CO YOGA + Life® | Winter/Spring 2020-21

ARIELLE SHIPE ELEVATE HOPE

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

WINTER + SPRING 2020 -21

rise

Lifestyle magazines that

INFORM + INSPIRE!

the explore issue

EAT CLEAN

RECIPES FROM THE CONSCIOUS CLEANSE

HIT THE ROAD

COLORADO + BEYOND

YOGA FOR YOUR DOSHA

AYURVEDA WITH JULIA CLARKE

rock your world

ALWAYS LIVE EXTRAORDINARILY

INSPIRATION FROM OLYMPIAN GRETCHEN BLEILER

HOW TO SOFTEN STRESS

Unleash Your Inner Rock 'N' Roller

AND BEAT THE WINTER BLUES

Nurture Your Inner Gardener

grow issue

LIFESTYLE • COMMUNITY • WELLNESS • NATURE • MOVEMENT • ADVENTURE

ERIC ROONEY TRAVEL

+ TELLURIDE + GARDEN OF THE GODS + AFRICA

SUP ROUNDUP GEAR FOR THE WATER

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

shine issue Illuminate Your Authenticity

IN THE PRACTICE

THE SCIENCE OF STRETCHING

TRAVEL

NOEMI NUñEZ

+ INDIA + CALIFORNIA + OREGON

CREATES CULTURAL BRIDGE

HUT TRIP ROUNDUP

WINTER BACKCOUNTRY GEAR 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

WINTER + SPRING 2018 -19

WITH RESTORATIVE YOGA

BLOOMS IN DENVER

SUMMER + FALL 2018

COOL SUMMER’S HEAT

WINTER + SPRING 2017–18

LIFESTYLE • COMMUNITY • WELLNESS • NATURE • MOVEMENT • ADVENTURE

SCOTTY STOUGHTON

MUSIC, CONSCIOUSNESS + COMMUNITY

SUMMER + FALL 2017

issue

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SUMMER + FALL 2019

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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

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THE YOGA + Life®

Wish List

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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 YOGA + Life® CREATIVE DIRECTOR Chelsea Connolly YOGA + Life® MANAGING EDITOR Lexi Reich YOGA + Life® ASSISTANT EDITOR Lauren Faurrato CONTRIBUTORS

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PHOTOGRAPHY + ART Sam Ferguson, Kim Fuller, Rebecca Stumpf, Alexis Ahrling Photography, King Yoga, Jeff Trodahl, Dylan Pritchett, Christina Kiffney, Shannon Galpin, SunWater Spa, Garden of the Gods Resort and Club, Jeff Jones, Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office, Gina Spinelli Photography, Julia Clarke, Melanie Pongratz, Paul Gilmore, Michael Olsen, Xuan Nguyen, Jakob Owens Z, LOGE Camps, Rick Donhauser, Jakari Ward, Alisa Messeroff, Haily Trevisiol, Ava Sol, Marisol Cruz

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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 Sam Ferguson 2020-21 YOGA + Life® Magazines. All rights reserved. No portion may be duplicated, in whole or in part, without the written consent of its publishers. Every effort has been make to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. The publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of information or omissions from the material provided. Company cannot be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services rendered by the advertisers published in this magazine.

Letter from the editor / Winter + Spring

DEAR READERS,

T

here may be no experience better at evoking hope than watching the morning sun rise to greet the horizon line.

Just close your eyes now …

See it.

Feel it.

This hope lives within you.

Even just days before we went to press for this issue in early November, my spirits began to lift the instant Sam Ferguson’s photo hit my inbox for the cover of this magazine. Seeing his amazing wife, Arielle Shipe, strong and steady in her lunge, I couldn’t help but feel inspired by the magnificence of that moment.

To rise is to face the world courageously, every day; to stand up to the challenges that are in front of us and to live into a bright and fulfilling future.

I know it’s been hard.

And I also know nothing worth fighting for is an easy win.

I’ll keep this brief, because there’s work to do. This world, our world, needs us to show up and greet this day. If a sunrise can remind us of hope for a new beginning, may the pages of this issue be a beacon to help inspire a better tomorrow.

We can leave 2020 behind us, but of course challenges will never set on the human experience. There are always more mountains to climb, and I know you’ll stand beside me as we rise.

In Gratitude,

YOGA + Life owners Bobby L’Heureux + Kim Fuller

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® and Spoke+Blossom. 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 / Winter + Spring 2020-21

CONTENTS

RISE 5 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Let’s RISE

8 ABOUT THE COVER

Arielle Shipe + Sam Ferguson

10 TEAM YOGA + LIFE

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The people behind the publication

PROFILES

CO influencers // teachers + leaders // studios

12 COLORADO INFLUENCER

Beverly Grant

14 TEACHERS + LEADERS

Liz Gomez; Evan Soroka

18 STUDIOS

King Yoga; Nurture

LIFESTYLE

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

20 “YELLOW-SPECKLED BLACKBIRD”

BY DYLAN PRITCHETT

Rise up, sing + be free

21 “A BITE OF BOULDER”

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New cookbook serves local restaurants

22 ART + CULTURE

Painting with purpose: Shannon Galpin

24 CO WELLNESS CENTERS + SPAS

Big pivots to rise up

26 INTEGRATED VITALITY

Have a holistic getaway Garden of the Gods

28 CO ESCAPES

Everland Eco Retreat & Immersive Art Park

30 TAKE A ROAD TRIP

Getaway to Greater Zion, Utah

32 TRAVEL Lean in to Tulum

35 THE LONG ROAD HOME

Julia Clarke returns to her roots in Scotland

36 WHAT WE LOVE

Essential products for winter + spring

38 TUNE IN

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Five podcasts to lift you up

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photo by Gina Spinelli Photography

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YOGA + FITNESS movement // in the practice

ayurveda // health // inspiration // food

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MOVE TO HEAL Poses to help release trauma

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PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR MODERN YOGIS

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Breath. Count. Repeat.

Unlocking the door to tranquility

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HO’OPONOPONO

64

Tips for an energy shift

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BUILD YOUR SPIRITUAL ENDURANCE

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“Live your life by design …”

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Dive in with Jeanie Manchester

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On family, battling addiction, love + loss

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The anti-diet approach

Learn this Hawaiian mantra Stay steady + commit wholeheartedly

OUTSIDE

fresh air // adventure // gear

Photo by Rebecca Stumpf

WELLNESS

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BEAT THE WINTER BLUES

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SKI + SNOWBOARD TOURING

Switch up your movement routine Learn the basics of backcountry

HEALTHY HOMES Vedic architecture for optimal health

STEPS TO UNBLOCK STAGNANT ENERGY BUST A MOOD EMBRACE A BLANK CANVAS THE DIVINE FEMININE RYSE WITH A ‘Y’ RESPECT YOUR HERE-AND-NOW BODY

72 LOVING CUP

Chai recipe from Jenni Frank

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BACKCOUNTRY GEAR

56

LOGE CAMPS

YOGA + Life partners

A motel for adventurers

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GEAR GUIDE

73 DIRECTORY

Y+L Annual Partners

Goods for winter + spring

75 NAMASTE

Pack your bags for adventure

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DISTRIBUTION

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A

rielle Shipe is an avid outdoor adventurer based out of Aspen, Colorado. She grew up competing in snowboarding competitions and started practicing yoga at the age of 17 to help support all the wear and tear she was putting on her body.

“Finally, in college, I got my 'last straw' injury — my third bad concussion and a low back injury,” she shares, "and decided to find other ways to push myself outdoors.

I fell in love with rock climbing and hiking and set out to spend as much time in the mountains as I could manage.”

Shipe built a career as a full-time yoga teacher which, in recent years, has shifted into a career as an outdoor adventure/lifestyle blogger.

“After the ups and downs of my own health journey, I decided I wanted to explore my passion for nutrition so I could help others on their journey,” Shipe says. “I decided to

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Spotlight ARIELLE SHIPE

organization leads me to do “the thing,” but sometimes it ends up being a trail marker to something even more inspired. I think the universe is always giving us opportunities to live a more aligned and inspired life. Often times, we just need to be brave enough to seize them. Sometimes my story seems random to people, but in reality, it has just been me constantly following inspiration — even when that required me to pivot.

FOR THE RISE ISSUE OF CO YOGA + LIFE, PLEASE SHARE WITH US HOW YOU’D LIKE TO CREATE IMPACT OR CHANGE IN 2021.

I’d love to be a beacon of hope for anyone who has felt disempowered by the circumstances of this last year and show people that they have everything they need to reclaim their power.

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR FREE TIME? My free time is spent almost exclusively in the mountains. I love to rock climb, mountain bike, hike, trail run and ski/snowboard.

I like to call myself a “wannabe endurance athlete,” because I love the idea of doing big days, but, ultimately, I am a fast-paced, adrenaline seeker at heart.

arielleshipe.com go back to school last spring for a masters in holistic nutrition. I’m the kind of person who has many passions, so it’s not uncommon to find me perusing multiple things at once. But right now, my main focus is on school and my upcoming thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.”

YOU CREATE INFLUENTIAL CONTENT EVERY DAY — HOW DO YOU STAY INSPIRED? Aww, thank you so much for saying that!

Truthfully, it’s not always easy — especially now that I’m often creating content for brands and having to find ways to weave their message authentically into my own. That being said, I think the biggest advice that I can give is to not only trust, but follow those intuitional “pings” that come your way. For example, if someone tells me about something and I see myself getting really excited about the idea of it then I will try to organize my life around making it happen. Sometimes, that

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am Ferguson was born and raised in Aspen, Colorado. After traveling and living in some other places, he says he came to realize how special the Roaring Fork Valley and its community are to him.

“That and the fact that the Elk Mountains are right out our back door with access to skiing, hiking, biking, fishing and so much more,” Ferguson adds. “These mountains have raised me and watched over me my whole life, so it’s been hard to think about living anywhere else. I have been an avid skier since before I can remember and have been a ski coach with the local Aspen Valley Ski Club for the last 10 years. Recently, I wanted to create something of my own. I’m working on becoming a full-time freelance photographer to document and showcase the place that I love so much.”

Between the people, scenery, seasons,

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Photo by sam ferguson

Q +A

profiles / About the Cover

Photo by sam ferguson

HOW DID YOU GET INTO PHOTOGRAPHY AND HOW HAS THE ART EVOLVED FOR YOU IN YOUR LIFE AND WORK? I never found myself very creative as a kid.

I couldn’t draw anything but stick figures, I didn’t get further than hot cross buns on the recorder and I had as much rhythm as a chair.

But, I did enjoy sports. I played almost every sport — team and individual — as a kid. One sport reigned supreme in the mountains, so I latched onto skiing. As I grew up, I particularly loved skiing in the terrain parks, hitting jumps and rails. I always bought every ski magazine and flipped through every page.

I picked out my favorite shots, cut them out and made collages. I marveled at the places I had never been and idolized my favorite skiers with their pictures on my ceiling or wall. I saw art in skiing and developed an eye of what I liked and why it looked so alluring to me. I tried to emulate it in my own skiing with my own style. In high school, I got a digital camera with something around 4 mp, which was huge at the time. I would go out and shoot sunsets, flowers, the snow, or my friends and I hanging out. And then, the camera phone came out. I didn’t touch a camera again for probably 10 years and told myself “I have a phone on my camera, I’m good.” I found myself always wanting more zoom or better quality even with the camera phone technology improving year after year. In 2017 I decided I would start looking for another camera and a few lenses to have as a hobby to express myself as I transitioned away from pursuing my dream of being a professional skier. I was hooked. I could finally translate what my eye was seeing to something I could share and connect with people. All those years of flipping through old ski magazines helped me develop an eye for photography.

I took classes in my free time or even while working other jobs. I was determined that I just wanted to become better, and I hadn’t felt that way since I was skiing competitively.

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FOR THE RISE ISSUE OF CO YOGA + LIFE, PLEASE SHARE WITH US HOW YOU’D LIKE TO CREATE IMPACT OR CHANGE IN 2021.

The way I would like to create positive change and impact in 2021 is to continue documenting the beauty in the world, whether that be a gorgeous landscape with the perfect light, a genuine smile or tear, a thriving community supporting one another or the activities that make people feel their absolute best. I want to capture moments in time to evoke emotions, good and bad, in order to feel a deeper connection to this earth or the people on it. I want to create memories for those fleeting moments throughout our lifetimes. I want to showcase other people’s passions and capture a slice of time for them to hold on to forever. I remember the importance I placed on the images I chose and plastered on my wall. I hope I can have that same impact on others.

Spotlight SAM FERGUSON

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR FREE TIME? During my free time you can find me outdoors and usually with Arielle and our dog Tabor. We always joke that we have so many activities and can’t discover any new ones. Skiing/ snowboarding, climbing, mountain biking, hiking and paddleboarding are on the top of our most recent list. Our adventure van only has enough room for so many activities, so when we go on an adventure, we have to plan our gear wisely. Otherwise, when not hanging with the family, I am exploring this valley and chasing light. I enjoy my time alone shooting photos. It is my solace and meditative process, and I feel most alive when everything feels as if it is aligning perfectly. I’m not going to lie though, I’m not all hustle. I also thoroughly enjoy being a couch potato from time to time and finding the balance of work, rest and fun. +

photograferg.com

Q +A

architecture and events, Ferguson says he has been able to see his hometown for something he hadn’t seen before.

“It has allowed me to explore different corners of the valley, meet new people, discover more beauty and document lifelong memories,” he adds. “I have a renewed sense of purpose and a reason to wake up early and stay up late.”

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profiles / Behind the Pages

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YOGA + Life®

meet the team 1. KIM FULLER Owner + Editor-In-Chief

3. JULI RATHKE YOGA + Life® Founder

5. LEXI REICH Managing Editor

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® and Spoke+Blossom. 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

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 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® and Spoke+Blossom, 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

2. BOBBY L’HEUREUX Owner + Director of Partnerships At the heart of his work, Bobby thrives on community and connection. As cofounder of Jaunt Media Collective, the company behind YOGA + Life® and Spoke+Blossom, 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 an ambassador for Lululemon and Lolë, and his yoga classes are always led with a big smile and a relaxed demeanor. jauntmediacollective.com

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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®, you'll find her spearheading the look and feel of awardwinning 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.

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 the assistant editor for Jaunt Media Collective, the publishing company behind YOGA + Life® Magazines and Spoke + Blossom Magazine, her dreams of creating her own story is finally becoming a reality. She plans to graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder with a major in English. When she's not curled up with a good book, Lauren can be found adventuring in the Colorado wilderness or looking for new places to travel. Follow her on Instagram @laurenfarrauto.

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profiles / Colorado Influencer

BEVERLY GRANT:

Healing Denver with Community, Yoga + Food

Photos by Rebecca Stumpf

by lexi reich

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

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n July 20, 2020, the rising sun peeked through the Flatirons, enveloping the Front Range in a beautiful, incandescent gold.

To many Denverites, Beverly Grant included, this day marked the two-year anniversary of the Random Gestures of Compassion (RGC) holiday, a movement Grant created in 2018 to honor the birthday of her son, Reese Grant-Cobb, who was murdered in a senseless act of violence outside a Denver restaurant when he was 17 years old. Grant says she uses the holiday to grieve positively and pay compassion forward on an altruistic scale.

Grant is a Denver-native. She began her yoga practice in 2018, but long before that, she founded Mo’ Betta Green MarketPlace, a farmer’s market that has delivered fresh produce to the city’s food deserts since 2011. Both these passions show her dedication to making Denver a healthier, more just place for people of color (POC).

Grant and a small group of attendees saluted the sun’s arrival in a yoga class at a nearby park in rhythm with RGC day this year.

Following their ritualistic greeting, Grant offered a talk on food sustainability, illuminating the interrelation between her two passions: yoga and food. Throughout the city, members of the Satya Yoga Cooperative, the first POC owned and operated yoga cooperative, led soulful gatherings in communion with Grant.

Lakshmi Nair, Satya’s founder, hosted a yoga practice and prayer at Red Rocks, streaming the class online for those who couldn’t be there in person.

“Practicing yoga was really the only thing bringing me relief in my body,” Grant says. She graduated from Satya Yoga Cooperative’s POC Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) in June 2018, one month prior to her son’s death.

“My life would not be as whole and grounded had I not had my yoga tool kit and yoga community to help me heal,” she explains, teary-eyed as she reflects on her “Satya sisters.” “I am dedicated to sharing that with other people who are dealing with grief and trauma. If you are a person of color, you are truly dealing with these in a disproportionate matter. Yoga is a true,

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real thing that has many solutions for the problems that we are facing.”

Satya Yoga’s POC YTT started in October 2014 with a mission to offer yoga to diverse communities largely underrepresented in yoga. The member-owned cooperative sector launched last year to continue its offering of space for the growing Denver circle.

Nair expresses over the phone, “I think having the truth of yoga really helped Bev through her grieving. Our community was really there for her.” She and Grant were preparing for a weekend retreat they were hosting in the San Luis Valley at the time of the call. The retreat was in collaboration with the Acequia Institute, an organization founded upon water democracy, resilient agriculture and environmental justice.

As the sun made its descent over the Rocky Mountains to conclude that special July day, a group of men of color gathered at a local studio to flow through 20 sun salutations to honor every year since Reese’s birth. The annual class was hosted by David Hallman, who is also a Satya Yoga POC YTT graduate and member of the cooperative.

“Anyone that has ever worked with Bev will say she’s a godsend,” says Hallman, whose son was basketball teammates with Reese when they were kids. “She is so in tune, in alignment, with people, with community and herself.”

Grant blends community-oriented learning with her mission to educate Denver’s youth and their families on healthy living.

She opened Mo' Betta Green on the principles of food literacy, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. She employs Denver’s youth each summer, mentoring individuals on the importance of food access and nutrition. Due to the global pandemic, the farmer’s market was postponed until next year. However, this summer Grant hosted multiple farm stands throughout the city as a safe alternative.

Her 22 employees this season were all members of minority groups.

“I tend to target communities of color because there’s a high need for dealing with trauma or stress, and many of the folks that I meet have never been ex-

posed to yoga,” she continues. Many of her offerings with Mo’ Betta Green include yoga and movement.

She coined the term integris and gave a TedxRiNO Talk in 2017 explaining the importance of supporting local food sources, shaping food policy and broadening nutritional access to underserved communities.

Mo’ Betta Green first launched in the historic Five Points neighborhood, where Grant only sells integris food that has a traceable origin and is organic and local.

“We’re in the city here. I work in neighborhoods where the access is low, health disparities are high. Leveraging that platform has really been able to help me build around sharing yoga, and also around food.

Food in its preparation, that is a form of meditation for me. I like to share that with others. I would have to say that with the passing of my son, it means more to me to share that wherever I can,” she explains.

She calls her approach seed-to-stomach.

