CO YOGA + Life® | Summer/Fall 2020

take action issue

TYRONE BEVERLY

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

SUMMER + FALL 2020

LET'S INSPIRE CHANGE

AVI051420 Yoga 7.65x9.65.indd 1

5/14/20 5:16 PM

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TMS offers a noninvasive, drug free way to stimulate the brain with very few, minor side effects.

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TMS is covered by major insurance carriers, including Medicare.

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TMS Solutions has the distinction of becoming the first civilian facility in the United States to have validation within the VA system and receive the protocol developed by Naval east s odoctors l u toni the on s and west coasts for the clinical treatment of PTSD using the Neurostar technology. TMS Solutions is excited to now be able to treat Veterans for PTSD using this protocol.

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Advanced Depression Treatment

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

YOGA + Life® OWNER + EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kim Fuller The paper content of this publication has been certifiably reforested via PrintReleaf – the world’s first platform to measure paper consumption and automate reforestation

YOGA + Life® OWNER + DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS Bobby L'Heureux YOGA + Life® MAGAZINES FOUNDER Juli Rathke

across a global network of reforestation projects.

YOGA + Life® CREATIVE DIRECTOR Chelsea Connolly

LEARN MORE AT PRINTRELEAF.COM

YOGA + Life® EDITORIAL MANAGER Lexi Reich YOGA + Life® INTERN Lauren Faurrato CONTRIBUTORS

photo: flickr.com/nicholas_t | CC BY

Kim Fuller, Bobby L’Heureux, Lexi Reich, Juli Rathke, Shenna Jean, Lauren Farrauto, Sandy Ferguson Fuller, Wendy Wilkinson, Selena Rodriguez, Marisol Cruz, Lisa Blake, Julia Clarke, Kimberly Nicoletti, Rachel Glowacki, Tiffany Lord, Heather Lindemann, Michelle Polizzi, Marina McCoy, Kristen Lummis, Dr. Penny Wilson, Karstee Davis, Angela Gaffney, Mary Gavin, Roy Benningfield

PHOTOGRAPHY + ART James Beverly, Anthony Thornton, Kim Fuller, Brooke Casillas, Elena Ray, Julia Blattman, Krisiah Productions, Powder Day Creative, Brittney La Gesse, Marisol Cruz, Fabio Comparelli, Carly Finke, Zen Bear Yoga, McLeod9 Creative, Swami's Yoga Retreat, Hayden Hogoboom, Natalie Starr, Brett Stakelin, Pablo Merchan-Montes, Elizabeth Peterson, Brooke Lark, Evie S., Foodism 360, Michelle Polizzi, Bailey Batchelor, Denver Dish

REGIONAL SALES Bobby L’Heureux NATIONAL SALES Juli Rathke, Bobby L'Heureux SUBSCRIPTIONS Please subscribe to our magazine at yogalifelive.com/cosubscribe/ ADVERTISING National Office: 860.230.8650 bobby@coyogalifemag.com | yogalifelive.com FEATURES YOGA + Life® Magazine bobby@coyogalifemag.com | 860.230.8650 | yogalifelive.com AFFILIATE OPPORTUNITIES YOGA + Life® Magazine juli@julirathke.com | 815.414.YOGA (9642) yogalifelive.com COVER Cover photography by James Beverly

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

Letter from the editor / Summer + Fall

photos by: Anthony Thornton; kim fuller

DEAR READERS,

T

he time for change is now. Yesterday, yes, that would have been better, but tomorrow will not be soon enough.

So today, every day, we take action.

YOGA + Life® has always had a mission to inform + inspire. This year, however, has shown us how much we always can learn, adapt and continue to evolve.

When our country was hit with the global pandemic this past spring, we met challenge with resilience. You’re holding this magazine because we committed to printing it, even amidst losing big advertising dollars and distribution support. We delayed the issue a bit, just to give everyone more time, and then the world was slashed again to reveal another gaping wound.

As deep tensions of racial injustice bubbled to the surface in May and June,

we knew we could do more. We can change. And we did …

Just as we declared our admiration and respect to the earth in winter + spring with the “Love Your Planet” issue, we are declaring our love of humanity here and the desire to amplify the voices who haven’t been heard and the struggles that have not been acknowledged. See Tyrone Beverly on the cover and read his words on pages 8-9, and more on page 82. Tyrone has always been a voice for underprivileged Americans.

Please take the time to truly hear and feel everything he has to share.

We know we have blind spots. While it is our privilege to bring you a dynamic spread of rich and relevant content in this publication, it’s always humbling to know there is more to see. But we can change. And we will …

“The great ones adjust,” a good friend and mentor once shared with me. And to that I’ll add: “The great ones take action.”

So let’s do this. Let’s be better. Let’s be great.

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

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 / Sumer + Fall

CONTENTS 36

TAKE ACTION 5

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

We can change

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ABOUT THE COVER

Tyrone Beverly

10 TEAM YOGA + LIFE

The people behind the publication

PROFILES

CO influencers // teachers + leaders // studios

12 COLORADO INFLUENCERS

Arcana, Tailwind + Two Skirts

14 TEACHERS + LEADERS

Madeleine + Alex Hasulak; Haley Laughter

18 STUDIOS

Buffalo + Sparrow; jalaBlu

LIFESTYLE

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

20 “GONE IS GONE” BY ISABELLE GROC

Wildlife under threat

21 “THE MESS THAT WE MADE”

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Review by Sandy Ferguson Fuller

22 ART + CULTURE

October is Arts Month

24 TERRY JOSIAH SHARPE

“Music is emotion.”

26 HERE HOUSE

Taking action in Aspen

27 CO ESCAPES

Palisade; Cohabit Podtel in Avon

30 CO COMMUNITY

Q&A with Allie Yazel, Powder Day Creative

photo curtesy of: Tonic Method

32 REFILL REVOLUTION

How to create a low-waste lifestyle 34 TRAVEL

Gifts of the Amazon

36 WHAT WE LOVE

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Essential products for summer + fall

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40

YOGA + FITNESS

movement // in the practice // seva

40 YOGA + ESSENTIAL OILS

For anxiety and depression

44 MIND, BODY, SPORT

Recovery after injury

46 KIDS YOGA

Outside your mind + inside Mother Nature

48 YOUR HOME FLOW

5 ways to invigorate your practice

49 SAVASANA

The most important pose

50 KARMA YOGA

Reflections on a work exchange

OUTSIDE

fresh air // environment // adventure // gear

52 SUP YOGA

Switch up your movement routine

54 ZERO-WASTE HABITS

8 things to adopt this season

56 A-LODGE

Adventure vans for rent

photo by: kim fuller

58 FAMILY BACKPACKING 101

Keys to success

62 GEAR GUIDE

Goods for summer + fall

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WELLNESS

ayurveda // health // inspiration // food

64 EATING FOR YOUR DOSHA

Connect with your well-being

66 INTUITIVE EATING

10 principles for success

68 MANAGING HORMONES + STRESS

Elizabeth Peterson — The Adeptist

70 EVERY CHOICE MATTERS

5 ways to take mindful action

72 TRAUMA + YOGA

Practicing and teaching as a survivor 74 PLANT-BASED REVOLUTION

Guide to eating less meat

76 RECIPE BOOK

Chef Roy Benningfield of SALT in Boulder

DISTRIBUTION YOGA + Life partners

80 DIRECTORY

Y+L Distribution Partners

82 NAMASTE

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Spotlight TYRONE BEVERLY

taking action

T

On Inequality

yrone Beverly has an extreme passion for equality and human rights. He is the founder and executive director of Im’Unique, a Denver-based non-profit dedicated to uniting the community and fostering healthy lifestyles within underserved communities.

YOGA + Life Magazines asked Beverly to speak to injustice amidst a turmoil of current events locally and across the world.

“With everything constantly changing, we’ve been doing our best to change with it,” shares Beverly. “We are providing online movement and now holding very important conversations on race. Asana isn’t curing

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COVID or addressing racism, so we’ve been making necessary adjustments.”

Here’s more from our conversation with Beverly: IN YOUR WORDS, HOW HAS THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND RECENT RACIAL EVENTS IN COLORADO AND THE UNITED STATES EXACERBATED TENSIONS AND INCREASED AWARENESS OF RACIAL INEQUITY AND INJUSTICE? In April, we found out that in the United States, black Americans were dying disproportionately from COVID-19. That news reflected the same results here locally in

Colorado and in numerous states across the country. The governor of Louisiana reported that 70 percent of the people dying in Louisiana from COVID-19 were also black Americans. According to health experts, black Americans have such a higher mortality rate when faced with COVID-19 because this population suffers more from high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and other poor health conditions.

On top of fighting a global pandemic, the most insidious pandemic of all time decides to show the world just how vicious it still is.

A cop from Louisiana posted on Facebook “how unfortunate” that coronavirus didn't kill more black people. A person sworn to protect and serve the public wishes death on innocent black people. To desire the death of innocent people illustrates a global mental health crisis that continues to clinically go undiagnosed. It’s deeper than bigotry, prejudices or the common definitions of racism — under these circumstances its an ineradicable sickness.

An important question to ask is how many black people has this officer ticketed, pulled over, testified against or arrested in his career? And if he wants to see black people dead, how trust worthy is any of his accounts against them.

Noticing that black, brown, elderly and indigenous people were more susceptible to contracting the virus, some protesting stayat-home orders became so angry that they grabbed their assault riffles, confederate flags and took to the streets. America witnessed white Americans carry their assault riffles, threaten city officials and yet there was no tear gas, rubber bullets, barricades or arrests made during their protest.

During this time, reports showed several men showing up to grocery stores in Colorado and across the country with Ku Klux Klan (KKK) hoods on. Comfortably walking into grocery stores in 2020 with KKK hoods on is America’s acceptance of black terror. Their anger of the stay-at-home order was quickly directed at black people. The KKK has been openly terrorizing black people for decades and America has spoken without words. As we all face this global pandemic, wearing our masks, gloves and protective gear, there stands a man with a white sheet over his head, staring in the distance, reminding us that the most merciless pandemic will live

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Photo by: James Beverly

Q +A

profiles / About the Cover

parallel to this novel coronavirus, and America has welcomed his longevity.

To openly support and allow domestic terrorism highlights how we are not in this together! The man standing with a white sheet over his head in the distance … he may even take off his hood, be more discreet, even appear in a suit and tie or uniform.

He may move just like Benjamin Stapleton who’s legacy has lived on in a local neighborhood in Denver named after him.

That neighborhood, finally, has just voted this June for their home to be renamed.

For some reason during all this, I found myself thinking about the oldest animal on the planet. I guess staying at home for a couple months can make you ponder all kinds of things. I started thinking about Johnathan. Johnathan is a tortoise that resides in St. Helena, an island off of West Africa. Some people say that Johnathan is the oldest known animal in the world. I decided to look up a picture of Johnathan; I wanted to see what kind of insight, what kind of wisdom was carved into his 187-year-old aged body. The first thing I noticed about Johnathan was that he appeared to be angry, yet youthful. He was African.

Throughout my inquiry, I had seen two French scientists come out and publicly state they wanted to test unproven COVID vaccines on Africans. Being that Johnathan sat closely off the cost of West Africa, I wondered if he had heard the news and if it had pissed him off and that’s why he looked so mad in all of his pictures.

When those scientists disclosed their plans to experiment on Africans, it opened up a very painful wound for many African Americans. It was a reminder of the 40-yearold Tuskegee experiment that literally contributed long-term chronic health disparities and contributed to the depopulation of black people. It was a reminder of the decades of Dr. Albert Kligman’s experiments in Philadelphia which ended in 1978. The experiments included burning black bodies with all kind of harsh chemicals, like the agent orange ingredient dioxin, radioactive isotopes, and calling it benign. He was testing shampoos, soaps, deodorants and even mind-altering drugs.

Some of the men’s skin was damaged so badly it turned into a leather-like texture.

Kligman became rich and celebrated in the

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field of dermatology and credited for inventing Retin-A. As many scientists are eager to create a vaccine for COVID-19, certain groups are being preyed on once again.

In late March, a good friend of mine, ZW, reached out to me about her efforts to support a Northern Arapaho indigenous tribe on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming during the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking about wounds, the indigenous people of this country have not forgotten how bio-weapons have contributed to one of, if not the most, horrific genocides ever committed in world history. She explained that the majority of the tribe were immune compromised because of open uranium mining on their land. The water on their particular part of the land is undrinkable, yet when a person is dehydrated, their will to survive leaves them with very little choices. This has led to an increase in cancer and other poor health conditions.

She explained that they had no hospitals, no clinics and that they are under the jurisdiction of the federal government but they will not be receiving the same support as the rest of Wyoming. COVID cases began to spread quickly, and I wondered if that was indicative to all the reservations across the country, and if the reservations in Canada were cared for in that same manner.

Going back to my earlier comment about health experts stating that black people suffer more from high blood pressure, diabetes and other health conditions, makes me think some scientists and medical researchers continue to get a pass on their contribution to oppression. They simply glaze over and create simplified prognosis that directly puts the onus on the individual and not the system and condition the individual lives in.

What has gotten black Americans to this point? Before this moment in time, for many, there was no real incentive to actually care about black people. That’s why the easy answer can’t always be the go-to answer.

Easy leaves out the continued trauma of witnessing Tamir Rice, Philando Castile and Eric Garner being murdered live on social media. Easy criminalizes black people to justify the cruelty that is bestowed upon them. Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. They were not innocent until proven guilty, they were guilty — guilty

of being black. After the world watched Ahmaud Arbery be hunted like elk, we dropped in pain. After the world heard about the bullets piercing through Breonna Taylor’s innocent body, we shook uncontrollably, and after George Floyd was lynched for the whole world to see, we stood back up and said this can no longer be our reality.

If only Johnathan could speak. Given that Johnathan is the progeny of a family tree that would only require three generations to fully articulate over 500 of history.

WHERE DO YOU SEE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDES IN THE YOGA COMMUNITY AND WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE WAYS WE CAN BRIDGE THE GAPS? That’s challenging because even the bridge has gaps but I think we can all make a difference because everyone has something special to offer.

People just have to live their practice and never lose hope in our collective humanity. When Yoga Journal, Gaia TV and the other major yoga media outlets of the world create platforms that empower people from various walks of life to be content creators, things will continue to improve.

Constant representation is equity and being in a position to make decisions also a form of social justice.

WHAT ARE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT RACE-DRIVEN INEQUITIES THAT YOU BELIEVE WE CAN ALL TAKE ACTION ON ELIMINATING IN OUR EVERY DAY LIVES? There is a great deal of unlearning that needs to take place. One of the most significant actions people can take is unlearn — unlearn toxic behavior and unlearn their fixed comprehension of race.

WHAT ARE WAYS TO CONTINUE BROADENING PERSPECTIVE AND EMBRACE EDUCATION ON RACE RELATIONS IN THE U.S. AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD? The falsification of history is one of the leading causes of our condition. Once we free ourselves from being stuck in a repetitive algorithm that reenforcing what we already believe to be true, we will be in a better position. +

Visit imunique.org to support the change.

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profiles / Behind the Pages

YOGA + Life®

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

BOBBY L’HEUREUX Owner + Director of Partnerships

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.

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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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 award-winning beauty brands, world-class restaurants and bespoke boutiques.

In her spare time, Chelsea enjoys the Colorado outdoors, live music, yoga, entertaining, traveling the world and spending time with her husband and two young sons.

Follow her on Instagram @thechelseaconnolly.

JULI RATHKE YOGA + Life® Founder When Juli was in 8th grade she knew she wanted to influence in a big way and had the dream (among many) of becoming a magazine editor. Well, she did more than that. She has been publishing magazines since 2002 and is the founder of the YOGA+Life® brand.

In addition, she is a multifaceted business woman, author, speaker and influencer bridging the gap between the yoga and business worlds. Follow her IGTV musings and see what’s next as there is always more with her family adventures, video interviews, her new book and world travels at @julirathke or www.JuliRathke.com.

LEXI REICH Editorial Manager 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.

As a recent graduate from University of Colorado Boulder, Lexi spends most of her time freelance writing and leading weekly yoga classes.

Besides this, you can find her hiking or traveling. Follow her on Instagram @lexi_reich.

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profiles / Colorado Influencers

ARCANA RESTAURANT

A

Boulder

rcana Restaurant in Boulder pioneered giving back in the restaurant sphere; it launched “Arcana from Afar,” which provides a pay-what-you-can community food service to those in need, on March 17, 2020. This service has been available Wednesday through Saturday every week through the pandemic.

“One thing we do know, the service of feeding people in need will be essential.

It is hard to overstate that,” Arcana wrote in a Facebook post before starting the program. “We are in this together.”

Every week Arcana uploads a new menu with fresh dishes offered on a sliding scale, beginning at 0 dollars. Items include Red Lentils & Basmati Rice to Duck Leg Confit and the renowned Arcana Burger.

All gratuity directly supports laid off hourly staff. Arcana stresses this mission is not

TAILWIND NUTRITION Durango

by Lexi Reich

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B

ased out of Durango, Tailwind Nutrition was created to provide optimal fuel, hydration and electrolytes to endurance athletes performing in events like 50-milers, 100-milers, 24-hour and multi-day epics. Co-founder Jeff Vierling was training for the Leadville 100 when he realized the need for optimal absorption and nutritional fuel for athletes. Today, his creation mixes into water and creates a tasty beverage that athletes and outdoorsmen alike rely on.

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Jeff and his wife Jenny launched a “Buy One, Donate One” campaign where Tailwind will match each single serving pack purchased and donate both of them to a hospital in need.

"I can't tell you how many shifts I've worked without eating anything due to the high volumes of patients we've been seeing,” says Brian of St. Joseph’s Hospital, who thinks Tailwind’s campaign is doing is “a wonderful thing.”

“I think during times like these everyone is looking for a way to contribute in

about saving the restaurant, but supporting their workers and the community.

Conscious Alliance, a hunger relief nonprofit, paired Arcana with 40 underprivileged families who receive a meal from the restaurant each day. Additionally, in partnership with World Central Kitchen, Arcana donates 400 meals a week to frontline workers — from hospital staff to fire fighters.

“It’s nice to have a purpose,” shares Jordan Burghardt, general manager. “It’s rewarding for us. Everyone that’s working here is in good spirits.”

Arcana stresses that if you can afford it, to consider supporting other local restaurants as well. +

arcanarestaurant.com

some small way. When we heard from some of our customers who are nurses and doctors how they were using Tailwind’s Endurance Fuel to get through long shifts, we immediately thought we should develop a program to service hospitals nationwide,” says Jenny, Tailwind co-founder.

They’re supporting healthcare workers and patients by offering a complete nutrition source that can be easily and safely consumed throughout 12-plus hour shifts.

To date, Tailwind has donated over 6,500 single servings of Endurance Fuel to doctors and nurses in 45 hospitals across Colorado and beyond.

“It’s been a big lift to the spirits of our team to be able to support health care workers on the front lines,” Jeff shares.

