By Jack Houvouras
HQ 94 | SUMMER 2016
In case you haven’t noticed, a yoga movement is underway in the Huntington region. At least three yoga studios (that I know of) have sprung up in recent years, and all are owned by friends of mine – Katrina Mailloux at Brown Dog Yoga, Joan St. Clair at Studio 8 and Kathy Mejia at Eternal Yoga. As such, it should come as no surprise that I find myself writing a column about the discipline that originated in northern India some 5,000 years ago.
I was first introduced to yoga a few years ago by Katrina Mailloux, when she operated a small studio out of her home. Back then I was in pretty good shape, working out regularly at the HIT Center (HIT stands for High Intensity Training), and her challenge to try yoga was somewhat laughable to me. Nevertheless, I showed up one afternoon with a mat I borrowed from a friend to see what all the fuss was about. Little did I know the joke would be on me. The studio was warm when the class began, and I had a nice sweat going as we eased into our poses. But 30 minutes into the session, water was pouring out of me like a faucet. I had never perspired so much in my life and was slipping and sliding all over my mat. At one point Katrina grabbed a towel and tossed it to me with a satisfied smirk on her face. The gauntlet had been laid down.
When Katrina opened Brown Dog Yoga in downtown Huntington in 2013, I was one of her first clients. Many of my friends joked that the only reason I was trying yoga was to check out all the women – today 82 percent of yoga students are female. I’ll admit that a room full of fit women was a pleasant sight, but five minutes into the practice all I cared about was not embarrassing myself in front of them. As we held several poses I noticed my arms quivering, while the arms of the women were as steady as a rock. Whenever I needed a minute to rest or compose myself, the women around me never missed a beat.
One afternoon a former Marshall football player showed up with his girlfriend to give yoga a try. He was in his mid-20s and in phenomenal physical shape, with lean, rippling muscles and six-pack abs. But 30 minutes into the practice, he was drenched in sweat and standing with his hands on his hips, trying to catch his breath. He looked over to me in disbelief and I nodded my head and mouthed the words, “I know!” It was at that moment I realized women are a hell of a lot tougher than men.
Despite the challenges of each practice, I persevered. In time, I slowly became more proficient and started seeing results, most notably on the golf course. At the age of 50, I was driving the ball farther than when I was in my 20s. My increased strength, and even more importantly flexibility, made me a more powerful player. Long par-5 holes that I used to reach in two shots just once a year were now being conquered once a week. I was hooked.
Many of you know that some celebrities, like Madonna and Sting, have been advocating the benefits of yoga for years. But do you know who else practices yoga? How about LeBron James, Tom Brady, Matthew McConaughey, Adam Levine and the Marshall University football team? Even my favorite writer Henry David Thoreau was into yoga back in the mid-19th century. (I’m not surprised. He was always ahead of his time on such issues as abolitionism, civil disobedience, respect for the environment and the call for national parks.)
Needless to say, the practice of yoga is something I plan to continue the rest of my life. The physical benefits alone are staggering. It increases muscle tone, flexibility, balance and posture. It decreases blood pressure and digestive issues, prevents cartilage and joint breakdown and improves heart and bone health. It is considered by numerous medical experts to be the best remedy for people suffering from back pain. But there’s more to it than the physical side. Like Thoreau, I have come to understand how yoga can enliven both the mind and spirit. So there you have it – dozens of reasons why yoga may be the single best thing you can do for your body, mind and spirit. Hey, if it’s good enough for LeBron James and Henry David Thoreau, then it’s good enough for me.
