into Soul Power. She has walked countless individuals through their journeys of healing trauma, anxiety and depression from within. Kaity firmly believes that YOU are your own healer. The Somatic Yoga Therapy process offers you tools, support, guidance and space for alchemizing blockages and trauma into your greatest gifts and superpowers ... but only YOU hold the magic of your own healing potential. And, this magical healing force lives inside your body awaiting reclamation.

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

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YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

Rising from the Ashes Seeking Renewal Amidst Deep Loss

by Kelsey Foster

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s I dove into the idea of renewal in this issue of CO YOGA + Life, I began thinking about the victims of the devastating and destructive Marshall fire and the people who have lost every single item they’ve ever owned to a natural disaster. How does one renew or rebuild after sheer devastation and elimination of functional and sentimental items?

In tandem with the concept of renewal and rebirth is the concept of non-attachment. In yoga, this discipline is referred to as aparigraha. It’s a practice that is much easier said than done. However, when every item or object you’ve known is torched, the practice of non-attachment is your only option.

We often accept and become excited about a fresh start when it’s on our own accord, but when thinking of renewal and new chapters of our lives, we rarely consider what it feels like when your hand is forced to move forward. I spoke with two people who lost their homes to fires in 2021. One was the result of a wildfire and the other was the outcome of an electrical fire. Different circumstances, same aftermath: devastation and disruption. I asked both women about their experiences and their take on the idea of renewal and non-attachment. In speaking with them, we can learn that each situation is different, and the attachment we

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build and the ease with which we let go is often informed by time.

Charla Harvey, a victim of the Marshall fires that ravaged the east Boulder areas in late 2021, shared with me her experience of non-attachment and reconstructing her life with each passing day. She had accumulated sentimental items ranging from gifts and instruments to letters and books to jewelry and camera gear.

“The day before the fire, I spent seven hours cleaning my room. I actually went through everything. I took all the clothes out of my dresser drawers, refolded what I wanted to keep, and made piles of clothes to donate. I put up new posters and letters, threw out what I didn't feel I needed anymore. I was just about to start my new semester, and I decided to do some winter cleaning, so I could start fresh and let go of what was just cluttering up my space and mind. To me, that was rebirth, choos-

ing what to bring forward into the life I've been creating. This has been a really tough lesson in letting go,” she shares.

Earlier in 2021, my mother Carrie lost her home and all her belongings in an electrical fire. When asked about the practice of non-attachment, she replied, “I personally feel a whole lot lighter after my house burnt down.

I was sick of my wardrobe anyway! I had only occupied the premises for about 12 days, so I had no emotional attachment at all. The shock of seeing my house on fire was both physical and mental. I would imagine a home with a family, kids, pets, life, land, businesses; it would be a truly catastrophic, life impacting, mind-numbingly overwhelming situation. I consider myself to be non-materialistic — a traveler, nomad, butterfly, wanderlust — call it what you will. Therefore I haven't grieved loss of ‘things’ or ‘stuff' too much.” Despite occupying her home for less than a month, she still lost decades worth of journals, photos and other treasures.

Mother Nature’s cycles and seasons are a beautiful representation of birth, death and the practice of letting go. As beautiful as the gold and yellow mountain sides are in autumn, we know that each leaf will die and fall to the ground. The trees that shed them remain steady and still until they bud and bloom again in the spring. Applying these same concepts to our own lives can aid in the practice of aparigraha and non-attachment.

Renewing from nothing is an opportunity to carefully consider the value we place on objects we collect. Watching someone pick up the remains of the life they once knew was like watching the phoenix rise from the ashes. As cliché as it reads, seeing how much strength and grace my mom came out of these fires with was incredible. Harvey and the families rebuilding their lives are faced with the biggest challenge they may ever know, but the lives they’ll rebuild on the other side are abundant with opportunity for growth, renewal and change. +

KELSEY FOSTER is a Colorado native, born and raised in the Vail Valley. She found yoga in 2013 and never looked back. Kelsey completed a 200-hour RYT in 2018 and aims to make the practice accessible to all bodies. Now based in Golden, Kelsey spends her free time on her mountain bike, paddle board or deep in the mountains with her partner and her dog Bandit.

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YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

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oga teaches us how to hold; we practice holding a pose, holding our breath and holding space for ourselves. We practice sensitivity in the way we hold a thought and notice how we hold a note when we chant “om.”

Through holding, we learn the skills of sensitive touch and our abilities to be welcoming, inclusive and filled with grace so that we can move in the world as compassionate beings.

But sometimes, holding turns to gripping. You might notice it in your practice off the mat, too.

How can we soften — ease the grasping and the need to control?

It’s not easy. Just ask a yogini going through menopause.

Ayurvedic wisdom considers menopause a spiritual transition. The Sanskrit terminology refers to it as vana prastha (journey to the forest), which speaks to an evolving adventure. “We are going from the pitta time of life, which is all about control, to the vata time of life, which is all about surrender,” says clinical Ayurveda specialist Jill Talve. “That action is the yoga. The practices that we’ve been doing are going to take us through this transition.”

Through her company Everveda, based in Long Island, Talve counsels clients on establishing healthy lifestyle choices in all stages of life. “Menopause is about trusting and moving forward. We are being called to clear things up, so we can fully realize the rest of our lives.

It’s a rebirth, and look who’s being born.”

The practices that are meant to unify body, mind and spirit can especially help women through menopause; yoga and meditation reduce stress, help us become more in tune with our bodies, allow us to get curious and teach us to value how we feel as much as how we look.

“The physical or mental changes that I have experienced in the past 35 years have only been supported and assisted by my yoga and meditation practice,” says international yoga teacher Desiree Rumbaugh, who co-authored Fearless After Fifty: How to Thrive with Grace, Grit and Yoga with Denver-based yoga teacher, Michelle Marchildon.

Rumbaugh’s Wisdom Warrior trainings address how hormonal changes affect menopausal women both physically and mentally. In fact, studies show that many of the symptoms of menopause are beyond the realm of gynecology and stem from our brains. “Rather than complain about it or try

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by elyce neuhauser

THE YOGA OF

menopause to medicate it away, we want to make some adjustments to soothe and smooth our transitions,” Rumbaugh believes.

As all bodies are unique, so is every woman’s experience. Some sail through menopause and others are brought to their knees.

Marchildon’s experience “was gruesome. I didn’t have the energy to get my kids to their soccer practice. Every single day when they came home, I was in bed. Menopause made me dysfunctional,” she remembers.

She was in her thirties when her symptoms began, including unmanageable bleeding, severely dry eyes and devastating migraines. What kept her sane was getting on her yoga mat.

Although she still gets on her mat five days a week, Marchildon now eschews the handstand to chaturanga transitions that she once used to enjoy. “The majority of my yoga is very gentle and much deeper than it’s ever been,” she shares. “I go slower and very mindfully into my body, and I’ve had to say goodbye to a few poses.” Find her classes at OneYogaDenver.

For Chicago-based writer and spiritual

teacher Tracy Bleier, yoga has allowed her to explore perimenopause on deeper levels. “Menopause is the teacher, bringing us in deeper connection to self and embodiment,” she says. “It’s a saying goodbye — I could cry thinking about it — letting the younger you die so that this other power, the wiser, elder woman, can rise to the surface. If that isn’t yoga, I don’t know what is.”

Her writing cohorts offer sacred space for women to talk about their midlife experiences to change the conversation into a celebration.

Like menstruation and childbirth, menopause is a catalyst in a woman’s life, a moment of shift, when nothing that follows will ever be the same. Yet, the media is not kind to menopausal women, and society ridicules our hot flashes, brain fog, anger and night sweats. Companies offer a confusing slew of products from menopause candles to reduce stress, vaginal laser treatments to stimulate collagen production and special teas to get rid of belly fat. Even our own doctors sometimes don’t recognize it, while others warn us of how bad it’s going to be.

How could they know? They can’t; we are all one of a kind, with never-again-to-berepeated bodies and experiences, and our own answers lie in curiosity, compassion and advocacy for ourselves and each other.

“The way we think about menopause is ruining our ability to enjoy it,” says Shirley Weir, who for the past 13 years has been advocating for women as the creator of Menopause Chicks, a support community and concierge platform that gives women the power to make informed decisions about their midlife health.

“Menopause is shining a big, bright light on ‘who I am’ and ‘what I want’ in life,” she adds. “It’s a beautiful unfolding. We need to write the new script and let go of the old paradigms, so we can navigate the challenges and celebrate the positive.” +

ELYCE NEUHAUSER is passionate about spreading positive energy through the practices of yoga, meditation and movement. She is continuously inspired by a book that changed her life, The Radiance Sutras, written by her main teacher, Lorin Roche, a revolutionary in the meditation world. A digital nomad and gypsy at heart, you can find Elyce out on the road living simply and remotely in a tiny RV. She’s a breast cancer survivor, a motorcycle rider, a nature lover, a memoir writer, a mama, and a continuous student of living life authentically in love and wonder. Journey with her at elyceyogadance.com and @elyceyogadance.

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YOGA + FITNESS / Seva

Re-New, Re-You

Inviting Yourself Back Into Your Circle of Compassion

by skip hudson

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e are taught to give and serve others. Service reminds us that we do indeed have something to offer, which can lead us to grateful awareness. Service and gratitude bring us back from negative states of mind, and they renew the connection with our light. Service to others is essential!

But, service can be unbalanced if the focus on others comes at our own personal expense. We have an amazing circle of compassion that includes everyone we love. But, sometimes we leave an important person out of that circle — ourselves. Self-compassion practices remind us that we can (and must) treat ourselves with the same level of compassion that we offer to others.

The challenge is that our culture considers self-service to be selfish and wrong.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. We can’t be our best selves if we are self-critical, burned-out, tired or just feeling inadequate and imperfect. We must be in a good place, so that we can be our best for others.

We search for friends and partners hoping that they will accept us just as we are, including our imperfections. This seems reasonable, because we don’t know anyone who is perfect. On the other hand, we unreasonably expect perfection from ourselves. The voice of our inner critic gets loud in these moments of imperfection, which leads to a sense that we just aren’t enough, and we might even be bad people.

Self-compassion practices restore our ability to be emotionally resilient in the face of mistakes, criticism or disappointments.

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Let’s explore some simple self-compassion practices that help us renew our most amazing selves. There are three aspects of self-compassion: mindfulness, common humanity and self-kindness.

Mindful practices keep us in the present moment, and they reduce the time we spend regretting something from the past, which can cause depression, or making up negative stories about the future, which can lead to anxiety. Simple mindful practices help us get out of our heads and back into our bodies. They can be done quickly in public settings during the heat of the moment when we need calmness the most.

Mindful techniques typically ask us to focus on a point outside of the mind. The most common technique is to focus on the breath in its natural rhythm. This is especially helpful when a sudden shocking experience occurs and our threat-defense mechanism kicks in (fight, flight or freeze). We stop breathing in those moments, but we don’t notice it. Coming back to the breath restores our balance and renews our ability to act intentionally instead of an automatic reactionary place.

Other mindful focus points can be noticing places where your body is contacting something else. This could be the back of your legs on a chair or the soles of your feet on the floor. Pause for a moment now and try each of these practices to see if they are helpful to you. You know best.

The second aspect of self-compassion is renewing a sense of common humanity. We realize that self-compassion is not self-pity (poor me). It is an open awareness that all

humans experience suffering in some way or another (poor us). For example, we all have wandering minds, which creates the need for mindfulness. We all also have a negativity bias that filters our interpretation of life events. We can be fault-finding machines, especially with ourselves. Recognizing common humanity helps us remember that we are not broken or alone in our challenges and responses.

The third aspect of self-compassion is self-kindness. The first step of self-kindness is to ignore the programming that we shouldn’t be kind to ourselves or that we aren’t worthy of kindness. Being kind to ourselves is a pre-requisite of supporting others. We can reduce accumulated stress during the day by taking one minute every hour for a mindful and purposeful pause.

We can lower the expectation of perfection by saying, “I may not be perfect, but parts of me are awesome.” We can pamper ourselves with relaxing activities. We can love ourselves by closing our eyes, putting a hand on our heart and being with ourselves in a supportive way. We can experience the wisdom of Rumi, who said, “Close your eyes, fall in love and stay there.”

