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Visit Athleta Chi and read Outdoor Yoga: Poses for Hikers
Our 2010 Eat Pray Love Yoga & Hiking retreat will be at the Big EZ Lodge
in Big Sky
YOGA & HIKING RETREAT WEEKENDS
What a treat! I just spent the most amazing weekend surrounded by mountains that comforted me like a blanket. Hiking in the cool air of Montana in the autumn (along with a little drizzle) was enough to open my breathing as deeply as an asana practice...The views were amazing and seeing deer, elk, and moose were an added bonus. Affording my body both yoga and hiking in the same weekend was a true balance. Many people will tell you that they are the most spiritual when they are in nature. Others will tell you it's when they are in meditation or yoga. For me it's all of the above...and to combine them was a powerful weekend. Add to that great friends...gourmet food, and the weekend reached great heights. -Christine, Bozeman
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for more testimonials!
Friday-Sunday, September 3-5, 2010
This retreat has one single room left! $1,370
"Yoga is the effort to experience one's divinity personally and then to hold on to that experience forever. Yoga is about self-mastery and the dedicated effort to haul your attention away from your endless brooding over the past and your nonstop worrying about the future so that you can seek, instead, a place of eternal presence from which you may regard yourself and your surroundings with poise. Only from that point of even-mindedness will the true nature of the world (and yourself) be revealed to you". - Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love
$995 per person based on double occupancy; we will place you with a roommate if you do not have a travel companion. Single accomodations are very limited and are an additional cost, please inquire. A non-refundable deposit of $375 is due to hold your reservation. Reserve online
Yoga Weekend schedule:
- Friday afternoon: arrival*, yoga session, dinner, intention-setting session
- Saturday: morning meditation, breakfast, morning yoga class, lunch, afternoon hike, late afternoon restorative yoga class, dinner, evening get-together, hot tub time
- Sunday: morning yoga, breakfast, discussion, optional hike & picnic lunch, goodbye!
we will offer a to-go lunch on sunday for those having to catch earlier flights, otherwise we will picnic on our hike
*if possible please plan your arrival at the Big EZ between 3-4 pm on friday; we begin our program at 5 pm. It is approx 1 hour drive from the airport to the Lodge. For those not renting cars, shuttle options will be provided following registration (at additional cost); we highly recommend renting a car, as given the remote Lodge location shuttle options are expensive
*please note our full weekend schedule, if you would like to book a massage, plan to arrive earlier in the day on friday, or schedule your appointment after 2 pm Sunday.
One of our hikes is to nearby Ousel Falls, a stunning, powerful waterfall. The wide, awesome falls crash down over the canyon walls to the narrow canyon floor. The mist created by the falls feeds the moss covering the rocks. The trail to the falls is abundant with wildflowers and has a sweeping 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains
FALL YOGA & HIKING WEEK-LONG RETREAT
Picture yourself on some of the best hiking trails the West has to offer, savoring the crisp fall mountain air. You won't even notice the great cardio workout you're getting, you'll be so amazed by the scenery. We'll stretch and strengthen your muscles with daily pre and post hike yoga sessions, and cap off our active days with soaking those muscles in the Lodge hot tub. Each day will offer a different hike, with a variety of terrain and scenery.
$2,750 per person based on double occupancy; we will place you with a roommate if you do not have a travel companion. Single accomodations are very limited and are an additional cost, please inquire. A non-refundable deposit of $500 is due to hold your reservation. Reserve online
One of our hikes on this retreat is to Lava Lake, a popular hike in Gallatin Canyon. It is 6 miles round-trip with an elevation gain of 1,600 feet. The 40 acre forest-lined lake sits in a small valley surrounded by granite walls with the majestic Spanish Peaks rising in the distance. It is the only lake in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness that was not glacially formed. The trail climbs through thick evergreen forest, parallels the scenic, cascading whitewater of Cascade Creek, and passes turbulent Hoodoo Cascade and a few waterfalls.
Check out the spectacular photo album of our October 2008 week-long yoga & hiking retreat, by retreat alumna Carole MacLean at Creative Memories!
Just create a login and link directly to the album here.
TESTIMONIALS
EPL retreat testimonial:
Within 2 weeks, I found myself unemployed, suddenly single, and just shy of not having a roof over my head. I remember reading Elizabeth Gilbert's account of her own bathroom meltdown and thought that I myself was a hair's breadth away from having my own episode. But rather than depart for Italy and India, I journeyed instead to Bozeman...to attend my first Big Sky Yoga Retreat. It was more than what I could have hoped or imagined. I healed my body through exquisite yoga, my mind through the book discussions, and my soul by surrounding myself with nature...I was surrounded by the most inspiring women and thank all of them for their time and attention...I now have the confidence through the Eat Pray Love yoga retreat to let go and let live. -Christine, Washington DC
Words cannot express how amazing last weekend was. It always amazes me how a group of women from all walks of life, from all over the country, can gather for just two days and be able to talk openly about so many things. You provided a place where it was safe to let go, to open yourself up, to be in the moment. Every last detail was taken care of so that we didn’t have to worry about anything. The Big EZ Lodge is truly the most amazing place I have ever stayed. It wasn’t like staying in a hotel at all…it was like we were guests at a friend’s big, beautiful log home. The yoga, the food, the hot tub, hikes, and conversation…all made for a wonderful weekend. As women, we tend to spend a lot of our time taking care of everyone around us. It was such a gift to have those two days to take care of ourselves. My mom and I had decided that this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to experience together…but after those two days, realized we wanted to make it an annual affair! Thank you for giving us a place to spend time together, just the two of us. We are both better wives, mothers, and friends because of it!
-Amy, Bozeman
Thank you for a great experience. The setting was spectacular. The people I met - of all ages and backgrounds - were wonderful. You are the best and most patient yoga instructor I have had.
-Georgeen, Chicago
Thank you so much for a wonderful weekend! Take it from someone who has 'been there, done that', you have created something quite unique and wonderful; an experience I will always treasure and feel lucky to have participated in. For your success in creating something so special, you have my deepest admiration and gratitude. I am sure I will see you again on another one of your magical retreats!
-Betsy, Los Angeles
I just wanted to thank you for a truly special experience. I feel restored and revivified and have a new-found interest in pursuing yoga with more vigor.
-Gigi, Hilton Head
*at left: Gigi's daughter Marguerite making friends at Chuck's farm!
The yoga and hiking weekend was one of the most wonderful weekends...the 1 on 1 attention during yoga classes, the food was excellent as well as the accommodations, and the beautiful Montana mountains made for the perfect backdrop. I was happy with the entire retreat and have made some great new friends through this experience. I would definitely recommend these retreats to friends and family and hope to come back again!
-Beth, Saint Louis Park
I had a great time and so enjoyed the yoga. Thanks for providing such a lovely refuge for the weekend. We really enjoyed our sister time. You're an inspiration!
-Meg, Houston
I want to thank you for the Mother's Day weekend and the great yoga which has inspired me to find time to practice more. I also thought that you really helped me understand and connect to yoga more spiritually, not just as excercise. So, thank you again for your patience with my being a novice and your enthusiasm. I really felt relaxed and peaceful.
-Heather, Missoula