Stretching Ourselves to Grow the Inner Child
In both rock climbing and Yoga, there is always a possibility of losing one’s balance and falling. Both practices allow us to push our limits. We can see the world from upside down or from high places and return to our child-like fearlessness — as kids, if we fell, we often got right back up and tried again.
Yoga provides a safe space for us to learn from our falls, whether in a studio, on the beach, or on the grass. We can play with what intimidates us and keep practicing to grow stronger and face our fears.
While we need to be aware of our limitations and exercise caution when it comes to safety, many of us let that caution marinate so deeply that we end up too afraid to move forward at all. Climbing pushes the body’s limits. Arms and legs may tremble as we continue higher, awakening a mortal fear of falling, but there is no greater reward than reaching the top of a climb. We might choose not to try because we want to avoid grass stains on our jeans, bruises on our knees, or being made fun of by our friends. But fear leaves a mark on our psyche that is far more difficult to rub out than grass stains.
In the pursuit of adventure, we interviewed athletes devoted to the practice of scaling the rock. While their reasons for climbing varied, they all shared a youthful attraction to thrills or the love of movement. Each person we spoke with believes in pushing themselves and facing fear with lightheartedness. They all strive for the summit, enjoy the climb, and sometimes take the leap even though they know they may fall. They allow their passions and desire for play to override their fears, and listen to the voice of their inner child who says, “Let’s try that again!”
Interviews with Climbing Yogis
Courtney Sanders
Claim to fame: Yoga Instructor for Core Power Yoga. Professional, competitive and sponsored climber. Married to professional climber Daniel Woods.
LA YOGA: What came first? Yoga or Climbing?
Courtney Sanders: Climbing. Unless doing headstands while watching TV as a kid counts.
LA YOGA: How has your personal practice strengthened you as a climber?
CS: It has helped me focus on every movement and experience rather than the end result. I enjoy climbing more and I take the pressure off of myself.
LA YOGA: What is most challenging about climbing?
CS: Letting go of my ego. Climbing is the only sport that requires finger strength, and it takes time and commitment to be good at it. It’s not like riding a bicycle. You can’t just start climbing, stop, and then pick up where you left off five years later. You have to continuously climb and train to maintain or improve your level of ability.
Comparing myself to others who have been climbing for years was just irrational. As soon as I stopped caring about everyone else’s level and accomplishments, I enjoyed it a lot more.
LA YOGA: What words of wisdom would you offer a Yogi/Climber?
CS: Don’t do one without the other.
Image of Sonnie Trotter by Ben Moon
Sonnie Jason Trotter
Claim to fame: Patagonia climbing ambassador. Married to Lydia Zamorano. Gets to climb rocks for a living.
LA YOGA: What originally drew you to climbing?
Sonnie Trotter: The freedom of it all. I was able to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It’s not a sport where people judge you, like gymnastics. It’s more about how you feel than how you look. It’s a creative activity. After that, I was drawn to see more of the world and try to climb the biggest and boldest lines I could. And small adventures led me to big adventures. That’s where I’m at now, looking for big adventures.
LA YOGA: What drives you to keep climbing?
ST: It’s a combination of things. Exploration: It fills up my spirit to be outside, searching for something new, something that captures my imagination. Movement: When I’m climbing well and flowing smoothly, I get the same sensation as when I’m surfing, or carving into a deep powder turn. It’s about flow and rhythm. Friends: We go climbing together, make jokes, have fun, laugh a lot and enjoy being outside. Last: It’s the traveling. The unique and beautiful places that climbing always brings me to are the places most people will never go.
LA YOGA: How does your yoga practice influence your climbing?
ST: My body was getting to a point where I wondered how much longer I could climb professionally or at such a high level. I was training and climbing so much that by the time I hit my late 20s, my body was unbalanced and I found myself in pain a lot of the time. I was too tight in some places and too open in others; it made for some bad habits. Once I started doing more yoga, I could feel my body restoring itself back to a neutral position of alignment. That has been the biggest difference for me. Now, I can see myself climbing long into the future, the way my mentors have.
LA YOGA: What advice would you offer?
ST: For a climber I would say, climb the lines that you are drawn to, the climbs your heart wants you to do, not the ones you think you should do. That will make all the difference. There is a yogi in all of us. We all want to find balance in our lives, physically and emotionally. And that to me is what the practice of yoga is about: seeking and maintaining that balance. It’s a fundamental truth to longevity. My advice is to make time for it, do whatever you have to do to block out a little bit of your day, and your future self will thank you.
Ryan Nadlonek
Claim to fame: Yoga Instructor, avid climber, and writer
LA YOGA: What came first? Yoga or climbing?
Ryan Nadlonek: I found climbing first when I was very young. I was attracted to the danger and excitement of it. But as I’ve grown older, the joy is the meditation in the climbing.
LA YOGA: Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
RN: My yoga teacher, Shiva Rea, because she is grounded in the roots of Hatha and Raja Yoga and has taken them to a new place through her creativity and divine inspiration — the way she brings healing into the yoga community through linking the traditions with what we really need in the present modern yoga community.
Image of Heidi Wirtz by John Llyod
Heidi Wirtz
Claim to Fame: Professional and sponsored climber. Yoga instructor. Known for philanthropic work.
LA YOGA: What drives you to climb?
Heidi Wirtz: I love experiencing the vastness. It’s also challenging. It never ends; you are always pushing yourself harder. Being up with the birds, feeling the rock and the physical contact with nature — that’s what I love.
LA YOGA: Do you wrestle with the rock, or are you one with the rock?
HW: I prefer it when I’m one with the rock. (Laughs) If I feel like my mind is starting to wander and I’m getting too physical with the rock, I come back to the breath. Climbing for me is a meditation.
LA YOGA: What words of wisdom would you offer?
HW: Connect with your breath, with the rock, and with the earth rather than allowing your brain to take over and run away with you. Be happy with where you’re at. Come back to gratitude.
Olivia Hsu
Claim to fame: Sponsored climber. Married to Corey Richards, mountaineer and photographer. Yoga Journal Magazine Cover Girl.
LA YOGA: What is your biggest inspiration?
Olivia Hsu: The human desire to move forward, to keep trying, and to persevere. For example, there’s a guy that comes to my Ashtanga class who has a beautiful practice. When you watch someone who is dedicated, you can see it. He has that.
LA YOGA: What words of wisdom would you offer a Yogi Climber?
OH: Rest!
Jessica Malloy is pursuing her shared passions of climbing and yoga at Aesthetic Yoga in Orange County: aestheticclimbinggym.com.
Jessica is wearing clothing from Patagonia in Santa Monica: Patagonia.com.
Jessica Malloy is a freelance writer torn between the California Coast and Kentucky Countryside. Aside from Yoga, she spends as much time as she can in the sunshine rock climbing, water skiing, and traveling.