CO YOGA + Life® | Winter/Spring 2019-2020

love your planet issue

HOW TO CREATE A

ART OF THE FARM

LOW-WASTE LIFESTYLE HEALING BENEFITS OF

WATER

HARMONIZE WITH THE SEASON

AYURVEDIC RITUALS

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

WINTER + SPRING 2019 -2020

GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV

ADVANCED DEPRESSION TREATMENT

WITH TMS THERAPY TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION (TMS) IS A PROCEDURE THAT USES MAGNETIC FIELDS TO STIMULATE NERVE CELLS IN THE BRAIN TO IMPROVE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION. TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION MAY BE TRIED WHEN OTHER DEPRESSION TREATMENTS HAVEN’T WORKED. TMS IS HELPING PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION, FOR WHOM ANTI-DEPRESSANTS AREN’T WORKING, FIND HOPE AND REMISSION.

➤

TMS is FDA Approved for the clinical treatment of depression.

➤

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

➤

Patients have seen > 80% response and remission vs < 7% when on a third Rx trial.

➤

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.

TMS

TMS so lu t i on s

Advanced Depression Treatment

#1 TMS Choice of Doctors

Source: Mark George, M.D. Biological Psychiatry Branch Division of Intramural Research Programs, NIMH 1993.

DEPRESSED BRAIN

NON-DEPRESSED BRAIN

A PET scan measures vital functions such as blood flow, oxygen use, and blood sugar (glucose) metabolism.

MAJOR DEPRESSION IS A BRAIN DISEASE

Source: Mark George, M.D. Biological Psychiatry Branch Division of Intramural Research Programs, NIMH 1993.

Refer to the ACTIVITY two images above. IS The image on the left, is BRAIN a depressed brain and the image on the right is a non REDUCED IN DEPRESSION. depressed brain. As mentioned above, the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) device uses a targeted pulsed Ask Practice Name Practicefield, similar magnetic to whatis is used a MRI (magnetic if NeuroStar right forinyou Logo resonance imaging) machine to stimulate those areas of the at (000) 000-0000 brain that are under active in the depressive condition, all Let Your Best Self Shine. while the patient is wide awake and alert.

NeuroStar® Advanced Therapy is indicated for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in adult patients who have failed to receive satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant medication in the current episode.

The most common side effect is pain or discomfort at or near the treatment site.

NeuroStar Advanced Therapy is only available by prescription. Individual results may vary.

— TODD

Ask your doctor about NeuroStar TODAY! NeuroStar.com ©2018 Neuronetics, Inc. Malvern, PA

“I HAD TAKEN 11 DIFFERENT MEDICATIONS WITHOUT ANY RELIEF. TMS SOLUTIONS HAS HELPED ME GET MY LIFE BACK ... WITH A HAPPINESS I’VE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE”

Covered by most major health plans.

53-51416-000 Rev B 3/18

844.537.6747 • info@tmssolutions.com • www.tmssolutions.com

“MY BALLOON IS FULL AGAIN. THANK YOU TMS SOLUTIONS!”

WINTER BACKCOUNTRY GETAWAY

MARCH 12-15, 2020 • RED MOUNTAIN ALPINE LODGE OUTSIDE OF OURAY, COLORADO Join Jessica Waclawski of Vail Relationship Institute, along with Kim Fuller + Bobby L’Heureux of In Your Element, for an all-inclusive, three-night stay in a newly built mountain lodge nestled in the striking San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Your expert guides will take you from yoga flow to the backcountry to surf + play in the snow.

WWW.VAILRELATIONSHIPINSTITUTE.COM/WINTER-GETAWAY

sponsored content

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THE CO YOGA + Life®

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Wish List

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2. Aspen Inspired Ceramics by MusicalMud Studios “True growth happens from the inside out.” This is artist and yoga instructor Lori A. T. Raper’s life motto and method for stretching clay to create aspen bark textures, making each and every mug, teapot, bowl, vase and lamp as unique as the trees that inspire them. These one-of-a-kind pieces bring the beloved beauty of Colorado’s outdoors in. www.musicalmud.com 3. Cooley Designs Eye of Rae Ring Thinking of popping the big question this holiday season?

The Eye of Rae engagement ring is just the answer. This unique ring is made of 14k white and yellow gold with a beautiful marquee diamond as the eye and accented by nine channel set Ceylon sapphires. There’s only one answer she can give you, so call or stop by John Cooley’s studio on Main Street in Grand Junction to see what’s coming off his bench.

Eye of Rae is $2995.00 970.250.3137 | @cooleydesigns on Instagram or Facebook 4. Wise Bar — The Original CBD-Infused Health Bar Organic, top-shelf nuts and dried fruit, vapor distilled CBD, compostable packaging. W- Artists eat Wise Bar W- Climbers eat Wise Bar W- Road Trip Takers eat Wise Bar W- Skiers eat Wise Bar W- City Folk eat Wise Bar W- Country Folk eat Wise Bar W- Yogis eat Wise Bar W- Desk Eaters eat Wise Bar W- Grandmas eat Wise Bar W- Grandpas eat Wise Bar WAnteaters eat Wise Bar W- Puppies want to eat wise bar (but we don’t let them) W- Teachers eat Wise Bar W- $59.99 per 10-pack www.wise-bar.com 5. “Restorative Yoga for Beginners: Gentle Poses for Relaxation and Healing" By Julia Clarke Recovering from an injury, an illness, or just interested in a natural way to relax? Restorative yoga focuses on simple poses in supported positions, encouraging deep relaxation so your mind can enter a peaceful, meditative state. Dive in with an introduction to the spiritual origins and rejuvenating benefits of restorative yoga written by Colorado author Julia Clarke. Find the right position to reduce lower back pain, relieve stress, breathe easier, improve your energy, and even prepare your body for childbirth — all with illustrated instructions to get you into and out of each pose safely and comfortably. $14.99 www.juliaclarkeyoga.com/book/ 6. “Underworld” by Cooley Designs This painting is a must have for art lovers and collectors.

Depicting an underwater wonderland, “Underworld” is part of the Dreamscape Series from John Cooley, designer, jeweler and artist based in western Colorado. Visit his studio in Grand Junction to see other pieces from the series, 10 in all, and take a look at all the other pieces John is creating.

“Underworld” is $1495 970.250.3137 | @cooleydesigns on Instagram or Facebook

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

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

LEARN MORE AT PRINTRELEAF.COM

CO YOGA + Life® OWNER + EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kim Fuller CO YOGA + LIFE® OWNER + DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS Bobby L'Heureux CO YOGA + LIFE® CREATIVE DIRECTOR Chelsea Connolly CO YOGA + LIFE® EDITORIAL MANAGER Lexi Reich CO YOGA + LIFE® INTERN Hannah Bittrolff

photo: flickr.com/nicholas_t | CC BY

CONTRIBUTORS Kim Fuller, Bobby L’Heureux, Lexi Reich, Hannah Bittrolff, Juli Rathke, Sandy Ferguson Fuller, Karstee Davis, Kaity Rose, Lisa Blake, Jessica Waclawski, Hali Love, Julia Clarke, Marie-Piere Belisle-Kennedy, Taylor Rose Worden, Dr. Penny Wilson, Wendy Wilkinson, Emma Athena, Selena Rodriguez, Shenna Jean, Caramie Petrowsky, Mitchell Milbauer, Carah Aviva Werheimer, Stefanie Arend, Sarah Tuff Dunn, Marisol Cruz, Jeff Jepsen

PHOTOGRAPHY + ART Rebecca Caridad, Matt Holmes, Kim Fuller, Juli Rathke, Taylor Rose Worden, Ethan Watts, Mary Pantier Photography, Christian Murdock, Zachary Kyra Derkseng, Patagonia, Jean Jullien, Meditation Station, Center for the Arts Crested Butte, Jes Kimak Photography, Angie Dornier, Hotel Boulderado, SCP Hotel, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Mitchell Milbauer, Terry Street Collective, Eberhard Grossgasteiger, CarlBar, Youssef Naddam, Blake Weyland, Forster & Martin Fotografie, Hali Love, Oliver Schwendener, Noah Webb, Selena Rodriguez, Johnny Wilcox, Devil’s Thumb Ranch, Aspen Skiing Company, Dunton Hot Springs, Beth Grimes Yellowfeather Photography, Vincent Guth, David Billings, Dana Devolk, Kobu Agency, Ksenia Makagonova, SunWater Spa, Tourism Whistler, Asta Kovanen, Allie Smith, Jeff Jepsen, Brooke Lark, Colorado Environmental Film Festival, WinterWonderGrass Festival

REGIONAL SALES Bobby L’Heureux NATIONAL SALES Juli Rathke, Bobby L'Heureux SUBSCRIPTIONS Please subscribe to our magazine at www.yogalifelive.com/colorado ADVERTISING CO Office: 860.230.8650 | National Office: 815.414.YOGA (9642) bobby@coyogalifemag.com | www.coyogalifemag.com FEATURES If you would like us to consider you as a contributor, contact us at kim@coyogalifemag.com AFFILIATE OPPORTUNITIES YOGA + Life® Magazine juli@julirathke.com | 815.414.YOGA (9642) www.yogalifelive.com COVER Cover photography by Rebecca Caridad 2019-2020 CO YOGA + Life® Magazines. All rights reserved. No portion may be duplicated, in whole or in part, without the written consent of its publishers. Every effort has been make to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. The publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of information or omissions from the material provided. Company cannot be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services rendered by the advertisers published in this magazine.

Letter from the editor / Winter + Spring

DEAR READERS,

Y

ou could say the themes of our magazines most often emerge organically, in deep connection with what is currently relevant and energized in our state and beyond. Like seasons, inspiration and ideas come and go, and it seems important to capture them when they are at a peak of expression.

This issue certainly was cultivated in this way, as the call to share more messages of sustainability with CO YOGA + Life® readers continues to grow. Is it not becoming increasingly apparent that we all need to participate in the well-being of our planet? There is perhaps no better time to reach your hands into the soil beneath you and get dirt under your fingernails, giving up fear of tarnishing your personal comfort or experience.

Easier said than done, but I think what we can each do is commit to simple and small practices that support the earth. Reading this issue is a great start, noting that our soy ink and reforested paper are chosen in the spirit of sustainability. You’ll read that Gregory Alan Isakov, the well-established singer-songwriter on our cover, also dedicates his resources and energy to a farm in Boulder County. We share how SCP Hotel Colorado Springs is setting the bar for sustainable hotel renovation and hospitality management, Emma Athena writes on shrinking glaciers in Colorado, while Selena Rodriguez explains how to embrace a lowwaste lifestyle.

Page by page, story by story, our love of Mother Earth is ever-apparent in this publication. Not only are we happy you’re taking a moment to digest what we’ve offered you here, we’re relieved that you probably care too; that you love your planet the way she deserves and hold hope that we can all provide for her the way she does for all of us.

As always, thank you for reading. And thank you for doing your part, too.

In Gratitude, Kim Fuller, Owner + Editor-In-Chief kim@coyogalifemag.com

photos by: matt holmes; kim fuller

Based in Vail, Colorado, KIM FULLER is a freelance writer, editor and photojournalist in addition to her role at CO YOGA + Life®. She is 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 CO 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 www.kimfullerink.com and follow her on Instagram @lifeinfull.

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

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contents / Winter + Spring

CONTENTS 40

LOVE YOUR PLANET 7

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Participate in your planet

10 ABOUT THE COVER

Gregory Alan Isakov

12 TEAM CO YOGA + LIFE

The people behind the publication

PROFILES

CO influencer // teachers + leaders // studios

14 COLORADO INFLUENCER

Chef + restauranteur Josh Niernberg

16 TEACHERS + LEADERS

Amy Ippoliti; Jeremy Wolf

20 STUDIOS

Kaiut Yoga; Revolution Power Yoga

22 RETREATS + TEACHER TRAININGS

What’s coming up in 2020?

LIFESTYLE

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

24 “SOME STORIES” BY YVON CHOUINARD

Review by Sandy Ferguson Fuller

25 “YOU ARE HOME”

An ode to the national parks

26 "DO T.H.I.S." A NEW BOOK BY JULI RATHKE

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This systematic approach will change the way you make decisions forever

28 MOBILE MEDITATION

New studio on wheels in Fort Collins

29 CENTER FOR THE ARTS CRESTED BUTTE

Brand new center brings together all the arts

30 BULLET JOURNALING

Creativity, goals + community

32 CO GETAWAYS Hotel Boulderado; SCP Hotel Colorado Springs

36 TRAVEL

+ Cayman Islands

+ New Zealand 40 WHAT WE LOVE

Our favorite goods for Winter + Spring

42 COMMUNITY WELLNESS IN LONGMONT

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Terry Street Collective + Fluid IV Lounge YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photo by: Jes Kimak Photography

68 YOGA + FITNESS

movement // seva // in the practice // retreats + trainings

44 SALUTE THE MOON

Julia Clarke shares a calming lunar yoga practice

47 FUEL UP WITH FOOD BARS

Our favorite easy-to-pack snacks

48 GRIEF SUPPORT NETWORK

Finding light through loss

50 YOGA’S DEEP GREEN ROOTS

A path for eco-conscious living

52 BALANCE OUT THE BURNOUT

Take a break

56 PICK YOUR TRAINING

Stay local or go immerse?

ayurveda // health // inspiration // food

74 AYURVEDIC RITUALS

Harmonize with the cycles of nature

76 WARM WATER SPAS

Wellness + workouts

78 WELLNESS PLUNGE

Kneipp hydrotherapy cure

82 UNBLOCKING LOVE

And revealing the path of healing

58 RETREAT TO COSTA RICA

Visit this planet loving destination

85 RINGS OF RELATIONSHIPS

OUTSIDE

fresh air // environment // adventure // gear

60 MORE MINDFUL ON THE SLOPES

Be earth-conscious with your snow sports

62 ECHOES OF TIME

Colorado’s glaciers are melting

65 EMBRACE LOW WASTE Photo courtesy of: Dunton Hot Springs

WELLNESS

Your impact matters

66 DINING ADVENTURE

Pine Creek Cookhouse

68 YOGA + PLAY

Pair your flow with classic adventure

72 GEAR GUIDE

Outdoor goods for this winter + spring

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

How to stay connected

86 RECIPE BOOK Chef Jeff Jepsen

90 SHOW LOVE FOR THE PLANET

Change how you shop, eat + clean up

EVENTS + DISTRIBUTION Colorado fun

92 GATHERINGS

+ WinterWonderGrass

+ Colorado Environmental Film Festival 94 EVENT LISTINGS

Winter + spring fun throughout the state

96 DIRECTORY

CO YOGA + Life® Distribution Partners

98 NAMASTE

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Q +A

profiles / About the Cover

Spotlight GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV

WHAT ABOUT THIS SEASON WAS DIFFERENT? I’ve been farming here for 15 years and we’ve never had a season like this. We had flooding, we have two plots in the back and we were pulling rotting turnips out of the ground — just bizarre weather where I think we got almost a foot of rain within an hour. It really set us back, we lost a lot, and it was really disheartening because you take it so personally when you put so much time into something. Luckily I’ve done this for a long time so I have a backup, but it was a volatile season. And it felt weird to complain about water in Colorado, because we don’t usually have this much. But it was the extremity of the weather — climate change is clearly happening.

Gregory Alan Isakov on His Passions + the Planet interview By Karstee Davis

I

n 2000, singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov moved to Colorado to attend horticulture school at Naropa University in Boulder. Isakov was born in South Africa and immigrated to Pennsylvania with his family when he was just a young child. But as an adult, Colorado is where Isakov has chosen to put down roots, quite literally, with a farm in Boulder County and a barn that houses a recording studio where he wrote and recorded his last album, “Evening Machines.”

I was able to grab a few moments of time from this busy man-of-many-talents, just hours before his show at the Mission Ballroom in Denver, and days before he left for a European tour.

HOW DO YOU STAY EARTH-FRIENDLY WHEN YOU ARE OUT ON THE ROAD? Touring is not a marvel of ecology in any way. You’re in a bus with 11 other people, we get big jugs of water instead of bottles.

It’s hard to stay ecological, we think about it a lot. We bring our own mugs everywhere, and we do the little things that we can.

IF YOU HAD TO PICK ONE THING FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE — MUSIC OR FARMING — WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE? People have asked me before, that’s funny! I have no idea, I don’t know if I could. For me, I’ve been doing both for so long, and I think that the challenge is how to make a music career fit around a season, and I’m getting really close. It’s been really exciting.

WHO HOLDS DOWN THE FARM FOR YOU WHEN YOU ARE GONE? I have one friend who lives at the farm that does our orders, we mainly do restaurants.

We have 11 restaurants that we grow for, and

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photo by: rebecca caridad

Farm to Music

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WHAT DOES “LOVE YOUR PLANET” LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? It’s easy when you live in Colorado to be connected to the land here. The natural world is so strong and has such a big presence … I think that’s why I’ve stayed for so long. Along with that, I’ve farmed here for a long time; I know the soil really well. Well, this year’s a little different (he laughs) but for the most part it’s such a huge character here.

so I do deliveries a couple times a week. So Nat, my friend, kind of gets my back when I’m gone. But in the summer we aren’t gone that often, maybe a week.

(Here are a few of the restaurants where you might be able to order something grown at Isakov’s farm: Arcana, Oak, Blackbelly and Mateo in Boulder; Beckon Call and Moxie Eatery in Denver.)

It’s easy when you live in Colorado to be connected to the land here. The natural world is so strong and has such a big presence … I think that’s why I’ve stayed for so long.

I’VE HEARD THAT PEOPLE CAN GET SEEDS FROM YOU TOO, IS THAT TRUE? I grow for a seed company called Lineage Seeds (a company started in Boulder, owned and operated by Jared Hagood). I do an heirloom corn and a bean.

HOW DOES THE ENVIRONMENT SHOW UP IN YOUR MUSIC AND SONGWRITING? I think sense of place always seem to make it into my writing. I think I have a different kind of style of writing where nature comes into it a lot as characters. And I don’t know why that is … I’ve always looked up to writers like Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen who can tell a really amazing story in a song, and I just don’t write in that style, but I really look up to it. But yeah, it just seems to be the natural way I do it, there are a lot of natural elements that make it in.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE SONG? I love the song “One of Us Cannot Be Wrong”

by Leonard Cohen. I think it’s such a beautiful song, it might be my favorite one ever written.

Photos by: rebecca caridad

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER UPDATES? Yeah, we’ve been working on a new album, so that should be coming in 2020. +

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 www.purifiedoutlook.com or on Instagram @purifiedoutlook.

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

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profiles / Behind the Pages

CO YOGA + Life®

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

BOBBY L’HEUREUX Owner + Director of Partnerships

Based in Vail, Colorado, Kim is a freelance writer, editor and photojournalist in addition to her role at CO 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 is the co-founder of Jaunt Media Collective, the publishing company behind CO 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 www. 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 CO 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. www. bigheartbighands.org

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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 + Publisher 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, her entrepreneurs' #ExpertsClub, her new book DO T.H.I.S., and word 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 Journalism and English major at the University of Colorado Boulder, Lexi spends most of her time reading novels and writing for her poetry and reporting classes.

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

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

profiles / Colorado Influencer

Chef + Owner of Bin 707 Foodbar, Tacoparty and Dinnerparty Grand Junction

Q +A

interview by

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kim fuller

J

HOW DOES YOUR WORK AS A CHEF, RESTAURANT OWNER AND ENTREPRENEUR GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO “LOVE YOUR PLANET?” We created Bin 707 Foodbar in 2010 with the intention of showcasing local and regionally sourced ingredients. We saw the opportunity to tighten the distribution channels, lower the carbon emissions and support sustainable agriculture here in Colorado’s Grand Valley for the benefit of all of us in the community. I believe the ingredients which grow here allow us the opportunity to make food that is unique to here. Promoting and perpetuating that model creates a far more sustainable food system than glamorizing imported and rare products as has been the norm for so long.

HOW DOES THE EARTH PROVIDE INSPIRATION AND/OR MOTIVATION FOR YOU IN YOUR ENDEAVORS? The better the ingredients we have to work with, the better our food tastes. The more we take care of the soil, the better the ingredients. The healthier the soil, the less chemical intervention is required for the crop. Finally, the less chemical intervention required for the crop, the more efficient a crop can grow — ultimately requiring less water. This is true in all agriculture; vegetables, grapes for wine, grain for distilling, brewing and culinary uses, cannabis, etc.

This premise has motivated us to work towards implementing restaurant composting on a scale large enough to help support the farms we work with. Mesa County doesn’t currently have a community supported composting program set up at a scale large enough for restaurant partners — we hope to help find some solutions for this in the coming year.

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

photo by: Cat Mayer

JOSH NIERNBERG

osh Niernberg is a fourth generation Coloradan living with his wife, two sons and their dog in Grand Junction, Colorado. As a chef and restauranteur, Niernberg says his focus is on exploring Colorado cuisine through the use of local and regional ingredients and techniques. Here’s more on Niernberg and how “love your planet” is consistently integrated into his life and work:

photo by: Cat Mayer

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLANTS OR PLANT-BASED INGREDIENTS TO COOK WITH AND WHY? I like to showcase lesser known and unique ingredients available to us here in the western slope. Elephant heart plums are my favorite, blue corn from Durango to make nixtamal for our tortillas at Tacoparty, Longhorn Sumac and all of the incredible flowers we get to play with from Sweet Pea’s Garden and Sage Creations in Palisade, all of the incredible peppers that grow so well here, green chiles which then can be dried to make locally grown pasilla, ancho and guajillos; (not period) using vinus vineferia (wine grapes) to make verjus and in place of citrus, apple cider vinegar from Hotchkiss apples to make fruit gastriques, which we also use on our menus in place of citrus.

If we had a flavor profile in western Colorado, I would like to imagine it's sage, juniper and guajillo.

create something special and unique to western Colorado, because ultimately, the proximity to incredible ingredients, the quality of life and access to outdoor recreation is greater here than anywhere else I’m familiar with!

WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU AND YOUR WORK? To continue to focus on community supported composting programs on a commercial level; to potentially partner with the cannabis industry to help create some closed loop cycles of using restart compost to increase

soil biodiversity for hemp farms; encourage hemp farms to use cover crops such as rye which can be harvested and used for culinary and distilling purposes here in the Grand Valley. This is kind of a modified www.zerofoodprint.com program which I’m focused on. We also have another concept or two in the works which I’m excited to launch when the time is right! Hopefully within the next 12 to 24 months. +

www.bin707.com www.tacopartygj.com

A tablescape from Dinnerparty

WHAT DO YOU APPRECIATE RIGHT NOW IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY AND WHAT FRUSTRATES YOU THE MOST? I appreciate an emphasis to procure better quality products from more sustainable sources. I appreciate technology enabling chefs to stay more dynamic and informed than ever before to not only allow us to work with better ingredients, but to allow us to work together in sourcing and distributing ingredients from lesser known and rural regions. Ultimately that creates better product, better value and lower carbon emissions.

I’m frustrated by the challenges faced daily as a restaurant operator in western Colorado, like fighting for relevance in a community that traditionally hasn’t supported culinary artistry while competing with chains on pricing. Paying and providing above state average wages and implementing policy that prevents our staff from working traditional long restaurant hours in a community with a 20 percent lower than state average household income — and doing so in an economy that exports 99 percent of our hospitality workforce to the Front Range, all while watching our prime cost rise annually.

