15 Pounds, 15 Feet and White Knuckles

How often do you get to genuinely feel like a true beginner again, after practicing a sport for nearly a decade? Almost never.

You can fake it, like letting a 6 year old catch you in a game of tag, or...

You can fudge it, like using only one arm to shoot hoops.

But rarely do you get to feel the excitement and anticipation of square one again.

If you have been kayaking for as long as I have try sitting in a wildwater boat and you'll know exactly what I mean. Throw everything you know about the forward stroke, torso rotation and edge control out with the trash. Get the slate as blank as possible, you're going to need it.

Chris Hipgrave flies under the bridge. Photo: Adam Elliott

Perhaps this doesn't sound like a very good idea? You spend years developing skills and techniques and reach a fairly advanced level within a sport. Why would you want to throw it all out the window.

To get better.

It also makes class III really REALLY exciting again.

JP demonstrating the kind of focus you need to paddle the boat correctly. Photo: Adam Elliott

Me, just holding on and trying to keep up. Photo: Adam Elliott

The boat is going to teach me a lot about kayaking that I might have assumed I already knew. Just trying to get a proper forward stroke is sometimes too much for me to think about. I find myself returning to taking it in pieces, just like how I recommend my students approach learning to paddle.

I continue to struggle finding a sufficient level of comfort in the boat so that I'm not just using correctional strokes the whole way down. A little padding here, a new seat from the Czech Republic and many, many more days on the water should help out a lot. I can only imagine what this is going to feel like when I have my ducks in a row and can work on paddling as hard as I possibly can. My sister did comment that the boat looked like a torpedo. I answered "that's because it is."

The three of us charging toward Nantahala Falls, a rapid that I would never imagine to bring me chills. Photo: Adam Elliott

Busting through the bottom hole...upright! Photo: Adam Elliott

Hope to get out many more days with these guys in the next month! Thanks!

Must Paddle

Happy Monday!

The snow and cold weather just doesn't seem to be going away. Getting out on the water means a few more layers, a pair of pogies and a whole lot of motivation.

Today we head to the Chatooga in GA/SC with high hopes for a run on Overflow creek tomorrow.

All the while praying for warmth.

Partner Poses: Kids Yoga Teacher Training, Asheville NC

Too many of us could use a little more help, encouragement, support and human touch in our lives.

In Yoga, practicing poses with a partner allows the body to connect with another's breath and strength. Sometimes this can awaken places within your own body that were hiding. With the gentle pull of another's hand, the slight pressure of their feet or even the warmth of their laughter, something allows you to go deeper into yourself.

Now imagine this with a room full of wonderful female yogis, gathered in this room to share their love for bringing yoga to kids. A playful and fun bunch for sure.

Rewa and Lisa make triangle look like it should be in a major dance production here. In this pose you may not be able to see your partner, but the increased stretch in the outer body and soft back support reassure you that you have a friend back there.

Cody introduced the "squish" pose, a favorite of her young students. Here the ladies took the squish to the next level, throwing in a backbend for the squisher. By using a connection in the hands both partners get a better back stretch from crown to sacrum.

From here, the top yogi can even lift her legs straight to the sky for a more challenging balance inversion. The bottom yogi gets the benefit of an even greater release of the hips toward the ground.

I think song birds should be released behind the partner pair that opens up their hearts to the sky in this pose. They clasped their hands and began to rotate up, using each other to open up the side waste more than anyone could do alone. At that moment, there was a uniform sigh-of-beauty from the audience. Everyone creates beauty in themselves withyoga.

From an assisted down dog to a flying partner balance. These ladies took a common partner yoga pose and mixed it up a bit. The great part is, there are no rules so anything is game!

Try simply flipping a normal yoga pose and balancing it on your friend's head. Here, Laura and Bonnie just turned staff pose upside down.
Suddenly your staff is floating in the air and those sit bones don't extend away from the crown of the spine as easily as when your friend gravity is there to assist.

Lisa, my partner for supported cobra pose, became my new best friend in only a few short minutes. Not only did she show me space in my lower back that I hadn't been able to reach, she lowered me to my mat with a gentle, yet exquisite shoulder/neck/back rub. Again, I love you Lisa.

Your arms are shaking, your legs are about to collapse and you are no where close to having your belly in the air. Then suddenly your partner rises beneath you. While supporting your back as she rounds hers to the sky, you are suddenly lighter and begin to feel your own strength again as you finally come into full bridge pose.

This is the narration I would have given if this partner pose were to be done in a dramatic, lifetime mini-series.

More than 2 friends? Easy. Here we just arranged ourselves equally and played with where we could balance ourselves using our neighbor's position. Add in a twisting, heart-opening stretch to the sun and there are instant smiles all around.

Jana isn't trying to knock down her friend Jessica here. Leg and core strength translate into a greater heart opening in this inversion. This opening can be difficult to feel when also concentrating on the balance and focus needed for a hand-stand. But that's what friends are for.

A confusing game of twister? Or just 5 creative yogis looking to incorporate everyone into the pose.

With many possible variations in hand and leg placement, even number of people, this pose could really go anywhere.

Bottom line: Grab a friend and see where you can go beyond your personal practice!