Sage Rountree

Sage Rountree's Web site, http://www.sagerountree.com , gives details on her book, "The Athlete's Guide to Yoga," her forthcoming DVD, and her podcast of short post-workout stretches. PATH: I hated the first few yoga classes I visited. Yoga wasn't weightlifting, it wasn't aerobic exercise, and worst of all, it was hard. After trying out two or three classes at my gym, I decided yoga was not for me, and that was that--until my first pregnancy. In prenatal yoga, the poses were easier, my body was looser, and most important, I was ready for the mind-body-spirit(-baby) connection. After my daughter Lily was born, I began training for my first marathon (four hours of unmedicated labor convinces you you can do about anything, and my time in that race was 3:59:41). Yoga kept me balanced through the training, and it helped me avoid most of the aches and pains that accompany high weekly mileage. While pregnant again, I felt the urge to be a teacher myself. (With that hormonal mix surging, you make some decisions quickly and irrevocably.) I taught at Carolina for five years while earning my Ph.D. in English, and I missed sharing a subject I felt passionately about. With great support from my husband, Wes, and his family, I did my training over ten months in Charlotte, beginning when my daughter Vivian was three months old, at the Bodhi Tree studio with Lesa Crocker and many of Charlotte's wonderful yoga teachers. I've had the good fortune to combine two of my passions in teaching yoga for athletes and writing about yoga for Endurance Magazine, Yoga Journal Online, and other publications, as well as coaching triathletes and runners. INSPIRATION: Locally, Ann Archer, for her meticulous planning, and Sabine Mead for her ability to effortlessly wing it. Pierce Brown and Bryan Carey, as well as my non-yoga teachers Kimball King (my dissertation adviser), Alan Dessen (Shakespeare scholar extraordinaire), and Pam Hunt (my step aerobics teacher back in the day) for letting their love of the material shine through. Finally, I have always been inspired my parents, both gifted educators, who taught me everything well. FAVORITES FOR GROUNDING: Long, slow holds, in Paul Grilley's Yin Yoga tradition. Swimming. FAVORITES FOR KICKING IT: Moderate- to fast-paced flows, as well as static standing poses, especially balance work, to increase aerobic and muscular endurance. Teaching Spinning. Trail racing. PRACTICE: My own practice incorporates asana, pranayama, dharana, and, on good days, dhyana, into my running and triathlon training. I hope to share the same with my students, giving them tools to incorporate into a practice of their own, even if it doesn't follow the traditional peace-and-quiet-on-a-mat template. INTENTION: Sometimes yoga for athletes is yoga triage--we address the most pressing issues, usually tightness in the hamstrings, hips, and shoulders--to bring balance to the body and foster openness that will later allow more sophisticated asana practice. Sometimes we keep the poses basic; other times we build to deeper poses--Revolved Triangle, say, or Cow-Face with a forward fold, or Handstand. I want my students' yoga experience to inform and enhance their efforts both in sports and in life; in class we draw parallels between yoga practice and physical and mental endurance sports training. Sometimes the yoga feels like work, sometimes it feels like play, but it's always relaxing and always worth it. MY CLASS @ CYCO: Yoga for Athletes, Monday, 6 p.m. and Wednesdays (after a good run) 11:30 a.m.