Yoga for Endurance Athletes Workshop in July

I will be offering a workshop for endurance athletes on 20 July from 5-7pm at Tranquil Space Arlington (3528 Wilson Blvd Arlington,VA). This workshop will be focused on learning what poses may be beneficial and which are counterproductive at various points in your training cycle. From there we will discuss how to incorporate these modifications into an all levels class so that you can still enjoy your weekly yoga class without worrying about taking a performance hit or developing yoga injuries. Recovery is also a big issue for endurance athletes so we will also discuss how to work recovery methods into your training.

This workshop is open to anyone and all experience levels, but since we will be working with modifications to an all levels class, it would be helpful to take a class or two before this workshop; home practice is perfectly fine, as long as you have a good idea of what it is you usually work on.

Because every sport has different needs, and every athlete has different goals and constraints, when registering please make a note as to what your sport is and what your goals for the next season or two are.

If you can't make it but this is of interest, let me know and I'll let you know of upcoming workshops or we can meet in a smaller setting at your convenience.

Adjusting to Altitude

Heading to Peru, I was particularly concerned about the altitude. The only time I had ever really spent at altitude was a weekend in Denver while I was already sick. I knew that the primary issue at altitude is lack of oxygen and I had been doing a lot of hypoxic training this spring and summer, but I really didn't know how it would translate.

While most athletes are familiar with the concept of VO2 max, or the maximum volume of oxygen one is able to use, this season I have decided to focus on lowering my VO2 min, or the minimum volume of oxygen I need to use. As a swimmer, I have messed around with hypoxic sets for most of my life. When I started running this past spring, I started doing the same. While I haven't been able to find any research suggesting this is beneficial to running (and a friend who is a running coach confirmed) I do this mainly to increase my ability to resist the urge to breathe.

I have been doing two types of breath hold training: high CO2 tolerance and low O2 tolerance. For the purposes of the Inca Trail, I am focusing on low O2 since the lower O2 saturation was my main concern before the trek.

I arrived in Cusco on Friday, three days before we left for the Inca Trail. Cusco sits at 3400m above sea level; for comparison, the highest point in Washington, DC is 125m above sea level. While I waited for my friends to arrive in Cusco, I wandered around the city, charging up and down the many hills. I noticed a slight headache while charging upwards. It was the same headache I get when I'm low on oxygen so I stopped running up the hills and after that I was fine.

I've always preferred uphills to downhills. So, although breathing was difficult on the uphills, my legs got trashed on the downhills. The first day and a half were great. We just climbed on and on, stopping to breathe a little, then continuing up. I recognized the feeling as that at the end of a stair race, when your legs are fine but the lungs just can't pull in enough air. There isn't much point in resting as a longer rest interval doesn't increase the amount of oxygen available. However, after this trek, I really do think that I should be in good shape for stair racing this season. I am mentally tougher and I think that my primary limitations right now are mental, not physical.

In case I hadn't climbed enough, I decided to climb up a hill to the
side of the pass while everyone else was at the bottom
catching their breath

Trust Your Gut

As I wrap up my first stint in the corporate world, I've been doing a lot of meditating on what my next steps are and what I envision my life to be. When I left for the winter, I could feel myself physically rejecting my job. I was getting sick, lethargic yet had trouble sleeping, and gaining weight. As soon as I left, I immediately felt better and lost the weight. So, when I returned in March and fell right back into that pattern, and fell back into bad personal habits I used to deal with these other problems, I knew I needed to make a change.

So far, my gut hasn't steered me wrong. It may seem really bizarre and not quite rational, but if you listen to your gut, you'll probably make the right decision for you. Doing what is right for you versus what is right for someone else are two very different things. If I had listened to my conservative colleagues last summer, I would be twenty pounds heavier, depressed, and passionless. Instead, I lost the weight, discovered diving, and realized that life doesn't have to be miserable. I've had enough close calls to know that life can end unexpectedly. I've been accused by those close to me of living too much in the moment, that soon the funds will dry up and I'll look back and think I've wasted so much time.

An ancient building being subsumed by the jungle;
even so called permanent things change

I'm not concerned. I know I'm not alone in the world. If the worst happens and I can't take care of myself, I have family and friends who will help me get back on my feet. I would do the same for them, and I hope they know that. Life is too short to not enjoy it, so once I walk out of my office for the last time today, I'm opening myself up to new adventures and not looking back.

My Current Obsession: Supta Virasana (Reclined Hero's Pose)

For those of you who know my love of binding, twisting, and inverted poses, my latest love will surprise you. I've taken to practicing this pose daily, either before practice or just laying in bed: supta virasana.

I find that many yoga classes I take focus a lot of the back body: hamstrings, calves, back. Practicing supta virasana, I feel a deep stretch in my quads, hips, abs, and shins; my feet are forced to relax. For some reason, I find it very calming, This pose is particularly beneficial to many athletes who have overdeveloped quads, tight shins, and inflexible ankles. Cyclists can especially benefit from reclined hero's pose as the shape is almost the complete inverse of how one would posture themselves on a bike.

via mylotuslife.com

Reclined hero's pose requires a lot of flexibility in the ankles, hips, and shoulders. If you cannot comfortably rest your sit bones on the ground while the tops of the feet are on the floor, then you should work with the upright version of hero's pose. Root your sit bones onto something, so if the floor isn't within reach, use a block to support yourself. Both poses develop flexibility in the ankles, stretch the quads, and help protect the knees by taking the joint through its full range of motion. If you have a pre-existing knee injury, please check with your physician before practicing. Alternatively, you can practice half hero's pose by only bending one leg back, either keeping the other knee pointed towards the sky, foot planted on the floor, or extending the opposite leg (see images below).

via yogazal.com

via melissawest.com

Each of these variations provide the same benefits; play and find the one that allows you to relax the most while still opening through the front of the body. There is no advantage to pushing yourself into a deeper variation than you are ready for; in fact, this is actually counterproductive.

via yogajournal.com

In either the upright or supine variation, first focus on the feet. The tops of the feet will come to either side of the hips, toes pointed in line with the lower leg; if you're more flexible or have muscular calves, you may need to move the calves to the outside of the thighs to make this more comfortable. If the ankles won't extend far enough for the tops of the feet to rest comfortably on the ground, roll up a blanket or towel to support the ankles, and stay in the upright version of the pose.

If the sit bones do not reach the floor, bring the heels under the sit bones and rest here, stacking props to close the gap between heels and sit bones. If the sit bones reach the floor and you don't feel much stretch in the quads yet, begin to recline. Coming all the way to the floor requires a lot of flexibility so have some props handy to ease yourself down. Using blocks to support the middle and upper back allows you to easily adjust the height of your props as you slowly ease into the pose; this may take months or years.

If you feel any pain in the knees, sit up and ease off the knees. If you are normally very flexible and you feel something in your knees, it could be a sign that the ligaments are being stretched. I suffered from overstretched ligaments in my knees in high school and it kept me from being able to run safely. Overstretched ligaments are very difficult to fix so avoid them by easing off from unnecessary deep stretches.

This pose is a great way to stretch and relax after a good workout, but always be mindful that you aren't pushing too far. Pain is a sign to back off, so always listen to your body.