Sharing this essay from a long time Kaiut yoga student and teacher, Davin, of Kaiut Yoga Boulder. His message is eloquent, and describes a familiar path, moving from a ‘fitness’ mindset which often results in pain, to gaining strength, mobility, and freedom from pain by practicing the Kaiut method, called Essential Yoga on our schedule. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions. Enjoy!
“One of the thoughts that I keep tracking is this misconception in our culture around fitness and health.”
“Most of you know, I’ve spent a lot of time in my life skiing in the backcountry, climbing peaks, trail running, cross country biking and basically living in the outdoors. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. The time spent outside in nature is, and will always be, invaluable to me.”
“I would, however, reconsider one concept.”
“On some level I equated ‘fitness’ as the primary sign of health.”
“What I didn’t realize at the time is that even though I appeared fit on the outside, my body was struggling internally- much of it due to exhaustion and work stress. Getting and staying fit (even obsessing around it) was my fix- all option. The eventual treadmill being- more exercise and more effort. I was experiencing low back pain, wrenched knees and ankles, my shoulders were becoming less mobile and overall rigidity was taking over. I tried to adjust, moving from long miles on my feet to long miles on a bike. While that helped at first (less pounding on the joints), my body at some point could no longer compensate well enough to keep pain at bay. Ironically, it was debilitating sciatic pain that opened the door to a different mindset.”
“In a town like Boulder, the overexertion and sport specialization mentality is common. Most would agree (and I know from my own experience), that that particular athletic mindset is idealized here.”
“From my perspective, I believe we can do better. I believe we can enjoy our active endeavors longer and be healthier (from the inside/out) with the integration of the Kaiut practice.”
Davin, Kaiut Yoga Boulder
