Iron Will

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been discussing tending to our subtle body—ways to maintain wellness through managing our energy as it relates to the friends we choose, the media we choose, how to manage energy in a group, and how we consume the news, or rather how it may be consuming us. There’s more I want to say on this subject but I wanted to give subtle body a break this week and instead insert a different story, a story about a time when my body and integrity was tested to the max. 

Ironman Nice happened this weekend and no, I did not compete. 

Last Friday morning as I was walking along the Promenade des Anglais, Nice’s famous boardwalk, on my way to teach yoga to some private clients at their villa overlooking the sea, I could feel the anticipation for the Ironman like palpable energy in the air. Uber-fit athletes were doing easy pre-race runs along the promenade, prancing around like race horses before a big race. Event workers were busy scurrying around like roadies assembling the outdoor arena for these athletic rockstars, constructing tents, transition stations, and the finish line. 

All this pre-Ironman energy gave me a flashback to a moment in my life that tested my mettle with immense challenge to both my physical stamina and more importantly my integrity.  

Ironman is that small little sporting event where athletes perform a mere 2.4-mile splash in the ocean, then hop on their little bikes wearing fun alienesque, aerodynamic helmets for a merry 112-mile spin, and then just to round out the afternoon, they hop off their bikes and leg it at top speed for 26.2 miles, that’s a full marathon. 

The Ironman has always fascinated me—a veritable feast of grit and endurance. Some of my best friends have completed Ironmans and watching them train and perform showed me that regular people, people I knew, could do this event. 

I had to wonder, did I have what it took to do an Ironman? 

So, many ago, I decided to do my first sprint triathlon, a drop in the bucket compared to a full Ironman with only a .5-mile swim, 12.4-mile bike, and 3.1-mile run. I surprised myself (as well as my seasoned triathlete friends) by taking 2nd place in my age group. And since then, I’ve competed in several triathlon sprints including a few hosted by Westminster college.

But, a sprint triathlon is miles from full Ironman (124.6 miles to be exact) and the question nagged me whether or not I could manage to do a FULL Ironman. Maybe I’d hate it. Maybe it would be miserable. Maybe I’d love it and find a new passion in life. Either way, I had to try. 

So, in 2015, the same year my son was born, I registered for the “Tough Man,” a half Ironman. I thought, before registering for a full Ironman, I would be wise to work up to these things. 

The event was scheduled to be held only miles from where I grew up in Orem, Utah and would feature a 1.1-mile open swim in Utah Lake, a 56-mile bike through flat farmland, and a 13.1-mile run along the paved trails skirting the lake, trails I’d ran thousands of times growing up. 

The swim worried me the most, not only because it was my weakest sport but also because, sadly, growing up friends didn’t let friends swim in Utah Lake. I mean, its dubious green hue and  visible pollution floating in the lake did not make for a great swimming spot. But I registered anyway thinking (hoping, moreover) that I’d heard that they’d done extensive cleanup since my childhood. 

Concerning the bike, my brother-in-law had decided the year before to retire from triathlons and gifted me his beautiful, high-end racing road bike which, after trudging around on a steel framed mountain bike for several years, felt like feather-light, well-tuned, and foot-powered Ferrari. Plus, I figured that since I would be biking through mostly flat ground, I could lean back and let the bike do most of the work. Piece of cake. 

Then there was the run. Of the three events, running is my forte. At the point of registering for this race, I’d run 4 marathons and several half marathons and had always run for the sheer pleasure of it so I felt I could probably run a half-marathon straight off of the couch with little or no training. In short, the run was no problem.

Half Ironman, “I got you!” 

Or so I thought. 

Let me say at the outset that I vastly underestimated the time I’d need to train as well as the amount of time I’d need to care for my infant son. Not long after registering, I realized that I was probably in over my head. I considered giving up on the half Ironman but figured that even if I didn’t have all the time I wanted to train, I’d do my best and lean on my general fitness thanks to my regular runs and practicing yoga to pull me through.

Jumping in the pool for my first training swim was a wake-up call. I quickly realized the 1.2-mile swim of half Ironman a was drastically different from the .5-mile swim of a sprint triathlon. Admittedly, I was not in my best swimming shape but after just a few laps I was sucking so much wind that the lifeguard was eyeing me steadily wondering if at any moment she would need to drag me out of the pool and administer CPR. 

And this was swimming in the controlled and chlorinated environment of a swimming pool, mind you, not the open water of dodgy Utah Lake where I would be dodging not only the feet of other swimmers furiously kicking in my face but also perhaps also old tires, possibly glowing 3-eyed fish, or worse. 

I emerged from my first training swim feeling humbled, like I was a lake minnow about to be dropped into the ocean of competitive swimming. I was going to need a LOT of time in the pool so I decided to focus most of my training on the swim. 

During this time, I was a professor of Yoga For Wellness, an accredited class at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, and had free access to their pool early in the mornings before class. Since swimming was my weakest sport, I figured that if I could at least get my sea legs beneath me, the other two sports would be relatively easy to tune up. So I spent a lot of time in the pool (often 4 days a week) and bit by bit, I was very pleased to see myself sucking less wind. Eventually, I could even swim a mile or more without stopping. 

As for running, I ingeniously combined my childcare with my running thanks to a fancy jog stroller we’d purchased. A few times a week, I’d put my infant son in the stroller and he’d fall asleep as I pushed him 5 miles up and 5 miles down the paved canyon road near my home, lulled by the hum of the tires against the asphalt. Due to the relatively steep incline of the canyon road and pushing the extra weight of kid and stroller, I figured I was getting a better workout than if I was just running alone. 

Remember that my plan for the bike was to let the bike do all the work. Still, I knew I couldn’t ignore training on the biking so I’d ride when I could, mostly weekends. I did a few long rides, maybe the longest being 45 miles or so. On these long rides, my pedaling cadence would put me into a meditative state as I glided along the lonely roads bordering Great Salt Lake listening to Shogun on audiobook (all 53 hours of it). The problem with training for the bike was that it took a lot of time, time I just didn’t have with a new kid.

After many months of my less-than-robust training schedule, the race was set to pop in only 5 weeks. I knew I hadn’t done enough training to feel comfortable in this half Ironman but nonetheless, I was determined to do my best. Adding to my poor planning for adequate training, I’d also scheduled a working trip and vacation to Spain and France—a yoga retreat with my wife, then 1-year-old son, and sister whose life-long dream had always been to go to Europe. 

While on vacation, I’d wake up very early to run the Paris streets before everyone else got up. This afforded me an entirely unique view of this city, a city I thought I knew so well. Thanks to some of the longer runs I did on that trip, I discovered how relatively small Paris feels when you circle through several arrondissements and arrive back to your AirBnB after running through the almost tourist-free streets at 5 am. 

I came home from a decadent trip to Europe feeling sluggish, jetlagged, and worried about this race. I only had a week or so left to prepare for this race. Apart from a few runs while in France and Spain, I justified my break from training by telling myself that I’d simply taken my taper early, that part of one’s training where you back off to allow your body the chance to load up on rest and energy. I justified that I had supplemented my extended taper with loads of baguettes, croissants, and cheese to build up the necessary carbs to do this race. I knew this was a lie but baguettes or not, I was doing this race. 

The day before the race, the organizers sent out an urgent email stating that they were forced to cancel the swim due to an “algae bloom” in the lake making it unfit for people to swim. Fears confirmed. Instead of swimming, we’d be running the same distance, 1.2 miles, along the shore where the swim would have taken place. I was gutted. I had swam more than either of the other two events and now they were canceling the swim. Plus, quietly inside, I didn’t think this event would really count as a “true” half Ironman. 

To add insult to injury, the night before the race, I began to get a sore throat and stuffy nose. Noooooo! I couldn’t get sick right before the race. I pounded some vitamin C and went to bed early but I still woke up on the morning of the race with a stuffy nose and scratchy throat. What was worse was that I felt very low energy. 

But cold or not, I was doing this race and for the hour + drive to the venue, I gave myself a massive pep-talk.

The half Ironman started great. I was feeling great as I jogged the 1.2 mile run-not-swim which was a mild warmup for the bike. 

I was having fun and feeling pretty good until about mile 25 into the bike, my knee started to really hurt. Guess, I should have done more training on the bike. I used yoga breathing techniques to breathe energy into my knee and tension out. It worked and before long my knee felt perfectly normal. I felt like I had an unfair advantage with all these yoga techniques up my sleeve. 

But about 10 miles later, about 35 miles into the bike, my legs really started to burn. I wasn't even halfway done with the event and already my energy was seriously winding up. This couldn’t happen! My hydration and fuel were on point but my legs felt like they were done. Kaput. 

Then, I remembered some of the visualizations I had done weeks prior to the event: I remembered a time when I felt amazing during a bike ride. After only a few minutes of putting myself into this mindstate, all those sensations, emotions, and energy came back to the surface. Boom, energy was back again. Ha! My mantra was, "Energy in. Tension out. Energy In. Tension out." I wasn't breaking any land speed records, and I ignored the fact that most of the other racers were passing me on their bikes, but that didn’t matter. I was moving steadily forward and feeling good. 

… Until my back tire blew out. 

I stopped, pulled off to the side of the road and to my luck, no sooner did I remove my punctured tube then the aid-van arrived. Out stepped a tutu-wearing bike-cowboy named Rorey who kindly asked me to step aside while he replaced the tube, pumped the tire, and replaced the tire onto my bike in what seemed like seconds flat. It was like watching a seasoned, professional cowboy rope a calf at a rodeo. 

Disclosure: no bikes were harmed in the production of this story. 

By now, I was about 4 hours into this event. I'd finished my pre-run-not-swim and the bike portion of the event and was thrilled to be slipping on my running shoes to run the paths I’d trod thousands of times in the past. This was going to be my strongest sport. I had this!

The run comprised two loops each 6.55 miles long. After the first mile or so, I was really feeling it—totally exhausted. My legs were throbbing, my lungs were screaming, and it was scorching hot July afternoon heat, but I was upright and still putting one foot in front of the other. I just continued with my mantra, "Energy in. Tension out. Energy in. Tension out."

On my first go around the loop, I recognized the furthest point of the loop. I figured this because there was an aid station with both water and energy drinks on a table as well as balloons and other decorations with and a speaker blasting hip-hop … that is until the music started cursing loudly which made the very worried woman assigned to direct traffic at that aid station to scramble and change the music. 

At the aid station, there was a T in the road with an arrow pointing right and a sign that said 2.5 miles to lap/finish. I looked right and saw other runners in that direction and started hobbling in that direction just as some decidedly more wholesome music started over the speakers. 

My muscles were burning, I was exhausted, and I was moving slowly but I told myself that I just needed to finish this loop and repeat it one more time and then I would be finished. 

When it started to feel impossible, I'd look down at my arms to access my lifeline: I had used a Sharpie to write in big black letters, "Sennie" on my left arm and "Ellie" on my right. Seeing the names of my two most favorite people was magic. It gave me my heart wings and put my spirit back into the race. 

As I finished the first loop, there they were: Sennie and Ellie. I hadn’t seen them since the night before and seeing them was everything to me. Also accompanying Sen and Elio were my mom and sis. What made that special in retrospect is that both of whom have since passed away. I was buoyed to have all 4 of them—Sen, Elio, my mom and sister—standing there, cheering me on (except Elio who was only 1 and was just getting the hang of standing, and who was probably confused by all the commotion, and likely just happy that he was spending a Saturday afternoon NOT getting schlepped around in the jog stroller). 

"One more loop! I'll be back here in an hour," I shouted as I bounded off for my second loop, my fists pumping in the air. 

But my jolt of enthusiasm quickly thinned. Every mile got harder and harder. I was reduced to making little goals for myself, "Just get to the mile marker, that's all.” Soon, my goals were reduced to the next half mile marker and eventually simply to the next turn in the road. 

On those last 6.1 miles, I was running on fumes. This was the most difficult thing I’d ever done to my body. I was utterly spent, my reserves were gone, and it was sheer endurance to keep going. One. Step. At. A. Time. 

Finally, like an oasis in the desert, I arrived at the furthest aid station, the point with the drinks, balloons, and speaker which was now hymns or something. Finishing felt almost impossible but I gave myself a pep talk by telling myself again that all I had to do was make the turn and head back along the road for the last 2.5 miles and to the finish line. I was on the home stretch!