Trying to do what is best for our local economy and environment becomes a greater challenge daily. It is a labor of love, a mission to provide a sense of place and

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

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profiles / Teachers + Leaders

interview By

Q +A

Taylor Rose Worden things helps us to cognitively respond. If we are just calling it climate change, then is change really a threat? Not necessarily, but crisis certainly is. During the presidential debates, Kamala Harris called it climate crisis and a bell went off in my head. We need to call this what it is, crisis, so that it actually garners the desperate attention that it needs.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT YOGA CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS? I think it really depends on what kind of yoga you are doing, and I don't mean style of yoga. I feel like there is a yoga where we can go to escape reality, and it’s not necessarily the kind of yoga I am all that interested in. Yoga for me is how can I do life better; how can I human better because I am in a practice? And as such, yoga can be a huge catalyst to change climate crisis, to get it to reverse, but if you are just going for an escape, it can actually cause a lot of harm.

AMY IPPOLITI

Environmental Activist + Marine Biology Conservation

A

my Ippoliti’s passion for living a mindful, conscious and organic lifestyle is ever-present through her expertise as a yoga teacher, author and earth conservationist. Amy has studied yoga for over 30 years and has been teaching since 1997. She is the co-founder of 90 Monkeys, a school for advanced yoga education.

I asked here some questions about the current state of our environment: I AM CURIOUS ABOUT WHERE YOUR JOURNEY BEGAN. WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT? My earliest memory of wanting to protect the earth or be a steward of the planet was

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at about 4 or 5 years old. It was a rainy day in New York City and my sister and I were on a playground when we noticed a massive puddle forming around this drain. As the rain continued, the puddle grew larger and we realized it was because of trash. We then noticed the poor pigeons didn’t have a dry place to walk and thought, “we must stop this!” It was really quite sad, but it was this palpable situation where we could see that human activity is affecting the environment and animals.

YOU ARE NO LONGER CALLING THE STATE OF AFFAIRS CLIMATE CHANGE, BUT RATHER, CLIMATE CRISIS. CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE THAT CAME FROM? Language is so important. How we label

BECAUSE I KNOW THAT YOU PRACTICE ENGAGED YOGA, ARE THERE ANY ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS THAT YOU ARE REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT OR THAT YOU SAW EFFECTIVE CHANGE AS A RESULT OF? I saw a huge move in the needle, in a positive direction, in the work we did with photography. We often associate activism, especially animal activism, with someone holding up a horrible picture with blood and gore, the goal being to raise awareness, but all it does is repulse people. We realized that if we created imagery where there was an interconnection between an animal and a human, we were able to tap into human compassion. It was such a foreign image to see a human body doing yoga, underwater, with no accoutrement, and with an animal. It was astonishing.

It created this conversation, people were sharing and commenting on it. We protect what we love. People fell in love with the animals and felt a need to protect them.

I BELIEVE THAT EACH DAY WE VOTE WITH OUR DOLLAR. CAN YOU TELL ME

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ABOUT SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU DONATE TO AND WHY? I believe if you have the privilege to put aside enough money to give a little bit, that it is a way of paying forward that privilege so that the whole world can rise. Supporting change is woven into our business model; on our 90 Monkeys website we have a page that lists all the different organizations that we support. One of them is the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a great environmental organization because they actually work from the legal perspective. We love SeaLegacy, which is for marine conservation. WildAid and the Nature Conservancy are also doing great work for endangered species. American Civil Liberties Union is really important to us because of human rights, which is definitely under threat right now, and many more.

Another thing I want to say because you mention the idea of voting with the dollar, and I think that’s extraordinarily important, but at the same time, what I am learning more and

more is that real change also occurs from the top. So that if we are not voting in people to positions of power that are aligned with our values around the climate crisis, around protecting animals, pollution, etc., it can very quickly go downhill. In contrast to electing people that are able to make a difference, we can stop for example, single-use plastic. It could be a ban from the top, just like that.

WHAT ADVICE COULD YOU GIVE TO OUR FUTURE GENERATION? Please be registered to vote, research your

M O V E

candidates and get on top of the ones that are already in office. It is really about saving our democracy and respecting the rule of law. Keep your life biodegradable as best you can, and be unapologetic about fighting for that. Additionally, get curious about eating plant-based, vegetarian meals. The single most powerful thing we can do to help stop carbon emissions, which is causing the climate crisis, is animal agriculture.

Transportation is second; we think burning fossil fuels is the thing that is causing it, but it is actually animal agriculture. +

TAYLOR ROSE is a dreamer, writer and wildly energetic being. She has her Masters in Environmental Leadership, is certified in Authentic Leadership, and teaches various forms of yoga. She believes we are a physical embodiment of the sacred source and our purpose is to not only witness, but to participate in the inexhaustible celebration we call life.

Taylor Rose strives to help others reach new levels of awareness and appreciation for the magic and mystery of our world, both internally and externally. www.taylorroseyoga.com

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F E E L

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L I V E

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B E T T E R

Daily Classes Meditation Teacher Trainings Special Events Workshops $35 Day Passes $250 10-punch $125/mo Memberships

VAIL ATHLETIC CLUB VailAthleticClub.com 970.476.7960 352 East Meadow Drive | Vail, CO

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JEREMY WOLF

Yoga • Yoga Nidrā • Meditation

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eremy Wolf has received formal yoga nidra training in four different methods: Bihar/ Swami Satyananda, Himalayan/Swami Rama, Integrative Amrit/Amrit Desai and iRest/Richard Miller, and has completed his 300-hour teacher training through Rod Stryker’s ParaYoga. In addition to completing a variety of teacher trainings, Jeremy co-leads and teaches 200-hour and 300-hour trainings throughout the Denver area. Aside from his love from yoga, he also is passionate about sharing his musical talent as a DJ, and he finds most of his inspiration from the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.

WHERE DID YOU FIND THE PRACTICE OF YOGA NIDRA? In my travels, I decided to go to India and get a yoga teacher certification. But at that time, I had no intention to be a yoga teacher, I just wanted to learn more about the spiritual dimension of the yoga practice. It just so happened that in my initial 200-hour certification, yoga nidra was a part of the training and practice that we did on a daily basis.

So, I finally realized what was happening, why it was so beneficial, how it was changing my life, almost overnight after I discovered it. From then on, I just pursued more and more training and different methodologies and approaches that arise out of the different lineages of yoga nidra.

HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN THE PRACTICE OF YOGA NIDRA? It is a guided form of horizontal meditation. It usually happens lying down, where the practitioner is completely comfortable and supported. We use the different doorway into meditation, which is really relaxation, something that's completely natural. When we use a variety of techniques to develop complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation, then we can enter a deep state of subtle awareness where we do hover in the space between wake and sleep.

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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? One of the reasons most people enjoy it is because it reduces the symptoms of stress producing behaviors or stress producing perceptions of how we relate to our circumstances. It literally slows the mind down. What I found, before I knew anything about the practice, was that I was much more relaxed, I was much more patient, I was much more self-aware and aware of the world. The benefits extend to many different realms from working with hypertension, to working with trauma, PTSD, addiction, insomnia, a variety of things.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF LOVING OUR PLANET? I've had the opportunity to teach some yoga classes in parks outside of the city.

I always try to remind people to step off their mat, to put their bare feet on the earth, realize that we're part of a much greater system. When we practice yoga, it’s not only about self-awareness, but it's about self-responsibility, to realize the impact of our moment to moment choices, not just in how we move through the world and how we're impacting the planet, but how we move as a community. It’s those collective choices that have an even greater impact.

The more we come together, we start to see life as not this self-absorbed, agenda-driven journey towards more, but rather we start to recognize that as we come together, we can start to make more intelligent, collective decisions based on how we interact and how we use and treat the planet.

HOW DO YOU LOVE YOUR PLANET? I think one of the most important things I can do for the planet is to teach my son to really appreciate the earth, to really appreciate nature, to recognize its value, and that if we destroy it, we don't have an option B, at least yet. If I can instill that in my son, to where he not only loves spending time in nature, but recognizes the absolute importance of it, and is raised with a sensibility to

interview by

photo by: Ethan Watts

Q +A

profiles / Teachers + Leaders

Hannah Bittrolff

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protect it, I think that could have a greater influence on those that are going to be running the world.

I have a family now, and we really started looking into every level of our consumption, of our transportation, to the things that we believe we need or don't need. One thing we do in our household is to "repurpose" items. We try to buy used as often as we can, whether clothing or furniture, and whatever products or materials come through this house we try to find as many uses as possible.

photo by: Ethan Watts

WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT RESONATES WITH YOU ABOUT LOVING OUR PLANET? I am inspired by a line within a film, and the person makes the claim that, “the whole world is in fact singing, but we've stopped listening.” I think that statement says so much about how we've turned our attention away from nature, and even to the point where we almost treat it like it's an inconvenience. +

If I can instill that in my son, to where he not only loves spending time in nature, but recognizes the absolute importance of it, and is raised with a sensibility to protect it, I think that could have a greater influence on those that are going to be running the world.

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profiles / Studios

by LEXI REICH

the nature within us to do what it’s good at doing, which is aligning,” Craig says. He explains it’s not about reaching outside the self for answers, it’s about tuning into the intelligence of each individual’s system.

“We all bring these different patterns or habits into the room,” adds Darvin. “By rebooting from within, our natural intelligence becomes available.”

Kaiut classes are like an organism — living, adapting and evolving. It depends on the time of day, student’s energetic states and all other subtleties that make each Kaiut class unique.

Kristin, Craig and Darvin say they’ve never taught the same class twice, but they also take it a step further: if in one class 25 people are present, the teacher is leading 25 different classes in one space at one time, referring to students by their name.

kaiut yoga BOULDER

“It’s amazing every time,” an older woman shared to a fellow classmate outside the doors of Kaiut Yoga Boulder. “That’s why I keep coming back.”

Students leisurely leave the doors of this school, a place where many feel accepted, healed and empowered; it’s a place many call home.

Kaiut Yoga, co-owned by Kristin Savory, Craig Heneveld and Darvin Ayre, moved to a new location in Boulder this past September. The new space is equipped with a plethora of props the Kaiut method uses and now has a lobby large enough to hold the growing community before and after classes. The new space is light, beautiful and the yoga room has plenty of wall space (used commonly in Kaiut classes).

At Kaiut Yoga, the practice is not kept to just the mat, it’s all the time and space between where transformation is also at work. The Kaiut method was created by Francisco Kaiut; it teaches people how to

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take care of themselves. It’s biomechanical yoga built for different kinds of mobility, meeting everybody and every body exactly where they’re at. It’s about longevity, clarity of mind, happiness and allowing people to keep doing what they love in life.

“My body literally feels like it’s aging backwards,” Francisco says. “I think we’re tapping into something very solid in terms of result and development of yoga. The testimonials from my students are impressive; sometimes we even have a hard time communicating it with the public because it sounds too much.”

INTELLIGENCE OF THE SYSTEM As our environment shifts, how can we continue to stay aligned with nature?

It’s simpler than we think.

“We want to pretend we are smarter than nature and control it — we don’t allow

“People are really good at taking care of themselves externally … but this is cleansing internally, having the internal mechanics of your system functioning properly, and that was the original intent of yoga,” shares Kristin.

The spiritual and emotional benefits from this practice come from self-inquiry.

Because the simplicity of the method is accessible to everyone, allowing students to individually see how the practice feels for them and not how it should feel, they find spirituality because it’s on them, not the teachers delivering it to them.

“There is the practice, but it’s about building relationships and reading them, understanding them and using all that to help the practice reach them where they can receive it,” Craig explains of Kaiut students. The support of the Kaiut community increases everyone’s well being, it nurtures the nest.

Cultivating that nest — feeling comfortable, taking care of, being fed — is the energy being built at Kaiut, he adds.

Kaiut Yoga Boulder is hosting their first level of teacher training called The Concept beginning January 10. The training is meant for students looking to develop a deeper understanding of the practice and potentially offer it to others.

“This training is going to be about the Boulder community,” Francisco says. +

www.kaiutyogaboulder.com.

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Photo by: mary pantier photography

THE BENEFITS

Revolution Power Yoga AVON + GLENWOOD SPRINGS

by Hannah Bittrolff

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n 2019, Revolution Power Yoga made a big move in the mountains. After establishing a strong yoga community in the Vail Valley for over half a decade, the studio expanded into a second home in Glenwood Springs this past September.

Julie Kiddoo co-owns Revolution Power Yoga with her husband Tom, and for this Q&A Julie has shared her love and passion for Revolution Power Yoga and what it means to be growing and evolving in Colorado.

powerful and leave people feeling rinsed and revitalized. Expect to move, sweat and leave transformed! This is based on Baptiste Yoga’s “Journey Into Power” sequence, suitable for all levels. These classes are heated up to 95 degrees. Students can expect to walk away feeling a sense of community and belonging, whether it's a first class or they practice here regularly. +

www.revolutionpoweryoga.com

WHAT MAKES REVOLUTION POWER YOGA UNIQUE? Revolution Power Yoga is a Baptiste Affiliate Studio. We are grounded in the Baptiste Methodology developed by Baron Baptiste.

All of our teachers have either trained with us or through the Baptiste Institute.

photo by: Christian Murdock

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO OPEN A NEW STUDIO? Tom and I have always felt a draw to Glenwood Springs and the Roaring Fork Valley.

We have increasingly become more involved with the community in Glenwood through our children's involvement with the swim team and felt that Revolution Power Yoga would be a great addition to the Glenwood Springs Community. This allows us to become more involved with a community we have grown to love.

WHO DOES REVOLUTION POWER YOGA SEEK TO BENEFIT? Baptiste Power Yoga is for EVERYONE! WHAT CAN STUDENTS EXPECT FROM THE CLASS OFFERINGS IN AVON AND GLENWOOD SPRINGS? Our classes are energizing, challenging and

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Born and raised in Colorado, HANNAH BITTROLFF just couldn’t bring herself to leave. Currently a student at the University of Colorado, she is majoring in Journalism and minoring in Sports Media. Playing soccer all her life, she hopes to one day find her niche in the sports journalism world. Expanding on her love for all things health and fitness, she completed her teacher training at CorePower Yoga and has been a sculpt instructor for over a year. But nothing keeps her as busy as trying to parent her 10-month-old Blue Tick Beagle puppy.

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profiles / 2020 Retreats + Trainings

paid partnerships

2020

Photo by: zachary kyra derkseng

retreats + trainings

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paid partnerships

Meta Yoga Studios Yoga Alliance Certified 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Trainings Looking for advanced training that teaches you how (not what) to teach? Meta Yoga instills value-based teachings to support those who desire to train others.

In addition to learning some of the basic concepts of yoga, you will learn how to teach them in combination with your own skills, interests and experiences.

Meta's 300-hour program is broken into two parts, four core modules, led by Kari Kwinn, and a multitude of electives led by a variety of expert teachers. This gives you both the tools to find the great teacher within as well as give you the flexibility to explore topics that are the most interesting and supportive to you. All work must be completed within five years, and could be completed in one year. www.metayogastudios.com/300

Tapestry of Peace Yoga Nidra Teacher Training Retreat March 7-18, 2020 Pisac, Peru

Reweave your tapestry of inner peace and become certified in the ancient teachings of yoga nidra. Join for a deeply nourishing and inspiring 12-day retreat nestled in the Sacred Valley of Peru, centered around a comprehensive teacher training. This in-depth study and practice will be led

by Jeremy Wolf, who’s trained in the four primary traditions of yoga nidra. Along with the training, we will experience the colorful Andean culture through delicious traditional food, beautiful nature hikes, Pisac’s incredible market, healing sound and music, dance and exploring Peru’s unique history and cosmology. The retreat will culminate in a visit to renowned Machu Picchu, where we will enjoy yoga nidra at one of the seven world wonders!

(No prior certification necessary). www.nidraperu.com

Winter Backcountry Getaway

March 12-15, 2020 Red Mountain Lodge, Ouray, Colorado This all-inclusive, three-night getaway is held in a newly built lodge nestled in the striking San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Join Jessica Waclawski of Vail Relationship Institute, along with Kim Fuller

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and Bobby L’Heureux of CO YOGA + life® and In Your Element for a weekend of backcountry skiing or ice climbing (all-levels), daily yoga flow and guided meditation and conversation. www.vailrelationshipinstitute.com/ winter-getaway

Dristhi Beats + Aaron King — 200Hour Yoga Teacher Training April 17 – June 14, 2020 Aspen/Snowmass

Sign up for Drishti Beats 200-hour Live Yoga Teacher Training with Aaron King and the Drishti Beats yoga teacher trainers at King Yoga Studio in Snowmass, Colorado, from Saturday, April 17 – Sunday, June 14, 2020. This training is held every weekend on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for eight weekends.

It includes 160 hours of live training and 40 Hours of online supported training to provide a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training certificate accredited through the Yoga Alliance. All trainees will not only experience the live on-site training but will also have all online content available to them for continual review and greater knowledge to ensure success. www.drishtibeats.com/200-hour-on-siteyoga-teacher-training/

Inner Peace Yoga Therapy Training Certify with an IAYT-Accredited Program May — December 2020 Asana Studio, Arvada

This 300-hour, Level 1 Foundations in Yoga Therapy course is designed to introduce you to the vast field of yoga therapy, overview the teachings and philosophies of the yoga tradition and their relevance and application to yoga therapy, introduce you to modalities of yoga therapy as applied to various health conditions, and provide you with a solid foundation to build your knowledge on your path to become a yoga therapist.

Topics include: Intro to Yoga Therapy; Functional Yoga Therapy; Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy; Yoga for Depression; Pain, Science and Therapeutic Yoga; Yoga of Recovery; Healing with the Chakras; Yoga for Cancer; and more. Study directly with world class faculty such as Amy Weintraub, Durga Leela, Laura Kupperman,

Maria Mendola and more. This is the first course in our 800-hour accredited Yoga Therapy Certification Program.

Earlybird deadline Jan 15, 2020. www.innerpeaceyogatherapy.com/ programs/level-1/

Dristhi Beats Bali — 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training

October 1 – 21, 2020 Hotel Komune Resort & Beach Club, Bali Dristhi Beats Yoga Destination Teacher Training is a 21-day immersive program.

Get away and totally immerse yourself into learning in a beautiful all-inclusive destination at the Hotel Komune Resort & Beach Club, Bali in the South Pacific. You will be taking and learning to teach vinyasa flow classes each day. Enjoy the ocean sounds during your meditation sessions.

Dive deep into yoga philosophy, anatomy and physiology. Learn breath techniques during pranayama practices. Work with a DJ and producer to pair music seamlessly with your classes. Focus on coaching and the business of yoga. Become authentic in your teaching and life. Become 100-percent present and find your spiritual connection with yourself and other. This unique training opportunity is accredited through Yoga Alliance. www.drishtibeats.com/bali/

In Your Element Moab 2020 Adventure Retreat May 15-18, 2020 Moab, Utah

Join In Your Element for good times around the fire at Moab’s Goose Island campsite.

Navajo Sandstone cliffs and the Colorado River provide the backdrop for the morning and evening yoga and med- itation practices. Enjoy gourmet camping cuisine for breakfast and dinner, and free time during the day to explore Moab’s world-renowned trails, rocks, rivers, rejuvenating spas and unique downtown. moab-2020-inyourelement.eventbrite.com

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lifestyle / Books

“SOME STORIES”

Lessons from the Edge of Business and Sport

W Living a life close to nature has taught me to try and protect what I love by leading an examined life, bearing witness to the evils and injustices of the world and acting with whatever resources I have to fight those evils. This is something everyone needs to do in his or her own way.

It’s not only a fragile planet, but a pretty small one too.

–Yvon Chouinard

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ow. A single word perfectly introduces one of the most compelling and significant books to appear in decades.

No one is better suited to offer “Some Stories: Lessons from the Edge of Business and Sport,” than the extraordinary Yvon Chouinard.

His visionary work is a call to save our planet. It’s also an exquisite reflection on an unparalleled life lived as an adventurer, businessman, family man and environmental activist. The founder and leader of Patagonia has traveled the world pursuing his passions of mountaineering, skiing, whitewater kayaking, fishing, falconry, and, still his favorite, surfing.

Chouinard advocates a single word for himself: Simplicity. Fishing for over a year with just one type of fly (read the book to discover his secret!) brought satisfaction and taught him responsible living.

Consider Patagonia’s mission statement which reads, “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

Chouinard walks the walk, continuing to influence his company into his eighth decade and to promote saving the planet.

“When we love something, we protect it,” he writes.

The first portion of “Some Stories” describes many of Chouinard’s conquests of the earth’s toughest peaks, sheer Yosemite rock walls, treacherous ice falls, raging rapids and curling pipelines. He muses on technology, and how equipment innovation

has spiked human accomplishment and the definition of “mastery” in sport.

He poses the question, “Are we really better off? As sport matures, does it really get better?”

Perhaps a pure approach to sport involves more risk and effort, but the rewards might be greater. His text and accompanying photographs (his own and some from famous companions on his adventures) comprise a classic book in itself.

Chouinard segues into photo essays and factual discussions about issues confronting humankind, nature and the future of our planet. Often grimly realistic (“do it before they dam it”), he also remains optimistic. He empowers us with hope. He reminds us of our obligation to “cast a positive vote for life on Earth.” He believes in the inevitability of change, yet the potential to direct it.

“It’s easy to be depressed these days … but I like to remind myself that things change … It was like that with tobacco even though the medical world knew that smoking caused lung cancer … gay marriage, too.

Unthinkable, and then … done.”

Since 1985, Patagonia has given one percent of sales to grassroots environmental groups working to preserve and restore the natural world. Today, One Percent for the Planet generates over $130 million a year to drive change.

Chouinard offers original words of wisdom throughout, but he also shares a favorite mantra from French writer and adventurer, Antoine St. Exupery of “The Little Prince”: Freedom is acceptance of responsibility.

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Photos courtesy of: Jean Jullien

review by Sandy Ferguson Fuller

It’s easy to be depressed these days … but I like to remind myself that things change … It was like that with tobacco even though the medical world knew that smoking caused lung cancer … gay marriage, too. Unthinkable, and then … done.

— Yvon Chouinard “Some Stories” is not to be missed. It is a book to enjoy, enlighten and inspire on many levels. Yvon Chouinard invites you into the story of his signature life and the business of saving our earth. +

“Some Stories” is published by Patagonia Books. Available online or at your local bookstore.

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

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

“You Are Home”

An Ode to the National Parks

P

lanet Earth is our home. With each changing season, the need to love and protect it becomes more obvious and urgent. This new season debuts a stunning children’s picture book which showcases that message. It is a masterpiece of text and colorful artwork for all ages to share and it belongs in every personal or public book collection — a perfect coffee table addition or holiday gift! Adults and children alike will enjoy pouring over the beautiful oversize paintings and thoughtful prose.

“You Are Home” is written and illustrated by Colorado native, Evan Turk.

Although Evan now lives in the Hudson Valley in upstate New York, he grew up in the west and traveled extensively as a boy with his Park Service family. His newest work is a testament to our National Parks, but it is much, much more.

To quote his publisher, “From the rugged coast of Maine to the fiery volcanoes of Hawaii, Turk’s stirring ode to nature and nation reminds us that every animal, plant and person is an integral part of what makes this planet a brilliant, beautiful sanctuary of life.”

Many books celebrate the natural wonders and wildlife found in our U.S. National Parks, but Turk honors people as much as places. Timely, powerful passages in his poetic words and images nod equally to those who have “just left first footprints on new shores” and to “ancestors who lived on these lands before the stars and stripes took them as their own.” From the Native Americans to the Chinese immigrants, to the African American Buffalo Soldiers and the women who saved the redwood forests, to the child today in the city or on the farm or who roams paved paths or remote trails or wild seashores; our planet belongs to everyone.

