Many of us cyclists are guilty of only taking care of one thing - your pride and joy that is your bicycle. We invest hard earned cash to buy the bike and carry on this trend throughout it's life to make sure it is running in tip top condition. But what many of us overlook is our own bodies. We put our bodies through mile after mile of sitting in the same position, often carrying our equipment in panniers or similar bag. And if you are like me, you sometimes bring along a little too much!
I recently attended the Cycle Touring Festival where I had the pleasure of going to a yoga session with Alice McNeil from Hope Yoga. It may have only been an hour session, but i really felt the many years of aches & pains from cycling and constant computer use (I work in IT) coming out. Now Alice isn't your everyday yoga teacher; Alice is a keen cyclist and her honeymoon was a 2+ year cycle tour from the UK to New Zealand! An injury during that trip drove her to become a qualified yoga instructor and physiotherapist. The session Alice delivered at the festival was aimed at us cyclists and you can download the routine right now. Once you are up to speed, it should take around 10 minutes. Please note that this routine is to only give you ideas and is not medical advice. Always seek medical advice when starting any new exercise to ensure it is appropriate for you.
Alice has kindly agreed to answer a few questions about yoga for cycle touring and yoga in general. Let's get started!
I trained in Rishikesh in India, and despite being a little bit commercial on the yoga front, it was a magical place to learn more about yoga. My course was from a school called Chandra Yoga and it was in some ways one of the hardest, yet most rewarding, things I have ever done.