“A lot of goals are embedded into the activities I do. At the heart of it is to share what food has to offer. Food is medicine — that is a huge teaching tenant for me. I like to teach them that in the context of seed-tostomach, a seasonal approach. I seek to put together information that people can use immediately … I can show you a dish you can make faster than rolling through a drive through,” she says.

“I’m grateful to be able to impact lives in these ways,” she adds, touching on how many of the youth she’s worked with have gone on to study public health, ecology and other fields related to the natural world.

Grant stresses she wants to be accessible to people dealing with grief and depression.

“Grief is a choice people don’t understand they have. I’m still grieving. I always will be.

I have love that has nowhere to go for that person who is no longer with us,” she says.

“We can leverage love in positive ways. The mind and body don’t have to continue to suffer because that grief is living in there.

We can have peace and relief and clarity of mind. When you achieve that, you’re better able to move forward. I’m going to choose happiness and peace. I want to show others you can choose that.” +

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profiles / Teachers + Leaders

by marisol cruz

Liz Gómez SHAMANIC ENERGY MEDICINE

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find myself sitting in a simple lawn chair, inside a tipi, listening to Liz Gómez explain the traditional, Peruvian medicine wheel while the sun sets around us. We are at her home, nestled in the Colorado mountains, where she has created a scared space of healing and peace. A white candle floats in the middle of a glass bowl half-filled with water — representing the four elements — which sits atop a round table in the center of the tipi. The bowl is rimmed with various, colorful stones — some polished and shiny, others rough and jagged. A woven, brightly colored tapestry drapes over a small bed on the other side of the tipi.

Gómez is an energy healer. She sits quietly across from me, listening with her inviting blue eyes; her presence takes in everything I tell her about my feelings of stress and anxiety as my healing session begins.

I lie down on the bed relaxing into a

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savasana pose. I close my eyes and focus on my breath. Gómez begins her work. I feel an immediate lightness over my entire body.

For the next two hours, Gómez ritualistically identifies and removes blockages in my energy system, cleansing my chakras and guiding me through my own powerful healing journey.

Since she was a child, Gómez knew she had a connection to the spiritual world, but growing up outside of Chicago didn’t help her understand what she felt or saw — disincarnated souls and spirit guides are not common in our social milieu.

But, everything changed for Gómez while studying abroad in Senegal and living with a family who taught her that spirits, ancestors and souls coexist in the world alongside us influencing our everyday lives. “I had an amazing experience that opened my eyes to such a different way of knowing things,”

she explains. Gómez felt validated and more importantly, she found her calling.

For 10 years, Gómez worked in international public health while continuing her journey to develop her inner practice. She lived in the Caribbean and held ceremonies for people seeking guidance from the spirit world, and she used her gifts to heal others.

But, after the birth of her first son, she decided to move back to the U.S. and focus on raising a family. A series of professional opportunities fell into place that brought financial stability along with a hectic schedule, and she quickly felt unbalanced.

She lost touch with her inner wisdom and stopped feeling the deep connection to the natural world that had kept her grounded for so many years.

After selling her successful company, Gómez spent months reconnecting to nature, walking barefoot in the woods and lying on

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Photos courtesy of Liz Gomez

Transforming Energy + RESTORING BALANCE

the leaves and dirt. As she describes it, “I wanted to come back to my soul and what my soul wanted to do.” She knew she wanted to work as a healer. She knew others needed to feel nourished and connected to their deepest selves as she had, and so, in 2016, she founded Ewassa — a nature-based healing space in Evergreen, Colorado.

At Ewassa, Gómez works within the healing tradition of the Q’ero shamans of Peru and the nature-based Brazilian spiritual tradition of Umbanda. Through her training, education and experience in these two traditions, she weaves together a beautiful, holistic experience for her clients where she focuses on “bringing people more into alignment with the earth,” she says. “I can’t think of a more important thing to do.”

Practicing shamanic energy medicine is a complex and multi-layered process. Gómez relates the experience gardening — first, you prepare the soil and strip away the weeds until you are left with a clean foundation to plant your seeds. At Ewassa, she

massage

guides clients through their own healing process; her feathers brush away old patterns, her stones absorb negative energies and her breathwork releases limiting beliefs.

When the baggage we carry is released, we come into balance — balance with ourselves and the natural world. That is why Gómez does what she does. She is passionate about bringing balance back to humanity. She guides people to live a harmonious life where they are healed and complete.

She believes that when we are mentally and spiritually healthy, we can step into our fullest potential and live our life’s purpose. “As

we throw off old patterns … limiting beliefs, all those things that hold us back … we naturally rise,” Gómez passionately states.

I left that night feeling somehow transformed. The sensation of being opened, exposed and raw lingered for days afterwards, and I felt that I had gained a new understanding of my own connection to the natural world. Ewassa is a place of connection to the earth where you can release and transcend what no longer serves you. +

Find Liz Gómez at ewassa.com.

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.

integrative bodywork

wellness

where the locals go ARE YOU READY TO EXPERIENCE THE BEST MASSAGE IN VAIL?

LOCALREVIVAL.COM YOGALIFELIVE.COM

15

profiles / Teachers + Leaders

Evan Soroka, YOGA THER APY FOR THE SOUL

L

ong before Evan Soroka became a widely recognized yoga therapist and took on yoga like a second skin, she was a teenager battling the detrimental effects of Type I diabetes.

Soroka was diagnosed at just 13 years old with the condition that would change the rest of her life, both in positive and negative ways. She struggled with body image and taking care of herself throughout her teenage years in Aspen. She longed to exercise, but found it increasingly difficult due to her condition. Finally, she decided to try hot yoga. While it was initially uncomfortable, she began to feel free and relaxed.

“I wasn’t burdened by diabetes or self-centeredness. I felt euphoric,” she says.

From then on, she practiced yoga as much as she could. Even when she didn’t feel like going to a class she did — and always felt better after. It helped her stay focused and healthy, but she often pushed herself too hard and sustained multiple injuries. That’s when she found yoga therapy. “I was just so hungry to learn,” she recalls of embarking on her journey to become a yoga therapist.

Yoga therapy is the specific application of yogic tools, like breathing and meditation exercises, to address an individual’s physical, mental and emotional needs. “All

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yoga is therapeutic, but not all yoga is yoga therapy,” Soroka explains. “Yoga therapy helps a person transform their practice from something vanilla to something curated.”

In a yoga therapy class, students are taught to hone in on a multi-dimensional being — physical, mental and emotional bodies. It also helps to promote self-efficacy and self-awareness. Self-awareness promotes recognition and the ability to apply practices to one’s daily life in order to experience change. Self-efficacy helps students prove to themselves that they are up for a task — the “if at first I don’t succeed, try again” mentality.

“The ‘I can do it’ becomes louder than ‘I can’t,’” she adds. Through her mastery of yoga therapy at the American Viniyoga Institute, Soroka believes her students will gain the ability to witness all the chaos, but be above it; acknowledge it, but don’t let it permeate their soul. This helps students achieve longevity and resilience, as well as becoming empowered — her main goal for students.

While yoga therapy applies to all people and their various needs, much of her teaching targets diabetes as a problem. Soroka is particularly interested in utilizing the practice of yoga and Ayurveda to focus on physiology and transcend disease. “I was teaching something that was counter to what the community

believed in, but I stuck to my guns, because it’s not the popular method,” she explains.

“I want to break the mold.”

Soroka gained the motivation to start her own private clinic in Aspen from having amazing women in her life that helped her “find her niche.” She offers online classes and oneon-one yoga therapy sessions through her company, Soroka Yoga Therapy. Her classes maintain a heavy emphasis on breathwork, as well. Guiding students through different postures and meditations helps them feel good, which is her main goal. She hopes that an experience with her is meaningful and allows students to take the gift that is yoga and embody it in their daily lives. She also teaches at O2 Aspen yoga studio.

Soroka has proven time and again that she is able to rise above life’s challenges, and she believes that all of her students have the ability to do so as well, unlocking the human potential. Rising above chronic illness, growing to create her own business and even publishing her own upcoming book, Soroka has truly come to embody the curated being yoga therapy helped her create. +

Learn more about Evan Soroka and book a session at sorokayogatherapy.com.

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photo by Alexis Ahrling Photography

by LAUREN FARRAUTO

King Yoga, SNOWMASS, COLOR ADO

YOGA, MUSIC, LIFE

by Brooke Welsh

W

hen Aaron King reflects on his journey of becoming who he is today, a music-loving yogi in the mountains of Colorado, he says the timeline begins when he was 27 years old. Then, King was working in the music industry with a company called BMG in Los Angeles, California.

In 1998, while in Los Angeles, a friend of King took him to a yoga class. “It completely shifted my whole perspective on life,” he says. Shortly after, King followed the path of yoga to the southwestern United States.

King’s roommate at the time was opening At One Yoga in Scottsdale, Arizona. Shortly after, King shares, he moved out to Scottsdale that year to complete his yoga training and started teaching. By 2000, King started teaching his own yoga classes.

“I ended up moving to Aspen in 2004 and worked at O2 for about a year and a half and then opened King Yoga,” he says. This first King Yoga studio opened in 2006, and King has had a devout follow-

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ing in the area ever since.

King likes to play jam bands like Phish or the Grateful Dead when he leads practices.

He enjoys combining his personal knowledge and passion of music into the yoga sessions.

“I had this wall of like 4,000 CDs, and, at first, when I started I would just play Krishna Das or Chakra Chance.” King says that changed when “this gentleman that came in was like ‘dude can you play something different?’ and I went home and was like ‘Oh my god, I have got like 4,000 CDs that I might as well start making playlists.’”

Yoga, music, life is King’s motto. “The yoga

is the healing space for me to deal with the struggles we all face in life and personally.

The music puts me in that zen-y, peaceful state with my friends and it’s sort of easier to live my life off my mat,” he explains.

After closing his studio and taking some time off, King has recently moved into a new space in the heart of Snowmass Base Village. The studio was set to open earlier this year, but COVID-19 inevitably created some setbacks.

“The Snowmass studio hasn’t fully opened yet because of COVID, but I have been doing projects and small invite-only classes right now,” King continues. “COVID has really made it challenging for yoga studios to make it happen.”

Adjusting to the regulations around COVID-19, King has held classes outside at the rink in Snowmass Base Village during the summer months and hopes to continue to do so.

“The Snowmass Base is awesome. What they have created up here is such a welcoming site,” he says. “It is pretty magical and special up here.”

King says he is working to have another studio, located in Aspen, open in Fall of 2020.

For now, he is using the sources he can between the great outdoors and the Internet.

“Currently, I have taught a few classes indoors, a bunch of private [sessions] this summer, thank goodness, and outdoor stuff. I have taught 120 classes online.”

King says he has been using Instagram’s live feature to hold his online classes.

“That was one shining thing that came out of COVID, reconnecting with people online,” he adds.

King also recently launched King on Demand, a subscription based platform for yogis to take classes with King online. +

king-yoga.com

The power of words and pictures has always been an important aspect in BROOKE WELSH’S life. She currently attends the University of Colorado Boulder, where she plans to graduate with a major in Journalism and a minor in Studio Art in the Spring of 2021. Brooke moved out to Colorado from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to be a part of its active environment and to be surrounded by its gorgeous topography. She is often found with her camera in hand ready to capture any moment. Brooke enjoys traveling, going to see live music and hiking through as many trails as she can.

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profiles / Studios

Nurture HOME FOR THE WHOLE HUMAN

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hat do you get when you pair 22,000 square feet, with a network of 65 different service providers, one of the only fully organic cafe concepts in Denver and a mission-driven organization lead by three powerhouse humans?

Nurture, a place where food, beauty and wellness meet.

Glasses are clinking all around, food is flying off the kitchen line and guests are buzzing with a sense of normalcy, connection and excitement at Nurture’s Sunday Service.

The sound healing has just wrapped up and the first day of brunch is in full swing. By the looks on everyone’s faces and their plates that have been licked clean, Nest Café’s Culinary Director and wholistic health practitioner Elisabeth Woodard has once again knocked her menu out of the park. All her recipes are based on functional nutrition, skipping refined sugars and icky oils, made with ten ingredients or less, largely plant based and made from scratch in-house, including their baked goods.

Compassion, Quality, Community and Experience are the core values at Nurture, and once you walk through the doors these four pillars are evident everywhere. A concept

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born from the question “What does self-care mean to you?” discovered that it means a lot of different things to people: movement and fitness, clean food, mental health support, beauty routines, conscious products and affordable on-site childcare to be able to do these things were the clear winners.

The Nurture concept has been in the making for over three years, and partners Peter Strauss, Nikki Dority and Kelly Campbell have truly been put to the test in getting to this moment. Their original grand opening was set for March 23, 2020, but of course COVID-19 had other plans.

Having to come full stop just shy of their opening was heartbreaking for all involved, and yet Campbell describes the experience as one that’s she ultimately really grateful for. “It forced us to slow down and plant our roots. We were given the chance to really dig into who we are as a leadership team, lean into what our core values are and have that authentically come through for our internal community so that we could show up better for the external community once we were able to open the doors.”

Thanks to Boss Architecture, the design elements of the space create a visceral experience that is both welcoming and

eye-popping. The building was formerly Escuela Tlatelolco, a dual-language charter school, and in 2016 had its doors closed

by Denver Public Schools after 47 years of incredible service to the community. “The community was devastated. We’re really mindful of that and are working hard to make sure we’re accessible for everyone.

We have a vision of supporting our community with a new concept and honoring those who came before us and served. We want the activist legacy of Corky Gonzalez and his Escuela Tlatelolco to live on through our partnerships and programming.”

In discussing all the roadblocks that they have had to rise above in their journey to open, Peter Strauss remarks that as a team their challenge tolerance is through the roof, but that’s also what’s made their partnership so strong.

When asked about the essence of Nurture, Strauss responded: “We’re humans, we’re messy. We all have our issues, we all have our struggles and we all need to be supported in our self-care. Sometimes it looks like going to a fitness class, other times it looks like getting your hair done and often it looks like talking with people who can support you in your journey. Nur-

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Logo by Jeff Trodahl

By Shenna Jean

THE

PRACTICe

ture is more than just a place; it’s a platform to hold space for people and their self-care, to address tough issues with love and a community where you can be autonomous yet connected.”

The Nurture collective is made up of over 65 service providers, ranging from chiropractors and massage therapists to Reiki healers and transition coaches. Fitness and movement options are covered with everything from spin classes by Rhythm Revolution to restorative yoga. Pampering is always an option at Dew, the organic hair salon along with several medical aesthetic options down the hall from the Herbalism Roots Apothecary. Visitors can even scratch their retail therapy itch by shopping along the first floor at a plant shop, CBD store and more. +

Check out visitnurture.com to see the many ways this space will welcome you with open arms and provide you with services, programs, products and people to help you take the best care of yourself, however you choose to define that.

SHENNA JEAN is a Vision Advisor that helps individuals and teams shift mindsets, align with a vision, and create a strategy to step into their full potential. She is the host of the @makeonedayhappen podcast, which is designed to educate, inspire and empower people towards making their one day happen. Based in Denver, Colorado, Shenna spends her free time eating tacos, drinking rosé, reading personal development books and getting outside to play.

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Online Classes + Workshops with YOGA + Life® Get moving with live and on-demand movement and mindfulness classes with YOGA + Life® team members and friends from around the world! This platform offers a wide-variety of classes and workshops to support well-being and inspired living every day, any time, anywhere.

yogalifelive.com/thepractice

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lifestyle / Books

Rise Up, Sing and Be Free By author and storyteller Dylan Pritchett Illustrations by Lisa J. Hancock review by Sandy Ferguson Fuller

W

hen author Dylan Pritchett crafted a brief story a few years ago about a special little blackbird and a boy, he wasn’t intending to create a symbolic work to reflect our current times; nor could he have predicted a pandemic and the deep stirrings of racial prejudice, unrest and violence that would surface just as his picture book released this past summer.

Yet today, Yellow-Speckled Blackbird speaks to all ages. If there ever was a time to put aside selfish motives, practice patience and understanding, help spread hope and compassion, honor differences, share beauty, rise up, sing and be free … it is now.

When young Calvin hears a song and spots the yellow-speckled baby blackbird outside his window, he wants to capture her all for himself. But, Bird flies away. She returns the next morning, and Calvin marvels at her melodic voice and delicate feathers.

Bird flies away again, only to return. Calvin decides to capture the bird and place her in

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a cage. Bird becomes silent and still and will not eat or drink. After time, Calvin knows that he must set Bird free to save her life and to share her gifts with others. Happily, she rises up singing and flies away. Bird is free! But, she will always visit the boy who honors her.

What inspired Pritchett to choose these characters and plot? “I like birds for some reason. During my dreams, I often will myself to just leap up and begin to fly,” he shares. Pritchett also values freedom, acceptance and respect for others as important themes in his writing.

Pritchett realizes the relevance of the simple message offered in Yellow-Speckled Blackbird. Below, he shares more personal thoughts about racial injustice, changing public attitudes and living as a Black man in our country, as well as what he believes is the greatest obstacle to permanent change: “We, as a nation, have not defined ‘freedom’ nor figured out equality,” he says. “We throw that word around quite easily, but

Dylan Pritchett is a native of Williamsburg, Virginia. A professional storyteller and author, he shares his ancestry and heritage through his folktales on the stage, in museums, art centers, historical sites and books. He served as president of the National Association of Black Storytellers. He is proudest of his family and two grown children.

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

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Photos courtesy of Dylan Pritchett

"YELLOW-SPECKLED BLACKBIRD"

you’ll hear different meanings.”

In Yellow-Speckled Blackbird, Calvin hadn’t thought about Bird’s freedom, only his own desire to hear her sing. Eventually, he realizes that he was taking away her freedom for his gain, just as we are now realizing the effects of decades/centuries of what many have lost for the gain of others.

Thoughts on how to rise above these obstacles: • Time, listening and most of all empathy are required. Not sympathy, because no one wants to be felt sorry for. It is then we can find common ground and common sense.

• As negative social injustices continue to occur, we can become wiser to identify, label and continue to correct them.

Hopefully a new generation will have the energy to keep up the fight.

• Your spirits will lift as you turn the page to the final magnificent illustration in Yellow-Speckled Blackbird. Bird soars to the sky. Free, at last, to rise and sing. +

“A BITE OF BOULDER”

Cookbook Serves Local Restaurants + Inspires Foodies Everywhere review by kim Fuller

Photo by Christina Kiffney, courtesy of First Bite

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essica Benjamin believes food is love. As a Boulder-based foodie, event producer and mother of two, Benjamin saw how hard restaurants have been hit by the global pandemic, inspiring a generous project born straight from her heart.

She is the producer of First Bite, an annual event highlighting Boulder County's dining scene, and decided to create a cookbook in lieu of First Bite’s Boulder Country Restaurant Week this year. The robust effort of creativity and collaboration has already created a buzz, inviting diners from all over the state and beyond to rally around Boulder County restaurants.