A total of 27 different parks are highlighted in Turk’s pastel illustrations, each an individual work of art. A complete map of all 61 park locations is also included. Within its borders, each of these parks protects a precious piece of our planet and the histories that shaped it. Each preserves a space for our future.

The next time you stand beneath a soaring sandstone arch or summit a rocky peak or glide over a delicate reef or race a rapid or gaze at a rare meteor shower … remember to love your planet. It is your home. It is your own.

Turk writes…

What keeps a home standing can never be broken: A sense of belonging sung by the streams, from valleys to peaks, over thousands of miles, through millions of hearts.

From every river, star, and stone comes the eternal refrain: YOU ARE HOME. “You Are Home” published by Atheneum/Simon and Schuster. Available online or at your local bookstore.

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lifestyle / Books

people see obstacles, I see the possibilities. Articulating this gift has been one of my life’s biggest challenges. I have started many businesses and offered my services under brands for fear of really just putting myself out there. With each growing success in my own life, I feel I have built up the armor and learned vulnerability equally.

I have been asked countless times, “Juli, when are you going to write a book?” Well, this is the beginning of that next chapter for me. Like many who finally take that leap in sharing it all, I think I’ve gotten to a point where sharing what I've learned is now more important to me than what other's think. And I am happy to be able to share my learned techniques with clients through the many trials and triumphs in my own life so that others too can find the confidence and clarity and ultimately, greater happiness and success.

J DO

t.h.i.s.

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uli Rathke is a Colorado-based entrepreneur, executive advisor, the founder of Yoga + Life Magazines, a yoga teacher, founder of #ExpertsClub business coaching and now author of her first book, “DO T.H.I.S.” We sat down with Juli and asked her about her most recent project …

YOU HAVE MADE A BIG IMPACT AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND YOGI. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK? I am not sure if I am making a big impact yet, but I do believe it is our human responsibility to share the gifts we were given. I have always had a unique ability to see a way through most situations. When most

YOU TALK ABOUT CHALLENGES IN YOUR LIFE, WHEN DID YOU FIRST FIND YOUR OWN DEPTH IN PERSEVERANCE? I have been told I am a driven person. “Juli, you can’t do that” has never really been a part of my own self-talk. So, when I got pregnant in my second year in college, I didn’t really perceive it as a life-altering situation like the people around me did. People began treating me differently, feeling sorry for me, asking me what I was going to do.

That feeling of being treated like a victim was very uncomfortable for me. I think at that moment I set out to prove that anyone can do anything, and you can influence how others perceive a situation just by how you carry yourself. When I started to answer confidently the reactions to my early motherhood changed dramatically.

Now, of course, I was a young mom and I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but I certainly wasn’t going to sign up for the pity party that was convening around me.

If any of you know my son who is now 26, he’s pretty awesome and I will take some of that credit for embracing the challenge and trusting that the universe had a much bigger plan for us. I finished college with double-majors, double-minors. It never dawned on me that my experience was any more difficult than anyone else’s. Your perception is truly your reality and looking in the mirror often is important.

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YOU STATE IN THE BOOK YOUR ABILITY TO READ OTHERS, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? I have always had an empathic tendency when it comes to interacting with people. I have found ways to turn it off when I’m with my friends and family as needed. But in my late 20s I had a job on television interviewing people and really started sensing what people were carrying emotionally and mentally with that intense focus. I had no idea for the longest time that everyone else wasn’t feeling this same way. You could ask my mother and she would tell you countless stories of things I’ve said or seen as a child that have led both her and me to realize this heightened sense. As a yoga teacher it has played nicely into really holding space for people just as they need it. As a business owner and entrepreneur, it has proven to be challenging at times as in any business the head can get in the way of the heart and people’s greed and lack of authenticity enters in. For this, I have been burned in business but have created new ways of seeing this coming and techniques to prevent it.

As a mentor or coach, this perceptive sense perfectly allows me the relatability in any moment that I am open to helping others find clarity and resiliency with anything life is throwing at them. Building that toolbox has really been the foundational elements for this book.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE COACHING CULTURE RIGHT NOW? I like to say in my classes or sessions, we are all but spirits having a human experience with similar feelings, emotions, love and discomforts, but are just experiencing them in different places and times. Isn’t it comforting to know that we all feel the same? Yes, even that one person you just can’t relate with at work DOES feel the exact same emotions that you do. In acknowledging this, we open ourselves up to learn from one another. This is a true gift. I have had the fortune of working with and for amazingly intelligent and gifted people as both the mentor and the mentee.

The coaching culture is being open to the idea of learning from someone who has literally “been there and done that” just ahead of you without judgement and/or competition, and is willing to share in way that will benefit you from either making the same mistakes or

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helps to shorten the learning curve. Finding the right coach or mentor is critical to your success as a person, and I believe there is a coach out there for everyone.

CAN YOU GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE WILL FIND IN THE BOOK? Absolutely! I wanted the book to be incredibly simple and memorable. It is called “DO THIS” for a reason. So often we are faced with too many options on a daily basis and sourcing out the best way can be overwhelmingly exhausting to the point where we just don’t look for a different way to be — we don’t choose better food, we don’t change habits and just do the same old thing. There is a quote that I love by F.M. Alexandar: “People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits, and their habits decide their futures.” This book is about creating a filter for your habits.

Whether we are talking about relationships, business, health or just your overall lifestyle, our actions each day are 40-percent habit. In order to truly get a different outcome, we need a conscious system to help change our reasoning on what we decide to do. So, I give you this exercise from my book (see sidebar).

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? Yes, I am excited to share that my son, Dylan Junkermeier, and life-long friend from New Zealand, Christina McGrath, are both a part of launching this brand with me. We all believe in the coaching culture and are hoping to influence the millennial mindset with the support of my son to help alleviate the new and greater stresses his generation is putting on themselves to succeed and now. We additionally will be launching coaching programs, micro-conferences and a podcast where we will engage in smaller topics like #EatThis, #MotivateThis and #InfluenceThis all based on desired goals. We will be working with purpose-driven DO THIS strategies and we hope people of all ages will join our online communities starting on Instagram @DailyDoThis +

We look forward to leading with change.

The book is on pre-order until Dec. 25 on our website and then will be released on Amazon on January 1, 2020. www.dailydothis.com

DO T.H.I.S: REDESIGN YOUR CORE VALUES. What we value changes as we age and enter into new decision phases of our lives.

What worked at 20, may not work in your 30’s and so on.

So, start by listing your values in order of priority – start with five. (These are not goals, they are values. A value can be defined as one's judgment of what is important in life. For example, personal health, financial stability, family time etc.)

Once you do this, create a statement around your value. For example, “I value my physical, mental and emotional health.” Then, you can start to base all your decisions with these in mind. I like to call it my “yes” filter. If a daily choice you are faced with doesn’t support your value statements, then the quick answer is usually “no” (more on this later). If it does check all the boxes, then the easy answer is “yes, this is worth exploring.”

If you do T.H.I.S. you will start to …

1. Find more TIME with less time cogitating on what to do next and live presently rather than in the past or future.

2. Feel more HAPPINESS because you will be doing things that create a high or positive and fulfilling emotional response.

3. Experience higher INTELLIGENCE with more clarity and creativity around the positive cognitive space you have created.

4. Stick to it because it’s SIMPLE and it gives you a constant road map when you are faced with choices on a daily basis.

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lifestyle / CO Community

A Vehicle for Growth

Fort Collins is Home to the New Mobile Meditation Station

By Caramie Petrowsky

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Photos courtesy of: Meditation Station

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Fort Collins couple is bringing meditation to the masses via a meditation studio on wheels.

Sarah and Tate McTate are the owners of the Meditation Station, a 192-square-foot, solar-powered mobile meditation studio meant to be a safe place for people to disconnect from the stresses of the world. The studio got rolling in May with a simple mission: help make meditation and mindfulness a part of everyday life in Fort Collins and beyond.

Drawn to Colorado’s laid-back vibe and proximity to nature, the McTates moved with their two young daughters from North Carolina to Fort Collins in 2017. They didn’t know a soul. Sarah credits meditation with calming her anxieties and lowering her stress level.

“It’s all still a practice. I’ll learn from it for the rest of my life, but the insights I gained in such a short time made me want to share this with others,” she says.

Likewise, Tate relies on meditation to reduce his stress and help him to be more present. He’s a Wim Hoff practitioner, which includes breath work, focus/meditation techniques and gradual exposure to the cold.

So far the response to the studio has been overwhelmingly positive, Sarah says.

“People love the idea; people are anxious to learn that you can have the meditation without all the mysticism. A lot of people want to take the first step and try it, but they’re intimidated. We’re hoping this can be that bridge between the first step and something that can change them for the better.”

Working with a local custom tiny home-builder, construction on the studio started in February and finished up in May. “We really tried to work with all Colorado vendors,” Sarah says.

A Fort Collins business handmade the

Spotlight malas; Denver-based Olive & Oldes crafted the beautiful meditation cushions visitors sit upon; a Greeley-based company developed the battery-powered solar panel system; a Boulder branding company created the color scheme for the studio as well as the logo.

“We wanted a sustainable studio that was calm and inviting where people could feel comfortable spending time with themselves,” shares Sarah.

Mission accomplished. Double doors on one end of the studio swing open wide, revealing a calm, welcoming entry space where visitors exchange their shoes and cellphone for a centering crystal.

The main area can be divided into six separate meditation pods or opened into one area.

For now the studio is business-to-business focused, targeting businesses that want to rent the Meditation Station for employees to unwind in, or for benefits or events. Additionally, they envision setting up at large regional music events where organizers could use the Meditation Station as an extension of their green room for artists, Sarah says. Recently, Arise Music Festival expressed interest in having the Meditation Station at the festival for artists to relax and meditate in throughout the festival.

“Events can be overwhelming. We want to be that space to retreat and recharge so [people] can fully enjoy and maximize their time at the event,” Sarah explains.

Meditation has proved to be a powerful force in the McTates’ lives and they’re excited to share it with others.

“Stripping aside any religious aspect or mysticism, we look at meditation as techniques, tools and methods to help you relieve stress and feel better in your own skin,” Tate says. “We’re not trying to be gurus; we’re just trying to create space and share how this helps us and continues to help us each day.” +

www.themeditationstation.co

NEW + IMPROVED

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CENTER FOR THE ARTS CRESTED BUTTE

or all the great reasons to visit Crested Butte throughout the year, this mountain town has an exciting new upgrade that will appeal to curious and creative minds from all over the world.

For more than 20 years, Center for the Arts has been committed to providing arts and cultural experiences that inspire and entertain all audiences, whether they call Crested Butte home every day or just for the weekend.

A brand new $20 million Center has just emerged, becoming the finest facility of its kind on the Western Slope and offering education and entertainment in performing, visual, literary and culinary arts. The new building has space to accommodate a diverse and plentiful schedule.

This space is also home to the Crested Butte Film Festival and the Crested Butte Music Festival. Visitors young and old enjoy a year-round schedule of live music, dance and theater performances as well as art exhibits, speakers and much more.

The design of the new building is distinctive, playing upon the surrounding natural beauty and recalling Crested Butte’s unique history.

Here is some more info on the exciting expansion:

+ The 6,350-square-foot theater can fit 305 seated and 405 standing. The new building offers unparalleled views and a floor-to-ceiling glass wall framing Paradise Divide and Gothic Mountain.

As the owner of SkyWrite Communications & Content, CARAMIE PETROWSKY crafts messages that resonate.

She spent 12 years working as a journalist, including eight as the Vail Daily A&E Editor, before starting her own company, which focuses on strategic content creation and public relations.

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+ Unique art workshops include everything from paper marbling and needle felting to henna designs, printmaking and journaling. + The literary arts are represented by workshops tailored to adults and children. You can even learn Haibun, a Japanese literary form that pairs prose with haiku poetry. + A full lineup of exciting concerts is set to be on tap, with a big name artist expected to perform a two-night set in December — keep your eyes open for the announcement.

For information, visit www.crestedbuttearts.org.

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Photo courtesy of: Center for the Arts Crested Butte

+ Along with a theater, the building also has multiple spaces like the Kinder-Padon Gallery that showcases individual and group art exhibits and installations as well as educational exhibits.

lifestyle / CO Community

Bullet Journaling

Creativity, Goals + Community By

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olly Baier, a yoga instructor and bullet journal coach in Colorado, found deeper meaning in the day-to-day actions of her own life by putting pen to paper. Her eagerness to set and achieve new goals, along with her creativity, caused her to accidentally find a form of journaling called bullet journaling.

One day her doodles, lists and colorful pages caught the eye of a stranger in a cof-

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fee shop, and that’s when someone asked her where she learned bullet journaling.

Confused, Holly was thinking, “What the heck are you talking about?”

“I googled it. And I was like, I found my people. These people get me and I get them,” Holly shared, recounting the moment.

From that moment forward, Holly realized that there is a whole community she hadn’t even tapped into yet. She found a space

where she could connect with others and share her ideas and tricks that could have the potential to enrich people's lives.

“Bullet journaling is getting intentional with your life through the use of a journal and making stuff happen. Using art to make your goals and dreams happen, it is a place where you can abandon the judgment and allow yourself to create,” Holly shares.

Holly truly believed this could change people’s lives. So, as a seasoned yoga instructor and bullet journal enthusiast, she decided to mesh her life passions together and create a space where people could seek both mental and physical healing and growth.

Holly hosts Friday sessions at her home in Green Mountain, where people gather for a yoga class and bullet journaling groups.

She started these sessions so that people could create intention in their lives, feel seen, feel heard and, honestly, validated in their creativity and desired growth.

“It just creates these intimate, vulnerable relationships with women that I've never met before. And eventually we’ll all start to sit around the table sipping tea, while creating real connections and having real communication over big life things.”

These are the moments that remind Holly of why she is so passionate about these practices. Holly says when people begin to

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Photos by: Jes Kimak Photography; Angie Dornier

Hannah Bittrolff

open up, to want to be deliberate in their lives, that's when true magic happens.

“I'll start prompting questions and be like, oh, who wants to share? Sometimes there will be crickets, because you're being really vulnerable. And then, as soon as one person shares, and then another person and it becomes this whole cycle of inspiration,” she shares.

These sessions have been taught by Holly at yoga studios, special events, city centers, small groups and even one-on-one online video Zoom sessions. They are for anyone and everyone, and can be themed around mental health, physical health, finances, relationships or even all of the hikes you want to put on your bucket list or books you want to binge read — the topics are endless.

The point is, in this practice, you belong.

“At what age are we all of a sudden told that we can’t draw, we can’t sing, we can’t dance, we can’t move?” she asked. “When

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really, we can. It is a gift we all have to be able to create.”

The simple act of writing out your dreams, adventures and goals, and doing it within a community, creates a motivating sense of accountability. And the best part is that when you achieve your dreams, go on your adventures and meet your goals, you get to go back into your journal and mark it as complete with a celebratory check mark.

When Holly gets nervous about a session, or is anxious to meet a new group of people, she remembers why she does what she does.

“This creates massive, beautiful change that keeps going and going and going.

And if I don't do this, then I'm missing an opportunity to create that massive change,” she shares.

She is proud to help cultivate and be a member of a community that is invested in other’s goals and aspirations just as much as their own. A community that stays in touch,

aims to better one another and asks the ultimate question of accountability: When is the last time you regretted working hard?

Holly started writing down her dreams years ago, and now they are a reality. She is reminded of that every time she teaches a yoga class in her home studio or hosts a bullet journaling session with a group.

“This studio was a product of writing down my dreams, doodling my dreams, asking other women for ideas and helping with my dreams — putting it all on paper. And there it is …” she points to her studio space, “When I started getting intentional, truly making mindful changes, it happened.”

Holly’s bullet journal, along with many other people’s that she has coached, is a way for her to tap into her potential, create community and live an adventurous and intentional life. Imagine the kind of goals you could write down in your own journal, and the feeling you would get by checking them off. +

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lifestyle / Colorado Escapes

hotel boulderado Boulder

This winter season, guest packages make it extra enticing to stay at Hotel Boulderado. Here’s a glimpse at a few: New Year’s Eve Package The New Year’s Eve package is one night of deluxe accommodations, bubbly and chocolate in the room, and two tickets to the Carnevale di Boulderado New Year’s Eve Gala. $450 per person. Room can be cancelled up to three days before the event. Gala tickets are transferable but not refundable.

Available on December 31, 2019 only.

Bike in Boulder Package Everyone can enjoy Boulder’s incomparable natural surroundings with a relaxing stay and a bike tour. This package includes one night of luxury accommodations, breakfast for two, and a Beyond Boulder Adventures bike tour including a guide, bike, helmet, locally made snacks and water bottle. Guests are responsible for booking tours directly with Beyond Boulder Adventures. Rates start at $279 based on double occupancy.

www.boulderado.com

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By kim fuller

Girls Day Out Package The perfect shopping trip with friends — a luxury room, breakfast for two at Hotel Boulderado’s inhouse restaurants, then shuttle service to and from the shops in order to explore Downtown Boulder. The day winds down with a bottle of wine (a $40 value). Rates start at $290.

Available through February 29, 2020.

Call 303.442.4344 to book.

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Photos courtesy of: Hotel Boulderado

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visit to Boulder is always worth at least an overnight (in my opinion), and Hotel Boulderado offers a timeless experience for guests who come to stay. The property was opened in 1909 and is located in the heart of downtown. Over the past 110 years, expansions and upgrades have been completed and both modern mountain and historical Victorian styles have been embraced in the guest rooms, the hallways, the grand staircase and the famous atrium lobby. Charming decor, plush furnishings and modern amenities always make Hotel Boulderado feel like home.

Boulder will keep your days full of activities and adventure, so make sure you fuel up with a great brunch at Spruce Farm & Fish, the on-property restaurant at Hotel Boulderado.

Served every day until 3 p.m., brunch (or lunch) here means creative cuisine that highlights some of the most fresh and seasonal ingredients from the Boulder area and beyond.

Then after your day of play, head to The Corner Bar for a local microbrew or craft cocktail.

Visitors and locals belly up here, as it’s an ideal spot for a quick bite, lively happy hour or great late-night meal. +

Available through February 29, 2020.

paid partnership

MOUNTAIN RETREAT

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he Grand Hyatt Vail recently opened in Colorado’s high country, inspiring guests to visit for an authentic Rocky Mountain experience of comfort, vitality, leisure and adventure. An extensive multi-million-dollar renovation was completed on the property in 2018, with design that was influenced by the area’s surrounding mountains and history.

Located in the heart of the Vail Valley within the Cascade Village neighborhood, the ski-in/ ski-out resort sits at the base of Vail Mountain on the banks of Gore Creek and offers guests their own ski lift, Chair 20, for convenient access to world-class skiing and snowboarding.

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The resort’s ski and snowboard rental shop, concierge and valet is powered by Venture Sports, so guests can enjoy personal equipment (boot/ski/snowboard/poles) storage, and brand new 2020 rental equipment for a range of abilities and personalized service.

Walk down in your slippers, change to ski gear, and your skis or snowboard will be delivered to racks located just steps from the lift.

The hotel’s contemporary guestrooms and common areas offer guests an elevated modern retreat with clean lines, gentle curves and subdued patterns with rich wood, stone and leather textures. The artwork and unique interior design focal points in Grand Hyatt Vail pay homage to The Southern Ute Native American tribe through local artists and artisans.

The property features three dining venues. Grand Hyatt Vail’s signature restaurant, Gessner, features breakfast, lunch and dinner service for every taste. This restaurant is ideal for a romantic dinner or a family brunch, showcasing the best Colorado cuisine.

The Spa at Grand Hyatt Vail, follows in the footsteps of traditional alpine spas, achieving balance by embracing both the natural splendor and healing powers of our surrounding environment. Think steaming Jacuzzis to warm up après-ski; Swedish massages after a fly-fishing outing; mountain mud baths and body scrubs infused with the same botanicals found near our storied snowshoeing, hiking and mountain biking trails.

Along with a 58,000-square-foot athletic club, inventive après ski offerings and curated alpine experiences, the creekside infinity pool at Grand Hyatt Vail offers guests the ideal opportunity to relax and rejuvenate after a day of adventure in Vail. In the winter months, guests can overlook Gore Creek while relaxing in the warm waters during winter and while soaking in the summer sun.

From arrival to departure, Grand Hyatt Vail makes your Vail visit the most memorable. The resort offers personalized activity recommendations, along with thoughtfully delivered service in the dining areas, spa, concierge, athletic club and outdoor activity shops to create an experience of comfort and true hospitality.

Discover more at www.grandhyattvail.com or follow the hotel on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @GrandHyattVail.

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lifestyle / Colorado Escapes

Colorado Springs

By kim fuller

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www.scphotel.com/colorado-springs/

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Photos courtesy of: SCP Hotel

SCP Hotel A

new hotel in Colorado Springs has made it easier to embrace personal wellness and environmental consciousness while you travel. Created by Soul Community Planet out of San Clemente, California, SCP Hotel Colorado Springs was born out of a vision to provide holistic hospitality experiences for individuals desiring to make positive choices for themselves and the planet. Soul Community Planet donates five percent of its profits to charitable causes that support its core values.

SCP Colorado Springs opened in 2018 after an extensive renovation that used recycled, natural and low-toxicity materials.

It is comprised of 174 hotel rooms, a fitness center with monthly fitness and yoga classes, the SCP Commons creative co-working space and the Provisions market, featuring healthy, locally-sourced food and drink.

“Our vision is to make the world a better place by serving those who value personal wellness, social good and the environment,” said Soul Community Planet co-founder and CEO Ken Cruse.

The eco-industrial design of the guest rooms is minimalist in decor and designed for rest and relaxation with a focus on mitigating sound and light, while maximizing comfort and cleanliness. From low flow toilets and water fixtures to native landscaping, SCP works to minimize water consumption. With a goal to reduce overall waste (plastics and other) by 50 percent as compared to a typical hotel, SCP hotels do not use plastic water bottles, straws or plasticware.

Through their “One Tree: One Forest” program, Soul Community Planet is helping to reforest unnaturally deforested areas around the world by donating the estimated cost to plant a tree to the One Tree Planted organization every time a guest stays overnight in one of its SCP Hotels.

Stay at SCP for an experience of wellness and play. The hotel serves kombucha on tap along with local craft beer, and with its two pools, fitness center and other amenities, SCP Colorado Springs is the ideal base camp for mindful travel and adventure. +

YOGA + Life™ Presents ...

“DO T.H.I.S.”

A One-Day Intensive Event in Breckenridge, CO March 22, 2020

Just one day learning the principles of “Do T.H.I.S.” will change how you make decisions in life, health & business forever!

With Juli Rathke + Christina McGrath

www.DoThisDaily.com

Photos courtesy of: Cayman Islands Department of Tourism

lifestyle / Travel

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

WINTER + SPRING GETAWAY:

Cayman Islands by kim fuller

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ow with a direct flight from Denver, Cayman Islands have never been more accessible for those in Colorado to plan a truly special tropical getaway. Cayman Airways now offers these nonstop flights from December through August, and after a rejuvenating trip last March, I wholeheartedly recommend a visit that embodies relaxation and wellness.

WHAT TO DO To make your visit to Grand Cayman extra focused on movement and well-being, work with local outfitters like Vitamin Sea Cayman Islands for stand-up paddleboard (SUP) sessions, kitesurfing lessons, beach yoga classes and SUP yoga. Head to Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park for a walk through the gardens followed by a tour of the Blue Iguana Habitat, where you can see a recovering population of Cayman’s famous endangered “Blue Dragon.” And don’t miss the chance to jump on the Rum Point Beach Excursion with Red Sail Sports.