Mindfulness asks, “What am I experiencing right now?” Self-compassion asks, “What do I need right now in response to the experience?” Skillful emotional resilience is responding to those questions in a supportive way that moves past our inner critic’s accusations and lies. This is a path to self-renewal if we choose it and are willing to try it. Many have done it, and we can do it as well. +

SKIP HUDSON is a teacher and life skills coach focused on emotional resilience through mindful and self-compassion practices. He offers online training events and courses to individuals, private groups and companies. Participants rediscover a lost part of themselves by remembering they are worthy of self-kindness and love. His mission is Guiding People and Organizations to “Being at Ease.” skiphudson.com

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YOGA + FITNESS / Seva

Life After Loss

The Humane Society of Boulder Valley Creates Healthy Relationships Between Pets and People

by Sandy Ferguson Fuller

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hat is it like to lose everything material in your life in a disaster except for the clothes on your back and a few items stuffed hastily into your pockets or perhaps your car? What is it like for all of that to disappear, but much worse, to lose a beloved animal?

What relief and joy a safe reunion with your lost dog, cat, horse or other pet must bring! The Humane Society of Boulder Valley (HSBV) played a key role in successful rescues during the catastrophic Marshall Fire in Boulder and Broomfield counties.

The fire is on record as the most disastrous and devastating in Colorado history, with its impact only beginning to manifest itself.

Jan McHugh-Smith is the CEO of HSBV and generously granted an interview. What brought her to her work? She has been in animal welfare for 38 years and loves the HSBV mission to keep people and pets together. That’s precisely the enormous service effort accomplished under her leadership during the Marshall Fire.

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HSBV is a nonprofit organization funded by the community through donations and also produces service revenue through a variety of programs. McHugh-Smith heads 100 staff members and 600 volunteers (who commit to two hours of service for a minimum of six months). They run a full-service veterinary clinic, manage pet adoptions and offer an extensive dog training program.

Their skilled trainers provide one-on-one personal consultations and a variety of classes, including fun trick classes to promote bonding. Their popular Puppy Club invites in puppies under five months for four hours in the morning and four hours in the afternoon for socialization and experiences, such as meeting people in wheelchairs and greeting bicyclists! You can sign up on their website.

Their small retail shop, Sonnyside, sells pet supplies as a convenience for adopters.

They sponsor annual events, like Puttin-OnThe Leash and Doggie Dash. For updated schedules and details visit boulderhumane. org/events/.

The Marshall Fire hit with an intensity and

immediacy that placed citizens, businesses, emergency responders, and domestic and wild animals in its life-threatening path.

Igniting midday, McHugh-Smith recounts that many people were at work or away on vacation, not at home with their pets. Tragically, many animals perished. Miraculously, many were rescued.

Boulder County Animal Control and the Sheriff’s department, along with good Samaritans, collectively searched for and rescued 55 pets and brought them to HSBV for medical treatment and boarding. This included a cockatiel and a tortoise; apparently tortoises are great escape artists! HSBV vets examined and treated each animal for things like smoke inhalation and burns. The Boulder County Fairgrounds housed large animals, and CSU/Fort Collins assisted with injuries. There was also grief counseling and a vigil held at HSBV. McHugh-Smith emphasizes the incredible generosity and compassion shown by the community — providing food, supplies and more — for use at HSBV and for pet owners

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needing assistance. Colorado Pet Pantry set up food drives and distributed to families.

“People want to help because they feel so badly about what happened,” she adds. Channel 9 NEXT show host, Kyle Clark, reached out to viewers for support and tapped HSBV as the nonprofit to receive donations. The $225,000 raised is earmarked to provide free adoptions for people impacted by the fire, free boarding while owners are in transition and support funding for the disaster/evacuation-related Safety Net services that HSBV provides its service area. McHugh-Smith notes that animal control groups and shelters throughout Colorado work closely together.

“We’re here for the long haul,” she concludes. “This has left a forever mark on our community. Over 1,000 people are displaced from their homes and jobs, struggling with how to rebuild their lives.”

But, there is life after loss. Some grateful people and pets are back together, thanks to HSBV and many others. +

photos courtesy of HSBV

MCHUGH-SMITH SHARED HER FAVORITE, HEARTWARMING STORY FROM THE MARSHALL FIRE RESCUE: "Higgins is one of the dogs that arrived at HSBV. His mom and dad run a dog boarding facility that encountered an emergency evacuation. Being holiday season, their facility was full. They faced difficult choices getting animals quickly into vehicles. They didn’t have enough room and had to let some of the dogs go. Higgins was one! Can you imagine making that choice? Higgins was found by somebody and subsequently got away. Then, he was found by somebody else and brought to us at HSBV to be reunited with his guardians.

I was there. Higgins was ecstatic. He had spent two nights out, so he was full of burrs and with burns on his pads that our vets treated. It was such a relief for his mom and dad!

We had so many reunions like that. The good news is that every pet that came to shelter was reunited, including all 15 dogs kept at HSBV from the boarding facility (except one cat still receiving burn treatments)."

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KEY THINGS FOR PET OWNERS TO PREPARE FOR UNEXPECTED EVENTS. A Go Bag with important papers, like pets vaccination records, leashes, photos, pet prescriptions.

Establish a neighborhood safety plan to rescue your pet/others if you and your neighbors are not at home.

Microchips in pets are an excellent, inexpensive and painless way to keep track of your furry friends.

Record phone numbers for local animal shelters, Animal Control and the Sheriff’s dispatch in case your pet needs rescue.

For cats: keep a crate handy inside. Cats are difficult to catch quickly in a fast exit.

"My name is Camden Hall. I adopted Merlin the day after my 26th birthday from the Longmont Humane Society. From the moment we met, it was love at first sight. He was so calm, friendly and affectionate. He had entered the shelter after being found in a blizzard, his eyes frozen shut, and barely survived.

Our friendship grew. On December 30, 2021 as I was leaving for work, Merlin ran to the sliding glass door in my bedroom.

He wanted me to let him out, so I left it open, so he could come and go outside. It was around 2:30 p.m. when I heard the news about the Marshall Fire while working my snowmaking shift at Eldora Mountain Resort. It was too late to do anything; our town had been evacuated. My heart sunk thinking of my beloved Merlin.

I posted Merlin’s photo on the Boulder County Fire Lost & Found Pets and on Facebook with my information. The next day my cell phone was blown up with messages, 'We’ve found your cat!' I had forgotten that he was chipped. I couldn’t believe that he was alive. He was meowing for help on the porch of my next-door neighbor’s house, which somehow didn’t burn to the ground like mine.

He was rescued by Soul Dog Rescue and brought to Northside Emergency Pet Clinic in Westminster, Colo. for immediate treatment.

He’s doing much better now. On Tuesday February 1, 2022, I was able to bring him home for several days after 33 days in the hospital. He returns every three to four days for bandage changes, which are almost finished. All four paws are healing. His spirit and personality are coming back, too. He has been such a trooper through it all and super-cooperative with the hospital staff at the hospital with his many treatments. He needs to gain back more weight, but that will come with time, as winter becomes summer, and as we both rebuild our lives together."

You can support Cam and Merlin via this Go Fund Me: gofund.me/a745671d.

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YOGA + FITNESS / Trainings + Retreats

Beyul

Retreat Center Near Aspen Aligns Humans with Nature

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f you’re seeking a quaint, nature-based retreat center that also knows how to throw some great parties and events, check out Beyul Retreat located just 40 minutes from Basalt, Colorado and one hour from Aspen. Located on a secluded property surrounded by national forest, the retreat center offers rustic cabins with luxury feels.

Events happen year-round, from music-driven offerings that draw artists like Rising Appalachia and Daniel Rodriguez, to slower

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pace gatherings like yoga or writing retreats. Surrounded by aspen groves, rivers, waterfalls and endless forest, wilderness is the heartbeat of Beyul.

Abby Stern, co-founder and general manager of Beyul Retreat, commented that the proximity to nature sets them apart from other retreat centers. “You can hike, bike and ski right from your cabin or enjoy a book in the hammocks down by the river,” she shares.

The retreat is on 32 pristine acres and has 1,700 feet of Frying Pan River frontage to explore. Adventure is at your fingertips with access to trail running, rock climbing, horseback riding and swimming in high alpine lakes. There is a lush network of ponds, creeks and waterfalls among the trails on the property.

Beyul also provides the opportunity for restoration and reconnection. There is a cedar sauna, hot tub and cold plunge in

the onsen area next to the main lodge.

The main lodge has the only Wi-Fi on the cell-service-free haven, allowing guests to be grounded in the here-and-now as they reconnect with their natural surroundings.

“The accommodations are unique historic cabins hand built in the 1920s. We have selected luxury to mix in with the funky rustic charm,” says Stern. “The cabins are textured with lots of personality and comfort.”

Main Lodge hosts seven bedrooms with a variety of bed options. There are 11 private cabins which can be rented out for a romantic getaway or for smaller retreats. Each cabin can sleep two to 12 people — most with a full kitchen or kitchenette, bathroom and a wood stove. The full property sleeps up to 70 people and can be rented out for private weddings and events.

There is a 1,500 square foot Tent Barn, which can be opened to the fresh air or

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Photos by John Felix Shaw and Seth Beckton

by Kaitlin Emig

enclosed for cozy warmth. This mixed space can host up to 50 for yoga and all the necessities for intimate concerts, like a bumping sound system, professional lights and an 8 by 20 foot stage. The space transforms into a cozy living room or offers an audience-style venue for speakers and panels.

Groups seeking to host a gathering have a variety of indoor and outdoor options.

From the larger private cabins to the Main Lodge to the aspen groves, sage meadows and wildflower lawns, a unique setting for a wedding, yoga class or workshop abounds at Beyul.

“We aim to be the most flexible, creative and restorative retreat venue in the Rocky Mountains,” says Stern.

Events hosted by Beyul bring in the talents of the eccentric community of supporters who find both rejuvenation and expression at Beyul. Stern believes, “The community that has coalesced around Beyul

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is uniquely global and energetic, consisting of entrepreneurs, artists and musicians who come to Beyul to restore, reconnect and share their gifts.”

Beyul recently started their Winter Residency Retreats for entrepreneurs, creatives, artists, writers, philosophers and adventurers. Designed as a productive week with time to focus on a creative, personal and professional projects, there is plenty of time to read by the fire, steam in the sauna, stare at the stars and tromp through the snowy woods, as well. Small group offerings

include daily movement sessions and communal dinners that help build friendships during a stay at Beyul.

Whether you’re seeking a private getaway or wedding location marked with yellow aspen leaves and campfires, Beyul offers something for everyone. Come stay in a rustic cabin where luxury meets relaxation and nature connection. +

Check out beyulretreat.com for more details on future events and lodging.

KAITLIN EMIG seeks adventure through mindful travel and outdoor pursuits. She never clicked her heels to return home to Kansas and has lived in western North America and overseas for the past 10 years. Currently residing in the Vail Valley, she is an outdoor educator, yogi and writer. Follow her adventures on IG @sunflower_lion and mywildwomandiary.com.

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YOGA + FITNESS / Trainings + Retreats

Renewing the Spirit

by Kali Basman

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n Pali, the language spoken by the tongue of the Buddha, there is a word: Nekkhama. It’s translated in English to “renunciate.” What it really means is the necessity of a continued prioritization of pausing the rigmarole of mundane, daily life where the to-do list rules as king and we race against the clock in the pressured interest of productivity. We soften into a dimension of awareness where a subtle presence is attended to and honored. We connect to what I call “the practice field” — spiritual retreat which supports our regaining of space and stillness perspectives.

It’s not a privilege of a luxury. It’s essential.

From time to time, draw boundaries around what’s pulling your attention, temporarily extricate yourself from the chaos and the contingencies of the demands of daily life.

Gandhi, while dismantling the British empire when hundreds of thousands were rioting, required his whole team take one day off per week for “contemplation.”

“I have to stop and quiet myself” he said.

It was out of that depth of stillness where his work ushered in true transformation.

At the time of the Buddha, he and his monks took every rainy season during monsoon time to take retreat. Seasonally, they took time away to train in silence. This fueled a spiritual revolution which is still alive in the hearts and minds of insight-seekers everywhere today.

True productivity, progress, transformation, evolution — it cannot be sustained with forceful effort. Rather, it requires a turning inward through gentle renunciation.

Prioritizing stillness continuously to fuel the deeper engine of your life force, which has carried you so far, and will continue to.

Do you have a space you return to and build upon your own inner rituals? Where do you enrich your connection to the inner world? It’s what cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien calls the “sweet territory of our own silence.”

