A 15-minute complementary yoga program for trekkers, mountaineers, mountain bikers and climbers
When the mountain sport season starts in Manali in April, my yoga mat disappears more and more often and is rolled up below my bed for longer periods.
From October to March I am a diziplined and regular yoga practitioner. Hardly a day passes without Asana, Pranayama and meditation in the winter months. That time I need yoga as much as food, sleep and air. Yoga becomes a basic need in winter, which helps me to get through the day.
But as soon as the snow has melted in Manali and the days are warmer, then I am drawn to the mountains for trekking, mountain biking, mountaineering and climbing.
The mountains of the Himalayas then become my yoga mat and hours of hiking are my meditation.
As I take one step in front of the other, my thoughts calm down and I enter a meditative and peaceful state. Nothing outside my little world in the mountains seems important anymore and all worries slip far away.
Here in the middle of nature I don’t need yoga!
I thought!
But when I rolled out my yoga mat after a while this morning, I quickly noticed my mistake!
In fact, through the last mountain expeditions and trekking tours I was as fit as I had not been for a long time. Powerful asanas didn’t cause me much trouble. I’m also as balanced as I haven’t been in a long time.
But when it came to the stretching asanas, I was a little shocked. I could barely touch my toes ij the forward bend.
It felt incredibly good to stretch and rotate my spine in all directions and I noticed how much I lacked the benefits of yoga in terms of stretching!
So I now set out to incorporate a 15 minute yoga session into my everyday outdoor sports routine at least once a day. Not only to keep my muscles smooth, but also to keep calm and concentrated, which is also very important in adventure sports in the mountains!
The program can be done anywhere, with or without a mat.
Here is my 15 minute yoga program for outdoorsport people:
– 3 rounds Surya Namaskar, the Sun salutation
– Tandasana 5 breathes with lateral stretch on both sides for 5 breathes each
– 5 breathes Forward Bend
– 5 breathes lateral triangle
– the tree 5 breathes each side
– Twist 10 breathes each side
– The camel 5 breathes (or modification with hands only to the hips
– Child pose 5 breathes
– Pawanmuktasana 10 breathes with rocking and rolling
– Kandsachalan (shoulder movements, circling the elbows) 5 breathes in both directions)
-Cat cow 10 times with breathing
– The Cobra 5 breathes
-The Bow 5 breathes
-The plough 5 breath
-The fish 5 breathes
– 3 minutes of relaxation with abdominal breathing for the 1 minute. Then just let the breath flow automatically.
