“I Feel Your Pain”

By Kimberly Fowler

Hi my name is Kimberly Fowler and I’m excited to part of “The Om Team.”  My mission is to get the word out to as many athletes as possible about the benefits of doing yoga.

I guess I’m not your typical yoga instructor; by that I mean that when you think of yoga teachers you probably envision people who can wrap their foot around their head. I’ve been practicing yoga since 1983 and I still can’t do a lot of the more advanced poses (and that’s ok). Honestly, a lot of my students are “better” at yoga then I am. I can force my body into some of the poses that are really hard for me, like the Wheel, but I pay for it the next day. I always tell my students that doing more advance poses is NO BIG DEAL—it just shows that there are different levels of flexibility out there. I don’t give them brownie points for turning themselves into pretzels, but I do give them praise for showing up and trying hard.

But the pretzel effort isn’t the main thing that makes me say, I feel your pain. I also know what athletes go through because of my broken collar bone and myriad of other sports-related injuries. I actually broke my collar bone twice: once in a biking accident and once jumping my horse; I guess I never quite perfected the “tuck & roll”...

Most of my students are athletes or at least weekend warriors, so if you are like them, chances are you’re not the most flexible thing in the world And you’re naturally competitive, right? That combination is what causes the majority of injuries. Yoga increases flexibility, thus preventing injury, plus, athletes who practice yoga discover that the benefits go beyond the effects of just “stretching.” Yoga also improves balance, coordination, concentration & endurance—do I have your attention now?

Doing yoga—even if it’s just a 15-minute routine—will make a big difference, I promise.

The following 3 poses are great for runners, cyclist, and really for all active people. You’ll see this sequence focuses on hips, hip & more hips! That’s because they’re a major tightness trouble spot for athletes, and contribute to all kinds of lower-body injuries, especially to knees.

1. Reclining Pigeon Pose. If you could only do one pose for your hips, this is “the one.”

2. Dead Bug Pose. Opens up your hips, hamstrings & releases your lower back.

3. Cobbler Pose. Opens  hips, inner thighs & lower back.

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