Your Dream Running and Yoga Retreat

As this year wraps up, I'm planning my 2010 teaching schedule. I've reserved the fabulous facility at ZAP Fitness in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina for two weekends, May 14–16 and October 22–24. It's a wonderful place to spend the weekend doing yoga and running (and eating, and sleeping, and hot-tubbing), and my 2008 and 2009 retreats were both wonderful.

Here's where I need your help: what would you most like to see as a theme for these retreats? Are you interested in more running, more yoga, or an even mix of the two? Do you want to spend some time in meditation? Are you dying to master handstands, headstands, or some other particular pose? Would you prefer to have some formal instruction in planning your training? This year, I offered complimentary video analysis of each of the runner's gaits, which was fun for everyone. Would that interest you? In May, weather may be good enough for a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway—would expanding workout options to include cycling be an inducement? We have the option to add a third night and begin the retreat on Thursday—what do you think? Ladies, are you more likely to attend an all-women's retreat, or, guys, are you more comfortable when you know there will be some other men around?

Please share your ideas with me for your own dream retreat, whether or not you think you could make it. You can leave comments here, send me a Tweet, post on my Facebook page, or simply write a good old-fashioned e-mail. (If you wanted to get really creative, you could post a video on YouTube.) I really hope to hear from you.

Wall Folds and Twists

I've just put up a new episode of Sage Yoga Training—my podcast of short yoga routines for athletes and everyone—this one with some very relaxing, gentle folds and twists using a wall for support. You can download it in iTunes, watch it on YouTube, or simply play it from here (though the quality of the pictures is lower, I think you'll get the gist).

The inversions help you relax and recover from your training (or December stress), and the reclining position keeps your back in a safe, neutral position. If you keep the stretches gentle, they will work even after a hard workout, when deep stretching would only stress your muscles further.

These poses are a version of the Wall Folds routine from The Athlete's Pocket Guide to Yoga, and they were the inspiration for the coffee-table/locker-room yoga routine I described here.

Description for the episode:

Perfect for practice after a long or hard workout, this gentle series of stretches encourages recovery and open hips, while helping you relax. You’ll need a wall or a closed (and locked!) door. Be sure to keep your back neutral against the ground throughout—don’t let your bottom curl up as your legs shift position. At the end, feel free to stay as long as you like with your legs up.

This sequence is also available in The Athlete's Pocket Guide to Yoga, which you can find at Amazon, REI, and bookstores everywhere. Music for the episode is “Breath of Love,” by Suzanne Teng, off the compilation Music for Meditation, available at Magnatune.com.

Coffee Table Yoga

Today was my last trip of the season to teach yoga to the UNC football team. They've had a good season, which officially ends next Saturday but which will continue to a bowl game. My role is as part of the lift-and-flush workout, in which they do some light weights and running, plus yoga. It's always interesting to see the progression as the season continues. Last week, for example, instead of the usual chatter about who went to what club the night before, I heard some guys talking about who blew what assignment; others were comparing stats. How cool to see a team hit its stride!

Today, we did a variation on the Wall Folds routine from The Athlete's Pocket Guide to Yoga, using the team's lockers. These have a seat-height bench covered in a pad, and they're deep enough that players can rest the entirety of their lower legs on the pad. The bottom of the bench is solid. At home, you can use your coffee table (or, if you're tall, your sofa), then move to the wall for the supported twists. The bent-legged position you take as home base for the sequence is very nice on the lower back and knees—much less stressful than a full straight-legged viparita karani/legs-up-the-wall position. Your legs get the draining effect of the inversion; your back is held by the floor, which keeps it from rounding; your chest gets a gentle stretch; and your whole system—body, mind, and breath—gets calm.

Here are some ideas for you to play with. Sure, this could be yoga for football players, but it could also be great as a relaxing sequence after travel, or after a tough workout.

