Cow Girl Yoga
Every year there are articles about doing yoga outside. I've written about it, too---as a detractor. B.K.S. Iyengar says we need a clean, open space, free of bugs and other distractions to practice yoga--this often does not describe the great outdoors! Flies and bees buzz around your head, needles and leaves fall in your eyes, creepy crawly things appear from the earth and then swarm your feet. On a New York rooftop, the noise of horns, engines, and shouting is often unnerving. But here's a kind of outdoor yoga I might get into: Cow Girl Yoga! In Montana! Horses! Meadows! Wildflowers! Smell of saddle soap! Big Sky Yoga Retreats in Bozeman, not far from Yellowstone National Park, offers 5 days in the wilderness to "improve your saddle skills" (hello!) as well as your asana practice and overall well-being. Photo by Larry Stanley c/o Big Sky Yoga
BSYR says, "Imagine a week of yoga and horses - a girl's dream come true. Explore how both can put you in touch with your potential and teach you a lot about yourself. We'll practice yoga, spend time with horses, and kick up our heels in cowgirl-friendly Bozeman." (Sorry, guys. Seems like this fun's for girls only right now.)
First Cow Girl Yoga retreat of the year is May 31 - June 5. Followed by 3 more through the summer, as well as several long weekends. The only downside is the expense ($2,750 for 5 days, plus travel and car rental) and the corporateness of it. It is after all, Cow Girl Yoga™. And you know how the combo of corporate and yoga gives me the willies.
(But then they just go over the edge by partnering with Dude Girl ---an outfitting company for dudettes on horses and yoga mats--!)