Yoga and the Zen Of Ski

Owning a skill is not an easy thing. I taught skiing at Whitetail and  once had a clinic with an instructor named Mark Goodman and he told me that practice does not make perfect, perfect practice does. The thing about yoga with a class is that you get the corrective feedback from the instructor and the energy from practicing with a group.   I had trouble  with standing tall and Mark used a bamboo stick to give me the feedback where I was standing by pacing it underneath the back of my jacket.  That was an excellent self discovery exercise but to really own that posture I had to go to yoga practice to unwind and develop the core and back muscles to stand tall which gives you more leverage skiing.  To really improve once a week does not cut it- particularly if you are not that naturally flexible like me.  You can supplement the classes with your own practice a few times a week .  It is also a great way to relax and   yoga masters don't make it to 100 years by accident.