THE TRAVEL YOGI
Arctic Yoga Adventure
Trip in One Word: Audacious
What You’ll Experience in the Arctic
On this Arctic adventure, you’ll wonder at the untamed magnificence of this planet and her nature. Watch Beluga whales rub on river stones in a sanctuary. Spot polar bears, muskoxen, Arctic foxes, snowy owls, jaegers, rough-legged hawks and, if we’re lucky, narwhals (wildlife photographers welcome!). Admire the breathtaking views of the Northwest Passage, ice flows on the Arctic Ocean and all that stunning, turquoise blue water. Visit archaeological sites dating to Viking contact and ancient, Arctic blown, bones. It’s hard to not be present when facing the magnificence of this wild place—come and witness the wonder of Earth and reaffirm all the reasons why this planet is worth fighting for.
How You’ll Experience the Arctic
With the Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge on Somerset Island, Nunavut in the Northern Territories as our home base (yup, it is the most northerly fly-in lodge in the world!), we’ll venture into the wild together. Kayak, fish, raft, hike and ride ATVs on the tundra to hard-to-reach waterfalls, canyons, inlets, estuaries and sanctuaries. You’ll stay fortified with delicious Canadian cuisine, from locally sourced Arctic char to Okanagan Valley wines. You’ll make great friends and seal in all that Arctic brilliance with yoga and views that, we guarantee, you’ve never seen from your mat before. This Arctic adventure will have you reveling in the sheer beauty and expanse of this world and, maybe, taking your first polar plunge!
How You’ll Feel When You Return Home
You’ll return home in awe from this unparalleled Arctic adventure — it will be hard to convey the depth and wonder of this trip to your friends and family, so take notes during the trip’s photography chat (by a Nat Geo wilderness photographer!). Pictures won’t do it justice, but we encourage your camera to try.
Yoga Retreat In The Arctic Details
Yellowknife
Arctic
NORTHWEST PASSAGE
Yoga Retreat In The Arctic Upcoming Dates
Jennifer Prugh
Jennifer Prugh
Jennifer Prugh is passionate about guiding students toward discovering what is possible in life when we bring our whole selves to each moment. She is the founder of Breath Together Yoga, a yoga studio, tea house and wellness center that offers over 100 classes a week for every level of practice, as well as the founder of the Joy of Yoga 200 and 300/500 hour teacher trainings.
Jennifer leads yoga adventures and retreats all over the world. A professional artist with a master’s degree in Art and Consciousness Studies, she was an associate professor for eight years at Cogswell College where she taught storytelling, mythology and creativity. She began practicing yoga in 1989, and teaching yoga after in 1999 following the death from cancer of her greatest mentor, her father. in 2021 she published a large format photography book, River of Offerings, 12 journeys following the path of the Ganges River, which you can find at your favorite bookstore or on Amazon.
Jennifer left higher education to teach yoga exclusively, in the words of Joseph Campbell, “ to follow her bliss.” Her online classes can be found on yogaanytime.com and YouTube @BreatheTogetherYoga. Jennifer is president of the board at the Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation, and because education changes the world, she enthusiastically encourages people to sponsor the education of Tibetan children and children of refugees from neighboring Indian countries.
She lives with her husband Will, their son Liam, and their golden retriever, Hobbes and River.
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What's Included
- Full Arctic safari week at the northernmost fly-in lodge in the world
- Professional Arctic guides and small group exploration
- Sea kayaking (with beluga whales)
- Hiking within the Lancaster Sound and along the Northwest Passage
- ATV rides to the Cunningham Estuary
- Multiple hiking opportunities including the Triple Waterfalls, Viking archeological sites and unnamed canyons popular with Arctic wildlife
- Post-dinner lecture by world renowned polar explorer Richard Weber
- Photographic safari to popular Arctic fox and muskoxen foraging areas
- Informal lecture by wildlife photographer and polar guide
- Inukshuk Lake catch-and-release Arctic char fishing
- Photographic safari to popular polar bear summer scavenging areas
- E-bikes for tundra explorations
- Rafting, kayaking or SUP-ing the stunning Cunningham River’s canyons and braided flats
- Walk through the Badlands and exploration of 8,000 year old bowhead whale skeletons
- Polar plunge (for the not-so-faint-of-heart)
- Charter plane flight from Yellowknife to the Arctic lodge
- Morning vinyasa and/or evening yoga sessions in the Arctic
- Pre and post Arctic adventure stay in a Yellowknife hotel
- All meals once in the Arctic
- Picnic lunches out on the tundra
What's Not Included
- Airfare to Yellowknife, Canada
- Meals in Yellowknife
- Additional excursions
- Alcohol or items of a personal nature/souvenirs
- Travel insurance (required)
- Gratuities
Accommodations
Yellowknife
Begin and end your Arctic yoga adventure at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife. This remote outpost is the only city (and also the capital) of the Canadian Northwest Territories and your jumping off point to a week in the remote and gorgeous Arctic. Rooms will either have two queens or one king and private en suite bathrooms.
