Strength Focus and Flexibility…. How learning half moon pose will help get Colin across the Gobi Desert

By Colin Nanka, 889 Member

** Actually, it’s Nicky here. I wanted to share with you this wonderful blog that one of our 889 members Colin wrote about his experience taking private yoga lessons here at 889. Anyone who is about to run for seven days, 250 km, self supported across the Gobi Desert is a pretty inspiring individual. It’s been very interesting to help Colin find ways to break through percieved limitations in his yoga practice … valuable mind lessons that will serve him well as he pushes it uphill through those sand dunes! Here is the link to the article, and I have taken liberty to copy and paste it for you also below!

I have had the opportunity to work with my Yoga instructor Nicky Poole at 889 Yoga over the last couple years and more lately while I train for the Gobi Desert March. She teaches with such passion and focus to help her students for individual reasons they have chosen to work on the mat. For some, its stress release, some flexibility, inner peace, fitness, strength, community or challenge. I think for me it’s a little bit of everything. I definitely leave each session feeling rejuvenated with a feeling of progress, even if sometimes the ego bruised on a new balance posture, that tend to my nemesis.

 
In the last month I have taken time to spend some 1:1 time with Nicky, ramping up my progress, diving deep into back flexibility, strength and balance. As a good friend of mine told me before the Sahara Desert Run, if he had invested more in yoga a couple times a week he could have invested a lot less in the Chiropractor. Proactive vs. Reactive treatment. I increased yoga prior to Sahara and after and it definitely helped. However, sometimes there is only so far you can go in a large class setting. Similar with my other support practitioners I have decided to invest time with many experts in different fields to ramp up the learning and results curve in preparation for a truly grueling week in June.

 
In the last couple sessions I have noticed some real progress (I hope you have too Nicky!) in my understanding of postures, breathing, balance and how they all work together. There are a couple postures that give me fits and they are mostly balance related. I tend not to breath when I get stuck! In addition, like any sport and especially yoga, there are so many small tweaks in technique that really allow you to open up your twists, joints and derive strength. I have had small feelings of déjà vu while your mind wanders (clearly not focused on my breathing) through certain movements that remind me of running up some touch dunes, putting one foot in front of the other when your brain is screaming from the heat and pressure on the legs and back. These highly specialized units of focus are helping break through mental and physical barriers that are similar to pushing past limits in the desert. Whether its 1:1 or in class, Nicky seems to leave you hanging out in downward dog, chair (fierce) pose or warrior pose, just long enough to be unhappy with her and testing your limits and just short of falling over! A couple of my other support team members Josh (trainer) and Janette (athletic therapist) are continually working on my flexibility and are hopeful Nicky’s magic will one day allow me to do proper squats and give me every edge I will need for this challenge. 40 days till race starts and looking to get a weekly session in with Nicky and pile in some hot yoga last couple weeks to get ready for the heat!