A dream of mine came true this summer when I had the opportunity to lead a small group of friends together on a yoga-focused backpacking trip in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada.
These two seemingly separate disciplines are incredible when paired. I’ve known it inside for a long time… long before my first teacher training, when I was working in the backcountry for Sequoia National Park, I would practice yoga in the evenings to release sore muscles after expending energy all day hiking to our study sites. I would meditate in my tent in the mornings, swaddled in my sleeping bag, watching my breath in the cold. When deepening my study of yoga in the studio, especially as we learned about tapas (discipline, inner fire) and inner strength, I would recall my backpacking days of pushing through my discomfort to continue on. When my feet hurt, I would chant a mantra to thank them with each step. The stillness and quiet of the backcountry, being immersed in the amazing creation that is Mother Earth, allowed me to find that deep source of centering within my own self.
I’ve done several solo trips where I prioritize yoga and meditation, and I’ve practiced a little bit of yoga when on other group trips. But to coordinate a community yoga-focused experience was something completely unique. I’ve tried to initiate this in the past but things have always fallen through… usually due to a challenge in finding support to navigate permits or things of that nature.
A beautiful group came together with me this year on my very first ‘beta’ trip. The energy was balanced; we came together as a community. We walked in silence and we shared stories. We laughed together, explored the world together, and explored ourselves. Each of us had moments of catharsis and discovery as we experienced pure joy as well as healed wounds that only being in the backcountry for a week can do.
Each morning was greeted with meditation, mantra, and an awakening asana practice. We had a relaxing breakfast, and would pack up for the day’s walk. For the most part, we hiked about 5-7 miles/day. We even did a short cross-country short-cut which was the first time some people had done any off-trail hiking. We stayed at the hot springs for two days relaxing, and enjoyed an amazing partner+Thai massage session led by my friend Sierra. In the afternoons, I mixed up the yoga itinerary a little bit, offering a mix of yin/gentle yoga, yoga nidra, and free time. Each day was themed with learning about yoga philosophy such as the kleshas (afflictions, causes of suffering), yamas and niyamas (ways of living), and other excerpts to reflect on from the yoga sutras. The stepping away from all of the worldly distractions in conjunction with carefully selected material to process created a truly transformational experience, in mind and body.
The challenges to getting this together were significant: the constant changing conditions of COVID, the fires (I was under evacuation on the days leading up to the trip, and just a couple days after our return all forests in California were closed due to fire risk), missing the deadline for a commercial use permit and deciding instead to take a leap and offer this as a small friends-and-acquaintences-only yoga-themed trip instead of operating in a way that brought in any financial reward. But when you are on the path to doing something you are meant to do, things come together magically.