A Bite of Boulder cookbook was released this past November. Jaunt Media Collective, the media company behind YOGA + Life Magazines and Spoke+Blossom Magazine, worked with Benjamin as the publisher on this exciting project.

“The real goal of ‘First Bite’ — the reason we host a restaurant week — is to create and strengthen community, to deepen the connection between restaurants and their customers,” Benjamin says. “This year, since we couldn’t offer a traditional restaurant week, yet restaurants need our support now more than ever, we came up with the idea of a cookbook to connect people with restaurants they love or haven’t tried yet – all while giving back to the eateries. A Bite of Boulder honors local chefs and restaurants, and celebrates some of their most popular and beloved dishes to date, allowing home cooks to make these dishes for their loved ones.”

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Over 40 recipes of appetizers, entrees, sides desserts and cocktails are photographed by Christina Kiffney. Recipes include OAK at Fourteenth’s famous kale salad, Santo’s unforgettable red chili pozole, Colorado-inspired cactus and corn fritters from Zolo Grill and Chimera Ramen’s smashed cucumber dish.

In collaboration with Society Insurance and Downtown Boulder Partnership, each of the 30 participating restaurants received 25 complimentary copies of the book. At least 50 percent of the proceeds from book sales have been split evenly between all participating restaurants.

“Food truly is love, so dig in at home, share favorites with friends and celebrate Boulder in a delicious new way,” Benjamin says. +

A Bite of Boulder is available online on the First Bite website. Books, priced at $29.99, are also available to purchase from participating restaurants and with local Boulder stores, including Cured, Savory Spice and the Boulder Book Store.

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lifestyle / Art

S

hannon Galpin is making sure Colorado mountain towns remember Black Lives Matter.

The global women's rights activist, artist, explorer and author is the lead behind Frisco’s Black Lives Matter mural, a street display comprised of 16 letters and measuring 20-feet tall, spanning an entire downtown block across two lanes. Here, Galpin shares what it means to rise up and create change.

ABOUT SHANNON GALPIN Age: 45 Family: Daughter, Devon Galpin Clarke, 15 Roots: Born in Minneapolis, raised in North Dakota, moved to Summit County in 2003

with Purpose Activist Shannon Galpin Invites Us to Combat Apathy interview By Lisa Blake

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HOW CAN WE SPARK CHANGE WITH THE BLM MOVEMENT? We cannot allow ourselves to become apathetic, tired and distracted. We need to remember that this is a 400-year struggle, and that if we, as white people, are tired, imagine how Black people feel. We need to

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Photos Courtesy SHANNON GALPIN

PAINTING

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO INITIATE THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MURAL IN FRISCO? I have worked in social justice and human rights for over a decade, and much of my work has been supported by the outdoor industry. I have been aware of and been part of the conversations around systemic racism in the outdoor industry and how racism is interwoven in the outdoors themselves, but these are not conversations that our mountain communities are having despite being the communities where people from all over the world come to play.

Living in Summit County as a white person, you are hyper-aware of the quintessential snow globe we live in. People move here to recreate and play, not to have deep conversations about social justice. But, we do not live apart from the rest of the country, and our community is not made up of only white people. We are a diverse community of Hispanic, Latinx, Black, Middle Eastern, Native American and new refugees from African nations living amongst us. I wanted our community to stand in solidarity with the civil rights movement of our generation and to do it in a way that acknowledged the systemic racism in the outdoors.

keep attention on what Black Lives Matter is and not let it get twisted by the media, violence at protests, apathy and boredom.

Black Lives Matter is a three-word slogan that represents the civil rights movement that Angela Davis, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman and thousands of other Black activists have stood up for and millions of other Black lives have fought for.

Photo by Tom Elliott

IN OUR SOMEWHAT OF A SMALL MOUNTAIN BUBBLE, HOW CAN WE FEEL THE BIGGER FIGHT FOR JUSTICE? If you want to FEEL what is happening, go to the Barney Ford Museum in Breckenridge to learn the history of an escaped slave who became one of the wealthiest men in Colorado, a civil rights pioneer who is a member of the Colorado Black Hall of Fame and has a stained-glass portrait in the Colorado State Capitol building. His story is fascinating; as an escaped slave, he was aided by the Underground Railroad, but he soon became more well traveled than most people today, traveling around South America’s southernmost tip of Cape Horn and opening a hotel in Nicaragua.

HOW CAN WE ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Vote. Vote down the ballot by researching who is running for every position. We have a diverse group of people running for elected office — know who they are and what they stand for. Being a Democrat doesn’t make

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you progressive. Who is speaking up in support for immigrant rights, civil rights, refugee rights? Who is talking about diversity, inclusion and representation for policy and actually understands what those words mean when they use them? Speak up with letters to the editor in support of those you believe in. Engage with your school board for more inclusive and representative history, civics and literature all year round, not just during Black History Month. Make sure that those around you, family, friends, colleagues are moving past ‘reading and learning’ and become anti-racist in their daily actions.

TIPS TO PARENTS RAISING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ACTIVISTS? Be honest with your children. It is never too early to talk about these things. The easiest place to start is to look at your toddler’s bookshelf. If you are white, is your bookshelf filled with books with only white kids? Is there diversity in the faces your child sees? Take your kids to places

that they will see kids that do not just look like them. Summit County is not all white. Buy your groceries or your meat from the Mexican carniceria and practice your Spanish, or go to Denver and Google Black-owned restaurants and businesses to help support Black economy. Go to protests; go to Five Points festivals; go to CRUSH Walls street art festival to see murals being created by artists from across the country; engage your kids in activities that are not just mountain sports.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU ON THE SOCIAL JUSTICE JOURNEY? My daughter Devon and I have an organization, Endangered Activism, which is focused on climate justice. We just installed a street art mural in Silverthorne, and we are working on a documentary short about the power of street art and activism based upon the field research we did together in multiple countries and the street art project that followed with Mexican artist Diana Garcia. +

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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lifestyle / CO Community

A

WELLNESS CENTERS + SPAS Rise Up

by Wendy Wilkinson

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SunWater Spa 514 El Paso Blvd., Manitou Springs, CO 719.695.7007

Glenwood Hot Springs is an expansive wellness and relaxation resort and takes the well-being of their guests seriously. Masks are mandatory and must be worn in all public areas with the exception of those actively swimming. Day admission for the pool is on a first-come first-serve basis and no re-en-

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photo courtesy of SunWater Spa

COLORADO

s Colorado and the country continue to navigate through this unprecedented time, wellness centers and spas have risen up responsibly to implement new safety measures based on guidance from health authorities, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other appropriate government agencies.

The following four wellness centers and spas have put very careful thought into what is necessary, yet still enjoyable and relaxing, to provide a safe and comfortable environment for everyone.

With a focus on health and wellness for employees and guests, Manitou Springs’ SunWater Spa has reopened with new procedures in place to protect the community.

Celebrating their fifth anniversary, the spa is open with reservations only from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (last booking at 7 p.m.), Tuesday through Sunday; masks will be required as well as social distancing.

Soaking times in SunWater’s eight personal hot mineral water tubs will be limited to 90 minutes, with cleaning and sanitizing after each soak. There will also be a new blueprint for yoga and other fitness classes which are outlined on the website. SunWater will be offering limited massages and other body work, however lockers will not be open for use, and guests are asked to bring their own water bottles, slippers/robes and reusable sacks or bags.

“SunWater is also uniquely configured to follow social distance protocols, as all our outdoor personal pool tubs are at least six feet apart, and soaking is limited to four people who are in the same group,” explains Kat Tudor, SunWater co-founder and creative director. “We also hold yoga classes in the open air as our big studio has large garage-door style windows, which open from floor to ceiling, allowing fresh air and circulating air flow.”

try will be allowed in order to precisely manage and monitor the number of guests in the pool, and is also marked with 6-foot social distancing markers. A special grab-and-grow breakfast is available for those staying at the resort.

If you are coming to Glenwood for a true wellness experience, then their wellness package may be for you. It includes a room discount, upgrade to their full-service athletic club, with amenities such as a wet lounge with steam room, sauna and whirlpool, men’s and women’s locker room facilities, cardio exercise equipment and weights, and racquetball/handball courts.

Glenwood Hot Springs Resort 401 N. River St., Glenwood Springs, CO • 970.947.2955

Life Essentials Day Spa in Steamboat Springs has a very unique philosophy on the current health crisis and quarantine. As coined on their website, “Please take all the precautions necessary to stay safe during this pandemic. Wash your hands, practice social distancing, rest, hydrate and muse. You may be doing your greatest work during this worldwide time out.”

If you decide to venture out, Life Essentials offers several unique and popular spa packages including the 90-minute Earth Package, the Water Package with a 60-minute balancing massage and 60-minute progenerate facial, and the Alpen Glow featuring a 60-minute sugar glow scrub.

Life Essentials Day Spa 345 Lincoln Ave. #107, Steamboat Springs, CO • 970.871.9543

Within the five-star resort, The Spa at The Broadmoor also has strict protocols in place and the “best practices will continue to be refined to ensure guest and employee safety moving forward,” as stated on their website. Technicians must wear masks at all times within body treatment rooms and during appropriate services. Phone reservations are required, with email itineraries available.

The Spa is moving forward with their ninth annual Weekend of Wellness, “Elements of Healthy Living,” from March 12 - 15, 2021. Attendees will learn about wellness activities and how to be more efficient and effective by focusing in new ways. The keynote speaker Shannon Happe Bahrke was born and raised in Lake Tahoe, California and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1998 to pursue her dreams of making the U.S. Ski Team. Shannon competed in six World Championship Teams, three Olympic games and brought home two Olympic medals.

The Spa at The Broadmoor 1 Lake Ave., Colorado Springs • 719.577.5770

WENDY WILKINSON has been a writer and publicist in the celebrity/lifestyle worlds for more than 25 years. Her work has been published in many national and regional publications including the Los Angeles Times, Colorado Living Well, Cowboys & Indians, and Fit and Fit Yoga. As an author she co-wrote Parents at Last, Celebrating Adoption and the New Pathways to Parenthood, People We Know, Horses They Love, with cover Robert Redford, and Morgan Freeman & Friends, Caribbean Cooking for a Cause.

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lifestyle / CO Escapes

Garden of the Gods

Enjoy a Holistic Wellness Getaway in Colorado Springs by kim fuller

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photo courtesy of Garden of the Gods Resort and Club

INTEGRATED VITALITY AT

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ravel looks and feels quite a bit different this year. As the world continues to navigate the global pandemic, many plane rides have been switched to road trips, while itineraries in a new location seem to have a larger focus on overall balance and well-being.

Health, immunity and safety are elements of daily living that have never been more crucial for every individual to cultivate.

On our most recent visit to Garden of the Gods Resort and Club this past fall, I was reminded how this property checks all the boxes for a true experience of wellness.

Located in Colorado Springs and set among expansive vistas of the towering Pikes Peak and awe-inspiring Garden of the Gods National Natural Landmark, the luxury property truly caters to restoration and renewal.

Accommodation options range from the resort’s 116 rooms and suites within its hotel, along with cottages and casitas, including one- to three-bedroom suites, many with private patios that offer stunning views of Garden of the Gods Park.

In addition to a full fitness center and daily class offerings, dining venues with a magnificent view and a swoon-worthy infinity pool, STRATA Integrated Wellness Spa is on property to offer guests and club members thoughtful spa treatments and integrative medical practices.

STRATA is continuing the legacy of this Colorado region as a century-old wellness destination. Board-certified physicians and a talented team of therapists offer clients a dynamic combination of advanced clinical practices, naturopathy, nutrition, fitness and other wellness services.

programs on nutrition, fitness, meditation and mindfulness that provide guests with a fresh perspective.

I started with an Energy Healing Session on the medical floor, then headed upstairs to the spa for a Aypa Energy Body Therapy treatment. After a busy week of work and travel, I was finally able to feel full relaxation as my nervous system slowly began to release tension and invite in some space.

It was easy to see how personalized processes and tailored wellness programs can help individuals achieve peak wellness through realms of physical, emotional, intellectual, social, environmental and spiritual health.

One of the most unique and valuable experiences I had at STRATA this visit was an appointment to “decode” my DNA with Dr. Carly Powell. Dr. Powell is a naturopathic doctor, and through the raw DNA information provided by 23andMe, she was able to pull information and walk me through an optional path of health, specific to me and my DNA. I learned what vitamins and minerals I have a hard time absorbing and balancing, what supplements, nutrition and practices can help, and ultimately created a three-

step detoxification process to bring me to my top wellness from the inside-out. This session and many others are also offered through STRATA virtually though remote teleWELL appointments.

While the world is changing so rapidly and we’re asked to be flexible and resilient in every move we make, I appreciate a resort destination that truly puts well-being first. A visit to STRATA for the day or a full getaway at the Garden of the Gods is a clear reminder that we can take better care of ourselves through daily steps of wellness and vitality. +

photo courtesy of Garden of the Gods Resort and Club

TAKE A SPA DAY + DECODE YOUR DNA After a morning yoga class and a dip in the infinity pool, head over to the spa at STRATA featuring nine treatment rooms, an Austrian weightless environment bed, a salt inhalation room for halotherapy and an herbal sauna.

A visit to STRATA is a chance to restore balance in the mind, body and spirit, and wellness membership opportunities mean this can become a lifestyle option as well.

The spa menu pairs seamlessly with the array of Western and Eastern medical science modalities available, along with

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lifestyle / CO Escapes

PLAY + CONNECT AT

Everland

Sedalia, Colorado

By lexi reich

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photos courtesy of jeff jones

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ocated 50 minutes southwest of Denver lies a new eco retreat and immersive art park mecca called Everland.

In the summer of 2020, Everland Eco Retreat & Immersive Art Park opened on 145acres of land surrounded by national forests.

Founder and CEO Jonny Jenkins wanted the space to be a grounded center that can be utilized for health, wellness and authentic connections for generations to come.

“All artists can come out and create in this collaboratively made trail network,” Jenkins explains. “There’s lots of opportunities for wellness. Many of us feel that as soon as we can connect and find our own voice and our highest alignment, we enter this genius, the inner visionary.”

Most notable of their offerings is the intricately designed retreat space that paves access to experiential hiking paths, nature

nooks, yoga decks and more. Wellness and spiritual leaders can enjoy hosting “Rejuvenate With Us” day-retreats or weekend stays at Everland to ramp up their offerings in a unique setting.

A day at Everland can look like flowing through a fresh yoga class in the morning, followed by a picnic lunch and tour of the land and then a second group session, which varies from nature walks with tinctures, sound healing or back on the mat for a yoga fusion class.

“Everland is able to run retreats through a partnership with our non-profit sister spiritual organization, Sanctuary of the Inner Compass, which is all about connecting to nature, each other and ourselves through art and service as a spiritual practice,” says Sophie Howell, program director.

Co-creation is at the heart of Everland.

“When you invite others to be a part of the creation, there is a deep level of connection. It inspires me,” Jenkins shares. Guests

at Everland are encouraged to share their inner gifts and exchange passions in the ever-evolving environment.

This winter and spring, a variety of retreats are scheduled, including a musical retreat with Yaima, among others.

In response to COVID, the Everland team is rising up. Their core mission is to offer artists who are out of work a chance to create on a blank canvas and collaborate on new projects at Everland. Plus, they are offering scholarships to local BIQPOC (Black, Indigenous, Queer and People Of Color) artists and guests looking to contribute to or experience Everland’s mission.

One of the artists who was funded

by Everland’s Kickstarter campaign is Tigre Bailando, a genderqueer person of color whose art pieces have appeared in Burning Man and Electric Forest, among others. They are an experiential artist and will create an art sculpture for Everland that represents animal spirits and folklore.

The immersive art park will officially open this spring.

Additionally, this spring, each of Everland’s artists will have the opportunity to offer a spot for a BIQPOC artist to apprentice during their art installation. The goal for the program is to “build and empower and equip a passionate student with the skills, confidence and know-how to begin to change the landscape of festival and outdoor culture to be more inclusive of many voices,” Howell says. “Everland will then offer a 3,333-dollar grant to these students to create one large-scale sculpture together to install at the art park once they have completed their apprenticeship.”

Everland is leading the way for retreat spaces to reach beyond the traditional.

Their transcendental experience is a musttry this upcoming season. + +

Learn more at everland.co.

jaunt /jônt/ noun a journey for pleasure.

Jaunt works with a collective of professionals to connect you to the creative services you need in design, public relations, writing, editing, publishing, brand management + web development.

jauntmediacollective.com

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lifestyle / Travel

TAKE A ROAD TRIP

Photos courtesy of Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office

Greater Zion, Utah

by kim fuller

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Photos courtesy of The Advenire

ne way to find some space for yourself this season is a road trip to the southwest corner of Utah. Red rocks and unique desert vegetation provide a vibrant backdrop of the region known as Greater Zion — 2,400 square miles that span across the community of St. George and up through the awe-inspiring Zion National Park.

Start your trip in St. George with a stay at The Advenire, a new and beautiful hotel in the heart of historic downtown. Modern design meets small-town hospitality with this stunning property, and the onsite restaurant Wood. Ash. Rye. adds to The Advenire’s high-level of quality and overall charm.

St. George is known for its sunny weather and access to a variety of outdoor pursuits.

Todd Goss owns and operates Paragon Adventures in the area and helps visitors access outdoor recreation in St. George.

“We can offer a variety of different activities over the course of a half day to full day or multiple days,” shares Goss. “We love to help people have an expanded sense of what they’re capable of.”

Connect with Paragon Adventures before you arrive in St. George, so you can hit the ground running on day one.

Once you fuel up with breakfast at Wood. Ash. Rye., head out with Goss or another guide from Paragon for a day of mountain biking, rock climbing or zip lining. Paragon can provide gear if needed, and if you want to really use their knowledge and expertise, ask about some of their more remote experiences.

"I’m going to take you somewhere and you’re not going to see another human being all day,” says Goss. "People don’t get that anymore.”

Quench your thirst after a full day of sweat and sunshine at Station 2 Bar by Zion Brewery, located across the street from The Advenire. For dinner, walk over to George’s Corner and take in some nostalgia from historic images hanging throughout the restaurant and be sure to try the fried chicken.

ROAD TO ZION Continue your travels the next day with a few hours in Snow Canyon State Park.

Many of the hikes are relatively short and you could do a few in one morning, including Scout Cave and Jenny’s Canyon.

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Grab a light breakfast and beverage before heading to the park at Feel Love Coffee, a short drive from The Advenire.

Be sure to work up an appetite on your morning adventures, so you can drive to Kayenta Art Village and sit outside for salmon tacos and a specialty lemonade at Xetava Garden Café. Meander through art studios and shops after your meal before you hit the road toward Springdale.

If you need an afternoon pick-me-up on your drive, stop at River Rock Roasting Company in La Verkin for a coffee overlooking awesome canyon views on the back patio.

