Yoga Retreat in Banff, Canada

Hello Interested Banff Adventure Yogi’s!

Laura here -- I am super excited about this retreat. It is my second time co-hosting with my blondie in crime, Katherine Bradshaw. If you don’t remember, we led one in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico the end of August in 2017. We had a blast with the group of 11 people (Matt, Jessica, Kylie, Amanda, Joel, Sage, Bella, Brittani, Ellie, Julie and Ewa!)

This year we are hosting our retreat in a slightly different environment. We wanted to embrace cold weather, wear all things cozy and what better place to do that then in Canada! So we decided to make our way to the Banff area of Alberta.

This retreat is focusing on the winter season, embracing a Danish/Norwegian lifestyle known as ‘hygge’ (pronounced ‘hue-gah’) and delving into the softer, more passive side of yoga. This means we are going to wear our sweats, our sweaters, and our socks. We are going to pack our favorite cozy blanket, and give ourselves permission to relax, reset and restore at the end of this winter season.

Whether you live in sunny LA or in chilly Philadelphia, winter takes its toll on all of us. Enjoy a blend of One Down Dog’s own CHILL, RESTORE and easy FLOW classes. I will guide you through techniques of self-massage using yoga balls, and will even teach a Thai Yoga Massage class (which was a favorite from the Back to Sadhana retreat in Mexico). We will have some time to connect as a group, and make new friends. There will be an excursion that involves hot springs and snow tubing. There will be free time to venture off to Banff and do some shopping/eating/exploring or simply stay in and get some bodywork done by yours truly.

That being said, if you don’t know me already, I am a massage therapist. I started taking yoga at One Down Dog when I moved to Silverlake in 2015. I fell in love with the studio, and reached out to Jessica to see if she needed a Massage Therapist on the team. Thankfully, she did! And I became ODD’s Massage Therapist. I then signed up for Yoga Teacher Training and never looked back. Even though I moved back to Philadelphia last year, I can’t shake my love for ODD. Every time I come back to visit/work they are part of my trip. I am beyond grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have had with One Down Dog. I’d be honored for you to join this retreat and allow me to offer my knowledge of the body to help benefit you, and of course honored to have you help create new experiences with me!

Stalking Banff

Here are some shops that are on my to-go list:

@littlewildcoffeebanff

Little Wild Coffee
119 Banff Avenue
Banff, Alberta

But first, coffee… am I right?

@cabin108
Cabin 108

108 Banff Avenue
Banff, Alberta

Looks like cute boutique for trendy clothes and accessories.

@lole
Lole Atelier

211 Bear Street
Banff, Alberta

I love me a good Canadian Brand… Definitely plan on peeping this boutique out.

(Active wear, and trendy clothing)

@lululemon

Lululemon

121A Banff Avenue

Banff , Alberta , Canada

Of course, I’ll have to check out my favorite Canadian brand Lululemon just for fun!

@thebridalboutiqueyyc

The Bridal Boutique Calgary

Britannia Crossing

5131 Elbow Drive SW

Calgary, AB

I am not a bride-to-be, but if I was I would make sure I visited this cute little boutique in Calgary, Alberta. It popped up during my research and I caught myself lost in their IG images and inspo for an easy hour.

Laura Jenkins is a dancer, choreographer, artist, massage therapist, yoga instructor and movement maintenance professional. (She wears a lot of hats, which is great because she gets bored easily; Gemini’s…). She grew up in Poughkeepsie NY to a family of his, hers and theirs (aka. lots of siblings, complicated family tree -- you gotta buy her a drink first to get the deets on that). She moved to Philadelphia in 2003 where she attended The University of The Arts and received her BFA in Modern Dance Performance. Upon graduating she started her own dance company PINK HAIR AFFAIR, and danced off and on with local company Brian Sanders’ JUNK. Laura was also an NFL cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles for four years. Here she had the opportunity to travel overseas to Kuwait and Iraq to perform for the troops among many other incredible experiences and wrapped up her final season in 2011 as Captain. She enrolled in Massage Therapy school in 2008 and went on to work in the Physical Therapy field learning more about the medical and therapeutic benefits of bodywork. She opened her own practice Massage Studio of Philadelphia in 2012 and worked with the Philadelphia Eagles and other professional and amateur movers. In 2015 she moved to Los Angeles. Here she struggled, lived, and learned. In 2017 she graduated from One Down Dog’s 200hr Teaching Training program and taught various workshops for the studio including Movement + Breath Meditation, and a Hands-on Savasana workshop. She co-hosted a yoga retreat in Mexico and is pumped to be planning her second retreat in Banff, Alberta. Laura is currently living in Philadelphia, PA dancing, creating, teaching and being a Massage Therapist to the Superbowl LII Champions and the Pennsylvania Ballet.