It was a beautiful evening. We let the storm wash our dinner plates at our camp in the middle of an enormous valley surrounded by mountains. Joyful Journey Hot Springs. Pools, yurts, teepees and a lodge, lured us in for the night. For $139 you can get rubbed and wrapped in sarsaparilla and espresso among other herbs while getting your scalp massaged.  Yes, it’s true.

The day before we spent in Salida, Co where the first thing we did was go into town to soak in the mineral springs and shower. After that it was food and wandering until we wound up at Joyful. In the morning we soaked again and afterwards the monk did his chanting service ending with the heart sutra while I did my practice.  I’ve discovered that practicing yoga while the monk chants is like having my soul bathed, rubbed and fed. I didn’t have the Native Wrap on offer but I’m pretty sure it could not have been better than that.

We are now in Crestone, CO, home to dozens of temples of all stripes at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. The Bliss Cafe is graciously letting us charge our various toys and providing free wifi.

Scenes from the journey…