Plus, they’ve lowered their prices for the month of April to make it easier for athletes to train and stay sane in spite of the financial impacts of the pandemic. +

tailwindnutrition.com

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TWO SKIRTS Telluride

K

ristin Holbrook, owner of Two Skirts boutique on Main Street, was inspired how the Telluride community united to help one another as COVID-19 broke out, and she was craving to give back.

Kate Wadley, the director of philanthropy for the Telluride Medical Center, knew how Holbrook could help. Wadley started the medical center’s nonprofit in 2008 and launched the COVID-19 Response Fund in the beginning of March to help support the center’s fight in the pandemic.

So when Holbrook offered to contribute, Wadley was ecstatic. She says the medical center has had an extremely positive support system from locals and second homeowners alike.

Holbrook had the idea to sell “Telluride” sweaters as a fundraiser for the Telluride Medical Center COVID-19 fund. Two Skirts pledged to give 10 percent of all Telluride-themed sales to the center. It was not just a way for her to generate sales as a small business owner, but to help fight against the virus in her town.

The support was overwhelming. Wadley says she ordered a grey sweater because the blue color sold out so fast.

“I knew people loved Telluride, but this reaction was amazing,” Holbrook shares.

She was in the store at the crack of dawn every day shipping out orders.

In April, a former Telluride resident named Liza Thornton approached Holbrook about her fundraiser — she wanted to match Two Skirts’ donation. Together the two women each wrote a check to the Telluride Medical Center. Holbrook had one more anonymous community member match it the same month as well.

In addition, one of Holbrook’s sales reps in California, Peter Russel, reached out about donating with his brand Moussy Jeans. Holbrook added his jeans to her fundraiser at the 10 percent donation rate on top of Peter matching the 10 percent.

Together they collected close to $1,000.

Holbrook’s final number: $7,600.

“Our respect and appreciation for

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Kristin to lead the charge, think outside the box and raise awareness — plus the customers who matched the gift — was amazing,” says Wadley.

The Telluride Medical Center is small but mighty, offering ample amounts of accessible testing for the coronavirus to the tightknit Telluride community.

“If there is a second wave this summer and the medical center needs additional funds, I would be willing to bring the swearer fundraiser back to life,” Holbrook notes.

“I’m always open to new ideas to help.” +

shoptwoskirts.com

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by Shenna Jean

MADELEINE + ALEX HASULAK Acting on Passion

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t’s clear when you meet Madeleine Hasulak that passion and drive are two things she has never lacked. Her bright, brown eyes sparkle with excitement; she speaks with clarity and precision about her vision; her energy vibrates and buzzes, feeling quite contagious in the best way possible.

Just several months ago she was standing in the middle of her new Tonic Method studio in Edwards, Colorado, juggling her 10-month-old son Ethan and watching husband Alex Hasulak balance on a ladder adjusting a speaker. “Isn’t this space stunning?

We’re so close!” she exclaimed.

Madeleine opened the doors to this second Tonic Method Pilates studio location in

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January 2020, after opening her first studio in Aspen — while six months pregnant — in December of 2018. The boutique studio features eight custom reformer Pilates machines and her proprietary program that zeros in on breath, posture, muscle focus, alignment and core strength. The word tonic is defined as “something that invigorates, refreshes or restores,” and Madeleine guarantees that her 45-minute workout will do just that for you, as well as strengthen, tone and sculpt all major muscle groups with low impact.

With a background in Pilates, nutrition and fitness, Madeleine aims for holistic longevity in mind. "I developed Tonic Method

to combine Pilates, strength training, high intensity interval training and mindful movement into one incredible workout to support longevity in your life through functional movement that also complements your favorite outdoor activities," she says.

Madeleine and Alex are no strangers to the world of entrepreneurship; they met at the University of Denver, and after seeing the popularity of her mom’s homemade granola recipe take off with friends and classmates, the two launched Love Grown in 2009. As one of the first natural breakfast food companies on the market, a deal with Kroger in 2010 propelled them to the big leagues, allowing the Hasulaks to share their passion for nutrition through organic and natural foods in the most important meal of the day.

“I think that Love Grown catapulted us to something we didn’t originally see coming, and we had to go big or go home. We dropped everything we had planned for ourselves, because how often does any company get that kind of opportunity? We went from one store to 80 stores in six months and then 1,300 stores in a year. It was nuts,” explains Madeleine.

In 2016, the couple was named in Forbes' 30 Under 30 list, recognized in the food and drink segment for the impact that they were making. Love Grown was the first to introduce a bean-based cereal to shelves, proving that disruption is the best way to shake up a stale category in a massive industry.

“We realized that we had the opportunity to change the way people eat food, think about food and buy food,” she adds. “Love Grown may never be a Kraft or General Mills, but if we can get those guys to pay

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Studio photos courtesy of: Tonic Method, portraits by Brooke Casillas

profiles / Teachers + Leaders

attention to what we’re doing and change some of the food that they are putting on the shelves, then we are winning.”

In 2017 they brought in a CEO from Post to take over day-to-day operations; Alex transitioned out to start an architecture firm with his father while Madeline stayed on through the transition for a year and a half.

“I remember vividly having to choose between Pilates or Love Grown for the time being, and Alex really pushed me to understand the reach factor,” she says.

While extremely grateful that she has been able to impact the pantries of so many people and their health with Love Grown, Madeleine says she is ecstatic to return to her first love of Pilates and make a more intimate impact on a smaller scale. Alex continues working with the architecture firm, playing super dad to their son, Ethan, and exploring an opportunity on Colorado’s Front Range for a fast-casual concept that will continue with the theme of disruption and healthy eating.

We watched Ethan pull himself up to standing, while holding on to the Pilates machine and joked that it’s only a matter of time before he’s helping teach a few classes. Currently, Madeleine is holding down the class schedule at Tonic Method Vail Valley, while remotely managing the Aspen studio and enrolling new teachers in training for her proprietary method.

The family recently relocated to Edwards to support the opening of the new studio and allow for a shorter commute to the Front Range. When asked how they are

doing with the transition of the businesses, parenthood and the move, Madeleine replies, “Of course it’s a lot, but we wouldn’t have it any other way! I just feel so grateful that my work can be tied into my passions, that way it doesn’t really feel like work.” +

To find a schedule of classes for the Aspen and Vail Valley Tonic Method studios and get your first class for free, visit tonicmethod.com.

SHENNA JEAN loves creating content for people, places and ideas that inspire her. Based in Denver, CO she enjoys getting to the mountains as often a possible, listening to music, reading personal development books, practicing yoga, dancing around the house, and playing outside.

Element inspired yoga classes Gourmet camping cuisine Weekend of riverside camping Guided meditation Group adventure hike Time to relax and explore

MOAB 2020 YOGA + ADVENTURE RETREAT MOVEMENT | NATURE | COMMUNITY

October 8-11, 2020 | $495 More Info + Registration: moab-2020-inyourelement.eventbrite.com YOGALIFELIVE.COM

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profiles / Teachers + Leaders

HALEY LAUGHTER Indigenous Yoga Teacher

photo by: Elena Ray

by lexi reich

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N

avajo yoga teacher Haley Laughter found harmony between her indigenous roots and yogic philosophy. This connection, she says, fundamentally changed the way she viewed herself.

“My ancestors are the yogis on this side of the world,” she says. “There is a connection with presence and friendship with the elements. There is also a sacredness to the things that we do in ritual and ceremony.”

Laughter belongs to the following clans: Bit’ahnii (Leaf clan), Tódich’ii’nii (Bitter Water clan), Dibéłzhíní (Black Sheep clan) and Táchii’nii (Red Running Into the Water People clan). She explains how Indigenous people have oral stories, traditions and teachings that target the interconnectedness of the universe, similar to the self-realization philosophy in yoga.

“The Yamas and the Niyamas are a part of our culture, just in a different format,” she explains.

Laughter bridges her indigenous culture with the practice of yoga to create a platform of health and wellness for a nation-wide Native American community.

Today, listed as one of the Native Business' Top 50 Entrepreneurs, she has paved the way for other Native American yoga instructors and practitioners to follow suit.

UNBURDENING HISTORICAL TRAUMA Her journey began in a hot yoga studio in Salt Lake City, Utah at 28 years old. During that time, she was battling with her identity.

She was living the life of a “city Indian,” as she called it, and was craving to learn more about who she was and where she came from.

She knew her parents were involved in the Assimilation Act, where they were taken from their homes and forced to assimilate into American culture by cutting their hair and enrolling in boarding schools. They suffered abuse and their own identity crises after being brainwashed from their heritage, so Laughter grew up without a deep connection to her Native roots.

Laughter’s only exposure to her true ethnic background came when visiting her grandmother in Shonto, Arizona. Her parents would take her and her siblings there twice a year. Her grandmother lived in a hogan composed of logs and mud. But it was

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There is a connection with presence and friendship with the elements. There is also a sacredness to the things that we do in ritual and ceremony.

beautiful, with vibrant red sand and pristine, rejuvenating air. She wanted more of it.

According to Native Hope, a non-profit that exists to address the vast injustices experienced by Native Americans, generations of Natives are troubled by trauma passed on through older generations, like an enduring collective consciousness. Their website states: “For many Native Americans, it is crucial to find avenues of healing, whether that healing comes through culturally appropriate counseling, exercise, life in community, or practices like yoga or personal meditation.” Healing practices like yoga help slow down these negative cycles of abuse and addiction by engaging the individual’s spiritual connection; this substitution allows for the emergence of more positive lifestyles.

YOGA’S HEALING By the time Laughter was 28, she sought to unburden historical trauma and her lack of connection to herself and her homeland.

The first thing she noticed in the sweaty yoga room were the colors, the serenity. It reminded her of a sweat lodge. She loved it.

“I found myself in a position of either choosing alcohol or yoga, because it was just so overwhelming,” she divulges. “I decided that I didn't want to place that energy or continue that pattern. So I chose to practice yoga … and that's what really took

meme into into a different a different path path with with mymy life, life, was was that decision.”

Laughter started a family and continued to practice yoga four to five times a week. In 2010, she enrolled in her first yoga teacher training in Las Vegas. Shortly after, in 2011, Laughter and her four children moved to Gallup, New Mexico, known as the "Heart of Indian Country.”

I’m surrounded by my people, my culture, she thought when she first arrived. Laughter immersed herself in the Navajo community and discovered the power of ritual and ceremony. She couldn’t get enough.

Laughter opened Gallup’s first yoga studio with her sister-in-law, called FourCorners Yoga. Laughter’s goal: Get more Natives into yoga.

Laughter posted yoga pictures of herself on social media wearing her moccasins and traditional Native hairband. She gained a following through online forums like “Healthy Active Natives,” and her life direction changed.

HOZHO TOTAL WELLNESS She eventually went separate ways with FourCorners Yoga and created Hozho Total Wellness in 2015, which she calls a mobile indigenous yoga studio. “Hozho” is a Navajo term encompassing the interconnectedness between the beauty, harmony and goodness in the universe that results in wellbeing.

Laughter created online challenges to get her Native community involved with yoga and was soon teaching at various Indigenous events throughout the region. Her classes center around the sacredness of nature through the elements of fire, water, air and earth. The response from her community has been astounding.

“They love it,” she says. “They love it, because they understand it.”

Laughter created a beautiful avenue toward healing by weaving indigenous teachings into her yoga classes. She has seen the transformation the practice has given her and wanted to share it with as many people as possible, which is why she started a 200-Hour Indigenous Yoga Teacher Training program, aligning with her mantra: Get more Natives into yoga. +

Find her on Facebook @hozhototalwellness

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profiles / Studios

by Lauren Farrauto

Buffalo + Sparrow YOGA COLLECTIVE

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seemingly unlikely pairing, the buffalo and the sparrow actually embody a powerful, mutually beneficial relationship. Buffaloes instinctively face a storm, rather than flee from it, in order to lessen its suffering and pass through quickly. The sparrow offers the buffalo community, guidance and support. For founders Rachel Stroud and Cole Schlam, Buffalo + Sparrow Yoga Collective hopes to be the sparrow for all the buffaloes currently facing the storm. The collective offers trauma-sensitive yoga classes and trainings in the Denver Metro area in studios including Asana Studio, Comeback Yoga and Samadhi Center for Yoga.

“We had experienced and witnessed yoga as a modality of deep, long-term health and recovery," Stroud explains. "We wanted to provide a safe space for others to dive into their symptoms and navigate toward freedom through the practice of trauma-sensitive yoga."

Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TSY) focuses on working the body in order to alleviate the mind — known as the bottom-up approach.

This method pushes stored trauma residing in places like the chest, hips and shoulders,

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out of the body and the nervous system.

Grounding, balancing and strengthening poses are utilized to empower survivors and help them become more aware of their bodies. The classes are intentionally slow-paced, allowing the student time to experience and react to the feeling of a new pose and the memories it potentially brings to light. The duo doesn’t offer hands-on assists to avoid triggering their students and further support them in their journey.

A student who comes to a TSY class should expect to find compassion and leave with a well-equipped toolbox to help them navigate their trauma. These classes also employ invitational cueing; this means the student is given options within each pose,

empowering them through choice, which was likely taken away from them during trauma. This choice “gives them the ability to listen to their body’s needs, in order to take care of it in ways that support their unique self,” Schlam elaborates. “This helps survivors befriend their bodies and take care of themselves as awareness about their body grows.”

The power of choice is extremely important to both owners, since it “works empowerment into lived experience to take off the mat,” Stroud says. The majority of the time, Stroud and Schlam are unaware of the specific kinds of trauma in their classes, but they believe that is completely reasonable.

“We exist simply to aid in the process of healing from one’s trauma,” Stroud emphasizes. They also stress the importance of fully feeling, even when difficult, which is crucial to holistic healing.

Buffalo + Sparrow’s mission is to help practitioners achieve freedom in the body through the release and alleviation of traumatic symptoms. Stroud and Schlam challenge their students to “be the buffalo” — to face the storm head on. As the sparrow, they will be there to help provide a safe space and help people find the path to recovery. As Stroud says: “Courage in every breath.” +

Learn more and find out when classes are held at buffaloandsparrow.com.

An avid reader and writer for as long as she can remember, LAUREN FARRAUTO has always loved the power of the written word and a good story. As the current editorial intern for the CO YOGA + life Magazine 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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jalaBlu Yoga

photo courtesy of: jalaBlu

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ala is Sanskrit for water and is most commonly used in yoga to refer to cleansing practices for the body that involve water. For Jenna Pfingston, founder and owner of jalaBlu Yoga, jala can move in a myriad of layers — it’s the element of water that rises within humans and nature, the flow of life. And, she just loved it with the sound of “blu.”

Renowned as Buena Vista’s first yoga studio, jalaBlu opened in 2010 in Pfingston’s house. It was a makeshift studio, with her backyard garden as the entrance, the bottom floor holding the check-in desk and the 400-square-foot top floor functioning as the yoga room.

“People still miss that small little space … it holds a lot of love for everyone,” she says.

In September 2017, jalaBlu moved to its third and final space on Main Street.

Pfingston loves how the beautiful space is adorned with bright skylights and windows.

“It has a very sweet essence,” she shares.

Pfingston was first introduced to yoga in her 20s while living in Bloomington, Indiana.

Her practice was quite traditional, learning under the styles of hatha and Iyengar. She started her journey to becoming a teacher in 2008 by studying Anusara, a form of hatha yoga that means “flowing with grace.”

The intensive training process took three years — much different than most certifications today — and part of her practicum included teaching to students for at least two years. Without a studio in Buena Vista to teach at during this time, Pfingston decided to open a space of her own.

JalaBlu grew through word of mouth at first. And, as Pfingston plastered fliers all throughout the small town of about 3,000, slowly yoga gained more and more momentum.

Today there are seven well-seasoned teachers at jalaBlu. Classes range from VinYin to Chair Yoga to Pfingston’s favorite: Embodied Flow + Meditation. This class is

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BUENA VISTA

an invitation into ceremonial moving prayer; one can expect mudras within the flow and chanting full mantras in the middle of class.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Pfingston swiftly transitioned the studio to online classes; plus, they’re affordable with 8 dollar drop-ins. Since this adaptation, the small town studio now brings in 30 to 60 global yogis daily.

“I had to step into action, flip my perspective and just make it work,” she says, adding that she’s working harder than ever before to keep jalaBlu alive.

Just like the ebb and flow of jala, Pfingston believes in honoring where you’re at, especially during difficult times.

“Water for me holds the significance of all of our wild emotions and waves of life,” she says. +

jalablu.com

by Lexi Reich

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lifestyle / Books

“gone is gone” Wildlife Under Threat review by Sandy Ferguson Fuller

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ithout ado, the title of Isabelle Groc’s new book, Gone is Gone, sums it up. Once an animal or plant species is extinct, it is GONE. Forever. Not one of us had a chance to glimpse one of 3 billion passenger pigeons, unless you’re over 106 years old!

It’s inconceivable that future generations might never see a polar bear or vulture or cheetah or albatross or caribou or kangaroo or even a bumblebee. According to Groc, “the current rate of extinction is cause for alarm.” Worldwide habitat intrusion, pollution, illegal trafficking, climate change and political legislation are each attributing to “effects we don’t fully comprehend.”

Will any or all of the 26,800 species identified on the 2018 Red List as threatened with extinction (97,000 are endangered) follow the ultimate route of the passenger pigeon or others?

Hopefully not, if we take action.

Gone Is Gone calls for responsible action.

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Groc writes: “When you learn about the thousands of species that are in trouble, you may feel sad and powerless … Luckily there are many amazing people around the world who have dedicated their lives to fighting the war against extinction. But more people and more action are needed … Every single action counts."

This stunning 120-page book is fact-filled and rich in imagery, accessible to young people and adults. Groc aims to inspire youth, in particular, “to carry the torch and fight for the future of wild spaces and species.” Her full-color photographs accompany the narratives.

She shares stories of species that have been helped and others that need our help. Some vulnerable animals featured might come as a surprise … Lions? Giraffes?

Bears? Wolves? Koalas? Monarch butterflies? There’s good news too … sea otters are back!

Groc blends disturbing scientific fact with

inspiring descriptions and photographs of firsthand wildlife encounters. She instills a passion for her subjects and surroundings before recruiting us help to save them.

She effectively explains the extinction crisis, highlights specific causes, and explores trial remedies and efforts to avert it. She describes common wildlife encounters where human action does or might change the course of extinction; she offers encouraging examples in Act For The Wild entries which document specific efforts for American badgers, barn swallows, laysan ducks, Oregon spotted frogs, right whales and more. Again, including photos on every page.

Jane Goodall writes in her foreword: “If human behavior is the cause of the wildlife crisis, it can also be the solution.”

Gone Is Gone brings us pause and heightens our awareness as we look into the eyes of creatures that share our world.

It should also motivate us to help our wild neighbors and their neighborhoods. +

Isabelle Groc lives in Vancouver, Canada.