There is an old Buddhist precept: “This very place the Lotus Land, this very body

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Photo by amauri mejia

Entering the Practice Field

the Buddha.” It’s a sacred view that reminds us of our precious opportunity to live and to practice. And to live our practice.

The age-old suggestion is that one should meditate for 20 minutes a day. If you’re too busy to do that, you should meditate for an hour! It’s like that. We must truly clean house, especially when there’s clutter.

Writer Jack Kornfield’s instruction has been to “sit and sweep the garden.”

On retreat, one can attend to the internal landscape. Quiet the mind, open the heart beyond the body of fear, so when we get up off the mat and we leave retreat, we return to the world in a different way. More wisdom. More courage. Less suffering. Who doesn’t want that?

Indeed, the desire for less suffering and more happiness is natural and universal. Yet the conditional happiness we tend to seek out relies strongly on stimulus, on preferable circumstances being met, and as such, can never offer sustainable, true contentment and ease. When the stimulus dissolves (as all things do), so does your happiness.

It's significant to witness our automatic reactions, how we want things to be different from the way they are and the suffering that entails. It’s crucial to sit and watch it, to learn about it all, so there is a foundation of thoroughly understanding our conditioned, reflexive mind and its self-deceptions.

On retreat we come directly in touch with what is happening within us and to us, beyond the spinning of the web of narrative, the verbiage we become entangled in. Awareness, its own wise becoming, is to come into contact with the stillness underneath the story.

It doesn’t judge. It needs nothing. We can then enter a more reliable realm of wellness not tied to conditions at all. Elegantly open presence. A pure, intrinsic quality of being which is luminous and spacious, uncluttered by the needs and neuroses of the mind.

This has vital importance. A way to understand humanity, being and our particularities. That quiet opening allows us to anchor, irrespective of conditions. Then,

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thoughts that arise are just thoughts, their power to obscure clarity lost. We strengthen our backbone so disturbances in life don’t impact us in the same way. We’ve strengthened our capacity to let it through.

We become more porous. When we build an access route to an inherent baseline of tranquility, we can draw upon that vital resource in turbulent times. As you strengthen this awareness, you release from a distorted view that external circumstance will be the most major influencer of the internal state.

That’s awakening!

Seeking this type of priority out as a vibrant thread in the fabric of your life-form is a way of freshly looking and listening.

We get to un-stick from our old, tired, conventional ways the conditioned animal body grabs, pulling for certain things and pushing other things away with its fears, its inexhaustible list of needs and its cravings.

Our normative perception of the world is felt through this dense filter, unless we regularly cleanse the view, eradicate the opaque, see the luminous transparency: simple, unadorned presence.

Can’t take retreat? Practice mindful moments in the most mundane of conditions.

Walking up the stairs. Folding the laundry.

Drinking a cup of tea. This very moment, an opportunity to deepen your practice. If there is a yearning to look more deeply, an opportunity will always present itself. When those curtains open, we might step through to the liberated spacious realm of the practice field and free ourselves from the tight cocoon we had lived in until then. +

In the background of the gap between thoughts and breaths, awareness naturally recognizes itself as non-conceptual wisdom shining continuously.

Go there on retreat.

Deep in the wild mountains is a trading post where you can exchange the stress and noise of everyday life for eternal Light.

Go there on retreat.

-Milarepa

Internationally celebrated Dharma teacher of teachers, KALI BASMAN, blends Buddhist Psychology with mindful based Yin & Restorative Yoga. Kali offers classes, teacher trainings, retreats and workshops around the globe.

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Outside / Fresh Air

Forest Bathing in Colorado BENEFITS OF FOREST BATHING

Get Outside + Experience this Natural Healing Trend

by Julie Bielenberg

Lowered blood pressure Improved cardiovascular and immune system functioning Reduced stress with decreased production of cortisol/stress hormones Increased production of disease fighting NK (natural killer) cells Increase in energy, focus, creativity and sense of wellbeing Improved sleep and mood

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hinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, began in Japan during the 1980s as a technique for preventative health care and healing. The intention of the practice was to counter the noise and clutter of urban life with a return to the forest — to heighten and renew all the senses.

“The idea of taking a walk in the woods is not new,” explains Kate Sim, head of spa operations for the Oberoi Group, which operates the world’s leading forest bathing spa on 8,000 acres in the Siswan Forest in New Chandigarh, India. “People have always sought and found refuge in nature. It has become a trend again only because we now realize that excessive screen time is

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energy-depleting, and therefore, exhaustion is commonly pushing people to rediscover the healing power of nature.”

This could not be more relevant during pandemic times. People have reestablished the need to calm down and slow down, even if just momentarily. Here in Colorado people have always taken to the woods for refuge and refresh, but now, there are people wandering throughout the trees and forests with new purpose, and by the dozens!

Forest therapy or forest bathing walks can be led by a trained guide to open up the five senses to experience nature’s “medicine” as the mind quiets and the senses begin to awaken. Guided walks follow a sequence to help participants connect mindfully. This can be alone or with a community; it exceeds the boundaries of individualism when nature is involved.

There is a world-wide forest bathing association. The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) is the most experienced global leader in forest therapy guide training. It was founded in 2012 as a response to global warming and other environmental catastrophes. Their program draws on the latest medical research, new developments in the field of nature connection and ancient traditions.

Their heart-based "Relational Forest Therapy" approach focuses on rebuilding relationships with the ‘More-Than-Human World’ as a foundation for healing people and planet.

The reason an introductory bath with these guides might be useful is to queue up the senses that can be suppressed or hard to tap into. And, like many other healthy physical and mental workouts, forest bathing is not a one-time event, it can become routine, seasonal or a valued retreat.

In Colorado, there was once only a handful of shinrin-yoku each year. Now, almost every region has the opportunity to learn about the health practice, and many can be free.

In February 2022, Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center presented a no-cost, two-and-a-half-hour introduction to forest therapy. At The Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs, they offer a forest bathing hike six days a week. The Resort also promotes that, “Science has found that trees give off essential oils called ‘phytoncides’ to help protect their surroundings — including you — from harmful insects, germs and viruses.”

Leona Campbell of Wind in Pines LLC offers public and private forest bathing walks near Crestone, Colorado in the San Luis Valley.

She is a certified forest therapy guide through ANFT. The City of Boulder puts on forest therapy walks each summer, and Denver Botanic Gardens also has seasonal events.

Whether you already enjoyed walking through the forest or find it foreign, adventure into the wilderness with new purpose and sense of healing with shinrin-yoku. +

JULIE BIELENBERG is a Colorado-based writer producing over 75 pieces a year for outlets such as AAA, Rachel Ray in Season, Cayman Airways, Caribbean Journal, Cowboys & Indians, USA Today, Vail Daily and numerous others. She has been the state’s #1 agritourism for 10 consecutive years and is always in search of field, farm, forest and forage. Julie has three children, a pandemic puppy and an avid, outdoors husband.

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BACKCOUNTRY SAFETY STARTS OFF THE MOUNTAIN

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BIG HEART BIG HANDS IS A COLORADO NONPROFIT THAT RAISES MONEY FOR MOUNTAIN RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS, SUPPORTS THE AWARENESS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF MOUNTAIN SAFETY EDUCATION, AND PROVIDES FREE TRAUMA HELP FOR THOSE IN NEED. WHEN BACKCOUNTRY ACCIDENTS HAPPEN AND RESCUES OCCUR, IT IS OFTEN THE EMOTIONAL TRAUMA THAT IS THE LONGEST LASTING IMPACT TO INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR FAMILIES. BIG HEART BIG HANDS OFFERS FREE COUNSELING TO THOSE IMPACTED BY BACKCOUNTRY RESCUE.

B IGHEARTBIGHANDS.ORG

Outside / Adventure

Cloud Ladder Via Ferrata in Estes Park

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olorado activities are everevolving, and as our gear closets grow, we’re always on the hunt for the next thrill or challenge to enjoy in this magnificent state. Unbeknownst to many, a via ferrata — recently expanded to include two routes — sits quietly outside the town of Estes Park.

Read Ward, partner of the Alpine Jewel, tells us more about this geographically accessible adventure.

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suspension bridges and a section that has a slight inversion.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THE DAY LOOKS LIKE? Each climber will have a different climb time depending on their ability; the total time is closer to four to five hours. The day starts at the Kent Mountain Adventure Center office (who guide the via exclusively) for a quick orientation. Guests are then shuttled to the location just outside of RMNP. There is a 45-minute hike to the basecamp hut at the bottom of the via ferrata where guests get a final ordination and are geared up to climb.

There is a max of four guests per guide, so everyone feels supported and safe.

Once on the wall, climbers will ascend 650 feet and cross a 47-foot treadway bridge (250 feet above the ground), which is a warm-up for a 45 foot single-cable Burma bridge (300 feet above the ground). There are places to rest and take plenty of amazing photos along the

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Photos COURTESY of Alpine Jewel

by Kelsey Foster

WHAT'S THE HISTORY OF THE VIA FERRATAS AVAILABLE IN ESTES PARK? The project was started by Colorado climbing legend Harry Kent. Kent founded outdoor guiding company Kent Mountain Adventure Center 30 years ago, which has a coveted concession permit to guide in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). In 2017, Harry and his longtime climbing partner Keith Lober (head of Yosemite Search and Rescue for 20 years) began exploring the idea of building a via ferrata. They had climbed on via ferratas throughout Europe and felt there was a big opportunity to bring one to the Front Range. The first route, Peregrine Ridge, opened in 2018, which was designed for families and intermediate climbers. However, as big wall climbers with ascents throughout Europe and North America, they wanted to create a via ferrata that would give climbers that same thrill of steep ascents and massive exposure of real climbing. The Cloud Ladder via ferrata was born. Completed in 2021, it’s the steepest via ferrata in North America with two 40 foot

route. Finally, guests will emerge at the summit around 9,660 feet, which features 360-degree panoramic views of RMNP, Estes and Twin Sisters. It’s epic! A separate hiking trail takes them back down.

WHAT DO PEOPLE GET OUT OF THE EXPERIENCE? For many people it really is a life changing event. We encourage climbers to be the hero of their own adventure. Via ferratas are an incredible way to build self-confidence and self-awareness. It’s one part meditation and one part adrenaline rush.

You hear the famous big wall climbers talk about how when they’re climbing nothing else matters. Via ferratas deliver that same experience to normal people, but with a lot less risk. Most of our climbers become repeat customers, and we often see as their confidence grow; they look to take on new and bigger challenges.

CLOUD LADDER IS DESCRIBED AS A “BLACK ROUTE.” CAN YOU ELABORATE ON WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE ONE WOULD NEED TO FEEL COMFORTABLE ON THIS ROUTE VERSUS PEREGRINE RIDGE? Peregrine Ridge is a great first-timers via ferrata. It checks all the boxes, including amazing scenery and a mix of holds including rungs, steps and real rock. However, it is designed as more of a traverse than a sheer vertical climb. Cloud Ladder is a different story. It’s intentionally designed to push climbers out of their comfort zone.

Cloud Ladder also includes a short but exciting inverted section. For many people, that’s a new sensation. Both routes serve the ultimate function of trying to be fun and enjoyable to our climbers. Cloud Ladder comes with a couple other warnings and disclaimers, but we’ve seen a huge range of ages and abilities complete both routes.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE OUR READERS TO LEARN/TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE ABOUT THE VIA FERRATA, OR CLOUD LADDER SPECIFICALLY? The common misconception we hear is "I would never do that; I’m scared of heights.”

Harry Kent completed the first winter ascent of the Eiger in Switzerland, and he’s scared of heights. That's natural. What I also hear from those same people who step out of their comfort zone and climb a via ferrata is, “Wow, I’m so glad I did that. That was a life changing experience.” You don’t have to be a daredevil to complete or even enjoy the experience.

Via ferratas are designed for everyone — from first timers to experienced climbers. The point of the experience is to try something different, maybe even something mentally or physically hard, but in a controlled environment. The result is an authentic sense of growth and accomplishment that only comes when we push our limits a little. +

For more information about this epic adventure, visit thealpinejewel.com.

Spoke+Blossom is a lifestyle print and digital magazine based in Western Colorado — an incredible place to live, work + play.

S+B builds community by creating thought-provoking content and stunning photography that highlight a truly vibrant way of living.

SPOKEANDBLOSSOM.COM

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photos by Craig Hoffman Photography; Chelsea Connolly

Outside / Environment

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Hut Centric?

