In 1996, I started to have thoughts like…”what’s wrong with this picture? — I can run for a bus, even run for hours yet I have trouble bending over to tie my shoes”. I also started to notice that my posture was literally bending out of shape! I decided to give Yoga a try. Wow! Yoga 13-years ago already! OK, let’s be realistic — No, I didn’t have the impact on it that Madonna had, but it certainly has had a profound affect on me…and that’s what I’d like to share with you.
Flashback: I know this works better in the movies but I thought this would help contextualize my progression from enthusiast runner to Yoga Instructor. Over 20-years ago I began carving out a journey, one filled with marathons and other common road race distances. In a fit of introspection, I began to take notice that the one thing all the races had in common was a finish line. Little did I suspect that during all the time I was running, I was running the race of my life — to which I might add, I always wanted to live like there is no finish line. That’s my personal history queue.
I ran faithfully with the Metro Central Silver Runners and was actively involved in leading fitness and aerobic classes. While I was merely a recreational (read: non-competitive) runner, my passion for it was strictly hardcore. I ascribed to a running ethic that was straight out of the US Postal Service’s mantra; “Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor gloom on night”. Well, you get the picture? Like many runners, my thoughts of stretching ranged from non-existent to lame. Pretty pathetic! No wonder I had more than my share of injuries in those years, mainly in the hamstrings and hips. My running buddies and I would flock to whichever “miracle worker” promised the proverbial silver bullet. If you’ve been running any length of time you already know them — the chiropractor, the massage therapist, the acupuncturist, shall I go on? Tightness and pain — yes, all the time, but don’t tell me to stop running. Are things starting to sound familiar?
Fast Forward: For a few years, Yoga was secondary to my running and I was amazed at how quickly I started to feel changes in my body. During the time I combined Yoga and running, I felt I became stronger and less prone to injury. I was intrigued. In 1999 I went to a Yoga retreat in Hawaii and was exposed to fairly vigorous Yoga every day over a two-week period. That did it! I started to feel like I was in someone else’s body.
Generally, I felt lighter on my feet, my posture was improving and my breathing seemed deeper. It was the turning point for me and I decided to trade in my running shoes for a Yoga mat.
Further and deeper changes occurred in my life. As I was studying to become a Yoga Instructor I also had an opportunity to exit my corporate life. In Yoga, I was taught to teach what I know. It was pretty easy to figure that out — I knew tight bodies. I decided to put together my Yoga for Runners Workshop and promoted it to many of my running friends. I was pleasantly surprised that it became an instant hit! That was two years ago. Since that first workshop, I have had the pleasure of working with hundreds of runners in the GTA.
My love of running makes sense as to why I have chosen to devote my Yoga classes to runners exclusively. My work with runners focuses on keeping them healthy and on the road. My teaching incorporates my personal experiences in working to realign and increase the range of motion in my body. I combine this with the knowledge gained from runners and athletes that I have worked with.
This has helped to create a perfect venue to share my passion and share it with runners in a way they understand.
Purchase Christine Felstead's yoga for runners DVD
