After a weekend ski vacation spent riding the slopes at Arizona Snowbowl in Flagstaff, I woke up stiff and sore this morning. An evening yoga class is definitely on my agenda today. That got me thinking of how pleasant it would be to combine a ski weekend with a yoga retreat. Instead of heading back to my Flagstaff hotel and hitting the sheets after a day of skiing, I could unwind with an evening session of downward dog and namaste.
Well, it turns out that I am not the only one with that idea. There are a number of outfitters that have created ski and yoga retreats in some of the West’s most scenic spots. Here are a couple of groups to check out if carving and chaturanga sound like an appealing combination:
Big Sky Yoga Retreats: Montana’s expansive Big Sky Country is the perfect place to immerse yourself in a combination of outdoor fitness and yoga. Big Sky Yoga Retreats, proposing to put a little “yeehaw” in your Namaste, offers a variety of packages throughout the season to help you discover the peace that comes from practicing yoga and being connected to nature. As they put it, there is a lot of space in Montana – space for your body to strengthen and relax, for your mind to free itself of harried urban mindsets, and for your creativity to blossom.
These all-inclusive ski and yoga retreats for men and women include both cross-country and alpine skiing. This will maximize your winter fun while connecting both techniques to your yoga practice. The yoga for skiers program focuses on warming up muscles for cold weather, creating proper body alignment, breathing techniques, and increased strength and flexibility in the knees and hips.
The retreats are held at Mountain Meadows Lodge, and the skiing takes place at both Big Sky Resort, for alpine skiing, and Lone Mountain Ranch for Nordic.
Babes in the Backcountry: These workshops, for women only, take place at a variety of resorts in Colorado, California/Nevada (Lake Tahoe), and even internationally. One of their most popular retreats is the Backcountry Yoga Hut trip in Breckenridge, Colorado. This guided cross-country skiing hut trip includes morning yoga, healthy meals, and two days of instruction on backcountry travel skills.
Another popular trip is the Powder Babes Cat Ski Trip near Winter Park, Colorado. For intermediate and advanced skiers and boarders, this workshop includes morning yoga, all day guided backcountry skiing reached by snowcat, coaching on powder skills, and a gift bag.
Alta Lodge: If you are looking to combine yoga with skiing in Utah, the Alta Lodge offers a retreat that combines yoga instruction with both resort and backcountry skiing. The all-inclusive retreat features one day at Alta Ski Area (no snowboarders allowed) and two days in the surrounding backcountry, along with five yoga sessions over three days. Participants need to be intermediate or advanced skiers able to ski ungroomed terrain, as well as fit enough to hike 3,000 feet in elevation gain.
I have been doing Yoga since college and i love the way that it can relax my body. yoga is great for stress relief. *
Yoga is a must nowadays. Its not only healthy but also keeps away certain diseases.