Tsong - Yoga for Hikers: Stretch, Strengthen and Hike Farther

YOGA HIKERS

YOGA HIKERS

TO MY PARENTS, PETER AND JOANNA, WHO HAVE ALWAYS LOVED AND SUPPORTED ME TO BE MY BEST SELF

Mountaineers Books is the publishing division of The Mountaineers, an organization founded in 1906 and dedicated to the exploration, preservation, and enjoyment of outdoor and wilderness areas.

1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201 Seattle, WA 98134 800.553.4453 www.mountaineersbooks.org

Copyright 2016 by Nicole Tsong

Photos copyright 2016 by Erika Schultz

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other

means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed in China

Distributed in the United Kingdom by Cordee, www.cordee.co.uk

First edition, 2016

Copy editor: Nancy Waddell Cortelyou, Saffron Writes

Design and layout: Heidi Smets Graphic Design

Additional layout: Jennifer Shontz, www.redshoedesign.com

Illustrator: Anna-Lisa Notter, www.annalisanotter.com

Cover photograph: Mountain Pose

Frontispiece: Tree pose

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Tsong, Nicole, author.

Title: Yoga for hikers: how to stretch, strengthen, and hike farther / Nicole Tsong ; photography by Erika Schultz.

Description: Seattle, WA : Mountaineers Books, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015033250| ISBN 9781594859939 (paperback) | ISBN 9781594859946 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Hatha yoga. | Hikers. | Endurance sportsTraining. | Exercise.

Classification: LCC RC1220.Y64 T76 2016 | DDC 613.7/046dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015033250

Mountaineers Books titles may be purchased for corporate, educational, or other promotional sales, and our authors are available for a wide range of events. For information on special discounts or booking an author, contact our customer service at 800-553-4453 or .

ISBN (paperback): 978-1-59485-993-9

ISBN (ebook): 978-1-59485-994-6

THIS BOOK IS THE culmination of a big soul goal, and there are many people and communities whose generosity of spirit and big love helped me arrive here.

To my parents, Joanna and Peter, for their unconditional love and support. To my sister, Ingrid, for her love and patient listening through all iterations of this project.

To my teacher Baron Baptiste, who inspired me to teach yoga and whose methodology remains the source for my teaching. To my mentor Susanne Conrad, for teaching me to see and embrace who I am and why I am on the planet.

To Michel Spruance, for giving me my first yoga job, for reading early drafts, and for listening and being an inspiring, dear friend. To Tina Templeman, for being a tremendous support on anatomy and a big yes for all elements of this project.

To my yoga modelsTina, Michel, Brian Charlton, Austin Carrillo, Genevieve Alvarez, Paul Javid, Christine Bachman, and Taylor Moravec. You all are remarkably skillful at balancing on rocks and logs. To Gaylinyet Roberts, for bringing out our inner beauty.

To my friends and Be Luminous Yoga, Shakti, igolu, and Baptiste communitiesyou are the best.

To the staff at Mountaineers Books, especially editor in chief Kate Rogers, for seeing the possibility in this collaboration. To all my teachers and the wise people who contributed their knowledge and expertise to me and this book. To Kathy Triesch, Kathy Andrisevic, and the staff at Pacific NW magazine at the Seattle Timesthank you for the best gig ever with Fit for Life.

To Karen B., for forging the way with your first book and being an incredible resource and friend.

To my photographer, Erika Schultz, for her extraordinary collaboration and incredible talent.

Finally, to my above-the-line guy and favorite hiking partner, Chris, for being hilarious and direct, and always holding me to my best self. I love you.

WHEN I STARTED PRACTICING yoga, I saw little connection between my yoga mat and the woods. I had recently moved from Anchorage, Alaska, to Seattle. It was summer, and I chose yoga to cope with the new obstacles of traffic and living at a latitude where the sun faded away at 9 p.m. rather than at midnight.

Until that time, I was active, but I lacked endurance. I spent nearly four years in Alaskas outdoor playgrounds. I built strength during the summer hiking and in the winter skiing several times a week, but the first ski or hike of each season was always agony. I knew using the elliptical machine during the off-seasons (either waiting for snow to melt or dump copiously on ski trails) was not enough, but I didnt have a solution beyond halfhearted attempts with a personal trainer.

In Seattle I became irritable without easy access and much-needed time outdoors to decompress from traffic and work. I needed something to sustain me. I dabbled in yoga in Alaska, but only practiced once a weekat most. After I moved, I decided to take yoga more seriously.

I dove headfirst into a heated power flow practice; I had never sweated so much in my life. I loved feeling my legs burn while holding poses, even as I mentally begged the teacher to let us release out of the pose. I adored the little snooze I snuck in during the final rest at the end of each class. Each time, I felt rinsed out, and I had let go of stress from work. I was exhausted in the best way.

Back then, I would give myself a day or two to recover, and return to my mat. One teacher said if your heart rate was up, it was proof you were building cardiovascular strength. She looked buff, and she only did yoga. I wanted to believe her claim. But as much as I loved yoga, I was skeptical.

That winter, on my first trip to the cross-country ski trails outside Seattle, instead of pausing halfway up every hill, I made it all the way to the top. On every single hill. I was panting each time, sure, but I had done it. I was astonished. Until that point, I only knew a world where I had to stop during the first climb of the season, gasping for air to fuel my burning legs. In the past it had usually taken me at least a month to skate ski up to about 4 miles in one go without pauseand here I was practically bolting up the hills the first day.

But I still didnt give yoga credit. Other people encouraged me to run or add more cardio. I was obsessed with yoga. But off my mat, I fretted about my conditioning.

During that spring, waiting for the snow to melt, I worried hiking was going to be painful. But on the first hike of the season, my legs felt strong. My breathing was heavy, but steady, even during the steepest elevation gain. More than once, I announced to my friends how good I felt. I wondered aloud if people (me) needed to give yoga more credit for building strength and endurance. My answer is yes.