But then I saw something horrifying. 

Devastating.

I realized that on my first lap, at the T in the road, I was supposed to turn LEFT, not right. The road to the right was actually a continuation of the leg that started off to the left. I realized that I’d skipped an entire mile and a half of the first loop, an impossible distance in my current state. 

Now, it was ME who was cursing loudly at the aid station. Fortunately, I couldn’t afford the calories to curse out loud and resigned to only scream in my head. 

As I stood there for a few minutes, my spirit utterly destroyed, justifying to myself all the reasons why I shouldn’t run this forgotten leg. The course was poorly marked, especially for someone whose brain is in energy-saver mode. The woman assigned to direct traffic was more worried about the music cursing loudly than doing her job (you have 1 job!). Plus, without the swim, this wasn’t a “true” half Ironman so it wouldn’t count regardless of whether or not I ran the forgotten leg. 

Everything in my body and soul was begging me to forget the forgotten lef  and just turn right, take the shorter path to the finish line.

But I knew I couldn't do that. I’d be cheating, cheating myself. Even if the woman at the aid station wasn’t directing traffic well, it was still my responsibility to ascertain the correct path. It was my mistake, not hers.

It was one of those stark moments that truly tested my integrity. 

I knew what I had to do so I pulled myself together, steeled my resolve … and turned left. 

I ran the mile and a half and once back at the aid station of despair, I paused for a moment (crying to myself—more internal cursing) and turned around to do it … all … again. 

Only after doing the forgotten leg TWICE did I finally take the coveted right turn for the final 2.5 miles to the finish where my family was waiting for me with worried faces. After all, I said I’d only be an hour but I didn’t return to the finish line for almost another 2 hours. They were worried that maybe I’d died or something on the second loop.They were more correct than they knew. 

Noticed the forced smile

Few things in life have felt so satisfying as crossing the finish line, ceasing to run, and lying on the grass—race over.

So, I salute anyone with enough gumption to either attempt or finish any endurance sporting event, whether it be Ironman Nice, a sprint triathlon, or the not-a-true-half-but-tuffer-than-you-know “Tough Man.”

More than physical endurance, this “Tough Man” taught me about how tough it is sometimes to maintain my own personal integrity. 

It showed me that I can muster the strength to do what’s right, even when I’m completely spent, and even when it’s easy to justify that my difficult situation is someone else’s fault. It also taught me never to compete in an event I haven’t trained for. 

Thanks for hearing my story. I’d love to hear yours. Drop me a line and tell me about your “tough” moments. 

Best Online Yoga Nidra Training YET!

How are you?

You’re receiving this email because you’ve either registered or shown interest in my Yoga Nidra teacher training.

Whether you would like to learn to teach Yoga Nidra like an expert or have previously registered for my training and would like to dive deeper or have support to finish this in-depth training, I’ve built a course just for you. 

When: June 10–11; 17–18, 2023

8 am to 12 pm MDT or 4–8 pm CET

This is a 20-hour live and online course designed to support anyone who is going trough my Yoga Nidra teacher training, Facilitating Transformation with the Yoga of Sleep. 

My Yoga Nidra teacher training is rated among the best online Yoga Nidra teacher trainings in the world. This course allows you to go deeper into the vast and fascinating subject of Yoga Nidra than you could with just the online course alone.

It gives you the motivation and encouragement to finish the course so you’re ready to teach when it’s done. It also provides you with opportunities to teach to a wonderful cohort and gives you personalized attention about how you can make a unique impact on your students with Yoga Nidra

Returning Students

If you have already purchased my online Yoga Nidra training, this course will support you to complete the course, offer you a wonderful opportunity to work with a cohort to practice teaching, and will allow you to receive personalized attention about your UNIQUE perspective and need for Yoga Nidra.

New Students

If you are a new teacher, you will also purchase and watch the online course in tandem with attention this live support course. This allows you to have the best Yoga Nidra leaning experience possible. It gives you a wonderful cohort of like-minded people, allows you to ask live questions, gives you the opportunity to practice teaching with other students, and gives you individualized attention to your comments, questions, and how YOU will make a difference by teaching Yoga Nidra. 

Let me (re)introduce myself or reintroduce myself. 

