Holiday River Expeditions Serves Up Vegan Fare, Yoga, River Rafting and Cycling on 2018 Balance & Flow Wellness Trips

A newly enhanced series of programs for 2018 dubbed Balance & Flow Wellness Trips hone in on Nature’s capabilities for spiritual and physical healing, thanks to Holiday River Expeditions (http://www.bikeraft.com/).

This veteran travel company will now present six of these specialty trips in 2018 between early June and early September. These include two new adventures that combine yoga with stand-up paddle boarding or with mountain biking.

The itineraries focus on fitness, mindfulness and wilderness immersion. The ingredients are top-notch facilitators; wild rivers for rafting, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding; backcountry hiking and biking trails; beaches that embrace wild yoga; and a balanced vegan cuisine.

“River trips are great ways to make changes to daily routines. For example, if you are trying to re-align something as fundamental as your diet, doing so from a fresh vantage point can be critical and effective,” said Karen Johnson, Holiday River Expeditions’ wellness guru. “Our trips allow for that re-framing to occur in some of the most beautiful locations in the West.”

Johnson added that yoga and biking are natural companions because “the endorphin charge from a day on the trail, paired with the mindful stretching and unwinding of yoga, leaves your body euphoric each day.”

Following are the journeys of personal discovery scheduled for 2018.

Wild Yoga Journey on the River with Rebecca Wildbear is a six-day (June 4-9, 2018), 84-mile rafting and yoga journey through Desolation Canyon on the Green River in Utah.  The per person rate is $1,300 plus a $25 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) fee. The momentum of passing through 60 whitewater rapids crescendos as Rebecca Wildbear, M.S., creator of Wild Yoga and a therapist and wilderness guide for 17 years, helps guests open their sensory bodies, engage their dream world and access their deep imagination. When not running rivers, she also leads programs with Animas Valley Institute and is on the faculty at Nosara Yoga Institute. For details see http://www.bikeraft.com/balance-flow-trips/wild-yoga-trip/.

Adventure Fitness with Kathleen Leopardi is a four-day (July 19-22, 2018) trip that will include all the adventures a river trip has to offer: stand-up paddleboarding, inflatable kayaking, hiking, swimming and the rush of paddling through Class IV rapids under the steep walls of Ruby and Westwater Canyons near Arches and Canyonlands national parks in Utah. There’s also the option of stretching and doing some core work along with the peaceful meditation of Yoga. The per person rate is $985 plus a $20 BLM fee. Kathleen Leopardi owns Personal Training Zone, a Utah-based fitness facility. For details see http://www.bikeraft.com/balance-flow-trips/adventure-fitness-trip/.

Mindfulness with Sean D'Amboise is a four-day (July 27-30, 2018) river retreat through Lodore Canyon on the Green River in Colorado. This journey combines new ways of starting or improving sitting and walking meditations, mindful movement, hiking, unrivaled natural beauty and exploration. The per person rate is $1,065 plus a $22 National Park Service fee. Sean D’Amboise, a Holiday River guide alumnus, is a new facilitator. He is enrolled in a three-year mentorship program, The Embodied Life®, an approach to human transformation based on the integration of meditation, Feldenkrais® movement and self-inquiry. For details see http://www.bikeraft.com/balance-flow-trips/mindfulness-trip/.

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding & Yoga on the River with Melanie Webb is a new four-day (Aug. 9-12, 2018) Colorado River journey through Ruby and Westwater canyons combining the thrills of a traditional Colorado River rafting vacation with exciting Class IV rapids. Guests also paddle board and kayak in calmer waters. The per person rate is $985 plus a $20 BLM fee.  Melanie Webb is a Certified Personal Trainer, Stand Up Paddle Instructor and owner of Sol Fitness Adventures featured on Good Morning America, and in major publications. She is an ambassador for Earth River SUP Paddle Boards. For details see http://www.bikeraft.com/balance-flow-trips/stand-up-paddleboarding/.

Vegan Wellness Trip with Tess Challis is a four-day (Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2018) rafting trip through what is often referred to as a miniature Grand Canyon, the stretch of the Colorado River coursing between Utah and Colorado in Westwater Canyon. The per person rate is $985 plus a $20 BLM fee. Tess Challis, author, vegan chef and wellness coach, brings 15 years of experience as a professional chef to the backcountry kitchen, preparing amazing, healthy, vegan meals each day. She also shares her own personal journeys through chronic illness and disease to veganism and healthy living. For details see http://www.bikeraft.com/balance-flow-trips/vegan-wellness-trip/.

Yoga & Bike on the White Rim Trail with Katie Woods is a new four-day (Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2018) two-wheel exploration of Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. The per person rate is $985 plus a $10 park entrance fee. Katie Woods completed her RYT (registered yoga teacher) 500 in December 2017. She is engaged in a group project focused on creating a yoga mindfulness and movement curriculum to offer to educators serving within the Utah school system. A certified athletic trainer, she is a full-time professor in the undergraduate athletic training program at the University of Utah and has worked with athletes at the Olympic level. She believes that yoga has the power to fix many (if not all!) of the problems in our communities today. For details see http://www.bikeraft.com/balance-flow-trips/yoga-bike/.

“Cell phones, computers, TV, politics, work and traffic. It is easy for our lives to become overwhelmed. Our innovative Balance & Flow trip series offers respite from life’s endless distractions,” explains Johnson. “Mindfulness, Wild Yoga, Energy Medicine and Vegan Wellness trips all led by professionals in their field will focus on different aspects of your well-being. We have created an incredible opportunity that will feed your body and soul long after the trip comes to an end.”

For more details on these trips please see: http://www.bikeraft.com/balance-flow-trips/.

About Holiday River Expeditions

Holiday River Expeditions (http://www.bikeraft.com/) began in 1966, when Dee Holladay and his wife Sue took the plunge to become river outfitters. Due to its respect for the lands, rivers, guests and employees, the family-owned-and-operated company has grown exponentially. Each of its guides is professionally trained in first aid and river safety, and with 50+ years of experience, the company provides guests the opportunity to explore the nation’s wildlands safely and securely. Holiday River Expeditions has a commitment to protect the environment through education and conservation, and as such, uses oar-powered and paddle rafts exclusively.

For more information, availability, reservations or a copy of the 2018 catalog please call 800-624-6323, Email: [email protected] or log onto: http://www.bikeraft.com/.