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It’s mid-afternoon at the base of Vail Mountain. A fresh breeze brushes across your face as you walk out the back door of Grand Hyatt Vail and pad over to the Gore Creek Garden, yoga mat in tow. You’re a few minutes early, but roughly a dozen fellow yogis are already gathering on the lawn. A few are doing the typical pre-class stretches, folding forward into child’s pose or flowing through cat-cow, but two attendees are causing a bit of a scene.
That might be because they’ve opted to completely forego the traditional sports bra and leggings look—or because they seem more preoccupied with finding a snack than stretching. But most likely, they’re soliciting murmurs and laughs because, well, they’re llamas.
This isn’t your typical yoga session–and that’s not just because you’re tucked away on a verdant lawn next to a gurgling creek in a mountain oasis. This is Llamaste, the free llama yoga experience that Grand Hyatt Vail offers to guests and community members alike. “Namaste really means to honor or celebrate,” says Cody Worden, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing. So llamaste means to “not only be in tune with nature, to be in tune with animals, but to really honor and celebrate wellness and do it in a creative manner,” he says.
Throughout the class, llamas Roberto and Trace mosey around the lawn in search of dandelions and other greenery while the guests mountain pose and downward dog. It likely won’t be your most meditative yoga session—the “boys,” as Roberto and Trace are known, tend to hum loudly while they munch—but they do add a calming presence to your practice. Plus, “it’s just an opportunity to really see what these creatures are,” says Will Elliott, owner of Paragon Guides, which supplies the fuzzy main attractions, “and also to get a good stretch and yoga session in as well.”
Unlike goat yoga, where the frisky farm animals often try their own renditions of downward dog—perhaps on your back—the llamas are more interested in their next leafy snack. And don’t fret: They won’t trample your toes, even accidentally, on their way to get it. “They’re very careful with their footsteps,” Elliott says. “They’re not going to step on people, and they’re not going to be jumping around on top of you like in goat yoga.”
Elliott also dispels another stereotype about these misunderstood mammals: “They won’t spit at you,” he adds. “They do spit—but it is more at each other.”
Llama yoga seems like an outlier compared to the rest of the Spa at Grand Hyatt Vail’s menu, which features lavish offerings fit for the premier mountain town destination, including more traditional yoga sessions, as well as spin classes, Swedish massages, and an array of body renewal procedures like the Colorado Wildflower Scrub. But the new class, Worden says, is exactly the kind of special attraction the hotel uses to draw high-country visitors to their corner of the Vail Valley. “[We were] trying to come up with those unique things that ring true to our destination and our property,” he says. “With all of these wellness initiatives going on, it became an interesting marriage. You’re just standing out there on the lawn with the llamas and hearing that creek; it’s just a really peaceful, zen feeling.”
No question the Dalai—wait for it—Lama himself would agree.
Ready to llamaste for yourself? The next Llama Yoga Experiences take place at 3 p.m. on September 23 in the Grand Hyatt Vail’s Gore Creek Garden. Call the Spa at Grand Hyatt Vail to sign up.
5 More Ways to Hang With Llamas Near Denver
Dine with a llama
Llama yoga isn’t the only hooved happening from Edwards-based Paragon Guides. Head out on a picnic hike (red-checkered blanket included) with “the boys” on a Take Your Llama to Lunch tour, and you’ll enjoy a leisurely paced amble through aspens and evergreens before tucking into a charcuterie board, chicken salad, and other treats. Don’t expect a ride from Roberto or Trace, though. Llamas prefer to carry packs, not people. Starting at $625 for the first two people; paragonguides.com
Trek with a llama
Save the drama (of a hefty backpack) for your llama. Book a backcountry overnight with Kirks Mountain Adventures (located in Estes Park) and your sure-footed steed will haul your tent, sleeping bag, and vittles across the Rockies. $395 per day per guest with a minimum of two guests; kirksmountainadventures.com
Rent a llama
Who knew? From May 1 to December 10, those who prefer an unguided backcountry experience with a hairy hauler can reach out to Buckhorn Llama Company, located 30 minutes southwest of Fort Collins in Masonville (technically Loveland). The nominal rental fee includes all the tack, equipment, and grain required. Just make sure to plan your orientation ($100) well in advance to learn how to care for your bushy backpacking buddy. $75 per day per llama, transportation not included; llamapack.com
Buy a llama
Ready to buy the farm—literally? Get on the waitlist to purchase a trail-ready llama of your very own from Redwood Llamas, which has been raising “trained packers,” as owner Bill Redwood calls them, for more than 40 years. Each animal grows up on an 850-acre ranch near Dove Creek, where it learns how to navigate rugged trails alongside the llamas used for Redwood’s guided and leased trips. Starting around $5,000; redwoodllamas.com
Wear a llama
Llama fur as a wearable item hasn’t hit the big-time, but Cotopaxi’s llama logo certainly has. The vibrant outdoor outfitter chose the llama to represent the brand because of its rugged yet lovable nature. Stop by one of the retail locations in Cherry Creek, Boulder, Larimer Square, or (soon!) in the Park Meadows Mall for something brightly colored, sustainably made, and dromedary adorned. We’re fans of the best-selling Allpa 42L Travel Pack and Teca Fleece Hooded Full-Zip Jacket, available for women and men. $220 for the pack, $140 for the jacket; cotopaxi.com
