There is a sense of excitement in the Rocky Mountains as we approach this year’s Telluride Yoga festival. This is the 11th year that Erika Henschel and Albert Roer have hosted the festival which brings people from all over the world to the quaint mountain town of Telluride, CO. Over the years, the festival has gathered world class yoga instructors, musicians and speakers to create one of the countries most beloved festivals. 

There isn’t a more intimate or beautiful setting than the historic mining town of Telluride, surrounded by the jagged peaks of the San Juan mountains in a lush green box canyon where the town is so perfectly placed. The nature is absolutely breathtaking. This overall feel and sense of remoteness lends well to the ambiance for a yoga festival. The attendee is able to fully immerse themselves in their individual yoga practice while still having the amenities of a world class luxury ski town.

The energy of the people and their friendliness adds so much charm to the experience, whether it’s having breakfast at a local coffee shop or perusing through the farmers market held on Saturday. The festival has something for everyone.

The Telluride Yoga Festival has such a diverse list of class offerings beyond the asana experience: from hiking, biking, foraging and food. The yogi is able to truly have a holistic experience. I am delighted to be back in Telluride and offering three different workshops to help Yogis deepen their practice through food and cooking.

This year we are offering a Cooking for Your Dosha to bring some simple Ayurvedic techniques to enhance one’s life. The workshop focuses on bringing people back to a deeper connection to nature. We focus on slowing down and cooking simple nourishing foods that enhance our moods and feelings of inner contentment. We will learn the basics of Ayurveda like what our dosha is and how to satisfy the six distinct tastes and daily routines that help us adopt the pace of nature. These are practices we have lost in our culture as we moved to more modern convenience and faster pace of life. 

There isn’t a better setting to explore these practices. The town is rich in history with settlers who worked in harmony with nature to grow their own food and preserve food to get through the winter. The miners who settled the town of Telluride were adventurers on a quest to find gold and silver and the land pushed them to be adaptable and better understand themselves in order to find enough sustenance to survive. Ayurveda allows us to have this same experience. We are able to better understand ourselves and what foods enhance our lives and make us feel our most vibrant self. We work in harmony with nature which leads to a more effortless experience. We are able to slow down and listen to what our body truly needs. We let go of stress and strain through our daily routine and cooking. We experience life in its full value of joy and happiness. 

Photo credit: Joel Peterson and DJ Pierce

Jeff Jepsen is a holistic chef and wellness coach who specializes in plant based cuisine. His mission is to empower individuals to connect back to nature through food and foster a more holistic approach to health and wellness. His passion for cooking grew into studying organic farming and foraging for wild foods along with other plants native to the region. The practice of Yoga, Ayurveda, nutrition, and meditation all have played a role in shaping his unique cooking style. He currently is a personal chef for yoga retreats as well as public speaker for yoga festivals and other speaking engagements.