Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Margaret Burns Vap. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Margaret, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
My purpose has been a journey, that continues to unfold. I love the process and its evolution. In a culture driven by checking off items on to-do lists, it’s refreshing to have your purpose shape-shift over a lifetime. I’ve arrived here, for definition’s sake: my purpose is creating balance between success and well-being. That is something different for everyone, so a big part of what I do is to help women discover this process for themselves through my yoga retreats.
I was a child of the 80s, for better or for worse. That decade is known for drive, ambition, and maybe a touch of greed. In high school, I read that as getting good grades and doing all the things so I could get into a good college. In college, it was about the grades and figuring out a career path (oh yeah, and getting a job after graduation). Next came first job, MBA degree, “dream job” in the cosmetics industry – check! – and then I started to wonder why I wasn’t feeling healthy or more fulfilled. Then I found yoga. And while I don’t want to falsely portray yoga as a “magic bullet” solution to all your problems, it was a major shift for me that stuck, and that has helped me navigate countless ups and downs and life transitions. I’m still teaching and practicing 25 years later, and never intend to stop.
Yoga made me realize what was important. That’s a moving target for different phases of your life – but if you learn how to nurture it in yourself, it will serve you. From there, you can find ways to strive for more balance in your life. That’s what it did for me, and what I aim to share with others in my work. How can you be successful in your work, if you aren’t healthy? You might be able to for awhile, but burnout is inevitable without self-care. One of my mantras is that self-care is non-negotiable. I can’t be successful in my job, in my relationships, or in my daily life without feeling healthy. Why has our culture instilled in us that suffering is required for success? My purpose comes from not buying into that paradigm.
I’ve found success and wellness through yoga, meditation, being outdoors, and animals. Specifically, horses. My purpose is to add a little Yeehaw to my Namaste, always and forever.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a yoga entrepreneur in Bozeman, Montana. I’m also a former city-girl fashionista transformed by yoga and motherhood into an outdoorsy Montana cowgirl who still loves a latte. I’m the founder of Big Sky Yoga Retreats and creator of Cowgirl Yoga™.
Long long ago in a galaxy far far away (well, New York City), I had a corporate job and needed to slow my life down. Yoga was a much needed wake-up call. It helped me put things in perspective…and eventually became my life’s work. After 9-11, we moved from NYC to Washington DC, where I opened a yoga studio. I adored my yoga community and the shift in lifestyle I had made.
My husband, who is from Montana, told me for years that I should do yoga retreats there. In 2007 my family decided to move to the Treasure State, and I jumped right into my second venture as a yoga entrepreneur and started Big Sky Yoga Retreats. I wanted to share the healing power and potential of yoga, horses, and nature with people, all of which was inspired by my family’s move to Montana from Washington, DC.
These days, Big Sky Yoga Retreats has evolved over 15+ years of teaching, getting outside, and hosting hundreds of wellness-seeking women – plus navigating one pandemic! – to offer yoga retreats in stunning natural settings worldwide: Montana (our hOMe base), Argentina, Costa Rica, the French Alps, and Italy. Our retreaters are women – any and all women! Because what woman doesn’t need self-care, nature, and camaraderie with like-minded souls? Our most popular retreat is called Cowgirl Yoga – Yoga & Horseback Riding Retreats, for all levels of yoginis and equestriennes.The retreat experience and my vision for the trips is constantly evolving and changing. I’m always working to find as many ways as possible to incorporate the connection to yoga and horses, and yoga and nature. Most recently, I’ve pursued training in equine coaching to guide women on an even deeper journey into the mind-body-horse connection. And just for fun, I offer an occasional retreat or two combining yoga and wine in Italy; we just got back from our Yoga & Vineyard retreat in Sicily, and are looking at Puglia for 2025. #namasteandcheers
My mantra is that self-care is non-negotiable. And it’s amazing how much impact one week can have on that. My goal is to give women self-care strategies that they can take home. Our “success stories” are retreaters who go home and up their yoga game, or find a place where they can be with horses. Our retreats emphasize that it’s important for women to make time for themselves, because that makes them better mothers, partners, friends, people. Come on retreat to honor yourself and your potential for good health – and then take those values home with you and apply them to your life. What better gift to give yourself…? Our retreats give women time and space to dedicate to self-care, without the usual distractions they have at home. It sounds so simple – yet can be so, so difficult. Somehow our culture has shaped us to believe that the last person we should take care of is ourselves. And we all have so many demands on our time that taking care of ourselves can feel like a luxury – but I firmly believe that it’s a necessity, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. How many other things suffer if we don’t start with ourselves? It has a ripple effect. Don’t feel guilty about taking time for your well-being – go to a class. Get outside. Sign up for a yoga retreat.
