"Life is the balance of holding on; and letting go."
At Womens Radical Pursuit, our passion is to provide unique adventure trips and to women and offer a variety of different activities that involve the components of exploration, inspiration and connection. The way we achieve these components is through incorporating each one of them into the activities we provide by offering a delicate balance between them all. We know that balance is the key to any pursuit in life; be it work, play, and love to name a few.
The difference between Womens Radical Pursuits and other adventure companies is that we don't just offer a Mountain Bike trip, or Yoga retreat, or solely a cultural travel trip. We take all of those and combine them into a multi-adventure get away! Mountain Biking and Yoga complement one another as the comparison of the ying and yang. With Yoga as the Yin; and Mountain Biking as the Yang. Mountain biking is physical and requires a great deal of strength, effort and motivation; the yang. And Yoga is the quieting and stillness of ones' self to connect with something bigger than us, inside of us; that offers a sense of peaceful awareness and acceptance of what is; the ying.
We create a trip that offers a beautiful balance between the two. Our trips aren’t all about strictly charging on the mountain bike, counting the miles, and comparing our abilities to one another. Our goal is to get women out together to yes, push one another and ride how you want to ride; but also to create an environment of fun, comradery, support, laughter and connection; to self, others and the environment. Yoga and mindfulness then offers an opportunity to relax at the end of the ride and take in the experience to connect to oneself, the environment in which we are, and something bigger surrounding us; whatever that may be for you. We practice a style of Vinyassa Yoga (yang) and then end with a series of Restorative Poses (yin). Yoga encompasses effort and surrender through each asana and pose as it is a dynamic art and there is a beautiful balance that exists within each movement.
The cultural and travel piece fits into both the yin and yang of these two activities. Observing people and cultural can be very stimulating (yang) as you embrace new experiences and engage with the people around you, but it can also be very tranquil and calming; observing what surrounds you just as it is and appreciating it without judgement or attachment. (yin) There is a sense of heightened awareness that arises out of travel and brings you out of your comfort zone of everyday living. It can charge ones’ spirit and refresh ones’ soul just in the simplicity of seeing that there is so much more out there in the world and different ways of living. I often find that the most inspiration through traveling is witnessing people and cultures that live a more ‘simplified’ life and value family and tradition over material matters and that yearning to have more; whether it be material things, wealth, fame, success or other.
When we come together as women, there is a different kind of energy and dynamic that exists. There is a sisterhood that is instilled and we naturally connect to one another. Women often open up easier to each other and offer encouragement, support, and empowerment. Female friendships can also multiply ones’ personal and professional power and is crucial right now with what is going on in the political world; we need to support and encourage one another and our strength to rise, stand up, and to live to our greatest potential in a world where our rights and femininity are in a state of heightened vulnerability. Womens Radical Pursuits is a greater project; a movement if you will, that connects to the challenges presented to us with the former election and current political situation.
To clarify, we are in no means an anti-men adventure company! We appreciate and value realtionships with men just as much as with women and have found some of the best days riding with a bunch of dudes through miles and miles of singletrack. Every extreme sport I have learned was presented to me by a bunch of guys who’s motto was, “You’ll be fine.” And I was, but in the process I got pretty beat up with a steep learning curve that I figured out mainly; on my own. I wouldn’t change that for anything! I always pride myself in keeping up with the boys or better yet, beating them! But, I also notice how my days out in the wilderness on Mountain Bikes or Backcountry Skiing with a group of ladies has a completely different dynamic that offers as sense of compassion and support facing fears and decision making. With many Mountain Bike companies out there, there are few that offer Womens specific trips like this with a twist of yoga and cultural emphasis.
Rest assured that on these trips, we won’t be sitting around ‘omm-ing’ all afternoon or meditating and practicing yoga for hours at a time; nor will we be beating each other into the ground on the mountain bike rides. But we will be out there, on bikes and on the mat; rambling around in the beautiful mountains of Mexico, making connections with one another, the environment, the culture, the city and ultimately; with oneself!
You just never know what will happen when you travel; what you will embrace, the connections you will make, what you will take away from it, or what you will experience as you explore. And that, to me, creates a sense of enthusiasm and wonder like no other.