CY Ranch Camp Round Up

Once again, there are so many fun things going on, I can't keep up here on the blog! Last weekend's Cowgirl Yoga Ranch Camp was a beautiful blend of lovely ladies, perfect Montana summer weather, yoga and horses...and shortly after that finished up, I brought 6 year old to Missoula for a visit with my in-laws combined with yoga photo shoot with MT yoga photog Larry Stanley at the Garden of 1,000 Buddhas in nearby Arlee. Whoa and whew! Stunning images images from that to come. But first, a few of my fave moments at CY Ranch Camp:

• Top-notch birdwatching: we saw a golden eagle, who kept coming back to the same spot throughout the weekend, for our viewing pleasure; and a pair of sandhill cranes with a baby, doing their eerie call and funky bird walk through the field every morning.
• Playfully practicing garudasana eagle pose, krounchasana crane pose, vatayanasana horse pose and gomukhasana cow face pose, in honor of the animals we shared the weekend with.
• A hummingbird visiting our open-air yoga studio while we were meditating the first morning (is there a hummingbird pose...?)
• Cowboy Ron showing off his hula-hooping skills.
• "Boss Mare" Janice racing Red (aka Ready Set Go) up Yeehaw hill - an awe inspiring sight, accompanied by the amazing soundtrack of thundering hooves.
• Me getting to practice dancer pose with my horse Dude Boy during our CY photo session with Larry.
• Our sunset hike up to photo-op hill, where we were surrounded by views of 3 mountain ranges: the Crazies, the Bridgers, and the Absarokas.
• A lovefest with the neighbor horse herd at photo-op: they ran over to greet us, and much sniffing, snorting and gentle nibbling ensued.

Happy last Friday of July! Yeehaw and Namaste.

Namaste Nuzzle

Another picture worth 1,000+...whenever I look at this, I feel a sense of calm come over me.

Headed off the grid tomorrow to our July Cowgirl Yoga Ranch Camp, where this picture was taken recently. Can't wait to meet our next round of Cowgirl Yoginis, and see who else decides to nuzzle the Namaste sign.

Health, Happiness, & Horses

Is it really the middle of summer already?! We are in the throes of Cowgirl Yoga season, and it's always a roller coaster ride. I adore my job, but I also have to be careful to manage my energy. This weekend has brought some much needed downtime and I am grateful. Like with a good yoga practice, you have to find the rest between the work. It's the daily quest for balance that is truly our life's work.

I went into last week's retreat a bit unbalanced. I had just had a bad back episode, and I think my living in London time away caught up with me - I had a lot on my plate and wasn't making much progress plowing through it. I felt overwhelmed. I did my usual fretting over details. Then something shifted; our group of women blended together in a beautiful way. There was honesty, openness, and tons of laughter and silliness. I felt myself lighten up. Although I was the retreat leader, the energy of the group lifted me. Basically, they were doing my job, on me!

For me, one of the most uplifting parts of this last week was having two of our Cowgirls vs. Cancer scholarship recipients here. We plan this program all year, and then when the women arrive, we get to see it all come together. Best of all, we get to see them celebrate health and happiness, with horses. It brings tears to my eyes every time. Thank you Su and Kelly for showing us all how to embrace life, no matter what it throws at you. Thank you Su for your wicked sense of humor that had me rolling on the floor, thank you Kelly for always smiling (I don't think she ever stopped), and for coming up with our hat's off photo opp!

Pictured above are Su & Bridger, plus Cancer B*tch, Su's anti-cancer voodoo doll who also joined us for the retreat; and Kelly with Dillon. See more of Larry's spectacular photos of the ladies in their Cowgirl tees here. Yeehaw & Namaste.

A picture is worth...

...1,000 Yeehaws and Namastes! Hats off to these lovely ladies!

What a photo to capture this week's Cowgirl Yoga retreat. I'm not quite sure how it happened...but as one cowgirl yogini pointed out, the fact that no one even questioned the idea for a moment gives you an idea of how everyone was embracing the experience...and to quote another cowgirl yogini, just going where it took her.

It's a perfect reflection of the fun we had and the cowgirls' fun-lovin' personalities. We had two of this year's Cowgirls vs. Cancer scholarship recipients here - they inspired us all, and reminded us how important it is to giggle like girls. More to share from our week, coming up this weekend.

Photo by Larry Stanley

Poetry in Motion

The nostrils of a racer are like petals of a rose...the neck is an elongated wave from which floats brilliant ripples of silken mane...the ears, inward pointing, are lilies in trembling water, and the whole body of the mythical, yet fleshly, horse sways with the supple strength of wind, sun and sand.

- unknown Arab poet

Photo of the Cowgirl Yoga herd being turned out to pasture for the night - always a breathtaking sight; and a sunset silhouette at Bozeman horsecamp.

A rockin' time at the RRR

I've been a bad blogger. It happens a few times a year; I get so caught up with livin' it that I don't have the time or headspace to write about it. Last week, I took Cowgirl Yoga on the road for the first time, to a dude ranch. It was an exciting and refreshing experience that awakened new possibilities for our program, and for Red Rock Ranch's Spa & Fitness Week next year. As I always like to say - yoga makes everything better. My family got to come along for the dude ranch ride, so not only did I get to do the job I love, but husband and 6 year old (5 year old actually turned 6 at the ranch, and was lucky enough to celebrate with a gorgeous horse head cake!) got to participate in the fun. Here are a few of my fave takeaways from this experience:

• I was awed by everyone who participated in the Spa and Fitness Week. Two of the families that participated have 4 kids. These people were outstanding examples of leading a healthy lifestyle, no excuses. They are teaching their children the importance of good health, and sharing the experience of an active vacation together. So inspiring!
• My first vaulting lesson was pure joy. I couldn't stop smiling for hours! It reminded me so much of yoga, and what it felt like that first time you discover how much potential exists between you and that mat...the same goes for the horse-human relationship. I hope to learn more and ultimately incorporate some elements of vaulting into our Cowgirl Yoga program.
• I also enjoyed my first experiences with square dancing, cow sorting, and team penning - my face hurt from smiling so much! (Picture above is of our team getting the record time of 37 seconds - this after we gave husband a good talking-to when he messed up our first go!)
• Montana's beauty may be #1 in my heart, but Wyoming comes in a close second. The picture above was just one of the breathtaking backdrops for all our riding, hiking and yoga.

Enjoy the pix. Yeehaw & Namaste.