Our latest and greatest offering is a return to our yoga retreat roots. About a decade ago, Cowgirl Yoga in Costa Rica was our first international retreat; I’m thrilled to be going back again in December 2024. https://bigskyyogaretreats.com/retreats/luxe-cowgirl-yoga-costa-rica
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
TRAVEL. To quote Rumi: “Travel brings power and love back into your life.” Since I was young, I wanted to leave home and see the world. I was a language major because I wanted to communicate more fluently in the world. Both desires have only deepened with time, and now I take lots of people with me – my clients, my friends, my family! Travel requires you to leave your comfort zone in many ways – and the most trying travel experience is worth many life lessons. The best travel experience is priceless. So even though I always love coming hOMe…I also adore packing up and heading out in the world again.
AUTHENTICITY. Life hack: you’ll feel better about everything you do if it comes from an authentic place. My yoga retreat philosophy is authenticity. The goal is to provide something truly unique that wouldn’t otherwise be discovered on your own – whether it’s a deep understanding of how to move in and out of a certain yoga pose, or riding off the beaten path across the wilds of Argentina. If you’re an entrepreneur, the best advice I can give you is to be authentic in whatever business you start. Stay true to your vision – if new ideas stray too far from that, they ultimately won’t support growth.
NEVER STOP LEARNING. One of the things I always tell people is that you’re never done learning with yoga and horses; I think that’s why I’ve been so drawn to them. There is always something to learn every time you step on your yoga mat and every time you are with a horse. That is priceless to me. It inspires me, motivates me and gives me hope in my more challenging moments. Find and relentlessly pursue things you are passionate about, and never stop learning about them.
To sum it up: get out in the world, be authentic, and never, ever stop learning.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My daughter, who is about to leave home for college this fall, where she wants to major in psychology and animal behavior. My daughter doesn’t know this, but she is the co-creator of Cowgirl Yoga. Becoming a mother was like a lightning bolt to my motivation. We always want more for our kids; I wanted her to have what I so deeply longed for in my own childhood – horses. When she was born, yoga had already done so much for my well-being, and with owning a yoga studio in Washington DC, I already had a toe dipped in yoga entrepreneurship. With my family’s move to Montana when she was not even 2 years old, I went after my childhood dream and dove into horses, not quite knowing where it would lead. And voilà – shortly after, Cowgirl Yoga was born.
Both my daughter and I have ADHD, and our diagnoses were life-changing. It’s easy to see that animals can heal people – but when you narrow that lens to what animals can do for neurodivergent individuals, it is mind-blowing. I have been fortunate enough to experience it myself, and it lends deeper layers to what I can offer through my work. The possibility and potential to help someone who is struggling with the challenges of neurodiversity, with a horse partner, is more than I could have ever asked for in this venture.
My daughter grew up with horses, learning to ride, learning to take care of them, and always having them there – 1000+ pounds of big, soft, warm, physical and emotional support. It’s that last part that really does it. She’s seen how horses help people; she’s lived it. Our ADHD experiences and diagnoses ignited the spark for her interest in pursuing psychology studies – and the horses are along for that ride too. I wish I could major in both psychology and animal behavior, by her side – but I will continue to mine the motivation she has given me since the day she was born, and maybe one day we will combine our work. My heart is filled with pride that she is taking the professional and personal life I created for myself, in her own unique direction. It makes me feel hugely accomplished as both an entrepreneur and as a mother.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cowgirlyoga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowgirlyoga/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigskyyogaretreats/
Image Credits
Larry Stanley Photography.
