Yoga, Knowledge, Tea & Skills Week #1

Yoga, Knowledge, Tea & Skills is a 6 week mountain bike training program I am teaching at Auburn Bike Company. I wanted to offer our students take-home information, but thought, why not make it accessible for all of our readers?! I hope you will all enjoy this outline of what we are learning. I haven't included everything, but have linked to some great websites to get you going. Yes I would like more content produced by women, but I've been limited on time to search (send me some?)

And please remember, mountain bike skills training should be conducted under the guidance of a certified and insured coach.

If you would like to sign up for the next Yoga, Knowledge, Tea & Skills in your area please email me.

Week 1: "New Beginnings"

Yoga: Yoga benefits (listed below), Mindfulness of Breathing, Sun Salutations

Knowledge: Guayaki Yerba Mate & Mountain biking benefits (listed below), Mountain Bike Anatomy & Set-up

Skills: Body Position, Bike-Body-Separation (no this is not about crashing), Pedaling, Shifting & Braking

Yoga

Practiced by humans for over thousands of years, yoga, meaning union, has many diverse branches of practice, but all focus on making a connection with mind, body and soul.Yoga gently builds strength, stability, and flexibility in the body and mind. Think calm and strong!

What do you need to pratice yoga?

All you really need is you! A mat will help keep your feet from slipping, provide a little padding and protection from a dirty floor. Straps, blocks, blankets, cushions, and other props can all be used to help you modify poses or support you while holding restorative poses for longer periods of time.

How can I learn? Where can I practice?Information and guidance about Yoga is available in books, DVDs and even online. However, I highly recommend that you practice once or twice a week with an experienced teacher to teach you the proper body movements, breathing, and help keep you motivated and encouraged to continue practice. We are very blessed to have so many yoga centers and practitioners in our region.

Find the one(s) that resonate best with your soul, body and mind. Seek variety with your practice, much can be gained from a variety of perspectives!

I teach yoga to all of my willing mountain bike students and also at Ironworks Fitness in Georgetown.  I usually update my local yoga schedule here.

A great Sun Salutation diagram, from http://www.sharaziz.com/

Mountain Biking

Humans use the wheel to travel greater distances and increase the ease and enjoyment of living. The bicycle, in its most primitive form was invented in ??(I'll have to check!), and mountain biking was born in perhaps in Northern California in the 1970s. The sport of riding bicycles off the road, with knobby tires for traction has grown significantly in the past few decades, touching the lives of many generations in countries all across the globe.

Benefits from Yoga & Mountain Biking:
- Increase lean muscle mass and burn fat

- Improve timing, coordination & focus

- Increase strength & stability in body and mind

- Promote breath awareness, deeper more efficient breathing

Getting started with mountain biking:

1.) Gently build “base miles” and become aquanited with pedalling. Try a Spin class!
2.) Aquire a mountain bike and helmet. No need for anything fancy yet, just something that fits, is safe, and functions properly.

3.) Attend a Mountain Bike Skills Session to learn fundamental skills to make mountain biking FUN & EASY, for anyone.

4.) Try a few Group Rides to discover beautiful local trails and meet new riders.
5.) Join or volunteer for your local trail advocacy group. Attend a special event or trip)

Tea!!

My favorite caffeinated tea, Yerba Mate (yer-bah mah-tay) is extremely nourishing, and made from a potent infusion of the leaves and stems of the South American rainforest holly tree Ilex paraguariensis. The naturally occurring caffeine is gentle and elevating (when consumed in moderation).  I get my Yerba Mate from Guayaki, whose warehouse is located in Sebastopol and products are available online and in several stores and markets.

Traditionally prepared and served in a gourd by a cebador, hot mate is sipped from a straw-like bombilla, passing the gourd counter-clockwise among a circle of friends. Sharing mate is a symbol of hospitality that can evoke feelings of connection and community. This is why I like to serve tea to my clients and friends.

Benefits from Yerba Mate:
- Stimulates focus and clarity
- Boosts physical energy
- Aids elimination
- Contains antioxidants & vital nutrients

There are many other teas and herbal infusions that can be prepared and consumed for great health benefits. Some of my other favorites include homemade spicy Chai (with ginger), Peppermint to sooth my tummy, and Chamomile/Lavendar to un-wind. Many herbs and flowers for tea and medicine can be grown easily right in your garden or patio!

and Skills...

This weeks skills session paired well with our knowledge bit about mountain bike anatomy and set-up.  We discussed and practicing shifting, braking, and a little bit of pedaling.  We dove head first into proper body position and the idea of moving our bodies independently from our bicycles (thats bike-body separation!).  Before students got to riding their bikes we did our bike and rider safety checks:

BIKE CHECK!

SAFETY:

• All bolts are tight
• Brakes in proper working order
• Proper air pressure in tires

SET-UP:

• Bars, stem, levers
• Drop Seat
• Flat pedals

RIDER SAFETY:

• Helmet!!
• Gloves & knee/shin pads (maybe elbows too!)
• Proper shoes (Five.Ten or skate style).

BODY POSITION:

• Bent knees and elbows
• Flat back, pivot at hips
• Rolled wrists, index fingers on brake levers
• Level pedals
• LOOK AHEAD
• Neutral: slight bend, cruising, but alert
  Ready: Deeper bend, lower stance, lower center of gravity = better balance = more control!

BRAKING:

• Know your front from your rear!
• Modulate – like a dimmer switch
• Brake evenly to avoid losing traction
• Start to slip? Let off the brakes for a sec :-)

PEDALING & SHIFTING:

• Proper gear selection
• Spinning – even, perfect circles
• Rachet pedaling (use a harder gear). Useful for tight spaces and water crossings, or where ground clearance is an issue (aka you don't want to smash your pedals into roots, rocks, or other obstacles).
  
  

BIKE-BODY SEPARATION:To maintain balance and equal pressure to our front and rear tires, we must move our bodies independently from our bicycles.

Fore/Aft: Useful for climbing and descending.  Move entire torso forward or back (see rolldown pic below)

Side-to-side: Useful when cornering, or for lateral balance.  Open knees to allow room for bike to move side to side.

I'll be updating these posts when I can with more links, videos and knowledge for you.  Happy Trails & Ride on!!