Sun-drenched time in the boat on the open water is followed by time on the beach to chill or take a dip in the crystal clear water.

WHERE TO STAY Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa is a lovely lifestyle resort located right on Seven Mile Beach. It’s easy to sink into all the sweet spaces that are all connected to an openair design. Winding gardens lead to secret

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sanctuaries and pristine pools, with paths that all seem to make their way toward the Caribbean Sea. A leisurely day can be paired with the afternoon Vino & Vinyasa yoga class offered on the Kimpton Lawn.

It’s the perfect way to “wine” down before getting ready for dinner. And it’s absolutely worth spending an afternoon in the stunning spa on property and indulging in a Vitamin Sea Facial or Cayman Coconut Body Scrub.

WHERE TO EAT All the dining outlets at the Seafire are spot on, and don’t miss Sunday Brunch there as it’s the culinary highlight of the week. Upon arrival I ate right on the beach at Coccoloba, a part Mexican street taco joint, part beach hut that offers a creative menu and ideal ocean views.

And my final breakfast of the trip was enjoyed at Ave, a simply perfect spot to soak in every last ounce of Cayman perfection.

For an elegant waterfront experience, Morgan’s Seafood Restaurant offers panoramic views of Governor’s Creek out on the desk. Enjoy a delightful ocean-to-table seafood menu with items like fresh ceviche and tuna sashimi, along with land favorites like a jerk burger or Morgan’s famous chicken schnitzel. This was the most memorable meal of my trip to Cayman, from the ambiance to every dish and wine pairing. Now I’m just trying to figure out how quickly I can get back there. +

CAYMAN ISLANDS EVENTS

December 2019 – May 2020 Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon (December 8, 2019) The 2019 Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon takes place on Sunday, December 8 and consists of a full marathon, half marathon, four-person relay and a kids fun run. The course will go through the financial district of George Town, along the beautiful waterfront and through some of the more exclusive neighborhoods on the island. Additionally, the marathon is IAAF-sanctioned through the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) and can be used as a Boston Qualifier.

Cayman Cookout (January 16 – 19, 2020) The world’s most talented chefs, culinary influencers and wine and spirit experts will gather at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman for the annual Cayman Cookout. The event, hosted by acclaimed chef Eric Ripert, is an interactive celebration set amid the breathtaking Seven Mile Beach and offering an exciting agenda featuring world renowned chefs.

Cayman Billfish Rundown (May 19 – 23, 2020) Cayman Billfish Rundown is an international fishing tournament in Grand Cayman, presented by Hurley's Media. This event has teamed up with marine artist and angler, Carey Chen as the official tournament ambassador, exemplifying great fishing in the pristine waters of the Cayman Islands.

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lifestyle / Travel

Walk The Land

Travel Notes on New Zealand

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he land of the long white cloud is an outdoor lover’s playground, made up of two islands that feature luscious coastlines, jaw-dropping glaciers and mountains that make you look twice. These are only a few of the magnificent features that draw adventure seekers from around the globe to New Zealand.

TRAMPING The word “walk” or “tramp” is the kiwi translation of hike. Within the 103,483 square miles of Aotearoa — the Māori name for New Zealand — there are hundreds of day hikes, nine Great Walks (with a 10th coming in December) and an unknown amount of backcountry hut trips. Great Walks are stunningly beautiful treks ranging anywhere from 32 to 80 kilometers and vary in difficulty, making sure

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anyone has the chance to explore. Each of these multi-day backpacking trips have a wide range of environments, including sub-tropical coasts, deserts, snow covered mountains, heavy rain, etc. On top of all of the latter you’re exposed to an extraordinarily diverse ecosystem of birds which includes the endangered native New Zealand bird: the kiwi. The Great Walk system is part of the extremely well-organized “department of conservation” that maintains the huts and campsites for trampers. These backpack trips are in one category while all other backpacking trips fall into the “backcountry” or “remote” category.

GREAT WALKS Despite the reputation a handful of the Great Walks get for being “too easy” or “too touristy,” they’re well-respected for a reason.

They allow you to explore the most beautiful parts of Aotearoa and give you a chance to embrace its serenity and solidarity. Two of my favorite Great Walks I embarked on were the most southern and the longest. The most southern walk can be found on a small island south of the South Island called Stewart Island. As soon as you arrive at one of the trailheads for the Rakiura Track, the idea of a minor civilization which existed prior to the hour-long boat ride when docked at New Zealand’s southern tip all gets thrown out the window. Luckily, for my crew of trampers, we saw a total of zero people for two and a half days. We backpacked the track encountering dense yet lush forests, empty beaches that merely exuded the sounds of our feet tramping and the fluttering of multicolored birds. On the first day of the track we were

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Photos by: Mitchell Milbauer

By Mitchell Milbauer

quietly shocked at what we saw: a kiwi. The flightless nocturnal bird. A very rare occurrence because kiwis are extremely timid and are frightened by any sound aside from the elements and their kin; it was beautiful to see them in their natural habitat. Over the course of the next two days we stayed in empty huts and backpacked in silence along the ocean currents from Antarctic swells.

The longest great walk is shrouded in the beauty of Kahurangi National Park which is located in the Northwest corner of the South Island. Encompassing four different environments which include desert, beach, forest and mountain, it’s well worth the 80 kilometers and four days of walking.

Although, getting to the trailhead is also a full commitment. You either bus four hours to one end and get picked up on the other side four days later, or you drive to one side of the track and have someone pick up your car and drive it to the other so it’s there when you finish. If you’re keen on the walk, you’ll be amazed by the ferocious beauty of the Tasman Sea, the massive rata trees and the simplistic magnitude of Golden Bay.

lence into the distance questioning whether this part of the world is one of the last true pristine places in the world.

A FRIENDLY REMINDER ABOUT ADVENTURE Despite New Zealand’s unparalleled beauty, just like all nations, the outdoors in kiwi territory is being threatened — with tourism increasing every year (approximately 1.2 million) more litter on the streets, more pollution in the air and more degraded hiking trails comes along with it. Keep our planet clean, travelers. Especially one of the last frontiers of natural beauty. +

REMOTE WALKS These are for those seeking the unknown and who are trying to get off the beaten path. Along these routes you’ll find lone huts with nothing but nature at arrival, or minimally marked multi-day tramps. Two of my favorite of these treks: a red bivouac situated at the base of Mt. Barff called the Liverpool Hut and another bivouac, bright orange and called Mt. Brown Hut nestled within the tussocks in the high peaks of West Coast New Zealand overlooking the Tasman Sea. These walks allow you to get lost deep in minimally touched wilderness.

Whether it’s inside Mt. Aspiring National Park sleeping amongst the South Island’s only alpine parrot, the kea or hiking practically vertical into the clouds that overlook both Lake Kaniere and the sea, you’ll always have the chance to make another cup of coffee, finish your book or just stare in si-

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MITCHELL MILBAUER is an outdoor photographer and writer.

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

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lifestyle / What We Love 4

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1. Body Glove Demeter Eco Outfit This performance-fit legging is very flattering with a high waist, panelling and pockets. Made in part from recycled polyester, these leggings and the Gefion high-support sports bra have cute details and offer ultimate movement performance as an outfit or paired with other pieces. Leggings $60; Sports bra $49 www.bodyglove.com

3. FlowerChild CBG (Cannabigerol) Oil These products come from strains of cannabis that are high in CBD or CBG, which are both nonpsychoactive compounds, and extremely low in THC — combined to create an “entourage” effect and promote the healing process. This oil extract is added to grape seed oil in varying amounts to give us our different blends. $92 per one-ounce bottle www.flowerchildcbd.com

2. Costa Panga Sunglasses Soak up the sun with these light and versatile sunglasses. With polarized lenses and some great curve on the frame, wear these shades to-and-from in daily life or bring them with you on your next beach vacation. $199 www.costadelmar.com

4. "Dwell, Gather, Be: Design for Moments” We love this stunning coffee table book from Hygge Life co-founder, Alexandra Grove. “In a world where perfectly designed homes are encountered at every turn, Dwell, Gather, Be goes deeper, exploring how thoughtful, intentional home design can cultivate meaningful moments in your life.” $35 www.hyggelife.com

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5. Helly Hansen Wool Shirt What man could resist this soft, wool-blend shirt with a button-up front and chest pockets? It’s ideal for cold days when extra warmth is needed but without sacrificing style. $140 www.hellyhansen.com 6. Rumpl NanoLoft Puffy Blanket This is Rumpl’s first-ever synthetic alternative to down and is a 100-percent post-consumer recycled NanoLoft insulation — technology that traps warmth inside small pockets of air to efficiently preserve heat, regardless of conditions. Keep it on your couch or in your car as a cozy go-to. $149 www.rumpl.com 7. Purist Founder 32oz + Union Top Purist bottles have a breakable interior glass finish to keep odors away, with double-wall vacuum insulation that keeps drinks hot for 12 hours and cold for 24. The new sport-style Union top is ideal to grab and sip at office or during your yoga practice. $58 www.puristcollective.com YOGALIFELIVE.COM

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8. Krimson Klover Adrenaline Tote Wear original alpine art on your shoulder with this roomy tote which has enough room to stash all your essentials. The button closure and small inside zip pocket on this piece ensures that your keys won’t go missing. $59 www.krimsonklover.com 9. Amundsen Boiled Hoodie Ribbed This sweater will be your number one companion this winter. Comfortable merino wool makes this the perfect hoodie throughout your day or as a layer underneath a jacket when you head outside. From the morning commute to your evening happy hour, this piece stays with you in style. $249 www.amundsensports.com 10. H2A Botanicals Calendula Body Scrub Exfoliate, moisturize and regenerate your skin with this luxurious body scrub. The added neroli and citrus essential oil create an uplifting and centering experience, leaving your skin soft and your spirit in balance. $78 www.h2abotanicals.com COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

11. Juniper Ridge Wilderness Colognes These 100-percent plant-based, gender neutral colognes are free of parabens, preservatives, dyes and phthlatates. Try the Coastal Pine fragrance for a rustic and uplifting scent. $35 per bottle www.juniperridge.com

14. Sanuk Puff N Chill Low Sit back and slip-on these super cozy slippers — like little puffy jackets for your feet. If you walk outside at all, the rubber sawtooth soles keep you from slipping in the snow. $65 www.sanuk.com

12. Present CBD-Infused Sparkling Water Chill out a little with this CBD-Infused sparkling water. It’s completely organic, with 20 milligrams of USDA organic full spectrum distillate cleanly extracted from USDA certified organic hemp. $35 per six-pack www.drinkpresent.com

15. Orvis ComfortFill-Eco™ Couch Dog Bed This bed for your best furry friend offers a higher bolster to increase your dog's sense of security, while a deeper cushioned sleeping area increases their comfort. ComfortFill-Eco is springy and plush, ideal for dogs who like to nuzzle and nest to get comfortable. From $169 www.orvis.com

13. Aera Smart Diffuser Plug it in, put in a fragrance and breathe deeply.

The Aera fragrances and essential oils are hypoallergenic (safe for pets and family) and made from sustainable ingredients. There are a range of fragrance and essential oil/aromatherapy options promoting better sleep, relaxation and energy.

Aera can be controlled via the AeraForHome smartphone app or Amazon Alexa. $200 www.aeraforhome.com

BY CO YOGA + LIFE ® TEAM

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lifestyle / What We Love by kim fuller

Terry Street Collective + Fluid IV Lounge

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Street Collective to provide access to a group of complementary wellness practitioners all working under one roof.

To offer more wellness services to clients, Dr. Love and her husband Scott Kaier opened Fluid IV Lounge in the Terry Street Collective, giving Longmont its first IV therapy center. Dr. Love says she knew she was onto something that could really help her clients — and almost anyone else — feel great, including those suffering from fatigue, nutrient deficiencies, stress, dehydration and the common cold and flu.

Dr Love offers a comprehensive vitamin and mineral testing, where she tests a patient’s blood for over 80 different markers and levels (including B12, D3, magnesium, antioxidants, and more), so she can customize supplement packages and treatments through Fluid IV Lounge.

“Since so many of us Coloradoans are Vitamin D3 deficient — this is backed up by nine years of blood testing by Dr Love,”

shares Kaier. “Fluid IV Lounge is now offering a complete Vitamin D3 package, including baseline blood testing before, 6 Vitamin D3 injections, and blood testing after, all for $299.

Other benefits of IV therapy include general wellness, anti-aging, enhanced athletic performance and hangover recovery.

Dr. Love and the practitioners within Terry Street Collective are helping a wide range of clients with all sorts of non-emergency issues, ranging from general health and wellness to illness recovery, athletic performance and a variety of other ailments.

Christa Caputa with Christa Caputa Acupuncture, for instance, has recently started offering classes on do-it-yourself cupping for athletes. +

Check out Terry Street Collective at 610 Terry Street in Longmont and learn more at www.terrystreetcollective.com.

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Photos courtesy of: Terry Street Collective

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here’s a new home for wellness on the Front Range of Colorado, tucked into a neighborhood in Longmont and offering a variety of services to support every client’s health and well-being. The space is warm and inviting, and the perfect way to get a dose of wellness and some peaceful time unwind.

Terry Street Collective blends a variety of innovative techniques provided by a collective of practitioners, along with a focus on connecting with and building the local community.

Services include acupuncture, bioidentical hormone replacement, IV therapy, counseling and therapy, massage and more. Co-founder Dr. Noël Love is providing clients with unique health and wellness solutions, efficiently and effectively blending cutting edge Western techniques with the ancient practices of Eastern medicine.

In 2018, Dr. Love moved her practice to Longmont and helped found the Terry

Longmont

YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

A Calming Lunar Yoga Practice for Busy Times

by Julia Clarke

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Photo by: eberhard grossgasteiger

Salute the Moon T

he sun and the moon have always been used as symbols to represent the energetic polarities of action and rest in Eastern philosophy. The sun, which rouses us from slumber and fuels us throughout the day, naturally expresses activation, intensity and dynamism, while the moon, present mostly at night when we’re at rest, epitomizes receptivity, coolness and relaxation.

These polarities can be used to describe any dynamic; if we apply them to modern life, you might say that we are living with a chronic solar imbalance where action is rewarded and rest is not even valued.

We wake up early, work long days, juggle multiple obligations, exercise frantically and go to bed late. It’s no surprise that a recent Gallup poll found stress in America to be at an all-time high last year. We are overactive, overstimulated and overworked. It’s no wonder then that many of us seek out stress reduction techniques such as yoga.

Hatha yoga, the umbrella term to describe any yoga that uses physical postures (asanas) as its primary vehicle, can be translated as “sun moon” yoga, and was originally intended as a means for us to balance these opposing qualities in our bodies and minds to maintain inner equilibrium.

Despite Hatha yoga’s roots as a balancing act between productivity and receptivity, contemporary yoga often errs firmly on the solar side, with dynamic and brisk Vinyasa classes being the most popular style today, often taking place in well-heated studios to further reinforce their solar impact.

The analogy of sun and moon is an effective tool for understanding how your yoga practice affects you. Dynamic standing poses, arm balances and flowing sequences like the aptly named sun salutation,a build strength and heat, require focus and determination, and push us up against our perceived limitations. Therefore, these can be described as “solar” in nature and have the benefit of leaving us feeling energized and empowered. Meanwhile, slower flows, grounding hip openers, forward bends and supported reclining postures invite introspection, cultivate patience and provide a platform for mental quietude. These can be described as “lunar” in nature and leave us feeling nourished and contemplative.

There’s plenty of scientific evidence

today to suggest that incorporating a more lunar rhythm into your regular yoga practice to counter the pace and pressures of daily life is increasingly vital for your nervous system. Simple techniques to make your existing practice more lunar include slowing down the pace, simplifying the sequence, staying close to the Earth and focusing on hip openers, forward bends and slow deep breathing. These can all help to activate the relaxation response and invite your physiology into a state of rest and regeneration.

Try this lunar sequence if you’re feeling physically depleted or stressed, practicing in the evening, or in the winter months when the days are shorter and your energy tends to be lower. +

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1. Earth Prayer

Begin by lying on your belly with your forehead on the Earth. Draw your arms up over head and bring your hands together in a prayer position. Soften the base of your spine and your glutes. Feel the weight of your body against the Earth. Imagine that you can inhale into the base of your spine, expanding your belly at the top of your inhale, and feel the softening effect of your exhale on your entire spine. Take 10 to 20 deep breaths here.

2. Low Lunge with Open Twist Flow From earth prayer, press up to hands and knees or downward facing dog. Step your right foot to your right hand. Lower your left knee. Inhale reach your hands to the sky, exhale turn your navel to the right and open your arms wide in an open twist. Inhale turn back to lunge and reach your hands up, and exhale twist again.

Slowly move through this three more times, and on the last twist hold for five deep breaths. Slowly cartwheel your hands down to frame your right foot.

3. Revolved Half Splits

Straighten your right leg to half splits. Rock your toes from side to side for a couple of breaths, then bring your toes to the right and walk your hands around to the right side of your mat. Bend your elbows a little and unwind your neck here. After five breaths, turn back to face the front of your mat.

4. Grounded Warrior Three with Jiva Squat

Photos by: kim fuller

Bend your right knee, place your fingertips on the floor in front of you, and push your right foot down to float your left leg up in grounded warrior three.

Inhale lengthen from your left heel to the crown of your head, exhale and bend both knees, tucking your left knee snugly behind your right knee in jiva squat. Inhale push your right foot down and float your left leg up again, exhale return to jiva squat. Repeat slowly three more times.

5. Seated Twist Hold your final jiva squat, then lower your left knee to the mat just outside your right foot, and sit down. Place your right fingertips just behind your sacrum and wrap your left arm around your right knee. Keeping both sitting bones heavy on the earth, inhale and lengthen your spine, exhale and gently twist your navel toward your right thigh. Take five to eight breaths here, then unwind your twist, come to hands and knees or downward facing dog, and repeat the entire sequence on your left leg.

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

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YOGA + FITNESS / Movement

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6. Revolved Heron Pose

From seated twist on the left side, use both hands to pick up your left foot and straighten your left leg. Keep your spine long and draw your heart toward your knee. Hold the outside of your left foot with your right hand and taking care not to let your foot drift across midline, twist your navel and heart to the left and reach your left hand back behind you. Hold for five to eight breaths.

7. Cow Face Pose

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From revolver heron pose, turn forward, bend your left knee and cross your left thigh tightly over your right thigh for cow face pose. Your hips will be in external rotation with the outer edges of your feet on the earth. Sit tall and breathe deeply or bow forward and rest your head on a block. Hold for up to two minutes then uncross your legs and stretch them out before beginning on the other side with Revolved Heron Pose.

8. Windshield Wipers

Once you’ve completed cow face pose on both sides, lie down on your back with your knees bent and your feet as wide as your mat. Slowly rock your knees from side to side like windshield wipers and let your hips and low back release.

9. Supported Bridge Pose

Lift your hips and place a block underneath your hips for supported bridge pose. Take your arms into cactus. Keep your knees bent or straighten your legs. Hold for two to four minutes. To come out, lift your hips and removed the block. Lower your hips down and hug your knees to your chest.

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Reclining Bound Angle Pose with Balanced Breath Place the soles of your feet together and open your knees wide to form a diamond shape. For added comfort, support your legs with blankets or pillows here. Place your left hand on your heart and your right hand on your belly. Bring your awareness to your breath. Begin to breath in for five seconds, and out for five seconds. Take 10 rounds of balanced breath, then return your breathing to normal. Remain in this pose for two to five minutes.

JULIA CLARKE, author of Restorative Yoga for Beginners, is a yoga teacher and Ayurvedic Practitioner from Scotland living in the Rocky Mountain of Colorado. She is the co-founder of Mountain Soul Yoga studio in Edwards, CO. She has a BS in Journalism and an MS in Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. She loves hiking, biking, uphill skiing and travelling the world. www.juliaclarkeyoga.com

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photos by: kim fuller

11. Supported Corpse Pose Make your final pose even more restful by placing a bolster, rolled up blanket or large pillow under your knees to help your hip flexor muscles release.

Place a heavy folded blanket on your chest to help you feel even more grounded. Relax here for up to 20 minutes.

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by Lexi Reich

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

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YOGA + FITNESS / Seva

GRIEF SUPPORT NETWORK Finding Light Through Loss

Photo by: youssef naddam

by lexi reich

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

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hrough the depths of darkness, connection and purpose was brought to the light.

“It felt like a really profound gift, even though it came from tremendous loss and sadness,” says Sandra Traganos, 35, of her transformational experience at the Grief Support Network (GSN).

Traganos enrolled in GSN’s nine-month yoga therapy program after the loss of her 13-year-old step-son, Jayden, in 2016. A year ago, Traganos didn’t realize her self-worth was enough to warrant what seemed like a luxury. Now that thought seems ridiculous.

Traganos said she realized after Jayden passed that our grief culture is intensely hidden. During her first session at GSN in March of 2018, fears arose from sharing something so sensitive to her heart in front of strangers. But once she was present, things she had never bothered to think about, things she was suppressing, began to pour out of her mouth. GSN became a safe space for her to be vulnerable in a nurtured boundary, surrounded by people who have also endured loss. She started in the six-week program and transitioned to the nine-month after the gift of financial support from GSN’s scholarship program.

At GSN, Traganos noticed tremendous change in herself, learning ways to understand her grief — feeling like she had a community to come home to, a place where she could find home within herself.

“You think coming home only happens through the joys and the sunny days, but realistically it’s through the darkness we become more ourselves, through the trials and tribulations that we really discover who we are,” explains Traganos.

Founded by Wendy Stern in 2012, GSN is a community-based nonprofit in Boulder that offers yoga therapy, peer support and community rituals to those who have experienced loss. Stern was inspired to open

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

You think coming home only happens through the joys and the sunny days, but realistically it’s through the darkness we become more ourselves, through the trials and tribulations that we really discover who we are.

GSN’s doors to honor the life and death of her son. Her grief led her to a profound journey of transformation and with her background in yoga therapy, she wanted to offer healing experiences to others on their journeys. Since 2012, GSN has served over 5,000 grieving individuals. “[Traganos] is an incredible role model of what is possible when someone digs in and commits to the work and to themselves,” wrote Stern.

“You’re going to break open, you’re going to be shattered into pieces,” Traganos shared. “But what you do with those pieces is entirely up to you. I chose to sweep the pieces to the side and just let them be broken and that didn’t serve me, it didn’t serve the world. Now, I’m choosing to put them back together and make something great out of it. That’s what Jayden deserves.”

Together with her husband Ed, Traganos founded Jayden’s Place, a nonprofit that partners with schools to create holistic selfcare offerings to empower children. Their goal is to provide children with skills early on that help them feel like they have a little more control in this world. Their first year

fundraiser donated to groups contributing to suicide awareness. Their next project is adding buddy benches to different parks in the Denver area. If kids see someone sitting alone, they can go and make a buddy on these designated benches. Traganos says these benches show that it takes a community; it’s not just adults that need to be aware of children’s lives, it’s also the children, and it’s everybody that touches each of us that needs to be aware.

Sitting in her home office in Arvada where she practices as a holistic coach, Traganos shared a school photo of Jayden. Despite, or perhaps alongside, the tears that streamed down her face, she gazed down at his toothy grin with a smile of her own — a mirror of her paradox-riddled journey through grief.

