YogaGypsy Sports Guru? Maybe....

“Yoga and meditation help to calm me. I can find my confidence and use it.” - Natalie, age 13 

Yoga Personal Training sessions can be very powerful.  The following is a letter I received from the mother of a young client I worked with recently.

 

"This is a story about my daughter who learned to find her calm and confidence to master what she loves.

In 2011 Natalie was determined to join a competitive cheer team at an advanced level, with no prior experience. That fall at tryouts, she was barely able to complete a back handspring. She was invited to a level 3 team. Many on her team had been competing for 3 to 4 years. Over the next year she attained her standing double back handspring and round-off back handspring. 

The 2012 season was under way and Natalie faced a new challenge. Her coaches quickly recognized a mental block with her tumbling. Several months of practice resulted in a continued decline in her throwing her stunts. It was a “mental block.” Natalie was very disappointed and began to dread practice. Natalie’s coaches had full confidence in her and shared that her tumbling was “beautiful”. They knew she had a gift, if she could just get past what was getting her stuck. One afternoon her tumbling coach recommended starting from scratch, re-teach her from a forward roll on the mat. 

That night we talked to Natalie about visualization- how many athletes use it to prepare. It hit me…Yoga and Meditation! How did I overlook my own practice? I knew exactly the teacher to work with Natalie, Teri Hegi.

Teri is relevant and authentic, I knew she would find the tools Natalie could use to work on her mental block and achieve her goal of connecting her tumbling. I made a single call to Teri to describe the situation and provided the specific feedback from Natalie’s coaches. Teri took this information and arrived a few days later for Natalie’s first session. 

Teri taught Natalie at a level that was appropriate for her age and laid a foundation with Sun Salutations. She explained how creating space through this practice will help to calm her mind and open her for change. They discussed visualization and meditation. Teri was able to connect with Natalie and share tools that she can use every day and anywhere.

At her next practice, Natalie broke through. She achieved her fundamental stunts and added an unexpected success… a front punch and round-off back tuck. Natalie says, “Yoga and meditation help to calm me. I can find my confidence and use it.” Wow, to be aware of this at thirteen years old, what a gift! 

Teri’s research and attention to her students is amazing, her knowledge is far and wide. Whether she is teaching a power vinyasa yoga class or a private yoga session with a cheerleader, she teaches from the heart. It doesn’t get any better than that." - Dana