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By Travis RonkOctober 9, 2002
Three years ago, for our anniversary, Steph wanted to go to a week-long yoga retreat on a 350 acre ranch in the mountains in New Mexico with a local West Seattle yoga teacher, Janet Brugge. I was enticed because there were trails there and I could bring my mountain bike. She really wanted to do it, so we made a deal that we would do whatever I wanted to do the next year, if we would do the yoga thing together this year. “Yeah!” I thought, “we’re going windsurfing in the Gorge next year!” We had a great experience in New Mexico -- great food, a good fun group of people, and a beautiful landscape. Doing yoga three hours a day, five days in a row was great for my back. I was beginning to really like yoga and I began to make it a priority in my life. Some real improvement was happening with my low back. However, I was not pain free yet. I began to accept the idea that I was just getting older, I would not be able to do things like I used to do, and that I would probably have to wear a back brace and take pain killers from time to time. I had gotten back into doing the occasional “weekend warrior”adventures, but the fear of the low back pain took a lot of the fun out of it. Yoga changed my life dramatically in December 2001. Ski season was here and the kids wanted to ski more, so we bought season passes. I looked forward to skiing, but dreaded the inevitable pain of my low back screaming at me and the long recovery time. I was still regularly doing physical therapy, massage, chiropractics and I desperately wanted to fix my back before the season started. I even considered sitting out a year and having surgery. Steph’s yoga classes were very successful and she was still pitching me on the benefits of a regular yoga practice. As a last ditch effort, I FINALLY decided to take her advice and try more yoga. She put together a few poses that I could do each morning when I woke up. I would just flop out of bed and spend at least 5 minutes stretching and strengthening my back by doing cat cow, spinal balance and pigeon, no problem I can do that. I committed to 5 minutes, no less. After only a few weeks, I was feeling great improvement. My five-minute commitment turned into fifteen minutes some days, then, thirty-five minutes and, sometimes, one-hour. I began incorporating more poses [CAT/COW, SPINAL BALANCE, FLOWING BRIDGE, KNEES TO CHEST, CHILDS, DOWN DOG, SUN SALUTATIONS, BUTTERFLY, CAMEL, AND PIGEON (holding each side for as long as comfortable 2-5 minutes) I skiied thirty-five days last season with very little back pain. I was skiing harder and faster than I had in years, many days racing my brother to the bottom of the hill. I can now mountain bike, windsurf, do yard work, play with the kids, run, sit, lift heavy things, and put on my socks with NO back pain. I credit my daily yoga practice for giving me back my young, strong body. And, for giving me back the gift of doing the things that I have a passion for doing. I credit Steph for giving me yoga. Thank you again, Steph. As you can imagine by now, I love yoga. Steph has been teaching Yogafit Teacher Trainings for awhile and has heard so many great stories of how yoga has helped others. She thought it would be a good idea if I came to a Level 1 Teacher Training. We have a home studio and sometimes Steph needs a sub, so she really wanted me to teach. I wasn’t so sure. We would send the kids to the grandparents. I thought it would be like a mini vacation. Plus I thought it would be interesting to see what she does all of those weekends away from home. However, I didn’t really think I would be interested in being a yoga teacher. The Yogafit system made teaching yoga seem easier than I thought it would be. It was challenging, but the Training is designed to be fun, interactive and help you build confidence – it was fun! I have just finished my community service for Level 1. I took the Level 2 Training in September and plan to take Level 3 later this month. I am teaching four classes a week now. I love it -- I am totally hooked on, and believe in, yoga. We have found yoga retreats to be great growth experiences. For our 10th anniversary, in August, we attended a Yoga Bootcamp/Teacher Training in Maya Tulum, Mexico. Of course, the word “bootcamp” interested me. Steph was open to anything “yoga”. Again, there were mostly fit, healthy women (guys, you are missing out!). Seriously, it was the one of the most physically and mentally/emotionally challenging and exhilarating experiences I have ever had. It was an incredible experience for us as a couple. Being there as a couple, while having individual experiences, compounded our personal growth because we were there to support each other. Today, I am completely committed to yoga. My daily practice has grown to at least five minutes of meditation and breathwork, ten minutes of yoga asanas, and five minutes of journaling. I get up early and let it take me. Most mornings, I practice for over one hour. I am much more centered and focused at work. I am able to think more clearly and get less distracted. I can control the way I react to things around me much better. I’m open to what is real in my life and what really matters. Most of all, I feel great. My daily practice is like having a daily massage. I have learned how to listen to my body and give it what it needs. Sensations are your body’s way of communicating. When you are not aware and not listening, ou bodies speak louder with pain, until you hear. Yoga teaches us the language of the body, so that we know what it needs. Looking back, I don’t know why it took me so long to get hooked on this yoga thing? Just think of what I could have done had I found it earlier in life. How much better of an athlete could I have been in high school and college? How much better of a student, entrepreneur, husband, father, friend, could I have been? That is all history and doesn’t mater, but what does matter is what I can do with it right here, right now, in this moment, and in this breath. I strongly believe that yoga is necessary for every body. And I am so thankful toYogafit for sending the good message of yoga to the regular people. |
