As I’ve been dreaming of the start of ski season and planning curriculum for my new course Mind, Body, Yes!, I’ve been thinking about the crossovers of being a skier and the power of mindset, body connection, and positive attitude.
When we ski, we have to prepare both the body and the mind for the challenges we face on the mountain. I was recently reading the editorial letter in the latest edition of Outside Magazine how they quietly changed their tagline to “Live Bravely.” The editor explained how living bravely can be different things to different people. For one person it’s challenging themselves to ski their first double black diamond-for another it’s base jumping.
To live bravely of course there’s a little bit of “just do it” mentality but also there’s training and preparation that ultimately gives us the confidence to “Jump In” as we like to say at SheJumps.
So how do we say “Mind, Body, Yes!” to skiing?
Mind: How do we fully integrate the mind and the body? We are more than a mind, we are more than a body. I love the quote “we are spiritual beings having a human experience”. For those of us who love skiing, it’s perhaps one of the best human experiences out there. But sometimes the thoughts in the mind certainly don’t help. In my health coaching practice and yoga teaching, I often work with clients who have pretty loud inner critics. What is your inner voice telling you? Is it whining, entitled, chicken, bratty, critical, or cowardly? After a tough run, does it cheer you on and say “YOU DID IT!” or does it say “That was terrible and ugly!”?Just begin to notice if you have an inner critic or an inner cheerleader. Then acknowledge that you can change that internal dialogue.
Body: I’m a skier by passion but have spent another handful of years studying and teaching yoga. As an athlete first and then a yogi, I’ve begun to bring my yoga practice to the slopes. I first remember experimenting with yogic breathing while skiing.I approached it with inquiry -what does it feel like if I sync my turns with my breath? When I’m about to really do something that requires courage-what if I anchor my awareness to breathing deeply?
I had the fortune/misfortune of injuring my knee skiing a month after starting my 18 month yoga teacher training- talk about having to learn from my body! I truly believe injury can be one of our greatest teachers.
As I began rehabilitating and preparing for skiing with my yoga practice. I learned the importance of having balanced strength and flexibility and a most important cross over was becoming aware of my ego. In yoga we work on developing “witness consciousness” to notice the behaviors of the ego as separate from our true/higher selves. As I reflected back on my injury, I realized that my ego made me push. By listening to my breath and anchoring to my intuition, I can push the boundaries of my comfort zone while maintaining integrity rather than being ruled by ego.
I developed this yoga sequence in my Yoga for Skiers workshop from learning these lessons from my body. I hope you enjoy it!
Yes! Yes! is about building the stoke and surrounding yourself with positivity and empowerment. This means finding like minded ladies to ski with that make you beam with delight on each run. Yes! is about saying yes to new challenges and creating a can do attitude. Yes! is about being okay with looking bad when you are learning. Yes! is about staying in alignment with what makes your spirit delight. Yes! is about “doing confidence”.
When you say Yes! your body responds. Try it next time you go do something that scares you. Does your body feel different when you say “I can’t” then it does what you say “I can!”?
What has been your experience with Mind, Body, Yes? How will you incorporate a Mind, Body, Yes! attitude in your skiing this year?
