This past year has been full of abundance, one of my 2014 words of the year! I have been gifted so many beautiful products, so very much love from my students (on the mat and around the world), as well as the most recent gift of receiving TWO beautiful Vermont retreat getaways.
Back in March I was asked to attend a blogger weekend for Perfect VT and boy was it ever {prefect that is}. I LOVED their facility: full of love, compassion and small town banter. It was well constructed that I kept calling my brother and sending him photos of the amazingly constructed facility. Everything was made from real trees, homemade furniture was rampant and hand crafted antiques lined every wall. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
When I was asked by Gerry Scott to attend the Stowe Mountain Ranch Retreat / Yoga Reaches Out retreat with some beautiful studio owners & top fundraisers, I was wondering how I could refuse and also secretly wondering how he could top Perfect VT. I of course said yes to this last minute opportunity and left my studio in the capable hands of my teachers for my first real time away from the shala.
My first impression, as I was driving through the hills of the sounds of music was the beauty surrounding me. I was driving through the rain all Thursday afternoon and I wanted to keep my windows open despite the downpour. The smell of fresh air and beautiful green scenery was intoxicating. The lush green mountains, the lack of reception and the farms dotted along the highway were exactly what I needed for the next four days. As I sped along the highway, I could not imagine what lay ahead.
To say I was impressed at first glance would be an understatement. The facility is beautiful! A beautiful home-style retreat ranch tucked into Stowe Mountain and a mere walking distance from Stowe Mountain Retreat & The Von Trapp Family Hills, this space was a little haven. Three horses, a beautiful old lady lab and a richly dark bunny rabbit await your arrival: as does glasses of wine, delicious homemade vegan dinners and friends I had never met before.
As I walked into the hall, a few women were already in the hot tub on the porch as the rain fell on their shoulders and the horses neighed in the background. The mountains were really just showing off in the distance as the fog rolled in and the laughter grew louder. The smell of our welcome snacks and introduction to our weekend chef, Tess was just the tip of the iceberg.
Then I met Gerry.
Gerry is LOUD and FUN and a beautiful soul. He is so blindly in love with the home and retreat space he’s created that it bubbles over into his personality. He cares for Black Jack, Cheri Amour & Annie Oakley as though they are his children and not horses. This was apparent through his introduction of us to his beautiful ladies and tall dark & handsome stud, but it was even more so as we traveled through the woods on our horseback ride/hike. The yoga ON TOP OF his horses was a measure in Gerry & Cheri’s patience, dedication and love for one another. Gerry kept saying that his Chef Tess was helping him step up his game, but it was his overwhelming love & joy in running this space that really rose the overall score of Stowe Mountain Ranch Retreat.
As the weekend went on, we were toured around The Sound of Music Hills, The Stowe Mountain Resort, The Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory, The Cider Factory and The Cabot Cheese Factory. I never made it to Ben & Jerry’s, but they were down the street as well! We had time to shop, to ride horses, to relax in the hot tub/sauna, to practice yoga every SINGLE day in the living room that overlooked the barn and the mountains, to eat delicious & healthy meals family style and to laugh deep into the night with our new friends who were strangers just days before.
If you are looking for a retreat space, I’m unsure if I could produce any more flowery & truthful words to describe the ranch. The resounding YES that I felt running through my body at the end of the weekend is still on a mini high and we will be sure to be visiting from Barefoot Yoga Shala in the next year.
Stowe Mountain Ranch Retreat offers: running with horses, yoga with horses, horseback riding/trail riding and daily yoga. It offers 24 beds, a sauna/hot tub, beautiful scenery and an abundance of rainy day activities. It offers Black Jack, Cheri Amour, Thumper, Annie Oakley & Chrissie. It offers delicious, homemade food from Chef Tess and a warm and beautiful welcome from Gerry Scott. To say I recommend is an understatement. GO NOW!! Enjoy your time in the mountains and be sure to give the horses a kiss from me.
Get out there, do YOGA & make life sparkle!
Namaste,
Jenny
This weekend could NOT have been made possible without Yoga Reaches Out. YRO is a beautiful charity organization that donates monies to children’s charity’s through annual yoga-thon events in New England and The California Bay Area. Sarah Gardner & Laurin Panzano are some of the most beautiful and dedicated souls I have ever met. Thank you from the bottom of my soul for all that you do, all that you are and the invitation of me to your sacred retreat space. This opportunity was unlike any I have ever had and to be able to share my energy, my teachings and my love all weekend was a blessing beyond reason. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being you. Namaste ladies.