You all should know I am by no means a yogi. I am probably one of the least coordinated, flexible people ever and struggle with basic poses. I have tried yoga so many times determined to make it part of my life but to no avail. Having said that, I have been lucky enough to have Kenya put me in some poses after a few workouts that have felt wonderful to help lengthen and restore my tight muscles. When I heard that she was having a #chillasanahhh Yoga class at DogTown, I was in!
Since I have too much respect for the practice of yoga, I will not attempt to describe the experience. Kenya has done that for us in much lovelier language than I ever could have pulled off:
A really awesome savasana is absolutely a reward for showing up, stepping on the mat and going through the breath & body work. I feel gooood that that was true in our first #chillasanahhhh class at DogTown.
In any yoga class, and this one especially, we are working on the pliability & mobility of our bodies. For example, opening space in the upper thoracic to help you work toward a better overhead position (over time and with practice).
But the breathwork, warming movement, and stretching ... each of these elements are there to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and lead you to a restorative savasana.
Savasana is also called corpse pose. So this is a good analogy for life: breathe deeply, live strong, be in your body ... and if all goes well, you get the ultimate rest and reset.
For all of us CrossFitters, we put our bodies through a lot. Our workouts push our physical limits and because of that, restoration and recovery are just as important, if not more. Kenya’s class took us through stretches and poses that complement the stress we put our bodies through. Kenya has been doing CrossFit for over five years and has been active in yoga for over 20 years. She knows exactly how to take two vastly different forms of movement and marry them together. While her class was a very soothing and zen experience (I came home and easily could have fallen asleep at 7:30 pm), it had a balance and strategy behind it.
I should also mention that another really REALLY important aspect of yoga is that it creates mindfulness to how our bodies move and how our bodies feel. Often, when we are lifting heavy weight or pushing to get a workout done under the time cap, we are so in the zone that we lose that body awareness. And that is often where injuries happen. So, just sayin’, yoga very well can be a great way to reduce the risk of injury.
Kenya is planning to host more yoga classes so stay tuned for exact details regarding the finalized dates and times. For now, here is what she wants you to know:
For the next class (VERY tentatively Sunday 9/16) , bring your tight hips!
Together we'll breathe thru outer hip stretches and poses for our hip flexors and groin. Constant contraction (aka sitting), overuse, not making time to stretch or roll can contribute to lower back pain, limited range of motion, and limit your access to generating power & speed (among other things).
The good news: we'll revisit 1 or 2 poses from this week. The bad news: there is no bad news. It's #chillasanahhh, man.