Coaching Stress Out of Young Athletes with the Skating Yogi Sarah Neal
Transcript
Episode 19
Sarah Neal 0:03
Particularly around, like 13, 14, it becomes more internalized, and that's when it can be, it can become dangerous. You know, you can see some, if that obsessiveness and that drive to achieve is unmonitored or unnoticed, then, or even praised, because it seems like wow they're really taking charge of their own training right now. It can become an obsessive need to control, and that can turn into issues like self harm, eating disorders, and, and other mental illnesses. Like severe anxiety and OCD and those kinds of things. And so I think it's really important as a coach to be aware of those possible issues, possible manifestations and try to help the athletes, seek the appropriate help or preferably seek help or intervene before those issues get to that point, right, which is why it's so important, helping them at a young age, find the balance.
Ericka Thomas 1:12
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Welcome back to The Work IN everyone, I'm your host Ericka Thomas, and in today's episode we are going to talk about competitive stress, and the toll it can take on our young athletes. My guest today is Sarah Neal. Sarah is the skating yogi. She is a master rated coach and Learn to Skate director at Louisville Skating Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, and she happens to be a brilliant yoga instructor. She's passionate about bringing yogic philosophy into her coaching style to help support young athletes and help them find a more balanced approach to competition, health and wellness that goes beyond their years in competition, so that they can continue to enjoy the sport that they love.
She also runs an online space that helps athletes and former athletes decondition and reframe their relationship with sports to improve their mental health and heal using self care practices like mindfulness, yoga, and community.
Now I have always considered myself to be an athlete, but I have never been a competitive athlete. And when I was growing up it was encouraged and expected that, as you were going through school that you would try lots of different sports. Fast forward a few years. And when my children were ready to go to school and to start sports, things were much different. In fact, for many children it's almost expected that they choose a sport, very young, sometimes as young as three, four or five years old, for some of those team sports, but for individual sports, or sport that is considered to be more aesthetic or subjective based competition like figure skating, the peak of competition is very young, which means they must start young. If the peak of their training and the peak of their competitive edge is at 16.
And that's something that Sarah and I discuss in today's episode, we talk about some unique types of stressors for young female athletes in particular, and the kind of repercussions those things can have on life long after the competition is over, and how we can start to incorporate things like yoga, into our coaching of these young athletes to help give them a much more balanced transition from competition into the real world. So with that, please enjoy my interview with Sarah Neil, the skating Yogi.
Welcome Sarah to the work IN. I am so excited to have you here today! Sarah and I met actually inside of kind of a mastermind or I don't know what you would call it a business accelerator for wellness professionals. Inside that accelerator, We have a lot of yoga instructors, I mean, like, a lot of yoga instructors and what's interesting about that to me is how many different, different niches in the wellness industry, where we can use yoga as a way to improve all different kinds of sports. So we have, people who are using yoga for cycling, we have people who use yoga for specific types of pain relief like migraine or just general pain care and things like that, but Sarah Neal is the skating yogi.
Ericka Thomas 6:29
And not just any skating but ice skating figure skating. So Sarah,welcome to the program. First of all, maybe you could start us off, just kind of tell us a little bit about yourself and your background and kind of what it was that brought you to yoga from figure skating, and just, what is your history here. Moving from this competitive figure skating world into yoga,
Sarah Neal 7:01
So I've been skating since I was about four and skated my entire life, competed, and loved the sport, from the minute I started. And as I'm sure many people know skating is a very intense environment if you're in the competitive track. It's very, it attracts many perfectionists so I was no exception. My sister swears that I was born anxious and with perfectionist tendencies.
So skated, all the way through high school, and would travel like commuted a couple of hours between training. High School and then kind of chose my college based on there being a rink nearby. After college I went to graduate school in Arizona and wasn't competing anymore but decided to start coaching when I was there.
And then my master's degree is in Spanish linguistics, and so I ended up taking a new job in Spain to coach skating. That kind of fell into that. My thesis was kind of a long story. I just was kind of burnt out in the Spanish department and I thought okay I love skating so I'm gonna figure out some way to tie skating into Spanish and I ended up traveling to Spain to gather data for this thesis I was writing on the language of instruction. So I did kind of a taxonomy of the different types of instruction like, I want you to do this versus do this, versus you want to versus you should, you might try all these different kinds of language, parts of instruction.