She is a writer, wildlife photographer and filmmaker who focuses on the environment, wildlife natural history and conservation, endangered species and the changing relationships between people and their world. Gone Is Gone published by Orca Book Publishers, 2019.

Available wherever books are sold.

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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review by Sandy Ferguson Fuller

"The Mess That We Made"

By Michelle Lord Illustrated by Julia Blattman

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JULIA BLATTMAN

“

‘Seas’ the day — do your part to protect our oceans!”

The above dedication from author Michelle Lord introduces her new children’s picture book, The Mess That We Made. With stunning full-color digital illustrations by Julia Blattman, it’s an effective, educational and engaging call to action for all ages.

Anyone who hasn’t heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or ghost nets or microplastics should seek out this simple and informative book. It’s perfect for adults and kids to share as a read-aloud with its rhythmic, repetitive storyline. The final three pages detail easy, urgent efforts that everyone can adopt to make a difference and reduce ocean pollution.

Most of our Rocky Mountain audience

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does not live near an ocean, but many visit and all agree that oceans are a crucial link to sustainable life on Earth. We must save our seas. The Mess That We Made offers a wonderful start. Environmental awareness and prudent lifestyle habits must begin early if today’s kids and future generations are to reverse trends and save our planet.

Adults must guide that effort by example and initiative.

Did you know (I didn’t!) that five natural systems of circular ocean currents/gyres pull in and trap trash, forming the huge, expanding ocean garbage patches located in the North and South Pacific, North and South Atlantic, and Indian Oceans? These are pictured on the back endpapers of the book. Most of the trash is sinking into the

permanent seabed.

Did you know (I didn’t!) that fishing nets make up more than half of the large plastic objects in the Great Garbage Patch of the North Pacific? These ghost nets continue to endanger all sea life, including coral.

We’ve heard about PLASTIC … the current popular mantra is “Get Rid of Plastic!” It doesn’t biodegrade, it resembles an edible jellyfish to a sea turtle or bird, and six-pack rings equate to a hanging noose for many sea creatures.

But did you know (I didn’t!) that the oldest piece of plastic found in the Great Garbage Patch in a 2015 study dated back to 1977, and it’s still floating around after 40 years?!

We’ve heard that irresponsible actions or lazy attitudes may circle back to harm us.

Classic cause and effect.

But did you know (I didn't!) that the microplastics blown or swept into oceans from ourlandfills get consumed by fish, the chemicals move up the food chain and, ultimately, end up on our seafood platter and make us sick?

I learned all of these fascinating and disturbing facts in this picture book.

Look at the mess that we made — and that we are still making!

But we can seize the day! Take action.

Share the important facts and ideas in this book with kids and adults. Reduce. Reuse.

Repurpose. Recycle.

Hopefully, soon we’ll be able to say, “Look at our mess that has gone away.” +

The Mess That We Made published by Flashlight Press, January, 2020. Available wherever books are sold.

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lifestyle / Art

EXPERIENCE

Art + Culture in Colorado

by Wendy Wilkinson

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Photo courtesy of: the Manitou Springs Chamber

O

ctober is Arts Month in Colorado’s Front Range and seamlessly offers a taste of the best of art and culture in the area. Presented by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region, Arts Month kicks off with the First Friday Art Walk in Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City, Manitou Springs and surrounding areas. Galleries will be open from 5 to 9 p.m., where some will offer snacks and beverages to accompany conversations with the featured artists.

Cities and towns across the state, from Boulder to Denver and Colorado Springs to Salida, celebrate the arts all year long, especially from June through November. On September 6, the art community of Manitou Springs will host a day of Plein Air, where artists paint on the streets allowing them the freedom to paint “en plein air,” which is the French expression for “in the open air.” Plein Air is about leaving the four walls of your studio behind and experiencing painting and drawing in the landscape. The practice goes back for centuries but was truly made into an art form by the French Impressionists. Their desire is to paint light and its changing, ephemeral qualities, coupled with a celebration of transportable paint tubes and the box easel — the precursor to the plein air easels of today.

As director of the Manitou Arts Center and the Manitou Creative District, as well as Manitou Springs resident, Natalie Johnson has been a champion of the regional arts for more than 15 years and is coordinating this year’s Plein Air event. She believes that Manitou draws so many artists to the town because of its natural beauty, including Pikes Peak.

“Artists walk outside of their door and are inspired to paint,” Johnson explains. “This a huge reason that Plein Air artists come here, as there are so many amazing opportunities to paint our landscape that are not available to most people across the country and even in the world.”

“I do know that we have a history of Plein Air artists including Ken and Tina Riesterer who own the Green Horse Gallery here in town, who, among others, will be participating this year. My guess is that we will have 20 or more artists, setting up easels all around the town. The renowned, late artist Charles Rockey lived here and painted outdoor landscapes, especially the bridges,

creek and summer flowers,” she adds.

Each first week in November, Denver’s vibrant art districts will transform into an art-lover’s frenzy, with more than 300 events located in Denver’s intimate galleries and theaters, landmark museums and one-of-a-kind performing arts venues. The week gives a taste of what Colorado’s lively culture has to offer, and it’s an all-out spectacle that you won’t want to be on the sidelines for. A highlight of the week is on Friday, November 6, ‘Know Your Arts First Friday,’ where creative neighborhoods, such as the Art District on Santa Fe, Belmar Block 7 Art District and Tennyson Street Cultural District, as well as participating galleries, will offer free admission and local art for as low as 52 dollars.

Saturday, November 7 is “Saturday Night at the Museums,” where visiting Denver’s premier museums can’t get easier than this. With complimentary shuttle service from museum to museum, free admission and extended hours, the only thing you need to bring is yourself. +

For a full schedule of Denver Arts Week: denver.org.

It’s been a hard year for events, but we’re holding out on some of these late-summer and early-fall art celebrations. The following is a taste of what we can look forward to in Colorado leading up to the holidays.

AUGUST

Art in the Park

Saturday and Sunday, August 8 – 9 North Lake Park, Loveland

SEPTEMBER

Commonwheel Artists Labor Day Art Festival Saturday – Monday, September 5 – 7 Memorial Park, Manitou Springs

Fine Arts and Crafts Festival

Friday and Saturday, September 19 – 20 Bond Park Area, Estes Park

OCTOBER

Downtown Art Festival Friday, October 2 Grand Junction

NOVEMBER

Colorado Country Christmas Gift Show

November 2020 Colorado Springs Event Center, Colorado Springs

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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Photo by: Krisiah Productions

lifestyle / Music

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Terry Josiah Sharpe “Music is emotion.”

by Selena Rodrigue z

M

indfulness comes in many forms. Just as each individual is unique, so are our methods of connecting with the here and now. Whether it’s something routinely associated with mindfulness such as meditation, or perhaps something like tending to our house plants, these moments of connection are precious. They infuse our souls with peace and a deeper appreciation for the mundanity of day-to-day living.

One powerful tool to enhance mindfulness is music. Although its origins remain a mystery, it is evident that music has been an intrinsic piece of our collective culture for thousands upon thousands of years. To this day, music is a staple in our lives. Whether you’re listening to your favorite tune on your commute or singing along with a band you love at a music festival, there’s an undeniable sense of presence when you’re engrossed in a musical experience. And, creating music yourself can be an even more captivating venture.

Executive music producer and change-maker, Terry Josiah Sharpe, knows first-hand how transformative music can be. “Music is emotion. It’s our emotions in sound,” he affirms.

Since he was young, music played a key role in his life. His mother was the music director for a church — that meant he and his siblings were immersed in all things music.

Sharpe laughed as he recalled them being “the only kids in the hood singing The Sound of Music.” In retrospect, he realized that his mother was teaching them the foundations of the art all along. Music was in his DNA. Despite his upbringing, he was initially interested in pursuing a career in clothing design after high school. He had plans to attend school for fashion and design, but after 9/11 shook the nation, his trajectory took

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a dramatic turn. He enlisted in the military, traveled the world serving the country and eventually landed in Texas. As his time in the military ended, music started to pique his interest once again.

He found his way to The University of Texas El Paso where he studied music and creative writing. This opened up a world of opportunity. During this time, he signed with an independent record label and had the chance to tour with them. This is where his passion for music production ramped up.

Eventually, Sharpe amicably split with the record company, moved back to his hometown of San Diego and started his own music company. His goal was to help create music for a cause, which gained a fair amount of success for the five years it ran. But, as the company flourished, Sharpe was facing turmoil in his personal life.

PTSD, heavy drinking and a brief stint of homelessness threatened to destroy Sharpe’s inner world. Music was a dim lighthouse on the horizon; he kept his sights locked on as the storm raged on. But, with just about all odds stacked against him, he chose hope. He chose gratitude. He still keeps a count of the exact day he decided to focus more on the good in his life than the bad. That night, crashing on a friend’s couch, his whole life shifted.

Since that day, Sharpe has been a force for positivity. And he wants to show the world that

they can make that change in their lives too.

He dissolved his music company and moved to Colorado Springs with his wife. He wanted to shift away from music for a cause into music as a release. That brought him to his current roles as music producer at the Pikes Peak Library District and music executive at Anthem Music Enterprises. Through these ventures, he’s creating meaningful music and changing lives. The Colorado Springs community is welcome to join him in the studio to try their hand at music production — all free of charge.

“I almost want to say every day something transformative happens,” he gushes.

Music speaks where words fail. Many of these community members feel disenfranchised in a world that praises endless productivity. But for that short time in the studio with Sharpe, they get a voice, a release.

They get to just be. And maybe without even realizing it, they find their own brand of certified, grade A mindfulness.

Sharpe feels that music and gratitude are two huge components in the path to healing. And as a music producer, he hopes to help facilitate the creation of a truly impactful experience for guests of the studio.

He’s confident music is a perfect avenue for just that — profound healing.

“Once people start healing themselves, the world becomes a better place,” Sharpe says. Each and every day, that’s exactly what Sharpe strives to help people achieve. +

SELENA RODRIGUEZ is a social media specialist and writer currently based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. In her spare time, she hosts a podcast called Stories From Planet Earth. Her journey with yoga started nearly six years ago. The practice has transformed her life and continues to shape her today. Aside from yoga, some of her favorite things include hiking, trying new food and her dog Luka.

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Here House

Taking Action in Aspen

by Shenna Jean

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n September 2019, the doors to something never before seen in Aspen opened: a membership space welcome to all walks of life. Co-founders and mother/daughter duo Candice Carpenter-Olson and Michaela Carpenter both have a love of and natural ability to create community, and when the clothing store attached to their coffee shop, Local Coffee, was going out of business, they jumped at the chance to take over the space. Local Coffee has been known to be, more often than not, jam packed, making a seat to enjoy your house-roasted cup of joe hard to come by. Enter Here House: Local’s sophisticated sister and clubhouse model that provides a solution Aspenites have been responding very well to.

Originally from New York City, both Carpenter and Carpenter-Olson belong to club concepts, the likes of Soho House and CORE: Club, and saw the opportunity in As-

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pen to create something similar. Here House feels like a boutique hotel lobby, but is focused more on community connection and luxurious comfort, and less on initiation fees or social status. The website describes Here House as “a stylish, inter-generational member space to meet, work, play and unwind at the base of Aspen Mountain.” When you pop your head in, that is what you see. There are often members on the couch having coffee or lunch, people on laptops getting some work done in between ski laps and even kids enjoying hot cocoa and donuts. One of the crowd-pleasing benefits of being a member is the table service offered for food and beverage from Local, allowing members to skip the lines and wait at the counter.

Carpenter and Carpenter-Olson have been in Aspen full time going on four years now and have made quite the splash since arriving. They started with a pop-up retail space called Maker + Place in the summer

of 2017 and then relocated to a permanent space. The ability to quickly take action has been key to their success. Recognizing the need for more coffee and croissants in town and the need for more foot traffic to their new location made the decision to dive headfirst into the coffee business a no-brainer. Kevin Newland soon came on board, both as Carpenter’s husband, and as part of the ownership team, overseeing roasting and baking. Local Coffee was officially born in January 2018. In the two years they’ve been open, Local Coffee has laid claim to “Best Coffee in Aspen” two years running, as voted on by the community in the Aspen Times.

Here House was born from the same sound business decisions as Local Coffee: listening to their customers, identifying a gap in the market and moving swiftly to action. Local customers were often asking for more tables, a quieter space to work and table service, while multiple attempts at a co-working space in the core of Aspen had been unsuccessful.

Carpenter-Olson saw a vision for space in town with an eclectic group of people in a stylish space working, playing and unwinding.

Over 100 members later, it seems that Aspen has bought into that vision.

“To me the most interesting tribes have lots of diversity built into them. Aspen can start to feel like a virtually gated community, and we want to do our part to keep the locks off. Life is much more fascinating when you mix it up,” says Carpenter-Olson.

Here House also offers programming open to the entire community, including the Wellness Wednesday series that covers a wide range of topics that intersect the corners of science and wellness. The series has been well received and covers issues such as gut health and the microbiome, the neuroscience of vision and goal setting, yoga therapy, brain health and more.

Sunday Brunch is also offered from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; aimed at making it delicious and affordable: 30 dollars for all you can eat food, two mimosas or specialty coffees included. Day passes and punch pass memberships are available for those who are in Aspen on a semi-regular basis. +

All details for memberships and events can be found at herehouse.club.

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Photo courtesy of: Here House

lifestyle / CO Community

lifestyle / Colorado Escapes

A

Palisade

Gets an Upgrade

Photos by: Kim fuller

by kim fuller

fter an extensive six-month renovation of what was once the Mesa View Motel in Palisade, Spoke and Vine Motel opened in the spring of 2019 and is offering guests and the local community much more than just a place to sleep.

And as if the timing couldn’t be more perfectly aligned, a fresh and impressive dining addition also opened last year in Palisade: Pêche. Restaurant.

For those looking to enjoy all the fruits of this quaint community in new and inspiring ways, now is the time to plan a visit.

SPOKE AND VINE MOTEL

PÊCHE. RESTAURANT

As Spoke and Vine puts it on their website, it’s a “freshly reinvented motel with old-yet-sturdy bones, thoughtful design, sustainable features, and clean, comfortable rooms. This is NOT your grandpa’s motel.”

The motel’s location is ideal — walking distance to great wineries and restaurants, and right on the biking and driving route known as the Palisade Fruit & Wine Byway.

Spoke and Vine has a Colorado modern aesthetic, is dog-friendly and presents a lot of inviting details, notably the great sips of local wine and craft coffee offered upon arrival, along with an impressive breakfast spread each morning with Palisade peaches (when in season) and pastries.

Owners Jeff Snook and Jody Corey recently moved to Palisade from Steamboat, Colorado, and their hospitality paired with all the thoughtful touches on the property make this a really special stay.

“This is exactly what we look for when we travel, so of course we modeled it after what we like in the hopes that there are like-minded people,” Snook shares. “And there are, obviously. We just designed this the way we like to travel, and we treat people the way we want to be treated.”

Snook and Corey provide a concierge-style experience for guests, and they were why we knew to go to Pêche.

We were impressed from our first round of oysters, and the awe didn’t stop until our last bite of peach sorbet. We actually enjoyed our meal there so much that we didn’t want it to wind down, so went for a second entree order before surrendering to a sweet finale.

Chef-owner Matthew Chasseur and his wife Ashley Fees Chasseur, owner and general manager, have truly created a Grand Valley gem. It will be a joy to see how the restaurant’s creative and innovative menu will constantly inspire palates of all those who visit.

As western Colorado continues to evolve, it’s exciting to experience communities like Palisade welcome businesses that emerge from the authentic purpose of passionate individuals.

Now, it’s our turn to support these small businesses so they can stay a while and thrive.

pecherestaurantcolorado.com

spokeandvinemotel.com

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lifestyle / Colorado Escapes

By Bobby L’Heureux

Cohabit Podtel

W

hen you think of staying in Vail or Beaver Creek, affordable is not the first thing that comes to mind. Bret and Carryn Burton set out to change that with the Cohabit Podtel. After many years spent in the Vail Valley working in restaurants and hotels, Bret and Carryn transitioned their careers in real estate.

For the past few years they have been kicking around the concept that had become Cohabit Podtel, and finally their dream has become a reality.

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“We love to travel and have stayed in dozens of hostels all around the world. We always choose hostels over hotels, because it is a better experience and we enjoy meeting and socializing with other travelers,” says Bret.

At the same time, they found staying in the bunk rooms was a little too connected to the other travelers. They often opted for the private room so they could get the best of both worlds. When coming up with the concept for Cohabit Podtel they took all of their travel likes and dislikes to nail it down.

“We began brainstorming ideas to bring hostel-style lodging to our community, but with a solution for private sleeping quarters. After months of trial and error, we settled on the pod concept and Cohabit Podtel was born,” Carryn shares. “We knew the Vail Valley needed affordable accommodation and we wanted to take our knowledge and experience from decades in the hotel and hospitality industry and combine it with our passion for travel and customer service.”

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Photos courtesy of: Cohabit Podtel

Avon, Colorado

Cohabit Podtel is the first of its kind in a mountain town. They are trying to break the mold of traditional lodging to bring guests a unique and affordable alternative to the high-priced resort accommodations that currently exist. They created the same relaxed, social feel of a hostel with the privacy of a boutique hotel. There is only one private room at the Cohabit Podtel. The rest are custom built, private sleep pods. The Burtons worked closely with HMR Construction out of Edwards and Tiny Home Connection out of Denver to complete the concept.

If you are like many adventurers when you travel, all you really need is a place to rest your head and store your gear. Each sleep pod can accommodate two guests in their own private space, thoughtfully appointed with charging outlets, reading lights, luxury linens and mobile smart locks. The sleep pods are noise insulated with eco-friendly recycled denim and are well ventilated to ensure maximum guest comfort.

The goal of the Cohabit Podtel is to cater to those who value adventure over luxury.

“We strive to bring travelers, outdoor enthusiasts and adventure seekers together to enjoy our community’s world class activities,” Bret says.

Cohabit Podtel offers minimalist accommodations and strives for exceptional guest service, along with all the amenities you need for your next adventure. With a full-on locker room as well as locking storage for you gear, you are only a few steps away from everything you need to get outside and play.

There is a spacious lounge with sweeping mountain views and a fireplace in the lobby that provides a perfect place to mingle with like-minded travelers. Cohabit Podtel boasts seven private shower suites and communal restrooms, as well as a coffee bar and work nook. There are plans to acquire a liquor license in the near future.

There is free onsite parking and high speed WiFi. They have state of the art door

locks that allow guest 24-hour mobile access. Guests are able to check in with their smart phones when coming before or after hours. Their location in the heart of Avon provides access to several restaurants, shops and amenities all in walking distance.

There is access to the skier shuttle or intown bus just outside the establishment.

“Whether you are enjoying the great outdoors in the summer or winter, spend your time and money doing the things you love — we will take care of the rest,” says Carryn.

“Our brand embodies the spirit of Colorado and the promotion of outdoor recreation.”

