On our family trip to the Bahamas I wanted to take some of the free time I knew I'd have to see if there would be a chance for me to find private Yoga instruction. By the end of the trip, I was given more than I had hoped for. My search started in the fitness center at Atlantis. I was directed to a gentleman - who I imagine is a personal trainer for the club - who contacted a local yoga teaching center. Little did I know that the place he contacted is actually a retreat and training center for Sivananda Yoga. Sivananda Yoga (as I slowly learned) is what I would best describe as a mix between the McDonalds Yoga you and I (may) know of through television and videos (or classes offered at a local fitness center) and Hindu. Although I suspect (and hope to learn more about) Sivananda has its roots in Hindu, the lack of the instructor's emphasis on gods or any deities leads me to see it as having a closer relation to Buddhism (rather, the branch of Buddhism I am most familiar with - that of the Dalai Lama). I had simply hoped for an instructor who would have the time to show me what I was doing right and wrong and make sure that as I continue to learn and practice it for triathlon training that I was doing things correctly.
Luckily, I was able to arrange for three private sessions. The first session was spent discussing what I already knew (or didn't know) about Yoga and what I had hoped to accomplish in our sessions. I made clear that I was not interested in the potential religious element of Yoga and had simply hoped to find someone to clarify some historical and specific physical aspects of the practice (perhaps I should have kept this to myself and simply learned what Sivananda Yoga taught). What developed was fascinating - especially given the short amount of time I was given with the instructor. She started me off with basic breathing exercises that I would liken to relaxation and meditative practices. In fact, we spent the majority of every session on breathing exercises, as I found the practice and theory fascinating. Right away, it occurred to me that the value of the breathing and meditative activities could very quickly be applied to the most difficult part of my triathlon experience (whether training or racing): running. I have already been able to find that place, mentally, to overcome the pain and/or boredom of the activity when it comes to swimming and biking. With swimming, I still struggle with [losing] proper form, but the struggle with breathing and effort isn't what is causing me grief. Biking is just ... easy; not physically, but mentally. I am much more willing and able to move through the pain and boredom than any other activity. I don't know if it is the combination of challenge and potential for speed, but whatever it is, biking remains my favorite side of the triathlon. Running is a whole different ballgame. I find myself looking forward to the run, but I find it most difficult to push harder and/or simply go the necessary distance to prepare myself for the types of competitions I want to race in. There are so many moments during each run where I simply lose the desire to continue. Regardless of effort level, I just want to quit. I can have plenty of energy left when running a 400, but I just can't mentally get over that barrier that the mind throws in my path to stop. The struggle compounds itself and ends up creating a vicious circle of doubt and apathy. Ironically, some of my longest and hardest runs are those that I have walked away from feeling completely refreshed and satisfied. So, the irony is that I really do enjoy the hard times in the end, but in the process of getting *to* the end, I fight my mind more than anything else.
During one of the breathing exercise practices, however, I found this level of peace with my physical being that I realized instantly how nice it would be to apply that meditative practice to my running - especially when things became difficult. It is odd to think that a relaxing, meditative practice could be successfully used while struggling up a hill in the heat of the day, but it was exactly that which happened when I thought back to the morning before and what I had learned. If for only a short moment, a wave of relaxation overtook me and suddenly I was running faster and "lighter" than I had the last three miles. It was only after a car almost ran me off the road (2 mi. later) that I lost it. Like with any practice - whether physical or mental - it will take time to learn to apply some of the breathing and meditative practices to more of my runs, but there is no doubt it will help.
I am in no way implying that what I'm talking about isn't happening to runners all the time and all over the place, but with those who share my struggle, it is amusing to find that a practice I came to because of the desire for greater flexibility has already provided for that but also another tool to add to the tool chest in dealing with the pain of running.
After finding the other two sessions helpful, I'm planning on trying to make it to Chicago's Sivananda center for more instruction on their form of Yoga. I'm curious what other tools they can provide to help in mastering my own mind for better training. Perhaps I can pass some of them on to you...
Leave a comment