Sold Out; waitlist open!
Dates: October 6-10, 2021
Destination: Banff, Canada
Tour Leader: Raquel Alexandra + Breanne Kiefner
Focus: Mindfulness, yoga, and nature immersion
Giveback: Malas for Tatas and local Indigenous
Difficulty: Active, all levels and abilities supported
Gender: Women+ (inclusive of all people identifying as female or non-binary)
Root founder + tour leader, Breanne, joined the ATTA to explore the Best of Banff + Lake Louise in October 2019; take a look!
Banff and Lake Louise are filled with magical moments: crisp early morning walks, hiking through the dew-covered fall colors as the sun spreads over the mountain peaks, sharing a drink with friends at the end of a golden day, soaring over the snow-covered mountain peaks to explore the heights of the Rockies. Embrace the vibrancy and beauty of fall in Banff and Lake Louise.
Also enjoy…
+ Moraine Lake Forest bathing and hike
+ Mala making with Malas for Tatas
+ Fairmont Lake Louise afternoon tea
+ Mountaintop gin tasting
+ Twice-daily guided yoga and meditation
+ Welcome Smudging ceremony and land acknowledgment with local Indigenous Elder
Tour leaders:
Tour Leader, Raquel Alexandra is a soul streaker, medicinal mover, and ritual weaver. Drawing upon her background as an intimacy coach, energy healer, and yoga/cycle/fitness teacher, she believes in integrating & expanding all parts of our dynamic selves; from the outrageously woo-woo to the ecstatically earthbound. She is devoted to supporting her students & clients in cultivating a nourishing connection to their inherent wisdom, their bodies, and their communities & relationships.
Tour Coordinator, Breanne Kiefner created Root Adventures as an avenue to build meaningful connections through active adventures in nature with the local community. She is a certified personal trainer with specialist training in nutrition and behavioral change. She brings with her a deep passion for mindfulness and movement. She leads with curiosity and firmly believes connection is the strongest antidote to depression.
SUMMARY
DAY 1: Calgary Arrival + Transfer, Welcome Smudging + Land ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Ceremony
DAY 2: Banff Hike + Mala Making
DAY 3: Moraine Lake Forest Bathing and Hike + Lake Louise Tea
Day 4: Gondola + Sulphur Mountain Gin Tasting
DAY 5: Farewell! Depart Banff
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1
Welcome Land Acknowledgement + Smudging Ceremony
Yoga + Meditation
Meals: D
Arrive in Banff
Upon arrival in Calgary, meet your transfer to Banff. Upon arrival at the hotel, enjoy a moment to settle in and soak in the scenery. We will meet for a welcome smudging ceremony with a local Indigenous Elder, followed by our first yoga class with Raquel. Group dinner and overnight.
Day 2
Yoga + Meditation
Hike
Mala Making
Yoga + Pranayama
Meals: B | L | D
Banff Hike + Mala Making
Early risers can enjoy a guided yoga and meditation with Raquel. We will all meet for a delicious breakfast at the award-winning Juniper Hotel. In the late morning, we will meet our guide and transfer for our first adventure - a short hike in the Canadian Rockies. Sitting on a rock perched high up on the alpine pass, you can’t help but feel proud of yourself. As we gaze atthe imposingly rugged peaks all around, we'll feast on our first-class picnic lunch and you feel a profound sense of wonder.
We return to our hotel in the early afternoon to clean up and relax. We then gather and build our mala prayer beads in support of Malas for Tatas. We provide all the supplies. You choose your mala kit, set your intention, and get beading! Once the mala is strung, you’ll give your mala a name, then have the option of trying your hand at knotting or send it off with love to be hand-knotted and finished with the guru bead and tassel.
Malas for Tatas is dedicated to helping women with breast cancer afford alternative, holistic health care to supplement cancer treatment.
Having cancer is expensive. Between the cost of treatment, income lost from taking time off work, and the need for additional childcare, many women feel the financial burden of breast cancer nearly as acutely as the physical pain. Although many holistic treatments—such as acupuncture, reiki therapy, and massage therapy—can be immensely healing for women dealing with the side effects of cancer treatment, these therapies are not covered by traditional health insurance plans, and most women can’t justify the cost.
Self-care is a necessity, not a luxury, and it becomes even more important when fighting off disease. With donations from Malas for Tatas, women with breast cancer can prioritize self-care and afford holistic wellness treatments.
Before dinner, we will practice Pranayama and meditation with Raquel before a mindful group dinner. Option to enjoy a warm drink by the fire.