The Burtons have a goal to expand the concept throughout Colorado, primarily in ski towns. They want to be recognized and trusted by anyone visiting their establishment and our beautiful state. + +

For more information, go to cohabitpodhotel.com

MODERN COMFORT FOOD • 16 BEERS ON TAP • WORLD-CL ASS WINE LIST • HANDCRAF TED COCKTAILS

208 N. Main Street | Breckenridge, CO 80424

thecanteenbreck.com 970.453.0063 Open Daily 11 am to 10 pm YOGALIFELIVE.COM

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lifestyle / CO Community

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Professional Content Creator, Allie Yazel interview By kim fuller

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HOW CAN THE OFFERINGS AND SERVICES OF POWDER DAY CREATIVE HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES GROW? When I started Powder Day Creative, I was surprised to find so many local businesses did not have social accounts or were inactive! Coming from the Chicago advertising scene, I had a very skewed perception of social media and assumed all businesses knew its effectiveness for selling. I recognized the need for affordable, informative social media management for small businesses in the valley.

Powder Day Creative combines content creation, strategy and management into one monthly cost. Content creation may be

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Photos courtesy of: powder day creative

Powder Day Creative

llie Yazel used to live in Chicago and work in advertising. When she moved to Colorado in 2018, she “traded sky scrapers for mountains,” as she put it.

“It became very clear; I felt a natural pull to helping small businesses over big brands,” Yazel shares. “I came from a family of hard-working entrepreneurs and small business owners. My whole life, I watched them struggle with local advertising and where to spend their dollars. It wasn’t until early 2019 that I realized I had the tools and the experience to help local Vail Valley brands grow their online presence — with social media, of all things!”

Yazel started Powder Day Creative in September 2019 with the promise to educate local business owners and help them grow their brands through social media.

“Combining my love for photography and copy writing, Powder Day Creative serves not only the management side of social, but the strategic as well,” says Yazel. “I immediately felt the disconnect between older business owners and social media. My mission is to make it more accessible and less scary to the 45-plus crowd. Yes, I am in my late 20s and it has been ingrained into my life, but there is an opportunity to bridge this age gap and give business owners the tools they need to succeed in this digital age.”

Yazel says she is a big “no excuses” girl.

“If you don’t understand something you can do two things: learn it for yourself or outsource it,” she shares. “But if you do outsource it, there’s a chance you’ll learn a little something along the way.”

Photos courtesy of: powder day creative

anything from photography to graphics to blogging. Powder Day Creative helps our clients decide what content makes sense for their brand and what will help them sell to their ideal customer.

During our quarterly strategy and analytics meeting, we go over the past quarter’s performance and look ahead to the next month. Social media can be trial and error.

These meetings help narrow down what works, what consumers engage with and how we craft the right strategy moving forward. It’s also fun to watch business owners learn new terms and understand the inner workings of social. Educating clients is always an added bonus! I love watching business owners feel comfortable on their own platforms.

HOW WOULD YOU SAY BRANDING, MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA WILL CONTINUE TO HELP BUSINESSES EXPAND AND SUCCEED IN THE NEXT DECADE? I believe we will watch social media evolve, just as we have seen it evolve in the last 10 years. Social media has many roles for a business — reiteration of branding, advertising promotions and, in some cases, selling directly through the platforms. Social media sites like Instagram and Facebook have created (and will continue to create) an environment where consumers and brands live in harmony. Social browsers use sites to research products and rave about a positive experience with a brand.

A current trend I am seeing in social media is the use of authenticity. Consumers want to see a business’ heart and soul, the hardships, the behind the scenes footage. The best business to customer relationships feel like just that — a relationship, not just a transaction.

Social media allows a business to very easily make that connection. There is no longer an excuse for businesses, large and small, to be absent from social media. It is highly effective and should be taken as seriously as the more traditional marketing channels.

content and strategic selling, Powder Day Creative has you covered. We have packages that combine content (photography) creation, social strategy and management.

The best time to get in touch with Powder Day Creative is when your social media accounts become a burden, take away from your day-to-day or simply when you don’t know where to start!

Our ideal client is looking to give up the reins on their social media platforms, but not stay completely out of the loop. Powder Day Creative serves small to medium sized businesses with brick and mortar locations or strictly e-commerce platforms. We service a wide range of industries some of which include food and beverage, wedding planning and events, home decor, realty and handmade products. +

If you’re interested in working with Powder Day Creative, reach out to schedule a coffee and chat at powderdaycreative@gmail.com.

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME FOR A BUSINESS/BRAND TO GET IN TOUCH WITH POWDER DAY CREATIVE, AND WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DO SO? Whether you are launching a new brand or looking to ramp up your business with fresh

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lifestyle / CO Community

Refill Revolution

Brittney La Gesse on Creating a Low-Waste Lifestyle interview By lexi reich

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WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO OPEN REFILL REVOLUTION? WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT? I wasn't inspired by one big, particular thing — and that always used to bother me, not having this big "aha" moment. Overtime, I have come to realize that that is completely okay! I came across this local zero-waste meetup group on Instagram and decided to attend. I was instantly amazed at this

piece of life that (most) people overlook or just don't know about. Being a part of this movement became obsessive to me, and it progressed into a lifestyle. I took the mindful aspect of zero-waste living and ran with it. I felt it was important to share this love with the community and create a space where others could not only get their zero-waste items and maybe some advice here or there, but also to have a place where they felt welcomed. I always wanted to have a space to support other local businesses, hold events and classes, and really just be there for one another on this journey.

WHAT CAN SOMEONE EXPECT FROM A VISIT TO YOUR WEBSITE OR STOREFRONT? Everything in our storefront is in some way designed to create less waste. I stress the word "less" because our infrastructure has made it literally impossible to create zero-waste — at least for right now. At Refill Revolution we do this through three different ways: bulk refills, products packaged in sustainable packaging and products that are made with sustainable materials that will

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Photos courtesy of: Brittney La Gesse

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rittney La Gesse is the owner and founder of Refill Revolution, a one-stop-refill-shop for household cleaning and body care products in Boulder. She believes a low-waste lifestyle is about being mindful of your footprint in everyday living.

Refill Revolution invites the community to refill its plastic shampoo bottles rather than buying a new bottle from conventional stores. It’s trendy on Instagram and that has brought the storefront popularity. La Gesse, however, doesn’t want her business to be a niche, trendy fad; she wants it to be the norm in communities throughout the nation and the world.

not contribute to the landfills once you are done using them.

When you shop at Refill Revolution you will be accepted for where you are at on your low-waste journey; if there is anything zero you can count on here — it's zero judgement.

I should also mention, since COVID-19, we have incorporated a delivery system for people local to Boulder, or five miles outside. You can find the delivery option available on our website — it's basically a take-back container program to continue providing the essentials to the community.

WHY DO YOU BELIEVE IT’S IMPORTANT TO “TAKE ACTION?” HOW DO YOU PERSONALLY “TAKE ACTION?” It's important to take action on an individual level because it gives the much bigger companies, manufacturers, etc., an incentive to make a change. As individuals we have the power to use our voice with our dollar. If you contribute to items that don't show waste and/ or their packaging as a priority, how can you ever expect a change on a higher level? This is the "way things are" because it's all we've known since the 1950s. We are basically trying to go back in time to the way our grandparents/parents used to live with the low-waste lifestyle today.

I personally take action by not only using my voice to tell companies that I don’t like what they’re doing, but also to tell companies when I like what they're doing. Companies need to know what is liked about them just as much as what's not liked about them. I have seen the smallest of companies take responsibility for their actions, so I'm confident the major companies could do the same, making it easier for smaller companies to follow their lead.

WHAT DO YOU WISH OTHERS KNEW ABOUT THE LOW-WASTE LIFESTYLE/ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT? Participating in the zero-waste lifestyle is much more than bringing your own reusable straw, although that is a piece of it. Living a lowwaste lifestyle is finding value in your things — being mindful about what they're made of and how things are used. More importantly, where are these items/their packaging going to go once you're done with them? It's Asking questions about things and appreciating their design and how they are used. Nothing in this lifestyle is perfect, but I think that's what makes it so great. It is an opportunity to get creative and use things to the fullest, which I think transforms into this whole new way of being. There's a good chance that once you decide to incorporate this way of being into your lifestyle, you'll see other pieces unfold that you were never expecting.

ANY ADDITIONAL ZERO-WASTE TIPS? There are no set rules when it comes to zero-waste. You are wherever you are doing whatever you can. If all you do is bring a metal straw with you wherever you go, you are doing something! You are bringing mindfulness to your life and setting an example for others around you.

There are no guidelines; get creative, do the best you can, share with others but do not shame others, take action and watch others around you latch on. Whatever you're doing is enough! + +

therefillrevolution.com

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lifestyle / Travel

GIFTS OF THE

amazon

A Journey through Putumayo by Marisol Cruz

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Photo by: Marisol Cruz

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focused my attention on the path immediately in front of me — it was covered in damp, slippery leaves and clay-colored mud. With every step I took, my yellow rain boots made squishing sounds. They were too big on my feet — I had borrowed them from the hostel owner — but I was grateful for them as I walked along the jungle floor watching my footprints turn into little puddles filled with rainwater and leaves behind me. The air was moist and cool on my skin. My raincoat stuck to the sweat on my body as I walked deeper into the jungle surrounded by trees, vines and lush vegetation. I could no longer see the black and blue mountains rimmed with low-hanging, feathery white clouds that we left behind when we started our walk. I did not know where I was going, but I trusted the local guides to lead me in the right direction.

What awaited at the end of my jungle trek was a tin-roofed house on stilts — a common sight in flood-prone areas. Thin ropes strung between trees held clothes from an entire family. This was the shaman’s home. This is where people come from all over the region for healing and guidance.

This is where I had ended up on my South American backpacking adventure.

The Putumayo region of Colombia is deep in the Amazon Basin. The depth of jungle is framed on the west by the Andes mountains that provide a stark, beautiful contrast to the dense lowland forest on the east. To travel in Putumayo is to journey through the richness of the earth. To have the opportunity to experience its full spectrum of color is an intoxicating meditation on the beauty of the planet. Putumayo receives all the gifts that the Amazon has to offer. Many traditional healers have lived here for generations learning to use the gifts of the jungle to cleanse and purify the mind and body.

It was these traditional healers that I was seeking. I had heard of their plant medicine and their ritualistic cleansing ceremonies — I needed this. I was on an intentional journey for self-discovery, and this was where that journey had led me.

That night in the jungle was one I will never forget. As the sun set, I stood in line behind the handful of people who had also come to seek the shaman’s cleansing medicine. I drank the jungle tea from a tiny glass and laid in my hammock waiting for

the brew to take effect. Slowly and subtly, as the sunlight disappeared, a kaleidoscope of colors materialized before my eyes.

For hours and hours in the darkness of the night, with indistinguishable animal sounds to accompany me and the shaman’s harmonica to guide me, I slowly and meticulously explored the depths of my psyche; it was as if I had been turned inside out and given a magnifying glass to examine every last corner of my being. That is the power of the plant medicine, ayahuasca. Leaving all sense of fear behind, I was forced out of the dark into clarity. With clarity comes alignment of intention and action — a sense of power and endless possibility. There is a deep knowing of the path you are on and the path ahead. I experienced the kind of clarity that forces action and gives you no choice but to change or suffer the consequences of turning away from the light.

When I emerged from the all-night ceremony, I felt dizzy with new insight.

Days later, I continued to meditate on my

experience during slippery treks to hidden waterfalls just outside of Mocoa, the capital of Putumayo. I hiked to mountaintop vistas that remind you how lucky you are to be alive. With so many opportunities to feel enveloped by nature, it was the perfect setting to sit with what I had learned during the ceremony.

Colombia is one of my favorite places to visit on this planet. Its unwarranted reputation keeps many tourists away from experiencing its beauty, and even fewer people make the trek to Putumayo. That is partly because travel around the region can be difficult when rain and mudslides make

the roads impassable and local minibuses operate on unreliable schedules. But it is well worth the effort.

Sibundoy is a welcome town for travelers that provides a lovely jumping off point to visit sleepy neighboring towns. I loved meandering down one dirt road to the next basking in the lush green landscape and breathing in the cool, clean air.

The magic of Putumayo stays with me, and the clarity I gained during that ceremony still guides my actions today. I am grateful to have stumbled upon this place that so generously shares its gifts with wandering souls. +

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.

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 / What We Love

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1. Costa Fernandina Polarized Sunglasses Fun and functional, these timeless sunglasses have a small metal frame with rounded lenses and acetate temples for added color. This unisex frame for smaller faces comes in beautiful oceaninspired colors. $289 costadelmar.com 2. Atlas Bars Fuel your day adventure with these delicious and keto-friendly protein bars, made with high-quality, real food ingredients. Try the Chocolate Cacao with 15 grams of protein, 2 grams of sugar and 5 grams of net carbs. $29.90 per box; $2.99 per bar atlasbars.com 3. Title Nine Duck-Diver One Piece Swimsuit – Sari This suit shuts out the sun and shuts in the warmth. The gorgeous Vintage Blue Paisley color combined with the flattering fit and dense, but not-quite-neoprene fabric makes this the ultimate covered and cozy one-piece. $135 titlenine.com

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4. Wildbloom Essential Glow Face Oil The perfect skincare product to hydrate and balance skin. Wild neroli for anti-bacterial and anti-aging support; pomegranate seed oil for cell renewal and wrinkle-prevention; marula oil for balanced hydration and a natural source of Vitamin C. $48 wildbloomskincare.com 5. Thousand Heritage Bike Helmet Featuring vegan leather straps, this helmet is designed for urban city riding. The minimalist Heritage style is the original collection from Thousand, inspired by the simplicity of vintage moto lids and the heritage colorways of the 50s and 60s. Get outside and ride! $89 explorethousand.com

6. Chaco Chillos Chaco Footwear just released this new slide sandal perfect for errands around town and into the outdoors. Designed to be lightweight, low profile and comfortable, this après activity slide is a go-to, featuring podiatrist-approved sweat relief, ample arch support and classic adjustable straps. $50 chacos.com 7. Restorative Yoga For Beginners This beautiful and informative book, written by CO YOGA + Life® contributor Julia Clarke, could not be a more intelligent and comprehensive guide to this gentle and nourishing practice. $14.99 juliaclarkeyoga.com

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8. Cusa Coffee Known for their instant tea, Cusa has created coldbrew instant coffee. Available in light roast, medium roast and dark roast, Cusa’s gentle cold-brew, no-heat process keeps all the flavor and aroma of a fresh cup of coffee. $6.99 per 7 servings. cusatea.com

11. Thule Chasm Wheeled Duffel The versatility of a duffel meets the convenience of a wheeled suitcase with this large weatherresistant piece. It’s designed for adventureinspired travel — the perfect complement to extended summer outings. $329.95 thule.com

14. Sanuk Vagabond Lace Sneakers These causal sneakers can be worn around town with shorts or dressed up a bit for dinner with jeans. They are easy to pack and vegan, too, so you can feel great about bringing them with you on all your travels. $55 sanuk.com

9. Toad & Co Boundless Pull-On Short Made from recycled content, these shorts are as easy to wear as they are fun for the season. They are moisture-wicking and are stretchy for comfort, with a secure zipper stash pocket as an added detail for keeping money and keys safe. $65 toadandco.com

12. EcoVessel BOULDER Bottle Filled with your favorite cold or hot drink, the BOULDER has a strainer for tea, fruit or ice so you can infuse some flavor. Keep cold drinks cold for up to 90 hours, and hot drinks stay hot for up to 18 hours. $36.95 for 32 oz bottle ecovessel.com

10. Wander + Ivy Summer is a perfect time to try these delicious, single-serve wines from Wander + Ivy out of Denver, Colorado. The wine is made from organic grapes from family-owned vineyards around the world. The French rosé is a CO YOGA + Life® staff favorite. $6.99 per single-serve bottle wanderandivy.com

13. Ned 750mg Full Spectrum Hemp Oil This CBD-rich tincture was extracted from the finest organically grown hemp flowers, all grown with love on the Western Slope of Colorado. CO YOGA + Life® tried a lot of CBD samples and can confirm that this brand is an industry standout. $84 helloned.com

15. Shār Snacks Pack your snacks! All the ingredients in this incredibly tasty mix are 100-percent organic, small-batch and responsibly sourced. Just nine whole ingredients create the perfect balance of nourishment to keep you fueled up when you’re on the go. $7.99 sharsnacks.com

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BY YOGA + LIFE ® TEAM

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lifestyle / What We Love

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ummer and fall are made for lighter fragrances and uplifting vibes. Take some time to explore the healing powers of plant-based essential oils, serums, lotions, butters and balms. Colorado Aromatics curates heavenly farm-to-skin products that lift spirits and mend mind and body.

The Longmont organic herb farm grows and incorporates lavender, cucumber, lemon balm and rose into beautiful plant-powered products for skin that has braved the Colorado outdoors. Here are four essentials we’re loving for the season.

SOLE PLEASURE FOOT BUTTER Soothe cracked heels and tired soles with this rich blend of shea butter, black seed oil, mint, calendula and comfrey botanical extracts. Barefoot runners and hikers: enjoy the foot butter’s pain relieving eucalyptus oil and antiseptic tea tree oil.

4 ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS FOR

Summer + Fall

Pure plant essences from Colorado Aromatics to help you thrive by lisa blake

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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HERBAL FACIAL STEAM Cleanse and condition your face before calling on this powerhouse mix of aromatic herbs and flowers. Pour boiling water over the herbs, let it cool slightly and then hold your face over the steam while you inhale the vapors, reaping all the pore-cleansing benefits of the rose petals, red clover and lavender buds.

CHALK CREEK DEODORANT POWDER This herbal deodorant is a natural way to stay dry on long hikes and blazing bike rides.

Specially designed for feet and underarms to reduce odor and moisture, baking soda, cornstarch, finely ground herbs and essential oils are safe to use anywhere on your body, and are great for shaking into smelly shoes.

NOSKEETO Shoo away mosquitoes and insects with this seasonal spray that’s great for camping and deep-woods hiking. Lemon, eucalyptus, citronella, basil and pine botanical oils come together in a nose-pleasing potion that moisturizes skin. +

Bonus: Want to get hands-on? Request a Colorado Aromatics farm tour or sign up for a three-hour volunteer gardening shift. coloradoaromatics.com

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Connect with the YOGA + Life® community!

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

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

YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

YOGA AND ESSENTIAL OILS ow can a yoga pose like standing on your head alleviate depression and anxiety? Well, for one thing, it changes your perspective, which can reduce stress and foster a sense of balance.

“Yoga is proven to help treat and prevent depression and anxiety. It’s a management tool and a prevention measure,” says Jana Stratton, manager of Yoga Pod Fort Collins.

When combined with essential oils, which can shift mental states immediately through our powerful sense of smell, yoga can really help soothe and uplift spirits.

“Practicing ujjayi breath (victorious breath) is one of the most effective and accessible tools to shift your mental state,” says Leslie Glenn, a yoga teacher in Breckenridge. The breath involves constricting your throat to create a longer and more balanced breath cycle. The oceanic sounds it produces also encourages focus and mindfulness.

