Yoga phase

After a fairly long weekend at Kits playing in the Vancouver Open, I was beat and my shoulders were pretty punched. Chaim scheduled to stay in Vancouver and I wasn’t sure what I was the best route to recovery considering we had a tournament lined up this upcoming Saturday.

Lucky for me, my amazing Auntie Juliana is my fave massage therapist EVER and I was already crashing at her place. Danny (her husband) and Julie convinced me to stick around for an extra day for a massage and maybe try a little yoga. It was a perfect fit because I wanted to give my body a chance to recuperate, however, removing myself from activity mid season wasn’t an option. Yoga was a perfect fit so I sourced out a studio on the North Shore and dove right in!

Y Yoga happened to be just down the road from my aunt’s house and their 2 week unlimited pass for $30 made more sense than dropping in for $20. With this logic in mind I committed to staying in Vancouver for the full week to become a yogi. I did 2 yoga classes a day, supplementing classic 90 minute Bikram with power and flow. I swam in Deep Cove after each class and nourished my body with giant sandwiches and plenty of Bolthouse Farms smoothies!

For 4 days I stuck to this regime and my body’s muscles, tendons and fascia magically lengthened and strengthened to the point where I was able to get into and hold advanced poses by the fourth day! My lower back, pelvis and hips extended their range and my shoulder overcame the demands of each class and healed itself before our Saturday tournament that weekend.

I have always been interested in Yoga but for whatever reason I haven’t made it a priority in my life. After committing to just 8 classes in 4 days, I am convinced it will be a crucial element to my athletic progression and will also be a therapeutic compliment to my lifestyle, mentality and life long quest for health and success.

To all of you who haven’t tried it, do yourself a favor and try out hot yoga. If you happen to play beach then it is one of the few ways (mostly in winter) to train your body in extreme temperatures and humidity levels. It has all kinds of added benefits to body function and I can guarantee the litres of water you sweat out will certainly flush and cleanse your body leaving you lightheaded, tingly and euphoric.