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Winter 2010: Yampa Valley Yoga - Local yogis find their path by Jennie Lay WE LIVE SUCH SPEEDY LIVES,” says local yoga teacher Libbie Mathes. “Even here in heavenly Steamboat we all wear multiple hats and are running fast. Yoga slows us down. We have the opportunity to nourish mind, body and spirit with this practice. We hone our bodies so we can lead our full lives. We learn to watch and control our minds so we can be more present and conscious in all that we do. And we become aware of our interconnection with all life. A pretty good deal for an ancient practice, don’t you think?”
Yes Libbie, I sure do.
Judging by the rapidly expanding size of yoga classes at Colorado Mountain College, | | Pyramid of Power: Some of Libbie's more senior students (all over age 65) getting artistic with their poses. Photo by Kathleen Alexander. |
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Old Town Hot Springs, Yoga Center of Steamboat and Steamboat Pilates Yoga and Fitness, plus special workshops via Aging Well, local schools and the Bud Werner Memorial Library, our community is embracing yoga with gusto.
I discovered yoga in Kathmandu. Outside, 20,000-foot peaks dominated the horizon,
Hindu temples swarmed with devotees and Buddhist stupas served up eye-popping splendor – idyllic Asian scenes that Westerners often conjure with ideas of delving into meditation and yoga. In truth, I found yoga by wandering inside a small carpet-strewn room above an eclectic Nepali bookstore where incense, candles and tinkling tingsha bells dimmed the clank of cooking pots and rambunctious kids on nearby rooftops.
With trepidation, I embarked upon three-hour practices with a dreadlocked swami  | | Yoga-covered Pretzel: Steamboat's Libbie Mathes practicing the Bhekasana (Frog Pose) with Guruji assisting circa 1963. |
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swathed in orange-robes. The experience was astronomically greater than simply stretching after a month on the trail. I marveled at yoga’s immediate effects on my mind and body, the intense energy that it provoked and the deep sleep I earned.
The gift of yoga sank in when I returned home to Steamboat Springs and discovered how easily it resuscitated under the CMC gym’s glowing fluorescents. Steamboat attracts a wealth of truly inspired teachers who have taken beautiful paths to land at the front of Friday morning class. We don’t all need Nepal or India to hone our inner yogi — we have dozens of local guides from a variety of traditions to steer us down the yoga path. Of course, a little discipline doesn’t hurt either.
Carrie Nelson...on karma yoga and bringing a practice to everybody
Yoga Teacher Carrie Nelson discovered yoga at Gold's Gym during a stint in Maui in the late 1990s. It was her fortune to cross paths with visiting swamis who substituted for the regular teacher one day. After class she made a distinct realization: "I was vibrating at a completely differnt level."
Before long she found herself at their ashram (yoga and meditation retreat) in New Zealand, then studying in India where karma yoga (scrubbing toilets, cooking, guarding backpacks) often to the place of asana (poses). "I learned that yoga is not just an asana. It's a way of life. The first thing I did when I got there was shave my head. I didn't people to know or judge me as I am here." Ultimately, she says the six-month experience was the hardest and the greatest thing she ever did.
Carrie witnessed fire ceremonies for 50,000 of the pooreset people in Bihar state, where her guru provided three meals a day, clothes ofr a year, farming tools, seeds, cooking pans and water to help create a prosperous community. She gleaned a strong message. "Give, give, give. When you cook, bring a cup to your neighbor. If you cook four loaves of bread, give one away. Do it without expectation for the reward," she says, emphasizing the importance of karma yoga in the fullness of the practice. "We'd rather do aerobic yoga than take a breath for five minutes."
Carrie teaches Satyananda classes that incorporate restorative poses, meditation and breathing. Her dream is to bring yoga to our schools. "Kids get so stressed out. I'd love to have that whole school lie down for 20 minutes before lunch. I'd love to see the children teach the children," she says. "Yoga should be accessible ot everybody, even if you're in the Doak (Doak Walker Extended Care Center) and lying down and visualizing yourself doing it."
To read the rest of the article from the Winter 2010 issue of the magazine visit, subscribe today!
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