And then that kind of was not what it cracked up to be. I was promised a series of arrangements of which was the work visa, which never came to fruition. So after about a year and a half, I decided to come back home and I moved back to Kentucky, and started coaching here. And we, when I was a kid here there wasn't really a strong program. And so I came back right when our Skating Club was forming. And we kind of dove into this vision that another coach, and the club president and I had of building this training environment that would be recognized as a regional training center. And that we might build these, these programs. And so we did that, we worked really really hard, built a very large competitive skating club. And as comes with success there came lots of growing pains and lots of other issues, and we had some, some struggles within that, that competitive environment.
And through that process, I decided to try a Groupon for a local yoga studio, because I was trying to find my way through those through those difficult times and you know I had tried yoga before gone to classes at the Y and whenever but when you have a, you know, an educational background, and you have been teaching yourself for a long time your standards are pretty high for what you want to get out of a class and what you expect from the instructor. And so it wasn't until I found yoga east that I, which is a nonprofit yoga school here in Louisville, with very high quality programs and instructors that I really was like okay this is, this is Yoga, you know, this is what I want and it really was transformational and helping me heal from from some of the challenges that I was facing at the time.
And I think through that process led me to realize that I just didn't really want to be part of the competitive skating world anymore, because I just did it and showed the competition. I think I was following that competition because I thought it was what you were supposed to do. You know skating is a sport that at least traditionally there weren't a lot of options for you if you weren't being competitive.You know, and now. Now, there are other programs out there that are trying to be built. And I think there are some other options for skating in a more relaxed way, which is super fun and exciting because it is a great sport that gives you a freedom that you can't find in other places just with the gliding in the breeze.
But as I was practicing yoga more and more into my practice I realized that there's so many lessons I could apply not just from the anatomy and the verbiage, but also from the philosophy into, into my coaching, because I've been coaching skating since 1999. And so then as I did that I thought wow this is really the realm that I want to be in.
I've always wanted to kind of eventually have some kind of yoga retreat in Spain, that's my dream, you know, kind of, retry my version of living in Spain without skating and see if it's any better. Because I love Spain, my best friends live there. You know it's my second home but the work environment there was just, and that particular environment was, was not ideal.
And yeah, so then I did a yoga teacher training and decided that I wanted to make it official and really tried to bring yoga in a complete way to skaters in Louisville and other areas and then when COVID hit. It was kind of the perfect opportunity and I decided well I need to take this and build a program to try to bring skaters together within a yoga space really across hopefully across the country across the world. So that's where I am now.
Ericka Thomas 13:35
That is amazing. So I have a question about the crossover really from yoga philosophy, and how that crosses over into coaching, any kind of competitive sport, but specifically for figure skaters. In yoga we talk a lot about non judgement and letting go of this idea of competition and expectation, but certain sports, specifically the aesthetic types of competitive sports like figure skating, like so many others. That's all it is is judgment and competition. So how did you incorporate How do you start to incorporate some of that yoga philosophy into your coaching if we're trying to transform that competitive world or our athletes for our specifically our young female athletes.
Sarah Neal 14:28
It's, it's a challenge, because the messages are out there all the time. To say the opposite, you know.A couple of things that I really focus on though are just reminding students that their journey is their own. And to try not to focus on what other people are doing.
That you don't really know what that other person is going through.They might look like they've got it all together but really on the inside they are crippled because they're obsessed with this path right.That you have to listen to what your own needs and desires are and find the right balance.
It's challenging too because I think that certain skaters and people in general, and even even Yogi's, you know we have this tendency...The Yoga Sutras encourage us to have a fire to learn and be passionate about what we're learning but at the same time to balance that with this sense of non harm, right. The other key part of that you have to try to listen to your body and listen to your soul and honor what you are doing and balancing those two things is the biggest struggle of life, really. And also because it is the biggest struggle of life I think is one of the biggest struggles in skating. But once you are aware of that struggle, then you can start to maybe find that balance, and just if you're aware of things that are not good for you, such as comparing yourself to others or pushing yourself too hard. Or forgetting to eat before your practice, for example, then you can start to manage those, those things and find that balance.
Ericka Thomas 16:27
So what are some of the issues that are unique to sports, like figure skating, that has that aesthetic component to it.
