Breath Deep This Summer in Sun Valley

“Listen to the silence, it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows.” ― Native American Proverb.

The mountains have called you here, regardless of the route you took to arrive and now you can breathe in the cool, crisp morning air gently warmed by the Idaho sunshine and allow it to fill your soul. Time in nature is a gift that allows us to connect with something larger than ourselves and yoga offers that moment in a busy day of Sun Valley adventures to set your intentions and focus on the present. “We love having the opportunity to offer yoga classes to the community and Resort guests in such an inspiring outdoor setting here in Sun Valley,” states Lauren Bourgeau, Events and Community Partnership Manager for the Resort. Whether this is your first-time rolling out a yoga mat, or you have a daily yoga practice, we welcome you to join us for one or all of our many classes this summer at Sun Valley Resort!

Come-as-you-are complimentary yoga classes are offered throughout the summer months at various venues around the Resort. At River Run Plaza, the Brass Ranch sponsors an all-levels yoga every Tuesday and Saturday at 9 a.m. beginning on June 21st (with the exception July 5th &  9th) through August 30th. At the Village, The Spa at Sun Valley will offer free yoga on the Pavilion Lawn at 10 a.m. on five Wednesdays throughout the summer; July 13th, August 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th. Participants of all ages and skill levels are welcome to join these community gatherings and encouraged to bring their own mat, water, sunscreen, and sunglasses. 

For a truly memorable yoga experience, splurge on a “Yoga on the Mountain” class which is held high atop Bald Mountain at 9,150 feet! These one-of-a-kind yoga sessions take place on the deck of Lookout Lodge overlooking the endless mountains of the Sawtooth National Forest and the Pioneer Mountain range. Sessions are offered on Sundays at 10 a.m. July 10th through August 28th and costs $60 which includes instruction and a lift ticket to the top of Baldy. Registration for Yoga on the Mountain can be made online or at the Recreation Office in Sun Valley Village. After a beautiful savasana to set your intentions for the day, hike down one of six high-alpine trails taking in the 360-degree mountain views or just hop a scenic ride back down the mountain on the lifts.

“With such an active community here, it is important for us to take the time to slow down, inhale, exhale, and be still in the present moment to maintain our gratitude for living, working, and vacationing in such a beautiful area,” Tracy Harper, Sun Valley Spa Director reminds us. Outdoor yoga requires flexibility and strength together to adapt to both mentally and physically. Rather than being in a climate controlled room, you will have the natural air surrounding you which may be chilly, warm, breezy or all of these within one class. The surface that you practice on will not be perfectly flat like an indoor studio floor, challenging your balance and micro-adjustments as you trust your body to adapt. Sights and sounds will grab your attention, requiring you to be focused completely in the moment which allows for a deeper connection to yourself and the world around you. 

Sun Valley’s yoga classes are taught by a local team of certified, all-levels yoga instructors who call this beautiful mountain town home. On any given day, you will enjoy the gifts that our nature-inspired instructors bring to each individual class. Abby Mills and Jennifer Kuhlman are two such instructors who have been teaching for the Resort for several years. Abby brings a calming, creative and fulfilling practice to the Tuesday morning sessions. She focuses on movement and breath work to get you into your flow state through a moving meditation. When she’s not practicing on the mat, she is working within the community as the Development Director of the Flourish Foundation, a local nonprofit that focuses on revealing the human potential for leading a wise, moral and compassionate life. Jennifer brings a unique gift to her classes as she incorporates singing bowls to enhance further meditation and an enveloping sense of well-being to those who attend class.

Whatever has drawn you to this little mountain town, weave a yoga experience or two into your Sun Valley experience. We think you’ll be glad you did!  “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.’”— Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar