The single most important thing I learned from yoga

I spent all day Sunday laying on my couch with ice on my ankle.  Not cool on a normal day, but especially not cool because it WAS cool in SoFl . . . low 50s, which for us spoiled Florida people is FREEZING.  Not the best time to have to ice.

Any time I get achy or sore, I am so incredibly grateful that yoga found its way in to my life.  I started doing yoga via P90X.  Which, now, as a yogini, I can say misses the point of yoga entirely.  It just so happened that a yoga instructor was a part of the produce group I ran out of my house.  And then it just so happened that yoga instructor and I became best friends and cycling buddies.   And I became a yogini.

The principles of yoga are all incredibly useful, not only as an athlete, but in life.  I REALLY dig a slower paced yoga class over a fast-paced flow class because yoga is as much for my MIND as my body.

Contrary to popular belief.  You do not have to be "bendy" to do yoga.  A good yoga class will work for anyone, no matter their fitness or their flexibility level.  That is one of the things that makes it INCREDIBLE.     Yoga is empowering--it allows you to find your center, reconnect with your body and your mind.  It brings you clarity about where you are, where you want to go, and how you want to get there.

The most important thing you can learn from yoga?  ALIGNMENT!

Did you know that you can heal and balance injuries in your body simply by focusing on proper alignment?  Even just standing in mountain pose with proper feet placement can help strengthen and stretch your feet.  If you work out regularly, chances are your body has imbalances from the things you do--we all have a dominant side.  Yoga helps correct these imbalances, keeping our bodies strong.

So its nice, when you are injured, to have yoga in the arsenal.  Activating your muscles can help heal them.  Ice, a day of rest, and some gentle muscle activation in mountain post and triangle helped my ankle feel better today.  And this week, I will try to be ultra conscious of my alignment on that side--in the gym and on the road.  Because we only get one body, so we need to take care of it!!

Whether you are a yoga regular or a newbie considering taking the plunge, check out yogaglo.com.  This online site offers introductions to each of the different types of yoga. You can also look for routines that work specific areas.  My favorite thing about this site is that they offer workouts of varying lengths--if you don't have an hour, you can search for a fifteen minute class.  The post run workouts on there are awesome.  If making it to a studio isn't realistic for you (if only time and money grew on trees), YogaGlo is a wonderful backup option.  Since my favorite teacher isn't teaching in our area anymore, YogaGlo is my new go to.  Check it out, and add a little yoga to your routine. The first 15 days is free.  Your body will thank you!!