Smile and other yoga lessons

Did you hear the one about the fat guy walking into a yoga studio? Sounds like a joke, right. Trust me, it was.

It sucked. Sweat pouring, arms straining to hold up the weight, shifting belly causing balance to be lost and a class of fit folks who seemed to look the other way. As the instructor asked everyone to set an intention at the start of class, mine was always the same – survive.

And now those moments of mirth have become the base for any success had and for any continued development. I recommend yoga, to anyone who will listen, for the multitude of benefits.

Now there were some who ascribed my inability to touch my toes to the fact I couldn’t see them. They would be wrong. Flexibility is not a strong suit, which was first confirmed as a whippet-looking teen during tests for high school football. I just don’t bend that way.

More than a year of regular yoga classes has not magically changed that. Whenever there is a deep bend over the legs, in a sitting position, and the teacher says ‘Okay, everyone rise slowly’ a smile traces across my face, as I’m already basically upright.

Now, I wish I could say the yoga experience began with a sense of what rewards would accrue. But I can’t. It was the IT band that sent me tentatively into my first class.

The IT band is a key component of running (not as I thought the house band for Microsoft). When it tightens, pain follows. It debilitates and halts all progress. So yoga seemed like a reasonable way to loosen the muscle and keep it relatively happy. And it has.

But it also highlighted the need to do other exercises.

When people say ‘you’re fit’ my response is simple: sorta. Yes, there is an ability to log a lot of kilometres but there’s enough self-awareness to know that one chin-up would be a major accomplishment.

One of the mistakes made often by new runners is to intently focus on running to the exclusion of everything else. Doing so is self-limiting, there’s a need for some cross-training, the building of other muscles and strengthening of the core.

That’s what yoga does for me. It builds the leg flexibility and strength that was originally sought. It also has assisted in creating a stronger core, which is essential for runners. You don’t want to be leaning and hunching when on the road; you want to have decent posture and yoga aids in making sure the core can take the beating that’s coming.

Cannot tell a lie, the most hated part of yoga class is downward dog. Three-legged, pigeons, plank, upward dog, chair pose are all great but downward is not relaxing for me. Why? The weakest part of my physiology has always been arm strength and in that position I can see the arms vibrating.

But thanks to yoga, and a small once-a-week strength training component added to the repertoire, there is now more vigor and that helps me in the later part of races.

Yoga has also helped in two unexpected ways.

1)      Breathing is essential to the practice and to running. Now when I’m racing the voice of my instructor reverberates inside my mind, particularly going up hills. ‘Deep breath, slow exhale.’

2)      Smile. Sounds stupid but the constant reminder to relax the face, not to be gritting teeth comes in handy as you’re trudging along. It changes your mood and mindset, even in face of bracing wind and rain.

Now, yoga might not be for you but then again it might not be.

As intimidating as the first class can be in your mind, I’ve discovered at my studio there is a myriad of shapes and sizes in the classes and woe be the person who tries to gauge who can do what. Plus, you can ‘cheat’ by using props. If you can’t get to the floor a block will bring the floor to you. At yin class last night, in order to execute a back bend, I built a contraption that my eight-year-old self would have loved (if made out of plywood) and tried to launch my bike off. It’s not about demanding the body do something it can’t; it’s about letting gravity and practice increase the range of mobility.

However, maybe hitting the gym, hopping on the bike, jumping into the pool are for you. Whatever it is, take the time to rest the running muscles and ensure the rest of the body is as strong as the legs.

I’ll keep trying to reach for the toes and hope to see you on the road.