Support the 10th Mountain Huts Association Climate Project by sandy ferguson fuller

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t’s June. I’m hiking a hut trail in the Colorado tundra at about 12,000 feet.

I’ve explored this same path in the same season many times over decades.

The dynamic, surrounding beauty hadn’t changed much … until now.

I would not expect to find butterflies here, especially in early summer. Customarily, temperatures stay low, winds whip around and delicate plants hug the ground. But for the first time ever, I spot tiny, blue-gray butterflies everywhere. It’s already warmer than last year. I haven’t seen my marmot yet … perhaps he has moved up higher?

Down below, I pass barren acres of lodgepole devastated by pine beetle. Last summer, fire ripped apart these forests, sparing stands of aspen and spruce, but leaving vast charred remains. These familiar vistas aren’t as beautiful, but more powerful and silent. The snowmelt appears rapid.

Climate change is no longer subtle.

Soon, this trail will reach my 10th Mountain Hut destination where I’ll meet our family group. I’m excited to share a few days and nights in the high country with my grandkids for the first time. I hope they will love it, like me. I hope they will continue to enjoy similar experiences throughout their lives. But, it’s worrisome. Our Rocky Mountains are warming at more than double the world location rate.

The 10th Mountain Hut Association has a mission to provide its visitors with a comfortable and enjoyable experience in a natural mountain environment. In return, caring stewardship and shared use are the expected practices of guests. This 501c3 organization, headquartered in Aspen since 1981, owns 14 huts and manages 36 other huts in the system — many located in or near the Vail Valley. The Association recent-

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ly committed to its official 10th Mountain Climate Project, announcing a conscious decision to engage in responsible practices and procedures within the framework of its existing business and services.

“We’re hut-centric. We already know how to do huts,” shares executive director, Ben Dodge. “But, with this new ongoing focus, we will be learning as we go. We will rely on outside consultants and experts (who also value the hut experience) to gather strategic information and lead informed decisions. Initially, our actions will be based on what we’re able to do, not on what we should do. It makes sense to reexamine our practices and procedures given the reality of climate change.”

The Association’s first move was to contract for an expert analysis of their greenhouse gas production generated by current operations. The results shaped immediate renovations (solar, electric water-based heat, etc.) for their Aspen and Leadville buildings/offices.

Fire mitigation is another priority, as they work closely with the Forest Service to provide a safe environment, while maintaining hut goals: providing safe structures and defensible perimeter spaces, while honoring natural beauty.

Dodge emphasizes that “preserving the quality of hut experience” is paramount to their efforts. Future “innovations” introduced to huts should also enhance ambiance and visitor comfort. Does it make sense to lessen firewood consumption (directly linked to greenhouse gas reduction) with more efficient heating? Of course, but a tight and fuel-efficient woodstove should still add charm and warmth to a hut stay.

Other “new options” under evaluation include purchasing electric trucks, promot-

ing employee and guest carpooling to sites, increasing solar lighting, revamping drinking water sources (instead of snow melt), designing hut improvements, creating media programs and publications and more.

Perhaps the most important focus of the project is to stimulate awareness among hut users (80% of which are Colorado residents) and to encourage discussion and dialogue about climate change. “We’re not about preaching,” Dodge emphasizes. But, he hopes our community will begin to reach out more for climate action.

“This Association, by nature, is expected to be environmentally aware,” notes Auden Schendler, senior VP of sustainability for Aspen Skiing Company. Schendler is an avid hut user, climate activist and author. He reflects on the significance of the 10th’s commitment: “Where’s our power in this?” Schendler observes. “Climate change is a global systems problem, with solutions found at much higher levels that require more than just personal action. But, the 10th Mountain Hut Association serves an influential, often wealthy and certainly pro-environment, constituency. It makes sense to mobilize this group, foster discussion and awareness with hut users. Mostly we have been silent.

Look around! If you love what you see, if you want to protect it, then start discussions. Engage politically. Let policy makers know that you care!”

On my hike to the hut, I look around and notice different vistas, weather patterns, wildlife habits and natural tempos. Yes, it’s worrisome. But, I still love what I see. Do you? Let’s be proactive and support 10th Mountain Huts in this valuable initiative. +

huts.org

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outside / Summer + Fall 2022 GEAR

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1. Ruffwear Roamer Bungee Dog Leash Keep your pup close, even when you’re both on the move. This stretch-webbing running dog leash can be hand-held or worn around the waist for a dynamic, hands-free leash experience. $39.95 ruffwear.com 2. Summit Coffee Steeped Pack Summit Coffee single-serve coffee bags are filled with Summit’s Certified Organic Basecamp blend sourced exclusively from female coffee producers in Central and South America. Every pack is nitro-sealed for freshness with packaging that’s made using compostable and renewable materials, making each cup guilt-free and totally eco-friendly. $2.75 summitcoffee.com

3. Patagonia Maipo Rock Crops Bouldering is ideal in these soft, yet durable knit pants. The loose fit in the legs provides true freedom of movement paired with enough tapering to be precise with your feet. These are made with 81% NetPlus post-consumer recycled nylon made from recycled fishing nets to help reduce ocean plastic pollution. $99 patagonia.com 4. Igloo Coolers ECOCOOL Trailmate In 2021, Igloo used 150,000 pounds of postconsumer milk jugs and yogurt cups that were recycled for their ECOCOOL Collection. Now, they’re including the brand-favorite Trailmate in the ECOCOOL collection, still featuring all-terrain wheels, telescoping handle, bottle openers, dry storage areas, removable butler tray, umbrella holders, tie-down points and more. $399.99 igloocoolers.com

5. HOKA Kaha 2 GTX Hiking Boot Go lightweight and keep all the cushion with the updated Kaha. Now with a SwallowTail heel, which delivers a super-smooth ride, as well as recycled textiles and enhanced cushion and durability, this boot will effortlessly take you from day hikes in the park to extended backpacking trips and everything in between.

(Also available in a low-top version, the Kaha 2 Low GTX, $200.) $220 hoka.com 6. Giro Helios Spherical Helmet Road cyclists, gravel enthusiasts and adventure riders will all appreciate the design and performance of this helmet. The ventilation and antimicrobial padding stand up to sweaty sessions, while spherical technology allows the helmet's outer liner to rotate around the inner liner during a crash for ultimate head protection. $250 giro.com

BY YOGA + LIFE ® TEAM

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12 7. Diamondback HAANJO 5 Get off the beaten track with a gravel bike this season. The Haanjo 5 is built it around Diamondback’s 6061 alloy frame and carbon fork with front and rear thru axles. The path off-road is rarely flat and smooth. Plenty of gears and grippy tires make for fun adventures on the dirt. $2,050 diamondback.com

10. Mountain Hardwear Stratus Range Hoody An essential for Rocky Mountain living, the Stratus Range Hoody is warm and breathable.

This fleece jacket with a heat-trapping grid pattern is ideal for adventures like hiking, backpacking, camping, rock climbing and even traveling to and from the gym. $110 mountainhardwear.com

8. Arcteryx AR-395A Harness Designed for climbers in the realms of sport, alpine, ice and granite, this harness is versatile enough for any type of ascent. The design disperses pressure, and adjustable leg loops create comfort and freedom of movement when you need it most. $159 arcteryx.com

11. Therm-a-Rest Argo Blanket Pack cozy wherever you may roam with this ultra-soft and stylish blanket for two. $109.95 thermarest.com

9. Patagonia Fitz Roy Sleeping Bag 20°F / -7°C Sleep outside this summer and fall with a new streamlined, 800-fill power down bag from Patagonia. It’s lightweight and sewn Fair Trade, so you can truly feel good about bringing it into the backcountry for your next overnight. $479-$519 patagonia.com

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12. Ultimate Direction Comfort Belt Keep your essentials in place while you run with this low-profile belt. It’s free of hardware, yet features four large pockets for storing things like your phone, keys, gels and a small jacket.

The belt has reflective elements for low-light adventures and comes in five sizes to provide an accurate fit. $34.95 ultimatedirection.com

13. Costa Lido Featuring a frame made from lightweight, plantbased Bio-Resin, these sunglasses are ecofriendly and equally durable. The Lido comes in Costa's color-enhancing, polarized 580 glass and polycarbonate lenses. $209 to $259 costadelmar.com 14. Patagonia Dirt Roamer Bike Shorts + Liner Shorts There are some new updates to showcase Patagonia’s lightweight and breathable mountain biking gear. The liner shorts feature a three-layer, mountain bike-specific chamois and wide-open mesh panels for ultimate air flow. The bike shorts pair perfectly with the liners and are made with a highly stretchy and breathable fabric. Liner shorts: $89, Bike shorts: $99 patagonia.com

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wellness / Ayurveda

Celebrating the Seasons

Marissa Angeletti

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ur bodies and minds reflect the seasonal shifts happening around us; we can align with the peak energy of each season to pause and reflect. Aligning with the qualities of the season allows us to honor them, simultaneously staying grounded and harmonious.

Summer Solstice is the accumulation of a gradual building of light. It is the longest, brightest day of the year — a time to honor solar consciousness. With the sun at the highest point in the sky, we embrace warmer temperatures and outdoor activities. We are also gifted with a higher-functioning agni, digestive fire. These shifts can feel like a relief following the cooler, darker days of spring and winter. It’s not uncommon to reach up towards the sky or lift your face towards the sun; we embody the warmth of this season by exalting our bodies, lengthening and opening the side bodies and opening the chest, literally receiving the sun’s energy.

This makes it an excellent time of year to externalize intentions, take action and

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engage in fulfilling tasks and relationships. Lean into your strengths as you are strengthened by the warmth and power of the fire element. Visualize the fire of your digestion like a campfire. It must have a structure around it to ensure that the fire can thrive, while making sure it doesn’t grow and burn uncontrollably.

One way to create this structure is by balancing the heat and activity of the season with cooling foods and practices so you are comfortable and energetic. Mother Nature is so intelligent that she provides us exactly the food we need to stay vibrant each season. In summer, focus on incorporating juicy, sweet, hydrating foods such as berries, melons, zucchini, coconuts and coconut water.

Spend time in or near water if possible, and make sure to air out your physical body with side-body stretches, gentle twists and widelegged forward folds.

As summer’s fire dwindles down and its activity wanes, we are left with ash: subtle, dry and cool. These qualities govern the fall season and are associated with the

ether and air elements. This season is all about inward-facing prana. What fall may lack in external energy, it makes up for with introspection, reflection and self-connection. Our sensitivity towards spirit is highest this time of year, as anything excessive or undigested is released. We are more susceptible and receptive to change. Things slow down, dry up, let go and move within. We observe this process in nature as trees shed their leaves and embrace their bareness. However, right before the leaves fall, there is a huge burst of prana: the brightest, most colorful leaves of the year.

This wisdom symbolizes Autumn Equinox

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Photo by chris lawton

By

Mother Nature is so intelligent that she provides us exactly the food we need to stay vibrant each season.

In summer, focus on incorporating juicy, sweet, hydrating foods such as berries, melons, zucchini, coconuts and coconut water. Spend time in or near water if possible, and make sure to air out your physical body with side-body stretches, gentle twists and wide-legged forward folds.

perfectly. A balance point between seasons BALANCING with equal amounts HERBAL INFUSION of light and dark, we feel transition strongly COOL + CALM INFUSION and drastically in fall.

3 Tbsp tulsi • 2 Tbsp peppermint We are in a liminal • 1 Tbsp marshmallow space and asked to Infusion time: overnight* shed what is no longer serving us, so that we A cold infusion keeps you cool and allows extra nutrients and are not bogged down oils to be absorbed into the tea when it is time to settle blend. Place herbs into a clean and sustain ourselves quart-sized jar or French press, fill in winter. By releasing with cold filtered water and cover. attachment to things Steep overnight and strain out the that are outdated, we loose herbs when ready. Enjoy! are better able to ac*Ice can weaken the agni. cess our spiritual and creative gifts this time of year.

Nature recognizes the immense effort it takes to let go and move within, so she nurtures this pranic demand by offering foods that will stabilize us. Focus on cooking meals with nourishing oils and favor soft, dense foods this time of year, like root vegetables, sweet potatoes and squash. Warming spices like cinnamon and ginger can do wonders, too.

(Pumpkin spice is all the hype in fall for good reason!) Enjoy rhythmic movement and emphasize the lower third of the body in your movement practice to promote warmth and suppleness.

