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Gregory Ormson

Writer, musician, yoga-loving motorcyclist.

YOGA MAGAZINE FEATURE STORY: Yoga and Leather: A New Road for Bikers (#yogainspirationals 79).

 

YOGA & LEATHER: A New Road for Bikers

Every yogi is the same. But every yogi has been injured in their own way. Debbie McGregor, passionate yogi and motorcyclist, was first injured at age 11. It happened in a rodeo mishap when she was locked in a cramped chute with a panicked horse. A broken back sustained in a motorcycle accident in her early 30’s became major injury number two, and she suffered a broken neck in a car accident during her early 50’s.

“When I read about YOGA AND LEATHER: Yoga for Bikers,” she said, “I couldn’t believe it; something combining my two passions, I had to come.”

After her car accident, Debbie was told she’d be paralyzed from the neck down, but she resolved to walk and was determined to ride her Harley Davidson motorcycle again. She invested in physical therapy and added yoga as a daily routine. Three years after the accident, Debbie is doing yoga and motorcycling around the country. “It’s unexplainable how much yoga does in the path of healing. The more I do, the more I want and the more I heal,” she said.

Paul, a 79 year old retired Chicago police officer, is another dedicated rider of Harley Davidson motorcycles but new to yoga. Like Debbie, he found his way to YOGA AND LEATHER, and considers it healing balm and an island of peace.

Recently, Paul’s 900 pound motorcycle tipped over and landed on his foot. He hobbled into class wearing big boots and blue jeans, but did what he could. “I need it, it’s good. I have to do it,” he said. And he did.

Debbie and Paul signify the independent spirit which defines the motorcycle community. Motorcyclists want to express themselves in their own way, and bikers excel at adaptation. They ride through cold or hot, rain, dust, hail, and strong wind without windshields and roofs. Motorcyclists don’t like riding in cars, and see automobiles as cages where experience on the road is sanitized and one-step removed. Bikers are strong willed and eager to wring the last drop of life from every experience.

Bikers love the journey; it’s what keeps them going, and propels them onward. It even keeps them limping into a yoga class. This is my teaching community, and because I understand them, I started YOGA AND LEATHER: Yoga for Bikers.

While most yogis don’t ride motorcycles, they exhibit some of the same qualities as motorcycle riders, particularly independence of thought and a willingness to move outside culturally sanctioned boxes.

I am confident in yoga and have deep respect for yoga’s tradition; yet as a citizen of our time, I am part of yoga’s movement in culture and its expression in new forms like YOGA AND LEATHER. For some, reforming tradition is confusing; but reformation is a natural process of adaptability and it happens with everything in the environment and human cultures.

Riders practicing yoga are comfortable in their environment; therefore, we practice at the Superstition Harley Davidson dealership in Apache Junction, Arizona. Surrounded by the roar of shiny motorcycles and black-leather clad bikers, the yogis don’t mind roaring motorcycles in the background as they focus on breath or balance.

         SIMILARITIES

Yoga and motorcycles may seem like an odd juxtaposition but there are similarities. Both activities require a good level of mental and physical stamina. Participants bike or do yoga because they want to, and both can lead to a sense of relaxation, wellness, and freedom.

Ideally, yogis and cyclists start by learning from qualified instructors that present the activity in sequential learning steps. It’s not safe for any beginner to simply throw a leg up over a bike and drive away. But a rider, after taking a rider safety course, is a better and safer rider. In the same way, a beginner is wise to start yoga with a qualified teacher giving instructions. Like riding, this will help the yogi avoid injury and they learn the right way the first time.

Neither activity requires a religious affiliation, yet some stereotypes brand motorcyclists’ as gang members, and yoga is wrongly branded as an outreach for Hinduism or a New Age religion.

People are eager to learn about yoga for bikers, and they often ask me how many people come and how it’s going. But long ago, I learned to define success by quality not quantity. When Paul and Debbie walked into my class, I didn’t start talking esoteric principles, Sanskrit terms, or difficult asana postures; I began by thanking them for doing something outside of the normal comfort zone and said yoga is a complete system for total health.

