Yoga for Climbers: Stretch, Strengthen, and Climb Higher

260 Pages·2016·17.58 MB·English

by  Nicole Tsong

YOGA CLIMBERS

YOGA CLIMBERS
HOW TO STRETCH, STRENGTHEN, and CLIMB
HIGHER
NICOLE TSONG
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIKA SCHULTZ
TO MY SISTER, INGRID
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: Heidi Smets Graphic Design
Layout: Jennifer Shontz, www.redshoedesign.com
Illustrator: Anna-Lisa Notter, www.annalisanotter.com
Cover photograph: Bouldering
Frontispiece: Focused on the next move
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Tsong, Nicole, author. | Schultz, Erika, photographer.
Title: Yoga for climbers : how to stretch, strengthen, and climb higher / Nicole Tsong ; photography by
Erika Schultz.
Description: Seattle, WA : Mountaineers Books, [2016] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015041155 | ISBN 9781594859953 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Hatha yoga. | Mountaineering. | Endurance sports—Training. | Exercise.
Classification: LCC RC1220.Y64 T75 2016 | DDC 613.7/046—dc23 LC record available at
http://lccn.loc.gov/2015041155
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 [email protected].
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-59485-995-3
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-59485-996-0
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction
How to Use This Book
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Yoga
A Brief History of Yoga
Yoga Fundamentals
Meditation Fundamentals
Chapter 2: The Benefits of Yoga
The Physical Benefits
The Mental Benefits
Chapter 3: Yoga Poses for Climbers
Support Your Feet
Release Your Hips and Glutes
Tighten Your Core
Open Your Shoulders and Elbows
Balance Your Hands and Wrists
Twist and Lengthen Your Spine and Neck
Chapter 4: Yoga Practices for Climbers
Strength Practice I
Strength Practice II
Recovery Practice
Chapter 5: Yoga Practices for Before and After You Climb
Pre-Climb Practice
Post-Climb Practice
Chapter 6: Finding a Yoga Class
Step 1: Choose an Environment
Step 2: Identify a Style That Speaks to You
Step 3: Identify Teachers Who Elevate You
Step 4: Create Your Yoga Community
Chapter 7: Eating Mindfully
Apple Meditation Practice
Mindful Eating Practice
No Midnight Snacks! Practice
Resources
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
WRITING A BOOK IS a tremendous adventure, and there are many people and
communities whose generosity of spirit and big love helped me arrive here.
To my parents, Joanna and Peter, thank you for your unwavering love and support.
To my sister Ingrid, thank you for your love, early edits, and patient listening.
To my teacher Baron Baptiste, thank you for a methodology that is my teaching
source. To the bright light Susanne Conrad, thank you for teaching me to hear and
embrace why I am on the planet, and for sharing igolu with the world.
To Michel Spruance, thank you for early rounds of feedback, for modeling, and for
your faith in me. To Tina Templeman, thank you for your enthusiasm and support at all
levels of the project, from photo shoots to anatomy.
To the models in these pages—Natalie Wieder, Sam Young, Mercedes Pollmeier,
Taylor Moravec, G. Webster Ross IV, Tina Templeman, Brian Charlton, Austin Carrillo,
Paul Javid, Genevieve Alvarez, and Peter and Michel Spruance—your athleticism, can-
do spirit, and playfulness are an inspiration. To Gaylinyet Roberts, thank you for
illuminating our inner beauty.
To my Be Luminous Yoga, Shakti Vinyasa Yoga, igolu, Lululemon Pacific Place, and
Baptiste communities—thank you for being the best.
To the staff at Mountaineers Books, thank you for your partnership and vision. To the
climbers and experts who embraced this book, thank you for contributing your wisdom.
To the staff at Pacific Northwest magazine at the Seattle Times—thank you for “Fit for
Life.”
To Erika Schultz, thank you for capturing our vision so beautifully.
To my favorite hiking and bouldering partner, Chris, thank you for being hilarious
and direct, for holding me to my best self, and for your love.
INTRODUCTION
I STARTED CLIMBING AFTER I started teaching yoga. Despite my best intentions, some
days my yoga training flitted away while I was on a wall. The circumstances varied, but
those lapses typically involved moments when I was facing a move just beyond my skill
level, or my fingers and forearms were screaming. Suddenly, I’d remember I’m high up.
My heart thudded louder and faster. I reached for chalk for newly sweating palms. I
panted a bit and wondered if it was time to call “take” and wait for my belayer to lower
me.
Fortunately, feeling panicky didn’t last forever. At some point, I remembered to
pause. I composed myself: I found a comfortable stance, I loosened my death grip on
the holds, and I shook out my arms. I took a deep breath in, exhaled all the way out—
and looked again at the problem in front of me. I’d usually notice a tiny hold I’d missed
earlier. Or realize if I turned my hips and changed the position of my feet, I could get to
the next move. Or I’d finally hear my belayer calling out a brilliant suggestion from
below. Whichever way it went, I’d make my move and climb on.
People often say climbing is like yoga, only higher up. Climbers understand on an
intimate level the need to stay focused and present. If they don’t, they make mistakes.
As a climber, you know the extraordinary mental focus it takes to hang on to a tiny
crimp, and with grace and concentration, move through the challenging crux of a tough
route. You know the commitment and faith required to tackle—and send—a next-level
climb. You’ve witnessed your own transformation, climbing harder than you ever
thought possible, and you’ve been inspired by others when they have done it too. Focus
has taken root in your bones and tissue, with the lessons gained from route after route
now embedded in your fingertips and feet.
In yoga, I have questioned my own physical strength—and experienced what it was
like to break through. When I first started to practice, I had 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. I hoped yoga would strengthen my shoulders. I figured I could work on my
core, an eternally weak area.
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. I was sore for days after. 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. Her arms were ripped, and she only did yoga. I wanted to believe her claim.