As with most towns bordering National Parks, Springdale is bustling with shops, restaurants and visitors. Stay at Cable Mountain Lodge to be right in the mix, while still having a spacious hotel room or suite with excellent views of Zion National Park’s entrance and surroundings, along with full amenities and dining options.

For a more remote-style stay, Lazalu on Kolob Terrace Road is a 40-minute drive from Springdale on the western edge of the park. Lazalu was an artist retreat for 20 years and now welcomes guests. Reserving the property is ideal for retreats, adventur-

ers, backpackers, canyoneers and small destination weddings. There are only two rental houses on the property with a total number of up to eight guests — Zion Guest House sleeps up to six and the Adobe Suite sleeps two.

Be sure to grab your park pass at a visitor’s center when you arrive in the area late-afternoon, that way you can get going bright and early the next morning. Get a map and plan a hike in the Kolob Terrace entrance of Zion National Park (Hop Valley Trail and Wildcat Canyon Trail are good options) before you head back through Springdale and into the more popular Zion Canyon in the afternoon.

As another adventurous option, many local outfitters offer guided canyoneering in the area, which provides a special perspective of the breathtaking geography of Zion.

Your drive back home can be filled with many other adventures, all the way up through Bryce Canyon National Park if you choose to make a detour. What’s readily apparent throughout travels in the Greater Zion area is that one visit is never enough to see it all, and that’s why we’re lucky that it’s only a day’s drive away. + +

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Photos by Gina Spinelli Photography

lifestyle / Travel

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Tulum:

All Signs Point to Lean In

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he black snake and blue crab froze on the path in front of me.

All three of us were briefly paralyzed with indecision on which way to go so we could get ourselves out of this awkward situation. Luckily, we all picked a separate path to escape to safety, and it was then that I finally surrendered to the magic of Tulum.

Scientists think the giant asteroid that hit Earth and took out the dinosaurs landed near present day Tulum, which is a possible reason for it being deemed an “energy vortex.” Places around the world like Sedona, Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Egypt, to name a few, are known to have a special healing energy to them thanks to an intersection of ley lines (random lines of natural energy that help make up the earth’s electromagnetic field). I wasn’t aware of any of this before booking the trip, but a lot like Joshua Tree, California which is also known as an energy vortex, there is an undeniable vibe as soon as you arrive.

I give the Mayans most of the credit for making Tulum such a special place. The Tulum Ruins that sit along the cliffside of the ocean are jaw dropping. Sian Ka’an is a protected coastal jungle park that makes you feel like you’ve been dropped off at the gates of Jurassic Park. If adventures are your thing, there are over 6,000 stunning underground rivers and sinkholes called cenotes (where Mayans reportedly held sacred rituals) in the area to explore.

Thanks to the historic and healing energy of Tulum it’s created quite a scene: trendsetters in the worlds of art, food, wellness and design have traveled and relocated here to leave their mark on this special place. Tulum has become a mini eco-conscious epicenter in Mexico for wellness retreats, foodie adventures, intimate music events and more. While normally food, yoga, music and art scenes are what I revel in most, I knew that it wasn’t really what my journey to Tulum was about.

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I had arrived in Tulum four days earlier on what I called my “eat/pray/love/work trip.”

I was fresh off the heels of my divorce and had just relocated to the city after living in the mountains for the better part of a decade. COVID-19 provided an unexpected pause in work; I wasn’t ready to commit to a housing situation yet, and I knew I was in dire need of a mental health break. I needed some time and space to myself so that I could realign, refocus and dig deep to uproot some patterns I was tired of repeating.

Driving from the airport in Cancún along the highway we passed a sign that read, “You Can’t Take It With You” in English, and I swiveled around to make sure I had seen it correctly. After an hour or so we rounded the corner and the Caribbean Sea came into view next to a yellow road sign reminding travelers to “Embrace the Mystery.” As we pulled up to my hotel a few more miles down the road, a green street sign said “Follow Your Dream,” and I officially decided that I had made the right choice for my eat/pray/love/work getaway, and I would have to snag a few polaroid’s of these signs as mementos.

Full disclosure: the first four days were awful. July is a tough time to visit Mexico, unless mosquitos, extreme heat and humidity are your thing. And, those mental patterns I mentioned earlier came screaming to the surface as soon as I put my suitcase down next to the gecko in my room, who I later named Gary.

Pair extremely uncomfortable physical conditions with extremely uncomfortable mental conditions and you get a worldclass lesson in getting comfortable being uncomfortable.

Back to the snake and crab: I encountered my new friends on the grounds of the Mayan Clay Spa, which had just provided a life changing massage experience. Seriously, it’s a must do; the sea salt rosemary scrub is the best antidote to mosquito bites,

the golden detoxifying Mayan clay used from tip to toe during the massage is other worldly, and Santos’ painfully pleasant pressure techniques create a mind melting euphoria when all blended together.

I returned to my room after the massage, my body buzzing with a prana I’ve never felt; my mind confidently shifted from the experience and with a burning curiosity to know what the animal symbolism for snakes and crabs might be.

Me: “snake animal spirit totem” Google: “The snake as a spirit animal can be to provide guidance about life changes and transitions, whether they are happening at the physical, emotional or spiritual level.”

Me: “Creepy and accurate, ok Google.”

Me: “crab animal spirit totem” Google: “Crab teaches how to hold on tight when you're feeling insecure and to sidestep obstacles with grace.”

Me: “Hmm. Well Google, now this just feels personal.”

I spent the rest of the trip humbled, in awe of the string of seemingly coincidental signs and events that had led me to this paradise in the middle of a pandemic to unpack my patterns.

I made the choice to let go of the resistance and lean in. I leaned into the discomfort of the heat, bugs and morning runs in 100 percent humidity. I leaned into the uncomfortable process of dismantling my codependent thought patterns, anxious attachment tendencies and white supremist programming. I leaned into loving my inner child and shadow. I also leaned into tacos to keep me sane.

And the signs showing me I was on the right path kept coming, in the form of scorpions, dragonflies and sunsets, people I was destined to meet and of course, more clever road signs.

It wasn’t until two months after I returned home and hung my polaroid of Tulum street signs up that I realized I had been chas-

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lifestyle / Travel

ing down the work of one of my favorite artists Olivia Steele, who traditionally works with neon. I learned that a few years back she brought her Burning Man PDA: Public Display of Awareness installation to Tulum to give it a permanent home. Well played universe, still dropping signs from Tulum that I’m on the right path two months later.

The world needs us now more than ever to find our centers, to show up as best as we can for each other and to work to make this a better place for everyone.

The universe is always providing signs about the path we are on — the question is, what kind of signs are you looking for? Are you looking for signs that support what’s not really working for you? Or are you willing to lean into the discomfort of looking for new signs down an unknown path?

Despite all its magic, Tulum doesn’t have all the answers unless you’re willing to go inside and find them for yourself. And if you’re given the opportunity to visit Tulum, I’d say that all signs point to yes. +

TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TRIP: • Please be respectful of any local community that you travel to (always) and especially in the times of COVID-19. Bring your mask and wear it to show respect and gratitude to any country and its people that are willing to take Americans.

• Book your trip anywhere from October to April (high season) for the best weather and highest chance of everything being open.

• Bring bug spray, or more importantly a Lost Range Lavender CBD roller which quite literally saved me from scratching myself to death.

• If you’re thinking about an extended digital nomad style trip where you’ll be working and playing, check out Outsite (outsite.co) for a co-working/co-living experience that gives you strong & steady Wifi + a community to plug into when you arrive.

• If you’re looking for more of a resort stay, check out Delek or Nomade. If authentic Mexico is what you’re after, there are some great options on Airbnb in the pueblo of Tulum.

• Leave your hair tools at home; Tulum is run on solar power generators and you’ll shut down the town if you try to plug in your hair dryer.

• Do more research than I did! Between the overwhelming number of cenotes and incredible food scene, I barely scratched the surface during my extended stay. There is a LOT to do here and having a game plan will help you make the most of it.

• TACOS: My favorites were dining with rock stars at La Eufemia on the beach and in town hit up Taqueria Honorio.

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.

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

THE LONG

road home by julia clarke

Photo by julia clarke

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arly on a Sunday morning, I make my way up the steep grassy trail towards the peak of Beinn Dubh, a mountain in the west of Scotland that rises up from the banks of breathtaking Loch Lomond to reach 3,200 feet. It’s one of those rare, brilliant, sunny days where the piercing blue sky almost hurts your eyes and Scots of all shapes and sizes shake off the Saturday night cobwebs and hit the outdoors. Behind me, the glassy island-studded waters of the tranquil lake shrink out of view as I climb to the summit, where I find a layered panorama of jagged peaks contrasted against lush, green valleys dotted with white farmhouses. I sit for lunch facing southwest and imagine I can see the western shoreline behind the mountains (less than 30 miles as the crow flies), the whisky making island of Islay and, beyond it, four thousand miles of shimmering Atlantic Ocean that I recently crossed to come home.

For years, I’ve thought the most important thing in life is to travel. See how other people live, eat their food and you’ll walk in their shoes. But, if yoga and Ayurveda have taught me anything, it’s that a balanced life is really about the integration of opposites. This central theme is like a mantra that repeats throughout every yogic teaching, from the ubiquitous rooting down to rise up we hammer home in every hatha yoga class to the concept of Vishesha in Ayurveda that teaches of balancing hot with cold, dry with oily and so on. Just look at any structure in nature and you’ll see that life grows both up and down.

What I suddenly realize on this mountain top

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is that there’s no salve for the weary traveler’s soul quite like coming home.

I come from a long line of itinerants who tried and failed to get to America. On my mother’s side, grandpa Vincenzo, who stopped off in Scotland on his long voyage from Italy to America, met a Scottish lass and never left. On my father’s side, family passport photos are the only proof of the O’Rourke family’s unrealized dream of immigrating from rural Ireland westward for a better life. I was the only one who ever made it.

In January 2001, I touched down in Kansas City from Edinburgh for a semester abroad to study journalism. I’ll never forget the outlandishness of the featureless Midwestern plain on that first day, a shocking sight to my cosmopolitan sensibilities. If I could ask that jet lagged younger version of me now if she thought she’d make a life there, she’d have laughed and said “no way.” But, six months became three years, and an unexpected career as a radio presenter took me to Vermont, then Boston. It was when I was working as a music promoter in New York City that wanderlust got the better

of me again, and I found myself heading west to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where I spent 11 years teaching yoga and sitting on top of peaks much like this one, but looking east, in the direction of home.

As the years passed, I became American to my friends in Scotland, and remained Scottish to my American pals. This phenomenon has been coined “bicultural straddling,” and it basically means you end up creating two different personas as part of the adjustment process. I am two people; or at least, one person straddling two separate lives. The sense of internal division became amplified by growing homesickness that couldn’t be cured by annual flying visits. I ached for my family and friends, the fierce patriotism and self-deprecating humor that we’ve developed to survive centuries of living under the hard thumb of British rule, the endless greenery, the passionate political debates in the pub, the traditional music we use to tell stories, the spontaneous dancing in the streets, the sharp wit and side splitting banter, the rain, the rain, the rain. I’d forgotten to apply the key teaching of yoga to a major area of my life: what leaves, must return.

So, I returned. And I’ll go back when the relentless rain becomes too much to bear.

And when the dry air of Colorado makes my skin parched and my body thirst for a fine rolling mist, I’ll come home again. It’s called balance.

A few days after my hike, I’m eating lunch in an Italian cafe in my hometown of Glasgow, a cultural melting pot where tradition meets innovation and culture meets nature. Next to me a group of Chinese students alternate between chatting in Mandarin and breaking out in the song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver.

I’m seized by the perfection of the moment, the collision of the places I’ve called home and the shores I’ve yet to explore. I close my eyes and the whole world looks like home, for a time. +

JULIA CLARKE is a writer, yoga teacher and Maharishi AyurVeda practitioner who splits her time between the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and her native country Scotland. She the author of the book “Restorative Yoga for Beginners.” Learn more at juliaclarkeyoga.com

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lifestyle / What We Love 3 1

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1. AO X CIELE from Article One Eyewear Article One and Ciele Athletics worked together on these to create a modern look that takes inspiration from late 70s and early 80s athletic style. The GTGlass frames are made in Italy to be durable and lightweight. The frames include Divel, Italian-made, polarized lenses that block all UVA/UVB rays. $275 articleoneeyewear.com 2. Rumpl x Loki: The Travel Dog Bed The perfect bed for your furry friend that is built for travel and outdoor adventure. YOGA + Life’s favorite dog is our 16-year-old Maltese, Jack, and he is extremely picky with what he chooses to lay on. He helped unpack The Travel Dog Bed and once it was inflated and zipped, he immediately started to make his bed by digging in circles and didn’t leave the bed for the rest of the day. The Travel Dog Bed is easy to take anywhere and has the durability we have come to expect from Rumpl. $249 rumpl.com

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3. Amundsen Sports Harvester Overshirt This jacket is as fashionable as it is functional.

The water-resistant stretch corduroy from France allows plenty of movement while keeping you dry in the elements, and the Italian wool fleece liner is sure to keep you warm on colder days. $399 amundsensports.com 4. Cotopaxi Teca Cotton Face Mask Add some pops of color to your day with this face mask that comes in five different options and 10 different color combinations. Each is reversible and made using surplus fabric, ensuing that perfectly good materials stay out of the landfill. $13 cotopaxi.com 5. Blundstone Classic 550 Boots The rugged quality of these boots is as pronounced as their timeless style. These are durable, comfortable and offer impressed shock absorption, so you can be on your feet all day and won’t even notice. $199.95 blundstone.com

6. Patagonia Provisions Organic Spices Get ready to spice up your pantry with this new collection of organic spices from Patagonia Provisions. Organic Aji Molido, Organic Chimichurri Spice Blend and Organic Taco Seasoning Spice Blend are ideal to on-hand in the kitchen or out near the BBQ. $5 per box patagoniaprovisions.com 7. Protekt Eco-Friendly SPF30 Organic Moisturizer Say goodbye to white residue with this mineral sunscreen option. We love the tinted stick as well, and all the Protekt formulas are reef safe, using non-nano zinc oxide as the only active ingredient. $18 protektproducts.com 8. Royal Robbins Highlands Travel Scarf This versatile and comfortable scarf can be worn six different ways and is perfectly fit for the winter and spring seasons. The fabric combines odor-resistant Merino wool with linen, acrylic and

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11 10

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nylon for durability and softness. Wearing the scarf as a shrug is our favorite way to show off the adorable button detailing. $60 royalrobbins.com 9. Miraflora CBD Tincture + Soft Gels Miraflora’s 100-percent organic full-spectrum hemp flower oil helps to control stress and promote well-being. Take daily to help boost mood and mental focus and promote lasting, tranquil sleep. Tincture + Soft gels - $33.49 each for a 30-day supply miraflora.co 10. Outdoor Research Women’s Coze Down Parka Snuggle up with more warmth, length and coverage on those extra cold days this winter.

This parka is water and wind resistant, made with a 100-percent recycled nylon shell, 100-percent recycled ripstop lining, along with 700-fill power responsibly sourced down insulation. $349 outdoorresearch.com

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11. The Unity Yoga Mat from NUPRAVA Eco-conscious materials and mindful design make this mat stand out. It is made with natural tree runner and water-based inks, free of latex, PVC, silicone, toxic glues and phthalates. The mat also is non-slip with a microfiber suede surface so you don’t need to bring a towel to practice. It is reversible, machine washable, lightweight and travel friendly. $68 nuprava.com 12. EcoVessel Transit This classic portable mug from a Colorado company features insulated stainless steel and excellent temperature regulation in a sleek design. It’s ideal for sitting around the campfire on a fall weekend trip or for your daily commute cup of joe. The multi-position open/close slider lid and ergonomic handle makes it comfortable and easy to use. $24.95 ecovessel.com

13. goodMix — The original Blend 11 A combination of chia seeds, buckwheat, pumpkin seed, sliced almonds, coconut, goji berries and so much more comes together for this blend of superfoods to fuel your day. Use the blend to boost smoothies, shakes, breakfast, dessert or in your favorite protein ball recipe. $24.99 for 25 ounces goodmixfoods.com 14. Fenceline Cider & Wine Club Crafted in western Colorado to echo the classic ciders of England and France, Fenceline now has a quarterly cider club. Each shipment comes on the celestial solstice or equinox. As the seasons change you will get three large format ciders with maker notes and seasonal anecdotes. From rare apple varieties to special limited release. $59 plus shipping fenceline.co

BY CO YOGA + LIFE ® TEAM

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lifestyle / What We Love

Healthier Colorado Host: Jake Williams healthiercolorado.org/category/podcasts Healthier Colorado’s podcast, Wooden Teeth, is about truth telling in politics and health. Feed your brain with commentary from a strong lineup of experts tackling heavy, multifaceted subjects. Host Jake Williams takes on topics spanning rebuilding in the wake of the pandemic to economic inequity and mental health.

The WunderLife

Lift You Up

Tune in to These Spirited Talks for Enlightened Insight by lisa blake

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he wellness world is exploding with podcasts diving deep into our mindbody relationships, physical and mental health, aging well, living our best lives and more. Hit play on one of these podcasts and shift your mindset. They’re great for solo walks, cross-country ski time, taking the dog out, cold winter nights inside and up-leveling your morning routine.

The Design Driven Life Host: Wendy Yates wellfithuman.com/podcast Well Fit Human Retreats founder and luxury lifestyle designer Wendy Yates has built a podcast around giving back. She unveils fresh perspectives on life, talking with experts in this upbeat, informational series of short conversations. Seasoned entrepreneurs, leaders and wellness gurus share their wealth of knowledge on important topics like money, fear, anxiety, self-trust (or lack there of) and how to spot opportunities amongst life’s chaos.

Grace + Grit Host: Courtney Townley graceandgrit.com/podcast Made for women who want their best years to be ahead of them and not behind them, Grace + Grit dives deep into female struggles and desires. The elevating and encouraging talks are backed by Courtney Townley’s more than 20 years in the women’s wellness space and cover the why and how behind success, self worth, alignment, resiliency, sexual health and confidence.

On Being Host: Krista Tippett onbeing.org/series/podcast/ If you’re looking for answers to some big life questions, head over to On Being. Host Krista Tippett chats with inspiring personalities, such as Tibetan monks, scientists, teachers and artists in this diverse award-winning podcast.

Spiritual journey topics include meditation, yoga, food and health with a new discovery unfolding each week. +

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Photo by melanie pongratz

FIVE PODCASTS TO

Host: Andrea Ridder wunderhealth.com/podcast The WunderLife Podcast aims to shift consciousness into powerful life-changing action. Founder Andrea Ridder invites listeners to “ignite your light and spark your power, so you can go out and raise the vibration and change the world for the better.”