“I can be grieving but have moments of joy through that grief. I can be in those two very different places at one time, and what a gift in this human body to be able to straddle such a spectrum in the same breath,” she says. “Rather than being ‘I’m sad’ or ‘I’m happy,’ and categorizing things so specifically and finite, I see no boundaries there.

We’re all of it at once.”

Once she settled into this realization through her work with GSN, she explained how excitement blossomed in her life once more. “My heart burst open,” she adds.

Following the completion of the two programs, Traganos knew she had to go further; she was so deeply impacted that she wanted to provide that same experience for others in her community, specifically children. She enrolled in GSN’s yoga therapy teacher training which began in October 2019. +

To learn more about GSN’s yoga therapy teacher trainings, immersions and yoga therapy programs, go to www.griefsupportnet.org.

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YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

YOGA’S DEEP GREEN ROOTS:

by Carah Wertheimer

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ver wonder how Patanjali, author of the ancient Yoga Sutras, might feel about synthetic yoga mats, stretchy yoga pants and the ever-increasing array of yoga products and accessories?

Written more than 1,000 years ago, the Yoga Sutras present an eight-limbed path of ethical living and spiritual awakening that goes far beyond downward dog.

“Yoga in its fullest sense is made up of all eight limbs, not just asana, which is the postures. The yamas, the first limb, are rules on how you interact with other people, how you are in society. The niyamas, the second

limb, are more about how you treat yourself,” says Nicolai Bachman, Colorado-based author of six books including “The Language of Yoga” and teacher of Sanskrit, yoga philosophy and Ayurveda.

Can yamas such as ahimsa (nonviolence), asteya (not stealing) and aparigraha (non-possessiveness) offer wisdom for today’s environmental crisis?

“Asteya means not taking anything that isn’t yours or that hasn’t been given to you.

That goes hand in hand with aparigraha, which is not hoarding, not grasping. Part of our consumer lifestyle is consuming far more than the earth can sustain. It does involve actually stealing,” said Alakananda Ma, British-trained MD, Ayurvedic doctor and co-founder of Boulder’s Alandi Ashram and Ayurvedic Gurukula.

YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photo by: blake weyland

A Path for Eco-Conscious Living

Our whole resource-extractive economy, Ma said, is often based on taking what’s not ours, whether it’s the labor of underpaid workers, land that belonged to Native Americans or animal habitats.

“It all violates asteya,” she says. “Aparigraha is more about not taking anything we don’t actually need. Aparigraha invites us to obtain and retain only what is necessary for us.”

Given our consumerist culture and media, the yamas are starting to sound pretty challenging. How can we apply these teachings and withstand the pressure to accumulate more and more?

“That’s where mindfulness comes in, right? Also, ahimsa is a really important part of it. The yamas are all working together because are we going to buy things that were made in sweatshops? Is that ahimsa?

Are we going to buy things that’ll be here in an archaeological dig in 10,000 years’ time?” Ma says.

“When we let ahimsa govern every choice, that’s going to really help. Because of the way the Sanskrit language works, they’re using a negative to mean a positive.

So, ahimsa means much more than nonviolence, it means love,” she says.

Speaking of Sanskrit, Bachman says that the idea of selflessness is actually built into Sanskrit grammar.

“In English, ‘I’ is first person, ‘you’ is second person, and ‘it’ is third person. In Sanskrit it’s flipped. So ‘I’ is the last person, ‘you’ is the second person, and ‘he/she/it’ is the first person,” he explains. “This goes down deep into the core, the very beginning of the tradition.”

It’s all comes down to acting in a way that’s not just good for you, Bachman says, but that’s good for everything and everybody.

It doesn’t get any greener than that.

GREEN LIVING TIPS FOR ECO-MINDED YOGIS Being sustainability minded means pausing to ask the sometimes inconvenient, yet thoughtful questions.

“We can think when we buy any item – does this harm, does this benefit? Will this end up in the landfill? Who made it? What’s it done to the earth?” Ma says.

“Purchase things consciously as much as you can, eat as low on the food chain as you can,” Bachman says. “What you buy

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

makes a huge difference.”

However, Ma acknowledges that going green in today’s world can be tricky.

“At a certain point you have to just live your life and tackle it on another level, like with the corporations, because they need to give us better solutions. But at the same time there’s a mindfulness of ‘Does it benefit?’” Ma says.

ROCKING ECO-GREEN YOGA: STUDIO GAIA Sustainability isn’t only an individual practice, it’s also communal ­­— just look at Studio Gaia in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Founder Sally Burgess, who recently completed a master’s in environmental policy communication, has long considered environmental awareness an essential aspect of yoga practice and tradition. Burgess has created ways to encourage sustainable living, as well as a deeper relationship with the Earth within her studio through teacher training electives.

“If you think about the language and the asanas of yoga — tree pose, dolphin, downward facing dog — the poses are built around nature. We try to bring in some of the mythology around yoga, with tree pose.

Maybe we talk about sending down those roots and how trees provide protection for us and shelter,” Burgess says.

“I renamed my studio ‘Studio Gaia’ in 2012 because it didn’t make any sense to me for us to focus on having beautiful poses if the Earth is on fire. We have as a touchstone sustainability of mind, body, spirit in equal measure with the planet,” she says.

Studio Gaia has a popular freecycle clothing exchange rack to encourage reuse.

Even people who aren’t customers can come in and take clothes for free. The studio also offers classes on making your own non-toxic essential oil cleaning products and has screened environmental movies.

For a few years the studio ran a program called Bags Without Borders, which offered reusable totes in exchange for plastic bags until the program was taken over by a local group. Folks who sent in photos of themselves using the bags received free yoga classes. One of the yoga teachers turned the plastic bags into yarn and made yoga mats, straps and bags.

But it doesn’t stop there.

“We support local farmers, we’re very vocal about that. We highlight them in our newsletter and in our Facebook and Instagram posts, we teach free yoga at the Farmers Market every Saturday. We’re a drop-off point for one of our local CSAs,” Burgess says.

Burgess finds it mind boggling that the yoga world is not more focused on the environment.

“One of the main things we do in yoga is the breath, and what are we breathing in?

Air. And what’s in the air? Carbon dioxide.

To me there are so many different connections,” she says.

But balancing ecology and yoga training takes some skill.

“We want people to come in and have a good experience. If they’re inundated with educational messages about the environment, that can take away from their experience. Also, we’re very mindful that people are often healing from things,” Burgess says “It’s a balancing act.”

Burgess encourages students and studios alike to be mindful of their impact.

“Look for environmentally-friendly yoga mats that will last a long time. You don’t need a new mat every year, think about that,” she says. “Yoga clothes – do you need so many?

Do you need a new outfit every day?”

Studios can consider their supplies, such as replacing plastic yoga blocks with cork ones.

Yoga may present some problems, but it also offers some answers. +

CARAH WERTHEIMER is a Boulder-based freelance journalist focusing on health, food and sustainability. A former holistic health practitioner, she brings an unusual depth and breadth of understanding to alternative health and wellness topics. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, The Daily Beast, Denver Post, MedTruth, Boulder Daily Camera, Longmont Times-Call, Yellow Scene Magazine and elsewhere. Notable interviews include Olympic gold medalist skater Meagan Duhamel, celebrity backpacker Andrew Skurka, New York Times bestselling author Izabella Wentz and (now governor) Jared Polis.

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YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

BALANCE OUT

the Burnout

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urnout syndrome is a state of total exhaustion, which may be physical, emotional, mental or a combination of all of them. More burnout exists now than ever before. This can certainly be attributed to an over-abundance of Yang energy, characterized by constant accessibility and an ever-increasing pressure to perform.

Excessive media consumption is a big energy-sapper. TVs, smartphones and computers in the bedroom at night limit one’s rest.

Burnout can be a precursor to depression, and doesn’t come about overnight. It is important to factor in short rest periods in stressful everyday life. Even a small break of two minutes, in which the focus is placed consciously on the breathing, can charge the whole system and bring new energy.

From a holistic perspective, energy reserves are completely exhausted in those affected by burnout, and even a short-term recovery does not help. It is important to treat yourself to extended periods of rest and rejuvenation, get enough sleep, practice conscious withdrawal from stressful situations and incorporate yoga and meditation.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION ARE:

Stefanie Arend

As food can be a giver of energy as well as a taker, those suffering from burnout should take care with their diet. A natural diet, with a high proportion of fresh fruit and vegetables, salads, nuts, seeds, herbs, wild herbs, spices, whole-grain products, healthy fats and a lot of (non-carbonated) water as a main drink, can have a balancing and strengthening effect.

Smoothies or fresh juices can quickly supply energy. Fast foods and stimulants such as caffeine, sugar, tobacco and nicotine only give a good feeling in the short term, but viewed over the long term they actually pollute the body.

From the Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, burnout has to do with a disharmony between the heart and kidney. The liver and large intestine should be decongested.

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photo by: kristopher roller

by

• Who or what in my life is depleting my energy?

• What are my inner resources and sources of energy?

• How can I defend myself better against negative stress?

• What tasks can I delegate to have more time to myself?

A Health Approach Designed For A Woman’s Body

“I felt that I was always battling with my body, while I really longed to be more in harmony with her. During my Wildly Alive journey, I was able to get in touch with my body more than ever before. I now understand that showing love to myself has better results than being hard on myself. I now let my body lead my choices and I have gained so energy & confidence. I feel great!” - Joy

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YOGA + FITNESS / In The Practice

BUTTERFLY (BADDHA KONASANA)

The position stretches the entire back and the insides of the legs.

Butterfly works on the meridians of the liver, kidneys, spleen and bladder.

PRACTICING THE EXERCISE 1. Sit on the mat, place the soles of your feet together, pull the feet towards the pelvis. Let the knees drop gently outwards. If this is too intense, sit on a blanket or a cushion or support the outsides of the legs with two blocks.

Relax the back, let your upper body sink forward passively, place your arms in a comfortable position.

SEAGRASS (VIPARITA KARANI)

The gentle inversion of this position stimulates the stomach organs and cardiovascular system. It is a particularly good release for the legs. Seagrass places more focus on the relaxing effect than on stretching the meridians.

2. You can also activate the bubbling spring acupressure point with your fingers; this is the kidney point on the sole of the foot, located centrally directly underneath the ball of the foot. It counteracts anxiety and exhaustion, clears and calms the mind and has a grounding effect.

PRACTICING THE EXERCISE Place a yoga bolster or rolled-up blanket straight across the mat, lie on it.

Place your upper body behind it to bring the pelvis into a raised position.

Stretch the legs upwards, find the point where you can hold it effortlessly.

Take your arms back slowly, place them next to your head. During menstruation, you can assume the position without raising the pelvis. For a more intensive version, let the legs drop back slightly more towards the floor (not recommended if you have issues in your cervical spine).

Hold this gentle exercise for five minutes or more. Bend the legs again, draw your knees to your chest, roll sideways out of the position.

Remain in butterfly for three to five minutes. Press the acupressure point gently as long as it feels good. Come back to the center and extend both legs again.

Always end with a laying pose when a session is finished. Give your weight completely to the floor and relax.

STEFANIE AREND is a renowned yin yoga instructor, holistic health coach, nutritionist and energy worker. As the first German author to focus exclusively on yin yoga, she is the author of six books, including the classic bestseller, Yin Yoga: The Gentle Path to the Inner Center (2011) and Surya Namaskar: The Sun Salutation (2014), both of which were named Best Yoga Book of the Year in German-speaking countries. Be Healthy with Yin Yoga: The Gentle Way to Free Your Body of Everyday Ailments and Emotional Stresses is her first English language book. For more information about Stefanie or to watch her videos, please visit www.yinyoga.de/en/ and her YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/Stefanie1a/videos

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photos by: Forster & Martin Fotografie, Munich

Excerpted from "Be Healthy with Yin Yoga: The Gentle Way to Free Your Body of Everyday Ailments and Emotional Stresses"

by Stefanie Arend (She Writes Press, August 2019). For more information, visit: www.yinyoga.de/en.

New book by Colorado author Julia Clarke of Mountain Soul Yoga

YOGA + FITNESS / Retreats + Trainings

PICK YOUR

Training:

Destination Immersion vs. Local Extended Training

by hali love

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hy travel for your Yoga Teacher Training? Why take two weeks off from work? Why be away from family and friends?

Why go through the hassle of organizing everything in order to go on a yoga “retreat?”

Why bother with the extra expense? Why put such long hours into studying yoga (16 hours per day)?

Or, perhaps, why wouldn’t you?

For starters, a 200-hour YTT is not a retreat. We are up at 5 a.m. and retire between 9 or 10 p.m. This is not a vacation — it is work. It is the most important work in the world: self-work. We, as a registered school with the International Yoga Alliance, are required to complete 185 contact hours with you at each 200-hour training.

Our trainings are immensely focused on personal development, cognitive repatterning and emotional healing. The immersion format is the best fit for this kind of training; we aren’t just hanging around in triangle pose and headstands all day long memorizing bones and muscles. We are getting down and dirty into the real work that makes inspirational yoga teachers and genuine human beings who are not afraid to shine their true authentic light to the world.

With the immersion style paired with continued support, the new and healthy patterns students create are sustainable.

Once sustainable change takes place, new patterns of authenticity are born, and once those take root, the result are yoga teachers who not only talk the talk, but wals the walk. You can hear it when they speak and see it when they hold silence.

They have the capability to light the fires in others.

Here’s some input from Multi Style Yoga International Student Joanne Highland, of Los Angeles, California: “When I knew I was ready to do a yoga teacher training, I carefully considered a few programs and settled on Multi Style Yoga in Costa Rica. It was really important to me that I chose a YTT that was about more than just refining yoga postures and cues — I was looking to truly deepen my own practice, which of course requires more work than just a physical yoga practice. MSYI offers a well-rounded, supportive, holistic curriculum that focuses especially on effective teaching methods.

Traveling to Costa Rica for my YTT was also

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In an immersion training you are trained every single day to anchor down in the midst of the chaos, whether it is a troop of howler monkeys swinging by, the oceans waves crashing on the shore, the flock of parrots cooing by, or the local cowboys riding through town. The experience is the immersion. a big part of my decision — having visiting before, I knew that the laid-back vibe around Playa Negra would allow me the mental and emotional space to really digest and internalize all that I would learn in the training. Personally, I strongly advocate for an immersive YTT experience. In a personal yoga practice (as with anything we do regularly), it’s natural to develop undesirable habits or get stuck in our own patterns over time; actually, it can happen on and off the yoga mat, in any area of life! I knew that in order to break through my own patterns, it would be highly beneficial for me to be removed from my usual setting and schedule. Being in a new place (especially one with a slower pace of life and surrounded by nature) also brought a heightened awareness and sense of presence I definitely would have missed out on if I’d been exposed to the distractions that come with habitual day-to-day life. I was able to dive deeper into the course curriculum and therefore got a lot more out of the experience.”

I have attended numerous trainings personally, both extended over time and immersions. I can say that in my immersions I have made some of the best friends of my life. We have time to really go deep, we go fast, as time is limited, but we create deep connection.

Immersion students have often shared with me how the training inspired them. I

can relate, as I felt this way after my immersions. In all of our trainings, we create a post-training support network, which works great at keeping the group aligned and supports each individual in continuously raising the bar within their teaching, with in their relationships and within their future goals and aspirations. This part warms my heart, I love this so much — it is a tangible sense of global community in action.

I will be clear that this experience is not about escaping to a quiet peaceful space in the middle of the jungle. Quiet and peaceful usually isn’t our reality; life is full of noise, tough conversations, breaking relationships, changing jobs, death, stress, etc. In an immersion training you are trained every single day to anchor down in the midst of the chaos, whether it is a troop of howler monkeys swinging by, the oceans waves crashing on the shore, the flock of parrots cooing by, or the local cowboys riding through town. The experience is the immersion.

The immersion allows the space and time to deliver what each and every individual needs to grow their practice — from physical to emotional to spiritual. It’s truly a special experience to travel to a quaint surf village with immense healing energy and immerse into your soul with like-minded beings on a similar journey. +

HALI LOVE lives alignment; she believes that relationships are not about creating happiness always, but creating growth, strength and perseverance through the challenging times of life. In Love's words: "We all experience the ups and downs, the important thing is how accountable we are for our actions.” Love's core values are honesty, empowerment and loyalty. As a Subconscious Restructuring Counselor and ERYT, this Yoga-prenuer is committed to supporting others to not only heal their body, mind, spirit and heart, but also is committed to supporting them in living the life they dream of, and being the most powerful version of themselves. www.hali-love.com

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Photos by: Manuel pinto

YOGA + FITNESS / Retreats + Trainings

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Puerto Viejo Club & Casitas

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A Family-Owned + Eco-Friendly Oasis in the Jungle

hervin Rashidi of Summit County, Colorado, is a developer and the owner of Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica.

“I always joke that I am a universal traveler on earth in the blink of an eye or lifetime,” Rashidi shares. "This comes a lot for my family and my faith being born into Baha'i religion, a beautiful modern religion that believes in equality of man and woman and embraces the common principles of most religions.”

TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOURSELF. Being born in Iran was a whole world away of what it is today, but the thing I remember most from my summer vacations at the Caspian Sea was the road from Tehran to the Caspian. It was over the mountains’ 18,000-foot peaks and this was where I first saw skiing. These memories left a huge impression on me.

I've used this to map out my life and that's why I live in Summit County, Colorado. I'm proud to have been part of over 30 business concepts and restaurants that I have either built, managed or designed.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BUILD IN COSTA RICA OF ALL PLACES? What inspired me to build in Costa Rica is the country itself — a neutral country progressive with a great respect for nature and the balance and harmony of life. Its people are happy, and this is why it's a blue zone area in the world, much like Summit County, with one of the longest life expectancies.

I further found inspiration in the fact I've been to 48 countries around the world, and

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this little spot in Puerto Viejo seemed very special. It has indigenous people in the mountains (Shamans that you can visit), tribal leaders and elders that will share with you the benefits of fruits, vegetables and plants for a healthy lifestyle, and one of the largest open spaces of jungle outside the Amazon. It is on the Caribbean ocean and is home to 1/20th of the world's species. They are all concentrated around a small corner (400-mile circle) of the world. My two favorite animals live here, the dolphin and the eagle. I feel their migrating patterns mimic my own life between the mountains and the ocean.

WHY WAS MAKING AN ECO-RESORT IMPORTANT TO YOU? My faith and my love of nature is the main reason why an eco-resort has always been speaking to me. The challenge as a developer is finding balance in nature while building.

Limiting the use of wood was important to us.

Our gated community is a place of simplicity, balance in beauty and nature. Our saltwater pool is also eco-friendly, adding sustainable gardening and fruit trees in time will help us respect the land and move forward in a responsible manner with Mother Earth. We are walking distance from the ocean (300 yards) and located in the trees with sloths, monkeys, toucans and extensive wildlife species taking you back to nature.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH TO TELL THE READERS? We wish to share our special corner of the world with the world — white, yellow, brown, black, red, humans; we are of the understanding that a rose garden filled with

different colors of flowers is greater and more beautiful than a rose garden just filled with one color of rose flowers; we want families to spend quality time together, friends to relax together, strangers to break bread together and everybody, mostly children or the young at heart, to find nature so that we can protect it in our lifetimes, to come. +

The property is designed for 1-50 guests.

Newly constructed three-bedroom, threebathroom, two-story casitas with open air kitchens are perfect for any family or group of friends. Quietly nestled into 10-plus acres, the Puerto Viejo Club is walking distance to the beach and a short drive to town. You can enjoy the sights and sounds of nature all in privacy.

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• Beach access • Outdoor pool • On-site laundry • Tiki bar • Kid pool • Free parking • Free WIFI • Yoga • Private chef for hire • On-site caretaker • Activity concierge • Kitchen & kitchenette • Private bathrooms • Outdoor showers • Outdoor bathrooms • Community kitchen • Outdoor eating area • Handicap accessible

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The ultimate place to escape and relax in a still off the beaten path near Playa Negra, Costa Rica.

For booking information or video tours, go to www.puertoviejoclub.com.

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Outside / Fresh Air

HOW TO BE MORE

Mindful on the Slopes Be an Earth-Conscious Explorer

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ften we put life in autopilot and Lisa Blake go, go, go through every season.

We don’t realize we’re shunning carpooling, trashing tons of drive-thru coffee cups, impacting wildlife in protected areas, using toxic wax on our gear or supporting companies with careless sustainability practices.

Colorado’s winter trails, roadways and resorts are taking a beating. If we each make a small effort, our mountains will reap huge rewards and serve us in purer, more sustainable ways. Here’s how to step back, make your sport mindful, minimize your impact and maybe even give back a little this ski season.

By

RETHINK YOUR GEAR

Reuse and reduce by purchasing ski pants, jackets, gloves and equipment from consignment shops such as Ridden in Breckenridge, Replay Sports in Aspen and Boomerang Sports Exchange in Steamboat Springs.

When it’s time to trade up, take your gear to these shops and make a little cash.

Or upcycle skis, boards and bindings into funky furniture. With minimal woodworking skills, you can create some incredible wine racks, book shelves, garden planters or porch chairs and benches. An old pair of ski boots becomes flower planters. Painted and chopped ski poles become wind chimes. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

Better yet, donate gently used gear to adaptive and youth ski programs or through The North Face’s Clothes the Loop program

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in which donations are sent to their nonprofit partner Soles4Souls.

BUY ECO-FRIENDLY

Make sure you’re riding and wearing gear that’s crafted with Mother Nature in mind.

Hardworking, earth-conscious brands are on the rise and not hard to find these days.

Colorado-made Purl ski and snowboard wax skips the toxic chemicals that can end up in water streams, while mountainFLOW in Carbondale created a new line of eco-friendly plant-based ski waxes designed to thrive in all snow conditions. Denver’s Phunkshun Wear windproof winter face masks are made from upcycled plastic bottles, Grass Sticks in Steamboat calls on eco-friendly bamboo and Pagosa Springs-based Voormi nixes synthetics for natural fibers.

TAKE A TOUR

Break from hot laps down your favorite runs to learn a little about the ground beneath you. Copper Mountain’s free Ski with a Ranger program is run by Friends of the Dillon Ranger District and delivers a healthy dose of environmental wealth. Ski with a naturalist from the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies at Snowmass, join a free guided interpretative tour highlighting Breckenridge’s sustainability commitments or book a backcountry tour with Colorado Wilderness Rides and Guides for an off-piste experience with an environmental edge.

Inquire with individual ski resorts about green on-mountain volunteer opportunities.

USE RIDESHARE APPS

For skiers and boarders along Colorado’s Front Range, getting to the mountains

to shred can be a bumper-to-bumper, gas-guzzling, idling nightmare. Recent years have unveiled a slew of clever ways to cut the hassle and, most importantly, the pollution. Ride the Winter Park Express ski train, take the Bustang to Frisco or Vail, call on the Front Range Ski Bus to Loveland or Copper Mountain and jump on the rideshare bandwagon with SkiCarpool or Carpool World. The best part?

Resorts like Arapahoe Basin offer priority lift-side parking and discounted tickets to skiers with more than four in the car.

SHOP, EAT, THINK LOCAL

This one is easy. Sip your coffee from a reusable cup, pack a metal reusable straw, buy made-in-Colorado goods and seek out regionally sourced sustainable menus when you eat out. Support the moms and pops who are roasting their own beans and growing their own tomatoes versus big brand drive-thrus that may be hauling in products from far away, leaving long, dirty carbon trails in their wake.