To perform ujjayi breath, breathe through your nose and slightly constrict your throat, as if you are breathing in through a small straw, until you hear a soft whispering sound. Practicing this deepens meditative experiences and the quality of every pose.

Adding eucalyptus oil to the breathing exercise aids in moving from distraction to focus.

While practicing the following seven poses for depression and anxiety, choose only one or two essential oils to use on any given day based on your intended result; using all seven oils at once would likely overwhelm the senses.

by Kimberly Nicoletti

PICTURED: Leslie Glenn

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

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Photo by: KIM FULLER

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for Anxiety and Depression

1. EAGLE POSE (GARUDASANA): “This balance pose requires

deep concentration and is extremely valuable to shift from a scattered or overwhelmed state to a sense of pure presence,” Glenn explains.

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HOW TO: Stand tall and fix your gaze on one single point. Transfer your weight onto the right foot and softly bend the knee. Lift your left leg up and cross it over the right. Hug the thighs together and shins towards one another. Use a block under the left foot for more stability, or point your left toes and hook your left ankle behind the right calf. Pause to create stability in your lower body and then wrap the left arm under the right as if you were giving yourself a big hug. Snug the elbows towards one another, lift the forearms perpendicular to the floor to bring the back of the hands to face one another and hook at the wrists, if possible. Enjoy the ebbs and flows of this balance challenge to build resilience on and off the mat. Hold for five to 10 breaths and then switch sides.

Essential oil to move from imbalanced to balanced: doTERRA Balance Grounding Blend or Frankincense

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2. CHILD’S POSE (BALASANA) “As we rest with the forehead down on the mat in child’s pose, our senses turn inward and the body and mind experience an inherent grounding. Our sometimes overwhelming or overstimulating world is able to transition to a state of quiet stillness. The forward folding shape and hip opening position invites us to calm the rhythms of the mind and rest in presence. The overall shape allows us feel supported and connect with our innate state of balance and wellbeing,” Glenn says.

HOW TO: Start in a table top position with your hands grounded under your shoulders and knees under the hips. Position your knees wider than your hips with your toes touching. Sink your hips back to your heels and stretch your arms toward the front of your mat. Settle your forehead on the mat or on a block. Allow the body to breathe and settle. Hold for 10 to 15 breaths.

Essential oil to move from ungrounded to grounded: Vetiver Oil

3. BRIDGE POSE (SETU BANDHA SARVANGASANA)

Spending a lot of time rounding our shoulders while computing, driving or looking at our phones can result in a protective position.

This pose helps open the shoulders and chest “as we strive to meet each moment with an open mind and an open heart,” Glenn adds.

HOW TO: Lay on your back and bend your knees up the sky. Bring your heels in close to your glutes and press your arms down along your sides. Press into the feet and lift your hips up. Optional: Bring your hands to interlock underneath the low back. Hold for five to 10 breaths.

Essential oil to move from closed to open, or uninspired to inspired: Neroli Oil

4. RECLINED TWIST (JATHARA PARIVARTANASANA)

“Twists help the body and mind to assimilate the world and help us tune into a state of balance. They also aid in digestion — our physical digestion of food, as well as the digestion of our experiences into wisdom,” Glenn says.

PhotoS by: KIM FULLER

HOW TO: Lay on your back with your arms perpendicular to the body. Bring your knees into your chest and then over to the right side. Gaze to the left. Hold for five to 10 breaths and then repeat on other side.

Essential oil to move from overwhelmed to collected: Bergamot

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YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

5

5. LEGS UP THE WALL (VIPARITA KARANI) This is the ultimate reset. It’s a gentle inversion and a great way to shift your perspective, calm the body and the mind, according to Glenn.

HOW TO: Sit with your right hip touching the wall. Roll to the right until your back connects with the floor and your legs extend up the wall. Find a comfortable distance from the wall where you can settle in and stay for five to 10 minutes.

Essential oil to move from feeling unheard to worthy: Lavender

6. HEAD STAND (SHIRSHASANA)

“Anytime you invert the body, it stimulates blood flow to your head, which activates the detoxification of your adrenal glands and helps drain the lymphatic system. Switching the body’s blood flow increases the availability of oxygen and glucose in the body, which is like food in your brain; when the brain has food, it increases [hormones like] serotonin and dopamine. In the esoteric sense, it flips your perspective, changing where you are at in space,” Stratton explains.

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HOW TO: Begin on your hands, with knees and forearms shoulder-width apart. Clasp your hands and lift your knees off the ground and reach up, through the heels. Intermediates can do a shoulder stand (rock back onto the shoulders).

Beginners can do downward dog to get the benefit of inversion.

Essential oil to activate crown chakra: Lavender, citrus or mint

7. WIDE LEG FORWARD FOLD (PRASARITA

HOW TO: Lift the arms out perpendicular to the body and step your feet out as wide as your wrists on either side, about 3.5 to 4 feet apart, depending on your height. Lower your hands to your hips and fold from the hips into a wide leg forward fold.

Rest your hands on the mat under the shoulders, on a block or with your first two fingers and thumb around each big toe with the elbows bent out to the sides. Hold for five to 10 breaths.

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Essential oil to move from unsettled to calm: Cedarwood

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PhotoS by: KIM FULLER

PADOTTANASANA) Forward folds encourage us to move our attention inward. “As you breathe into the fold, you are invited to experience an inner calm present in the both body and the mind,” Glenn says. This variation also provides the benefit of a subtle inversion, since the head is below the heart.

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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YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

MIND, BODY, SPORT

by Julia Clarke

I

t’s late morning on the trail and a sudden break in the trees draws the Gore Range into focus, its jagged outline cutting sharply into the smooth expanse of an otherwise untouched sky. I should be basking in the glorious view and endorphins of my ascent, but instead I’m distracted by an undercurrent of unease that’s been following me on my hikes lately. I catch myself startling at every rustle from the under-

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growth and gazing nervously over my shoulder, seeking the eyes of phantom predators waiting to pounce. It’s irrational and futile, but after a decade in the mountains, I’ve suddenly taken to carrying a hunting knife, a bear horn and pepper spray.

It all began with a gnarly fall skiing early season powder a couple of years ago that took two knee surgeries to repair. I’ve since regained strength, mobility and coordina-

tion, but shaking the lingering psychological residue of my injuries has proven more difficult. What started as a reasonable fear of returning to skiing mutated into a trace of uncertainty in every outdoor pursuit. There’s an unfamiliar hesitancy each time I clip into my pedals, an inner pep talk that takes place before setting off from each trailhead that is disproportionate in relation to my actual injury, an ACL repair.

For my friend and colleague Kirsten Cooper, the psychological collateral from sports injuries is an all too familiar subject.

As a U.S. Ski Team athlete, she sustained a mind-boggling catalog of injuries including five labral tear repairs in one shoulder, eight stress fractures, three disc herniations and a spinal fusion, just to name a few. ”I remember very vividly flying through the air (later to find out without my helmet which broke off on the first impact), knowing I was going to fall, and looking ahead of me and seeing rocks and ice. I thought I was going to die. My career ended in that bloody pool on the side of a mountain with a brain injury, no skin on the right side of my face and broken identity,” Cooper says.

Though she received comprehensive physical rehabilitation to get her performance ready again after each injury, no attention was paid to her psychological state. The resulting depression that included intense mood swings, suicidal ideation, using drugs and alcohol and other impulsive behaviors ultimately ended her career. It wasn’t until she started practicing yoga and meditation regularly, in addition to psychotherapy, that she started to heal.

After that day on the trail, I realized things had gotten out of hand for me and wanted to get to the bottom of my irrational fear. In talking to other athletes, I discovered that generalized fear and anxiety are common side effects of injury, and I suddenly found it strange that more consideration isn’t given to psychological recovery. After all, moun-

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Photo by: fabio comparelli

Psychological Recovery After Injury

tain communities boast the best orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists in the world to put our bodies back together again after each tumble, yet mental and emotional support remains absent.

Dr. Mark Aoyagi, director of sport and psychology at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology program, explains that psychological injury often occurs as a result of tying our athletic performance up in our own identity: “The first two things that generally happen with an injury are immediate questions and regrets about the past, such as how the injury occurred, what could I have done differently, was it my fault? The next is jumping to the future — will I perform again? If so, at the same level as I was previously? How much will it affect my life, relationships, identity?”

As someone who had hiked, biked, climbed or skied almost daily for seven years, I suddenly found myself in the midst of an identity crisis. More than the physical pain and limitation, I grieved the sense of accomplishment that came from bettering a previous time, the social time spent outdoors with friends and the mental well-being I derived from communing with nature. The result, as I discovered, can be quite isolating and psychologically damaging.

“Many meaningful relationships are formed through performance, and injured athletes can quickly lose touch with their fellow performers and feel like an ‘outsider’ or worse, simply forgotten,” says Aoyagi.

In response to such experiences, Cooper decided to pursue a doctorate in performance psychology at DU, where she is studying the mental role in sports injuries under Aoyagi and was introduced to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. ACT outlines a mindfulness-based framework for initiating psychological repatterning based on the concept of "psychological flexibility” which presents the idea that we do not need to get rid of fear or anxiety or sadness, but rather that those

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emotions are inevitable parts of our lives that we can allow space for and still choose to engage in life meaningfully.

“If I had found this work when I was competing, perhaps the attempts to fill the void I experienced when my athletic identity shattered would not have felt so consuming and led me to self-destructive behaviors,” Cooper reflects.

There may not be a standard protocol to provide mental health services during injury rehabilitation yet, but there are simple, effective ways to take action and promote recovery in the entire mind-body complex if you do find yourself on the bench. Aoyagi recommends using your post-injury downtime to build an identity outside of your performance, connecting with fellow rehabbers and friends that have been through similar experiences and reconnecting with other aspects of your identity that are oftentimes overlooked during the intensity of performance, such as relationships, hobbies and spirituality.

Finally, he suggests emphasizing the parts of your practice you can participate in: “If you aren’t physically able to practice yoga, for example, you can focus intently on other aspects such as breathing, mental focus and meditation and mindfulness. This can be very helpful as you ease your way back into physical practice and find that you now have other strengths to rely on.

A stressful, busy mind is going to prolong the recovery process. Use your breathing and mental skills to alleviate anxiety and promote healing.” +

I discovered that generalized fear and anxiety are common side effects of injury, and I suddenly found it strange that more consideration isn’t given to psychological recovery. After all, mountain communities boast the best orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists in the world to put our bodies back together again after each tumble, yet mental and emotional support remains absent.

JULIA CLARKE is a writer, Ayurvedic Practitioner and yoga teacher from Scotland, currently living in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. She is the author of the book Restorative Yoga for Beginners and the cofounder of Mountain Soul Yoga in Edwards, CO. When she's not writing or teaching, she's definitely hiking and traveling.

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YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

KIDS YOGA:

STEP INSIDE YOUR MIND + OUTSIDE IN MOTHER NATURE Learn About Colorado Through Mindful Movement

RACHEL GLOWACKI has been teaching yoga since 2008 and has specialized in kids yoga. After becoming a mom and a yoga teacher, she found a desire to teach children’s yoga after bringing their storybooks to life through movement, breathing exercises and meditation. She is an award-winning author, mentor and leader in the kids yoga community. She hopes that one day mindful movement will be taught regularly in schools like math and science! In 2019, she joined Next Generation Yoga as a senior trainer and curriculum developer.

Rachel lives with her husband and two sons in Edwards, Colorado.

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W

ow, what a difficult spring 2020 has sprung upon us.

We have had a lot of time to think in our homes and virtual worlds, and now, as we enter into the summer and fall seasons, I am asking myself these questions: How do we as parents/ teachers adapt in these new uncertain times and thrive where we live and learn about our beautiful environment?

I’m a mother to two middle school boys and am assisting their distance learning. One day, I was reminded in my son’s seventh grade virtual science class that Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species did not say that the strongest survive, but the most adaptable do.

What adaptations have you made during this pandemic as a parent or teacher working with children? When my children tell me that they are bored, I say, “Well, boredom is an opportunity for creativity.”

Let’s get creative and step into our imaginations and learn about the natural habitat of Colorado through mindful movement.

Bringing Colorado’s state flower, tree and bird to life through movement increases our ability to learn and adapt to our natural environment in a playful and educational way. If you are assisting your children with distance learning, or if you are teaching and want to connect with your students in a fun and meaningful way, all of these creative yoga shapes can be practiced physically apart and virtually together!

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Photo by: Carly Finke

by Rachel Glowacki

Mother Nature has sent us to our rooms… like the spoilt children we are.

She gave us time, and she gave us warnings. She was so patient with us.

She gave us fire and floods, she tried to warn us, but in the end, she took back control. She has sent us to our rooms and when she is finished clearing up our mess, she will let us out to play again. ~ Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York

STOP AND GAZE AT THE STATE FLOWER: The Columbine

BALANCE LIKE THE STATE TREE: The Blue Spruce

FLY LIKE THE STATE BIRD: The Lark Bunting

How: Stand tall and connect your outer edges of your pinky fingers, touch each tip of your fingers to each other and connect the inner sides of your thumbs together, making the shape of a flower bud. Open and close your hands like a delicate flower and gaze at the many colors the state flower takes — blue, white, yellow and pinkish.

How: Stand tall with feet hip width apart, shoulders relaxed and the crown of your head reaching up towards the beautiful blue sky. Picture in your mind the Blue Spruce tree. Imagine your feet as the base, your arms as the silvery-blue needles and your head as the tippy top of the tree. Take the sole of your left foot and firmly place it above or below your right knee; lift your branches up towards the sun and hold steady. You are a stable and adaptable tree that can withstand all types of weather: the cold, the heat, the snow, the rain, the wind. Then, switch sides and balance on your other leg.

How: From the Blue Spruce tree, expand your arms out like wings, extend your tail feathers by stretching one leg back and make the sound of the Lark Bunting bird, by gently saying hweee, hweee, hweee.

Why: Mudras/Hand postures help center the mind and increase concentration.

Photos by: Carly Finke

Learning Points: The blue flowers symbolize the beautiful sky, the white flowers reflect the snow and the yellow flowers capture the image of Colorado’s gold mining history. Remember ... just gaze at the state flower, because it has been illegal to pick them since 1925.

Reflection Question: What color Columbine flower are you?

Why: Flying like a bird increases balance and coordination, and it’s fun!

Learning Points: The Lark Bunting bird was chosen because of its singing and dancing nature.

Reflection Question: If you could fly like a Lark Bunting bird, where would you go?

Why: There is a brain and body connection when we visualize being a tree and withstanding all types of weather; it increases our mental and physical stability.

Learning Points: Blue Spruce trees adapt and tolerate high winds, droughts and floods.

Reflection Question: What weather are you in while you stand as a Blue Spruce tree?

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YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

by REVITALIZE YOUR SPACE Gazing at something new can be all you need to reinvigorate your practice. Print your favorite mantra to hang on the wall. Get new props in your favorite color to sprinkle around the room. Choose an aromatherapy for a diffuser or mat spray to uplift, calm or balance you.

Draw awareness to tiny things that bring you joy and use them in your space. Create the ambiance that inspires you!

lord

5 WAYS

TO REINVIGORATE

W

Your Home Practice

e’ve all been there. One day you’re high-fiving yourself for a consistent practice and the next that sneaky feeling of boredom creeps in. Plateaus in yoga are real and can do a number on your consistency. Before you give in and start skipping your mat time, check out these five tips for some inspiration.

EXPERIMENT WITH SOUND Do you usually practice in silence? Try using a playlist of tunes that support you in meditation or asana, like drums, singing bowls or ‘90s hits. Tune into what you enjoy and feel will best support your yoga experience.

If you already play music in the background, test out some new jams. Always flow to upbeat acoustics? Next time, listen to your top favorite songs — words and all. Practicing in silence can be a welcome change too, especially if you want time to reflect. Not ready

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for complete silence? Chanting can bring an entirely new element to your session.

FLOW LIKE A DANCER Love flowing to music? Let your inner Misty Copeland shine and use it as a tool to cultivate your moving meditation skills. Choose songs that are steady and rhythmic. Then, try matching your pose to the beat. Begin moving into your asana on the first beat of the measure and feel settled into it by the last. This adds another layer of challenge and fun to the physical aspect of yoga.

SWITCH UP THE LOCALE The backdrop for your practice can make a huge shift in your mindset about making it to the mat. Move your home yoga session to the backyard, deck, nearest park or even just to a different room. Hearing the birds chirp or feeling the sunshine on your face might be encouragement enough to practice more often.

CHANGE YOUR POSE LINE-UP Unless your private yoga coach switches up your asana for you, chances are that you regularly practice the same poses at home.

Break out of the rut by choosing a pinnacle posture to work towards each month or playing around with one new asana every practice. This not only allows different muscles to be recruited during your session, but focuses your mind on a new challenge.

Remember, seemingly small shifts can create a huge impact. This week, my challenge for you is to experiment with one tip from the list and notice if anything changes. These tips are a great way to not only help reinvigorate your home practice for more consistency, but to learn something new about yourself. After all, that’s ultimately what yoga is all about. +

TIFFANY LORD is a private yoga coach, founder of Love + Asana and resident instructor for the International Headache Center. Her passion is helping people reconnect to their bodies for more strength, flexibility and confidence with a personalized approach to movement & mindfulness. She truly believes whether you feel "out of shape" from persistent pain, past injuries or a stressful life change, you can feel better and live the life you want with yoga. Learn more about her custom virtual yoga programs at loveandasana.com

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Photo by: zen bear yoga

tiffany

THE MOST

by Heather Lindemann

IMPORTANT POSE

Photo by: McLeod9 Creative

S

avasana.

This last pose of most asana classes is total bliss for some, while for others, it can be misery. All yoga poses offer benefits to the physical, energetic and emotional body, yet too often we cut this last pose short. Taking time to rest in savasana, even for five minutes, can make a big difference. In fact, you might find it to be the most important pose you practice.

Most yoga asana practices are spent in movement, offering a wide range of benefits such as strengthening muscles, increasing blood flow, moving energy and creating healthy stress in the body. Savasana is the counterbalance to movement, giving the whole body a chance to rest and find harmony.

On a physical level, savasana allows the body to settle, the heart rate to drop and the breath to regulate. Additionally, it engages the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), our “rest and digest” system, which triggers a relaxation response in the body. So many of us are highly activated in our daily lives and rarely take time to

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“train” our PNS to engage, an invaluable tool for combatting stress and the antidote to life’s intense pace. Restful practices, like savasana, create a PNS response allowing for restoration, reduced anxiety, increased metabolism, slower heart rate and even increased sexual function.

In the energetic body, savasana is a pose of renewal. Translated as “corpse pose,” savasana allows us to shed thoughts, patterns or behaviors that no longer serve us and to integrate all the benefits of the practice. It also offers a moment to ground

the body, a metaphorical returning to the earth, that is inherently healing, comforting and nourishing. It brings us back to center, so we can connect with our true nature of divine light.