Sarah Neal 16:35
Well, ultimately, you know, when you go to critiques with particular judges, it's getting a little bit better now, but at the elite levels it's still, still pretty rampant, where, you know, judges think that or they say things like, you know, they're looking for a certain look, you know they want longer leaner body lines, and when they talk about the look, then that's where I think it gets really challenging because that is specific. You know, and I think that particularly as you reach adolescence for females there is already within society this desire to kind of disappear. And like you want to stand out, but you also want to disappear. And so you try to get you try not to stand out, but at the same time you want your skating to stand out so it's right, there's lots of mixed messages
Ericka Thomas 17:25
So much conflict with that right. To shine, but not be seen. It’s crazy Right?
Sarah Neal 17:33
Exactly and, you know, and anytime you're talking about elite sports, you, there is a certain level of manipulating the body. I've learned a lot recently in the former athlete space, particularly on Instagram about how it's not necessarily just a skating issue. You know, when you are trying to perform at an elite level, you are asking your body to do things that maybe unnaturally wouldn't do, right, and so for all kinds of sports and for males but particularly for females, you are trying to get your body to transform into the ideal. The ideal form for that sport. Right. And maybe your body, maybe you fell in love with a sport that wasn't necessarily, not I don’t want to say right but that wasn't necessarily catered to your body type.
And that happens a lot when you're trying to achieve at a very high level. And I think that that's something that's unique to skating, you know, if you get to a high level and you maybe achieve a whole lot when you are younger and you're jumping and jumps are easy and then you, your body starts to change as it naturally will, when you go through puberty, and even into your early 20s. Then, you struggle with that you know, and that's a big issue that we have in skating at the elite levels, is that, there are people who achieve really young, and then you have to figure out what you're going to do afterwards. Because jumping gets harder, all of a sudden, and you have to either decide you want to re learn how to do things in a different way with a different technique as your body has changed, or, or you want to back off and do something a little bit less stressful on your body.
Ericka Thomas 19:21
Right, yeah. And so, some of that is just kind of setting people up to fight their own nature, it becomes a mindset thing kind of an internal battle, trying to, to keep what you had before, and that's not always possible, right.
Sarah Neal 19:37
Right, and I think you know for skating in sports like gymnastics are unique in the sense that for females,the peak is very young. And, you know, and that presents all sorts of challenges that I, don't wish to necessarily be a part of anymore. In the sense that you have to make skating your your life from very, very young if you intend to reach your technical peak by the time you're 14 or 15. Right.
And that, then that creates a whole nother set of problems if you look and you say well my, my peak was at 16 What's left in life, you know, that's challenging. And so you know with my students, I've really kind of tried to impress upon them that we're not necessarily going for that for that moment. We're on a path that's going to lead them to be able to enjoy the sport for as a lifelong sport, and you're going to always try to do things that honor your body and honor where you are and that will help skating support your life.
Like my yoga teacher always says you want yoga to support your life not be everything about your life. Right, I mean I know that, like she also says if you have time to do two or three yoga practices a day, then you probably should be dedicating more time into a charity, so you know you want skating you want your sport yes you might feel deep down that it is your life but it really should be supporting your other interests as well and not becoming everything about about you.
Ericka Thomas 21:16
I've had many many coaches in my life, I don't think I've ever heard a single one of them say that soccer should support your life, or, riding should support your life, it was all or nothing, right, you're all or nothing in that moment in that sport. I think that's something that I hope people hear from this conversation. I hope they they hear that in the, in the behavior of their young athletes because they're more than just their competition, their last competition, they're far more than their last win, or what they did on the ice or in the arena or on the mat, whatever it is, you exist beyond that space and time and that's far more important than in that one moment, I think that is that is a great message,
Ericka Thomas 22:10
Do you see that kind of message coming out in coaching beyond, beyond what you are saying is this, is there any kind of movement that is bringing that kind of messaging to our young athletes?
Sarah Neal 22:25
I think that there are mixed messages. You know I can't speak, necessarily, to a lot of other sports. But, you know, for my generation of coaches, you know, we believe, many of us at least the ones that I'm friends with believe wholeheartedly that an education is important and that outside interests are important.
But at the end of the day, to a certain extent our livelihood depends on the success of our skaters right. And we see in many coaches are still afraid of the future, and they're afraid of the competition for students and they're afraid of losing their reputation. And they don't want to put skaters out that maybe don't perform well. That don't reflect kindly on their skill as a coach, right on their technical prowess as a coach.
