So, recovery is something I am really bad at…like really bad. I sometimes do a bit of stretching here and there to cool down after a climb but that’s usually prompted by my climbing partner. So this week, I focused on finding some yoga flows that were designed for climbers. The yoga videos that I followed along to, this week, are designed to focus on key elements of climbing: flexibility, strength, balance and recovery. It’s good to remember that all bodies and minds are different, so my summaries below are just that, mine. They may or may not work for others in their practice.
Community Yoga with Ieva Luna: Quarantine Yoga for Climbers | Whole Body Flow
Yoga for climbers with Ieva Luna was definitely my favourite! This is a free, 40 minute flow practice that really focuses on key components. It was created for climbers during quarantine when they couldn’t go outside. This practice primarily focuses on strengthening your hamstrings, glutes and core, working on your flexibility all while challenging your balance. All great for climbing! It was the perfect combination of relaxation of the mind with recovering and strengthening of the body. Ieva Luna’s page has all kinds of yoga for climbers that focuses on elements like hip mobility, heel hooks, shoulder strength, mental clarity and high stepping. I am so excited to have found this practice and will definitely continue following it!
Being completely honest, this past week has been stressful. So stressful that I felt I had no time to go anywhere or do anything that didn’t revolve around assignments, work or family. I honestly did not want to start yoga because I felt that I could have been working on other tasks and just general life stuff but ultimately, I’m glad I did. Taking the time out of my day to help my body and mind reset was worth it.
Yoga with Adriene: Yoga for Climbers | Flexibility and Balance
Yoga with Adriene is a fantastic, free, resource for yoga of all kinds. I have been using her videos in my own on-again-off-again practice over the last few years. Needless to say I was excited when I found that she had a video for climbers however that excitement did not last long. It was a quick 30 minute video but the flow and poses seemed to be very general and basic, just not what my body was needing at that moment. It was, however, very soothing to the mind. I would recommend her monthly yoga challenges but probably wouldn’t use this video again as she has so many others that I connect with more.
“Climbing is an artistic, creative thing;… it’s a balance of setting goals while enjoying the process, being ambitious without being too competitive.”
Chris Sharma