However, savasana can be challenging.

Quieting the mind and becoming still might feel more agitating than calming. Here are a few tips to find savasana bliss.

Get Comfortable: In traditional savasana, the body is laying on the back, but that may not work for all bodies. Consider using props like a bolster under the knees, a low-folded blanket under the head or simply lay on your side. The point is to get comfortable, so find the version that works for you.

Take up Space: Allow the body to feel unrestricted and take up space. Consider letting the legs relax as wide as the mat and allow the arms to drift to a 45-degree angle away from the body. Give yourself the space to drop in.

Eye Cover: While eye covers aren’t always available, consider purchasing your own. Covering the eyes is like an express lane for the PNS to come online more quickly. Light pressure on the eyes is proved to stimulate the vagus nerve, our main communicator with the PNS. Breathe: Let the breath happen naturally. If outside distractions or internal mind chatter are pulling you away from finding rest, a gentle focus on the breath, or even a mantra with the breath, can bring you back to the practice.

Next time you feel the urge to skip or shorten this last pose, consider embracing savasana as a gift to your whole being. + +

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

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YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

by

Karma Yoga:

Reflections on a Work Exchange in the Australian Bush 50

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photos courtesy of: Swami's Yoga Retreat

Michelle Polizzi

I

find myself in the bush at daybreak. The sun, new again, reaches down through eucalyptus leaves and bathes me in light.

Out here, I can feel the knots in my chest unwind and flow through me, like dirty dishrags wrung out and clipped to the line.

Healing is indeed what Swami intended when she bought this 20-acre plot of bushland in New South Wales, Australia, in the late 1960s. Some people come just to quiet their mind; others seek a weekend away from Sydney’s ticking clocks and Melbourne’s bohemian bustle. I am in a third category of visitors: the volunteers. We’re the ones who don’t know why we’re going until we arrive.

I arrive at Swami’s Yoga Retreat halfway through a year-long solo trip around the world. I come, in part, because I’m in need of creature comforts like drinkable tap water, western grocery stores and modern plumbing. I’m also in search of something I’ve been traveling the world to find: belonging.

In an ABC television special from 1968, Swami leads a class of wiry-legged hippies through throaty ohms and salamba shirshasana (supported headstand). Often credited with bringing the practice to Australia, she is petite but intense; the punctuation mark on a page of monotony. Rumor has it that she was intimidating back then — rigid in the running of things and a master of her own discipline.

Any razor edge she might once have had has since dulled with time. In the stretch of decades between then and now, dementia has both softened her demeanor and stolen her ability to reason.

I want to ask her why she started Swami’s — what world she dreamed of by inviting volunteers from around the world to take part in karma yoga.

To find the answer, I must look back in time to the origins of yoga itself. Unlike asana, the physical practice of yoga, karma yoga depends on action. As explained by the ancient Indian scripture, Bhagavad Gita, followers of karma yoga, or seva, participate in selfless service for the sake of the action

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Karma yoga is about giving love and light with the world around you and asking nothing in return. itself with no attachment to the outcome.

In other words, karma yoga is about giving love and light with the world around you and asking nothing in return. Work exchanges like Workaway, HelpX and WOOF — connecting traveling volunteers with worldwide hosts in need of help — are all modern examples of karma yoga.

In my six weeks as a karma yogi at Swami’s, I felt first-hand the many ways in which a person can selflessly give. I cooked plantbased meals from scratch, picked mulberries for handmade pies, stripped guest beds and hung sheets out on the line. All the things that normally felt like chores became fulfilling. I began to see that the collective effort made each act worthwhile, that there was nowhere I’d rather be than laughing with my hands in the dirt or singing songs in the kitchen. I realized that the beauty I’d sought when leaving home was already all around me. The more I gave, the more light I felt flow back into my heart, healing me from within.

After participating in three work trades on three different continents, there are a few things I’ve learned to ensure the best possible experience. Before you even start researching options, it’s important to ask yourself what you want from the experience. Anyone who’s only trying to save money on traveling likely isn’t a good fit for such an exchange.

Why? Because work-trades are an opportunity to go beyond yourself — to give back to others, while immersed in a different culture and learning new skills. They’re also about meeting like-minded people and finding a home away from home.

Next, think about what job you’d like to do. Most work-trades involve, well, work.

Sometimes it can be chic, like teaching yoga or running a social media account. More often, it’s in the form of plain old housework, like dishes and laundry. Whether it’s helping out a family with after-dinner cleaning or cooking meals for guests, it’s important to have a clear understanding of what you’ll be expected to do and how often.

Lastly, a work-trade experience can be the perfect opportunity to reflect on your own mindset. Workaway hosts often manage many moving parts, meaning things can change in an instant. Remaining flexible to evolving needs is crucial for having a positive experience; this is where the teachings of yoga philosophy become the most valuable. Maintaining the spirit of karma yoga will allow you to move through challenges with selflessness and grace, opening yourself up to the magic of possibility. +

MICHELLE POLIZZI is a freelance writer and editor covering wellness, travel and mindful living. As a yoga instructor (RYT 500), she guides students through high vibrational sequences designed to heal the mind and body. Michelle is passionate about traveling and has found some of her greatest inspiration in places like Slovenia, New Zealand and Hawaii. When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading a nonfiction book, sleeping under the stars, or hiking through the woods. Follow her adventures on instagram @positivelyshelly.

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Photos courtesy of: Rocky Mountain Paddleboard

Outside / Fresh Air

by Lauren Farrauto

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

JUMP IN:

SUP Yoga in Colorado

Photos courtesy of: Rocky Mountain Paddleboard

A

s spring arrives each year, Heidi Beachley of Rocky Mountain Paddleboard and Christine Malmborg of Dragonfly Paddle Yoga eagerly dust off their paddleboard equipment and prepare to dive back into the world of SUP yoga. Whether it’s on Boulder Reservoir or Monument Lake, connecting with nature and the water through yoga is something both women look forward to all year long. Stand-up paddleboard (SUP) yoga has become a new and exciting activity in Colorado over the past several summers. If you’re looking to switch up your yoga routine and get out of the studio and onto the water, SUP yoga is waiting.

Victoria Rasnick, operations officer of Rocky Mountain Paddleboard, believes Colorado is well suited to the growing SUP yoga community, because of the thriving yoga scene, great weather and the drive toward overall fitness and health that much of the population supports.

The options for SUP yoga companies in Colorado are plentiful, so finding a place near you shouldn’t be too difficult. If you’re looking for guidance, Dragonfly Paddle Yoga in the Colorado Springs/Monument area and Rocky Mountain Paddleboard in the Denver/Boulder area are great places to start.

“If you’re attracted to this sport, get a park pass, do a lot of SUP, take a lesson or two and learn some tricks,” says Beachley.

“It’ll be the highlight of your summer.”

So, what exactly is SUP yoga? In concept, it seems simple — paddle out into the middle of a reservoir or lake and practice yoga like you are in the studio. However, factor in the water currents, the wind and the instability of being on a moving surface, and

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you’re faced with a litany of new challenges.

As seasoned yogis know all too well, balance is key. While the lack of said balance can be intimidating, Malmborg advises students to “stay calm and connect with your breath.” Malmborg has been paddling since 2016; after only a summer on the water, she decided she wanted to start a business. “I’m motivated and passionate about creating experiences for people,” she explains.

As an instructor, she begins her classes with a warm-up and then advances into more challenging poses, but makes sure that she is adaptable and teaches to the class’ experience level. Once students find harmony with their breath and their surrounding environment, their comfort level will increase.

“Practicing yoga in nature with no mirrors is a gift,” Beachley shares. “You’ll gain strength mentally and physically; your balance will improve; you’ll try asanas in a different way. It’s adventurous.”

Beachley believes there’s always something to be learned from SUP, particularly in the way of form. She says you have to be fully present in order to move with the board, and she challenges herself and her students to make goals for themselves each week, each season, and really strive

for them. She also completely supports the idea of jumping right into the water.

Beachley describes the water as “forgiving,” especially in comparison to a hardwood studio floor, and Malmborg says that you need to respect water by being fully present in the moment. Both instructors agree that once you’re out on the water, it’s like being transported out of the bustling city life and into nature.

Malmborg, a big proponent of conservation efforts, also likes to educate her students on the interconnectedness of all life.

“Getting out and communing with nature empowers people to try something new,” she explains.

Dragonfly Paddle Yoga offers volunteer lake clean up events in order to help keep waterways clean and raise awareness of the natural wonder of water.

This summer, get outside, grab a paddleboard and reconnect with nature. We may live in a landlocked state, but water still exists all around us. Water is our life force.

Too often, we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our daily routine and forget to switch things up.

For SUP season, take conscious action to vary that routine and reconnect with your roots. The water is refreshing — jump in. +

53

Outside / Environment

A

s the summer months begin to bless us with sunshine and the great outdoors, it's the perfect time to re-evaluate our impacts on the environment and how we can reduce our overall waste consumption. Did you know the average American produces four and a half pounds of waste daily? That's over 1,600 pounds a year for one person alone.

For the past six years, I have been living a zero-waste lifestyle and love sharing my passion for waste reduction with anyone willing to learn. Below is a list of eight ways you can begin the zero-waste journey. This isn't your typical list of things to buy, but, better yet, adoptable habits to reduce your overall waste consumption.

INVENTORY YOUR WASTE Organize it into categories (plastic, paper, recycling, glass, etc.). What are the most significant contributors? What is reusable verse single-use?

LIST THREE THINGS TO ELIMINATE Now that you understand your waste, what are three things you can immediately avoid using?

For instance, plastic toothbrushes, zip-lock bags and grapes that come in a plastic bag.

8 Zero-Waste Habits You Can Adopt This Summer + Fall

by Marina McCoy

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LIST THREE THINGS TO REDUCE Having trouble eliminating certain products immediately? Try reducing them instead.

Buying five cups of yogurt a week? Aim for two next week. Or better yet, switch to the big yogurt containers that you can then reuse for bulk food shopping or food storage.

SWAP IT OUT Once you use what you have, swap for sustainable purchases. Start in the bathroom and work your way towards the kitchen.

What can you easily swap out for more sustainable options?

• Plastic toothbrush ➔ compostable toothbrush • Plastic wrap ➔ Bee's Wrap • Paper napkins ➔ cotton hanky • Plastic soap container ➔ bar of soap or refill • Zip-lock bags ➔ silicon Stasher bags

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COLLECT YOUR WASTE Now that you have reduced your waste, it is time to start collecting it. Be sure to keep track of the type of garbage you are producing. I personally started with single-use plastic and collected all products in a mason jar for a month. Now I collect all my waste for the year in one mason jar!

INTRODUCE COMPOST This can be implemented at any time throughout the process. There are numerous ways to compost, depending on where you are located — drop off compost facilities, compost collection services, backyard composting, tumbler composting, worm composting, etc.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE Start practicing in order — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Reduce your purchasing, reuse what you already have and recycle when you need to.

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ZERO-WASTE PACKS Having a zero-waste pack is essential for when you are out and about. But, sometimes you don't want to carry a backpack or purse with you. That's why I have two different zero-waste packs to have on me at all times for waste reduction.

• Backpack: Water bottle, stainless steel container for food, full utensil set, fullsize Stasher bags, hanky, reusable bulk bag and tote.

• Pocket-sized: In one small Stasher bag, I put a collapsible straw and spork, hanky, and Bee's Wrap to wrap up any leftover food I may have. + MARINA MCCOY is an award-winning Sustainability Strategist and Founder/CEO of Waste Free Earth. Marina has been living waste-free for the past six years and loves sharing her enthusiasm for waste reduction with anyone willing to learn. Her main passion is creating sustainable strategies for events: from small community events, to weddings, to music festivals with over 100,000 attendees. Her proven strategies lower the environmental impact and reduce overall waste consumption at each event she works. In her free time, you can find her in the mountains, volunteering or making waste-free dinners with friends.

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Photos courtesy of: A-Lodge Adventure Van Rentals

Outside / Adventure

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

FOR RENT:

A-Lodge Adventure Vans

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by Bobby L’Heureux

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

ust two miles from downtown Boulder up the beautiful Fourmile Canyon sits the A-Lodge Boulder — a place created by the adventurer for the adventurer. The property was acquired at the end of 2014 and was the perfect location for Asa Firestone’s original dream of a climber’s hostel in Boulder, Colorado.

Though the plan has shifted away from a traditional hostel, Firestone quickly turned two suites into hostel rooms and built an amazing community lobby. The guest rooms have been renovated slowly over the past five years, and improvements on the property have made the A-Lodge a little oasis from downtown.

Firestone had a good friend who moved into his driveway after giving up his apartment for the van life. His friend used Firestone’s house as a place to hang out and shower, giving Firestone an insight into how cool and on-brand the van life is with the A-Lodge’s philosophy and concept. Firestone thought it would be a perfect synergistic relationship with the A-lodge philosophy of the three A’s: Access, Adventure, Amenities.

“We are essentially a cleaning company that rents rooms. The vans are similar, they are rooms on wheels,” Firestone says. “Why not get into van rentals; it fits our concept and our guests. Buying a van is a lot less expensive than another hotel.”

That was when he approached Matt North and the crew over at Titan Vans out of Boulder. “The advantage of this was to work and promote another local business and to have a facility nearby that can do the maintenance on these vans when something breaks,” Firestone adds.

Each van is specifically designed for bikers, climbers, skiers and hikers by Titan Vans. There is a module setup to remove and move storage, and racks to customize the van for your experience.

“Our vans are designed and built by an engineer for the adventurer. They are clean and streamlined for function, not as sexy as the reclaimed wood you may have seen in others,” shares Firestone.

Each A-Lodge Adventure Van includes an induction stove, plus sized sink, outdoor shower, mini-fridge, queen-size bed, solar power, fan, furnace, lighting and indoor storage for bikes, skis and gear.

The collaboration with Titan Vans is perfect for maintenance and is great branding for both organizations. It is also good for those who are planning on building out their own custom van. Titan Van will take the rental cost of an A-Lodge Adventure Van off your build up to $1,500 — what a great way to try before you buy.

Firestone and the crew at A-Lodge continue to look for opportunities to make adventure more accessible for all.

“Our goal is to give you access to the best outdoor adventures, whether you’re climbing, fishing, skiing, cycling, hiking or taking in a town,” he shares. “A-Lodge and A-lodge Adventure Vans offers instant access to all your favorite adventures and the right amenities to come home to after an exciting day off the beaten path."

Also check out their new project, a new A-Lodge coming soon in Lyons, Colorado. +

a-lodge.com/adventure-vans/

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Outside / Adventure

FAMILY

Backpacking 101

A

sk Heather Hogoboom about family backpacking and her voice fills with enthusiasm.

“Of all the things we do together, our annual backpacking trip is what we look forward to the most,” shares Hogoboom, who began backpacking with her husband Pat when their sons were between the ages of 12 and 18.

Hogoboom, a Grand Junction native who now makes Summit County her mountain basecamp, has backpacking experience dating to her first years out of college. But when her children were little, the focus was more on car camping.

“As the boys got older, we realized that backpacking would be a great way for us to

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do something together and to create a new family tradition,” she explains.

Family tradition is what drew another mom, Ann Leonard of Grand Junction, to backpacking. Leonard has been backpacking since she was 6 years old. When her daughter, Zia, turned 6, Leonard and her husband Ryan decided she was ready to follow in the family’s footsteps.

For her first trip, the Leonard’s journeyed to Ice Lake and Island Lake near Silverton. “This area was the spot of many of my childhood backpacking trips, so it was special to take her back there, especially since my dad and brother joined us,” explains Leonard.

Today, the Leonard’s are a backpacking

family of four, with 5 year-old son Koen joining in.

KEYS TO SUCCESS Whether you are backpacking with young children or teenagers, Hogoboom and Leonard share these keys to success.

•

Start with day hikes. Make sure your kids can hike with a day pack and carry their own water.

•

Plan for success. Keep your first family adventure short and enjoyable. “Our first trip was just three miles in,” says Hogoboom, adding that the elevation gain wasn’t extreme. “We wanted them

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

by Kristen Lummis

very simple,” she advises. For guidance on packing, Hogoboom suggests searching online to learn how to pack a backpack. “It makes a difference.”

to enjoy it and go again."

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Involve kids in planning. Kids can read trail reviews, help apply for any necessary permits and assemble gear, including fun things like cameras, binoculars, cards and dice games. They can also choose (and carry) their favorite backpacking foods.

Pack smart. Hogoboom and her family take two Jet Boil stoves for six people.

Other necessities include two water filters, in case one has issues, and clothing layers: extra socks, a waterproof hooded jacket, base layers and a fleece or puffy. “Otherwise, just go

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•

•

Follow the 50-10 rule. Leonard swears by the hiking strategy her parents used with her. “Basically, it’s hike for 50 minutes, stop for 10,” she explains.

Since her kids know a break is always coming, it helps keep other stops to a minimum.

Snacks and Games. Snacks are a must, as are trail games. Leonard shares that she has great luck with story-telling, I-Spy, alphabet games

and “I’m thinking of” games. As she puts it, “Distraction helps!”

•

Leave No Trace. Disconnect, enjoy the peace and quiet, the laughter and the memories you’ll build together. But, always respect the wilderness and follow “Leave No Trace” principles.

EASE + MEMORIES While it may seem surprising, Hogoboom is convinced that backpacking is much easier than car camping.

“The logistics are so much easier,” she laughs. “Car camping takes a lot of time loading and unloading. Backpacking takes more prep time, but then we just put on our

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Outside / Adventure

The lack of modern distractions leads to better conversations and forces her children to play with one another. “They are always better friends when we return from a trip,” Leonard adds.

For Hogoboom, family backpacking has bonded the brothers and their parents together through pristine bluebird days and torrential, mud-filled slogs.

“We get through the little travails and the end result always makes it worth it,” she reflects.

Similar to many aspects of life, family backpacking may challenge you and your family, but it will also help you grow together. +

KRISTEN LUMMIS is a Western Colorado writer focused on skiing and outdoor adventure. In addition to producing her award-winning website, braveskimom.com, Lummis writes for FIS (the International Ski Federation), liftopia.com and a variety of regional Colorado magazines.

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photos by: Hayden Hogoboom

packs and go.”

Once in camp, Hogoboom explains that each member of the family has a job to do.

Maybe one son looks for level places for tents, while others set up the cooking area, filter water or hang hammocks. Then, when everything is in order, “we kick back and enjoy our weekend.”

Leonard and Hogoboom agree that uninterrupted family time in the wilderness is one of the most important benefits of backpacking.

“I love sharing something that I love so much with the most important people in my world,” explains Leonard.

