Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S P R I N G 2 0 1 8 48 tween the ponderosa pines at the Stupa that overlooks the lake, and the crackle of the campfire carries into the night. Retreats vary each summer and cover a variety of yoga and wellness studies: Iyengar, Hatha, Ashtanga, and Bhakti yoga, personal training and fitness, divine feminine connection, dance and ancient ritual. Jennifer Daly, a Chinese Medicine practitioner specializing in acupressure, osteo- pathic manual therapy and sound healing, has been working at the Feathered Pipe Ranch for 13 summers. "People come from all over and they're welcomed in as they are, invited to use the vibration of the land, the nature, the workshop instruction and bodywork to assist in their growth and unfolding," says Daly. "I've seen deep transformation happen here, not only individually but collectively." Well-known yoga instructors Rodney Yee, Erich Schiffmann, Patricia Walden and Judith Hanson Lasater got their start at the Ranch. ese days, you can study with the next generation: Baxter Bell, Melina Meza, J. Brown, Nat Kendall and Gernot Huber, among others. "e Feathered Pipe perfectly joins the beauty of nature with an unparalleled caliber of teaching," says Susan Smiley, a Bozeman business owner. "After almost 10 years, I still visit in the summer to see old friends." Anne Jablonski, president of the Feathered Pipe Foundation, the 501(c)(3) that supports the retreat center, remembers how she felt arriving for the first time 15 years ago. "India was busy sweeping the lodge floor when I wandered in and she exclaimed, 'Oh, gosh I'm so glad you're here!'" recalls Jablonski. "I thought she'd mistaken me for someone she knew, but I quickly learned that everyone is embraced immediately—and forever—as family once they set foot on the Ranch." FEATHERED PIPE RANCH • 2409 Bear Creek Rd. Helena, MT 59601 • 406-442-8196 • featheredpipe.com BLACKTAIL RANCH: HISTORY PRESERVED Just 50 miles north in Wolf Creek, the Blacktail Ranch sits on 8,000 acres at the base of the Continental Divide, where the Rocky Mountains meet the prairie. It's a work- ing dude ranch, home to 34 horses, several cattle dogs, chick- ens, and a healthy population of deer, elk, bear, and other wildlife. "Just the other day, we were wrangling bears," jokes Dan Burggraff, head wrangler at Blacktail Ranch. "We came across one on a trail ride with the guests, and usually the bear run away from our groups but this young one was persistent and curious. It's always exciting here." e Blacktail property was first homesteaded in 1886 by Gus Rittel and was turned into a guest ranch in 1987 by his grandson Tag Rittel and wife Sandra Renner. When Tag was a teenager, he and several friends discovered an extremely long cave on the property, and he spent his lifetime exploring and collecting artifacts for the on-site museum—an 11,300-year-old Goshen spear point, a short-faced bear skull, bones from a 27,000-year-old horse. Because of this rich history, the Blacktail Ranch is known for its ancient energy, attracting yoga instructors, and spiritual leaders interested in teaching alongside the aide of the land. "e Blacktail has all the elements of the chakra system—earth, water, fire, air, ether—so I develop retreats around those themes," says JJ Gormley, a Virginia-based yoga instructor who has been teaching at the Blacktail Ranch since summer 2004. "e land is filled with reminders of Native Americans who inhabited the place long ago: an old medicine wheel, a sun wheel, tipi rings, and of course, the cave with its five miles of passageways. e sacredness of this place is tangible." 2 Feathered Pipe Ranch: Prayer flags create sacred space at the stupa. ZANE WILLIAMS Explore the cave at Blacktail Ranch www.distinctlymontana.com/yoga182 DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL

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