by Karen Vielle
In the early hours before dawn, I am listening to nothing but the sound of my breathing.
I follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before me. My movements are connected to those ahead of me and those behind me.
I could easily be talking about a yoga practice, but I’m actually talking about climbing a mountain. The footsteps I walk in are literally those of the person in front of me and I am literally connected to someone in front of me, or behind me, by a rope. I’ve been practicing yoga for about 14 years. I’ve also been a member of the Spokane Mountaineers for about five years, and seriously climbing mountains for two years. This July, I successfully summited Mt. Rainier for the first (and hopefully not the last) time.
There are so many ways that yoga and mountaineering compliment each other. Strong, supple, balanced muscles and bodily systems, as well as a good sense of balance are benefits that a regular yoga practice would have on any other physically challenging activity. However, the benefits of yoga are not just physical. The ability to control the breath and stay calm under stress is an effect of my yoga practice that I rely on in the mountains. Climbing and yoga are both like a moving meditation. They are both best when practiced in the present moment. In this moment I am moving and breathing. In this moment I am putting one foot in front of the other.
There is also the mental strength one gets from both activities. Dealing with fear and doing something you didn’t think you could do. I have to admit the thought has occurred to me that if I can climb big scary mountains, I can start the Ashtanga third series without fear. About 90% of my yoga practice today consists of comfortably doing things that I initially thought I could never do. My yoga practice continually teaches me to refrain from setting limits on what I think is possible.
Some might think it’s detrimental to my yoga to come home sore and tired, and have to modify my practice for a couple of days. That would be true if the purpose of practic- ing asanas (postures) is to get better at prac- ticing asanas, but I’ve never thought of it that way. I’ve always thought that the purpose of practicing yoga asanas is to get better at life. What better way to put your yoga to the test,
than to put your preparedness for life to the test? Yoga is not meant to be an end in itself. Take the lessons you’ve learned from yoga off the mat, out of the studio, and into the big world out there. Then it becomes real and an integrated part of your life. Then yoga isn’t something you do but a part of who you are no matter what you’re doing, even if you’re on the side of a mountain.