I noticed Paul limping and asked him about it. He said, “I have an artificial knee, bad hips, and a sore back.” I said, thanks for telling me, you are in the right place. Let’s start by reaching out and holding those bars (along the edge of an outside terrace wall), and bend just a few inches into your knees while breathing deeply. Again, a little deeper.

That was my language and a starting point for YOGA AND LEATHER. Bending and breathing was success. But bend and breathe is the same fundamental skill for the first-time yoga student to the most advanced practitioner even if there are many kinds of bends, breaths, and twists. They all lead to the most cherished thing for riders and yogis: to RIDE ON with or without bikes.

MOVING BEYOND STEREOTYPES

Both yogis and motorcyclists’ have been subject to stereotypes – which is an easy way to dismiss someone as fringe or outsider. Motorcyclists typically are not doing yoga. Many believe that yoga is easy, that it’s only a women’s activity, or that one has to be flexible to start.

Some people believe yoga is only for women. But from its origin, and up to the early 20th Century, yoga was practiced only by men. Worldwide today, many women practice and teach yoga, and in the US about 80 percent of yoga participants are women.

Similarly, some people believe motorcycling is only for men, even though nearly 25 percent of all riders in the US are women. Motorcycling and yoga are undergoing changes, and with these changes, stereotypes no longer apply.

WHEN RIDERS START YOGA

Start out easy with beginner classes, like YOGA AND LEATHER. Be patient and give yourself time. Observe how you improve when following breathing exercises, focusing in meditation, or moving in asana. You may find increased range of motion in your neck or more comfort and depth when twisting from side to side. Perhaps the forward and backward bending in your class will begin strengthening your back around your spine. You might notice your balance improving, and that you concentrate better. Maybe this will translate to other areas in your life.

You may notice how yoga’s lessons on breathing and relaxation in the midst of stress become applicable to driving or life problems. Breathing deeply is so important, that breathing alone may be enough to shift perspective and bring calm.

Get beyond stereotypes – both others’ and your own – 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.

YOGA BENEFITS FOR BIKERS (potential life-saving)

Improved 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 balance by practicing one-leg standing postures / better control in tight U turns and backing.

Improved sleep after a hard yoga practice / no dozing while driving, deeper sleep leads to increased energy on the road.

Improved posture / improved back and neck comfort on rides.

Immune system activated 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 while learning to be at ease and breathe calmly.

Improved strength and muscle tone through weight bearing and power postures / for large bikes and long tours, building strength for long days on the road.

REMEMBER the skill of staying calm on the road – the first lesson taught in Motorcycle Safety Foundation riders’ class – when facing stress.

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Filed Under: FITNESS, Motorcycling from MotorCyclingYogiG, Writing, Yoga, YOGA: Writing and Practice Tagged With: #gregoryormson.com, #motorcyclingyogiG, #SlowDownAndBreathe, #truthforceonyourmat, #UsuryMountainArizona, alignment, amwriting, Apache Junction, Coaching, GAOrmson, gregoryormson, Harley-Davidson, healing, I-can't-breathe, inspiration, keepwarm, Life philosophy, marquettemichigan, meditation, o-rings, Ormson, Poetry - literature - writing, soul, spirituality, Superstition Harley Davidson, Teaching, transformation, Writing, Yoga, YogaAndLeather, yogainspiration, yogainspirationals, yogateacherarizona 2 Comments

About Greg Ormson

Musician, writer, yoga-loving motorcyclist teaching yoga for bikers (Yoga & Leather) at Superstition Harley Davidson in Arizona.

Free diving in Hawaii, Greg learned the importance of breath management and has translated that into teaching Yoga-Breath, Breath of Life workshops accompanied by his band, Sat Song.

He’s traveled through five countries and most of the US to study world religions and other non-formal spiritual expressions. His doctoral degree at the Chicago Theological Seminary was cultural interpretation through a theological and psychological lens. He focused specifically on the power of touch for healing in ritual environments.
He widely on yoga with nearly 100 columns in 18 publications with a combined followership of over 5 million; his writing often categorized under #MotorcyclingyogiG. He contributes regulary to OM Yoga Magazine (UK).

