CrossFit Archives | JESSICA LESLEY YOGA

Myths about CrossFit and women:

I have to get in better shape before I go!

I don’t want to get bulky/ look less feminine

It’s too hard!

Those are just a few that I have heard since my first Yogi vs CrossFit post. The truth is these things crossed my mind before I went to my first class too. I was teaching at a yoga studio that was conveniently located just a few doors down from CrossFit City of Angels, this meant I had to walk past the gym everyday to get to my studio. What I saw each time I walked by surprised me, there were men and women, and they were smiling! Huh?

CrossFit City of Angels team having some fun before flipping tires!

Finally I decided to just pop in one day and speak with the owner (Pete) and find out what CrossFit was all about. Right away I felt at ease. As a self-proclaimed “anatomy geek” I was pleasantly surprised to hear Pete and the other coaches pay so much attention to proper form and alignment. There was no pressure to just lift the heaviest weight you could pick up. From the very first class I was advised to never compromise my form just to use more weight. I cannot stress this enough ladies – you are not forced to lift heavy weights (early on I started with just a bar bell no weights)!

Continue reading →

Lets go ahead and state the obvious – I LOVE YOGA!

With this love of the practice also comes a responsibility to keep my body safe. Something I often mention in classes (when we veer off from traditional flow to do some corrective exercise) is “I want us all to be able to practice yoga when we are 90 years old”! Since deciding to make my career all about yoga this is very important to me. In addition to using Yoga Tune Up® I have been looking for ways to keep from over-stretching with all of the yoga I do. Finally I had an epiphany…well actually I read an article about over-stretching by Jill Miller, Creator of Yoga Tune Up® YTU Takes You From Floppy To Fit

“Tissues are living; they can change and heal if given the right stimulation, a disciplined approach and the correct exercises to balance them. For some this could mean more stretching; for others it might mean more strengthening, but always a combination of the two.” - Jill Miller

So many of us have come to accept that aches and pains and lack of mobility with aging as normal. Which brings another Jill Miller quote to mind – “we have to find a new normal”. Finding a new normal for me means how do I stay healthy enough to practice and teach yoga 10, 20, 30 years from now?

Continue reading →