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT YOUR RESORT

The ski industry is a resource-draining multi-billion-dollar machine. Our favorite resorts are building up and out, using tons of water to make snow and loads of energy to power lifts. It’s easy to have a love-hate with these behemoth enterprises. The good news is many of them are looking to renewable energy, eliminating plastic, employing electric snowmobiles and making pretty hardcore pledges to long-term sustainability. +

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HERE’S A QUICK LIST ON WHO’S DOING WHAT IN COLORADO: VAIL MOUNTAIN increased composting from two tons to 150 tons from FY 2018 to FY 2019. The operations and food and beverage teams at the resort came up with a collaborative solution to hauling compost. Sending compost down the gondola, rather than over the snow, addressed logistical transportation challenges created by the weight of the compost.

ASPEN SNOWMASS captures waste methane from a local coal mine to generate carbon-negative electricity. They’ve also built industry-leading solar arrays and LEED-certified mountaintop restaurants. The resort’s Give a Flake campaign partners with Protect Our Winters encouraging guests to reach out to elected officials to fight for stable climate and snowy winters.

ARAPAHOE BASIN is working toward a goal of being carbon neutral by 2025 with a seven-piece plan including 100 percent renewable energy and 75 percent waste diversion. The ski area engages guests in sustainability by incentivizing carpooling, public transportation and waste reduction. The A-Basin Snow Huggers Club is a way for skiers and snowboarders to offset their fuel emissions traveling to and from the ski area.

Through Xcel Energy’s Renewable Connect Program, COPPER MOUNTAIN is now 12 percent powered by solar. The mountain also actively supports the biodiversity of its eco-system through advanced practices such as native seed collecting.

BRECKENRIDGE made innovative improvements to its waste diversion system by piloting a food scrap program, which will be expanded across the resort this season — with the goal of diverting at least 40 tons of organic material. All waste material collected will be used locally to create high-grade compost for use around Summit County, including revegetation projects with the White River National Forest..

Vail Resorts invested $2.4 million in energy-efficiency capital to upgrade its snowmaking operations–and switch to LED lighting –across several of its resorts, including Keystone. The new low-energy, high-efficiency automated snow guns at KEYSTONE create more snow with less energy.

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 www.lisablakecreative.com.

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outside / Environment

The author traversing the ridge of Apache Peak

Echoes of Time

photo BY: noah webb

Colorado’s 14 Named Glaciers Are Melting at Unprecedented Rates

by Emma Athena

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he trail approaching the Apache Couloir is long and mostly flat.

Climbing up couloirs — or, hardpacked snow chutes that line the sides of mountains and ridgelines, compressed by time and stormy winds — is dangerous, unless optimal conditions are present: it’s cold and there is no new snowfall. That loosely means the danger of avalanches is low.

I’d woken up at 2:45 a.m. that morning to get moving on the trail early. Hours later, once I reached the base of Apache Peak, from which its namesake couloir rises, I sat on an exposed rock and laced up my crampons — sharp metal claws you strap to your shoe bottoms to bite into the icy snow.

I untethered my ice axe from my backpack, weighing its light, aluminum chill.

Looking up at the couloir, angling toward the sky about 45 degrees, I took a deep breath. At this point, it was just past dawn. It was certainly cold. The snow was still stiff to the touch.

Apache Peak, one of the rocky summits tucked in the back of the Brainard Lake Recreation Area, rises above 13,400 feet as the second-highest mountain in Colorado’s Indian Peaks Wilderness. Connected by a scraggly ridgeline to a series of other 12- and 13,000-foot peaks both left and right, Apache is the centerpiece of a half-moon rim that towers over a high-alpine basin, filled with wildflowers, waterfalls and a glacier. Long ago, before Anglo settlers took over the region in the mid-1800s, members of the Arapaho tribe lived and hunted wild sheep and caught fish here during the summer months.

The first time I tried to climb the Apache Couloir, the conditions were terrible. My boyfriend, Jordan, and I made the long trek past Brainard Lake, past Long Lake, past the waterfalls, past Lake Isabelle, past the young green hues coloring the sparse aspens. It was late spring, the beginning of couloir climbing season. Once we crawled up into the basin, Apache Peak and its comrades standing tall above us, the sun was already too-high in the sky. Winter 2018’s skimpy snowpack was soft, slushy.

Ascending the east-facing couloir would be too dangerous.

We decided to climb a safer, less-steep couloir on the north side of the alpine bowl.

From a perch a few hundred feet up this snow

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slope, you could see Apache in its entirety, proud in its prominence, its permanence. The couloir tops out on the peak’s south-eastern ridge and, like a tendril of braided hair, curves down the eastern face. To the right of Apache’s base, I noticed a wide snowfield rising half-way up the rock wall that connects Apache to Shoshoni peak.

I pointed out the giant snow deposit, or what I thought was a giant snow deposit, to Jordan: “What’s that?”

Nearly blinding, cradled in this mountain nook, the snow glistened in the late morning light. Jordan didn’t know. I took a last look at it before glissading down the couloir before us, sliding, gaining speed like a backcountry roller coaster.

Back at home I pulled up a map and looked around the area, identifying Apache then Shoshoni. Isabelle Glacier sat between them. I learned that day there are 14 named glaciers in Colorado, nearly all of them in or surrounding Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Indian Peaks Wilderness, which abuts the Park’s southern border, contains four.

Isabelle Glacier formed during the Little Ice Age, around 700 years ago. At the time, scores of new glaciers accumulated across the state, according to a U.S. Geological Survey. Now, in 2019, after decades of global warming, all that remains is a handful of tattered patches. Isabelle Glacier likely once covered the entire alpine basin sprawling below Apache and Shoshoni. Today, it’s shriveled a fraction of the space, roughly the size of five football fields. Some scientists estimate most Rocky Mountain glaciers will be gone by 2030.

When glaciers melt, the surrounding environments suffer: once-frozen land destabilizes, erosion occurs, methane gas is released, flora and fauna often resettle, fresh water is depleted. The waterfalls, wildflowers, wild elk and moose will slowly evacuate. Suddenly I wanted nothing more

than to go back to that basin, to see Isabelle Glacier from all sides, to observe the icy landscape before time disappeared it away.

The second time I tried to climb the Apache Couloir, the conditions again were terrible.

Jordan and I drove into Brainard Lake Recreation Area underneath thick gray clouds. By the time we parked, snowy white-out conditions surrounded us. We hiked two miles in before turning around. We couldn’t see more than 50 feet in front of us.

It was my third attempt, a few weeks later with two friends, that got me all the way to Apache’s base on that crisp morning with stiff snow. Perfect conditions. My crampons strapped tight and my ice axe at hand, I kick-stepped up the couloir, making a long zig-zagging path up the slope. Kick — tssk — kick — tssk — ice axe — zzph. Kick, kick, ice axe. Kick, kick, ice axe.

This was our rhythm, my breath. The alpine bowl echoed us across the silent morning — tssk, tssk, zzph: our song, in harmony.

I know some music is timeless, but as I neared the summit, our harmony grew somber. This was an endangered melody.

Standing on Apache Peak’s highest point, I looked down at the remains of Isabelle Glacier, pure white under a blue-bird sky, and I bowed my head, thinking of the Arapaho peoples gathering the fruits of its fresh water, the elk siphoning its nutrients, the waterfalls down below.

We traversed the ridge north, to the top of another couloir, Queen’s Way, which curves down Apache’s northeastern slope.

I sat down atop the snow chute and slid all the way down so fast my legs burned from the snow, my heart giddy, my face pressed into a childish grin. I slowed to a stop as Queen’s Way came to an end, blending into Isabelle Glacier. I laid my head down, resting on her chilly surface. My heart beat like a winter storm against the glassy snow. She echoed back, boom boom, too. +

EMMA ATHENA is an award-winning journalist and mountain lover.

She currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, where you can find her running dirt paths or scaling vertical rock when she's not behind a keyboard or curled up with a book. To peruse her other work — fiction, nonfiction and otherwise — visit her website: www.emmaathenamurray.com.

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Photo by: Selena Rodriguez

Outside / Environment

by Selena Rodrigue z

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Low-Waste Lifestyle

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nyone who knows me personally can attest to my incessant positivity. What can I say? Sitting back in the muck of this world’s negativity isn’t my style. Of course, I’m not blind or even immune to the brutal nature of this world. Anyone with a working phone and access to the outside world is savvy to the doom and gloom of the daily news cycle.

Of all the news we hear, the environmental crisis we’re faced with is especially alarming.

I would never try to argue that things don’t look bleak. In fact, even with my sunshine-powered soul, I’d actually beg to differ.

We are in a state of emergency and we absolutely should be concerned. But I also refuse to settle back into the dire nature of it all. It is of my strongest belief that our individual actions matter. That’s why I choose to live as low-waste of a lifestyle as I can muster. And, despite any preconceived notions you might have, it’s accessible to you, too.

STARTING OUT

Living low-waste is exactly as it sounds; it’s maintaining the goal to produce the least amount of waste possible. It can seem like a daunting challenge when everything seems to be shrink-wrapped and served up with plastic cutlery on the side. That’s why my biggest piece of advice is to start small. Chances are you still have tons of products in various forms of plastic packaging at home. Be sure to use all of that before you start investing in their low-waste counterpart.

SAY NO TO PLASTIC EVERY TIME

Another important first step in a low-waste lifestyle is refusing new single-use plastic.

Everywhere you turn there’s another “disposable” plastic product. But since plastic takes up to 1,000 years to decompose, there’s nothing truly disposable about it. Straws, plastic grocery bags and plastic cutlery are all items to avoid. You might find yourself forgetting to ask for no straw in the beginning, but be patient with yourself! You’ll get the hang of it in no time.

INVEST IN REUSABLE PRODUCTS

The key to an efficient low-waste lifestyle is a stoked arsenal of tools. Just about anything disposable has an eco-friendly alternative.

You can find reusable straws (in metal, silicone and bamboo form), sandwich bags, produce bags, cutlery sets and so on and so forth.

SHOP WISELY

Once you’ve squeezed out that very last bit of toothpaste, it’s time to start searching for alternatives. You’ll quickly learn there’s no shortage of low-waste options for everything from cleaning supplies to bathroom products to kitchen items. Check out your local bulk shop. Bring your own containers. If there isn’t a bulk shop near you, look for eco-friendly products online.

YOUR IMPACT MATTERS

Sure, one individual’s efforts won’t change the world. But, our collective power certainly can; voting with our dollars and educating those in our circles can. Be that incessantly positive force for change. Know that living low-waste does matter. Little by little we’ll break down this throw-away culture and preserve our planet for generations to come. +

SELENA RODRIGUEZ is a recent graduate of Colorado State University.

She hopes that her Bachelor's Degree in journalism will help her share stories and perspectives through a variety of mediums. One of her favorite pastime is wandering the Colorado wilderness with a camera at her side and her dog Mayzee in tow. Yoga outside on a beautiful day is her idea of a perfect day.

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Outside / Adventure

DINING ADVENTURE:

Pine Creek Cookhouse

By photos by: Johnny Wilcox

Shenna Jean

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

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f you’re seeking an adventurous dining experience, look no further than the Pine Creek Cook House nestled in the stunning Castle Creek Valley. Located 12 miles outside of Aspen near the ghost town of Ashcroft, you’ll find a log cabin serving up a menu of American Alpine cuisine that is a unique dining experience unlike any other.

There are few options to get there, but by car isn’t one of them.

During the winter season (Thanksgiving through April) Pine Creek Cook House is only accessible by a 1.5-mile cross-country ski, snowshoe or a cozy horse drawn sleigh. Bring your camera, but don’t expect to have cell service on this unplugged adventure. The views of the Elk Mountain range are majestic and certainly well worth the trek once you arrive.

Make time to explore the 35 kilometers of freshly groomed Nordic ski trails that offer something for all abilities and surround the abandoned mining town of Ashcroft. Once home to a population of roughly 2,500 people, six motels, 17 saloons, a bowling alley, a doctor, jail and more, Ashcroft saw its demise in 1887 when a decision to take the Denver and Rio Grande railroads through rival mining town Aspen took most of its residents with it. Today there are still several buildings standing for visitors to explore through a self-guided tour.

After the journey to the cabin, diners can warm up with one of their signature hot drinks before their meal begins. Executive Chef Chris Keating and his team take pride in using ingredients that are locally sourced and responsibly raised, using natural and organic products whenever possible and all dishes are made from scratch.

Wild game and fresh fish stand out on the menu, however, the vegan and gluten-free options may tempt even the most die-hard carnivores in your group.

Dinner is served as a four-course experience, starting with family style appetizers created daily such as lamb meatballs with tikka masala sauce or smoked black cod fresh from Alaska. Chef Keating, also a painter by trade, takes the term “culinary arts” to new levels and recommends the Buffalo Momos, a Nepalese dumpling with spicy roasted tomato sauce, ponzu and cilantro salad for the table and the Rocky Mountain Elk Chop as a main, served with a smoky sweet potato puree, kale and rosemary cabernet sauce. Sommelier Stacey James works closely with Keating to ensure there is a perfect wine pairing for every dish on the menu. +

Plan accordingly as reservations are highly recommended; lunch is offered six days a week (closed on Tuesdays), while dinner is offered Wednesday to Sunday. Call 970.925.1044 or visit www.pinecreekcookhouse.com to save your seat.

Based in Aspen, CO SHENNA JEAN is a vision advisor, launch leader and content creator. At the center of it all is her love for community and adding value and clarity to the relationships she builds. Shenna completed her 200 YTT with C-Yoga in Chicago in 2012 and subs at the O2 studio in Aspen and travels to teach Vision & Goal yoga workshops. She enjoys live music, being outdoors on a hike, bike or snowboard and drinking rosé while reading a juicy personal development book. www.shennajean.com

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Outside / Adventure

Yoga + Play

Pair Your Flow with Some Classic Colorado Adventure By

Photo courtesy Devil’s Thumb Ranch; opposite page Aspen photo courtesy of Aspen skiing company

Sarah Tuff Dunn

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

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s a relative newcomer to Colorado, I consider myself lucky when it comes to my mental and physical fitness. I can hop in my trusty 11-year-old Toyota 4Runner for a yoga class in Boulder (15 minutes, give or take, from my home in Louisville) and the next day, drive said adventure-mobile to the mountains for downhill skiing at Winter Park, snowshoeing at Copper or cross-country skiing in Rocky Mountain National Park.

It hit me recently, however, that after living in the Green Mountains of Vermont for 15 years, I’m not so good at maintaining green practices while piling on the miles for outdoor adventures. So I began compiling a list of places I could park the car, practice yoga (still, admittedly, not my strongest suit) and get an endorphin rush — bookended by hyper-local breakfasts and Colorado-crafted cocktails, of course. Here’s a glimpse of what I’ve discovered so far in my “research.”

DEVIL’S THUMB RANCH:

Sprawling more than 6,000 acres through Grand County’s Ranch Creek Valley, this upscale getaway offers nearly endless breathtaking spots to practice your ujjayi breathing. I’m prone, however, to the 18,000 square-foot indoor spa, where the resort offers free yoga classes for guests at 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. In between sessions, click into cross-country skis to kick and glide along a network of 75 miles of nordic trails. (Devil’s Thumb has been named the number one cross-country skiing destination in the country, and also offers snowshoeing and skijoring on its dog-friendly property.) I’m also quite keen on the cocktails and apps in the cozy, hexagonal-shaped Heck’s Tavern.

www.devilsthumbranch.com

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ASPEN SNOWMASS:

Aspen abounds with enough art, food and wine events to make Paris or Barcelona blush. But this town’s heart really still beats for downhill skiing: think four sprawling mountains, 5,300-plus acres and more than 330 trails for every level of skier and rider to start hooping and hollering. Ruthie’s Run on Aspen Mountain is a long cruiser and a must-ski while views of the Maroon Bells from the summit of Aspen Highlands are a must-see. Visitors can drop into any number of the topnotch studios that pepper the town, and even combine traditional après ski with a twist, thanks to rosé all day classes at Aspen Shakti.

www.aspensnowmass.com www.aspenshakti.com

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Outside / Adventure

Mention this magical destination to anyone who’s ever been (or even just dreamed about going) and chances are you’ll see sparkling eyes and a long sigh that’s half contentment, half excitement. And that’s just the vibe that this 1800’s ghost town turned romantic, athletic hideaway exudes.

At first glance, it’s a cluster of log cabins; a closer look reveals luxurious furnishings, farm-to-table fare and natural hot (and cold) springs around every corner. In the winter, guests can ride a snowcat to 10,000 feet for snowshoeing in the San Juan Mountains; spring brings hiking and mountain biking among the emerald green aspens. One of the property’s most stunning spots is the glass-walled yoga studio, open to those who wish to practice on their own or take a private class.

www.duntondestinations.com

CHIPETA SOLAR SPRINGS RESORT:

An ax’s throw from the world-famous ice climbing destination of Ouray, this hotel channels the power of the sun to heat its pools, one of which is a tiled Roman bath that maintains a 103-degree temperature, even in winter. You’ll appreciate it even more after tackling one of the spine-tingling routes at the Ouray Ice Park, a mecca in the Uncompahgre Gorge with 100 ice and mixed climbs, all crafted by climbers themselves. Here “ice farmers” use the city of Ouray’s overflow water and more than 250 sprinklers to build and maintain massive and majestic walls of ice with 11 distinct areas in only a onemile span. The best way to start the day is, naturally, by heading to an 8:30 a.m. yoga class and then fueling up with a spicy hot breakfast burrito at the Costa Rican-inspired Land & Ocean restaurant or a Sneffels Skillet at the locally loved Kate’s Place.

www.chipeta.com www.ourayicepark.com www.katesplaceridgway.com

BUENA VISTA:

Ten years ago, pretty much the only twists in this town were the ones along the Arkansas River. But then Jenna Pfingston arrived to open jalaBlu Yoga, and a new community began coming together for a dozen different offerings, from Align & Flow to VinYin. Plus, the studio operates on a “karma compassion pay scale,” so if you’ve spent all your pennies on spring rafting through world-famous Brown’s Canyon and the Numbers, playing in up to Class IV rapids, you don’t have to pay much for a class. Spend the morning strolling around the new South Main development (which also emerged about 10 years ago); get your greens, beets and avocado in a House Rock salad in the eponymous establishment, and enjoy an afternoon of bouncing along the Arkansas in a rubber-sided raft, perhaps the best transportation of all: high-impact fun, low impact on the planet.

www.jalablu.com www.americanadventure.com

SARAH TUFF DUNN is an award-winning writer with nearly 25 years of experience writing health, fitness, travel and adventure features for such national outlets as The New York Times, Condé Nast and Men’s Journal, among others. Educated at Middlebury College and Columbia University, she began her career at Time Inc., reporting for Time and co-founding Time for Kids before joining Wenner Media and then serving as executive editor of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. An runner, skier and mom of two children, 10 and 11, she lives in Louisville, Colorado.

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Dunton Hot Springs photo courtesy of: Dunton Hot Springs; Buena vista photo by: Beth Grimes with Yellowfeather Photography

DUNTON HOT SPRINGS:

outside / Winter + Spring 2019-2020 GEAR 2

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1. Smartwool Intraknit 200 Baselayers Fewer seams, an articulated performance fit and body-mapped ventilation help to cut down on bulk with these baselayers. They’re breathable and allow you to move more freely, so you can stay warm (but not too warm) during activities and in variable conditions. Top $120; Bottom $130 www.smartwool.com 2. Gregory Tetrad 60 This adjustable travel backpack carries a week’s worth of gear (so some laundry and you can stay longer). We especially love the deployable daypack that can make room for all your necessities on a day hike or a weekend escape. $219.95 www.gregorypacks.com

commute or workout, streaming podcasts and music to your ears with ease. $79.99 www.iliveelectronics.com 4. Le Send Le Bent Ski Socks Experience ultimate comfort with Le Bent’s merino and bamboo blend. The Le Send tackles the main goals of a ski sock: to provide warmth, breathability and security in the boot. $32 www.lebent.com 5. Garneau Premiere Snowshoes These snowshoes have an innovative feature that caught our attention. The harness system lets you micro-adjust the entire fit of your snowshoe with the twist of a single BOA® knob. $234.95 www.garneau.com

6. Julbo Hal Helmet Comfort and modern design make this stand out among ski helmets. From freetouring to the slopes, it offers protection for male and female skiers looking for a lightweight, stylish and highperformance helmet. $99.95 www.julbo.com 7. Amundsen Peak Anorak Every snowy adventure should be combined with a stretch waterproof anorak. Amundsen has perfected it, making this piece ideal for ski touring and other outdoor play. Tested in Antarctica, the combination of stretch, waterproof and breathing capabilities ensures a combo of full protection combined with the comfort you need. $499 www.amundsensports.com

3. iLive Truly Wire-Free Earbuds No more wires with these earbuds. Bluetooth makes for a more enjoyable and entertaining

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by bobby l'heureux

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8. Kari Traa Tove Jacket The Kari Traa Tove Jacket is a slim and sporty jacket dedicated to outdoor training and running.

For added coverage the sleeves are extra-long and the fixed hood can be adjusted. Reflective strips on the cuffs and back make a statement at night. $140 www.karitraa.com 9. Pakems Cortina When it’s time to lose the boots, pull our your Pakems. This lightweight and packable accessory is ideal for covering your feet postyoga or apres-ski. $49.99 www.pakems.com 10. Suunto 9 Baro GPS Watch Keep moving with this ultimate fitness and adventure companion. This SUUNTO offers up to 120 hours of continuous tracking and supports more than 80 activities, using GPS data and the barometric altimeter to track time, distance, pace, elevation and ascent/descent. $599 www.suunto.com COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

11. Patagonia Untracked Jacket The three-layer 92-percent recycled nylon GORE-TEX stretch fabric designed for this ecoconsciously produced jacket makes it windproof and waterproof yet still breathable. Hit the powder with no worries, as the watertight, coated zippers and adjustable powder skirt will keep you dry all day. $649 www.patagonia.com 12. Headsweats Thermal Headband This medium weight and moisture-wicking headband for unsurpassed is lightweight, wicking, breathable and quick-drying. Your ears will thank you during every hour of outdoor activity this winter. $18 www.headsweats.com 13. Julbo CYRIUS Ski Goggle Skiers and snowboards will appreciate the superwide and unobstructed field of vision offered by these goggles, designed with a photochromic

lens that adapts to the UV lighting conditions in real time, combined with a proprietary anti-fog coating for perfect vision and total protection in all conditions. $219.95 www.julbo.com 14. Salomon Predict RA Running Shoes Keep your road running game strong through the winter and spring with these super stable and highly cushioned Salomons. These running shoes gives great support and a smooth ride. $160 www.salomon.com 15. ROMP Custom Skis Based in Crested Butte, ROMP Skis will make you custom skis to maximize your skills. Chat with Caleb about your style, choose a ski shape that fits your type of skiing, fill out the form during the check-out process, pick a graphic and prepay for your skis online. From $750 www.rompskis.com

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wellness / Ayurveda

Ayurvedic Rituals for Harmonizing with the Cycles of Nature

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yurveda is an ancient system of medicine that regards nature as our greatest healer, teacher and guide. In Ayurveda, it is said that we are in our best state of health and vitality when we are living in harmony with our natural environment in its cycles.

In modern society, we’ve in many ways lost our innate and primal connection to nature since we designed our cities and our lives to be protected and separate

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from the natural world.

While it is beneficial for our stability and overall survival to be more securely protected from the elements and threats of the natural world, we’ve also lost a part of what makes us creatures of the earth: connection to and awareness of our natural environment.

