Outside of the practice room, frequent comments I hear about yoga is, "I tried yoga once, and it's too slow (or too boring) (or too new age for me)." Many athletes, particularly competitive athletes, find that yoga practice isn't geared to their Type A, hyper-achieving personalities. While they might intellectually understand the reasons for slowing down, breathing through an asana, and being in the moment during yoga practice, super-charged and hard-driving students are frustrated and even bored during a traditional 90-minute yoga session. And if there is chanting and an overtly spiritual dimension to the practice (as in most yoga studios), these over-achieving athletes want to sprint right out the door, never to return.
Enter Kimberly Fowler, a competitive athlete who has taken her Type A personality and de-constructed yoga for others like herself. Her book,
The No Om Zone, is excellent. From her beachfront studio in Venice, she has established a haven for others who want to "cut to the chase" and practice yoga with an emphasis on training for other events such as cycling, running, or swimming. As a triathlete and biathlete, Kimberly knows that competitive athletes want to make every minute of training "count" in building strength, endurance, and performance.
I started reading her book about a month ago. Then my local paper published an interview with Kimberly. Finally, I've looked at some of her commercially-produced videos. The instruction is technically sound and presents a realistic approach to yoga, particularly those of us who have little time during our days. "Fifteen minutes of yoga is better than no yoga," according to Kimberly. (Of course!)
Her approach emphasizes fitness as the reason for practicing yoga. And, for the Type A athlete, fitness is the main reason for any exercise program. She explains how yoga builds core strength, stamina, breath control, and concentration. For anyone training in another sport, Kimberly shows how it is beneficial to set up some time to climb off the bicycle, take off the training shoes, or climb out of the pool and head for a yoga mat. She's not interested in spirituality, chanting, chakras, or even a balanced mind--she just shows how yoga can produce a better athlete.
The yoga classes at 24 Hour Fitness take much the same approach as Kimberly had to create for herself. While yoga does help with stress relief, and does balance mind and body, the bulk of our time in class is spent working on developing core strength, performing weight-bearing exercise, improving our postural alignment, and stretching/lengthening muscles. If you visit Kimberly's site, you'll see many of the asanas that we did during our practice today. And, at 24 Hour Fitness, there is no chanting, period.
Too bad Kimberly Fowler didn't visit a 24 Hour Fitness for her yoga practice--she would have found exactly what she needed. Ask a few of your classmates, some of whom are also in training for marathons, half-marathons, and triathlons, if yoga helps their performance during competition. Chances are, they will tell you that their yoga practice keeps their quads from getting too tight, lengthens their hamstrings, helps with breath control and focus. One yoga student practices yoga to help with her balance, so that during triathlons she can run on unstable surfaces with less fear of falling.
Type A personalities and yoga practice? The two can go together. Check out Kimberly's videos and see for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfjMYK-muxs
Until next week, namaste
Nancy
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