Athletes are my muse—you’re why Jasyoga exists. Nothing makes my heart sing more than seeing you pay attention to what your body needs and respond accordingly—seeing you balance strength and flexibility, effort and ease. When you’re intentional about what you do on the mat, yoga eases imbalance before post-run tweaks and strains become full-blown injuries.
Oiselle’s pro squad in Bend, Little Wing, embodies a balanced approach and it’s an honor and privilege to help them Hit Reset.
Coach Lauren Fleshman, Collier Lawrence, Jess Barnard, Mel Lawrence...and little Jude!
Whether at altitude training in Boulder or their hometown of Bend, here's how the women of Little Wing incorporate Jasyoga into their training. Recovering from workouts, preventing injuries, and getting the most out of their mileage:
COACH LAUREN FLESHMAN
“In my approach to coaching Little Wing, I emphasize the importance of purposeful training rather than hard training. We have moments we smash ourselves, moments we regenerate, and moments we go with the flow. Erin at Jasyoga has been a valuable consultant for me in incorporating yoga in purposeful ways for the women I coach. Her video bank provides a choose-your-own-adventure style of recovery yoga that is perfect for athletes. I encourage the women to choose the videos that help regenerate the areas of the body that are under more strain on the day. If we work the hips and glutes a lot in the gym, we may use the hip openers. If we are neuromuscularly drained from lots of technical work and VO2 sessions that push close to max effort, we may use more overall regenerative sequences. There's something for every purpose an athlete could need, in session times that make sense for athletes who want the benefits of yoga without adding the time commitment of a whole other sport/practice.”
COLLIER LAWRENCE
"A really important part of being an athlete is taking time to recover and I have a hard time not constantly being on the go. I always do at least 5-10 minutes of legs up the wall before bed to force myself to be still for a little bit."
- Fave pose: I'm all about the savasana aka the final relaxation pose (I think I saw a shirt that said “I'm just here for the savasana...” I should have bought it). I have a hard time just being still so it makes me take a few minutes to lay there and really think about how I'm really feeling or not think about anything at all.
- Fave Jasyoga video: The 5 Minute Shoulder Reset or the 5 Minute Back Reset. My mid-back and shoulders always feel really tight and bound up. I definitely notice a difference in how I carry my shoulders after I do the shoulder video even if it's just for a few hours.
MEL LAWRENCE
"Yoga is definitely one of those things that while I'm doing it, I think that I'm never going to make further progress. But then each time I do it, after I finish I know it was better than the last time and something got better. I've noticed (and my PT's have noticed) my hip flexors opening up and stretching more, which has always been a problem for me. So when I'm doing it I'm thinking, "Am I really getting better at this." And then a few weeks later I think, "Yeah this is definitely getting better and here's the proof."
- Fave pose: I love sitting in pigeon for as long as I can. Slowly working on straightening the back leg with that one.
- Fave Jasyoga video: All the hip openers! I feel like I'm constantly working on this tightness that surrounds my hips and glutes, so these are perfect.
JESS BARNARD
"It's nice to take the time to relax, stretch, and meditate. Clearing the mind of the go-go-go mentality and slowing it down to take care of yourself has helped me be present."
- Fave pose: Child's pose. This is my happy place. It's just the most amazing stretch!
- Fave Jasyoga video: Quick Foot Reset. I have had a couple of foot injuries throughout my career and the feet are just two of those things that we tend to neglect. Taking the 10 minutes to do this video a few times a week is making a huge difference in my foot strength and injury prevention.
Spoiler alert! Jasyoga's new video collection for runners is launching next month. Subscribe to find out first: jasyoga.com/blog