BACKCOUNTRY SAFETY STARTS OFF THE MOUNTAIN

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

B IGHEARTBIGHANDS.ORG

outside / Summer + Fall 2020 GEAR

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1. CamelBak Zephyr Men's Running Vest This lightweight piece is engineered with body mapping for optimal ventilation. Smart organization keeps your essentials in place as you explore, and two easy-access flasks hold 1 liter of hydration for the long hauls. $150 camelbak.com 2. Headweats TruckAir Hat This bright and colorful hat will provide you with a comfortable piece of performance headwear that is both durable and stylish. It also includes a moisture wicking terry sweatband that absorbs sweat, keeping it out of your eyes, a black undervisor to reduce glare and a snap back closure with ponytail opening. $26 headsweats.com

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3. GSI Outdoors Java Mill + Coffee Rocket Have your coffee just right while camping with this handy duo. The hand-crank coffee grinder means you can bring whole beans into the backcountry, paired with a clear and compact pour-over coffee maker. Java Mill $37.50; Coffee Rocket $9.95 gsioutdoors.com 4. Snow Peak Home & Camp Burner This is your compact cooking solution at a campsite or at home. The unit folds down for convenient storage with a sleek, sophisticated silhouette designed to complement any natural environment or kitchen aesthetic. $109.95 snowpeak.com

5. Swiftwick FLITE XT Socks These socks have a strong elastic that wraps your ankle and heel for targeted support and extra protection for your ankles. They are breathable and will keep your feet dry during summer outdoor adventures. $23.99 swiftwick.com 6. Light & Motion Taz 1200 Black Raven As the days begin to get longer this spring, light up the road or bike path with this wide and powerful beam. This light has a max output of 1200 lumens and runs on high for 90 minutes. $129.99 lightandmotion.com 7. Klymit Maxfield Tent 2 Person This three-season backpacking tent is super light without sacrificing any quality. Large vestibules maximize exterior equipment storage resulting in more useable interior space. $399.95 klymit.com

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8. Patagonia High Endurance Kit This new kit has everything an endurance runner needs, functioning as individual pieces and as an integrated system. The Endless Run Short and Airshed Pro Pullover are two of our favorite items, but every ounce of the whole kit is worth the investment. Six items in kit - $45 - $249 patagonia.com

11. Therm-a-Rest Corus Quilt Stay cozy with this warm and functional threeseason backpacking quilt. It’s not too heavy and it’s extra comfortable, with down loft to keep the cold out. The footbox can slip over your pad to eliminate drafts or over your feet for extra warmth. $259.95 -$279.95 thermarest.com

9. Hydro Flask Ultralight Titanium Go super light with this vacuum-insulated bottle from Hydro Flask. With a titanium body, titanium cap and titanium rivets securing the carry strap, it weighs only 7.8 ounces. $100 hydroflask.com

12. Smartwool Merino Sport 150 Tank With all the breathability and temperature regulation benefits of merino, and the quicker dry time with the poly blend, this tank is the balanced combination of protection and style. $60 smartwool.com

10. Next Mile Meals Ketogentic backpacking meals are here. These packages meals offer daily variety when you’re in the woods while still allowing you to keep to your macros and nutrition goals. $9.50 - $14 nextmilemeals.com

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13. SCARPA Rush The SCARPA Rush handles everything from highmileage runs to fast-and-light hikes. A medium volume fit with a more rounded toe box provides versatility and all-day comfort. $139 scarpa.com 14. NiteDog LED Rechargeable Dog Collar + Leash Be visible from dusk 'til dawn with this rechargeable and highly visible light-up dog collar and leash. Both pieces are weather resistant so you can use them any time of year.

Dog Collar $24.99; Leash $29.99 niteize.com

by YOGA + LIFE ® TEAM

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wellness / Ayurveda

AYURVEDA + EATING

for Your Dosha Take Ownership of Your Internal Well-Being

Photos by: natalie starr; Brett Stakelin

by Lisa Blake

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reshly prepared and seasonal food is key to quality nourishment for mind, body and spirit. But to reach true balance and internal harmony, we need to take a close look at digestion, lifestyle and consciousness.

Colorado Ayurvedic healer Madison Waggoner found her calling in this dance between awareness and education. She says when we’re not living within our true selves and addressing the signs our bodies are sending us, disease will manifest.

“That’s my goal as a practitioner,” she claims. “To help people wake up to what their bodies truly need.”

Waggoner’s Denver-based practice Shri Wellness is founded around the 5,000-yearold healing science of Ayurveda. Dubbed the people’s medicine, this powerful natural healing system taps into mind-body needs to create individualized integrative care.

“Ayurveda allows you to become the healer,” she says. “When you’re more aware of what’s happening in your body, you can be your own healer.”

She speaks from experience, growing up as an athlete and then pushing herself too hard in college, juggling University of Arizona business courses and triathlons.

Stressed out and overwhelmed, she started practicing yoga a few times a week and discovered Ayurveda.

“A light bulb went off,” Waggoner says.

“This ancient medicine covers everything when I think about taking care of myself.”

Her path led her to Denver, and a career in marketing and sales for healthcare software eventually shifted to event planning.

She completed her yoga teacher training and an Ayurveda program before going fulltime healer in 2017.

Waggoner credits Ayurveda for curing her deep, cystic acne and anxiety and allowing her to tap into her own mind, body and spiritual wellness. Today, she offers Ayurvedic wellness plans and cooking classes, spiritual counseling, meditation trainings and wellness retreats.

INTERNAL AWARENESS Clients from all walks of life come to Waggoner, including those with chronic illness

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My goal as a practitioner is to help people wake up to what their bodies truly need. Ayurveda allows you to become the healer. When you’re more aware of what’s happening in your body, you can be your own healer. and others who are generally healthy and athletic and are just looking to level-up.

“Many times, healing begins in the digestive tract, with digestive issues at the root of pretty much any disease,” she says. How do you know if something went awry? Gas, bloating, loose stools, hyper acidity, heartburn — these are all signs that something is not processing right in your body.

“Take a good look at your bowel movements,” Waggoner says, joking that the majority of her days are spent talking about poop. She explains it should be light brown, banana-shaped and it should float.

When digestion gets screwy and blockages start appearing in the body, disease develops and makes its way to different places in the body.

“People know when something is wrong with their body,” she advises. “If something is going wrong, this is a red flag. And you need to address it. Don’t cover it up with antacid medicine every day.”

This is where Ayurveda and asking questions about what’s working and what’s not comes in. The empowerment stems from knowing that everyone heals differently and that small changes can make a big difference.

What is medicine for some is toxic for others.

“Healing my digestive system is the way I’ve healed my acne,” Waggoner explains.

“I thought salads were so healthy. Turns out my body couldn’t process them. I was essentially poisoning my body.”

DOSHA + DIGESTION With vitality and immunity stemming back to digestion, Waggoner always starts with a client’s current lifestyle and diet and fine tunes from there. Once blockages are removed, it’s time to delve into carving out a long-term diet that supports their particular dosha.

In Ayurveda, there are three doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. We each have a dominant dosha.

Vata types need foods that calm their tendency toward anxiety and over activity.

Heavy, cooked foods served warm are the most soothing and Waggoner recommends using ghee’s oiliness to combat some of the dryness that’s naturally inherent in the body.

Fiery Pitta needs to be cooled down. This comes in the form of cooled foods, but not ice cold, which inhibits digestion. Pittas thrive on reduced amounts of fats, oils and salt.

Sluggish, cool Kapha needs to be stimulated and warmed up. Light, dry, warm foods, minimal oils and foods sweetened with honey are helpful.

Eating for your dosha is also about eating for the season. Waggoner points to cooling foods like cucumbers and coconut water during summer when our appetites are lower. Bitter foods such as zucchini and greens are detoxifying this time of year. “A rice bowl with leafy greens and a little cucumber would be an amazing summer meal. Balancing for the season,” she says.

When autumn rolls around, we want hearty, warmer comforting foods due to the natural shift and our need to ground and support. Colorado experiences a lot more dryness and wind in the fall, so eating warm cooked foods like soups and stews can be incredibly beneficial to our wellbeing. +

Visit shriwellness.com for Waggoner’s full lineup of summer and fall cooking workshops and info on her annual Nourish Your Soul Wellness Retreat (Telluride, October 2020).

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wellness / Health

10 PRINCIPLES OF

Intuitive Eating

By

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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Photo by: pablo merchan-montes

Dr. Penny Wilson

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hat would it feel like to eat whatever you want when you are hungry? What would it be like to respect, even love, your body? These are two of the main ideas behind the methodology know as “intuitive eating” — based on 10 principles. It is not a diet, but a way of developing a new relationship with food and your body.

Here are the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating and steps you can use to take action for each:

REJECT THE DIET MENTALITY. Dieting is about restriction. Rejecting diet mentality underlies all of the subsequent principles. By following the 10 principles, your body reaches a weight that is effortless to maintain. Rejecting the diet mentality is helped by cultivating nonjudgmental awareness and curiosity about your thoughts.

Action step: Watch for diet-related thoughts. Diet-related thoughts are about restriction, calories or your body not being ideal. When you identify dieting thoughts, be curious about where they came from and if they are serving you. Becoming aware of how often you have dieting thoughts can help you begin to change them.

MAKE PEACE WITH FOOD. Rather than restricting food and labeling food “good” or “bad,” accept that food is just food. Give yourself unconditional permission to eat any food you want. Allowing yourself to eat unconditionally removes the allure of restricted foods.

Action step: Make a list of foods that you restrict. Look through the list and ask yourself why each food is restricted. Then, ask where that restriction came from. Think about how you would feel if you could have that food whenever you want it.

HONOR YOUR HUNGER. Dieting teaches us that we can’t trust or believe our bodies biological hunger signals.

Learning to eat when your body is asking for food helps you learn to fuel your body and trust it again.

Action step: Registered dietitian Melissa Altman-Traub recommends “seeing if you

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can adjust when you eat based on how hungry you feel. Instead of eating because it's ‘time to eat’ or others are eating, try to tune into your own hunger cues.”

FEEL YOUR FULLNESS. Just as learning to eat when we are hungry helps us learn to trust our bodies, so does learning to stop when we are full. Learning the amount of food that it takes to achieve a comfortable level of fullness that will hold you for three to four hours until your next meal takes time and trust in your body.

Action step: Keep a log of what you ate and your fullness level when you finished.

Be curious and explore how much food it takes to be comfortably full and not need to eat again for three to four hours.

CHALLENGE THE FOOD POLICE. The “food police” are the voices in our heads and the people around us who tell us not to eat foods. They are the enforcers of the food rules.

Action step: When your internal food police bring up a diet rule, stop and ask yourself where that thought came from. Then, ask yourself if the thought is serving you.

DISCOVER THE SATISFACTION FACTOR. Eating isn’t just about the food, but also about the setting — plates, lighting and music, for example. The whole experience of eating should be satisfying. Although every eating experience can’t be a full, sensual experience, adding in one or two things that you enjoy to make can make it more satisfying.

Action step: Make a list of things that make eating satisfying for you. What does it feel like, smell like, look like, taste like?

Then, incorporate one or two (or all!) of those things when you can.

COPE WITH YOUR EMOTIONS WITHOUT USING FOOD. Find ways to comfort yourself without food.

Eating for comfort ends up making us feel worse, because we have to deal with the emotional aftermath of eating when we weren’t hungry, while still having the emo-

tions that lead us to eat initially.

Action step: Make a list of things that trigger your emotional eating. Next, make a list of things you could do to comfort yourself rather than eating. The list could include sitting with the emotion until it passes, as well as things that could distract you from the emotion. Keep your list handy to refer to the next time you face eating for emotional reasons.

RESPECT YOUR BODY. Why not respect our bodies for all they do for us? Starting small is fine. Perhaps you respect that you woke up this morning or that your heart beats and your lungs breathe.

Action step: Make a list of five things you respect about your body. They can be big or small. Add to the list as things come to mind.

MOVEMENT. Focus on movement that feels good, rather than focusing on the calories burned. Some days a hard workout feels good. On other days, taking an easy walk may be what your body needs.

Action step: Try a new workout/movement and see if it feels good. Make a list of types of movement you enjoy and keep it close so you can refer to it when you feel the need to move.

HONOR YOUR HEALTH WITH GENTLE NUTRITION. Once you’ve made peace with food and worked on the other principles, you can start thinking about eating in ways that help your body feel good. You get to explore and see what foods help your body feel good.

Action step: Keep a log of the foods you eat and how they make you feel. Then, you can focus on how you want to feel after eating and eat the foods that help you feel that way.

The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating are like the poses in a yoga practice. They take time to master and have nuances. Being a lifelong intuitive eater takes practice, patience and gentleness with yourself. In Intuitive Eating, progress is better than perfection. You can start by taking any of the steps above and start you Intuitive Eating practice today. +

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photos courtesy of: Elizabeth Peterson

wellness / Health

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

MANAGING

Hormones + Stress

Elizabeth Peterson — The Adeptist

by Karstee Davis

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alk into any bookstore in America these days and you can find a wellspring of titles imploring women to take control of their hormones. Beyond the Pill

by Dr. Jolene Brighten and WomanCode: Perfect Your Cycle, Amplify Your Fertility, Supercharge Your Sex Drive, and Become a Power Source by Alisa Vitti have practically developed cult-like followings. Hordes of young women who have grown up on birth control are now learning more about their cycle and how to live within it naturally.

Elizabeth Peterson is the owner and creator of The Adeptist, a company out of Boulder that brings customers herbal elixir blends, expertise from holistic practitioners and online content related to all things female and hormones.

Peterson graduated from Bauman College where she studied holistic nutrition and wellness. Coincidently, just as she was ready to lead others on their paths to wellness, she herself was not feeling that great.

Earlier in her life, Peterson did not have the best relationship with her body; she thought she was being healthy, but she was actually being super rigid and had a lot of negative self-talk. When she was in college it was a wake-up call when a teacher actually said that Peterson looked “deficient.”

Peterson knew something had to change.

She began a healing journey by getting her hormones tested and, just as she had suspected, her hormones were depleted and her cortisol levels were super high. She

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felt like her body was turning on her. The “inner drill sergeant” she said she had been living with for years had to go. She realized it didn’t matter how in shape she was; if she didn’t feel good there was an issue.

Peterson took several measures to bring herself back to health, such as seeing an acupuncturist and incorporating different herbs and adaptogens into her daily routine.

She started making blends and sharing them with her clients.

One day in meditation she had an epiphany. She describes it as being completely intuitive, almost “choice-less,” like the thought came and it was never a matter of if she could or should do this; in fact, she went straight to the kitchen to start playing around. She would do this.

These days Peterson’s health is vibrant, and her elixir herbal blends recently went through a re-branding. Now, in addition to selling her popular elixirs, there will be “expert holistic practitioners and healers” featured on her site, as well as more recipes and online content coming soon.

When asked what is the one adaptogen/herb that she recommends for most

women, she says Shatavari. Across the board in Ayurveda, it is recommended for women of all ages, no matter where they are in their menstrual or life cycle.

Peterson says there isn’t one magic thing out there that can just heal everything — humans and hormones are complex. And it’s important to note that her herbs and elixirs work beautifully in conjunction with other wellness modalities.

“Your hormones are dictating everything,” Peterson explains. “They’re dictating the expression of your mood, your digestion, your blood sugar, your appearance, your skin … and what’s underneath all that on an even more foundational level is your nervous system. I like to think of addressing these different layers. The nervous system directly interacts with everything, and the nervous system and the endocrine system dictate what your sense of wellbeing and vitality is, so that’s where we want to go to work. And adaptogens help us do that.” +

Find Peterson online at theadeptist.com.

KARSTEE DAVIS is a writer and yogi living in the Boulder area. She has written for Folk Rebellion and for the Endometriosis Foundation of America. You can find her at purifiedoutlook.com or on Instagram @purifiedoutlook.

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wellness / Inspiration

EVERY CHOICE

matters

Photo by: brooke lark

by Angela Gaffney

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very choice matters when it comes to your health and happiness. While we know what we “should do” to achieve increased health and happiness, we often fall short of actually doing it! I’ve had the privilege of working with clients for the past nine-and-a-half years, and the biggest challenge I see them face is consistently making choices that help close the gap between where they are today and where they want to be in the future.

Consistency is the big word here. As a result, I’ve identified five key strategies you can use to consistently make high quality choices in every area of life, close the gap and achieve your goal.

BE SPECIFIC Goals are often set in too broad a fashion; they must be accompanied by micro-steps and timeframes. This allows us to stay on track, build on success and achieve our goals. If your end goal is to lose 10 pounds, the micro-steps would look something like this: • Week 1: incorporate 2 cups leafy greens daily.

• Week 2: leafy greens + 20 min walk daily.

• Week 3: leafy greens + walk + 80 oz water daily • Week 4: leafy greens + walk + water + processed sugar intake < 15 g/day.

• Week 5: leafy greens + walk + water + 15g/sugar + 2 cups vegetables daily.

• Week 6: leafy greens + walk + water + 15g/sugar + veggies + seven hours sleep.

One new habit builds on the next over a duration of time, which in the end reinforces new behavior and provides the opportunity for life transformation.

CROWD OUT In the example above, the micro steps

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we’ve outlined provide you the opportunity to insert nourishment into daily life. Week after week, the nourishment grows, and soon enough these new choices will naturally crowd out the not-so-nourishing choices you may be making, in turn, closing the gap and helping you reach your end goal. Health doesn’t have to be about restriction and deprivation. Crowding out creates a positive, long-lasting experience.

ONE SIMPLE QUESTION We often make choices that are easy, quick, convenient and habitual, but this doesn’t mean they’re the choices that will get us to where we want to go. You can ask yourself this one quick question when making any decision in life, “What will this provide me?” This question is so simple, yet profound, and here’s why: it’ll make you pause long enough to consider the benefit or consequence of the potential choice. In the end, it puts you into a space of conscious choice instead of subconscious choice (which is what we do most often). In time, behavior will shift, high-quality choices build on each other and soon this pattern becomes a normal lifestyle for you. You’re bound to make a not-so-nourishing choice here and there, we all do! When this happens please take a deep breath, pause, assess how the choice impacted you and learn from the situation. Every new choice is a new starting point. Above all else, be kind and true to yourself and offer a lot of grace along the way.

CREATE A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT The most challenging part of creating a healthy lifestyle is taking action. The more you quiet the noise that distracts you from taking action, the greater the success and fulfillment you’ll experience. Create healthy boundaries around work hours; build time into the weekend to pack

healthy lunches; ask co-workers to join you for bursts of exercise ... whatever will serve you best! Once you create your supportive environment, communicate your needs and follow up with action. Assess how this plan is working for you after two to three months and adjust where needed.

Please note, you should not shift everything with your environment overnight.

Make one to two shifts to start with and over time, incorporate one after the next.

CELEBRATE Before setting your eyes on the next prize, celebrate! Choices, outcomes, big and small, they all matter and they all add up to healthy success. Grab a small journal and keep it by your bedside. Every night before slumber, jot down a few things you’re celebrating that day. In times of challenge, or when you need a little boost in your journey, come back to the journal and flip through your log. It’ll provide just the spark you need to keep moving forward in a consistent, high-quality fashion.