Podcasts focus on functional health and lifestyle with a positive point of view.

5 HERBS FOR

Mental Health

Natural Remedies to Ease Your Mind + Rise Up to Realign by lisa blake Winter and Spring can be a difficult time for staying positive and inspired. Thankfully, we can call on herbs for a natural lift.

We tapped botanical medicine expert Dr. Justin Pollack, N.D. from the team at Backcountry Herbal Apothecary in Frisco, Colorado, on easy-to-access herbs for improved mental health.

Passion Flower

Skullcap

St. John's Wort

Lavender and Rose

5-HTP

Passiflora incarnata

Scutellaria lateriflora

Hypericum perforatum

Western medicine has used this flower in tea and tincture form for centuries to reduce anxiety, muscular tension, restlessness and insomnia. The approachable herb can be used short or long term and is known to calm the nervous system and relieve spasms and inflammation.

One of the world’s longest used botanical remedies, St. John’s Wort is a good nerve tonic and antidepressant used in tea, tincture or capsule form. Seek out a high-quality brand and do not combine with antidepressant drugs — there’s a possibility of inducing excessive serotonin.

Lavandula angustifolia and Rosa species

5-hydroxytryptophan

This beautiful flower is a calming herb used as an anti-depressant and relaxant. Mild enough for children and the elderly, it mixes well with other flavors as a tea to reduce nervous tension, restlessness and anxiety.

These essential oils have been used for centuries to treat depression and anxiety.

They bypass the thalamus switchboard of the brain and go straight into the emotional and memory centers, calming and lifting spirits. Rub a drop on your temples or sprinkle into a diffuser or on a pillow before bed.

“Keep in mind that it takes more than an herb, nutrient or drug of any kind to relieve depression,” says Dr. Pollack. “Community and friends, a sense of purpose, counseling and brain training techniques, adequate exercise, sleep, water and nutritious food, among other things that are personal to each individual, are necessary to feel well.”

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With the help of the probiotic microbes living in our intestines, the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin is made directly from the amino acid 5-HTP (not an herb, but we had to include it). An extra boost of serotonin has been known to help people who are depressed, negative, moody, obsessive, irritable or fearful. Consult your doctor if you’re on antidepressants — excess serotonin is unsafe.

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YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

YOGA POSES THAT

Release Trauma

Photo by paul gilmore

by Megan Lane

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Y

oga is beneficial for the mind, body and spirit, but did you know that certain poses aid in releasing both emotional and physical trauma? Trauma is known for lingering around much longer than one would like.

Whether you endured a physical injury or experienced something deeply distressing, there are different positions that can help you better tolerate the pain and suffering. While yoga cannot completely heal trauma, practicing can effectively manage your symptoms.

Part of yoga is sitting with uncomfortable thoughts and feelings while learning to work through them. Some poses may bring mild discomfort, especially when you’re in a long hold for over five minutes.

For anyone who is seeking freedom from past or recent events, learning to cope with the uncomfortable in a safe place is significant and healing.

But, the highest level of relief comes to those who regularly practice. When you wake up each morning, unroll your yoga mat, because the following six poses are known for their remarkable ability to help release the trauma you’ve been through. + +

1. Mountain Pose

Photos by KIM FULLER

The foundation of all standing poses is mountain pose, a position that eases the symptoms of sciatica while strengthening the thighs, knees, abdomen and ankles. This pose can also be empowering for survivors of sexual trauma, which is of incredible importance.

Begin standing with your feet hip distance apart, and then ground your feet firmly into the earth — you want to feel centered, grounded and strong as a tall mountain. Engage your quadriceps, rotate your thighs slightly inward and tuck your tailbone.

Allow your arms to fall by your side body, with your hands facing forward. With each inhalation, elongate through your torso. On your exhalations, press your shoulder blades closer together and engage your triceps, tightening the muscles in your legs and arms. Next, imagine there is a string on the crown of your head pulling your body upwards, straightening the body entirely. Embrace the power and strength you feel in your body and heart — breathe deeply and hold this position for one to two minutes.

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2. Standing Forward Fold Anxiety and depression are common symptoms of physical and emotional trauma. A standing forward fold is an inversion pose, meaning that your heart is raised higher up from the ground than your head, which in turn promotes relaxation, a sense of calm and symptom management for trauma. Many people with physical injuries are prescribed pain medications that slow down the digestive system; foreword folds will assist in a natural way of stimulating sluggish digestion.

From mountain pose, bring your feet to touch and bend forward on your next exhale. You want to bend from your hips, not the waist. Let the crown of your head hang down and lift your sit bones up towards the sky. If you’re capable of pressing your hands or fingers onto the mat with your knees straight, you can feel free to relax and rejuvenate there. However, there are modifications for those who cannot perform the full expression of this asana. You are exactly where you need to be in your practice; yoga isn’t a race or a competition, and some days our bodies are tighter than others.

To avoid strain or injury, you can bend your knees slightly or use a yoga block to press your hands on. Breathe here for one minute, and notice as your body sinks deeper into the pose with each breath.

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3. Bound Angle Pose

The hips and pelvis are known for carrying tension from trauma and stress, especially when we feel threatened in any way. Practicing bound angle pose can help release the tension you have been holding in your body. Remember, emotional trauma can cause physical symptoms.

On your next exhale, slowly unroll your body one vertebrae at a time until you're standing, and then inhale, lift your head and roll your shoulders back. Come down to a seated position, pressing the soles of your feet together. You can hold onto your feet or rest your hands on your calves. Bring your awareness to your posture, ensuring that your spine is straightened. Roll your shoulders down and back and allow gravity to do its natural job — your legs will feel heavier and heavier while they naturally reach closer to the mat, no need for force. Feel the tension in your hips and pelvis release with each breath as you hold this position for up to five minutes. For a deeper stretch, bring your feet several inches closer to the body. Blocks can be used under the knees for a supportive modification.

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YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

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Take a deep inhalation and roll into cow pose — dropping your belly low, pressing your shoulder blades together and lifting your chin and chest.

On your next exhale, rotate to cat pose — drawing your belly into your spine, dropping your head and arching your back. Repeat 10 to 20 times, as needed. However, if you have a neck injury, do not raise and drop your head, let it rest in line with your torso.

5. Warrior II Pose Much like mountain pose, warrior II pose evokes a feeling of power and strength. Feeling powerful after experiencing a traumatic event is essential to one’s well being. This is because people often feel a sense of unjustified weakness after going through something distressing. This position also energizes tired limbs and eases back and leg aches caused by injuries.

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Return to mountain pose, take a deep exhalation and jump your feet roughly four feet apart from one another. Raise your arms so that they’re parallel with the ground, while keeping your shoulders down and palms facing the earth. Turn your right foot towards the front of the room and keep your left foot on a 45-degree angle — the right foot should be aligned with the middle of the left.

Next, keep your hips centered, gaze over your right arm and begin bending into your right knee until it’s above your ankle. Breathe here for one minute, making sure your shoulders don’t creep up to your ears. Repeat on the opposite side.

4. Cat and Cow Pose

Some sexual assault survivors feel uncomfortable lying on their back. Instead of using corpse pose as a final resting posture, you can choose to conclude your practice in another restorative position, child’s pose. Child’s pose promotes mindfulness, bringing you into the present moment. You can reconnect with your breath here whenever you need, this is your safe place.

Roll onto your hands and knees, beginning in tabletop position. Place your wrists below the shoulders and your knees beneath the hips. Make sure that your shins and knees are hip distance apart, and then spread your fingers and press your hands, knuckles and fingertips onto the mat.

Kneel down on the mat with your knees together, and on your next exhale, lower your belly so it’s resting on your thighs. Your sit bones should make a connection with your heels, but if you aren’t quite there yet, that’s okay — don’t force it. Let your forehead relax on the mat and extend your arms forward, keeping the palms facing down.

Engage the muscles in your biceps and let your arms remain lifted. Next, make sure your neck is positioned neutrally and relax the muscles in your face. You can stay here while you inhale for four seconds, pause, and exhale for four seconds.

Remember, this is your safe place: you can return here any time that you need to release.

Back injuries can cause soreness, tension and sharp pain, among other unbearable sensations. Cat and cow are two of the best yoga poses for easing discomfort that’s associated with a back injury. Cat pose in particular is recommended for lower back pain because you stretch the spine, hips, neck and back. You may also find mental balance, which can help with managing emotional trauma.

MEGAN LANE is a 30-year-old full-time writer and registered yoga instructor. She enjoys playing video games with her beloved daughter, baking CBD-infused brownies, relaxing in downward facing dog and writing about cannabis, mental health and fitness. Megan’s work has been featured on various websites, including HuffPost, Al Jazeera and Parent’s Magazine.

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photos by KIM FULLER

6. Child’s Pose

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Photo by youssef naddam

YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

by julia clarke

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

UNLOCKING THE

DOOR TO TRANQUILITY

Practical Wisdom for Modern Yogis

U

pon first discovery, yoga can feel like a bit like sliding the right key into a lock after trying 15 wrong keys. There’s almost a satisfying “clunk” as everything in your life seems to click into place and the door to a more peaceful existence swings open. For a few hours, maybe even days, you find yourself abiding in a perpetual state of undisturbed calm. The actions of others, once irritating, now do nothing to blight your infinite sense of harmony.

But eventually, the angel wings fall off and you come crashing back to earth, humbled by the resurgence of unsettling emotions, like envy and anger. Perhaps you lost your job during the pandemic while your friend landed their dream job and you couldn’t quite summon the praise they deserved. Or, maybe, you lost your composure in a heated political debate online and spent all night stewing in anger. Whatever the trigger, you’ve been locked out of that peaceful place you found on the mat.

Though difficult, maintaining evenness in challenging times is a worthy pursuit; when we’re calm, we experience rational thought and make logical decisions. It’s also one of our biggest obstacles, which is why traditions like yoga and Buddhism have spent centuries contemplating the roots of human suffering and the ways in which we can mitigate it. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali provides a veritable handbook for navigating the pitfalls of the human mind and offers ancient but practical wisdom for the modern yogi, including the four locks and four keys: “By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous and indifference toward the wicked, the mind retains its

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undisturbed tranquility.” (1.33) This aphorism asserts that when confronted with people who are happy, unhappy, virtuous or wicked, you might experience inadequacy, contempt, envy or anger. Not as Zen as you’d like? Patanjali gives you these four keys in the form of healthier social attitudes you can adopt that help you cultivate calm in times of trouble. Use these to transform your common knee-jerk reactions into loving actions that promote your own wellbeing and that of those around you.

emotional and even physical health. On the other hand, decades of research conclude that practicing compassion increases longevity and resistance to stress.

The Key: Practice a daily Loving Kindness meditation. Silently offer yourself a short prayer, such as “May I be happy. May I be peaceful. May I be healthy.” After a few breaths, direct this same prayer to a friend, then to a stranger and finally to all beings.

FRIENDLINESS TOWARD THE HAPPY

Envy is a common response when you perceive someone as being more successful or righteous than you. A 2018 study found that widespread envy is bad for individual mental health, as well as societal health, and produces no measurable motivation for self-improvement. Instead, celebrating others’ achievements can give your own sense of wellbeing a real boost and serve as a positive example to those around you.

The Key: Before bed, make a mental or written list of at least 10 things you are grateful for.

This one seems like a no brainer. But, in uncertain times, seeing others express joy can highlight areas where you feel inadequate or unfulfilled. As a result, you may energetically contract and withdraw from social interactions with positive people, which is bad for your health. A growing body of evidence shows that being nice to people is actually good for your own heart, reducing blood pressure, while maintaining active friendships with happy people is good for your health.

The Key: The saying goes you are the company you keep. Seek out positive people and engage in meaningful interactions with them.

COMPASSION FOR THE UNHAPPY There’s no shortage of suffering in the world. When you feel contempt for those who are struggling, perhaps with things that seem small, you turn your unhappy friend into your opponent and place the blame on them for their circumstances. But contempt breeds conflict, and some research suggests it is detrimental to psychological,

DELIGHT IN THE VIRTUOUS

INDIFFERENCE TOWARD THE WICKED This one is possibly the toughest pill to swallow. With so much injustice in the world, how can you respond without anger? Perhaps the better question is not how but why. Scientists agree that anger is bad for your heart health, increasing stress hormones like adrenaline.

Learning to limit your stress response to life or death situations is crucial to maintaining health and wellbeing in turbulent times.

The Key: Activate the relaxation response by practicing a few minutes of deep breathing each day. Breathe in for five seconds and out for five seconds for fast results. +

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YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

HO’OPONOPONO

A Hawaiian Mantra to Rise Out of Mental Chaos

Photo by michael olsen

by Shenna Jean

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

“

Have you ever considered that you’re the one responsible for the issues that you’re having with this teammate?” my mentor gently asked me.

I blinked. Quite a few times. Clearly, she wasn’t listening to me.

“Well, given the circumstances … no, no I have not.”

“Have you ever heard of ho’oponopono?”

“Hmm, can you say that again?”

“Ho-o-po-no-po-no. It’s the Hawaiian art of forgiveness, and maybe it could be helpful in this situation. You simply say ‘I’m sorry. Forgive Me. Thank you. I love you.’ in your head while thinking about the person or situation that’s challenging you.”

I left her office equal parts pissed that she would suggest I was responsible for the actions of another person and super intrigued, because I always love learning about new traditions and rituals for personal development.

Ho’oponopono is a practice that comes from Hawaiian culture and is known as the art of forgiveness and freedom. It is a simple mantra process that results in the energetic cleaning and healing of the

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subconscious. Based on the idea that we are all part of one consciousness, it suggests we are responsible for everything that happens in our life. In taking responsibility for our lives we are able to cleanse our energy around it, healing ourselves and others in the process.

The practice of ho’oponopono dates back to ancient Hawaiian times and the process has evolved over the years through many different spiritual teachers.

Ihaleakala Hew Len, Ph.D. is credited with bringing the concept of ho’oponopono into mainstream consciousness after partnering with personal development author and speaker Dr. Joe Vitale. Hew Len found tremendous success in the early 1980s in healing criminally insane patients at a Hawaiian state hospital over a four-year period; he never interatcted directly with the patients, only practiced the mantras while reviewing their charts.

In his book Zero Limits, Hew Len says: “The purpose of life is to be restored back to Love, moment to moment. To fulfill this purpose, the individual must acknowledge that he is 100 percent responsible for creating his life the way it is. He must come to see that it is his thoughts that create his life the way it is, moment to moment. The problems are not people, places and situations but rather the thoughts of them.”

I know, I know; it can be hard to believe that saying a few simple lines in your head would “heal” a situation. However, from what the field of neuroscience is now showing us, it actually makes quite a bit of sense.

As humans, when we are triggered in a situation, we often subconsciously slip into thought patterns that will reinforce the negative emotions we’re feeling.

Our body then produces chemicals that validate the emotional experience we’re having, and we go down a spiral in this automatic thinking-feeling loop.

In those moments of stress, frustration and mental chaos, if we can give ourselves a pause, by taking a deep breath and focusing on a new thought, we’ve given ourselves a fighting chance of not spiraling out. By using a mantra or new thought, we are teaching our brain a new path to take (aka a neural pathway) instead of the old pathway that we know leads to more stress, frustration and an icky emotional chemical cocktail that doesn’t actually serve us. By using ho’oponopono, we can shift the energetic vibration in our bodies and, as a result, the situation we’re in.

The tough part? Remembering to pause, take the breath and have a new thought ready. Next time you need to rise above the mental chaos in your mind and find yourself in need of an energetic shift, give ho’oponopono a go.

I’m sorry. Forgive me. Thank you.

I love you. +

47

YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

BUILD YOUR

Spiritual Endurance

Photo by xuan nguyen

by Jennie Lee

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Y

oga practitioners are familiar with building physical endurance through asana, postures which develop flexibility, strength and resilience. But, a truly balanced yogi needs spiritual endurance, too. The mounting pressures of modern life and widespread worldly conflict challenge us all, so we must develop a hardiness of mind and a buoyancy of spirit that will enable us to keep going no matter what. Some signs that your spiritual endurance may be running low are: being emotionally reactive, feeling drained or discouraged by everyday living, and suffering from a lack of meaning or purpose. Instead of giving up, use the practices below to develop the stamina of a spiritual warrior.

ESTABLISH THE GOAL Yoga philosophy is clear that the ultimate intent of practice is to experience our blissful, spiritual nature by expanding our self-identification beyond the egoic personality to awareness of our unlimited, immortal essence. The eight-limbs of yoga practice outlined in the Yoga Sutras provide the framework through which we can realize this goal of true self-knowing and experience greater peace and ease in daily life.

“Within the discipline and art of yoga, the interior practices are the foremost ways to cultivate resilience in mind, body and spirit.

When we draw our attention inward in meditation, concentration or mindfulness, we access our inner wisdom and grounding,” says Christiane Brems, PhD, director of YogaX program at Stanford University. “Daily sitting, mindful attention to all actions in our day-to-day lives and introspection when we feel reactive are central interior practices that allow us to endure during challenge and difficulty.”

STEADY THE PACE In order to develop spiritual stamina, we must approach life more like a marathon rather than a sprint. By learning to manage our energy or prana with intention, we can employ self-control and regularity to persevere at difficult times and rest at times when we need a break. The pranayam practice of balanced breathing

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called sama vritti exemplifies how important both ends of the spectrum are.

In this practice, we can establish an even inhalation and exhalation by counting as we breathe. This calms the body and mind and regulates the nervous system. With the life force energy under control, we are able to navigate the dramas of life with greater objectivity and less reactivity.

STAY FOCUSED As we lessen our emotional reactions to outer circumstances, we have begun the process of interiorization, called pratyahara, which is the precursor to effective meditation. Establishing patience and even-mindedness in both success and failure, comfort and discomfort develops titiksha or mental endurance.

A lot of focus is required to achieve such even-mindedness. One way we can practice is by reframing negative or judgmental thoughts that arise. Translating the Yoga Sutra on this in her book The Secret Power of Yoga, Nischala Joy Devi writes, “When presented with disquieting thoughts or feelings, cultivate an opposite, elevated attitude, this is pratipaksha bhavana.” By learning to replace negative thoughts with positive ones, we charge the mind with willpower and such a strong, resilient mind is better able to recover from setbacks and frustration with grace and strength.

COMMIT WHOLEHEARTEDLY Our search for an experience of our divine nature may occasionally produce transcendent visions and ecstatic experiences, but these are not usually part of daily practice. We have to be committed

regardless of the results.

“Spiritual endurance is cultivated by continually showing up,” states Emily A. Francis, author of The Body Heals Itself. “It's in the awareness and consistency of learning to decipher what feels aligned and using those sensations to propel you forward.”