the arctic
This week in the Arctic is based at the northernmost fly-in lodge on earth (way to start the week off with a bang!). Flying 800km into the Arctic Circle you’ll experience cabins with two twins or one queen bed, thick, warm duvets (as you’d expect), toilet and sink facilities en suite and private showers in the main complex. Sustainability on the tundra, comfort and delicious Canadian cuisine are all part of your home away from home at 74* north on the shores of the Northwest Passage.
Itinerary
Arctic yoga retreat adventure schedules will vary and final itineraries will go out to the travel crew about a month prior to departure. Our schedule below gives you an overall picture of what a weeklong adventure in the Arctic Circle will look like:
1
DAY ONE
- Arrive into Yellowknife and catch the hotel shuttle into town
- Drop off your bags and head off to explore town
- Yellowknife is a small but young and vibrant community. Rent a SUP for some time on the water, check out any local summer festivals or stroll the ‘old town’
- Meals in Yellowknife are on your own so adventure out and enjoy some local cuisine
- Turn in in enough time to catch your morning flight to the Arctic Circle
2
DAY TWO
- Grab breakfast at the hotel or at a local eatery
- Pack up and depart for your flight to the Arctic
- Board the private charter flight for a 3hr journey into the Arctic Circle
- Settle into your cabin and come together for an overview of the lodge and surrounding natural landscape
- Get your first taste of life in the Arctic with a hike up a nearby mountain and spectacular views of the Northwest Passage and ice formations on the Arctic Ocean
- Enjoy the first yoga session in a cabin with views out to the bay (and any visiting Beluga whales)
- A hearty welcome dinner before turning in (and tuning out the summer midnight sun!)
3
DAY THREE
- Morning yoga followed by a full breakfast
- Get your ATV-on for a day of exploring
- ATVs are the most practical form of transportation on the tundra so today will begin with a hands-on intro to the vehicles
- Use your new knowledge with a drive out to the Cunningham Estuary and Beluga whale sighting
- On the way back you’ll be able to see original archeological sites and artifacts dating back to Viking visits
- Warm-up and fill up with a delicious buffet lunch at the lodge
- Set out on foot for an afternoon hike to the Triple Waterfalls
- Be sure to bring your cameras in the (highly likely!) event of a muskox sighting
- Gather for evening yoga
- Head to dinner in the main lodge and possibly a nighttime stroll (within camp) to admire the midnight sun
4
DAY FOUR
- Morning yoga and arm work to prepare for a day of Arctic kayaking
- Today you’ll head out on the glacial-clear water in sea kayaks
- Paddle through Cunningham Inlet and enjoy beautiful views of Gifford Point
- Spy for beluga whales spouting around your kayak as they travel between the open waters of the Northwest Passage and the mouth of the Cunningham River
- Pop out on the opposite side of the Inlet at Kayak Falls and, with luck, spot a foraging polar bear (seriously)
- Stretch out with an evening yoga session
- After dinner this evening enjoy an informal lecture on wildlife photography by Nansen Weber
- As a professional wildlife and Arctic photographer and polar guide, Nansen has worked for National Geographic and Netflix (to name a few) so come prepared to learn and practice your newfound skills on the tundra
5
DAY FIVE
- Morning yoga and breakfast
- This morning you’ll head across the Cunningham River delta by ATV or e-bike
- The scenic trail provides amazing views of the area and a perfect vantage point from which to see muskoxen and Arctic foxes
- Hike down from the high ridge to an area where the muskoxen spend the summer months foraging
- Enjoy a picnic lunch on the tundra today at the shore of Inukshuk Lake
- After lunch you can borrow a rod and reel and try your hand at catch-and-release Arctic char fishing
- Head back to the lodge along the River Trail keeping eyes open for more Arctic wildlife including snowy owls, jaegers and rough-legged hawks
- De-bike (or ATV) yoga session followed by dinner
- Tonight you’ll have the opportunity to hear from Richard Weber on his extraordinary polar explorations
- Aside from being one of the world’s pre-eminent polar explorers with more than 60 completed North and South Pole expeditions, he is also the first, and only, person to make an unsupported return trip to the North Pole.
