Anna Levesque - Yoga for Paddling

Anna has sold me on Yoga for Paddling for sure. I need to balance my body to keep paddling into my sixties, and Yoga for Paddling provides clear and well-written information to help me accomplish that.

Sean Morley, accomplished coach, expedition, and surf kayaker who completed the first solo circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland by sea kayak

Anna has been a huge mentor for me and pushes every human to be the best human they can be. Yoga for Paddling is a great addition to paddlers libraries for helping to reduce the aches and pains of everyday life and kayaking. Keep this book close by both on your paddling trips and at home.

Adriene Levknecht , Canoe & Kayak magazines 2016 Female Paddler of the Year and eight-time Green River Race Champion

Yoga for Paddling has inspired me to bring more balance to my body by making time for yoga practice in my fitness routine. Annas book provides helpful information and guidance to help me get started and develop an effective practice.

Travis Grant, two-time Molokai to Oahu SUP Champion, Battle of the Paddle SUP long distance champion

As an avid canoeist for over thirty years, I sometimes worry about how my body will handle the next thirty. With Yoga for Paddling as a guide, I am confident that I can balance and maintain the strength and flexibility I need to continue in the sport I love. Thanks to Annas well-laid-out book, I look forward to canoeing with my grandchildren someday.

Eli Helbert, five-time Open Canoe Freestyle Rodeo World Champion, eleven-time North American Open Canoe Slalom Champion, and first Open Canoe to race the Green River Narrows

Yoga

Paddling

Anna Levesque Photographs by Scott Martin

GUILFORD, CONNECTICUT

An imprint of Globe Pequot

Falcon and FalconGuides are registered trademarks and Make Adventure Your Story is a trademark of Rowman & Littlefield.

Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK

Copyright 2017 Rowman & Littlefield

All photos by Scott Martin unless otherwise noted

All illustrations by Alice io Oglesby

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Information available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Levesque, Anna, author.

Title: Yoga for paddling : kayakers, canoeists, and stand-up paddlers / Anna Levesque ; photographs by Scott Martin.

Description: Guilford, Connecticut : FALCON, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016047033 (print) | LCCN 2016051793 (ebook) | ISBN 9781493028689 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781493028696 (e-book)

Subjects: LCSH: Hatha yoga. | Outdoor lifeHealth aspects.

Classification: LCC RA781.7 .L477 2017 (print) | LCC RA781.7 (ebook) | DDC 613.7/046dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016047033

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

The author and Rowman & Littlefield assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Id like to acknowledge my yoga and Ayurveda teachers, and their teachers, and their teachers, and so on, going back many generations. I have a lot of gratitude for Joe Taft and Deirdre Smith-Gilmer for being thoughtful, effective, and inspiring alignment-based yoga teachers. Theyve had a big impact on my practice and on my teaching. Id like to acknowledge Vishnu Das and Indu Arora for teaching me about the subtle aspects of yoga and helping me to dive deeper into Ayurveda, the science of life. Thank you, Dave Costello, for advocating for this book and to Katie Benoit and Meredith Dias for being great editors to work with. Im grateful for Libby Hinsley, a caring and effective yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and physical therapist whose input and time were key in this book coming together. I acknowledge Scott Martin for his dedication to his work and for photographing the lovely images contained in this book. Im thankful for the loving, supportive relationships in my life, both in the paddling community and in the yoga and Ayurvedic communities. Thanks to Justin at Tidal Trails for generously driving us around by boat for the photo shoot in South Carolina. Special gratitude goes to my loving, compassionate husband, Andrew Holcombe, who unwaveringly supports me on my journey of self-knowledge. I want to also thank you, the reader, for delving into this book. May it be of service to your mind, to your body, and to your paddling. May it help you paddle with ease, comfort, skill, strength, and balance for many, many years to come. Namaste.

IF YOU ARE A PADDLER OF ANY SORT, this book is for you. As a physical therapist and longtime yoga practitioner and instructor, Im so happy to see this book come to fruition. Ive had the privilege of getting to know Anna Levesque in several different contexts over the past few years, and there is no one more perfectly suited to bring you the valuable information youll find in the following pages.

I have witnessed what I can only describe as Annas devotion to water and all its qualitiesthe power and persistence of it, the awe-inspiring thrill of it, and its ability to constantly adapt and change according to its circumstance. Embracing the qualities of the water element can help us learn to go with the flow of life and find greater ease amid the reality of change. Anna is a great example of this, as she embodies many of these qualities in her work as a paddler, an instructor, and a yogini.

Anna educates and inspires people all over the world to embrace their own power and the power of water through paddlesports. As a yoga instructor, her thoughtfulness and high level of integrity are refreshing. As a yoga practitioner, Ive seen her take to heart many of the valuable lessons she presents to you in this book. Through thoughtful and subtle work in her practice, she has truly found a way to maintain structural balance for herself and bring herself out of the pain of injury.

I began my own exploration of healing through yoga when, in my early twenties, I found myself in near-daily pain in my low back, hips, knees, and feet. For me, my struggles were largely the result of hyper-mobility and the effect of many years of competitive sports that left my body out of balance.