Alex Simonian

Alex is the founder of Primal Awakening. Through her company, she leads and supports experiences designed to foster connection- often with deep focus on wilderness. Her work is whimsical and widespread- taking her on distant adventures and allowing her to bring pieces of herself into the experiences she creates. 

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Alex is an artist, chef, environmental educator, and yoga teacher, but she feels most aligned in the role of retreat lead. The journey to retreats began over a decade ago, but the long path didn’t always look so clear. Alex worked her way through many roles, soaking up as much knowledge as she could in the worlds of yoga and wilderness guiding. To date, she has led and supported over 30 retreats, including guiding solo in the backcountry and collaborating with some of her closest friends and mentors. 

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As a leader and teacher, Alex is playful, dynamic, and authentic. She encourages students to be true to themselves and immerse themselves in their practice.  Her bubbly personality brings inviting warmth to the space she holds- allowing those she leads to feel open and comfortable while exploring their edges. Alex craves connection, and has given herself the title of “connectress.” Through her offerings, she weaves tenants of earth, community, and self love into the gifts she creates for the world.

Hannah Joy Miller 

Hannah Joy has been sharing her love of life and movement for as long as she can remember. In 2015, she moved to Colorado to weave her love of wellness, wilderness, and art to create a life that aligned with her passions.  In 2021, she started The Joy Movement- a creation born from a dream of supporting people taking the rebellious step towards reconnecting to joy! Her energetic and creative spirit strives to encourage those around her to be curious and adventurous on and off their mats. She is passionate about empowering others to deepen their understanding of self through functional movement, proper breathing, mindfulness, and of course, PLAY! 

Hannah has been curating and leading events for over 6 years. She has led multiple women’s boot camps, taught large festival crowds and blindfolded yoga, and assisted teacher trainings and retreats. Her experience in the event industry has inspired her to create her own retreats that align with her values.

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As a long term artist and teacher, Hannah aspires to help people feel empowered. She loves to challenge her students in their practice, encouraging them to break past their physical and emotional barriers. Hannah teaches from a place of joy and levity, while balancing the discipline and structure that brought her to fall in love with yoga. Hannah believes that everything is a creative expression, and she hopes to share this artful perspective with everyone she leads. ​