I’m scott Moore, senior yoga and mindfulness teacher, author and creator of Waking Up with the Yoga of Sleep, a celebrated and revolutionary style of Yoga Nidra, rated among the top 2 online Yoga Nidra teacher trainings in the world. I’ve been teaching yoga since 2003 and Yoga Nidra distance 2008. I’m also a registered school of yoga and Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. My books include: Practical Yoga Nidra, 20 Yoga Nidra Scripts Vol. 1 (included in this course), and 5-MInute Manifesting Journal. 

I’ve spent the past 20 years studying, practicing, and teaching yoga , Yoga Nidra and meditation. I’ve been teaching and mentoring other teachers for over 15 years and I’ve discovered that EACH TEACHER is unique and powerful in their ability to reach  certain people better than anybody else. 

It’s my passion to help you find your voice as a teacher and to show you how to find those students who are waiting for you. 

This course is designed to give you the personalized attention you need to maximize your impact as a Yoga Nidra facilitator. 

How this course works:

On your own timeline, you will review the contents of the pre-recorded online training and then we meet for 4 5-hour live, online Zoom sessions to go deeper, expand the concepts, ask questions and offer comments, and especially to practice teaching each other Yoga Nidra.

Pre-recorded online portion

The online portion is a robust course with:

• Engaging video lectures where we study both the what and why of Yoga Nidra as well as how to become an extraordinary facilitator that makes a difference in the lives of your students. We explore stories and myths, science and psychology.

• Specialized Yoga Nidra practices designed to help you become an extraordinary Yoga Nidra facilitator (cool!)

• PDF with breathing and mindfulness practices that you can use for yourself and print off to give to your students

• Sections about how to become a successful Yoga Nidra instructor, meaning how to incorporate your Yoga Nidra skills into an existing class, create a stand-alone Yoga Nidra class, create workshops, courses, retreats, etc and market yourself to get paid what you’re worth to offer this amazing skill to the world. 

20-Hour Live Zoom Portion

Then when we come together online, we can go deeper into the subject and practice teaching. I understand that every teacher brings something unique to the mix and I want to help you discover or optimize what your gifts are. 

When you’ve completed the course, you’ll receive a certificate of completion as well as continuing education hours for Yoga Alliance if you are registered with them. 

Included in this course is:

• 160+ page detailed manual

• Lifetime access to the complete 50-hour online training

• Lifetime access to the full audio and video recordings of the live online training

• A library of dozens of Yoga Nidra recordings

• Over 100 pages of Yoga Nidra scripts so you can start teaching right away

• A course of profound relaxation (think how much your family members and coworkers are going to love you!)

• A deeper understanding of Self through the practice of Yoga Nidra

• Certificate of completion

I believe in the principle of adopting, adapting, then innovating. Like I mentioned, you get my booklet of Yoga Nidra scripts so you can adopt the principles right away and teach quality and specialized Yoga Nidra classes such as:

• Yoga Nidra for Grief

• Yoga Nidra for Goals

• Yoga Nidra for Healing

• Yoga Nidra for Sleep

• Yoga Nidra for Stress

• Yoga Nidra for Relaxed Alertness

• And more

You’ll begin to adapt those scripts to sound more and more like you. Then using the principles you learn in the training, you’ll be able to innovate by creating your own style of Yoga Nidra done in only the way you can do it, and more importantly made for the people who are going to receive this practice from you better than anybody else. 

If you’ve been thinking of becoming a Yoga Nidra teacher this is really the opportunity to maximize your training and truly become the best Yoga Nidra facilitator possible. 

If you’ve already taken some version of my training and would like to get a refresher or some support to finish the course, this is both the opportunity to have the most support possible as well as to get the most up-to-date information. 

I’m so confident that you’ll love this training that I’ll offer you a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Please join me!

Yoga For Walking, Hiking, and Trekking

What’s up?! How are you?

Today I want to share with you the perfect yoga poses for walking, hiking, and trekking. But first, here in Nice, the weather and temp has been such a dream and our family has been taking advantage by exploring the trails and hiking in this area. There’s an exciting network of great trails (and steps) leading up the craggy mountains of the Azure Coast that tops out at a mountain-top castle, situated right next to Elton John’s lush villa, overlooking the cerulean waters of the bay below. So beautiful!