In 2017 he won the Lyric Narrative Non Fiction Award from Eastern Iowa Review for "Midwest Intimations," and in 2016 won Indiana Review's contest for 13 word stories. His nonfiction has earned finalist mention in New Millennium and The Bellingham Review.

Dr. Ormson is an alumnus of The Chicago Theological Seminary; Chicago, Illinois;
The University of Wisconsin, La Crosse; La Crosse, Wisconsin;
Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan;
Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio.

https://gregoryormson.com
Twitter: @GAOrmson
Instagram:#motorcyclingyogiG

His yoga articles have reached millions of viewers through social media and have been translated and shared in Portuguese, Tamil, French, Hebrew, and Spanish.

They can be found searching links the following titles and sources:

98. “Yoga & Leather’ NMU alum leads class for bikers,” The Mining Journal, Marquette, Michigan July 23, 2020
97 "Yoga and Leather: how yoga is helping Harley riders and other bikers to find their Ze3n on and off the highway,” " OM Yoga Magazine July 2020
96 “Clearing Space,” OM Yoga Magazine
95 “Why We Need Yoga Now More than Ever,”
94 "Seniorgrams from the Successful,"
93 “Jesus, Yogi” Asana Journal
92 “Yoga Precis: six steps to a complete yoga practice”
91 “Yoga’s Outliers: Men” OM Yoga Magazine
90 “Yogatecture: Building Your House of Truth,” OM Yoga Magazine
89 “Conducing Heat to Cleanse the Self,” Yogi Times
88 “Silence and Slow Time,” OM Yoga Magazine
87 “Rough Road? Breathe . . .” HOG Magazine
86 “Yoga and the Pure Consciousness of Healing,” Asana Journal
85 “Conducting the Awesome,” OM Yoga Magazine
84 “Yoga: A New Road for Bikers,” Yoga Magazine (UK)
83 “The Way to Sacred Being,” Bad Yogi Mag
82 “Let It Be: When Your Yoga Becomes You,” Bad Yogi Mag
81 “Yoga as Commencement Ritual,” Yoganect
80 “Yoga, Jesus and the Pure Consciousness of Healing,” Bad Yogi Mag
79 “Traveling OM: rediscovering the abiding peace of coming home in a frantic world,” OM Yoga Magazine (UK)
78 “Conducting the Awesome: What I’ve learned from 7 years practicing hot yoga,” elephant journal
77 “Nine Ways you Give Back to Yoga,”
76 “Your Yoga Mat: Dimensions of Healing,”
75 “Yoga and Spiritual Questions,”
74 “Making Contact with Yourself and Your Practice,”
73 “How Many Limbs are Required,”
72 "Por que Precisamos de yoga mais do que nunca.” Why We Need Yoga Now More than Ever. www. boayoga.com.br/por-que-precisamos-de-yoga-agora-mais-do-que-nunca-gregory-ormson
71 “Fixing our Backs, Riding our Bikes: common benefits of yoga have every day application to motorcycling." AZ Rider Motorcycle News
70 “Hatha, Hawaii,”
69 “Armor On, Armor Off: The Psychology of Yin Yoga,” Sivana Spirit
68 “Yoga Script for Health and Joy,” Sivana Spirit
67 “Namaste: Nexus of a New Identity,” Sivana Spirit
66 “Embraced by Joy and Bliss,” Sivana Spirit
65 “The Delight Song of a New Architecture,” Sivana Spirit
64 “Transforming the Emotional Body,” Asana Journal
63 “The Real Power of Savasana,” Sivana Spirit
62 “Intention: Your Golden Egg for Change,” Sivana Spirit
61 “Yoga Tips: 6 Easy Ways to get the Most out of Your Yoga Class,” The Health Orange