Before commercial farming and indoor housing, humans had to rely more on their senses and their external environment

for food, water and shelter. The health of our bodies is literally wired to function based upon our surrounding environment.

Since awareness of our environment has become less necessary in order to survive day to day, the majority of our culture has lost touch with the impact of the environment to our bodies, and vice versa. Below are a few ways to explore how to reconnect to the natural environment in your own life:

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Photo by: vincent guth

by Kaity Rose

Photos by: david billings; dana devolk; kobu agency; ksenia makagonova

BALANCE YOUR CIRCADIAN RHYTHM:

SEASONAL EATING:

PURIFY YOUR WATER:

Our bodies rely on the light and temperature of the sun and moon in order to know when to secrete certain hormones. For example, melatonin, a hormone known for its ability to put us to sleep, is secreted when the body receives signals from the environment that it is nighttime, including a drop in temperature and darkness. With artificial lighting and heating our bodies receive mixed signals about what time of day it is, which could be one contributing factor to the rise of insomnia and various hormonal imbalances that we find.

Likewise, exposure to sunlight throughout the day gives our bodies a signal that it is daytime.

Sunlight has been thought to stimulate the release of serotonin, a hormone connected to our feeling of happiness. Seasonal Affective Disorder (seasonal depression) is linked to lack of sunlight exposure and, with many modern people working indoors rather than in the elements, most of us do not get outside enough each day to receive the amount of sun exposure and vitamin D needed for optimal health. Try sleeping in cooler temperatures at night and, if you’re able to, use candles or lights lower than 45 watts as your light source after the sun sets. Try to get at least 30 minutes of sunlight exposure each day (while taking necessary UV precautions to protect your skin from sun damage).

Eating seasonally used to be our only option. Humans only had access to the fruits, vegetables, roots and plants that were growing in the natural environment. Nowadays, most of us have access to a huge variety of foods from all around the world at our local commercial grocers, whether they are in season or not. However, new research has shown that our microbiome is meant to shift and change with the seasons.

Dr. John Douillard, a leader in the field of Ayurvedic medicine, shares that seasonal microbes optimize our digestion, mood and immunity based upon when and how we need to eat. As the seasons shift and change, so do our bodies and doshas, including what we need in order to remain in balance. Do your best to eat local, seasonal, organic food and go to the farmers market for your food supply.

Eat for your dosha and the dosha of the season you are in — eat a pitta balancing diet during summer through early fall, vata during late fall through winter and kapha during late winter through spring.

Another important consideration is the quality and source of your water. Since the advent of commercially used pesticides, synthetic hormones, chemical based weed killer and other pharmaceuticals, environmental pollution often runs off into our drinking water which can create imbalances in our body. Many people nowadays use reverse osmosis water filters, which are great at removing glyphosate, fluoride and other substances from our water, but also deplete our water supply of the natural minerals the body needs for health and balance. Consider using a water filter for your home that not only removes harmful substances, but also remineralizes.

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UNPLUG: Our systems tend to be overstimulated and desensitized due to all of the stimulus we have in our modern-day life; advertisements, artificial lighting, artificial smells, television, radio, news and magazines and so on. There is simply more information coming into our system than we could ever successfully digest and absorb. Immerse yourself in nature for some time each day with no electronics and allow your senses to relax and be nourished by the natural world. If you don’t live near a calm place in nature, you could consider finding a quiet, natural environment for taking a personal retreat.

KAITY ROSE is a certified yoga therapist and retreat leader based in Boulder, Colorado. Kaity specializes in helping women heal and recover from anxiety. Her style of teaching invites students deeper into selfacceptance and awakening their inner wisdom. Kaity has been practicing yoga for 15 years. Her daily practice provides a means of connecting to the wisdom of the body and the earth, and through teaching she helps others do the same. Follow her on Instagram at @kaityroseyoga or visit her webpage www.bewildearth.com to connect.

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wellness / Health

WARM WATER SPAS FOR

WELLNESS + WORKOUTS By

Photo courtesy of: SunWater Spa

Wendy Wilkinson

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alled an outdoor oasis, Colorado is perhaps best known for its remarkable number of ski resorts, hiking trails and challenging 14er peaks and mountains. But equally unique is the state’s history of natural mineral and hot water springs, which have created a culture of their own. Thought to boost blood circulation, relieve both pain and stress and even promote a better night’s sleep, hot water may not be the cure-all, but who couldn’t use a relaxing and rejuvenating hour or afternoon soak in Mother Earth’s natural bath water?

Are there health benefits? To put it simply, yes. These mineral springs have made historic Colorado towns health destinations for more than 150 years; and where indigenous peoples and animals have experienced their curative properties for several thousand years.

The springs contain such minerals as calcium, necessary for bone and tooth formation; magnesium, vital for nerve and muscle health; potassium, which produces an electrolyte that helps maintain a healthy blood pressure, as well as copper, fluoride, iron and zinc.

Hot water spas, as they are known for their hot soaking pools and natural hot rivers, now offer an array of water classes and treatments to enrich the experience. SunWater Spa in Manitou Springs gives health seekers the opportunity to soak in seven cedar tubs, filled with heated mineral water from neighboring Seven Minute Spring.

“Minerals are easily absorbed through the skin and into the digestive system,” says Mitzi Pasternak, lead aquatic therapist at SunWater. “Soaking in the water creates homeostasis in the body — the process of balancing within and without as minerals pass through the skin. [It] can also create a relaxing, stress-reducing benefit. The heat caused blood to expand to the body’s surface, flushing lymphatic fluid through the muscles and stimulating tiny organ cells to tell muscles to relax.”

Pasternak is also a Watsu Practitioner, which is a rhythmic and relaxing therapy, incorporating nurturing support, stretching and shiatsu techniques in water. Other water treatments conducted in the warm saline pools at SunWater include, Aqua Yoga and Cranial-Sacral, a gentle, nurturing, non-invasive therapy that supports your body’s nervous system and alignment.

Aqua yoga is a low-impact, flowing yoga practice that is suitable for everyone.

Practicing in the water promotes stability, core strength, joint health and balance.

Aqua yoga practitioner Jeanie Jungbauer has been personally practicing yoga since 2002, and acquired a full 200-hour yoga teaching certificate from Cambio Yoga in 2013. “Some of my students feel more confident in the water than on land. In the warm water you can stretch and move deeper, as your body is able to hold a pose better and longer, especially if you’re dealing with an injury,” Jungbauer explains. “You can be more flexible in the water — with effortless movement that strengthens your body.”

Manitou Springs is not the only area that offers soaking and wellness classes in the hot mineral springs. Glenwood Hot Springs Resort is the most visited hot springs destination in the state. Constructed entirely from rock and fed by the hot springs, these pools are nestled right into the ground rewarding you with a unique rustic connection to Mother Earth herself.

Each Rocky Mountain hot spring has its own unique blend of minerals and temperatures and Glenwood Hot Springs Resort is no different. Native Americans called it "Yampah," which means Big Medicine. There are 15 minerals found in the water of the world’s largest hot springs pool. Glenwood Springs offers daily Swim Fit classes for overall toning and improved core strength in a non-impact environment.

Although Avalanche Ranch Hot Springs near Carbondale does not offer any well-

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, and Morgan Freeman & Friends, Caribbean Cooking for a Cause.

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ness classes, the resort does boast three cascading pools that flow into one another, culminating in a three-foot waterfall into the largest pool; all designed around the natural landscape and rock formations of the dramatic Crystal River Valley. +

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nother way to garner the benefits of water is through flotation therapy which is thought to speed up recovery after sports activities, decrease anxiety and help recover from physical injuries. A tank, which is pitch black light and sound proof, is filled with 10 inches of water heated to the same temperature as the skin.

The water contains enough dissolved Epsom salt to create a specific gravity.

DREAM & DREAMS FLOAT SPA is located in Avon, Colorado, and believes that flotation therapy has real health benefits that “can truly change your life.”

“The practice has been around for over 60 years and is sensory deprivation — no sound or light sound light, and the soaking in Epsom salts gives the body complete buoyancy,” explains Dreams Float Spa owner, Dimitar Minkow. “By not fighting gravity, your body has more resources; including slowing down your mind, which can help people with sleep disorders, as well as increasing your dopamine and endorphin levels.”

VIVE FLOAT STUDIO in Frisco and Denver specializes in Cryotherapy where the body is exposed to extremely cold temperatures for several minutes, along with Halotherapy, which is an alternative treatment that involves breathing salty air. Some claim that it can treat respiratory conditions, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and allergies.

www.sunwellness.net www.avalancheranch.com www.visitglenwood.com www.dreamsfloat.com www.vivefloatstudio.com

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wellness / Health

TAKE THE

Wellness Plunge Learning About the Kneipp Hydrotherapy Cure

By

Photo by: Tourism Whistler

Marie-Piere Belisle-Kennedy

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photos courtesy of: Asta Kovanen

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pa stands for Solus per Aqua and means healing by water. On a recent trip to the alpine village of Brand, Austria, I was intrigued to learn more about the small glacier-fed pool accessible to visitors and the sign in German that explained the “Kneipping” process. Since my German is limited, thankfully the other people there guided me through it: “Come on, walk slowly through this icecold water, lifting your feet out of the water with each step! Twice around the circle!”

As I grimaced my way out of the uber cold bath, they explained I had to walk barefoot on each surface until I reached a wood bench by the fire pit. Stones, cedar chips, grass and even glass were part of this outdoor circuit, so I obliged, enjoying a different yoga pose on each for grounding benefits. This rather “cool” experience led me to search for who was this Sebastian Kneipp, touted as the founder of naturopathic medicine that lived from 1821 to 1897.

There are many published health studies on the "Kneipp Cure" form of hydrotherapy. Kneipp was a Bavarian priest. Revered for hot and cold water therapeutic uses, his approach actually included five tenets: hydrotherapy, phytotherapy (use of plants, warm bags with herbs, herbal teas and essential oils), overall exercise, nutrition and balance. He believed a healthy mind was the foundation of a healthy person. Kneipp's book “My Water Cure” was published in 1886 with many subsequent editions and translated into many languages.

After his death, various organizations were created to teach his methods. In 1891, he founded an organization that promotes water healing to this day, and in America, Kneipp Societies were founded which later became the Naturopatic Society of America.

Kneipp’s definitive “water contrast therapy” involves alternating between hot and cold baths. The heat draws blood to the surface, activating sweat glands and eliminating toxins, while the cold-water drives blood away from the surface and has an invigorating effect while closing up the skin’s pores.

Alternating hot and cold water can reduce inflammation, may be used to improve circulation in the digestive area, and stimulate blood flow and lymphatic drainage. As the body aims to warm itself up in response to a cold plunge or shower, it boosts the met-

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abolic response and activates the immune system in the process, strengthening the body’s natural defences. In addition to the physical health benefits, cold water is also believed to positively affect the mood; it is believed to prompt the brain to produce noradrenaline, one of the chemicals responsible for keeping you upbeat. (I’d say once the initial shock wears off!)

Seriously speaking, we must keep in mind that there are some risks associated with cold water plunges for certain situations (such as heart conditions, pregnancy, etc.). It is always best to consult with your health care provider first. Medical peer reviewed studies tout countless well-

ness benefits, but remind everyone that hydrotherapy shouldn't be used as a substitute for standard care in the treatment of any health condition.

Fast forward to 2019, it does seem that cold-water training or cryotherapy has become the latest trend for athletes and non-athletes alike. Back in Canada, I regularly enjoy the soothing powers of the various Scandinavian spas which usually involve a few hot cycles in the sauna for at least 15 minutes, followed by cold water river or waterfall rinse and controlled breathing. Resting is then key to complete this cycle, to let the heartbeat and body temperature naturally adjust to these

The author Kneipping in Brand, Austria

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wellness / Health

COLD WATER IMMERSION HAS MANY PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON THE BODY:

Everyday, Asta Kovanen immerses her body in a lake in Whistler, British Columbia.

Increased alertness Stronger immune system Boosted mood Quicker cooling after sports activities Improved physical recovery Reduced pain

Photos courtesy of: Asta Kovanen

According to an article in the Journal of Medical Science, applications of cold water can have local anesthetic-like effects for pain relief.

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

self-imposed stressors.

Last spring while on a ski trip to Whistler, British Columbia, I heard about a local mermaid … the mythical woman who made her way down to the lake, day in and day out, to bravely shed her layers and slip in a mountain lake from the ladder of the dock.

No matter the season or the floating ice around her, most often with a friend each carrying a towel and hot tea; her name is Asta Kovanen.

In the Whistler tourism blog she had described the feeling of immersing her body into the freezing cold water as feeling of “heightened sensation of cold climbing its way up your body as you lower yourself down … your body wakes up immediately, encouraging you to reconsider. But you keep going.” I caught up with her by phone and we immediately hit it off, hearing her describe the rush of her daily ritual and the beautiful community that such activities attract.

Born in Canada from Finnish parents, she explains that the sauna culture was very strong in her veins. “Early on, I recall the saunas and the snow baths or cold showers. They like to say ‘A Finn without a sauna is lost’ – like a fish out of water, literally.”

Nowadays, Kovanen has access to the outdoor sauna of the Scandinave Spa where she works as a massage therapist. After discovering the joy of the cold lake dips over the year, it helped her recuperate from injuries, reduce pain from inflammation and improved the occasional seasonal blues.

I had to ask how it felt after so many days in a row …

with maybe a few seconds and gradually increased the time.”

WERE YOU SHIVERING LESS, DID IT GET EASIER? “Yes. I felt like I’d woken up. We were truly connecting with the seasons. We started

Acknowledgements to Scandinave Spa Whistler for its hospitality. www.scandinave.com/whistler/en/

WHAT ABOUT THE RISKS INVOLVED? WOULD YOU ADVISE ANYONE LOOKING TO TRY TO ALWAYS HAVE SOMEONE WATCHING THEM? “Yes. My husband Leslie is very safety conscious, with his adventure background and all. So, safety first and skip a day when you feel run down or otherwise under the weather.”

I HEARD THAT COLD WEATHER PLUNGE HAS BEEN USED FOR CENTURIES TO HELP ALLEVIATE CERTAIN MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES TOO, LIKE A MILDER FORM OF SHOCK THERAPY FOR THE SYSTEM. “I would agree it helps boosts your mood.

This lake ritual cut through that feeling and really turned the lights up, addressing that feeling of heaviness. The way you feel after is so worth it, I would say I am addicted to this habit now. Even turning to cool water at the end of your shower for a minute can be beneficial.

I am someone who likes to experiment on myself, and I would say this cold-water experiment, after over 300 days, is a definite success. Life is basically your own experiment — it is what you choose to do.”

Of course, on New Year’s Day, the popular Polar Bear Dip tradition brings out the friends and the community. But don’t do it just for an adrenaline rush — there are many other ways to get a rush especially in the Rockies! This approach is a gentler way to self-care. +

MARIE-PIERE BELISLE-KENNEDY is a freelance writer and the owner of www.5StarCom.ca based in Chelsea, Qc, Canada. She spends most of her time by lakes and mountains with her husband and sidekick, their Labrador who often travels with them all over. Main interests include alpine skiing (covering the FIS World Cups), yoga, SUP, hiking, meditation and Barre. Her work has been published in Ski Canada Magazine, Ski Presse, Aspen Real Life, Compass, Globe and Mail, skionline, SkiPro, Tremblant Express & Après-Ski Country, to name a few. You can connect with her through IG @MP_inthemountains and Twitter @5starMP.

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Photo by: allie smith

wellness / Inspiration

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Unblocking Love

And Revealing a Path of Healing By Marisol Cruz

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y youngest sister, Maritza, committed suicide at the age of 25.

A few months after her death, almost unconsciously, my two other siblings and I started practicing yoga together — something we had never done before. I have practiced yoga for over 10 years, but the poses never felt the way they did when we all practiced together for the first time. I felt sensitive to the experience of yoga. I felt exposed, open and unfiltered.

With every fold, I could feel the heaviness of sadness pouring out through the top of my head. With every twist, I felt the squeezing of fresh grief from my body.

I was convinced that everyone in that class sensed that we were incomplete. I was certain that everyone could feel that we were missing our baby sister. Instead of breathing deeply into my practice, I held my breath to hold back tears. I could not keep up with the rest of the class.

That day, yoga turned me inside out.

The calm, quiet sensation I normally felt after class was a disorienting whirlwind of emotions. I was exhausted. I plopped down on the bench next to my brother and sister, wiped the sweat from my face and sat with them in silence. Nobody wanted to be the first to speak. This is the power of yoga: when the breath slows, the curtains open, the light comes in and we are left standing, unguarded, with nowhere to hide.

Yoga gives us that gift, even if it does not feel like a gift in the moment. In that openness, we can examine ourselves deeply, shedding light on our mental patterns and physical habits. We become the quiet observers of energy, or prana. In that moment of quiet observation, our true selves are laid bare.

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I was revealed. The doors I had closed to protect myself from feeling the truth of my sister’s death were exposed. The emotional dams I built inside my body were cutting off my ability to feel sadness and love. I was disconnected – unable to find stability in my body.

One of the great principles of yoga is that prana moves within the physical and subtle bodies uniting us with all living creatures on the planet. The subtle body, like a thin sheath within the physical form, houses the chakras (energy centers) and absorbs the experiences of life. Yogic philosophy tells us that prana can get obstructed due to our physical and mental patterns. Prana can become restricted when we get stuck in our past experiences — when we do not allow for assimilation. When we cannot accept the passing of a loved one, we block the natural flow of energy through the body and we become disconnected from the flow of energy around us.

I always enjoyed yoga, but after Maritza died, my practice changed along with my whole world. In my grief, I was choking off my emotions, my prana and my divine connection to the planet. In blocking the experience of her death, I also blocked love. I was so focused on processing – processing and analyzing events instead of feeling through them. I was thinking

and doing instead of feeling and being. I was stuck in the cycle of thinking about Maritza and her suicide and trying to get rid of grief by doing, doing, doing. I was blocking the possibility of experiencing her love in another form. I was blocking the pure consciousness that she is, the pure existence of her energy that is free to flow in and out of time, experience and form. What I needed was to be more open, be more aware and be more loving; be open to the possibility of experiencing my sister in another form; be open to the love and energy that we can still share.

Yoga taught me that grief is an unveiling of ourselves as we learn to love someone who has transcended the physical form.

Grief is digging deeper and realizing our oneness with the divine source of all beings.

I walked away from that first class with my brother and sister with a resounding awareness that I had work to do. I committed myself to studying the connection between prana and healing, and that I would be open to the possibility of experiencing my sister’s energy in other forms on this planet.

Her suicide is a profound lesson in love; the way that love transcends form, time and human comprehension. Maritza continues to teach me and show me how to live. Her loving energy is with me on this path, on this planet. +

For the past 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 young son.

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wellness / Inspiration

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Rings of Relationships

by Jessica Waclawski

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he well-being of our relationships determines our own personal well-being. When our relationships become disconnected, we struggle to thrive. This isn’t because we’re too needy or codependent; this is purely because we are hard wired to be deeply connected to one another. We are, after all, social mammals designed to be in interconnected communities. The adage, “it takes a village” sums up our evolution.

But sadly, we are more disconnected and lonely than we’ve ever been before.

Loneliness is even considered an epidemic and a public health concern. Our cultural prioritization of independence and going at life with a solo approach has left us dying to be touched, held and understood. Quite literally …

With the over valuing of independence, we’ve lost sight of the importance of interdependence, where we build connections of reliability and consistency. With interdependence, I trust that you are there and that I can vulnerably call out for help, knowing I can’t do it all. I also respond when reached to by a loved one. This is healthy. Thinking we can carry the heavy load of life alone is not healthy, or frankly realistic, for anyone.

Our relationships have layers and these layers impact one another. I have a concept of three core layers or what I call, “The Rings of Relationships.”

They are relationships: 1. With our own self 2. With each other 3. With our world + nature

WITH OUR OWN SELF This is the inner most ring. Our connection to our own self holds immense power and it sets the tone for how we show up in the other two rings. If we aren’t clear on

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our worth, our lovability and if we aren’t connecting to our emotional self, we aren’t available to connect to anyone else.

Because the key to all connections are our emotions. So, getting to know yourself emotionally is central to developing a solid relationship with … YOU! TIP: Connecting inward is a practice. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling? Where do I feel it? What is it like for me?” And just start exploring the sensations of feelings without judgment. Just notice!

WITH EACH OTHER The next ring and the middle ring that builds a beautiful bridge to ourselves and our world, is how deeply we connect with one another. The essence here is the great risk of getting vulnerable. Opening up, revealing what’s in your heart and really showing up in relationships. Cultivating meaningful connection requires us to use the emotions we explore with our own selves to give to others through compassion and empathy. If you aren’t willing to try out some vulnerability, your relationships can’t and won’t grow.

TIP: Get curious! Come from a place of being interested in your relationships. Drop the judgment and try to understand more

about this person. Questions like “What was that like for you? What did you learn? Could you tell me more so I can understand?” are great ways to show curiosity and to slow down a conversation.

WITH OUR WORLD + NATURE When we are connected with our own emotions and we show up interested with empathic concern in our relationships, we end up caring a whole lot more about our earth. Compassion breeds compassion! And boy do we need it right now. Our earth is needing some TLC and as human beings, we have a long history of the earth caring for us. Good ol’ mother nature has been providing for our needs in an abundance of ways since we showed up on this planet.

TIP: As you practice connecting emotionally with yourself and others, expand this to include the world and nature. Practice seeing how you are connected to the natural world. From what you eat, to what you do, to the air you breathe. The next time you eat a meal, pause and reflect on all that went into getting that food on your plate. And specially the role mother nature played. Give gratitude and begin to think more mindfully about where your food comes from. +

JESSICA WACLAWSKI is the owner of the Vail Relationship Institute, where she practices as a therapist. She specializes in strengthening and repairing relationships, working with couples and individuals. She creates unique workshops, retreats and intensive experiences. All because she believes relationships matter most. Learn more about Jessica at www.vailrelationshipinstitute.com.

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Photo courtesy of: Jeff Jepsen

wellness / Food

JEFF JEPSEN is an Ayurvedic health coach, writer and vedic meditation teacher who specializes in helping individuals find optimal wellness through the Vedic traditions of India. His mission is to empower individuals to connect back to nature through nutrition and the simple lifestyle practices of Ayurveda. He currently teaches for yoga retreats, wellness events and yoga festivals. He is available for one-on-one sessions in person and online.

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Roasted Parsnip Soup WITH MEYER LEMON PICKLE recipes by Jeff jepsen

FOR THE SOUP 1 lb parsnip 1 cup cashew 4 cups water 3 tsp salt Directions:

Cut parsnips in half and place on a tray. Drizzle with olive oil and place in 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place the parsnips in blender with water cashews and salt.

Blend on high and add more water to adjust thickness if needed. Season with salt.

MEYER LEMON PICKLE 2 Meyer lemons 2 tsp salt 2 tsp raw sugar 1 tsp pink peppercorn 1 tsp ajwain seed Directions:

Slice lemons, and place in a small bowl. Toss salt, sugar, and spices with the lemons. Place in small glass jar. Cover and allow to sit for at least two weeks.

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wellness / Food

POMEGRANATE CHUTNEY

1 cup dried pomegranate seeds, organic seeds available through www.nwwildfoods.com

It’s quick and easy to make and can be consumed daily. For best results all ingredients should be organic.

1/2 tsp white poppy seed 1/2 tsp green cardamom seed 1/2 tsp black peppercorns

Directions:

Combine spices and pomegranate seeds in mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Crush or grind spices to rough consistency. Combine in a small bowl with remaining ingredients. Use a little water to adjust the consistency to your liking. Other ingredients such as mint or olive oil may be added to suit your individual liking.