By showing up day after day to seek and honor the divine, we cultivate devotion, and this heat-centered approach sustains us, even when sadhana feels dry. Like a long-distance athlete, we come to find a point of surrender within the effort. This is the spiritual surrender of the ego self into love. By courageously entering with our whole heart, we achieve ever greater glimpses of our true self.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, ALL IS COMING If this all feels intangible right now, don’t worry. Spiritual development dawns gradually. Keep entering into stillness. Meditate, pray and ask for help from whatever aspect of the divine you connect with. See the trials of life as opportunities to draw closer to soul-awareness.

Endurance is built over time, and the first sign of progress will be increasing inner peace. Then, more ease in navigating difficulties and bouncing back from disappointments develops. One’s sense of wellbeing and safety deepens. If you stay the course, eventually you will tap the deep well.

Limitless spiritual power lies within you. As committed effort meets complete willingness to let go, you will experience the bliss of self-knowing. As spiritual master Paramahansa Yogananda said, “Perseverance is the whole magic of spiritual success!” +

JENNIE LEE is the award-winning author of three books: "SPARK CHANGE: 108 Provocative Questions for Spiritual Evolution"; "TRUE YOGA: Practicing with the Yoga Sutras for Happiness & Spiritual Fulfillment"; and "BREATHING LOVE: Meditation in Action." She is also a certified yoga therapist and spiritual coach, who has counseled private clients worldwide for over 20 years. With a background in classical yoga philosophy and spiritual psychology, Jennie is passionate about helping people live more spiritually focused lives. When she is not writing or coaching, she enjoys surfing with her husband near their home in Hawai’i. For more, visit JennieLeeYogaTherapy.com.

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Outside / Fresh Air

Photo by jakob owens z

by Ashley Oliver

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Beat the Winter Blues

by Stepping Outside

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olorado is a lovely state to enjoy all year long. There are the summer hikes we look forward to and the winter days spent meandering down the slopes. Yet sometimes on colder days, it can be easy to curl up and watch the snow from inside your warm window and think twice about going out. And, while cozy, sometimes this may not be the best thing for our overall mental health. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, can occur in people during the colder and darker months. Here we share some ways that you can improve your winter mood from the score of benefits that accompany being outside.

WHAT IS SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD)?

SAD is a type of seasonal depression some people go through, and it typically happens at the change of seasons. Some symptoms of SAD can be: feeling low energy, not sleeping well and having a difficult time concentrating. Although the specific causes of SAD are still not known, researchers believe that one factor that may impact you is a drop in serotonin levels (a brain chemical that affects your mood) caused by reduced sunlight.

According to a Harvard University Health Publishing article, some lifestyle habits, like getting sun exposure and exercising in the winter, are good for our health. Exercising outdoors allows us to get vitamin D (an added benefit is that vitamin D is also good for our bone health) and sun exposure, which increases our serotonin levels. And, studies show that gentle exercise to get our

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body moving each day has been shown to reduce low level depression.

While things like sun and exercise can help combat low grade depression, there is another way nature provides us some reprieve from the winter blues. It’s called negative ions.

NEGATIVE IONS EXPLAINED

Negative ions are electrically charged particles. They are made up of atoms or molecules which naturally occur in our bodies and the environment. They can be negative or positive — depending on chemical reactions that are taking place constantly.

Negative ions are found near flowing water, waterfalls and even in fresh falling snow.

A medical research study form 2013 looked at the effects of negative ions (ionization) and found that patients with SAD who had more exposure to negative ions in a stated period saw significantly lower depression ratings.

So, although it isn’t a cure for deeper level depression, people affected by SAD can feel an increase in positive feelings from negative ion exposure. Combine that with a few minutes outside to get some sunny rays and gentle exercise and you could be inviting a positive lifestyle change to your winter.

Negative ions are found near falling water, frequently abundant in the summer — rainfall, waterfalls and fountains — and although they may be harder to come by in the winter, they are not impossible to find.

Here are some ways you can reap the benefits of negative ions and allow some positive vibes to wash over you:

• Hit the fresh powder and welcome the puff of snow • Go sledding with your friends and family after a fresh snowfall • Enjoy a day of cross-country skiing, breathing in deep as you stand tall • Take the dog for a walk during a light snowfall

HERE’S TO A BRIGHTER WINTER:

Colorado winters are something of legend.

Beautiful snowcapped mountains to admire, quaint ski villages to stroll and the hustle and bustle of locals and tourists exploring the land. It can be easy on some days to watch from inside, but try to make sure to get a little negativity in your day — negative ions that is — and see if they lift your spirits, especially if you know you suffer from SAD. Wishing you some brighter days in the darker months! +

ASHLEY OLIVER is a freelance digital content writer in the health and wellness field, with a focus on yoga. She holds a Bachelor of English from the State University of New York, Albany. She enjoys being active and living to the fullest.

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Outside / Adventure

photo by kim fuller

by Mitchell Milbauer

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

LEARN THE BASICS

of Backcountry Ski + Snowboard Touring

O

ver a foot of snow is in tonight’s weather forecast; it’s the weekend and you’ve already made plans to ski or snowboard with your friends. For this upcoming ski day, however, you want to get away from highway traffic and those dreadful lift lines to experience the mountains in their purest form. For many, the answer to this calling is found through backcountry touring. This is the old-fashioned and now increasingly popular way of skiing or snowboarding your favorite line, or as many like to say, “earning your turns.” The saying refers to sliding uphill with either a snowboard split in half (splitboard) or with alpine touring (AT) ski gear to descend one line, and then to do it all over again — human powered.

Interest in backcountry ski touring has increased exponentially in the last several years, along with impressive technological advances in AT and splitboard gear. There’s no doubt people want to ski in the backcountry, but there is a lot to learn about gear, cost, safety and location. As it’s said about avalanche safely, “know before you go.”

When it comes to safety, skiers and snowboarders are all going to need the following: beacon, shovel, probe and a backpack for it all to go in. These are necessities and nobody should leave the trailhead without them. Many places supply a starter package (not including a pack) that includes all three for anywhere between 400 and 500 dollars.

These three things make the likelihood of surviving an avalanche slightly higher, which is no small detail, if your partner has no trauma and can participate in your rescue.

When it comes to non-safety gear, snowboarders are looking at a whole new setup for the most part. The equipment includes a splitboard, splitboard bindings, skins, touring poles and hardware. If you’re really looking to avoid spending, you can even invest in

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a DIY splitboard kit. These kits are around 150 dollars, but are not as reliable in the field as a regular split. On the other hand, skiers have it a little easier gear-wise. The only new gear needed are skins and touring bindings (allowing your heel to move freely) that are compatible with your boot. You can also opt for ski touring boots, which tend to be lighter and allow for faster movement in the alpine, as well as collapsible poles for putting in your pack or extending for better uphill traction.

SAFETY FIRST Possibly the most important thing when in the backcountry is knowing how to stay safe. This is crucial to being ready to get out of bounds. Especially in the western United States, we see an unfortunate number of avalanches and deaths due to the high number of backcountry users. Leading the pack by state is Colorado, which has had 287 deaths and counting since the 19501951 season according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC). This organization is the main source of avalanche information in the state. It allows backcountry users to access avalanche conditions every day via computer or app and allows you to know the risk factor if you are planning to travel. Along with CAIC, many states have their own avalanche information centers including UAC (Utah), NWAC (Washington), SAC (California) and more.

It’s one thing to know where to get

information; it is another to know how to interpret it. Before anyone ventures out, it is of the utmost importance to take an avalanche awareness class and an avalanche level-one course, which is the recommended start to the avalanche recreation learning track. The awareness class will give you an idea of what it’s like to travel in avalanche terrain, and the avalanche one is a threeday course that will teach you how to asses avalanche hazard, make decisions and perform rescues. These courses can be found with a quick online search and are offered in most areas with mountainous terrain. It’s always better to be an asset to your backcountry partners than a liability.

This year will have an almost guaranteed increase in backcountry participation due to COVID-19 and the recent announcement

by Vail Resorts CEO, Rob Katz. In an open letter, Katz said there will be a reservation system at all Vail-owned mountains, which means limited skiers and riders via lift access. Because of this, it will be extra important that backcountry users take the right steps to help keep everyone safe, such as keeping distance from others on the skin track, traveling with the appropriate gear and having the correct knowledge about avalanche terrain. On top of these ‘must do’s’, taking any form of a wilderness first aid class is highly recommended — just to make sure everyone is ready when something doesn’t go as planned. +

MITCHELL MILBAUER is an outdoor photographer and writer. His photography focuses on adventure sports in the mountains and ocean and also landscape. His writing encompasses anything within the outdoor sphere and takes the form of personal essay, reporting, environmental activism and gear review. When not behind the lens or writing Mitchell can be found snowboarding, climbing or surfing. His work can be found at mitchellmilbauer.com and @mitch_milbs.

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Outside / Gear 1

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BACKCOUNTRY SAFETY STARTS OFF THE MOUNTAIN 1. Dynafit Beast 108 Ski The Beast is a free touring ski made specifically for powder. This ski has a Double Ellipse Rocker construction that works on different edge lengths. The developers focused on weight reduction while not decreasing performance. $799.95 dynafit.com 2. Zeal Beacon Goggle The Beacon Goggle uses a technology called Observation Deck, taking some inspiration from the eyesight of an eagle. It has a tilted cylindrical lens so you can see every inch of the line you are on while eliminating glare. $129 zealoptics.com 3. Patagonia Descensionist Backcountry Ski/Snowboard Pack You have the choice of a 32-liter or a 40-liter pack with the Descensionist.

The 32-liter has a simple two-compartment storage with room for a full kit. The 40-liter has a similar design for a big day or multi-day travel in the backcountry. Both a roll top design that are made for going fast and light. $179 - $199 patagonia.com 4. Full Tilt Ascendant Approach Alpine Touring Ski Boots Based off the previous Ascendant, the Approach added a Pro Tour Tongue Intuition liner, a lightweight Grilamid Shell and Michelin Grip Walk outsoles. A perfect boot for the uphill haul and the downhill shred. $749.95 fulltiltboots.com 5. Le Bent Elyse Pro Model Ski Socks A women’s-specific fit on these socks also showcases breathability for uphill touring and downhill skiing. The design features shorter leg length, foot length and narrower calf compression, all wrapped in a vibrant coral color and sweet graphic. $35 lebent.com 6. mountainfLOW eco-wax Resist using ski and snowboard wax that is awful for the earth and switch to something much more green. MountainfLOW eco-wax is made 100 percent from plants. $18.50 mountainflow.com 7 + 8. Helly Hansen Odin Mountain Infinity Shell Jacket + HH Odin Mountain 3L Shell Bib Pant Helly Hansen created this durable and water repellant three-layer fabric without the use of chemicals. The Odin Mountain Infinity Shell Jacket shell is waterproof, windproof and breathable. For a full kit, check out the Odin Mountain 3L Shell Bib Pant. These pants have some backcountry specific features like two beacon pockets, removable suspenders and a side access zipper opening. Jacket - $700; Bib Pant - $475 hellyhansen.com 9. Pomoca Free Pro 2.0 Skins These skins are so light it feels like there is no added weight when going uphill. Pomoca set out to build a skin that would appeal to ski mountaineers with their light weight, while also appealing to freeskiers with their width. The Pomoca Free Pro 2.0 are those skins. They also have them precut for your Dynafit Beasts. $199.95 pomoca.com

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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.

BIGHEARTBIGHAN D S.O R G

Outside / Adventure

by Bobby L’Heureux

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

A MOTEL for adventurers

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Feel the Stoke at LOGE Camps in Breckenridge

We would rather have a full motel of adventurers than a few guests paying expensive room rates,” says Eddy Young, General Manager of LOGE Breckenridge.

LOGE is a company committed to and built around the foundation of bringing people together, connecting with each other and accessing the outdoors.

“Inspired by the surf, climbing and camping culture of the 1970s and the relaxed energy of a road trip with friends, LOGE inspires people to get out and explore together,” shares Young. “We find forgotten motels near our favorite towns and trails, and bring them back to life with a variety of ways to stay like hotel rooms, hostel bunks and campsites.”

From on-site gear rentals to fire pits and free live music, LOGE delivers a welcoming outdoor-adventure focused experience at each of its locations: Westport, Washington; Leavenworth, Washington; Bend, Oregon; Mt. Shasta, California, and now, Breckenridge, Colorado.

“We selected Breckenridge as our first location in Colorado as it is a year-round destination and offers everything from skiing to hiking and fishing for all ages and abilities, set against a stunning backdrop of mountains, rolling fields and quaint Victorian architecture,” Young says.

means many trips up and down the elevator and through hotel lobbies for most getaways. As nice as a fancy hotel can feel, we have also come to enjoy the conveniences of motel-style accommodations.

The LODGE took it a step further, designing their concept around the adventure traveler.

Those who come overloaded with gear, dogs and whatever else needed to complete the mission are fully welcome here. There are two wall-mounted bike racks in the room, plus ski and snowboard racks with boot dryers as well.

Multiple sleeping options are available too, from your traditional queen-sized bed and pull-out couch to a hammock hung from the ceiling. Furry friends are welcome here, and that’s wonderful.

LOGE Breckenridge is located three miles from downtown Breckenridge (just on the outskirts of Breckenridge), offering ample access to skiing and a nearby trail system that you can access directly from your room for trail running, biking or just a quick hike with the pup. The bike path and bus stop are just steps away from your room. During our September stay, we made it to our dinner reservations on our bikes in under 10 minutes and the next day we rode right out the door to a fantastic 20-mile mountain bike ride. In the winter, you are close to Keystone and Copper and you can catch the bus directly to Breckenridge.

MOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS, REDEFINED

“A large part of LOGE is fostering a community experience and with our recent renovations, we feel we have ample space to spread out and enjoy the property safely with other guests,” says Young. “From having a quick conversation in the cafe over a latte or congregating around the campfire to reminiscing on a great powder day, it's always one of my favorite aspects of the camp to see guests interacting with one another.”

So, if you don’t have a pack of dogs,

We arrived at the LOGE Breckenridge and parked just outside our door. There is no need to check in at the lobby as our code was sent to us via email to access our designated room.

The more adventures my wife, dog and I take, the more gear we acquire. The more gear we acquire, the more stuff we seem to travel with, and the more stuff we travel with

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‘FOSTERING A COMMUNITY’

a 4x4 Sprinter van and have hiked all the 14ers in Colorado, are you welcome at the LOGE? Heck yeah!

As Young explains, LOGE is all about creating community and getting you outside.

Each room has some great outdoor products you can use while staying, from YETI Coolers to BioLite headlamps and Rumpl blankets. If you like the adventure gear the LOGE supplies, you can buy it onsite. LOGE has created great relationships with some top outdoor companies to help provide their guests a chance to experience the gear and take it home with them that day.

The LOGE does not simply want to create just another place to stay — they want to create valuable experiences in underutilized spaces while fostering connection and being outside. You can have your next corporate event at a LOGE property. You can join the LOGE Squad for special member perks and a deeper sense of community.

You can stay connected to the LOGE Squad and their adventures on “Passenger Seat,” the LOGE podcast. Or you can stop in for a beverage or enjoy a free concert as their properties are open to the public.

“What guests can look forward to with a winter stay at LOGE Breckenridge is that we are an adventure hub,” Young explains.

“You’ll be able to grab a great cup of coffee and burrito before hitting the slopes, then return to your room where you can hang your board to dry and throw your boots on a boot warmer to ensure they're toasty for the next day. After a day outdoors, you can trickle over to the cafe for a refreshment and to cozy up next to the fire where you can chat with other guests and share your adventure stories. If you're not a die-hard skier, you can rent our gear (snowshoes, cross country skis or fat tire bikes) and take off to the nearby trails from the hotel. There’s really something for all ages and abilities to enjoy here.” +

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outside / Winter + Spring 2020-21 GEAR 4

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BY CO YOGA + LIFE ® TEAM 1. Kari Traa Smekker Half-Zip This lightweight, 100-percent Merino wool baselayer is naturally breathable and odorresistant, with flatlock seams that keep you comfortable when you’re moving. The stylish piece has a slim silhouette with a high collar and an attractive jacquard-knit pattern. $120 karitraa.com 2. BioLite HeadLamp 750 Eight different lighting modes make this rechargeable USB headlamp versatile for every adventure. Once charged, it has power for 150 hours (low), seven hours (high) or eight hours (reserve). BioLite’s 3D SlimFit construction pairs all the headlamp’s functionality with maximum comfort. $99.95 bioliteenergy.com

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3. Under Armour HOVR Phantom 2 Running Shoes Running is available to you right outside your door, and the new UA HOVR Phantom 2 is a versatile running shoe with dialed in cushioning, fit and feel. Training plans are also available via UA MapMyRun. $150 underarmour.com

6. Stio Hutkeeper Flannel Shirt Available in men’s and women’s, this piece adds an element of cozy when there’s a chill in the air.

It’s got a heavy weight to it as a double-brushed 300-gram organic cotton flannel. Roll up the cuffs if you choose and the modified shirttail hem can be worn tucked in or left out. $139 stio.com

4. Machines for Freedom Essential Cycling Pant Inspired by the Essential Short from Machines for Freedom, this full-length cycling legging is designed for long rides in chilly weather. The super flattering, yoga-inspired waistband stays up all day without squeezing or pinching, and mesh paneling at the back of the knee provides ventilation as well as chic style lines. $158 machinesforfreedom.com

7. Opinel No. 8 Stainless Steel Pocket Knife Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, it’s always nice to have a handy blade with you.

Keep this knife in your pocket or pack for easy access on the trail or for après-ski. $17 opinel-usa.com

5. Skida Cashmere Flurries Pom Handmade in Nepal and made of 30 percent cashmere, this patterned knit, wool-blend hat from Skida is ideal as a cozy addition to chilly winter days. $70 skida.com

8. Hydro Flask Timberline Collection This limited-edition collection was inspired by the chilly seasons as a nod to cozy flannels, crisp afternoons in the woods and evenings around the fire. Choose from two bottle size options – the 2-ounce standard mouth and 32-ounce wide mouth – available in four colors: Bonfire, YOGALIFELIVE.COM

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Snowshoe, Woodstove and Treeline. Each features a custom lid and bottle boot for extra grip. 21-ounce $42.95; 32-ounce $54.95 hydroflask.com 9. Tracksmith Off Roads Crew + Shorts Run happy with this versatile Merino wool crew, designed for embracing cold, wet or windy weather. This new collection from Tracksmith is meant to take to the trails, and these 2-in-1 shorts feature a quick-drying UV-protective shell with a compressive short underneath.

