GET BEYOND STEREOTYPES. The benefits of yoga for riders are too important to let worn out cultural ideas stop us from shedding old skin. “The times they are a changing,” Bob Dylan wrote. Yes they are, and yoga practice in a Harley Davidson dealership proves it.
Both motorcyclists’ and yogis should be able to see through stereotypes, having themselves been subjects of stereotypes in the past. In many ways, yoga and motorcycling have been subjected to a similar fate, and are often labeled, which is an easy way to dismiss someone as fringe or outsider.
Many believe yoga is only for women, but from its origin, and up to modern times, yoga was practiced only by men. Today, many women worldwide are practicing yoga, and in the US, about 80 percent of yoga participants are women.
Motorcycling falls to similar sexist stereotypes and many people still believe motorcycling is only for men. The reality today is that nearly 25 percent of all riders are women. The culture and times are a changing; stereotypes of motorcycling and yoga no longer apply.
BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR RIDING
Increased strength and muscle tone through weight bearing and power postures / for large bikes and long tours, building strength for long days on the road.
Improved balance by practicing one-leg standing postures / better control in tight U turns and backing.
Increased mental focus and coordination, clarity of thought developed by balance and silence in yoga practice / life and death on the bike is directly related to mental focus and clarity.
Improved sleep after a hard yoga practice / no dozing while driving, deeper sleep leads to increased energy on the road.
Improved posture by careful practice of forward and backward bends / back pain can be a thing of the past.
Boost immune system by massage of internal organs through poses of constriction and release / internal organs take a pounding on the bike, and yoga’s corrective is a full body massage through postures.
Improved flexibility by bending and stretching / pick up what you drop with no problem or pain.
Improved adaptability to stress by postures that place stress on the body and the teacher’s admonitions to relax and breathe in the midst of stress / stay calm on the road – the first lesson we learn in driver training.
Class aims to integrate intermediate level postures and breathing exercises, but includes modifications and instructions for beginners.
No experience necessary.
To see more on this topic, follow link to articles in Arizona Rider Motorcycle News and Entertainment
http://azridersouthwest.com/Archive_articles/DYK_Yoga_0917.pdf
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