1 lime juiced Salt to taste

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YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Photo courtesy of: Jeff Jepsen

This simple pomegranate chutney enhances the flavor of all your favorite dishes while calming the mind and aiding in digestion.

Lift your mood, support your digestion and enhance oxygenation to the brain.

A delightful herbal tea with three simple ingredients traditionally known to have many benefits.

BLISS TEA

INGREDIENTS 2 Tbsp dried lemongrass 1 tsp dried rosemary 5 pink peppercorns 2 cups water Directions

Photo courtesy of: Jeff Jepsen

Rosemary helps boost the immune system while improving blood circulation. The herb also nourishes the brain, improving memory and concentration. Lemongrass helps deliver the rosemary faster to the brain and provides relaxation. Pink peppercorn enhances oxygenation to the brain. Also available through SVA Ayurveda at www.chandika.com.

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wellness / Food

5 WAYS TO SHOW YOUR

Love for the planet

By Changing How You Shop, What You Eat + How You Clean Up

By Dr. penny wilson

E

ating in a way that nourishes our bodies while caring for the earth can seem daunting at times. Below are five ways you can change how you shop, what you eat and how you clean up that can make a difference.

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

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BUY LOCAL OR CLOSE TO YOU. Look for local vendors for your produce and meats. For example, you could join a local CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture). Shop at farmer’s markets. If you eat animal-based meats, buy part of an animal from a local farmer. You can also split CSA boxes and other purchases with friends and neighbors. You’ll be supporting local farmers and having your food take a shorter trip from the farm to your table.

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Photo by: brooke lark

CHOOSE PRODUCE, BEANS AND LEGUMES. We’ve probably all been told to eat our vegetables (and fruits). What our parents were telling us was not only good for our bodies, but also good for the earth. Vegan and vegetarian diets produce smaller carbon footprints than diets that include animal products. Meats from ruminants (cows, goats and sheep) produce the highest carbon footprints of animal products. If you want to include animal proteins in your eating, choose chicken, pork and fish.

The World Resources Institute estimates that for every gram of protein, beef production beef uses 20 times the land and emits 20 times the emissions as producing beans.

Choosing protein sources with smaller carbon footprints makes a difference with each meal.

GO NATURAL. Buying organic produce helps reduce the amount of synthetic pesticides used; if you buy local you can talk to the farmer to see what they use for fertilizer and pest control. It is safer for the farm workers who are not exposed to these pesticides. Pesticides used when growing produce can also impact air and water quality. However, organic produce can be expensive. I use the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen as a starting point for choosing what to buy organic versus conventional. In general, if it has a peel that I don’t eat, I’ll buy conventional.

COLORADO INSPIRED COLORADO SOURCED

DITCH THE LANDFILL. When we started composting, I was floored at how much food scraps we have. Now, rather than these scraps going into the landfill, they go into the compost pile and then on our landscaping. Check out different ways to compost, including using worms to compost (fun for the kids!) to having a compost bin that is turned occasionally.

Some local trash companies are starting composting programs, too.

GROW YOUR OWN. Growing your own produce means that it doesn’t have to travel to get to your table. Or, if it does, the trip is a short one. You can also control the methods used including whether or not you choose to use fertilizers or pesticides. If you have space, you can setup raised beds and fill them with produce you love. Depending on your level of commitment and space, you can make the beds as small or large as you want. Many communities have community gardens that provide raised beds for minimal cost for those who don’t have space for them.

If you want to grow produce in your home, there are several innovative companies with growing methods optimized for small space.

Aggressively Organic provides kits that allow you to grow all sorts of produce in minimal amounts of space. There is also the AeroGarden and similar products that help you grow produce in small spaces. If you don’t have a horizontal place to grow your produce, there are lots of ways to grow them vertically on a wall.

If all of this is overwhelming, but you want to give it a try, you can start with a couple of pots and some herbs of your choice.

For example, rosemary and mint are two hardy plants that are hard to kill (trust me, I can grow them). Not only will you have fresh herbs when you want them, you won’t have to buy those tiny plastic boxes of them anymore.

Loving the planet and nourishing our bodies doesn’t have to be an either/or choice. It is an AND choice. Every choice you make makes a difference. You don’t have to cut out all red meat if you’ve been raised with it as a main part of your eating. How about starting to make a different choice than red meat at one meal a week? How about choosing to make one meal a week based on beans or legumes? Or, if you want something more ambitious, you could jump on Meatless Mondays and make Monday (or any other day of the week) all vegetarian or vegan meals.

If you want vegetarian and vegan recipe ideas, check out www.allrecipes.com or www.meatlessmondays.com. +

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

126 S. 5th Street Grand Junction, CO 81501 970-314-9736 www.tacopartygj.com

SEASONAL COLORADO CUISINE WHERE EVERY ITEM HAS A STORY

225 N 5th St #105 Grand Junction, CO 81501 (970) 243-4543 www.bin707.com

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events / Gatherings

FEBRUARY 20-23

Colorado Environmental Film Festival

T

he Colorado Environmental Film Festival aims to inspire, educate and motivate people through the viewing of feature length and short series films that relate to ecological, social and economic themes. Each year the goal of the festival is to cultivate connection with others through film and spur dialogues about how to turn awareness into action when it comes to protecting and preserving the environment.

The festival will take place at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden, Colorado. During the festival, films from foreign, local and young filmmakers will be shown, and there will be a photography

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SACRED CYCLE

KEYNOTE + EXPERT PANEL APRIL 8, 2020 5:45-8:30 P.M. DOUBLETREE BY HILTON, VAIL

A

exhibition as well as the opportunity to listen to a keynote speaker. The 2020 speaker will be Cheryl Opperman, a nationally acclaimed nature photographer, who will share her knowledge and passion for the environment.

Additionally, there will be an Eco-Expo where members of the community — business, locals and volunteers — can apply to host a table where they can share their goals and ideas for bettering the environment locally and globally. +

free Sacred Cycle event with, survivor and keynote speaker, Trish Kendall, followed by an expert panel discussion to raise awareness and educate on sexual abuse including regional industry leaders of youth empowerment, mental health, suicide, addiction and outdoor recreation. Sacred Cycle’s mission is to empower survivors of sexual abuse and sexual assault through therapy and cycling, creating a sacred cycle of recovery, personal development and community impact. Kendall inspires women to achieve success no matter their obstacles by sharing her climb from the pit of despair to the peak of success.

Learn more about the festival and CEFF at www.ceff.net.

More info: thesacredcycle.org/events/

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PHOTO COURTESY OF: COLORADO ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL

GOLDEN

WinterWonderGrass Music & Brew Festival STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

Photo courtesy of: WinterWonderGrass Festival + DYLAN LANGILLE

FEBRUARY 21-23

S

ustainability is at the forefront of this annual Colorado bluegrass gathering, and founder Scotty Stoughton has made sure the ethos holds true for the other WinterWonderGrass events in Squaw, California (March 27-29, 2020) and Stratton, Vermont (April 10-11, 2020).

"Growing up surfing and skiing, luckily, I have always had a deep reverence for the health of our planet,” shares Stoughton. “Seeing ocean pollution, mismanaged waste and garbage situations on my travels made me want to become a leader in this space. When given the

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

opportunity through WinterWonderGrass, we would implement extensive environmental measures in our little universe.

Since day one, my entire team has been working to become the leaders, not only with the management of our consumption but in spreading information. Fortunately, we linked up year one in Tahoe with Marina McCoy, who has built a business around innovative and bold environmental initiatives, and she pushes us each year to walk the talk."

The lineup for Steamboat this year will definitely not disappoint, from Greensky Bluegrass, Billy Strings and Margo Price as

headliners along with greats that include Keller & The Keels, Molly Tuttle and Pickin’ on the Dead.

This weekend really has something for everyone — the event is comprised of huge, decorated, heated tents, an outside main stage, a kids zone, VIP lounge, coffee bar, local food trucks, access to some of the most iconic skiing in the U.S. and daily craft beer sampling. Not to mention all the sustainability efforts that keep the gathering as conscious as it is fun, year after year. +

www.winterwondergrass.com

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events / Community Listings

December

Thai Yoga Massage Training with Steven Bumbry

Edwards, CO December 7 + 8, 2019 Join Steven at Mountain Soul Yoga for an exploration into Thai yoga massage. Students will learn Thai yoga massage philosophy, history, ethics and spirituality, as well as an introduction to the Sen lines. At the end of the training you will be able to perform a complete 90 to 120-minute Thai yoga massage. www.mountainsoulyoga.com

Winter Solstice SoundOff Yoga Nidra with Jeremy Wolf

Denver, CO December 14, 2019 What if the incessant voice inside your head could be helpful? What if that voice becomes the doorway into meditation? This special event honors the cycle of nature where we slow the pace of our minds through a fusion of the ancient technology of yoga nidra combined with the modern technology of SoundOff headphones. www.metameme.org/jeremywolf/events/

FNYC at Samadhi Golden Triangle

Denver, CO December 20, 2019 Join Sarah Shaw with DJ Erin Wimert for a thoughtful, well-rounded yoga and music experience. Both Sarah and Erin are well-trained, and their collaboration creates a seamless flow for your Friday night! www.fridaynightyogaclubdenver.com

Ugly Sweater Brew Run with Breckenridge Brewery

Littleton, CO December 22, 2019 Join Rocky Mountain Brew Runs for a special ugly sweater themed brew run and fundraising party. This flat and fast 5k-“ish” course will take you along the beautiful Platte River Trail. Wear your most festive, ugliest holiday gear and get ready for some magical winter fun! This Brew Run is dog, stroller and family friendly. Kids 12 and under run free. www.rockymountainbrewruns.com

January

Colorado Spring Fitness Expo

Colorado Springs, CO January 4, 2020 Live fitness classes where you can try some of the hottest fitness formats available in Colorado Springs. You can meet local trainers that will help you accomplish your goals. After your workouts check out the vendor showcase for healthy nutrition, accessories and skincare. www.coloradospringsfitnessexpo.com

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Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival

Breckenridge, CO January 9 – 11, 2020 The 20th anniversary of the perfect combination for a winter wonderland getaway and a worldclass beer festival. Meet renowned brewmasters and brewery owners, taste hundreds of big, Belgian-style and experimental beers. Explore beer and food pairings and learn from an impressive array of brewmasters and industry experts. Even join some brewmasters and CO YOGA + Life® for a yoga and beer pairing class. www.bigbeersfestival.com

Aspen Gay Ski Week

Aspen, CO January 12 – 19, 2020 AGSW initially began from the efforts of a couple of local Aspen-ites to dance in the bars with other men, but turned into a landmark civil rights case. The week-long festival is the longest running gay ski week in America.

It serves nights of parties, concerts, films, symposiums and dinner. www.gayskiweek.com

Mountain High Music Festival

Crested Butte, CO January 16 – 18 2020 This exclusive, intimate event features small venues, the largest being 500 people. Enjoy a diverse lineup of the world’s best performers along with the most buzzed about, up-andcoming talent who will come together for an eclectic mix of mile-high musical performances. www.mountainhighmusicfest.com

Borealis Fat Bike World Championships Crested Butte, CO January 24 – 26, 2020 Head over to Crested Butte for your chance to become the next Fat Bike World Champion!

This annual race welcomes all skill levels.

There will be free bike demos, a vendor village, fat bike polo, live music, awards, a group ride and free beer. www.crestedbuttemountainbike.com/borealisfat-bike-world-championships/

February Project Funway

Vail, CO February 1, 2020 This unconventional fashion event challenges amateur designers to create unique garments out of anything but fabric and send them down a runway to be critiqued by expert judges.

The challenge is to raise funds for Education Foundation of Eagle County. The approach is avant-garde and fun for everyone. www.efec.org/project-funway

The Sandman – Wonderbound

Denver, CO February 14 – 23, 2020 Venture into the gritty splendor of the Wild West and be introduced to the dangerously clever and wicked villain, The Sandman. Garret Ammon will use characters ripped from the lyrics of acclaimed alternative country band Gasoline Lollipops to bring his newest full-length adventure to life. Will be shown at two Denver area locations. www.wonderbound.com

WinterWonderGrass Steamboat

Steamboat Springs, CO February 21 – 23, 2020 The 8th annual WinterWonderGrass Colorado returns to the authentic western home in Steamboat Springs. WWG brings a more integrated music, mountain and brew experience. WWG is part music festival, part beer tasting, part snow holiday and part family reunion for all ages. This community gathering focuses on sustainability, local nonprofits, kids’ experiences and support to the arts. Join them at two other locations Stratton, Vermont, and Squaw Valley, California. www.winterwondergrass.com

March

Rocky Mountain STEAM Fest

Longmont, CO March 7 – 8, 2020 Experience all the fun that you can possibly imagine under one roof. With over 100 indoor, hands-on activities, this event has something for everyone no matter how young or old, tall or short, nerdy or not! This two-day festival focuses on science and art activities. Drone, combat robots, ooey gooey experiments, burning and exploding things, high tech and fine arts, marking and building, food trucks, great beer and spirits, and so much more. www.makerbolder.com/steam/

Winter Backcountry Getaway

Ouray, CO March 12 – 15, 2020 This all-inclusive, three-night getaway is held in a newly built lodge nestled in the striking San Juan Mountains. Join Jessica Waclawski of the Vail Relationship Institute, along with Kim Fuller and Bobby L’Heureux of CO YOGA + Life® and In Your Element for a weekend of backcountry skiing or ice climbing (all-levels), daily yoga flow and guided meditation and conversation. www.vailrelationshipinstitute.com/ winter-getaway

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Frozen Dead Guy Days

Nederland, CO March 13 – 15, 2020 Come to one of the most unique and quirky festivals in the country for three days of frosty merriment. 30 live bands, heated super tents, coffin racing, costumed polar plunging, frozen t-shirts contests and much more. Celebrating its 19th year paying homage to Bredo Morstoel, who is frozen in a house in a tuff shed on dry ice high above Nederland. Colorado’s most frigidly fun festival! www.frozendeadguydays.org

Body Mind Spirit Expo

Denver, CO March 20 – 22, 2020 This event exhibits a vast array of crystals, metaphysical treasures and many more holistic services in the Ayurvedic and herbal, medical and pharmaceutical industries. It is a converging point of many notable business professionals to proliferate already-growing industries. www.bmse.net

April

Horsetooth Half Marathon

Fort Collins, CO April 19, 2020 Sign up for the 47th running of the Horsetooth Half Marathon! Your race will take you on a scenic point-to-point journey from Hughes Stadium, the former home of the CSU Rams, to the finish line party at New Belgium Brewery.

You will tackle the challenging hills of Centennial Drive along the shorelines of the Horsetooth Reservoir before you head downhill on the Poudre River Recreation tail. With a net loss in elevation this is a surprisingly fast course. www.horsetooth-half.com

5Point Film Festival

Carbondale, CO April 22 – 26, 2020 This is an amazing adventure that pushes the boundaries of film making and content bringing an inspiring experience of short films that takes over the town of Carbondale. The focus is stories with a human element bringing in their five guiding principles: respect, commitment, humility, purpose and balance. Get your tickets the day they release to secure your spot. www.5pointfilm.org

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Colorado Holistic Fair

Campout for the Cause

May

June

Fort Collins, CO May 2, 2020 The Colorado Marathon is an annual event that also includes a half marathon, 10K and 5K run.

Attended by runners from all over the U.S., the marathon advertises itself as "America's Most Scenic Course." www.comarathon.com

Vail, CO June 4 – 7, 2020 The country’s largest celebration of adventure sports, music, yoga and the mountain lifestyle.

Professional and amateur outdoor adventure athletes from around the world converge upon the mountains and rivers of Vail. www.mountaingames.com

Brighton, CO April 25 – 26, 2020 Colorado Holistic Fair provides people with the opportunity to discover aspects of themselves through astrology, tarot, palmistry, clairvoyant readings, aura portraits, psychic development classes and other intuitive arts.

Experience healing modalities from massage and reflexology to energy balancing and biofeedback, to name a few. Sample healthy green drinks, vitamin supplements and nutritional products. www.holistic-fairs.com

The Colorado Marathon

Total Wellness Retreat at Mount Princeton Hot Springs

Buena Vista, CO May 3 – 7, 2020 The Total Wellness Retreat is a five-day, four-night, all-inclusive lifestyle-change program located in the idyllic setting of Mount Princeton Hot Spring Resort and led by medical providers and staff from Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center. Participants will experience total immersion into lifestyle change using a comprehensive model for health improvement. You can also enjoy fun leisure-time pursuits like bike riding and spa services throughout the retreat. www.hrrmc.com

In Your Element Moab 2020 Yoga + Adventure Retreat

Moab, Utah May 15-18, 2020 Join In Your Element for good times around the fire at Moab’s Goose Island campsite. Navajo Sandstone cliffs and the Colorado River provide the backdrop for the morning and evening yoga and meditation practices. Enjoy gourmet camping cuisine for breakfast and dinner, and free time during the day to explore Moab’s world-renowned trails, rocks, rivers, rejuvenating spas and unique downtown. moab-2020-inyourelement.eventbrite.com

Buena Vista, CO May 29 – 31, 2020 The tradition of Campout has always been founded in connection, conversation, passion, sport, music and feeling more inspired upon exit than arrival. The bands, yogis, workshops and general vibe have been carefully curated to most effectively help stick to the foundational ideals with a focus on interpersonal connection.

Come for music, conversation, yoga, bonfire connections, create family or just to take your shoes off and run in the grass! www.campoutforthecause.org

GoPro Mountain Games

Telluride WOW Festival

Telluride, CO June 11 – 14, 2020 The festival inspires, motivates and educates. It’s a weekend for everything health and wellness related. This is for those who are ready to get back to the simplicity of life, for those ready to stop and enjoy the beauty of nature, good food, healthy activity and good company. Customized programs for each guest based on personal needs and goals. www.telluridewow.live

Hanuman Festival

Boulder, CO June 11 - 20, 2020 Hanuman Festival is a national reUnion of yogis and is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Open your heart and experience awakening, belonging and connection in a four-day celebration of world-class yoga, mindblowing music, inspirational experiences and nourishing community. www.hanumanfestival.com

Telluride Yoga Festival

Telluride, CO June 25 – 28, 2020 A four-day yoga and wellness gathering featuring world-class presenters and more than 100 offerings including yoga, meditation, music, hiking, dining, SUP yoga, social gatherings and more. Join this amazing event in a special mountain setting. www.tellurideyogafestival.com

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partners / Directory

where to find us A Purposeful Path

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

Aspen Shakti

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

Barber’s Den

057 Edwards Edwards, CO www.mountainbarbers.com 970.926.8091

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

Bhava Yoga

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

Body Therapeutics

Endorphin

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

Yoga/Barre

www.myendorphin.com 303.993.4041 + 2700 S. Broadway Unit 201 Englewood, CO + 2212 Kearney St. Denver, CO + 3115 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO + 2501 Dallas St. STE 144 Denver, CO + 66 South Logan St. Denver, CO

Cycle/HITT

+ 2738 S. Broadway Unit 201 Englewood, CO + 3170 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO + 10155 E. 29th Dr. STE 130 Denver, CO

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

+ 3210 Tejon St. Denver, CO

Bonsai Design

GOAT Training

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

Bookworm of Edwards

295 Main St. Edwards, CO www.bookwormofedwards.com 970.926.7323

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

Eagle Climbing + Fitness 700 Chambers Ave. Eagle, CO www.eagleclimbing.com 970.328.0893

Earth Yoga Boulder

3000 Folsom St. Boulder, CO www.earthyogaboulder.com 720.593.1008

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+ 7555 E. Academy Blvd.

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

High Country Healing

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

Hovey & Harrison

56 Edwards Village Blvd.

Unit 120 Edwards, CO www.hoveyandharrison.com 970.446.6830

Hydrate IV Bar

www.hydrateivbar.com + Bonnie Brae 753 South University Blvd.

Denver, CO 303.209.0989 + 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 www.hyggelife.com 970.331.5745

jalaBlu Yoga

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

Kaiut Yoga Boulder

www.kaiutyogaboulder.com 720.696.0401 + 1925 Glenwood Dr. Boulder, CO + 4800 Baseline Rd. #D206 Boulder, CO

Little Lotus Yoga

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

Lole Vail

Solaris Plaza, 141 E Meadow Dr #112 Vail www.lolelife.com 970.476.7504

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

Meta Yoga Studios

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

Mindstream Yoga

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

Mountain Soul Yoga

56 Edwards Village Blvd.

Unit 204 Edwards, CO www.mountainsoulyoga.com 970.446.6485

O2 Aspen

408 S. Mill St. Aspen, CO www.o2aspen.com 970.925.4002 YOGALIFELIVE.COM

Old Town Yoga

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

Piante Pizzeria

Terry Street Collective + Fluid IV Lounge 610 Terry St. Longmont, CO www.terrystreetcollective.com www.fluidivlounge.com 720.295.5690

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

The Conscious Merchant

Revolution Power Yoga

The Root Kava Co.

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

Ridgway Yoga Shala

540 Sherman Ave Ridgway, CO www.ridgwayyogashala.com 970.218.4799

Root: Center for Yoga & Sacred Studies 617 N. 17th St. Ste. 200 Colorado Springs, CO www.rootdownandgrow.com 719.209.2108

SCP (Soul, Community, Planet) Hotel 2850 S. Circle Dr. Colorado Springs, CO www.scphotel.com 719.430.5400

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

Sunshine Massage Studio

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

SunWater Spa

El Paso Blvd.

Manitou Springs, CO www.sunwellness.net 719.696.7077

Sweaty Buddha

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

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

COYOGALIFEMAG.COM

2220 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO www.theconsciousmerchant.com 720.696.4840 1641 28th St. Boulder, CO www.therootkavabar.com 303.856.3851

The Yoga Tonic

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

Thrive Yoga

www.thriveyogafruita.com + 326 Elk Ave. Crested Butte, CO 970.349.0302

Wax It Skin Studio

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

Wild Hearts Yoga

11552 Newland St. Westminster, CO www.wildhearts.yoga 281.730.9403

Yeti’s Grind

www.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 www.yogacenterofsteamboat.com 970.875.4568

Yoga House

+ 332 E. Aspen Ave. Fruita, CO 970.349.0302

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

True Nature Healing Arts

Yoga Loft Boulder

Vail Public Library

+ 633 S. Broadway Unit N Boulder, CO 720.612.4321

100 N. 3rd St. Carbondale, CO www.truenaturehealingarts.com 970.963.9900

www.yogaloftboulder.com

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

+ 6565 Gunpark Dr. Unit 108 Gunbarrel, CO 720.612.4321

Vail Vitality Center

Yoga Mountain Shadows

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

Village Bagel

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

VIVE Float Studio

www.vivefloatstudio.com. + The Cross Roads 720 Summit Blvd., Ste 101A Frisco, CO 970.668.0136 + 250 Steele St., Ste 110 Denver, CO 303.377.8483

4663 Centennial Blvd.

Colorado Springs, CO www.yogamountainshadows.com 719.799.6697

Yoga Off Broadway

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

Yoga Pod® Boulder

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

Yoga Pod® Lowry

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

97

namaste

Gregory Alan Isakov,

“LIFE IS ABUNDANT, AND LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. AND IT'S A GOOD PLACE THAT WE'RE ALL IN, YOU KNOW, ON THIS EARTH, IF WE TAKE CARE OF IT.” Alice Walker 98

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