60 “Mantra for Me and You,” Sivana Spirit
59 “Slow Down and Breathe,” Asana Journal
58 “Tradition Trumps Trendiness,” Asana Journal
57 “Yoga Teacher Training: Revelations Encountered” HelloYoga
56 “How Yoga Ruins our Lives” elephant journal
55 “Yoga Teacher Training: Encountering Self,” TribeGrow
54 “True Presence,” Asana Journal
53 “A Parable of Unmaking,” Asana Journal
52 “Yogatecture: The Elegant Arc of Change,” Asana Journal
51 “Truth Force on Your Mat,” Asana Journal
50 “What You Give to Yoga,” Yogi Times
49 “Enter the Master, Enter the Child,” Asana Journal
48 “The Honorable Yogi,” Asana Journal
47 “Finding Your Depth,” Asana Journal
46 “Teaching Yoga: It’s Not About You,” TribeGrow
45 “In the Midnight Hour: How Yoga Brought My Soul Back,” HelloYoga
44 “Gifts from the Core,” Asana Journal
43 “Release into Savasana,” Asana Journal
42 “The Bridge Within,” Asana Journal
41 “By a Thread,” Asana Journal
40 “Coaching Up: Yoga for Newbies,” DoYouYoga
39 “Your Beautiful Feet,” Asana Journal
38 “Lessons from Yoga and Freediving,” Asana Journal
37 “Five Tips and One Requirement for Coaching Yoga,” Seattle Yoga News
36 “The Immigrant Asana,” Asana Journal
35 “Making Heroes” Asana Journal
34 “Namaste: Nexus of a New Identity,” Sivana Spirit
33 “Sphinx Pose: To Rise in Righteousness,” Asana Journal
32 “Storage Wars and Yoga’s Emotional Rescue,” Asana Journal
31 “Asana Back to the Innocent Age,” Asana Journal
30 “The Year of the Monkey and Yoga’s Counter-Cultural Mathematic,” elephant journal
29 “The Missing Link,” Asana Journal
28 “Your Portable Home” Yoga International
27 “Yogi, Heal Thyself” Asana Journal
26 “Health and Joy, Why Not Us?”
25 “A New Planting, A New Harvesting,” Do You Yoga
24 “Three Stages of a Yogi’s Transformation,” Do You Yoga
23 “Peace: Just a Pause Away,” Yogi Times
22 “How Yoga Helps Us Release,” elephant journal
21 “Why Unpolished Prayers are Still Good Prayers,” elephant journal
20 “Yoga and the Place of Soul,” elephant journal
19 “Yoga’s Covenant: The Promise of Change,” Yogi Times
18 “What is a Kind Yogi,” The Yoga Blog
17 “Yoga and Social Responsibility,” The Yoga Blog
16 “Who Moved the Yoga Mat,” Yogi Times
15 “Yoga’s Touchy Subject – Touching,” DoYouYoga
14, “A Yoga Parable,” Yogi Times
13 “The Yoga Pose that Healed My Back Injuries,” elephant journal
12 “Becoming Your Own Life-Changing Quote,” The Yoga Blog
11 “Finding Your Mantra,” DoYouYoga
10 “Will You Yoga 30 Years from Now,” The Yoga Blog
9 “Ego, Injury, and Your Yoga,” elephant journal
8 “Silence and Your Practice,” The Yoga Blog
7 “Your Breath, Your Center,” elephant journal
6 “Your Practice, Your Inventory,” The Yoga Blog
5 “Aligning and Refining,” elephant journal
4 “Understanding a Yoga Teacher,” The Yoga Blog
3 “Yoga and the Unconscious Mind,” The Yoga Blog
2 “You’re Not Alone on Your Savasana Cloud,” elephant journal
1 “Changing My Story: 365 Days of Yoga,” The Yoga Blog

Comments

  1. Soumya says

    July 17, 2019 at 5:01 am

    This is excellent. Congratulations Greg !

    Reply
    • Greg Ormson says

      August 1, 2019 at 8:20 am

      Hi Soumya, thanks.

      Greg

      Reply

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