I’m a huge fan of the high I get after planting my feet on a cushy yoga mat for an invigorating Vinyasa yoga practice, but there’s nothing quite like the high I can get on a sunny day on top of the Rocky Mountains with my feet strapped to a pair of skis.

I just took a trip out to Colorado for some skiasana, and in addition to getting some kick ass Rocky Mountain highs, I also had the opportunities to take my yoga off the mat and onto the slopes. And of course I picked up a few important life lessons along the way:

1)      Live the dream. While waiting in line to ride up the mountain, we were greeted by a perky young lift operator from Michigan. When I asked how he was, he answered, “Great! I’m living the dream.” Despite the cold, he was doing just that because he was doing what he loved in an incredible place. What a perfect reminder to live with gratitude, do what you love every day, and live your dream.

tree pose

Living the Dream with a big smile plastered on my face!

2)      Smile through adversity. One day the weather was nasty – cold, heavy snow, windy, foggy – so much so that my husband and I were having visibility issues. As we rode the lift back up the mountain, a heavy wind was blowing what felt like sharp mini pellets of ice into our faces (and (and the lifts in Colorado are long!). I made a comment that the ice was stinging my face, and the guy on the lift next to me said, “Just put a smile on your face and power through it. When you’re having  fun, it just doesn’t matter.” He gave me the exact same advice I give my students when they are in a difficult pose like utkatasanaSMILE and enjoy the ride!

go with the flow

3)      Go with the flow. These signs were everywhere we skied. This is something we all need to do a little more of – both on and off the slopes. Instead of fighting against the current of what life throws you, just go with the flow. I’m here to tell you it is a helluva lot more enjoyable and peaceful way to live.  I’m going to petition that we get these signs installed everywhere – just imagine what a positive impact that could have on our mental health!

4)      The poster girl of Style and Grace. If it wasn’t for hot tubs, I could never ski for more than one day, so every night my husband and I headed to the tubs for a soak. One night we were near a woman who was in her 80s and a bunch of men who were bragging about their speed going down the mountain that day. The lady looked at me and said, “I prefer style and grace over speed.” Amen, sister! There’s plenty of fast out there. In my book beauty, style, and grace are always the way to go both on the yoga mat and off.

5)      Listen to your inner guru. I always tell my students that they are their own best teachers, and I listened to that advice when I was on the slopes. When your legs start to call your name in the afternoon, listen to them and get your butt off the slopes and to après ski.

6)      Take time to rest. One of the things that I love about yoga are those little breaks in child’s pose when you get take a rest. The rest is just as important as the work and gives you the chance to come back to your breath. When my husband and I travel to ski, we typically go on short trips and feel like we have to ski every day. This year we took a day off in the middle, and it was one of my favorite days of the trip – super relaxing with plenty of time to rest the legs and recharge.

7)      Be a control freak. I didn’t get a picture of this, but there were a lot of signs on the slopes that just cracked me up, and one of them said – Be A Control Freak! Certainly this is an important mantra on the ski slopes, but not so much off the slopes.

8)      Be present. On the morning of the last day of our vacation, I started to get that last-day-of-vacation angst – you know where you start dreading having to go back home to all the responsibilities waiting for you. But I’m proud to say that the feeling was fleeting and I quickly kicked myself in the ass. After that I allowed myself to be fully present in the moment and enjoy every last morsel of this vacation. It was an awesome day of skiing in the sunshine, and I got my…

DDog Vail

Rocky Mountain High!

Living the dream, living the yoga throughout every day, going with the flow, and getting those natural highs with style and grace… aahhhh, life is good!