• Come close to the coffee table, calves to its surface, back on the ground. Bring your bottom as close to the table as feels comfortable. Take your hands to a position that feels good: inverted V, goalpost arms, "Touchdown!" arms, "Safety!" arms, or a V overhead. Stay here for a number of breaths, getting settled.
• Take your knees closer over your torso and rest your heels on the edge of the table. You'll be in the shape of a squat on your back. Hold for five breaths or more.
• From here, shift toward baddha konasana/cobbler pose legs, taking the knees wide into a diamond shape as the soles of your feet come together. Support your knees without forcing them toward the table. Five or more breaths.
• Unwind and rest your calves back on the table. Straighten your left leg, reaching your left heel toward the ceiling and your left toes toward your head. After a few breaths, gently circle your foot in one direction, then the other, to stretch the lower leg. Repeat on the right leg.
• Lift your left leg, point the left knee to the left, and cross your ankle over the right leg, so that the outer ankle is to the right of the right leg. If you need more stretch for the outer left hip, slide your right knee toward your chest. If your bottom lifts off the ground, scoot your whole body away from the table, so that your entire backside stays in good contact with the floor. Stay for five to ten breaths—a longer hold helps the piriformis release—then repeat for the right leg.
• Bring your heels to the edge of the table. If you trust the table will not slip, push into it with your feet and lift your hips in the air. You'll be in a high bridge pose (drawbridge?). From here, you can walk your shoulders toward each other behind the back. If any of this feels iffy for your neck or back, skip it. Otherwise, five breaths or so should do.
• This one is for those at a solid couch or with a blocky coffee table; alternatively, move to the wall or a door. Slide six inches or so away from the prop, then drop both knees to the right, taking the soles of your feet to the prop. Open your left arm to the left, and turn your head that way, too. (The players really liked this one; it gives you a slightly deeper twist than the usual knees-down reclining twist in the middle of the room.) For less, move further from the prop; for more, scoot in toward it. After five breaths or more, move to the other side.
• Finish as you started, calves to the tabletop, back neutral, chest open. Breathe.

Let me know what you think!

Early Bird Special at Kripalu

Kripalu is offering an early-bird special of a 10-percent discount off my February weekend workshop. If you're wondering, "Who or what is Kripalu?" the answer is that it's a lovely yoga center in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, not far from Albany or Hartford. The grounds are beautiful, especially covered with February snow, and you can see ice fishermen on the lake in the distance as you eat the amazing food and sip hot tea.

My workshop description is as follows:

• Improve strength, flexibility, and focus
• Increase physical and mental endurance and balance
• Avoid injury and recover faster

Many athletes are turned off by yoga because it’s too hard, too easy, or out of sync with their training. Over this weekend, coach and teacher Sage Rountree will demystify yoga and explain exactly how it fits with training and competition. Yoga’s emphasis on form and breath will translate to increased efficiency and focus in your sport and your life.

In this weekend workshop, appropriate for all levels of yoga and athletic experience, we’ll learn poses to increase range of motion and flexibility, especially in the hips and hamstrings. We’ll spend some time cultivating sport-specific core strength and playing with balance, and we’ll examine yoga as mental training, learning how incorporating yoga’s approach to the body and mind can make us better athletes.

Discover how to include yoga in your annual training plan, choosing sequences to complement your training both in season and during the off-season. Practicing the poses and techniques you’ll learn in this workshop will increase your flexibility, core strength, stability, balance, and physical and mental endurance, while lowering your recovery time and risk of injury.

Weather permitting, we’ll head out for a run one or both mornings. Recommended reading: The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga and The Athlete’s Pocket Guide to Yoga, both by Sage Rountree (VeloPress, 2008 and 2009).

This past February, I had the pleasure of joining a wonderful group of yogis and athletes for the first version of the workshop. There were teachers of yoga for athletes, gym teachers, some hardcore runners who'd never done yoga, some fans of gentle yoga who'd never felt very athletic—a wonderful mix of the full range of experience (from much to none) with sports or yoga. If you're wondering whether you'll fit in: yes! You will. You'll learn a lot about your body, mind, and spirit over the weekend, and you'll get to enjoy the wonderful feeling of being on retreat, where someone else takes care of the cooking and the dishes, and where when you are done with practice, you don't have to rush to anywhere.