And so, so there's a lot of mixed messages, you know, and I think we have to kind of shift the narrative and transform the paradigm there. Where maybe you just have to be okay with finding, maybe a better place for those skaters that aren't going to be that competitive. It's challenging because the sport itself has traditionally not had a lot of options for those skaters and, and even in the recreational...when I say recreational realm.
Like you can be skating, two hours a day and still not be in what they would consider the elite path right. For an elite athlete or a skater who is aiming to become an elite athlete and compete nationally they're skating for five hours a day, even at nine and 10 years old. So, you can still be skating two hours a day, four or five days a week and not be anywhere near that level and still be giving most of your life over to that to the sport.
And so now what I'm seeing within skating is that they're trying, US figure skating, which is our national governing body is trying to offer other opportunities for those skaters that maybe are skating two hours a day, giving much of their, most of their time to the sport, giving them opportunities to succeed. Whereas, you know, there's, that's still a huge sacrifice for a family and for the child. But maybe they're not going to, you know, decide to homeschool, right, for example. Maybe they're going to stay in a public school or a private school and and make that schooling and their school activities, their priority, and somehow find a way to balance it, you know.
Like I have a student right now who is as dedicated as anybody. I mean she skates up to two hours a day, six days a week but she also plays a lot of golf. And she is very into piano, and is very into her studies, but you know that requires a huge sacrifice from the part of the parents. Most parents can't, can't find the time or the energy to to pour that much energy into more than one activity.
Ericka Thomas 25:32
Yeah, That's true. I mean, that's true. You have to have the family support, in order for a child for any athlete as young as what we were talking about in skating you know if you're going to peak at 16 that family I'd better be on board with what it is that you're doing, otherwise it just doesn't happen without that, without those kind of resources,
Sarah Neal 25:50
Yeah, because the parents might want to but maybe they don't have the resources so skating isn't just an incredibly expensive sport. But I feel like, you know there are more conversations about that as the sport gets harder and harder and as you know the US tries to chase the conveyor belt of Russian young girls that keeps you know bursting through the scene. It's a different one every couple years.
You know, I think people are getting frustrated and they're realizing that's not the path that they want. Some days I think it's just me that thinks that but that I talked to other people and it's not just me, I know a lot of coaches have decided since COVID to just bow out gracefully from the sport. Because there are a lot of things haven't reopened. I know, particularly there's some, some city run rinks in certain areas that didn't reopen for a really long time and so the coaches just said well maybe this is my time to move along.
Sarah Neal 26:50
Kind of enjoyed some time off, enjoyed some new almost retirement and decided to just move along.
Ericka Thomas 26:57
Well, let's so let's talk about that idea of backing off a little bit, and, and I'm curious about some of the ways that you have seen, competitive stress show up in some of these young female athletes, and maybe even in yourself, in your history on the ice. Everyone is different, everybody handles competition or differently. Some people thrive on it in the moment, but then, you know, once that moment is passed, let's say we've grown up and now we're in our 20s, like there's, there's often some residual echoes of what we were when we were younger in that right in the middle of that competition so can we talk a little bit about, about some of those things those ways that that can show up, and maybe how we can use yoga to support that process a
little bit and give some of these athletes away to rest and still be active in that competition?
Sarah Neal 27:56
Yeah it's challenging, it's everything is challenging right I've used that word so much. But I think how the athletes handle stress really depends on the age. You definitely see it change as they grow older. Sometimes for, like the younger athletes, meaning like eight to 11, it manifests as maybe tears, or maybe it manifests as them totally spacing out, looking at looking around instead of doing what they're supposed to do right.
And then when they start to become a little more aware and a little more concerned about what others think, particularly around like 13-14 it becomes more internalized. And that's when it can be, it can become dangerous. You know you can see some, if that obsessiveness and that drive to achieve is unmonitored or unnoticed. Then, or even praised, because it seems like wow they're really taking charge of their own training right now. It can become an obsessive need to control, and that can turn into issues like self harm, eating disorders, and other mental illnesses like severe anxiety and OCD and those kinds of things.
And so I think it's really important as a coach to be aware of those possible issues possible manifestations and try to help the athletes, seek the appropriate help or preferably seek help or intervene before those issues get to that point, Which is why it's so important, helping them at a young age, find the balance and find those coping skills in terms of, you know, once the skater, maybe or an athlete leaves that competitive space. Or maybe they're still in the competitive space but, looking towards the transition out of their sport that drive to achieve can take over. They can take over your life.
