This month’s guest blog is written by Rob Reid, aka Yoga Dad, the father of two who runs yoga classes for cyclists in Bristol and Bath and uses the money made to support The Bristol Bike Project. Thanks Yoga Dad!
When I first moved to Keynsham, Bristol, one of the things that really impressed me was the community spirit. That sense as though most people valued where they lived and looked out for one another. The town has changed a lot over the past few years, and it’s not been without its challenges, but that sense of community spirit is still at its heart.
A good example is the yoga for cyclists classes I now run in Keynsham, Bristol. My local bike shop is the excellent 73 Degrees on the High St. Their move to the area has been like a breath of fresh air for the Bristol cycling community. When I initially spoke with 73 Degrees about yoga for cyclists in Bristol, they were really interested. The main reason being they run a bike fitting service, with them recommending to many of their customers they should do yoga to help lengthen tight areas such as hips and hamstrings.
It was a similar situation when speaking with the local Bristol cycling club. Salt and Sham (SAS) Collective Cycling has over 150 members, with many involved in a wide range of cycling disciplines around Bristol, Bath and beyond. Its main event each week is its club ride where around 100 riders follow a 45km loop around Chew Valley Lake. A number of their members had realised the benefits yoga was bringing to their cycling, There was a real appetite for yoga for cyclists classes being run in the local community.
We agreed it would be good to run yoga for cyclists classes in Keynsham, Bristol. What better venue than 73 Degrees bike shop itself. I ran a yoga for cyclists taster session in mid-July and will be doing likewise in mid-August. Both classes are full, with many of those attending doing yoga for the first time. The feedback I received from the first yoga for cyclists class was that they really enjoyed and they were interested in more classes. There was something very special about running a yoga for cyclists class in Bristol while surrounded by bikes hanging on the walls. You can see a short video of the class here.
The classes are being used as fundraisers for The Bristol Bike Project. BBP do amazing work for the Bristol cycling community. In particular, repairing and relocating unwanted bikes. This includes through its Earn-A-Bike scheme where they run bike maintenance workshops for marginalised groups in society, refurbishing bikes that they then keep. There’s a strong sense of empowerment and self-reliance, so that the scheme is not just seen as a handout. This scheme functions as a bond between the owner and their bike.
I love being able to use yoga to give something back to the local community. Bringing together my passion for yoga and cycling through the yoga for cyclists classes has been like a match made in heaven. I am planning to start a yoga for cyclists programme for the Bristol and Bath cycling community very soon. If you are interested in attending yoga for cyclist classes in Bristol with Yogadad, please get in touch.
This blog was first published on https://yogadad.co.uk/
