Yoga for Skiers and Snowboarders

I was just in Aspen, CO the beginning of November and the beautiful mountains are already snowcapped.    There is so much buzz and excitement as the ski season approaches with more fresh snow on its way out West, the chill in the air at home in Illinois and the latest ski and snowboard movies on tour to awe us and pump all of the skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts up for the season.  I’m so excited for it all!  But mostly for the Pagosa Springs, Colorado hot springs,  snowboarding/skiing and yoga retreat guided by Alchemy Tours, February 3 –6, 2011.  In the meantime I’ll continue to train.  Here are some of my favorite yoga asanas for snowboarding and skiing.

·      For shoulders and wrists Side Plank (Vasisthasana) stretches and strengthens the wrists and strengthens the arms, all which will help for falling out on the slopes and pushing yourself up.  And shoulders are super important for posture in skiing and snowboarding too.

·      For core and spine Boat (Navasana) engages and strengthens the core muscles.   Strong core muscles enhance good turns on the slopes and alleviates pressure from the knees, protecting the joint from injury.  Awareness of your center also helps to initiate movement and distribute weight more evenly making it less strenuous on the whole body.

·      For strengthening the legs, hips, knee joints and lower back Chair pose (Utkatasana) helps to prevent ACL injury by encouraging bending of the knees.  It also helps with absorbing impact especially if you fall, go off cliffs, jumps or like bumps.

·      For balance Eagle (Garudasana) improves your concentration and sense of balance.  It also strengthens the ankles and calves.  On the slopes this will be helpful for side balance progression, refined balance recovery skills and muscle memory.  It also helps with relaxing those feet in those stiff boots, sidestepping and traversing.

·      For flexible legs Down Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) energizes the body and stretches the hamstrings, calves and arches.  Because skiing and snowboarding require so much lower body strength its essential to keep the legs flexible.

·      For hips   Low lunge (Anjaneyasana) opens your hips.  Having powerful and flexible hips encourages balance and good turning habits and decompresses the lower back, which improves coordination and takes pressure off the knees.

Peace,

Kendra Charts

Go to www.alchemytours.com for more information about the Pagosa Springs, Colorado yoga adventure.

YOGA IN NATURE BY GUEST BLOGGER LeANN KENNEDY LOCKHART

Hey this is Silvia, I received this beautiful bit of prose from my student, friend, teacher trainee LeAnn and wanted to share it with you.  It is really one of the most wonderful aspects of Alchemy Tours - we get to try our yoga off the mat too!  Here is her expression.  And don't forget join us anytime, anywhere in the world! Peace in all ways, Silvia


"Today I took My yoga practice outside. With my dog in hand ,both of us set out on an adventure. Luckily I live not to far from a beautifully wooded era,with a sweet Creek that runs through it. So that is were we found ourselves me and my dog Roxie. I decided to take my practice to the next level,NO MAT.So in my bare feet I found myself twisting and turning,flowing like a bird on an old tree that had fallen down. And as I stood in mountain pose I found a strength, an inner high as if my body had grown tall tree limbs,and as the wind kissed my skin,I felt as if I were that tree that had once stood tall The light inside me grew stronger .So now I was balancing on this old tree using its limbs as props . The clean fresh air filled up my soul. And so that 30 mins turned into a full on retreat an adventure. 


So I guess what I am trying to say is be adventurous . Take your practice to the next level of excitment. Stand on that tree laying down the hill, life doesn't have to be flat. Infact we all know life is full of ups down. Life is what you make of it . Let your feet get a little cold because you decided to you wanted feel the trees heart beat in your feet,grounding you,and let you also feel the adventure of gripping your feet on the edge. Taking that chance,taking that risk. So be grounded first so you are safe,and then you can spread your wings and fly in the cool breeze.

So if Mother Nature is calling you like she did me today,take that 15 to 30 mins and venture out . Let your fierce warrior heart be smothered by mother natures calling, Light and love LeAnn"