They also include an adjustable elastic belt that’s exposed at the back for tucking in an extra shirt, plus two waist pockets for fuel and side liner pockets large enough to store your phone. Crew - $138; Shorts - $98 tracksmith.com

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10. Sierra Designs Flagstaff 4L Hydration Pack At a very accessible price point, this pack includes a two-liter hydration reservoir and a lowprofile design to hold your essentials. Stash items in the external pockets for quick access, and use the main internal storage space for a smart extra layer or two. $24.99 sierradesigns.com 11. Patagonia DAS Light Hoody This core outdoor piece will be with you from the foothills to the high alpine. It’s ultra lightweight and weather resistant, and the PlumaFill synthetic insulation offers a down-like warmth when the temperature drops. $329 patagonia.com 12. Adidas Sport Sunglasses SP0004 These lightweight adidas sport glasses are flexible and snug for a second-skin kind of feel.

Adjustable nose pads mean you can find the perfect fit, and ventilation holes keep the lenses clear and fog-free. $200 adidas.com

13. MSR Evo Trail Snowshoe Kit Grab this kit and head out the door to go explore snowshoe trails this winter. The Evo Trail Snowshoes are durable with steel traction for reliable grip, and the DynaLock Trail Poles have easy adjustability and comfortable grips.

Bundle it all together in the storage and carrying pack, featuring a removable foam seat, internal zippered pocket, hydration compatibility and loops for pole attachments. $199.95 msrgear.com 14. Gordini Ergo Infinium Glove Keep your hands warm on windy winter days with this versatile glove from Gordini, featuring a back-of-hand nylon shell and a fleece palm and finger area with synthetic reinforcement. The touchscreen-capable thumb and index finger make it easy to use your phone and the stretchknit cuff means you can easily pull the glove over a smart watch. $44.99 gordini.com

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wellness / Ayurveda

by Julia Clarke

Vedic Architecture for Optimal Health

W The Maharishi Vastu home in Boone, North Carolina

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hen I was a teenager, I began suffering from frequent, unexplained illnesses leading to a prolonged bout of chronic fatigue and depression. After learning about an ancient principle of Vedic architecture (Vastu), which advised that we should sleep with our heads pointing to the east or south for optimal health, my mother turned my bed around to give this idea a shot. Within weeks, I was transformed — I was more robust and started to enjoy better friendships at school and more harmonious relationships at home.

Vedic architecture is a traditional system of Indian architecture. Rather than a style of construction, it is founded upon a set of principles that recommend building in accordance with the organization of the universe to promote the health and happiness of the inhabitants within. A key element of Vedic architecture is the understanding that the human brain is sensitive to orientation.

All day long, how we orient ourselves in relation to the places we are in (space), the events that are occurring (time) and the people we are interacting with informs our

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Maharishi Vastu home in Boone, NC, photo by Rick Donhauser; photo by jakari ward

Healthy Homes

cognitive function. Vedic architecture places particular emphasis on the orientation of the brain in relation to the cosmos. An important principle is that the sun’s energy is most nourishing when it is rising, so orientating a building to face east bestows health, happiness, harmony, wealth and spiritual growth upon its occupants.

Positioning ourselves to receive the positive influence of the sun is a pattern that we see repeated in yoga and Ayurveda, which share the same philosophical roots as Vedic architecture. Yoga’s classical Sun Salutations were traditionally practiced in the morning facing east and Ayurveda encourages waking, eating and sleeping in rhythm with the sun.

So, is it really possible that something so apparently trivial as the arrangement of your furniture could have such a powerful impact on your health? Those that follow the principles of Vedic architecture would argue yes. A home is not an inert object but greatly influences the health and happiness of those who reside within it. In published research, Iowa physician Veronica Butler discovered that her patients who sleep in north-facing beds suffer from significantly more depression and anxiety than those who sleep in other orientations. Meanwhile a 2001 study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that bipolar inpatients in west-facing rooms had a mean 3.67-day longer hospital stay than patients in otherwise identical but east-facing rooms, where they were exposed to direct sunlight in the morning.

As the name suggests, Vedic architecture goes beyond furniture arrangement and includes recommendations on the orientation of a home’s entrance, detailed description of organization and proportion of rooms and even takes into account the building’s environmental surroundings to align the individual physiology to cosmic intelligence.

Susan Lauer, administrator for Maharishi Vastu, a system that restored the ancient principles of Vedic architecture, likens the homes that we live in to a box that can either impede or promote our access to nature’s intelligence.

“Unless the box is aligned with the natural world, then all it does is create an interference. And, we live and work in those boxes for 85-95 percent of our lives,” she says.

Though less well-known than its descen-

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dent Feng Shui, which has inspired many Americans to reorganize their homes for optimal energy flow, as of 2010 some 400 million dollars’ worth of Maharishi Vastu homes had been purpose built in America, with their inhabitants reporting improved quality of life and lower stress levels.

The most auspicious home has an east-facing entrance so that it receives the energy of the rising sun to support prosperity and spiritual growth. Blocking the sun’s

light by living in a home that is west-facing or near mountains to the east is considered pernicious to health and happiness.

A south-facing entrance is believed to bring strife and suffering; the 2001 study also found that homes with south-facing entrances were significantly more likely to be burglarized than those with east-facing entrances, while their occupants were more likely to experience mental illness and financial poverty. +

If you’re not looking to get out the wrecking ball and start over just yet, don’t worry. You can still benefit from the wisdom of Vedic architecture with a little awareness and some simple changes. Grab your compass and try implementing these ancient recommendations to reduce hazards in your home and enlist the support of nature to bring you good health and happiness.

SLEEP WITH YOUR HEAD POINTING TOWARDS THE EAST OR SOUTH Sleeping with the pillow end of your bed pointing east is considered best for spiritual growth, while south is recommended for health, particularly when recovering from an illness. If you can’t easily move your bed, simply turn around in it so your head points the opposite direction.

USE A NORTH OR EAST-FACING DOOR A north-facing entrance supports prosperity and happiness, while an east-facing entrance promotes wealth and spiritual growth. If your main entrance faces south or west and you’ve been experiencing financial or health issues since living there, try using a side or back entrance, if available.

INCREASE ACCESS TO NATURAL LIGHT The National Institutes of Health lists inadequate access to sunlight as a contributing factor to Sick Building Syndrome, the symptoms of which include headache, dizziness, nausea, difficulty concentrating, fatigue and personality changes. Keep window coverings to a minimum and enjoy natural light from as many angles as possible during the daytime.

CREATE SPACE FOR SPIRITUALITY Designate a space (even a corner of a room) for your daily yoga, meditation or prayer practice to support your spiritual growth. This space should be clean, quiet, painted in a neutral color and, ideally, in the northeast of your home to support contemplation.

Meditate facing east.

USE NATURAL MATERIALS Chemical contaminants found in common household materials are known to be detrimental to health. Enhance your surroundings with materials in your interior like wood and ceramic tile, natural fiber for carpets, curtains and furniture, and natural paints and glues.

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wellness / Health

Channeled Clarity

Alisa Messeroff Helps Us Unblock Stagnant Energy + Cultivate Vitality 1. BREATHE. COUNT. REPEAT. “When I have something bothering me and I feel agitated, the first thing I do when I start feeling that tension in my chest is close my eyes and take a deep breath in. I’m very aware that breathwork and breathing is key.

I take a deep breath in and I hold it and count to ten and then I release it. I do that over and over. When I’m exhaling, it’s 10 seconds out. I do that three or four times to calm my body, open my chakras and to center myself.”

2. MEDITATE + PEEL BACK LAYERS “I like to meditate, and I always set the intention that I’m going to peel the layers back. Visualize an onion and start peeling the layers. It’s all about asking ‘why.’ Why are you feeling upset? Answer it. I’m feeling upset, because I have an anxious feeling. Why do you have an anxious feeling? And go on from there. Keep peeling away at the layers.

Ask those whys and start peeling back and keep digging into those whys, and you’ll see how powerful it is.”

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veryone has their own go-to way to reset and re-center.

Sometimes it’s exercise, journaling, self-care or meditating — the list is as long as the imagination allows.

“A lot of people haven’t even tried to re-center themselves,” says Breckenridge-based Reiki and energy healer Alisa Messeroff. “They have that heavy anxious anxiety, and they don’t know what to do with it. And then it gets displaced and projected onto someone else.”

Messeroff founded Channeled Clarity after realizing her intuitive gift in which she can tap into the subconscious to reveal stuck energy and traumas. Her clients share tales of epiphanies and rebirths through Messeroff’s on-point visions and spirit connections.

Her gift lies in feeling emotions coming off of others and helping them to open chakras and realign. Here, Messeroff shares five proven tips for releasing stale energy and finding inner calm.

Visit channeledclarity.com to learn more about Messeroff’s individual sessions and intuitive Reiki packages.

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4. DANCE IT OUT “I used to love to exercise and go to the gym. But now, because of COVID, I don’t go to the gym. Now I turn on Spotify and just dance.

I don’t even think my husband knows this, because I do it when no one is home — because it’s just fun and it makes me feel good and it resets me.”

5. TAPPING + REIKI “Lastly, my sister is an EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) practitioner, so she does Tapping. I’ve been doing a lot of work with her to release different blockages. You can do it on your own, but I recommend a practitioner. And, of course, Reiki is an excellent way to recharge your energy.”

“Energy is an amazing force,” Messeroff adds. “Once you can fully say ‘I love myself’ and you mean it from your core, everything starts aligning. Until you fully love yourself, you can’t fully love another human being, and you can’t fully embrace the world that you’re living in.” +

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Photo Courtesy of Alisa Messeroff

by Lisa Blake

3. WRITE THAT LETTER “I would love to say that I’m a hardcore journaler. I am not. But, if I get into a block with someone else I love to write someone a letter. I’ll put everything down into that letter, reread it, make sure I’ve got everything and then I hand that letter to them. It’s a different form of journaling.

I am all about putting it all out there. No one is judging you. It’s really important to put into the universe what is bothering you, so you can get to the root cause and work through it.”

Connect with the YOGA + Life® community!

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

wellness / Health

Bust A Mood

Use These Tips for an Energy Shift

by Lauren Brand

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bad mood can be like the effects of a knock-out punch — stunning, immobilizing and enduring. So, how do you change a bad mood? Here is a practical guide to dig yourself out of the doldrums of stagnation, apathy and mild depression and shift to a higher vibration.

START WITH NUTRITION. Comfort foods like mac-n-cheese seem like a good way to improve your mood, but the only change you’ll feel like making is right into bedtime pants. However, fasting, restricting foods from your diet or cleansing isn’t realistic when you are in a bad mood.

Instead, elevate your mood by upgrading your food.

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Focus your intention and attention on eating high-quality, healing foods: water, green tea, berries, blueberries, walnuts, salmon, greens, purple cabbage, veggies, prebiotic foods like ginger and garlic, and probiotic foods like yogurt, kimchi and sauerkraut.

These foods have anti-inflammatory, mood-boosting effects.

All of the koshas — bodies or sheaths that house Atman (true self, soul, spirit) as defined by Vedantic philosophy — are affected by food. Food is chemical information normally only associated with the physical body (anamaya kosha). However, when intention, attention, presence, company, high-quality food and gratitude combine, the experience elevates from merely affecting the physical body to permeating the mental, emotional, energetic, intuitive and spiritual bodies.

In addition to choosing these powerful

foods, take one minute and try one of the mood-boosting tips below designed to affect each kosha.

MOBILIZE YOUR ANAMAYA KOSHA (PHYSICAL BODY).

Sluggish? Perform any of the physical tasks below for one minute to experience an instant shift.

Exercise: Do some cardio. Shadow boxing, jump rope, dance, burpees, squats.

Cool it. Take a cold shower. Start with your regular hot shower or you’ll never get in in the first place; then, switch the water to cold. Enjoy for one minute. Short cut: wash your face for a minute in cold water. Mountain method: sit in the river (not recommended in the winter).

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Sing. Do some car karaoke. Out loud.

Turn up your favorite song and belt it out.

Combine. Perform one minute of squats while singing your favorite song out loud in a cold shower. That’ll change your mood!

Singing, chanting, deep breathing, exercising and cold showers stimulate your vagus nerve, which has a wide range of functions including regulating inflammation, blood sugar, blood pressure, heart rate, appetite, digestion and recovery from stress.

ENERGIZE YOUR PRANAMAYA KOSHA (ENERGETIC BODY).

Unmotivated? Ancient medical practices affect the energetic body and see it as important as the physical and mental bodies.

Practice Tapping. QiGong tapping encourages energy movement. Touch all your fingertips together on each hand. Bring both hands to the top of your head. Lightly tap your fingers on top of your head while you inhale, continue tapping and hum while exhaling. Repeat for a minute.

Visualize. Imagine how you want to feel and practice feeling that way. Another form of visualization is to perform a transcendental meditation. Stand up with your arms overhead. Take slow deep breaths through your nose and imagine standing under a beautiful waterfall. Hold your hands to the sky, close your eyes, imagine the waterfall washing through you pulling every bit of tension and toxins out of every cell into the pool of water to become energy for the earth.

Experience water. Go sit by a river. You’ll end up staying longer than a minute.

RECOGNIZE YOUR MANOMAYA KOSHA (MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL BODY).

Apathetic? The mind and the emotions tango to the rhythm of the five senses, which inspire ideas, emotions, feelings and moods.

Journal. Put pen to paper for one to five minutes. Quickly write your current thoughts. Recognize self-sabotage. Write the answers to the following questions: Is this thought useful? How is it behaving?

Pivot the thought. What would it be like if

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You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.

But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward.

Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa

the thought were not true?

Yawn. Yawn 25 times in a row. Be sure to make that yawning sound.

Breathe. Inhale for four counts, sustain for four counts, exhale for eight counts, repeat.

Symbols. Use a physical reminder to inspire resilience.

Direct your gaze to the object for a minute and use the meaning of the object to focus positively. My favorite is a red stopwatch. It reminds me to stop doing or thinking something that isn’t working. I set the timer and think about how I can create change in a minute. I also have a heart shaped rock which reminds me of a quote a friend shared: “Everyone has got to want everyone else to succeed. Then together we can do everything.”

EMPOWER YOUR VIJNANAMAYA KOSHA (INTELLECTUAL/ INTUITIVE BODY).

Stuck? Our intuitive body is strengthened by living in alignment with our values and sharing our passion. Give.

Give. Seva — selfless service — results in joy. Organize an event and invite guests to donate to your favorite cause. Pick up trash in your neighborhood. Interact with your

community and provide service from your heart. Seva is a power vibration that will trump any mood.

Chant in Sanskrit. Chanting in Sanskrit tames mind chatter, creates a trancelike state, stimulates the vagus nerve and opens our ears to the wisdom of our intuitive body.

Try Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha Sharanam Ganesha.

RELEASE YOUR ANANDAMAYA KOSHA (BLISS BODY).

Helpless? Overwhelmed? Practice ishvarapranidhana, letting go.

Let go. Release your desire to control everything — weather, pandemics, governments, weight loss, other people's thoughts, etc. Work with no expectations. Create intention, act on it and then let go of the desire to know and control the results.

Each of these practices can help you pivot from dwelling on the world as a nasty place to recognizing challenges as opportunities for growth. If we accept the challenge, the universe will support us in our acts of courage, but it will also test our resolve. It’s our choice to be victim or champion. Rise to the challenge. +

LAUREN BRAND is a wellness/fitness junkie on a mission to cocreate radiant, healthy communities. She offers energetic group fitness classes, yoga, personal training, nutrition coaching and massage therapy. Lauren is also a real estate entrepreneur, and enjoys rock climbing, hiking, biking, petting strangers' dogs and eating homemade chocolate chip cookies.

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wellness / Inspiration

By Haily Trevisiol

EMBRACE

a Blank Canvas Art by Haily Trevisiol

Photo by: brooke lark

“Live your life by design, rather than default.”

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ometimes in order for something new to be created, what has been needs to be erased. As COVID-19 hit the world this past year, life as many knew it was shaken up and wiped away. The good news is, in the face of change we often get to explore our greatest potential. This is the beauty of working with a blank canvas.

Likely, we've all experienced either opportunity or struggle in “beginning again” during the months of COVID-19. The reality is that you’ve probably felt a little bit of both.

What ideas did you have to scrap? What grew in that empty place? Where do you go when you have to start over? Are you inspired and hopeful? Do you shrink back and hide? Or, do you move forward with a plan, knowing that there is always more, even if it looks different than your imaginings?

Like your yoga practice, every time you roll out your mat and move you get to feel from a new perspective; experience a new set of aches and pains or areas that feel open and free. Perhaps you’re in a fantastic mood, a little tired or feeling the pain of raw heartbreak. Our experience is not the same from day to day, season to season or varying stages of life. Each time we practice yoga asana, meditation or pranayama, we also get to practice looking within at what we really want according to the current circumstances, where we are going and how to get there in the best way we can. These inquiries come up each time we start a new project, new relationship or let something go that was ready to fall away, like the

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leaves in fall making way for winter to then welcome fresh buds in spring.

In Ayurveda (a way of living that teaches us to balance the elements in nature with what’s going on inside ourselves), winter is naturally a time when pause and quiet are necessary. As explained by Dr. Claudia Welch, doctor of oriental medicine and Ayurvedic practitioner and educator, Ayurveda is a medicine of subtraction. She states, “Sometimes the medicine of subtraction can be even more effective than the addition of a medicine. It can take tremendous courage to stop doing something we are doing that is out of alignment with our innermost essence.”

Taking things off your plate can help you favor stillness, steadiness and deep nourishment to allow your creativity, enthusiasm and your true vision to shine through.

In our current global situation, you may be reimagining a life you had planned. If not, you know that a complete pivot is never off the table. While life is in constant flux, it’s up to us to embrace the rhythm of change and be willing to artfully start from square one. Yes, tearing up something you’ve

worked hard on is messy and frustrating, but once in a while it’s what we need to do in order to avoid stagnancy, repeating our mistakes and becoming complacent. Being perfectly prepared isn't always possible, but there are action steps we can take so we can turn toward the sweetness of change and careful construction rather than wallow in the fear of it.

Eat well.

Move your body.

Rest.

Do what lights you up.

Be willing to rip out the page of what doesn't and throw it away — something better will arrive in its place if you make the room for it.

A fresh canvas offers infinite possibilities, newness, a chance to rise up, serve and be happier. A blank white lined page in a notebook is ready to be filled with your story. Don't be afraid of subtracting.

Let’s celebrate destruction for its ability to bring about purpose, creation and reconfiguration. When you live your life by design, rather than default, what comes to the surface? +

HAILY TREVISIOL, RYT500, Integrative Wellness Coach and illustrator.

Haily’s mission is to offer access to both confidence and creativity through sustainable wellness, ayurveda, alignment and movement.