Stay cozy and connected to yourself by performing warm abhyanga, self-oil massage. Pay extra attention to your joints, hips and lower back — all gathering places for excess air to settle in the body. Gently rub the oil onto these parts of the body in slow, circular motions. Sesame oil is wonderful for this practice. Consider applying your oil before showering, so the steamy environment enables the oil to absorb more fully. Abhyanga will nourish your nervous system and stabilize your mind during this season of introspection and allow you to connect to the tangibility of the physical body. +

MARISSA ANGELETTI, M.A., LPC, is a somatic therapist, Ayurvedic counselor and therapeutic movement educator and practitioner. She is committed to sharing the spirit-forward practices of Ayurveda and somatics through divine daily rituals. The insight that comes from listening to the body and its innate wisdom is incredibly powerful, and Marissa believes that cultivating a more harmonious connection to the body creates a ripple effect for harmonious connections elsewhere. She has been published in Body, Movement, and Dance in Psychotherapy and Yoga Alliance. Marissa has been featured on The Spirit Sessions podcast with Katie Silcox and is a member of the Shakti School faculty. Find out more at inlokahmotion.com and @inlokahmotion.

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wellness / Health

DO A LITTLE LESS FOR OTHERS. Say “no, thank you” more often to the people and commitments that do not need your attention right now. This frees up time for self-care and creates more energy for you to give back to what is most important to you.

DO A LITTLE MORE FOR YOURSELF. Get quality sleep, eat nourishing meals, exercise daily and stay hydrated. These are not life’s little luxuries; they’re everyday energy essentials. Begin with the smallest, most realistic self-care practice. For example, instead of declaring that you’re going to sleep for 10 hours every night, go to bed 10 minutes earlier than you usually do.

By Julie M. Gentile

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to Renew Your Energy

ow energized do you feel right now? Our energy levels are determined by how we spend our days — our morning and bedtime routines, how well we sleep, eat, move and hydrate, and how much we work and rest.

They also fluctuate with the season of our lives and of the year.

Maintaining steady energy throughout our lives is not that easy, especially since we’ve accumulated an abundance of stress from the pressures of everyday life. We were already doing a lot when the pandemic came along and gave us reason to devote our energy elsewhere.

That’s where self-care can help. As a renewal practice, daily self-care can help restore energy so we can show up as our best selves.

A powerful tool of renewal and inspiration in my life, self-care is the main way

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I replenish my energy. My daily self-care practices renew my inner light by bringing a refreshed vision to my purpose and path.

Every minute in meditation, yoga practice, walk in nature, journal entry and sip of tea while watching the sun set — taking in the beauty of the colorful palette before me — is an opportunity to reset.

These three tips can help you get started on a path of sustained energy.

JULIE M. GENTILE helps busy people create better self-care habits as a yoga teacher (RYT 500), author of two award-winning books: 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas and How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide, and creator of the Stand Up for Your Self-Care blog and YouTube Channel. Connect with her on Instagram and Facebook @JulieGtheYogi, and sign up for her monthly self-care newsletter Nourish Note at JulieGtheYogi.com.

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Photo by life lens and love photography

3 Self-Care Tips

GET MORE REST. Replenish your basic self-care needs regularly. Express yourself creatively through writing, art, cooking or movement.

This will add vitality to your life and spirit.

Stand up for your self-care. Make your needs known. Advocate for your well-being.

Make sure your voice is heard. Your needs matter just as much as everyone else’s do.

Three-word mantra: Ask someone else.

You weren’t meant to do it all. Ask a partner, family member or friend to help you when you need it. They are often happy to assist.

Life is not perfect and there will be days when self-care falls off your radar. If you stick with your self-care practices most of the time, you will more often feel renewed when you wake up, ready to take on whatever your day brings. +

THE PHILOSOPHICAL PHYSICS OF

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Body, Mind + Spirit

he topic of body-mind-spirit is a call to self-care. The interpretations are as subjective as they are at times hazy. Because the spirit and mind are often considered synonymous, understanding their respective physics reveals an opportunity to look at the source of fundamental healing. Self-healing is no stranger to Eastern philosophy as neurobiology weighs in on these macro and micro events.

According to Stanford University, the evolution of physics once was a combined discipline. The word physics is Greek, meaning nature and its study encompassed many fields. Physics included astronomy, biology, chemistry, mathematics and medicine.

Specialization has resulted into the branching of separate fields as modern physics transformed in the 20th century consisting of two basic theories: classical and quantum mechanics. As of the last 50 years, studies of the universe have found equal relevance up close and personal.

BODY + MIND Dr. Ralph Lewis, MD, identifies the body as well as the mind to be biologically driven.

He says, “the mind is a functional product of the brain reflecting the body’s relation to its external environment.” As thoughts represent things the brain perceives through the senses, they are all physical processes and representations imprinted by the nervous system.

SPIRIT When the subject of “spirit” is discussed, the terms “consciousness” and “awareness” are interchangeable. Qualities like attention, intention and mindfulness are actions directed by the spirit and considered a non-linear field that affects the body and the mind.

India’s ancient scholars professed self-healing as early as 400 BCE. The Sage Patanjali (~200-150 BCE) synthesized the body, mind, spirit connection with remarkable results; however, advancing his work from the shelves of yoga studios to hard science has been slow. The late Swami Rama

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was pivotal in leading the cause in a unique laboratory experiment.

In 1969, Rama took part in a study at The Menninger Foundation in Kansas City. It investigated voluntary mastery of psychophysiological processes and how the power of consciousness could be documented in a lab environment. Rama stopped his heart for several minutes and later went into altered brain states. He also generated (and doused) inflammatory skin reactions. At the time, Rama’s experiment did not gain the attention it deserved, but since 2015, the Centre for Neural Dynamics in Ottawa has shown evidence of neural networks influenced by spiritual non-linearities.

THE QUANTUM CONNECTION Niels Bohr and Max Planck discovered quantum mechanics in 1913. Superpositioning, entanglement and tunneling are terms associated with quantum physics and basically mean that subatomic particles can occupy two places at once; they can pass through and even overlap physical barriers.

Deepak Chopra’s 1989 book, Quantum Healing, explored consciousness and its restorative viability as a quantum event. His project was ground breaking, but his use of scientific nomenclature on the subject received controversial reviews. Chopra was criticized as a pseudo-scientist, but he argued his references to spirituality and quantum physics were meant to link modern thought with ancient wisdom.

Chopra was not the first to do so. Fritjof Capra, Ph.D., physicist and author of The Tao of Physics, brought subatomic language to popularity in 1975. The book Quantum

By Mar ja Wilson

Enigma by Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner offers a solid debate as to why spirituality should enter into the discussion of physics.

Many physicists believe the subject of consciousness does not belong in physics; others think you cannot describe the quantum theory without making mention of it. Dr. Franz Klaus Janson, researcher of quantum physics, free will and bio-psychology says, “Superposition is an essential function of consciousness.”

Historically, the manifestation of healing was relegated to mystics. Now the subatomic dynamics of human functionality broken down into the nonmaterial planes is a dichotomy that science must reconcile. It is what we innately know to be true and, mysteriously, simply by being human.

As Capra says, “Physicists do not need mysticism and mystics do not need physics, but humanity needs both.” + Note: Body-mind-spirit healing depends on the ability of the individual taking part in the practice. It does not dismiss established medical treatment.

MARJA WILSON is a certified eRYT 500 yoga instructor. Her twenty years of experience, passion and sense of humor keeps her approach to teaching yoga and mindfulness light and entertaining. Her academic background includes a BA in health science and an MS in Health Promotion. With a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in community health, her combined studies of yoga and mediation in India serve to enrich her understanding of the mind/body connection. Marja and her husband, John live part time in Colorado and Australia. While in the U.S., she is an instructor at the Bhava Yoga Studio in Breckenridge, Colo.

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wellness / Inspiration

By Teresa Adele

REDISCOVER YOUR

ike a fulfilling yoga practice, it doesn’t matter if you’re “good” at writing.

The act of writing can help us feel whole and infinite. Whether you’re a journaler aspiring to write more regularly or you’ve never used words as a tool for mindfulness before, writing is an empowering tool to reconnect with your inner light.

In fact, creative writing has been shown to raise self-esteem, elevate self-understanding and improve immune function, as well as overall well-being. Creative writing has the ability to take our thoughts from the ethers of our mind and bring them to a physical place where we can analyze and adjust them appropriately.

Writing has the ability to heal, to renew.

By writing, we engage with our thoughts

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more mindfully and discover new things about ourselves through self-awareness. It can feel like a relief, getting an experience or even a to-do list down on a page — as if we’ve unpacked a few bags that have been weighing us down.

I’ve been writing consistently since I’ve been able to hold a pencil, yet I’m not immune to writing slumps either. I’ve sat and stared at a blank page with angst many times. Yet, I do find my way back. I can’t promise that these tips will work for you, only that they do work for me, and therefore, have at least some percentage of success. I encourage you to explore your own variations of these, and please let me know if any interesting discoveries show themselves to you in doing so.

Creativity is great medicine for all, both the creator and the one who experiences it. It prevents disease and promotes wellness. It is not an indulgence, it is fundamental.

Patch Adams, M.D., as quoted in Illness and the Art of Creative Self-Expression

by John Graham-Pole YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photos by hannah grace

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Passion for Writing

READ. Nearly every great writer who has written on writing says to read as voraciously as you write. The consensus on the topic is varied; some believe you should read the genre that you want to write in and others think that variety is the key to creative success. Either way, reading opens the doors of our creative mind and creates space for inspiration to slip through.

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS WRITING. “Let it suck,” is a term that I offer up to many of my friends and clients. Get it down on the page, even if you only keep one sentence or one key word in the final draft. One way to do this is to write whatever you’re thinking on the subject; this is called stream of consciousness writing. Just start: “I am sitting outside and I don’t know what to write, only that I want to be writing. I hear the dog waking up. He probably wants me to feed him. I remember when he was a puppy … ” A boring account of your morning may turn into an emotional appreciation of time or the relationship between you and your dog or who knows what else!

WRITING PROMPTS. The writer’s oldest friend. Don’t know what to write about? There is an infinite amount of writing prompts available to you on the internet. Look up “writing prompt + [your favorite hobby]” and see what comes up. Some prompts can be emailed to you daily, some are one great list and others may be in a book of prompts.

“TIME TRAVEL.” The practice of time travel involves digging up all of your past writing — from school essays to journals, poems or anything else — and re-reading them. Perspective is everything. You may experience your writing from a completely new point of view or with gratitude for your past self. Be open to reading between the lines, too. You’ll be surprised what comes up!

CHANGE IT UP. Change genre, perspective, writing location, state of mind — break the mold. Whether you’re looking for inspiration to keep up with your gratitude journal habit or if you’re ready to finally finish your novel, get those floodgates open! See things with fresh eyes by changing part of the equation.

Writing can bestow a host of wonderful benefits to your mind, body and spirit. These tips will help you get back on track and in touch with your divine muse within. Writing can be an effective tool for meditation, decision making, dream-board building and venting our troubles. The trick is to keep it consistent. Even studies on therapeutic writing agree that it is our writing and reflections over time that have the power for true, lasting change. So, use the prompts, experiment with your routines and styles, play on the page.

Whether you’re new to writing for joy or you’re ready to return to your writing practice, there is no better time than now to begin. +

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wellness / Food

By penny wilson

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RENEW YOUR RELATIONSHIP

with Your Body

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ne day you put on a favorite pair of pants and realize the button won’t close. Or, you’ve gotten injured and can’t do your favorite workout for a while. When this happens, feeling sad, confused or angry is normal. Taking time to process these feelings and re-evaluating your relationship with your body can leave you mentally stronger and better able to handle changes the next time they happen.

When a change happens, you may feel like you and your mind are battling with your body to get it to do what you want. Rather than thinking in terms of a battle, however, it may be more helpful to think of the relationship as a partnership between your mind and your body. They have to work together, so that you can do the things you want to do. Your mind has to give the body what it needs to be healthy — food, water, movement and health care, for example. Your mind needs care, too.

For example, your mind can’t work without a constant supply of energy that your body provides through food.

Considering this mutually beneficial relationship between your mind and body, how can you accept the changes happening to your body? Or even renew that relationship?

Below are seven steps that can help you renew your relationship with your body, so you can be even stronger partners in the future.

