Mountain Trek at the Ranch | Kirkland Shave and the MT team

• Fitness and weight loss program based on daily hiking, led by expert guides from Canada’s Mountain Trek destination spa staff. Full days, including special gourmet meals and snacks prepared under the guidance of Mountain Trek’s nutritionist.
• This small group program is separate from the regular Ranch fitness program, but in all other ways it’s the classic Ranch experience. Mountain Trek participants stay in accommodations just like our regular Ranch guests and have equal access to all the fun and features of the Ranch facilities.
• Reservations must be made through our Mountain Trek partners: call 1-800-661-5161 and/or go to their site at www.mountaintrek.com for more details. You can also email them at info@mountaintrek.com.

The famed Mountain Trek hiking and weight-loss program is an intimate, personalized week that’s limited to a small group of guests. Normally this program takes place at the Mountain Trek destination spa location in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada, but in sessions each fall and winter, the Ranch welcomes groups of up to 16 Mountain Trek hikers per week. The guides lead guests on days of exploring the beautiful meadows and woodlands, highlands, streams and creeks of the Ranch.

Small groups mean each person hikes at their best personal pace, supported by the group guide. Morning yoga and evening fitness classes round out a full fitness experience that leaves each guest feeling lighter, clearer and ultimately rejuvenated and well-rested. Informative lectures about stress, sleep health, nutrition and lifestyle will kickstart a new way of living, with guaranteed fat loss and muscle gain.

Each evening, Mountain Trek guests can choose from the full range of Rancho La Puerta fitness and health activities, including cardio, dance, pilates, water aerobics, tai chi, NIA, stretch, posture, core, weight training – and much more -- all taught by the Ranch’s top-of-their-game instructors in beautifully appointed gyms and studios. The Ranch also has three health centers that offer massage and other body treatments, hot tubs, steam rooms and saunas plus “inner self” classes (meditation, chanting) as well as a variety of evening lectures and presentations, all open to Mountain Trek guests. At Rancho La Puerta you have both a separate, intimate Mountain Trek experience guided by Mountain Trek staff and a chance to sample the extraordinary variety of the Ranch.

http://www.mountaintrek.com/

http://www.mountaintrek.com/rancho-la-puerta/

Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Courtnay Pardue Arpano

Details to come...

Courtnay offers three hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our new culinary center.

For more information and registration, please click here.

The Bar Method | Noreen Dante

Noreen Dante brings a wealth of relationship and marketing experience as well as a lifelong involvement in physical fitness to The Bar Method. Her past experience includes being a 10-year veteran in the entertainment software industry in all areas of marketing including grassroots, event, consumer and brand.

A resident of California since 1965, Noreen earned her BS in Environmental Relations from San Francisco State University. Involvement in physical fitness has always been a part of her life; An AAU competitive swimmer, a practitioner of yoga for over 20 years, and an active participant in multiple forms of aerobic and strength training exercise forms. Noreen began her journey with The Bar Method in the fall of 2001 and has been teaching since 2004. Currently Noreen teaches The Bar Method along with her business partner, Laura Stein in their Palo Alto and San Mateo studio locations.

Tai Chi and Qigong | Cari Shurman

Tai Chi and Qigong are closely related. Qigong was the earliest form of exercise in China. It eventually gave rise to the many different forms of Tai Chi and other martial arts.

Cari Shurman’s program at the Ranch will focus on energy flow, breathing, relaxation & movement to energize the organs, muscles & joints. The additional benefits include coordination, loosening, stretching the muscles, and muscle tone. The 90-minute classes are suitable for all levels of fitness, and Qigong or Tai Chi experience is not necessary. Trained as a teacher at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan, Cari has taught in many countries around the world as well as the United States. Over the last 8 years, Cari has been the creator and teacher of Tai Chi Moves for Kids, co-founded and co-directed Within Wellness Center in Miami and taught Tai Chi and Qigong, visualization and relaxation for adults and children.

Breaking the Communication Barrier | Abe Wagner

Abe is a master at captivating audiences through his unique blend of warmth, wit, and wisdom. While you are laughing and relaxed, you’ll also be learning vital communication and problem solving tools based on the common-sense psychologies of Transactional Analysis (TA) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Abe entertains while he educates, giving participants clear, practical, and easy-to-understand tools for achieving healthy relationships in the workplace and at home. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn and you’ll take home practical lessons for living a productive life.

Abe Wagner will offer four sessions:

• BREAKING THE COMMUNICATION BARRIER
  In this program, you can learn to understand human behavior and use this model for dealing with anyone. It is extremely useful at work and at home. Identify another person's state of mind instantly. Learn to change from a negative to a positive state of mind at will. Elicit the response you desire from others.
• REACHING RAPID RAPPORT
  Learn to be a good listener. Resolve conflict with greater ease. Establish rapid rapport.
• TACTFUL CAREFRONTATION
  The program includes: The power of positive strokes. Stop reinforcing negative behavior and reinforce positive behavior. Establish long-term rapport. Carefrontation techniques.
• SAY IT STRAIGHT OR YOU'LL SHOW IT CROOKED. The program will cover: The fourteen principles for individual and organizational effectiveness. How to implement what you have learned.

Abe Wagner has been presenting at the Ranch for 20 years. He has a Masters Degree in Social Work and is a Teaching Member in Transactional Analysis, and a Master Practitioner in NLP. He has over 40 years of experience as a corporate trainer and convention speaker. He has worked with organizations in over 30 countries, ranging from start-ups and Fortune 500 companies to governments and non-profits. He is the author of “Say It Straight or You’ll Show It Crooked” and “The Transactional Manager” (Prentice Hall).