Big Sky Montana 24-31 August 2025
If you’re like me, the West has always beckoned, but you’ve yet to answer the call. Or maybe you’re already at home on the range, but long to add touches of wellbeing and luxury to the natural mystic of mountain life. Look no further than my 24-31August 2025 retreat at the B Bar Ranch (www.bbar.com), located in the heart of Montana’s Tom Minor Basin, a quick half-hour drive from Yellowstone National Park. B Bar is a working organic dude ranch that doubles as a boutique inn dedicated to the holistic health of its guests. Meet me there for a week of fulsome renewal, reconnection with the land and its animal inhabitants and, of course, all-levels guided yoga and meditation. We’ll have the exclusive run of the ranch for the duration of our Montana adventure, as well as our choice of B Bar’s newly renovated A-frames, suites and lodge rooms.
Each morning we’ll wake with the sun to crisp end-of-summer air and enjoy a warm cup on the cabin front porch. With purple mountains’ majesty in every direction, we’ll amble over to morning practice in the yoga yurt, kept cozy for us by the wood stove and radiant-heat floors. Elective activities aplenty will follow our hearty ranch-to table breakfast, from hiking, fishing, and horseback riding to a full day in Yellowstone for those interested in venturing beyond the immediate environs* (see below for more about Yellowstone excursions). Come evening, we’ll reconvene for a relaxing session that might comprise self-care techniques, therapeutic yoga styles and other related modalities. A mouth-watering communal dinner will await us in the dining room, followed by a night spent snug under Montana’s impossibly big sky full of stars.
B Bar’s kitchen is stocked with locally sourced fare, and can be curated to feature the ranch’s delicious organic beef or to suit the strictest vegan. The grounds are far-ranging, including a main lodge outfitted with two commodious porches and a great room decorated in True West style, perfect for a few (or many) deep breaths in repose before the day unfurls in all its multivarious glory.
More about Yellowstone: B Bar Ranch borders Yellowstone National Park, which means we’ll be privy to abundant wildlife sightings, without the crowd. It’ll be calving season during our late-August stay, bringing grizzly bears, elk, moose, wolves, and more to the Ranch land. If you want to enter Yellowstone National Park, which is located 35 minutes from the ranch headquarters, we will offer an elective guided day trip. In Yellowstone, you can experience geyser and thermal features, herds of bison, numerous waterfalls, and countless other attractions. If you’re considering extending your trip, we can also help with lodging and sightseeing recommendations in and around the granddaddy of National Parks.
Tuition: Space in Big Sky Montana 2025 is very limited and will sell out. To reserve your spot, please send an email to [email protected] to arrange your $1000 deposit and subsequent payment schedule (this can be tailored to fit your needs, from monthly to lump-sum payments). See below for lodging categories and pricing for room and board (flights and elective programming, such as horseback riding and day excursions, are NOT included):
Under the Tuscan Sun, 20-27 June 2026
Join Jess for her biennial retreat to Locanda Cugnanello (www.cugnanello.com ), an 800-year old country estate in the heart of Tuscany. Enter the quiet, exquisitely refurbished villa nestled in rolling vineyards and surrounded by olive groves, where the wild, natural beauty of the Italian countryside invites you to reset your natural rhythms to the healthiest standard of deep rest, whole food, full-body exercise and rejuvenating fun. Our intimate group will enjoy on-site chef-prepared meals, cooking classes, wine tasting, hiking, horseback riding, swimming and day-touring to nearby Siena and beyond. Each morning, we’ll be awakened by the gently wafting fragrance of lavender from the nearby fields, calling us to our daily yoga practice.
Shortly after class, our homemade breakfast will be served, ushering us into a long day of adventure, shopping, poolside lounging and sightseeing. Then, just as the sun is setting, we’ll return to the villa for a soothing restorative practice with Jess and/or special guests. Lastly, we’ll sit down to a gourmet dinner with well paired wines before retiring to our comfortable private rooms for a blissful sleep.
This is an all-levels retreat. Participants will have an abundance of free time for day trips of their choosing, as well as an array of elective planned excursions and activities. Vegetarians will be fully accommodated. For participants with disabilities, please email [email protected] to discuss accessibility.
Below is the all-inclusive, per-person pricing for seven nights and eight days in Tuscany (flights and certain elective activities and spa services are NOT included). All prices are en suite and double-occupancy (unless otherwise requested), Deposit of $1500 due on or before 1 November 2025 and to be paid in full by 1 May 2026 (tuition payments can be made at a flexible cadence; please let me know if you would like to pay monthly instead of in a lump sum; cash, check or Venmo will be accepted). See www.cugnanello.com for details on location and a gallery of photos. Space is extremely limited, so sign up today to insure your spot under the Tuscan sun. Any and all questions welcome: [email protected]