GIVE YOUR BODY SOME GRACE. It can be easy to start catastrophizing about the change. Stop, take a few deep breaths and center yourself. Whenever your mind starts racing about how this change spells gloom and doom for your life, stop, breathe and recenter.

ASK, “IS THIS THOUGHT TRUE?” Our minds can easily start running wild about how this change will destroy our lives. After centering yourself, ask, “Is this true?” For example, you may be thinking if

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you can’t practice yoga your body will fall apart; you’ll not be able to keep everything together; eventually, you’ll lose your home and be on the street. I know this is extreme.

And, sometimes our minds come up with the most extreme things that could happen.

By asking yourself “is this true?” then thinking through a realistic answer, you’re challenging those thoughts. You're asking your brain to stop and re-evaluate the situation.

WORK ON ACCEPTING YOUR “HEREAND-NOW” BODY. Yes, this can be difficult. Your “here-andnow” body is the body you have right now.

Fighting your body, trying to get it to do things it can’t, reinforces the feeling of being in a battle with your body. You may yearn for your “old” body. Coming to terms with how your body has changed takes patience, time and forgiveness. Remind yourself that you have a new, “here-and-now” body that is different from what it used to be. Be gentle with yourself and your new body.

GET CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR NEW BODY. Find out what it can and can’t do. What does it like now that it didn’t used to like?

Being curious opens your mind to new possibilities that may not have existed or you may not have been open to seeing before.

HONOR YOUR BODY’S NEEDS. Your body still needs nutritious food, water and movement. It may take some time to find foods that work for it and movement that it likes depending on what has changed. This is a process, and your body will tell you what it needs to be healthy as you get curious and explore.

GET YOUR BODY CLOTHES THAT FIT. If your clothes, especially your underwear, don’t fit, you’ll constantly be thinking about how your body has changed all day, every day. Having clothes that fit allow you to think about things other than your underwear crawling up, falling down or your bra pinching every time you move.

EMBRACE YOUR HERE-AND-NOW BODY. The other six steps add up to helping you get to a place where you can embrace your hereand-now body. This is the body you have right now. It is where you get to live. Being content in it will ripple out to other areas of your life.

As you go through life, your body will continue to change, often in unexpected ways. Learning how to renew the relationship with your body will help you move gracefully through all the changes that are coming. +

PENNY WILSON, PhD, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. She focuses on helping people never diet again. Through Intuitive Eating her clients move from fear of food to freedom with food and eating. Dr. Penny works with clients in person and virtually all over the country. She loves spending time with her husband, John, and her dogs. She knits, reads, hikes, skis (both alpine and Nordic) and travels. You can find out more at her website: DrPennyWilson.com and facebook.com/DrPennyWilson.

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wellness / Food

Summer + Fall Recipes for Renewal Cook and Thrive with Colorado-Farmed Seasonal Produce

Summer Appetizer

Tomato Avocado Salsa with Homemade Chips This salsa is bursting with freshness from farmers’ market tomatoes (the redder, the better) that are so sweet they taste like candy.

They’re an excellent source of the antioxidant lycopene, which reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer. Avocados shine with loads of healthy fats, fiber for good gut health, magnesium and B6.

Salsa: 4-6 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped ½ red onion, very finely chopped 1 small garlic clove, chopped Small splash of white wine vinegar ½ lime, juiced ½ bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped 1/2 jalapeno, minced 1 avocado, chopped 1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chips: Corn tortillas, cut into quarters

Denver holistic nutritionist Robin Hutchinson shares her favorite plant-based summer and fall D.I.Y. dishes spotlighting Colorado farmers and the best in-season crops.

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1-2 tsp avocado oil Sea salt Paprika 1. Cut corn tortillas into quarters and toss with oil and spices. Bake on a sheet pan for 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees until nice and crisp.

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Summer Salad

Kale, Spinach, Basil Salad with Garbanzo ‘Croutons’ + Toasted Pepitas Eat your greens! Kale and spinach are both nutritional powerhouses, high in vitamin K, C, A and folate and boast stellar antioxidant status. These are the most basic building blocks that make us run smoothly.

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 2 large handfuls of curly kale, washed, de-stemmed and chopped into bitesized pieces 1 handful spinach 1 Tbsp chopped basil 2 Tbsp olive oil ¼ tsp salt 1/4 cup pan-toasted pepitas/pumpkin seeds Dressing: 1½ tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp maple syrup (optional) Salt and pepper to taste Toss the beans with spices and oil, and roast for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir them every 10 minutes.

1. Place kale in a large bowl.

2. Top with salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and massage with your hands. The kale will start to wilt after two or three minutes.

3. Add spinach, basil and dressing ingredients to the kale and toss.

4. Adjust seasonings to taste.

5. Serve with garbanzos and toasted pepitas on top.

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wellness / Food

Fall Entrée

Thai Red Curry with Cauliflower + Potatoes This dish is a party of goodness in your body. It really does cover all the bases — lots of healthful therapeutic fats, colorful fall vegetables full of fiber, crucial vitamins and minerals, and anti-inflammatory spice. Cruciferous cauliflower is one of the best sources of choline for liver support.

3 Tbsp coconut oil 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced 8 small Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1 cup vegetable broth 2 cans (15-ounce) full-fat coconut milk 1 can (15-ounce) diced, fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained 1 can (4-ounce) red curry paste 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp ginger, minced 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets 1 cup carrots, julienned 1 large lime, juiced 1 tsp soy sauce Thai basil leaves, chopped 3 cups cooked jasmine rice 1. Heat coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large pan; add onion and cook four to five minutes.

2. Next, add the red bell pepper and potatoes, and cook five to six minutes.

3. Add vegetable broth, coconut milk, tomatoes, red curry paste, garlic and ginger.

Bring to a boil.

4. Then, add the cauliflower florets and carrots, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer eight to 10 minutes.

5. Add lime juice and soy sauce.

6. Top with fresh Thai basil leaves, and serve with jasmine rice.

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wellness / Food

Fall Dessert

Maple Poached Pears Pears are rich in folate, vitamin C, copper and potassium, as well as a good source of the anti-inflammatory antioxidant polyphenol.

4-6 ripe, but firm Bosc pears 1 cup water 1 cup maple syrup Zest of one lemon or orange 4-5 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1 (1-inch) piece of ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped 1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine all ingredients, except the pears, and bring to simmer.

2. Cut pears in half, remove core and place in the simmering syrup.

3. Cook 20 minutes then remove from heat; let cool slightly, and serve topped with pecans.

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events / Gatherings

Telluride Yoga Festival Makes a Move to Mountain Village June 23-26, 2022

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Photos Courtesy of Joanie Schwarz Portraiture

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econnect to unity and community at the Telluride Yoga Festival June 23 to 26. Featuring yoga, music, hiking, wellness classes, social gatherings and other exhilarating experiences, this festival presents something to fulfill all yogis.

The 14th annual event is being elevated to new heights. Previously located in the town of Telluride, the summer 2022 festival will settle above Telluride in Mountain Village. “The Telluride Yoga Festival started in Mountain Village and the area has always held a special place in the hearts of the organizers,” festival director and co-owner Erika Henschel shares.

The creators are excited for yogis to experience the ways the new location represents the overall essence of the festival: unity and community.

The root of yoga is unity, and Henschel expresses that the Telluride Yoga Festival is, “all about commUNITY.” This year’s festival will foster balance and friendship better than ever before. The event will be more fluid, making it easier to explore between classes, find a spot to eat, connect with other students and more. Henschel says the new venue will, “really add to the sense of community for our festival attendees.”

The choice to move the festival to Mountain Village came from a desire to keep the event accessible — an important aspect of the Telluride Yoga Festival mission. Henschel explains, “With Telluride getting more and more expensive, we hope that this move will keep the festival accessible for as many people as possible.”

The event is proud to offer something exciting for everybody. For this reason, the creators focus on offering a variety of classes, teachers and approaches to the practice.

The Telluride Yoga Festival is more than

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Kristen Grace

a typical wellness event. “I want [attendees] to take away what they came here seeking.

Whether that is a renewed sense of purpose, a reconnection with nature, a lighter and happier perspective on life, or just feeling good about having had a wonderful weekend with friends,” shares Henschel.

Whatever students are seeking, the Telluride Yoga Festival is an invitation to find it.

Under the Colorado summer sun, the Telluride Yoga Festival is a wonderful place to reconnect with nature, your community and yourself. Offering a variety of self-care avenues, the festival encourages students to renew their connection with self. The setting is also perfect for making memories and uniting with those you

love over a meal, a hike or a yoga flow.

The natural beauty of Mountain Village — rolling mountains etched with shades of green and expansive blue skies — makes breathing deeply a little easier.

As the event finds its way home to Mountain Village, the Telluride Yoga Festival welcomes visitors to do the same.

The festival creates a space for yogis to reimagine how they define home — perhaps as a renewed sense of embodiment or a spark of friendship. The Telluride Yoga Festival propels the mantra: in unity and community, we find home. +

tellurideyogafestival.com

KRISTEN GRACE is a writer, editor and yogi who ardently loves storytelling. She enjoys writing about all aspects of mental, physical and collective wellbeing. She finds bliss in nature, especially on picnics, as she is also a foodie and amateur baker. Kristen holds a degree in communication and is passionate about listening and learning. She is currently pursuing a yoga teacher certification, because movement and breathwork are two of her true loves.

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events / Gatherings

RAISE A GLASS AT VAIL WINE CLASSIC

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his summer, imbibe on high-end wines, spirits and beers amongst a beautiful mountain backdrop at the several tasting sessions throughout Vail Wine Classic. It is sure to be a weekend full of tasty bites and wine seminars from the state’s best master sommeliers, winemakers and other industry professionals.

The in-person festival runs Thursday through Saturday and offers an elevated experience for all ticket holders, but with limited capacities to manage crowds and allow for personal time with other wine enthusiasts and officials. Over the three-day soiree, attendees can expect a showcase of wine from around the world paired with decadent cuisine curated by local experts.

Vail Wine Classic is produced by Team Player Productions, the creators behind Breckenridge Wine Classic, Vail Craft Beer Classic and others.

“The Vail Wine Classic has a little something for everyone,” says Kristen Slater, event director of Team Player Productions.

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“The Grand Tasting is the crown jewel of the weekend, but if you're looking for a more intimate wine adventure, we have paired lunches and dinners that provide a really unique tasting opportunity. For instance, this year we'll be offering a gorgeous morning hike with a winemaker and sommelier followed by a paired lunch in one of Vail's exceptional restaurants. The guest experience at a tasting like that can't be achieved anywhere but Vail.”

The Vail Uncorked Dinner Series, scheduled for Thursday evening, will host several five-course, paired dinners at local Vail restaurants. The Classic partners with Vail gems like Matsuhisa, La Tour and Root & Flower and pairs them with wineries from regions across the world for a bucket-list culinary experience. Each dinner has a thoughtful theme, ranging from French wine paired with French food, to pinot noirs from regions around the world. The full schedule of paired events can be found online.

The two-hour Grand Tasting sessions will be hosted at the Vail soccer field

Friday and Saturday. The Grand Tastings will feature over 50 international wine portfolios featuring regions ranging from domestic to Chile, Australia, Spain, Italy and more. This sampling is all inclusive and features small bites that can be expertly paired with any of the exceptional wines at the Classic.

“Guests at this year's Vail Wine Classic Grand Tasting can expect a full tour of wines from around the world, along with spirits, beer and seltzer,” Slater shares. “The sampling is outdoors and all-inclusive, and the wines are served alongside a full spread of food from local purveyors. What really makes the Grand Tasting special is the stunning mountainside it's hosted on; you just can't beat the views of Vail Valley with a glass of wine in your hand!” +

For a full schedule and to learn more, visit vailwineclassic.com. Tickets for various events, ranging from $65 to $225, are available online.

