BettyGoHard Women Action Sports Blog

Last year while talking programming with my assistant we came up with a concept that changed the way I think about yoga. A good friend is an amazing yoga instructor and is big on working in the outdoors. I have been looking for a way to combine hiking and biking with other activities and in a moment of inspiration Amber came up with the hike and yoga concept.

Combining the experience of finding new trails, being outdoor in nature and the exhilaration of a hike to a viewpoint overlooking the vista below with the relaxing and rejuvenating experience of yoga was magical. The first session was amazing; despite not really knowing what to expect and apprehensive about the ‘yoga studio’, timing and the après there was no escaping the calm one gets from doing yoga in a mountain top setting with a slight breeze rustling the leaves.

Yoga is a challenge for me. I am a busy person who likes to stay busy, although I love doing yoga and love the results I get from yoga I still avoid it. I find it hard to still the mind, realizing that the busyness is the way to avoid all those thoughts and as soon as I am still they all come rushing in. However, being outside I found it easy to relax, still the mind and listen to the sounds of nature all around. It was the best yoga session I have ever had and I was excited for the next session.

The hike back down was delightful, all downhill, I found my awareness to the beauty around me was heightened and delighted in the sights and sounds of the journey back to reality. The session was followed up with an après, which gave us the chance to ground ourselves, and relive our experience together.

Overall it was an awesome experience. The combination of the rigorous hike to the studio, relaxing yoga flow and meander back down left me ready to take on the world. Join BettyGoHard and Kerry Yoga this Spring for our Sunday afternoon hike and yoga series starting APRIL 29TH. Register online at www.bettygohard.com.

At the heart of New Years’ resolutions and intentions involve change on some level, to increase strength, to be more balanced, to be happier, to lose weight, to start a new class, to be nicer….these all involve change. So how do you approach change? How does it feel to make changes in your lifestyle, lasting changes? These questions need to be explored before the intentions and resolutions can be set. It is one thing to throw around thoughts, and ideas of what we want to achieve and what we want to be, but it takes courage and perseverance to look inside and challenge our own beliefs and ways of living to make these changes happen.

My personal intention is to begin a 40 day openness and fearlessness meditation session that was given to me by an esteemed Yoga Teacher. As I already have a daily meditation practice the challenge is not so much doing the meditation, but doing the same one every day. As a Vinyasa flow yoga student and teacher, I love change, I love flowing in and out of poses, I love the organic, juicy and dynamic action of connecting breath and movement. This flow is a valuable part of growth and development, however, it is limiting. If we constantly move out of the first sense of discomfort, if we constantly fidget our way out of boredom, if we resist difficult conversations or people, how do we really grow?

It is through the dark that we find our light, it is through facing challenges that we learn more about ourselves. It is from turning towards the difficult people and situations and opening up with compassion as opposed to turning our backs and running away that we find our inner strength and fearlessness to change.

My challenge is to commit to the same practice for 40 days with the sense of fearlessness and openness that the practice suggests, opening to the challenges of being bored yet staying with it, of the challenge of commitment and discipline, and receiving the benefits of going even deeper into my practice, in a way that is not possible when I am always organically flowing from one thing to another.

I challenge you to also find something, maybe something small, like trying a food that you always thought you didn’t like, or spending a little more time with that difficult person/coworker and sending them compassion, or spending a bit more time in a difficult yoga pose before getting out of it or fidgeting.

Go fearlessly to your mat and in your life, and you may one day find yourself living your intentions and your resolutions!

Kerry Turner is a Yoga instructor in the Greater Trail Area.  Please visit her at

www.kerryyoga.com and https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Yoga-with-Kerry/117790414981251

It was my birthday last week and totally contrary to my personality instead of heading out and hitting the trails I just hung out and took a day off.  It was awesome to sit back and relax with the knowledge of a weekend of biking just on the horizon.  This weekend past was the annual Silver Mtn Brewsfest.  Silver mountain is in Kellogg, Idaho and a great place to go downhill.  The Brewsfest is a super cool event; for less than the price of a regular lift ticket you get to ride the mountain bike trails, try out beers from 30 different breweries and listen to cool music. 

It is not the most extensive bike park you'll ever visit but the trails are fun and super long.  From the top of the world's longest single pole gondola back to the base you drop 2,200 ft, its a long way down!  Three runs and I was revved up and loving life but the body was tired and ready to eat some food and drink some beer.  The runs are a little bumpy but have fun flow, a few challenging sections and lots of smiles at the bottom.  The gondola ride gives the legs and arms time to recover then downhill we go.  To make it a full weekend you can stay on mountain and enjoy the water park too where they have the Flowrider so surfing and biking in one day is possible at Silver Mountain.  This is the second year I've attended and it is definitely an annual event; check it out next year we will be there!!  The more friends the more fun to be had!

After the weekend I was a little jaded, slightly stiff and in need of some yoga.  BettyGoHard and Kerry Yoga had our first Hiking and Yoga event on Monday night - what a way to start the week off on the right foot!  We hiked to the top of Raven Rock trail to the lookout overlooking the the town of Trail and the Columbia river - what a view!!  Overlooking the Columbia, Agathe led us through a half hour gentle yoga practice; normally I have trouble stilling my mind and really getting into my practice but with the wind blowing gently and the view of the mountains it was the best yoga I have done for as long as I can remember.  Thank you to the ladies that joined us and the cute guy at the bottom with the amazing quinoa fruit parfait it was the perfect way to end a perfect experience.  Next week we will be doing Elder Trail high above the Columbia on the other side of Trail.  Maybe I will see you there.

Have a great week

Betty