So, a yogi walked into a climbing gym…

I was introduced to yoga as a home practice in middle school; however, I didn’t consistently start practicing yoga until college. Growing up, I had dabbled in things like gymnastics, tennis, and basketball; but, I never landed on a sport where I showed enough promise or passion to be labeled an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. I was sick a lot as a child, and had open heart surgery at age six, so I was more often reminded of my physical limitations than I was encouraged to test the limits of what the human body can do. In college (free state-of-the-art gym!), I realized the stress management benefits of working out, and started to redefine the conception in my head that I was not nor would ever be “athletic” or “fit.” In my early 20s, I got more seriously into vinyasa and hot yoga styles, and have been a consistent practitioner since 2015. Self-discovery of what my body could be physically capable of ignited a passion for fitness and exploring my physical limits which often still pleasantly surprises me today.

I finished my 200-hr yoga teacher training at the end of 2019 and completed an additional 50-hr extensions course in 2020. In that same year, I went rock climbing for the first time, learned to top rope and lead climb and belay, and married my fellow yogi and climbing partner, Josh.

Our local gym, @sportrock

1. What brought you to tie in and get on the wall for the first time?

This was all Josh’s fault. I lived smack in between my yoga studio and Earth Treks climbing gym, a mere 5 min walk in either direction. Josh’s climbing partner had bailed on him that night, and he called me to see if I wanted to run over for an impromptu Rock Climbing 101 session. I literally changed out of my pj’s and hopped on the wall in my street shoes after a brief introduction to how to “use my toes” on a hold. I was absolutely terrified the entire way up this 5.7 route, had no chalk, and kept wiping wildly sweaty hands against my yoga pants, but I was determined to make it to the top to impress Josh. I only did two routes that night, and my forearms were killing me from a baby overhang on the second 5.8 route. But, nevertheless, I was hooked on this new world I had quite literally stumbled into.

Looking up at our route

2. What were your biggest reservations or doubts about climbing before you started?

Climbing seemed like the type of sport you needed lots of equipment and skills to even start. Coming from the flat-lands of Florida, I felt like I had missed the boat on climbing with a childhood devoid of hiking and altitude. I had been interested in attending climbing intros and workshops years prior, but the trepidation of feeling woefully ignorant and unequipped was a major stopping block. Yoga only required a mat and even that is arguably optional in the great outdoors!

3. How has climbing changed your yoga practice?

Coming from a yogi’s perspective, climbing has challenged and grown my breath work, balance, body awareness, and core strength. It has informed my personal practice and style and encouraged the dynamic movement focus for Yoga on the Rocks. Climbing is vertical power vinyasa. It is extremely meditative and the physical demands of climbing are better met with deep, thoughtful inhales and exhales. Inhale: find the hold. Exhale: make your move. The full body nature of rock climbing has positively improved my core strength and toned stabilizer muscles I never even knew I had. The sheer mental hurtle of finding steadiness, focus, and balance 70 feet up has increased my boldness on the mat to try and push the limits of practice. I constantly find myself conceptualizing climbing as a yoga sequence and conceptualizing yoga sequences as climbing moves, and the pairing is beautifully complementary!

4. What would you say to yogis skeptic about the discipline of climbing?

Does climbing require a lot of equipment and knowledge? Yes, it can, especially on trad expeditions and for alpine climbing, but to start, climbing just requires community. A community of people willing to teach you the ropes, literally, and introduce you to a new sport. And the climbing community is a fun-loving, friendly, and supportive bunch on the whole…so, jump on in, take a course, and explore a new discipline. As a yogi, you bring a level of body awareness, balance, and flexibility to the table which is intrinsically valuable and will be fostered further by climbing. Once you start to think of climbing as taking vinyasa vertical, everything will quickly fall into place!

-By: Jennifer Mickahail