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Photos by Karen Mills with Full Pour Media

August 11 – 13, 2022

ATHLETE WELLNESS | ROLLOUT FOR RECOVERY YOGA + BEATS | MOUNTAIN GROOVE YOGA APRES YOGA | MINDFULNESS FOR ATHLETES

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events / Community Happenings

JUNE Mike the Headless Chicken Festival

Fruita, CO • June 3-4 This festival, celebrating a unique story of a chicken, has lots of activities to enjoy. From a 5K run to a poultry show to live music, this weekend of events has tons of fun for everyone. miketheheadlesschicken.org

Telluride Balloon Festival

Telluride, CO • June 3-5 Bring your camera for this weekend full of beauty and wonder. The 39th annual Telluride Balloon Festival will take your breath away with hot air balloons floating over the San Juan mountains backdrop. telluride.com

GoPro Mountain Games

Vail, CO • June 7-12 This activity-based weekend has events for active, mountain-loving people and dogs alike! Take yoga, run a race, watch kayaking, enjoy slackline shows, K9 superwall and many other high energy events over the course of these games. summer.mountaingames.com

Estes Park Wool Market

Estes Park, CO • June 9-12 Take part in this market that will cater to all of your warm and fuzzy needs. The Estes Park Wool Market runs workshops on the 9th and 10th, with the market taking place the 11th and 12th. estesparkeventscomplex.com

Ragnar Trail Colorado

Snowmass, CO • June 10-11 Ragnar Trail Colorado returns for the 8th year in 2022 for a gritty trifecta of the most scenic trail running loops Mother Nature can serve up. Each trail loop begins and ends at Ragnar Village in Snowmass Town Park. Teams of eight run relay style, rotating through three loops, varying from easy to difficult, over a 24-hour period. gosnowmass.com/event/ragnar

Hanuman Festival

Boulder, CO • June 14-17 It’s 10 years for Hanuman! Join us in beautiful Boulder, Colorado for Hanuman Festival 2022, a yoga and music festival. Open your heart and experience awakening, belonging and connection in a four day celebration of worldclass yoga, mind-blowing music, inspirational experiences and nourishing community. hanumanfestival.com

Vail Craft Beer Classic

Vail, CO • June 17-18 The Vail Craft Beer Classic is in its sixth year of celebrating craft beer in Vail. Created and produced by Team Player Productions and nonprofit partners, the Classic prides itself on quality beers paired with scenic views only found in Vail.

VailCraftBeerClassic.com

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Telluride Yoga Festival

Telluride, CO • June 23-25 Held at its new venue in Mountain Village this year, this holistic yoga festival will leave you feeling refreshed, renewed and even more connected with your practice. This year, the Telluride Yoga Festival will have over 100 offerings, Thursday immersions, outdoor adventures and some incredible yoga, meditation and wellness classes. Get your yogi buddies and come out for this incredible experience! tellurideyogafestival.com

JULY Snowmass Art Festival

Snowmass, CO • July 2-4 The Snowmass Art Festival is a juried art show featuring original handcrafted artwork. This free, three-day event showcases local Colorado and national artists, representing a wide array of mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, glass, wood and more.

Entry to the festival is free, while artwork is individually priced. gosnowmass.com/event/snowmass-art-festival

Rooftop Rodeo

Estes Park, CO • July 6-11 This annual six-day rodeo features the Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association best competitors — both animals and cowboys/cowgirls. estesparkeventscomplex.com

High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival

Westcliffe, CO • July 7-10 Listen and dance to bluegrass (for four whole days!) that’s performed by some of the most prominent names in the industry, all with the beautiful backdrop of Westcliffe behind you. highmountainhayfever.org

Drishti Beats Yoga & Music Festival

Snowmass, CO • July 8-10 The 2022 Drishti Beats Yoga & Music Festival in Snowmass Village explores the symbiotic connection between music, yoga and the outdoors. Each carefully selected yoga class will feature live music, creating a beautiful and magical experience. The three-day festival features yoga classes, lectures and a live music lineup highlighting some of the top artists of downtempo electronic chill and house music. gosnowmass.com/event/drishti

Crested Butte Wildflower Festival

Crested Butte, CO • July 9-18 Get outdoors for this week of wildflower festivities, including over 80 hikes, alpine yoga classes, 4×4 tours, garden tours, photography, art and cooking classes, medicinal classes using botanical ingredients, planting wildflowers at home, birding and butterflies. crestedbuttewildflowerfestival.org

Keystone Wine and Jazz Festival

Keystone, CO • July 16-17 Raise your glasses for an indulgent weekend in all the finer things. The Keystone Wine and Jazz Festival is focusing locally this year with local Colorado wines and local Colorado jazz bands. keystonefestivals.com

Tough Mudder Colorado

Littleton, CO • July 22-24 Get ready to tough it out on a tough obstacle course covered in mud! The Tough Mudder Colorado has a 5K, 10K, 15K and a kids obstacle course, so everyone can get involved in this muddy, active fun. toughmudder.com

AUGUST Denver Burger Battle

Denver, CO • August 4 Celebrating its 11th anniversary, Denver Burger Battle is the can’t-miss foodie event of the year where burger fanatics and a panel of judges determine the top burgers of the town. In addition to unlimited burger samplings, guests can also nosh on delicious side dishes, desserts, beer, wine and cocktail samples. denverburgerbattle.com

Plein Air Art Festival

Snowmass, CO • August 8-14 Summer 2022 sees the debut of the first ever Plein Air Art Festival in Snowmass Village. From August 8-14, over 20 Colorado artists descend on Snowmass to spend four days painting the natural beauty and splendor of the surrounding landscape. gosnowmass.com/event/plein-air-art-festival

Vail Wine Classic

Vail, CO • August 11-13 The Wine Classic at Vail is a premier destination event where master winemakers and enthusiasts gather to enjoy wine in beautiful Vail. Join this Vail Valley community event to taste from hundreds of high-end wines, spirits and beers at the festival. vailwineclassic.com

Brew’Au Avon

Avon, CO • August 13 Say aloha to a day full of brews by Nottingham Lake in Avon. Brew’Au Avon includes unlimited samples of amazing brews, seltzers and ciders in your souvenir sampling glass. Experience the live music, water lanterns, food trucks, kids' activities, lawn games and many more activities! brewfestevents.com

Estes Park Wine Festival

Estes Park, CO • August 13-14 Drink and relax at a wine festival like no other!

Estes Park Wine Festival tickets include a wine glass, wine tote and unlimited tastings, along with live music, retail vendors, artisans and food vendors. Check online for the continuously updated entertainment and vendor list. estesparkwinefestival.com YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Breckenridge Hogfest

Breckenridge, CO • August 26-28 Bourbon and bacon — what pairing is better than that? Take on a whole weekend of smoked goodness at the Breckenridge Hogfest. You can purchase tickets to the Bourbon Pairing Dinner or the Sunday Brunch experience. rockymountainevents.com

SEPTEMBER

Telluride Blues & Brews Festival

Telluride, CO • September 16-18 The multi-stage celebration of music and craft beer offers an eclectic mix of live blues, funk, indie, rock, jam-band, gospel and soul performances accompanied by some of the best craft breweries in the country. The Telluride Blues & Brews Festival also features kids' activities, cozy late-night club shows, free morning yoga sessions, local and regional food and craft vendors, and so much more. tellurideblues.com

Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival

Golden Leaf Half Marathon

Sunnyside Music Festival

Rails in the Rockies

Estes Park, CO • September 9-11 Celebrate the Irish and Scottish traditions at this cultural immersion festival! The Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival has all types of events to participate in such as dog exhibitions, whiskey tastings, Scottish athletic competitions and more. scotfest.com

Denver, CO • September 10 Take part in a fantastic day in Denver full of free music, fun entertainment, local food, lots of beer and kids' activities. The Sunnyside Music Festival supports local musicians, artists, businesses, schools and nonprofits, so make sure to attend! sunnysidemusicfest.org

Snowmass, CO • September 17 This classic trail running race from Snowmass to Aspen is an annual sell-out that provides 980 feet elevation gain and a 1,712 feet descent over its 13.1 miles. gosnowmass.com/event/golden-leaf-halfmarathon

Estes Park, CO • September 24-25 Are you a model train enthusiast? If so, this festival is perfect for you or anyone looking to learn more about model trains. Rails in the Rockies will inspire you with beautiful and intricate model train sites, perfect fun for the whole family. railsintherockies.org

Breckenridge Wine Classic

Breckenridge, CO • September 15-17 The Breckenridge Wine Classic is a premier destination event where master winemakers, culinary greats and distinguished guests gather to play, wine and dine in beautiful Breckenridge.

Experience more than 100 food artisans, wineries, breweries, distilleries, epicurean purveyors and locally-made products at this ultimate food and wine experience. From food and wine tastings to seminars and luncheons, to outdoor adventures with food and wine influences, there are tastes and temptations at every turn. breckenridgewineclassic.com

Breckenridge Strings, Ciders & Sours Festival

Breckenridge, CO • September 16-18 Live Bluegrass, delicious food, gorgeous Breckenridge mountain views, and yummy ciders and sours — what a great recipe for a fun-filled weekend! Come over to the Breckenridge Strings, Ciders & Sours Festival to enjoy hours of entertainment, live music and compelling beverages. rockymountainevents.com

Snowmass Balloon Festival

Snowmass, CO • September 16-18 The Snowmass Balloon Festival celebrates its 47th anniversary in 2022. The long-standing Rocky Mountain tradition features three days of 30+ festive balloons launching into the air from 7:30am9:00am and a night glow on Friday evening. gosnowmass.com/event/snowmass-balloonfestival

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OCTOBER Golden Beer Tasting & Chili Cook-Off

Golden, CO • October 1 Enjoy an afternoon of fun with unlimited beer and chili samples, entertainment, snack vendors and the Beer & Chili Awards Ceremony. goldenbeerchilicookoff.org

Elkfest

Estes Park, CO • October 1-3 Elkfest celebrates the famous and spectacular elk rut (mating season) in Estes Park. Celebrate with arts and crafts vendors, food trucks, live raptors with the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, educational presentations with wildlife experts from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Wallowing Hole beer tent, axe throwing and a fun-for-thewhole-family bugling contest. estesparkeventscomplex.com

Applefest

Cedaredge, CO • October 7-9 Celebrate and taste Colorado’s award-winning apples at this all-encompassing festival. With local businesses, apple orchards, artists, musicians, a 5K run and over 160 vendors, you won’t want to miss the Cedaredge Applefest. cedaredgeapplefest.com

Pumpkins & Pilsners Festival

Estes Park, CO • October 9 Pumpkins for the little ones, and adult beverages for those of age. What a perfect balance for a fall festival! The Pumpkins & Pilsners Festival has live music and craft beer for the adults, as well as games, crafts and a bounce house for the little ones. visitestespark.com

Telluride Horror Show

Telluride, CO • October 14-16 Do you love jump-scares and horror films that leave you on the edge of your seat? Head over to the Telluride Horror Show, Colorado's first and largest horror film festival. The three-day festival includes an eclectic mix of horror, suspense, thriller, dark fantasy, sci-fi and dark comedy in Telluride's unique theaters. telluridehorrorshow.com

Rocky Mountain Craft Spirits Festival

Estes Park, CO • October 22 Toast to greatness and high-quality spirits at this festival that celebrates local distilleries. estesparkeventscomplex.com

NOVEMBER Annual Fall Harvest Festival

Platteville, CO • November 1 - TBD Have fun and harvest some vegetables with your family at this unique festival, from after Labor Day all the way until mid-November. The Annual Fall Harvest Festival has something for everyone and an opportunity to learn about the harvest season. millerfarms.net

Snowbound Festival

Denver, CO • November 11-13 The Snowbound Festivals are premium, multisensory, immersive experiences that serve as the official kick-off for winter and a cultural moment that brings the entire industry and community together to celebrate our collective excitement about the coming season. Get involved in this epic winter experience to get all of the stoke! snowboundfest.com

Creede Chocolate Festival

Creede, CO • November 25-26 The Creede Chocolate Festival showcases luscious samples of chocolate specialties created by local business owners and individuals. creede.com

Catch the Glow Parade & Celebration

Estes Park, CO • November 26 As dusk falls the day after Thanksgiving, the magic begins to unfold! Experience a lighted Christmas parade with marching bands, floats, dancers and more. visitestespark.com

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partners / Yoga + Life Ambssadors

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YOGA + Life®

ambassadors 1. DANNY CAMPOS Yoga, community, and family are Danny’s daily motivation. She is proudly a Mexican yoga teacher since 2015 and owner of dannycamposyoga.com dedicated to sharing her passion through classes, workshops and retreats that allow people to connect with themselves, generating a space of self-knowledge, relaxation and gratitude. Her days are full with yoga, meditation, walks, books, music and family time. She is always aiming to be present and grateful.

2. JENNIFER CHWALEK Jennifer Chwalek, M.D. is a NYC-based dermatologist and yoga instructor. She began her yoga journey over a decade ago and since has studied meditation, Ayurveda and other energy therapies with some of the most respected practitioners. Her mission is to help others feel more beautiful in their skin while healing their body image and self-worth issues. She is particularly interested in how lifestyle factors interact with genes to affect health and skin aging.