Every choice we make matters; it’s what closes the gap between where we are today and where we want to be. Now, it’s time to TAKE ACTION! +

International speaker and consultant ANGELA GAFFNEY teaches people simple and effective strategies to achieve health, increase productivity and live stress-free while excelling in business. She’s a best-selling author, a mom of two and her clients will tell you she’s a game-changer! Learn more and access free resources at AngelaGaffney.com.

71

wellness / Inspiration

By

Photo by: Evie S.

Mary Gavin

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trauma + yoga:

Practicing and Teaching as a Survivor

T

he very first time I taught yoga, I blacked out. I vividly remember the moment I caught the supportive gaze of a friend as I cued chair pose. In that moment I descended into tunnel vision and my arms became numb.

I began to shake and sweat profusely as my heartbeat drowned out the sound of my own voice. To others it was casually dismissed as self-doubt and lack of confidence. I was encouraged to “teach through it.” Deep down, I knew that it was something more. I just wanted to seem “normal,” so I downplayed the severity of what I was experiencing. In reality, my body had been hijacked. It was beyond my control, and it was something I had been experiencing since early childhood.

My mother died from breast cancer just before my fourth birthday. Although I don’t remember much, I can imagine the confusion and fear that accompanied my mother’s decline and passing. The connection and safety I felt with her was abruptly severed. This trauma was compounded shortly after by the sexual abuse I experienced at the hands of a neighbor. It is said that everything we experience in life lives in the tissues of the body — like muscle memory.

Sometimes experiences are fleeting, and other times they’re a bit “stickier.” Trauma is one of those sticky experiences.

Trauma informed yoga teacher and psychotherapist Jocelyn Jenkins describes the response to trauma as “flight, fight or freeze.” She says, “One possible symptom is dissociation and it is not a choice. It’s our body’s way of putting us into self-care auto-pilot.” I met Jenkins when we both attended the same yoga studio. I had no idea that she was a therapist or would become my therapist. It was through weekly therapy with her that I began to make sense of my trauma response.

“Because there isn’t ample education in

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most yoga communities about PTSD and trauma, the symptoms can often be labeled as something to overcome or push through.

This can lead to retraumatization. It can generate intense feelings of guilt and shame for not being able to control one’s body, mind or experience,” Jenkins shares.

As I began connecting with my body’s sensations, I noticed the draw to slow down. I found that in order to feel safe, I needed to physically slow my yoga practice to truly feel each pose. As a teacher I needed space to pause and reconnect with my body. In May of 2016, I attended a yin yoga teacher training with Corina Benner at Mountain Soul Yoga in Edwards, Colorado.

Yin yoga focuses on releasing long-held patterns of tension in the body through maintaining muscle relaxation in supported postures. The residue of trauma I had experienced throughout life had manifested physically as muscle tension. As my physical tension eased, I experienced profound emotional release.

During the training I experienced a vivid memory. I recalled waking up from a sun-drenched nap in the bedroom of my childhood home. I felt the warmth of the summer grass on my tiny toes as I ran into my mother’s arms. I melted into her arms as we both laughed. I felt safe. I sobbed on my mat. It was the first time I had felt that way since she passed into spirit. This nurturing style of practice became a way to care for and heal my nervous system, both as a

teacher and as a student.

Many of us are drawn to yoga for its healing qualities. It’s important to acknowledge that there is an undeniable presence of trauma survivors in the yoga community. It’s also important to know our limits as teachers and to encourage support from qualified therapists.

Post-traumatic stress has forced me to feel deeply. Although at times its intensity is overwhelming, I no longer push it away.

After five years of working with Jenkins on a regular basis, I finally feel validated in my experiences, not only with yoga, but in life as a whole. Today my anxiety is pretty well managed. I practice self-reiki, meditation and yoga regularly. I take a daily dose of Lexapro and continue regular therapy with Jenkins via Skype. I still have challenging days. Sometimes I don’t feel like going outside, so I’ll stay home; I’ll make space for what is showing up and focus on self-care.

The undeniable truth is that each of us bring something unique to our mat. Taking action can mean “doing” less. In order to truly heal we must recognize that our bodies are constantly communicating with us. It is in our best interest to cultivate a deep level of selfcare and acceptance of our unique needs.

Each time we advocate for ourselves, we advocate for the visibility of trauma survivors in the yoga community. We are students, teachers, healers and so much more. Through owning our experiences, we unite in our resilience. We are in this together. +

MARY GAVIN is a world-traveler, singer, teacher and reiki healer. Her passion for healing is rooted in her own experience living with posttraumatic stress and dissociation as a result of trauma. As a survivor she feels proud to share her experiences as a source of inspiration for others. She hopes to inspire by sharing bits of her soul through writing. marygavinholistichealing.com

73

wellness / Food

PLANT-BASED

revolution

The Coloradan’s Guide to Eating Less Meat

by Michelle Polizzi

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photo by: foodism 360

F

rom the wide-open spaces of a mountain cattle ranch, to the charm of a Western Slope cowboy, there’s something iconic about eating meat in the West. Yet more Coloradans are setting aside their steak knives to join the plant-based movement sweeping the globe.

It’s clear that eating less meat is popular, but is it also practical?

Ashley Ucan, executive chef at Denver’s plant-based restaurant, Vital Root, shares her perspective on the state of plant-based cuisine in Colorado — and where it’s headed.

“It’s no longer a trend; it’s not that eventually this bubble will pop and everyone will go back to eating meat. It’s the future; it’s something that we just need to get better at,” Ucan says.

Plant-based eaters have been driven by the desire to protect animals and live longer, healthier lives. However, in the last two decades, global challenges like climate change, environmental degradation and factory farming have catapulted veganism from a seemingly extreme dietary choice into a respectable and viable lifestyle.

Recent emissions estimates from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) state that 15 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock raised for food. What’s even more staggering is that the three leading meat and dairy corporations (JBS, Cargill and Tyson) now emit the same amount of greenhouse gasses as the three leading oil companies (Exxon, BP and Shell).

Health is another valid concern for anyone consuming large amounts of meat. A 2020 study by Northwestern Medicine and Cornell University revealed that a diet high in processed and red meat is correlated with higher levels of heart disease — the leading cause of death worldwide.

On a planet that’s transforming before our eyes, adopting a plant-based diet is one of the simplest ways that individuals can make a difference. So, what’s the best place to start?

Ucan maintains that it’s important to be realistic about what you can manage. Being plant-based doesn’t mean you have to be a strict vegan; it just means you’re making a conscious step towards eating a healthier, more balanced diet.

It’s also important to be aware that not all food labeled “vegan” is a healthy choice.

Photo by: Michelle Polizzi

Ucan says that one of the most common mistakes people make when switching to a plant-based lifestyle is relying too heavily on processed foods and meat alternatives — some of which contain more additives than their fleshy counterparts.

Take the Beyond Burger, for instance. The popular beef alternative contains 380 mg of sodium, while a Burger King burger clocks in at 230 mg. While it’s true that the Beyond Burger is a better choice for animals and the environment, it’s important to be aware of ingredients when substituting meat.

Many people fall into this trap, because it can be easier to buy a plant-based alternative to something familiar, like deli slices and sausage, than to cook a new vegetable dish from scratch. To evade overwhelming feelings that often accompany this change, Ucan suggests starting small.

“If you normally have meat with this dish, can you sub tofu? Can you add some beans? Is there something else you can put in there where you’re not missing the meat?

Being plant-based offers an avenue to eat healthier and explore options, but still not give up a way of life,” Ucan adds.

This is important for many Coloradans, where certain meat dishes are ingrained in culture and tradition. Rocky Mountain oysters, bison burgers and pork green chili are just a few iconic Colorado dishes that bleed with history and culture, and not everyone is willing to give that up for good. Ucan and the team at Vital Root think that’s okay. They aren’t interested in converting the world to veganism, nor shaming meat eaters for their palette.

Instead they’re on a mission to introduce vegan food to people of all backgrounds, especially those who would normally cringe at the thought of a meatless meal.

“Our main goal as a restaurant is to not just get strictly vegans in here, but to get people that think they can’t eat vegan food because it tastes like vegan food. I want to fool everyone; I want them to try our queso and think there’s dairy in it,” she explains.

With menu items like walnut chorizo, edamame pâté and shiitake bacon, Vital Root makes it easy to sample the dynamic (and often unexpected) world of vegan cooking.

“It would be really nice for people that aren’t even vegan to expand their horizons,” she says. “Take the plunge; be a little courageous. You’d be really surprised.” +

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CAULIFLOWER CEVICHE SERVES: 8 PEOPLE • SERVING SIZE: 8 OZ 1 large head (8 cups) finely chopped cauliflower florets 1 cup lime juice 2 cups diced Roma tomatoes 1 cup halved jalapeño (deseeded) 1 ½ cup shallot, diced fine 3 cups canned black beans 1 cup finely chopped cilantro 1 ½ Tbsb kosher salt ½ tsp black pepper 1 cup olive oil Directions:

1. Trim the green leaves off the cauliflower head, discard. Chop all of the white cauliflower into medium bite-sized pieces using a knife or pulsed in food processor.

2. In a bowl or bag, mix together cauliflower, lime juice and halved deseeded jalapenos. Leave overnight or around four hours to marinate.

3. After the cauliflower has marinated, drain the lime juice and remove the jalapenos to a cutting board to be diced.

4. Combine all ingredients.

5. Adjust for salt.

6. Serve with avocado mash (see below) and your favorite tortilla chips.

AVOCADO MASH SERVES: 8 PEOPLE • SERVING SIZE: 1 OZ 1 fl oz lime juice 1 cup avocado ½ Tbsp coarse salt pinch citric acid Directions:

1. Remove stickers from avocados and wash. Cut avocados in half, de-pit, slice into cubes in shell and scoop out all of the meat into a bowl with a large spoon.

2. Combine all ingredients and stir until avocados have blended but are still chunky.

3. Adjust for salt and acid. If citric acid isn’t available, sub with added lime juice.

75

Photo courtesy of: denver dish; bio photo by: Bailey Batchelor

wellness / Food

Chef ROY BENNINGFIELD has been a part of the downtown Boulder food scene for almost 20 years.

As the Culinary Director at SALT, he takes pride in being one of the pioneers of the non-GMO, local and sustainably sourced food movement. Chef Roy was born and raised here in Colorado and still feels like there is something magical happening every time he comes to downtown Boulder... yes, even for work!

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

crispy polenta WITH GRILLED PEARS FOR THE FONDUE: 1 cup heavy cream ¼ lb blue cheese cut into 1-inch cubes or crumbles Salt Preparation

Heat the heavy cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on low heat. Stir in the blue cheese and cook about two minutes until the cheese is completely melted and sauce is smooth. Add salt to taste.

FOR THE POLENTA: 3 cups water 1 cup polenta or cornmeal 1 Tbsp olive oil Preparation

Bring the water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot. While whisking the water, slowly pour in the polenta.

Reduce the polenta to a simmer while continuing to whisk for 25-35 minutes. If it begins to boil, reduce the heat until the boiling stops. When the polenta is cooked, pour onto a nonstick sheet pan to cool. When cool, cut polenta into desired shapes.

Preheat outdoor or indoor grill to medium-high heat. Brush the polenta lightly on both sides with olive oil and grill, turning one time until the edges are golden brown.

FOR THE GRILLED PEARS: 2 pears 4 Tbsp toasted pine nuts 3 cups mixed lettuces

recipes From Chef Roy Benningfield of SALT in Boulder

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Preparation

Slice each pear in half. Use a melon baller to scoop out seeds of each pear. Use the same grill used for the polenta at a medium-high heat to grill the inside of each pear until it reaches desired tenderness. Slice a tiny bit off the bottom of the pear to make a flat base. This will help the pear stand up on the plate.

Plate the entire dish by placing half a pear and mixed lettuces on top of bed of grilled polenta. Drizzle with blue cheese fondue and 1 tablespoon of pine nuts per dish. For some extra tang, drizzle with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.

77

wellness / Food

Roasted Organic Butternut Squash Soup

WITH TOASTED ALMONDS AND NUTMEG CREAM 2 lbs organic local butternut squash, washed and cut in half 1 lb organic yellow onions, peeled and cut into large dice 1 lb organic carrots, dice into medium pieces 4 oz olive oil 2 Tbsp cinnamon 2 tsp nutmeg 4 oz almonds 8 oz heavy cream Sugar to taste (approx. 1/4 cup) Salt to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place squash, cut side down, on a baking tray lined with oiled parchment paper for easy cleanup.

Roast until tender in the “neck.” Lower oven temp to 250 degrees to toast the almonds.

3. Meanwhile, sweat the onions and carrots starting on high heat, then lower the flame to sweat until softened and not colored. Add 3 quarts of water and simmer.

4. Remove squash from the oven, scoop out the seeds while holding squash with heavy kitchen towel.

Scoop out the roasted squash and add to the onion and carrot mixture. Add the cinnamon and half the nutmeg. Simmer 20-30 minutes to let flavors come together.

6. Let soup cool, then place in blender. Carefully place the top on the blender with a towel. Fill the blender only two thirds full and pulse to start so it doesn't become explosive and burn you.

Continue blending until all the soup is smooth. Finish soup with 3/4 of the cream, salt and about a 1/4 cup of sugar. (The trick to this soup is to create a balance between the salt, sugar and spices — the sweetness of the butternut squash, nutmeg and cinnamon.)

7. Place the remaining cream and 1 tsp of nutmeg in the saucepan with a pinch of sugar, bring to a boil.

8. Place the soup in a warm bowl. Drizzle with the nutmeg cream and sprinkle toasted almonds on top.

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photo courtesy of: denver dish

5. Place almonds on a sheet tray and toast in the oven, turn down 250 degrees for approximately eight minutes, checking every two minutes make sure they don't burn.

Pear and Blue Cheese Terrine WITH FIGS + VANILLA-THYME VINAIGRETTE

PEAR TERRINE: 4 semi-ripe pears ½ lb blue cheese 3 Tbsp brown sugar Preparation

Peel the pears. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice each pear lengthwise, about a ¼ inch thick.

Use melon baller to scoop out seeds.

Toss the pear slices in brown sugar. Place the brown-sugar-covered pear slices in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Sauté the pears until they turn golden brown, stirring occasionally, about five minutes.

Arrange 1 layer of pear slices in a tight, overlapping circle in a terrine mold, working counterclockwise to cover the bottom. Alternate layers of pear and cheese, making sure to press firmly after each later. Turn the terrine out, but do not remove the plastic wrap. Using hot water, rinse a knife until it gets warm. While the knife is still wet, slice the terrine to desired thickness, rinsing knife after each slide. Remove plastic.

VANILLA THYME VINAIGRETTE: 1 Tbsp honey 1 Tbsp Dijon 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1/8 Tbsp vanilla paste ½ tsp chopped thyme ¼ cup olive oil Preparation

Whisk the honey, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, thyme and vanilla paste. Whisk in the oil until smooth and vinaigrette forms. Season with salt and pepper.

SALAD:

Photo courtesy of: denver dish

4 cups mixed greens ½ cup walnuts, toasted ½ cup chopped figs Preparation

Toss walnuts and chopped figs with vanilla dressing in a medium bowl. Toss walnut, fig and dressing mixture with greens, gently coating the leaves. Place terrine slice on plate with salad adjacent to terrine.

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79

partners / Directory

A Purposeful Path

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

Aspen Shakti

Earth Yoga Boulder

Hydrate IV Bar

Endorphin

+ Bonnie Brae 753 South University Blvd.

Denver, CO 303.209.0989

3000 Folsom St. Boulder, CO earthyogaboulder.com 720.593.1008

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

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

Barber’s Den

Yoga/Barre

Be Free Healing Center

+ 2700 S. Broadway Unit 201 Englewood, CO

057 Edwards Edwards, CO mountainbarbers.com 970.926.8091 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

Bookworm of Edwards

295 Main St. Edwards, CO bookwormofedwards.com 970.926.7323

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

Drunken Goat

56 Edwards Village Blvd.

STE 103 Edwards, CO drunkengoatco.com 970.926.1393

80

myendorphin.com 303.993.4041

+ 2212 Kearney St. Denver, CO + 3115 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO + 2501 Dallas St. STE 144 Denver, CO + 66 South Logan St. Denver, CO

Cycle/HITT

+ 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 + 7555 E. Academy Blvd.

Denver, CO

GOAT Training

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

High Country Healing

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

Hovey & Harrison

56 Edwards Village Blvd.

Unit 120 Edwards, CO hoveyandharrison.com 970.446.6830

hydrateivbar.com

+ The Highlands 3440 West 32nd Ave. Denver, CO 720.535.1919 + Cherry Creek 2717 East 3rd Ave. Denver, CO 303.248.3281

Hygge Life

41149 US-6 Avon, CO hyggelife.com 970.331.5745

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

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

Meta Yoga Studios

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

Mountain Soul Yoga

56 Edwards Village Blvd.

Unit 204 Edwards, CO mountainsoulyoga.com 970.446.6485

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

O2 Aspen

SunWater Spa

El Paso Blvd.

Manitou Springs, CO sunwellness.net 719.696.7077

Sweaty Buddha

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

Terry Street Collective + Fluid IV Lounge

Village Bagel

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

Wax It Skin Studio

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

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

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

Wild Hearts Yoga

Old Town Yoga

The Conscious Merchant

Yeti’s Grind

235 Jefferson St. Fort Collins, CO oldtownyoga.com 719.430.5400

Piante Pizzeria

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

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

920 Main St, Louisville, CO theconsciousmerchant.com 720.696.4840

The Root Kava Co.

1641 28th St. Boulder, CO therootkavabar.com 303.856.3851

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

540 Sherman Ave Ridgway, CO ridgwayyogashala.com 970.218.4799

+ 332 E. Aspen Ave. Fruita, CO 970.349.0302

Root: Center for Yoga & Sacred Studies

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

SCP (Soul, Community, Planet) Hotel 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

Sunshine Massage Studio

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

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

Tina Porter Yoga

11552 Newland St. Westminster, CO wildhearts.yoga 281.730.9403 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

True Nature Healing Arts

+ 6565 Gunpark Dr. Unit 108 Gunbarrel, CO 720.612.4321

Vail Public Library

4663 Centennial Blvd.

Colorado Springs, CO yogamountainshadows.com 719.799.6697

Vail Vitality Center

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

100 N. 3rd St. Carbondale, CO truenaturehealingarts.com 970.963.9900 292 W. Meadow Dr. Vail, CO vaillibrary.com 970.479.2187

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

Yoga Mountain Shadows

Yoga Off Broadway

Yoga Pod® Lowry

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

81

namaste

Tyrone Beverly,

“THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF UNLEARNING THAT NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE. ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ACTIONS PEOPLE CAN TAKE IS TO UNLEARN — UNLEARN TOXIC BEHAVIOR AND UNLEARN THEIR FIXED COMPREHENSION OF RACE.” 82

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Photo by: James Beverly

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