Haily celebrates the fullness of life with humor and relatability so that you can feel your most vibrant and in turn share your gifts with the world. Her artistic background motivates her to plan fun, fresh content that will challenge, inspire and help you to spark your own creative flame. Working with Haily will resonate as an experience beyond the edges of your mat (or plate) and encourage you to follow your dreams. createnourishmove.com @createnourishmove

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wellness / Inspiration

Photo by ava sol

By Jeanie Manchester

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INVOKING

The Divine Feminine in Challenging Times

T

he ancient yoginis understood the concept of time and cycles they called yugas. Presently, we are living in a time of great intensity: the Kali Yuga. The Kali Yuga is a period of hundreds of thousands of years, and it shows a progressive decline in true spiritual connection. We see this readily in many yogic myths where the feminine (Shakti) embodied consciousness is repeatedly disrespected and, as a result, leaves her human form. When she goes away, the demons take over the world creating environmental degradation as they pillage the Earth without a care or sense of responsibility. The world falls apart; the oceans fill with plastic; the air is unbreathable, and the respect for fellow humans is diminished. While the Gods plead for her earthly return to restore balance, she first demands respect.

If we are to call the Divine Feminine back into her body, we must confront our own shadow. A call to the feminine is a call to healing internal wounding where our ego believes it's in charge of life. When our attention focuses solely on the physical, we lose sight of the unifying star matter we are all made of.

We are at an exciting precipice where consciousness is evolving. For example, we see more people taking up yoga, meditation and Indigenous earth-based rituals that reconnect us to the essence in all things. In meditation, we have access to the healing energy hidden behind our scars, wounds

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and conditioning. It’s here that we begin to heal the memories of shame, fear, insecurity, doubt and inhibition. This is a necessary confrontation to make something more beautiful with our lives.

The great masters of the Tantric tradition understood that we could experience immense healing through an authentic path of Initiatory Mantra Meditation — a practice that literally raises the vibrational frequency within the body and mind. Over time, we go from a thickened, dense, contractive condition to a higher vibrational joy-filled experience of life. As a result, we tap more readily into our gifts, talents and capacities.

This has enormous potential not only for healing our own pain, but to add a positive contribution to healing our planet.

The dawning of a new era and a progressive time of awakening is becoming more apparent as we watch financial structures collapse and top-down leadership fall apart.

COVID-19 has stopped us in our tracks and driven us home. Home is the metaphor for

our central channel, where-in deep states of meditative absorption, we alchemically shift our trauma into empowerment. If the Kali Yuga has been an era of progressive decline, the Sat Yuga spins the pendulum back towards more light, creativity and beauty where humans will once again express reverence for life.

Presently, we are experiencing more collaborative efforts to eliminate differences of color, race and gender. Backyard gardening, walking barefoot, outdoor activities and women’s organizations are exploding worldwide as we lean into the call to heal the feminine. While these exciting shifts are taking place, transitions are rarely smooth. It will take a daily commitment into our core where the masculine and feminine dance as one pulsing energy.

It's here, inside ourselves, that we remain steadfast to working for the generations to come, to the upliftment of our planet and the evolution of humans towards a brighter, more awakened existence. + +

JEANIE MANCHESTER, founder of Anjaneya Yoga Shala in Boulder, Colorado, is a master yoga and meditation instructor with over 30 years of dedicated practice. She is an Acharya of Neelakantha Meditation and initiates people into this potent mantra practice.

Jeanie’s path of the divine feminine and awakening of kundalini Shakti has given rise to new inspiration in her life and all of those she trains.

She is the creator of the Shakti Sisterhood, Goddess Guidance and The Planetary Awakening Summit. Jeanie offers teacher training, meditation guidance, spiritual and business mentoring, as well as retreats and immersions around the globe.

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wellness / Inspiration

RYSE with a 'Y'

S

hortly after her fiancé’s death, my sister Rocio shared a letter with me that he wrote for her birthday — a letter with words that weigh heavy with new meaning: “Do we share love with everyone we encounter? Or only with those we perceive as worthy? … Judging even one soul of being unworthy of love does obstruct the flow of love through us.”

As someone who spent years in and out of prison, this man experienced many, many people (including me) who judged him as being unworthy of love. But, Rocio is the type of person who sees deep into people.

She looks into the core of who they are, submerging herself in empathy. Those who know her can connect with her.

Maybe it is because when you look into my sister’s big, round, brown eyes, you see her whole self. She hides nothing.

Addiction runs in our family. Growing up, we joked about the uncle who drank milk with a shot of brandy. We laughed when our grandpa told us his thirst was only quenched with beer. But, as I got older, I realized the severity of their behavior. And I remember, so clearly, the day Rocio sat us down at the kitchen table — our parents, brother and sister — to confess she was fighting a drug addiction.

While Rocio was able to keep her addiction under control for years, it resurfaced, stronger and more vindictive, after our youngest sister, Maritza, died. Maritza was Rocio’s best friend. Their bond was one I was envious of; they could share laughter, joy and sadness at a level only they could understand. Their inside jokes and secret glances made me feel as if they were communicating telepathically. Rocio and Maritza: my little sisters whose names I would almost blend together, because I rarely talked about one without the other.

Rocio struggled to find her connection with Maritza after she passed. The noise and turmoil of grief were deafening to

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By Marisol Cruz

Rocio, and she could not make sense of life without Maritza’s physical presence. Her second and third rounds of drug addiction led to more potent, deadly combinations.

And through it all, her fiancé — an anchor of strength and positivity — was with her, encouraging her to get better. He held her body as she shook through the convulsions of withdrawal, and he stayed awake with her as she fluctuated between fever-like chills to night sweats. His words gave her direction, and she came out the other side.

Earlier this year, as the world grappled with a pandemic, Rocio’s fiancé found himself struggling as well. COVID-19 catalyzed a spiraling of events that led to his death — not directly from the virus but because of its wake. His passing was a terrifying event that I feared would collapse Rocio into ad-

diction once again. But, she has only shown resounding determination to reach the goals that she and her fiancé set together.

As the strongest person I know, my sister does not give herself enough credit. There are not many Latina-owned small businesses in the state, but she has one of them: her salon in Greenwood Village, Six Twenty-Six, was named for Maritza’s birthday. Her pool of happy clients rave about her attention to detail, but I think it’s her ability to connect with others that makes her so successful.

She remains dedicated to her yoga practice — regularly sweating out stress and anxiety in her favorite hot yoga studio. She bravely began participating in group, guided meditation sessions where she shares her story with complete strangers. And, she pushes on determined to reach her goal of owning a home for herself and her son.

My sister has “RYSE” tattooed on her left hand purposefully misspelled to show her unique spirit. The tattoo serves as a reminder of the many times she has risen out of darkness. Her experiences are gifts that enable her to look compassionately upon others in difficult situations and recognize the innate worthiness of all beings to be loved. In this challenging time, it is important that we see each other for who we truly are — the way Rocio sees people. “Please! Let us all help us all to remember and recognize the truth in us all!” her fiancé wrote two years ago. Those words carry the sentiment of today during our global pandemic.

She texted me the other day mourning the future she was hoping to have with her fiancé. But, she quickly changed her tone and concluded by saying, “The fact that we get to open our eyes every morning and try again is the best experience, because we get to start over. This life is temporary, and, in the end, I hope I learned the most I could.”

Her words are a reminder that every day we exist, we rise. +

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photo by Marisol Cruz

On Family, Battling Addiction, Love + Loss

wellness / Food

RESPECT YOUR

Here-and-Now Body

by Dr. Penny Wilson

Y

ou and your body are in this life — together — for the long haul. I know that is a news flash.

Many of my clients don’t see themselves and their bodies as one entity.

The see “me” and “my body.” Then, they list all of the things their bodies are not and all of the things they want to change about their bodies. When I ask them, “What would it feel like to respect your ‘here-and-now’ body?” they get quiet. When you ask yourself that question, what is your answer?

Let’s start with some definitions to be sure we’re using words in the same way. For our purposes, “respect” is giving attention to and attending to your body. Respecting your body means taking care of it and giving it what it needs. Respecting your body means taking care of both your physical and mental health.

What is your “here-and-now” body? This is the body that you have right now. The one you have for this life.

Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, authors of the book Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach, say that, “respecting

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your body means treating it with dignity, while holding the intention of meeting its basic needs.” Respecting you here-andnow body means: 1) Giving your body what it needs to be healthy by completing daily and ongoing body maintenance and 2) Giving it what it needs to be comfortable.

What does a respected body need?

• Nourishing food: Providing food that nourishes your body in an amount that permits it to function the best that it can.

• Movement: Moving your body in ways that feels good, helps it feel good and supports the activities you want to do.

• Medical care: Getting regular checkups and taking action when something isn’t or doesn’t seem right.

• Dental care: Caring for your teeth and gums, so you can continue to eat without pain or discomfort.

• Body care: Stretching, rolling on rollers or balls, massages, etc. to help work out the kinks and keep you feeling supple and moving easily.

Your brain, although it seems separate, is part of your body. Your brain lives in your body and, as such, deserves the same respect as the rest of your body. Your brain deserves to be nurtured and stimulated through activities and connections with others. Your mental health deserves the same care and attention as your physical health.

The second part of respecting your body is making it comfortable. How can you help your body be comfortable? Having underwear and clothes that fit and that you like are two of the best ways for your body to be comfortable. If your underwear is ill-fitting — either too tight

or too loose — you’ll be constantly thinking about it and blaming your body for not fitting into it (rather than the other way around.) The same with your clothes and dressing in a style that you do not like. Why not get underwear and clothes that fit, and that you like, so that your body will be comfortable and you’ll feel good about your body?

You may want your body to be a different shape or size. However, your body is the way it is due to many things, including your DNA. You can’t will or work yourself to be taller any more than you can force your body to be a size or shape that it isn’t meant to be (at least for not any period of time). Just because someone else has the body you want doesn’t mean you can force your body to look that way. They were blessed with their genetics and you with yours.

Respecting your here-and-now body is the first step of accepting and maybe even making peace with your body. You may even learn to love your body. If you want to start respecting your body, here are three places to start.

1. Make a list of needs your body needs met. You could start with the list above and grow it from there.

2. Work on stopping the negative body talk when you look at or think about your body.

3. Make a list of things you are grateful for about your body. If you have a hard time coming up with something, try what I suggest to my clients. Be grateful for your big toes, because they help you to balance.

Your heart beats. Your lungs breathe.

Start small and go from there. +

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

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wellness / Food

CHAI RECIPE 1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

LOVING

Cup

Winter Ayurvedic grounding rituals often include warming soups, stews and drinks. Jenni Frank of Bhava Yoga in Breckenridge shares her incredible homemade chai recipe chock-full of livening spices and comforting additions to leave you feeling supported this season.

by Lisa Blake

1 cup organic whole milk 1 cup water 1-2 tsp assam black tea (depending on how strong) Pinch of cardamom Honey or coconut sugar to sweeten* *According to Ayurvedic wisdom, honey can become toxic when boiled, so make sure to add the honey after your chai cools a bit.

Directions

1. Combine water and ginger and boil until fragrant.

2. Add milk and tea; bring to another boil.

3. Add cardamom and boil once more.

4. Strain through a wire mesh sieve.

5. Sweeten as desired and enjoy!

You can also add additional spices like cinnamon, clove, turmeric and/ or star anise during step 3. While this recipe is best with cow's milk, if you do not consume dairy, you can substitute alternative milk. Beware that alternative milks already have a lot of water in them, so you may want to lessen the amount of water and increase the amount of milk.

How It Works

In Ayurveda, different spices have different healing properties, depending on your constitution, or dosha. The doshas correlate to the seasons. In general, fall and winter are classified as vata dosha, meaning there’s an excess of air and space elements present in nature. This can lead to drier skin and potential dry digestion or constipation.

In the mind, vata will manifest as worry, concern and anxiety.

“In Ayurveda, we use the principle of opposites to bring balance. The best balance to cold and dry is warm and moist, like a yummy cup of chai,” says Frank. “It truly is the perfect antidote to vata season.”

Learn more about Ayurveda at jennifrank.com

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partners / Directory

A Purposeful Path

211 W. Myrtle St. STE 103 Fort Collins, CO apurposefulpath.com 970.682.8844

Aarunya Yoga School 122 Main St. Minturn, CO aarunyayoga.com 303.506.171

Aspen Shakti

535 E. Hyman Ave. Aspen, CO aspenshakti.com 970.925.1655

Barber’s Den

057 Edwards Edwards, CO mountainbarbers.com 970.926.8091

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

Bhava Yoga

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

Body Therapeutics 2500 S. Broadway Unit E Grand Junction, CO bodytmm.com 970.644.5255

Bonsai Design

201 S. Ave. Grand Junction, CO bonsai-design.com 970.255.7393

Drunken Goat

56 Edwards Village Blvd.

STE 103 Edwards, CO drunkengoatco.com 970.926.1393

Earth Yoga Boulder

3000 Folsom St. Boulder, CO earthyogaboulder.com 720.593.1008

Endorphin

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

Cycle/HITT

myendorphin.com 303.993.4041 + 2738 S. Broadway Unit 201 Englewood, CO + 3170 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO + 10155 E. 29th Dr. STE 130 Denver, CO + 3210 Tejon St. Denver, CO

GOAT Training

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

Gravity Haus Vail

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

High Country Healing

295 Main St. Edwards, CO bookwormofedwards.com 970.926.7323

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

Color Up Therapeutics

Hovey & Harrison

Bookworm of Edwards

2192 S. Broadway Denver, CO 80210 colorupco.com 720.420.1734

Dragonfly Paddle Yoga

Dragonfly Paddle Yoga 201 E. Pikes Peak Ave. Unit 721 Colorado Springs, CO dragonflypaddleyoga.com 719.323.4200

Dream & Dreams Float Spa 70 W Benchmark Rd. Avon, CO dreamsfloat.com 970.364.3801 YOGALIFELIVE.COM

56 Edwards Village Blvd.

Unit 120 Edwards, CO hoveyandharrison.com 970.446.6830

Hydrate IV Bar

hydrateivbar.com + Bonnie Brae 753 South University Blvd.

Denver, CO 303.209.0989

+ Cherry Creek 2717 East 3rd Ave. Denver, CO 303.248.3281

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

jalaBlu Yoga

301 E. Main St. #270 Buena Vista, CO jalablu.com 303.807.5138

Jeanie Manchester Yoga Anjaneya Yoga Shala 1480 Violet Ave Boulder, CO jeaniemanchester.com 303.818.6697

Kaiut Yoga Boulder

4800 Baseline Rd. #D206 Boulder, CO kaiutyogaboulder.com 720.696.0401

Little Lotus Yoga

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

Lotus House of Yoga

lotushouseofyoga.com + Aksarben 6706 Frances St. Omaha, NE 402.281.4218 + Telegraph District Lincoln 333 South 21st St. Lincoln, NE 402.423.0753

Mountain Soul Yoga

56 Edwards Village Blvd.

Unit 204 Edwards, CO mountainsoulyoga.com 970.446.6485

Moonlit Tribe

Mobile App (Moonlit) + Wellness Brand Offering Lunar Rituals, Astro Insight + Spiritual Community moonlittribe.com 832.236.6061

+ The Highlands 3440 West 32nd Ave. Denver, CO 720.535.1919

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partners / Directory

New Mexico School of Yoga 1111 Carlisle Blvd SE Albuquerque, NM 87106 nmschoolofyoga.com 505.697.8507

Nurture

2949 Federal Blvd.

Denver CO visitnurture.com 303.390.1252

O2 Aspen

408 S. Mill St. Aspen, CO o2aspen.com 970.925.4002

Onus iV Bar

Sunshine Massage Studio

616 W. Lionshead Cir. Suite 300 D Vail, CO sunshinemassagestudio.com 480.388.0590

Sweaty Buddha

Telluride Yoga Center

Wax It Skin Studio

201 W. Colorado Ave. Telluride, CO tellurideyoga.com 970.729.1673

+ 1035 Walnut St. Boulder, CO 720.791.0818

The Conscious Merchant

Revolution Power Yoga

revolutionpoweryoga.com + 101 Fawcett Rd. Avon, CO 970.478.3176 + 10 Market St. Glenwood Springs, CO 970.930.6596

Ridgway Yoga Shala

540 Sherman Ave Ridgway, CO ridgwayyogashala.com 970.218.4799

Root: Center for Yoga & Sacred Studies

610 Terry St. Longmont, CO terrystreetcollective.com fluidivlounge.com 720.295.5690

920 Main St, Louisville, CO theconsciousmerchant.com 720.696.4840

The Yoga Tonic

132 E. 1st St. Salida, CO theyogatonic.com 719.239.0702

Thrive Yoga

thriveyogafruita.com + 326 Elk Ave. Crested Butte, CO 970.349.0302 + 332 E. Aspen Ave. Fruita, CO 970.349.0302

Tina Porter Yoga

1195 Newport St. Denver, CO www.tinaporteryga.com info@tinaporteryoga.com

617 N. 17th St. Ste. 200 Colorado Springs, CO rootdownandgrow.com 719.209.2108

True Nature Healing Arts

SCP (Soul, Community, Planet) Hotel

Tula Yoga & Wellness

2850 S. Circle Dr. Colorado Springs, CO scphotel.com 719.430.5400

Spa Anjali at the Westin Riverfront 125 Riverfront Ln. Avon, CO spaanjali.com 970.790.3020

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Village Bagel

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

Terry Street Collective + Fluid IV Lounge

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

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

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

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

Piante Pizzeria

Vail Public Library

100 N. 3rd St. Carbondale, CO truenaturehealingarts.com 970.963.9900 99 Snelling Avenue North St. Paul, MN tulayogawellness.com 651.645.5551

Two Arrows Coffee | Bar 225 Wall Street #103A Vail, CO 81657 twoarrowscoffee.com 970.763.5101

70 W Benchmark Rd. Avon, CO waxitskinstudio.com 970.343.4728

Yeti’s Grind

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

Yoga Center of Steamboat

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

Yoga House

207 E. Main St. Montrose, CO coloradoyogahouse.com 970.462.9977

Yoga Loft Boulder

yogaloftboulder.com + 633 S. Broadway Unit N Boulder, CO 720.612.4321 + 6565 Gunpark Dr. Unit 108 Gunbarrel, CO 720.612.4321

Yoga Mountain Shadows

4663 Centennial Blvd.

Colorado Springs, CO yogamountainshadows.com 719.799.6697

Yoga Off Broadway

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

Yoga Pod® Lowry

101 N. Ulster Ct. Suite 101 Denver, CO yogapod.com/lowry/ 303.444.4232

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namaste

Arielle Shipe,

Photo by Sam Ferguson

BLOGGER + YOGI

“I’D LOVE TO BE A BEACON OF HOPE FOR ANYONE WHO HAS FELT DISEMPOWERED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS LAST YEAR AND SHOW PEOPLE THAT THEY HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO RECLAIM THEIR POWER.” YOGALIFELIVE.COM

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THE

PRACTICE

Online Classes + Workshops with YOGA + Life® Get moving with live and on-demand movement and mindfulness classes with YOGA + Life® team members and friends from around the world!

This platform offers a wide-variety of classes and workshops to support well-being and inspired living every day, any time, anywhere.

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