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Kelsey is a Colorado native, born and raised in the Vail Valley. She found yoga in 2013 and she never looked back. Kelsey is a 200 RYT and also teaches barre. Now based in Conifer, Kelsey loves to spend time on her mountain bike and in the mountains with her dog Bandit.

4. SHERRIE GIUSTO Sherrie Giusto is the founder and owner of Open Door Yoga Studio in Coconut Grove, Florida. Raised in Miami, she started her fitness journey as a nationally ranked tennis player. Sherrie has been teaching all forms of fitness for over 30 years, including owning her own studios together with hosting yoga retreats in Colorado.

This mother of three grown children and grandmother now shares the gift of yoga through her teachings in Miami, Colorado and via her online platform. Her mantra is “Yoga with a Heart.”

5. RACHEL GLOWACKI Rachel Glowacki is a yoga teacher, writer and thought leader in the kids yoga field.

She specializes in mindful movement for all ages and abilities and has been teaching since 1999. She's an awardwinning author of the Kids Yogaverse storybook apps. Rachel hopes that one day mindful movement will be taught regularly in schools just like math and science! She believes that a calm brain is a learning brain and a healthy body is a happy body, principles she shares with her students young and old. Rachel lives with her husband and two sons in Edwards, Colorado.

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The YOGA + Life Ambassador program highlights a diverse group of individuals in the health + wellness industry.

This group is up to big things in this world! We are thrilled to help spread the word on their inspiring + passionate contributions.

6. DYLAN HOWLEY

8. JENN SMYTH

10. TONI VINEY

Dylan Howley is the founder of The Lefty Cycles Project. He is a one-armed athlete, a positivity pusher, a proud recovering alcoholic and a family man. Motivated to share his passion of helping others, Dylan showcases that anything is possible through hard work and a positive mindset.

A Connecticut native, he’s happiest when he’s with his family, enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature and “Perpetuating Pure Goodness.”

After teaching English internationally, Jenn decided to blend her passions for people, fitness and teaching by becoming an E-RYT 200 yoga instructor. She primarily teaches in Northern Colorado and also travels extensively in pursuit of furthering her yoga experiences. As a daughter of Korean immigrant parents, she strives for inclusiveness and equality both inside and outside of the yoga studio. When not teaching, Jenn loves exploring beautiful Colorado with her husband and rescue dog.

Toni Viney grew up as a city girl in the Chicagoland area with close country life and farming ties. She spent her summers on a river in southern Wisconsin and learned to drive a boat well before learning to drive a car. As an adult, Toni made her way to the mountains to pursue a master’s degree at Colorado State University and discovered her love for yoga during graduate school. She became a yoga teacher in 2011 and has been teaching group classes, one-on-one private sessions, and workshops ever since. She founded Best Day Ever Yoga in 2021.

7. PAMELA SHIFRIN Pamela Shifrin was born and raised in Townsend, Massachusetts. A competitive athlete since she was 5 years old, she used those skills through a Division 1 softball program and still today. After which, she went on to Costa Rica to become a certified massage therapist. Recruited to Denver, Colorado to help open and teach at a new massage therapy school, she took many weekend trips to Vail, where she would eventually land. Local Revival came into fusion in November 2016, and quickly became the spot for locals to get their integrative bodywork. Pam loves all mountain adventures, traveling, camping, games, cooking and helping others. She is the president/founder of newly established ALS nonprofit, Runs For ALS, Inc.

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

9. SHARI VILCHEZ-BLATT Founder and creator of Karma Kids Yoga, Shari has been sharing her love of yoga with kids of all ages since 2002! Shari has developed yoga programs and curriculum for many schools and consultants on various healthy living articles for numerous parenting magazines, blogs and corporate initiatives. She’s also a regular contributor to NY YOGA + Life Magazine’s Kids & Family section. Shari has been featured on Sesame Street sharing yoga with Murray and Ovejita, and is currently writing and consulting for Sesame Street’s new global effort in yoga and mindfulness. Shari has trained nearly 3,000 people around the world to teach yoga to children through the Karma Kids Yoga Teacher Training Program, which includes courses for infants, preschoolers, kids, tweens and teenagers, as well as professional development for educators.

Shari lives to play and plays to live!

11. AMY ZELLMER Amy Zellmer is the publisher and editor-inchief of MN YOGA + Life®. She is an awardwinning author, keynote speaker and brain injury survivor. She has her 200-hour RYT and is a level two Reiki practitioner. Amy is passionate about increasing awareness around yoga accessibility and believes that every body can do yoga. She is addicted to Starbucks, chocolate and HomeGoods, and loves all things glittery and pink!

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partners / Directory

Amazing Brains

41184 US-6 Unit 210 Avon, CO 81620 amazingbrains.com 970.343.2709

Ayurvedic Protein

The world's first plant-based protein powders rooted in 5,000-year-old wisdom and healing tradition. ayurvedicprotein.co

Anya Yoga

418 S. 8th St. Colorado Springs, CO anyayogaco.com 719.439.8619

Be Free Healing Center 1006 Spring Creek Ln. Fort Collins, CO befreehealing.com 970.286.4447

Better Buzz Yoga

Drishti Beats

Yoga teacher trainings, workshops + festivals. drishtibeats.com

Drunken Goat

56 Edwards Village Blvd.

STE 103 Edwards, CO drunkengoatco.com 970.926.1393

Endorphin

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

Fire + Root Collective 2419 E. 28th Ave. Denver, CO firerootcollective.com 810.444.6522

GOAT Training

2714 W 44th Ave Denver, CO betterbuzzyoga.com 303.495.6996

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

Bhava Yoga

Gravity Haus Vail

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

Bookworm of Edwards

295 Main St. Edwards, CO bookwormofedwards.com 970.926.7323

Buffalo + Sparrow Yoga Collective

People-informed/trauma-sensitive yoga teacher trainings, continuing education + ongoing classes. buffaloandsparrow.com info@buffaloandsparrow.com

Celebrant Institute & Foundation

Training individuals to become a become a certified Life-Cycle Celebrant®. celebrantinstitute.org 973.746.1792

Chill Angel

Merino Wool sleepwear + loungewear. chillangel.com

Color Up

1448 W. Cedar Ave. Denver, CO colorupco.com 720.420.1734

Dana Knerl - Holistic Healing Guide 20 Eagle Rd. Avon, CO danaknerl.com 970.390.7999

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352 E. Meadow Dr. Vail, CO gravityhaus.com/locations/vail-haus 970.476.7960

Hanuman Festival

Yoga. Music. Celebration. hanumanfestival.com

High Country Healing

Hygge Life

41149 US-6 Avon, CO hyggelife.com 970.331.5745

Inner Peace Yoga Therapy

10 Town Plaza #411 Durango, CO innerpeaceyogatherapy.com 970.946.8961

Kaiut Yoga Boulder

kaiutyogaboulder.com 720.696.0401 + 4800 Baseline Rd. #D206 Boulder, CO + 1630 Dry Creek Dr. Ste 200 Longmont, CO

Kali Durga Yoga

Blending Buddhist psychology and internal family systems therapy with Yin & Restorative Yoga. kalidurgayoga.com

Liz Layne Yoga

With a focus on the mind, body and breath connection, Liz guides students through important aspects of life and yoga. info@lizlayne.yoga lizlayne.yoga

Local Revival

40780 US-6 #205 Avon, CO localrevival.com 970.401.2449

40801 Highway 6 Suite 5 Avon, CO highcountryhealing.com 970.470.4794

Lotus Network

Hippie Soul Yoga

A three-day celebration led by amazing Maine and New England yoga talent. maineyogafest.com

hippiesoulyogastudio.com 719.285.9642 + Falcon Studio 7646 McLaughlin Rd. Peyton, CO + Interquest Studio 1828 Spring Water Point, Suite 130 Colorado Springs, CO

Holistic Yoga School

9144 Glade Rd. Loveland, CO 80538 holisticyogaschool.com 970.412.4114

Hovey & Harrison

56 Edwards Village Blvd.

Unit 120 Edwards, CO hoveyandharrison.com 970.446.6830

It’s never too late to rediscover your potential. lotusnetwork.org

Maine Yoga Fest

Meraki Yoga Studio

2620 S Timberline Rd. Ste 110 Fort Collins, CO merakiyogastudio.com 970.223.2062

Miraflora Naturals

Organic full-spectrum CBD. Grown in the Rockies, backed by science and blended with ingredients you can pronounce. miraflora.co

Mountain Soul Yoga

56 Edwards Village Blvd.

Unit 204 Edwards, CO mountainsoulyoga.com 970.446.6485

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

New Mexico School of Yoga

The YogaTonic

Yoga Off Broadway

Nurture

Thrive Yoga Crested Butte

Yoga Teacher Conf

4600 Copper Ave. NE Albuquerque, NM nmschoolofyoga.com 505.697.8507 2949 Federal Blvd.

Denver CO visitnurture.com 303.390.1252

Onus iV Bar

132 E 1st St. Salida, CO theyogatonic.com 719.239.0702 326 Elk Ave. Unit A Crested Butte, Colorado thriveyogacrestedbutte.com 970.349.0302

onusiv.com + The Highlands 2242 W. 29th Ave. Denver, CO 720.791.0779

Thrive Yoga Studios

+ Boulder 1035 Walnut St. Boulder, CO 720.791.0818

Tina Porter Yoga

+ Denver Tech Center 5425 Landmark Place Greenwood Village, CO 303.658.0445 + Wheat Ridge 4288 Youngfield St. Wheat Ridge, CO 303.968.6788

Revolution Power Yoga

101 Fawcett Rd. Avon, CO revolutionpoweryoga.com 970.478.3176

Ridgway Yoga Shala

540 Sherman Ave. Ridgway, CO ridgwayyogashala.com 970.218.4799

Samari Works

Meditation + Art Experiences hello@samariworks.com samariworks.com

Shine Intuitive Beauty

Yoga Studio Collective Summit County, Colorado thriveyogastudios.com 970.349.0302 1195 Newport St. Denver, CO tinaporteryoga.com info@tinaporteryoga.com

Yoga With Heart - Sherrie Giusto Yoga, Pilates, Retreats Sherriegiusto.com 305.496.7619

985 Albion St #100 Denver, CO trufusion.com 303.999.0655

Two Arrows Coffee | Bar 225 Wall Street #103A Vail, CO twoarrowscoffee.com 970.763.5101

Urban Sanctuary 2745 Welton St. Denver, CO usdenver.com 303.993.2420

Vail Public Library

Annual Partners receive advertising discounts and other great benefits.

CONTACT: bobby@coyogalifemag.com to learn more.

292 W. Meadow Dr. Vail, CO vaillibrary.com 970.479.2187

Village Bagel

34500 Highway 6 #B7 Edwards, CO villagebagel.co 970.855.2940

The Bridge Yoga Studio BCS

Yoga Center of Steamboat

702 University Drive E. Suite 102D College Station, TX thebridgeyogabcs.com 979.485.9190

701 Yampa Ave. Steamboat Springs, CO yogacenterofsteamboat.com 970.875.4568

The Vitality Collective

4663 Centennial Blvd.

Colorado Springs, CO yogamountainshadows.com 719.799.6697

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Elevating, educating and inspiring yoga teachers around the globe through affordable continuing education, community support and connection.

Join in-person in Chicago and Denver or for virtual events! info@yogateacherconf.com yogateacherconf.com 281.685.2601

TruFusion 9&C0

105 Edwards Village Blvd #D105 Edwards, CO shineintuitivebeauty.com 970.343.4728

700 Chambers Ave. Building C Unit 3 Eagle, CO thevitalitycollective.com 970.364.6010

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

Yoga Mountain Shadows

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namaste

“HOPE IS NOT PRETENDING THAT TROUBLES DON'T EXIST. IT IS THE TRUST THAT OVERCOME. IT IS FAITH THAT A SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND RENEWAL LIES WITHIN TO LEAD US THROUGH THE DARK INTO THE SUNSHINE.” Liz Chase

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Photo by Townsend Bessent

THEY WILL NOT LAST FOREVER, THAT HURTS WILL BE HEALED AND DIFFICULTIES

COLORADO RANCH GROWN AND OPERATED

Aspen's Finest Dispensary 108 S Mill St, Aspen, CO 81611 dalwhinnie.com