(Elton, if you’re reading, I’m available for yoga sessions at your house and I’ll bring my sax!)

How about you, do you like walking, hiking, or trekking? Maybe you have any plans this year for travels which include walking the Camino, trekking through the Himalayas, or exploring the cobblestone streets of European medieval cities. 

Lately, several friends and clients have asked me for some suggestions for yoga poses they can do to help them to recover after a long day hiking trails or walking destination cities so they can stay mobile and energized. 

So, whether you like to hike or walk near your home or are planning a trekking vacation sometime this year, I thought I’d offer a few suggestions for some essential poses you can do to help you stay in top shape and maintain your wellbeing. 

---

Yoga for Hiking, Walking,
and Trekking

Here’s a few of my favorite prep and recovery poses for walking, hiking, and trekking. 

First, remember to always incorporate conscious breathing into every pose and even try to be conscious of your breath while you’re walking or hiking. Keeping a good flow of oxygen supports everything from your heart, your brain, your muscles, and even your joints. 

Breathing is not optional!

---

Pre-Walk/Hike/Trek

Better than starting your day with stretches, it’s much more important to take just a few minutes to warm up the body. A lot of wear and tear on the body occurs when we subject it to force and movement when it’s simply not prepared. Here’s a few of my go-to warm up poses.

Sumo Squat to Forward Fold or
Utkatasana to Uttanasana Variations

Start with your feet a little wider than your hips, hands on thighs, blocks, or the floor. Inhale and bend your knees up to (but not more than) a 90° angle, flatten your spine, stick your butt out, and look forward. 

As you exhale, straighten your legs, round your spine, tuck your tail, and look between your calves. 

This combo helps to loosen knees, spine, and calves while warming up your quads, the front thigh muscles. You may also find this stretches your hamstrings, calves, and lower back. Make the stretch very light because remember that more important than stretching, your primary goal is to warm up joints and muscles while oxygenating your system.

High Crescent Lunge Pose or Asta Chandrasana 

Hold this pose for 5–8 breaths on each side. It helps you to warm up your quads, the front thigh muscles, as well as offer a gentle groin stretch (the psoas). It also builds the proprioception (your sense of movement, body position, and force) in both your feet so you are more connected to and feel sure with the ground beneath your feet. Poses like this help your feet to navigate uneven ground. 

Figure-4 Chair or Utkatasana Variation

I love this pose! Inhale, bend your knees and as you exhale, cross one ankle over the other thigh in a figure 4 stretch and stick your butt out until you find a light stretch. Hold it for 6–8 breaths each side. This pose may challenge your balance so you can also opt to hold onto something while you do this pose. 

This pose also helps to warm up and build your proprioception muscles in your ankles, feet, and calves. It also gives you a light stretch in the performs muscle, the deep muscle under the glutes that get sore after a long day of walking, hiking, and strangely enough, sitting (read a long flight). 

---

Post-Walk/Hike/Trek

Kneeling Lunge or Anjaneayasana 

Kneel down, perhaps with a cushion or towel under your knee. Extend the opposite leg forward and then bend that knee up to a right angle (not more). Find a moderate stretch in the groin of the back leg, especially as you press your back foot into the mat, toenail-side down, and lifting your pubic bone slightly. Hold this pose for 8–10 deep breaths on each side and visualize your breath dropping into the muscle you’re stretching. 

This is meant to be a groin stretch (psoas muscle). The psoas is like a bungee cord that connects your upper inner-thigh, through your pelvis, to the lower lumbar region of your spine. When contracted, it lifts your legs toward your trunk each time you take a step or pulls your trunk toward your legs like in a sit-up. When it gets tight, it can cause a lot of tension in your lower back making you wish you’d packed both your chiropractor as well as your infrared sauna on your trekking trip through the Himalayas.

Half Splits or Ardha Hanumanasana

While in the kneeling lunge position, straighten your front leg and as you exhale, fold toward the knee, holding a comfortable stretch. You may bend your knee as much as you’d like to get the stretch in the very center of the muscle and not in the attachments, behind the knee or high in the butt. Keep your foot flexed toward your shin.  