Day 3
Yoga + Meditation
Forest Bathing
Hike Moraine Lake
Lake Louise Tea
Free Time
Meditation
Meals: B | L | D
Moraine Lake Forest Bathing and Hike + Lake Louise Tea
Morning yoga and meditation practice to start our day of adventure. After breakfast, we meet our guide and transfer to the iconic Moraine Lake. We start our morning with Forest bathing lakeside.
Shinrin Yoku (aka Forest Bathing)
In Japan, people practice a therapy called Shinrin Yoku or forest bathing, which translates to ‘taking in the atmosphere of the forest’. Japanese scientists figured out the trees give off an organic chemical compound, called phytoncides; when you go into the forest with all your senses attuned you bathe in these compounds which then provide a multitude of benefits.
We then take in the famous Valley of the Ten Peaks as you hike along the pristine waters of Moraine Lake. You are granted stunning views as you hike up a switchback trail towards Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass. Once in the valley, the trees thin and the walking becomes gentler as the trail makes its way past the Minnestimma Lakes and to the base of very imposing Sentinel Pass. Views to the sides and above you are of Pinnacle Mountain and Mt. Temple, 3rd highest peak in Banff National Park. If time and group ability allow, we will continue on a steady but manageable ascent to the top of Sentinel Pass where the views are worth all the effort it took to get there!
We return to our shuttle and make our way to the pristine Lake Louise, where we dive into a delicious traditional tea in the lakefront restaurant at the Fairmont Lake Louise. We will have a couple hours to explore the area on our own - opt to hike the lakeside trails, meditate amongst the peaks, or simply sip tea at the waterfront restaurant.
We’ll return to our hotel for a group dinner, followed by guided meditation.
Day 4
Yoga + Meditation
Free morning
Yoga
Sulphur Mountain Gondola
w/ Gin Tasting
Meals: B | D
Gondola + Sulphur Mountain Gin Tasting
We’ll gather for a morning yoga and meditation practice before breakfast. You will then have the morning free to explore the trails, spend quality time with your fellow travelers, visit downtown Banff for some shopping, or just spend some time reading. Lunch today is on your own.
We will hold an early afternoon yoga and meditation practice before we meet our driver and guide for our afternoon on the majestic Sulphur Mountain. We take the gondola to the experience unparalleled views and a unique opportunity to capture photos of the Banff townsite and six mountain ranges. We’ll enjoy a group meditation before tasting local gins and snacks during sunset.
Upon returning to the hotel, we enjoy our final dinner as a group before our closing ceremony.
Day 5
Yoga + Meditation
Farewell beautiful mountain town!
Meals: B
Farewell
Early risers can partake in a final yoga and meditation practice before a final breakfast. Transfer to the Calgary airport for your flight home.
There’s nowhere else in Banff like the Juniper Hotel. From our panoramic view, plentiful sunshine, and natural setting to our vintage modernist architecture, our intimate retreat has been a gathering point for thousands of years. The mountains rise straight up from our back door, while elk, coyote, or deer pass by every day—yet downtown Banff is only minutes away.
For more than 60 years, our guests have arrived with backpacks as well as suitcases, and throughout the day we see skis on the back deck, bags of climbing ropes, and plenty of bikes, smiles, and rosy cheeks. From the moment you arrive at our independently-owned hotel, our friendly and genuine staff will help you to discover the unique joy and wonder of Banff National Park.
Photos
All rooms are double occupancy with 2 beds and mountain view, single or double king room and triple room available upon request
COVID-19: We are following and recommend our travelers follow the directions of their local health authorities, the Center for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization, which is publishing regular updates on international travel and health.
We always recommend travel insurance protection for our travelers, but this protection is especially prudent during these times as if the trip was cancelled (due to flight cancellations, border closure, etc.), travel insurance will reimburse all travel expenses. The cancel for any reason policy will cover up to 50% of your out of pocket expenses should you want to cancel for personal reasons. Cancel for any Reason is only applicable if purchased with 15 days of your first trip payment.
In the event Root Adventures cancels the retreat, 100% of trip cost will be applied to a future retreat.
Included:
Meals as detailed
Accommodations as detailed
All adventures, permits, tickets, and related equipment as detailed
All taxes for meals and accommodations
Round trip airport transfers from/to Calgary
Yoga and meditation practice
Not Include:
Flights to Calgary Airport
Travel insurance
Gratuities
Any item not specifically mentioned in the itinerary
Alcoholic beverage unless otherwise detailed