Yoga and Rowing work in harmony

My journey with yoga began in 1994 when I was living in Perth. My general practitioner, who at the time was obviously very attuned to yoga, gave me good advice and said that yoga would be good for me in terms of breathing, relaxation and for my health overall. I can be a little anxious and like certainty so I enrolled in a class close by in Subiaco, which was walking distance from home.

The class was huge with around 40 people and navigating my way around took some time, but I remember one of the teachers saying to me that you need to nurture the time in class and that it would take time to establish a practice and understanding of what we were doing – which was Iyengar Yoga. I remember thinking at this stage that yoga wasn’t relaxing but energetic and I loved the feeling I had at the end of the class and still have 29 years later!

When we moved to Sydney in 1995 it took me a while to find a suitable yoga school from North Sydney to Neutral Bay with Christine Barnes and then I finally found the right fit at Glebe Yoga School where I met Linda, who at the time was a teacher in training under Peter Thomson. I was doing two classes in the early morning and swimming on two other mornings so it was a good routine to have before work. I have always played or been involved in sport which has changed over the years but the yoga has been my one constant.

I joined up with Linda at her new school 21 years ago and have loved coming to the Yoga Nook ever since. Whilst I have maintained yoga over this period, in the earlier days I was still swimming as my main sport to fit in around three young children and part time work. I think I only ever had about three months off from yoga classes after each of my three sons was born.

Linda has been encouraging all these years and has tried to get me involved in the teacher/training program but I knew that with the children and my swimming I could not commit and the rowing was luring me as well. It wasn’t until my eldest son started rowing in 2013 that I had the opportunity, as a parent, to learn to row through corporate rowing programs at the school and this spearheaded into joining a local rowing club in 2019 after a stop start approach.

Whilst this is not for the faint hearted, as it is physically and mentally demanding, I have used my yoga/stretching as a sounding board and leveller to maintain my body. We race 1000m in a short course race and the head races are up to 8.5kms, like the Head of the Yarra which we will be participating in at the end of November. We travel on weekends to many local regattas like the Head of the Shoalhaven and have ventured in a time trial event on Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra in the middle of winter.
My current training week is around 4-6 sessions with on water training in eights and quads and then we always do an erg, indoor rowing machine, which is cardio intensive and I do a weights/strength and conditioning class. By the time I add in my class at the Yoga Nook and my own practice at home it does consume quite a bit of time but most of this is completed by 8am. Yes, rowing is an early riser 5-6am on the water start and the best way to begin your day! I have seen many magnificent sun rises and appreciate the beautiful mornings.

Yoga and rowing have many parallels. When you are rowing long distances and even when training, where we normally row approximately 10kms with different drills, it can be quite meditative with the rhythm of the stroke and the way your body moves into this. You always need to relax your shoulders and once again I have heard this many a time from Linda! The full impact is on your legs as rowing is a pushing of the legs movement to get the boat gliding along and your core has to be strong and engaged, as you would engage your core in many yoga poses. Breathing is also key to maintain composure to get from point A to point B. I am currently working really hard at remembering to breathe as this does help with the rhythm. Rowing is one of the most technical sports I have ever tried, as you require such focus and precision in gaining the correct stroke. Like yoga it is forever a challenge mentally and physically.

I always stretch before getting into a rowing boat and always stretch after every row as this is important to release the muscles. Rowing Australia has a set of exercises which are similar to yoga poses and I have encouraged and assisted many of my rowing friends to stretch. Out of all the masters rowers that row out of Drummoyne, it is mainly my crews that I row with who consistently stretch and see the value in this. It is quite liberating when you have a slight tightness in a part of your body and you know how to stretch and maintain this, which in turn means you don’t have as many injuries. I mentioned earlier the pushing action with the legs – one of my favourite things to do after rowing is leg stretches to ease the lower back. Twists- Bharadvajasana and right angle lunges always ease of the tightness in the hip flexors and glutes. Parivrtta trikonasana is also ideal for opening up the shoulders and most standing poses are also beneficial just to name a few.

I often use the book, Yoga for Sports by BKS Iyengar as my guide for stretching after rowing and maintaining my flexibility and agility. This book has been exchanged through many of my rowing friends and as mentioned earlier I have been able to bring my knowledge of yoga into my rowing and assist other rowers as well as maintaining my own body.

I do feel very lucky to be involved in a sport I love with such a social bunch of people and maintain my yoga. They certainly do work in harmony together.

References; 1. Iyengar Yoga Retreats – Sydney to Hawkesbury NSW Australia 2. Yoga Citta Vritti Nirodhaha – Yoga and Meditation Course Sydney stills the fluctuations of the mind