I love how this pose because it’s such a perfect stretch for the hamstrings and the calves. 

Seated Forward Fold or Paschimottanasana

While in a seated position, extend your legs out and hold onto your feet or behind your calves. As you exhale, fold into a comfortable stretch and hold this pose for 8–10 breaths. 

This is a beautiful stretch for both the lower back as well as the hamstrings and possibly the calves. It’s also a wonderful way to get grounded after a long day of walking, hiking, or trekking. Remember to bend your knees as much as you’d like to avoid pulling the attachments of the muscles. The goal of this pose is not to have straight legs but rather to hold a moderate stretch in all the places you may feel this pose. Attempt to keep the stretch in the belly of the muscles. 

You may find it beneficial to sit on a cushion or a block as you do this stretch, especially if you’re very tight. 

Seated Twist or Ardha Matsyandrasana Variation

Keeping your spine mobile is essential to keep all the other parts of your body in top condition and twists are excellent for that. Since you’ll be coming from Paschimottanasana, seated forward fold, it’s easy to cross one leg over the other knee and wrap your opposite elbow around your opposite knee. Lift your spine as you inhale and give yourself a slightly deeper twist on the exhale. Hold this pose for 6–8 breaths on each side. You may choose to keep your other leg either extended on the floor or bent. 

This pose helps to lengthen and mobilize your spine while also stretching the deep and superficial muscles of the trunk and around the spine. 

Cobbler’s Pose or Baddha Konasana

One of my go-to poses for inner-thigh stretches. Stretching all the muscles in the legs are important, not just the hamstrings. Tight inner-thighs can make your knees track incorrectly which over time can cause knee, hip, and ankle problems.

Sit with your feet together. Inhale and lengthen your spine then exhale and fold forward toward your legs with your spine straight until you feel a moderate stretch. You may choose to round your back a little but try to bend through your hips more than bending through your spine. With each exhale you may go a little deeper. Like seated forward fold or Paschimottanasana, you may find it beneficial to sit on a cushion or block.

Lying Down Figure 4 Stretch 

This pose will add years to your life! 

Lie down flat on your back and cross one ankle over the opposite knee. Cross your right ankle over your left thigh, reach your right hand through your thighs, and clasp both hands around your left thigh. Hold this pose for 8–10 breaths. Switch sides. 

Rest or Savasana

Dedicated rest is too often overlooked but is essential for recovering your body and energy. After a long day of being out and about, and after even a short sequence of poses, give yourself 10–15 minutes (or more) to lie down and settle. You may choose to focus on your breath or set to memory all the beautiful things you experienced during your trek. Your body, mind, and spirit will appreciate it, not to mention your trail partner … especially if that trail partner has 4 legs. 

Now you’re ready for a day of exploring on your feet, be it a pilgrimage, a hike, or a walking through a city.

Drop me a line or comment below and let me know how you like this short sequence of poses. 

---

If you’d like more of this, I’m offering an online yoga workshop on Saturday, April 29 from 9–11 am MDT (5 pm CET) where I’ll lead you through 4–5 short sequences like this that you can use every day to optimize your walking, hiking, and trekking. 

This class is perfect for all levels of yoga. 

You’ll leave feeling transformed in body, mind and spirit. Plus, you can take it with you wherever you go to maintain feeling amazing. 

We’ll start off with a few gentle warm-up sequences, follow up with some must-have stretching, grounding, and feel-good sequences, and finish with some luxurious cold-down and grounding sequences. We’ll have a decadent savasana and a Yoga Nidra so by the end you’ll feel like you’re floating on the clouds. 

Whether or not you join live, you’ll get the video and audio replay so you can take this class with you wherever you go. 

You’ll also get a PDF with the sequences that you can download (or print) and take it with you wherever you go. 

Register to join live on Zoom and/or get the replay so you can take it with you everywhere you plan to explore. 

---

Lastly, if you’d like to join me for some in-person roof-top yoga, overlooking the Bay of Naples as we recover from some jaw-dropping jaunts around some of Italy’s most beautiful coastlines, join me at my Amalfi Coast yoga retreat May 27–June 2, 2023. 

There’s still room for you. 

I hope to see you on Saturday and happy hiking!