Balanced Rock is a Yosemite-based non-profit organization offering backpacking journeys, camping yoga retreats, hikes, workshops, and lodge-based programs.
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Meditation Retreats (3)
4 Days Women of Color Wilderness Empowerment Hike and Yoga Retreat in Yosemite National Park, USA
July 25-28, 2019Instructors (4)

Jon-Paul Salonen
Jon-Paul has been a resident of Catheys Valley since childhood. In adolescence, he realized that healing and spirituality were his calling. Jon-Paul graduated from the California College of Ayurveda (CCA), in 2002, and established Blue Oak Ayurveda shortly thereafter. He is also a certified massage therapist, trained in myofascial release, trigger points and Ayurvedic Abyanga, Shirodhara, and Swedana relaxation and cleansing treatments. His yoga instruction is a creative blend of Vinyasa flow practice infused with his deep knowledge of health and wellness practice.

Breezy Jackson
Deeply familiar with Sierra Nevada ecology, Breezy just completed her doctorate in Ecosystem Ecology. Breezy began practicing yoga in 2003 to enhance her balance, core strength, and mental acuity as a collegiate rower. Later she studied Iyengar yoga for five years with Jeri Stewart at the Moscow Yoga Center in Idaho. During this time, she also received a Masters of Science in Leadership in Physical Education and Recreation, worked as a graduate assistant in the Wellness Program at the University of Idaho, and designed and tested an evaluation and assessment tool for group fitness instructors.

Miho Aida
Miho Aida is an environmental media artist, educator, and outdoor adventurer. She is recognized for her project of “If She Can Do It, You Can Too: Empowering Women Through Outdoor Role Models”. The project is dedicated to promoting media representation of diverse women who pursue outdoor adventures and who develop powerful social, environmental, and human rights movements within the backdrop of nature. Miho hopes for all girls to have outdoor and environmental role models who look, sound, and live like them so that they know what careers, adventures, and leadership opportunities are possible.

Grace Anderson
Grace Anderson fell in love with wild spaces after a week-long backpacking trip with the Student Conservation Association in Joshua Tree National Park. Since then she’s been chasing wild spaces in places such as Patagonia, the Yukon, and Nepal. Grace enjoys backpacking, climbing, and bike touring and is always looking for new adventures. She’s passionate about being outside with folks of color and has the desire to share her skills and resources with people for those communities in hopes of creating a more radically diverse outdoor community.