I hope to see you there. Sign up by January 3 for that early-bird special. (It'd make a great holiday gift for yourself or a friend!) Register via this link.

More Yoga for Athletes in NYC

I had a blast at the New York Marathon—not just during the race itself, but for the whole long weekend. There's a full report at my site, mostly pictorial. Marvel at Joan Benoit Samuelson, the bunny-head runner, and the crowds! Thrill as I pose pretentiously in front of banners! Sigh at the cuteness of my children in Halloween costumes! Find it here.

My workshop at the beautiful Om Factory space went very well. I led the group through eight restorative postures, where they were able to focus on form and breath to prepare for running the race the next day. I was delighted to see my student Emilie Smith there, a reunion after our weekend at Kripalu this February. She's teaching a workshop for athletes at the Reebok Sports Club near Lincoln Center on November 14. The flier's below. Please visit her—she's a lovely person with great energy.

The Art of the Race Report

I have my athletes write race reports after each event, both for their own benefit and to share with each other. There's no hard-and-fast rule on structure. Usually, it's a narrative detailing what happened when, how it felt, any strategy deployed, and conclusions about what worked and what can be improved on next time. Sometimes there's a course description. They're always fun to read, and they always teach something: about how to race that race, about coping with intensity, about the athlete.

This year, I've gotten some reports that follow a different template.

On a mile open-water swim, third in a series, in a lake with a lot of vegetation, a haiku:

A weedy surprise;

With two hundred fifty friends;

Four minutes faster.

On a 10K, run through (and back again) as part of a long run, a limerick:

There was a small race called the Mashpee

That rolled from the ocean to the town green.

I held marathon pace

in a "where's-the-pack?" place.

At the finish line the beer was free!

On a marathon, a "review" in the style of Booklist, written by a librarian (there is a novella of a narrative to match; this is simply the précis):

Ruffin Powell has finally made the leap into the long form with her new marathon novel, Marine Corps Marathon 2009. In 26.2 chapters of running, Powell traverses all the challenges of the training cycle, starting out with confidence and unwarranted speed in the first 11 miles of a crowded course and ideal weather. The middle chapters trace her journey through the Washington Mall, cold with self-doubt in the shadow of Aretha Franklin’s Inauguration hat. As she is released from the fugue of footfalls in the 20th mile, Powell finds again her voice and rhythm, familiar and transformed by perseverance. Her smiling (if shaking) acceptance of the medal and the “oohyah” commendation of the Marines are pitch-perfect. The frequent, supportive meetings with her husband Jeremy and calm in intensity indicate her growth as an athlete since her shorter works, such as Canton 10K 2007. The McGyver-style creativity replacing a lost piece on her Camelbak with a bit of cork is not to be missed. Powell truly fulfills her project in the quest for self-knowledge. Highly recommended.

ZAP Retreat, 2009

My husband, Wes, and I are back from our annual visit to lead a yoga and running retreat to ZAP Fitness, the wonderful training center in the Blue Ridge Mountains. (Wes's title is "cruise director": he keeps the conversation flowing, he provides the drinks, and he models how to listen to your body and make things easier whenever you need to.) Just like last year, it was great. A cozy space, with a lovely rainstorm all Friday night that let up in time for a Saturday run up to the Moses Cone mansion off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Our practice included yoga nidra, play with inversions, and plenty of hip openers, including reclining twists and yin yoga. Here's a picture Wes got of me leading the Saturday afternoon practice. Fittingly, it's focused not on me but on the super cool AlterG treadmill ZAP has for the season. We got to see this machine in action and observe the way it modifies a runner's stride to reduce impact. We shot some video of Frank Tinley on it, and it's fascinating to see him almost floating (especially when, for our amusement, he took it to 40 percent of his weight).

I'm already looking forward to visiting again next year, and perhaps you'd like to join us! I'll post the dates once they are set.

Meanwhile, if you or anyone you know is going to be in New York City on Saturday, October 31, please consider my pre-marathon yoga workshop. It will be very mellow, and it's appropriate for anyone, athletic or not, running the marathon or not. There's still space!