6
DAY SIX
- Morning wake-up and heart-opening yoga as you prepare to witness an amazing natural phenomenon
- Today you’ll head out to the opposite side of the Cunningham Inlet for a day of hiking and a unique and Arctic-only nature sighting
- While the big nature show is this afternoon, have your camera handy as you hike through unnamed canyons and Arctic landscapes
- Stand on the shore of the estuary for an up-close-and-personal moment with beluga whales as they splash, gurgle and rub themselves on the the shallow riverbed stones. This location is renowned for the shear density of the beluga whale population and their proximity to the shore
- Head back to the lodge with your sense of wonder fully satisfied for evening yoga, dinner and photo swapping
7
DAY SEVEN
- Morning yoga to wake up body and mind
- Today you’ll head back out on the ATVs for vistas and explorations
- Ride along the Northwest Passage and stop for wildlife and gorgeous scenery shots
- Stop along the coast to visit the 1,000 year old site of the Thule community that once populated the area. Learn about their culture and ingenious tools for living in the far, far north
- Driving west along Polar Bear Point you’ll continue the Arctic safari aspect of the day
- Polar bears can be elusive, but the resident Lancaster Sound population is the largest in Nunavut. The bears scavenge along the shoreline in the summer months increasing your chance, and ability, to spot them
- Head back ‘home’ for an evening yoga session, relax time and delicious dinner
8
DAY EIGHT
- Morning yoga to get ready for a big adventure day on (or in!) the water
- Drive out to a base on the Cunningham River
- Hike through the Badlands and the stomping ground of Arctic foxes, muskoxen, snow geese and more
- Take your time exploring the 8,000 year old bowhead whale skeletons still exposed on the tundra
- Savor a picnic lunch by the river
- Choose between kayaks, rafts and SUPs for your afternoon river ride back to the lodge
- Leisurely paddle as the river narrows into a towering canyon before opening back up into the braided flats that surround the lodge
- The Viking-blooded and/or the not so faint of heart can seize upon the moment of return to take the polar plunge(!)
- Get the blood flowing again with the last evening yoga session of the adventure followed by a farewell dinner
9
DAY NINE
- Wake-up to your last yoga session in the amazing Arctic
- After breakfast you can choose to head back to a favorite activity or photography spot, say goodbye to the belugas or go on a last search for polar bears
- This afternoon you’ll pack-up and board the charter flight back to Yellowknife
- Head back to the Explorer Hotel and head out into Yellowknife for dinner and a recap of this amazing week
10
DAY TEN
- Today is your departure day from the Northwest Territories and your Arctic adventure
- Feel free to schedule your flight home from Yellowknife anytime today or enjoy a few extra days in nature in and around Yellowknife after your Arctic adventure
TESTIMONIALS
ADVENTURE WELL(NESS)
ADVENTURE WELL(NESS)
ADVENTURE WELL(NESS)
ADVENTURE WELL(NESS)
Frequently Asked Questions
Although this is a very remote location, the cuisine is delicious and dietary requests can be accommodated. The only request that cannot be accommodated is ‘vegan’. Please let us know any and all requests at the time of booking.
Yes! Of course. Once you’re booked you’ll receive an email with important logistical information and a link to your invoice. You can pay any amount at any time on the invoice; you can use it as a payment plan or leave it alone until the final due date. Remember that deposits are non-refundable so please purchase your travel insurance once you have deposited on this adventure.
