Week 3 - I never knew I was the “yoga type”...
Or so I thought. This past spring while struggling with the complex difficulties of doing business in a foreign country, I started doing yoga, to reduce stress and relax. What I found was much greater; a full body workout that energizes and awakens my mind & body, and is now a daily ritual that protects me from stress and injuries.
What does this have to do with skiing? Everything. Like my former self, many people hold the misconception that yoga is a “mild” form of exercise with minor physical benefits. In truth, yoga is what ever YOU want it to be, moving only as far as is comfortable and holding the modified pose if that is what you choose. But soon you will find that with regular practice your body is transformed into a strong and flexible machine and just maybe, intentionally or not, you start to meditate and receive the spiritual benefits as well.
Or if you’re not so sure about the whole spiritual aspect, then do it simply for the physical benefits. Rated one of Outside Magazine’s best websites for home-workouts Yoga Today has an online class for everyone. Try the “Power Postures”, with instructor Adi Amar from the Teton Yoga Shala and special guest Kit Deslauriers (first person to ski the seven summits, highest peak on all seven continents, including Everest) and see if you can keep up – and how you feel the next day; I promise it will change your perceptions. It’s an Ashtanga Vinyasa class that is sport-specific, to help you build balance and strength in your core, legs, and arms, for a strong and injury-free ski season.
Or give Kundalini Yoga a try, a series of kriyas designed to awaken creativity and inherent energy. But beware, after my fist class, I felt dizzy and the nausea lasted for weeks, apparently I had awoken the serpent within, and was experiencing a “complex physio-psychospiritual transformation”. I have since returned to the Kundalini practice with no problems. Maybe I have fully de-toxed…
Get started today by going to: Yoga Today and enter the ambassador name susieski to start your 2 week free trial, if you’re hooked at the end of the trial period, then its only $9.95/mo. to continue. If it wasn’t for you, then don’t forget to cancel after 2 weeks, so you don’t get charged (yes even though yoga is all about meditation, balance and inner peace, this is still a business).
Also, remember that all of our trips can potentially include private yoga instruction with some of our favorite teachers in the Alps. It’s a great way to start the day, or to unwind after a long day on the slopes. Lisa Nicholas’ Ambrosia Retreats is one of our favorite instructors, and also offers massage and other treatments as well.