Like if you don't have that sport anymore, but you want that achievement you are conditioned to have your next win or have your next goal, or your next training moment where you're intense, then that drive to achieve spills over into everything. It can spill over into even planning your vacations. I mean it did for me.
You know, everything becomes about crossing it off your list and making progress and moving forward, which is amazing and it's great and helps you become a high achiever and helps you feel accomplished in your sport and can build all kinds of confidence and make you resilient. But at some point you have to recognize that not everything is about how productive you are, and that you are worth more than your productivity, and that we are all deserving of rest, and we are all deserving of enjoying the moment. And that we are deserving of even eating on a day that we don't work out.
Right, that fear of losing control of the competitive body or the fear of losing control over your reputation as an achiever, or as an athlete that at some point we have to learn to let go of that. Because we are worth more than our, We are more than athletes, we are we are humans, and that means being multifaceted and having multiple identities, and it means closing the chapter, and starting a new one which is a different kind of a different mixture of your, of the different parts of your personality.
Ericka Thomas 30:57
Beautifully said, what comes to mind is, is really what a powerful influence coaches can have for any athlete but especially young athletes and maybe even more so with young female athletes, and we have in our society and our culture that is powerful in its influence. We're exposed all the time through social media, and general media and our overall social culture, about what is good, what we should look like, what we should act like, what we should be like what's healthy, what's not healthy. All of these things, I'm curious, what do you see as the biggest influencers for young athletes that you work with today. And then maybe some of the biggest influencers for you when you were coming up through the sport, who were the people that you looked up to, who were the people that you kind of shaped your training around.
Sarah Neal 34:07
Well today, I think it's, it's complicated, I, you know for a lot of athletes. Social media is a huge influencer, but I have a lot of students that don't that aren't really on social media because they've made the choice not to be or because they're too young. And, and maybe that's because of the messages that I'm sending them which Is stay away. You know, stay away from Instagram, but you know I think that it's more about responsible consumption. You know like if you look in your account or you see a message that doesn't make you feel good, then maybe you should not look at that anymore, you know.
So I think that the messages are just so widespread I mean as a society, you know some of the patriarchal messages and some of the embedded religious messages are so deep, that it's hard to separate that. You know, even if they're not looking at social media, their friends are. It's in the magazines. You know, it's, it's in the news, it's in so many ways, you know, it's so those messages are hard.
But the mixed messages, like you said, you know, eat this, but not too much of that, wear your hair this way, but not so much that way, you should lose some weight but not too much, you know it's it's it's like it reminds me of some of the mixed messages I get from my mom who says things to me like you really need a rest day. Just take some time for yourself, your working so much just take some time for yourself. And then in the next breath. We'll say that taking time to herself feels selfish. So, you know, it's, it's the conflicted messages that we hear throughout society.
And I think, you know, when I was skating, it was definitely the peer group. It was the people, the skating that I saw on TV. Like I grew up skating in the heyday of skating. I mean the, you know, the early 90s was my peak of skating and that was the peak of skating. It was the time Yeah, the Nancy era. It was the Michelle Kwan era you know. Skating was everywhere. There were amazing shows, Champions on Ice, and in tours that you could just dive into and and love, you know.
But I think that it was also a very unhealthy era, in terms of some of the practices and some of the abuse and some of the focus on weight. You know I know there was a period where I, I don't know how it exactly happened, that was about 14 I think I was. You know, a typical period of life starting to become aware, starting to become more driven in wanting to achieve, becoming more aware of the requirements and the expectations. Which many were self imposed but also from messages in society, and from church, which is a whole nother set of issues of religious trauma.
But then something happened and I had to take a couple weeks off of school. I was sick and then I had foot surgery. So it was like two or three weeks but I didn't see anybody and I just really went inward, right. And I remember I was dealing with some tendinitis and I think my coach said to my mom, you know, if she lost some weight, she wouldn't have that. And it just took one comment from my mother, to say you know your ankles wouldn't hurt if you lost some weight, and that was that. So I just stopped eating for like five years.
It was that one comment you know but that was coupled with, my innate anxiety and need to control and achieve, and the messages from other skaters who were worried about weight and seeing other skaters on TV that were thin and the messages from the magazines. We didn't have social media back then, of course, but, you know. And then after that, like I lost a ton of weight. And then the positive feedback was that Oh, you look so great. Oh, good job. Oh how great for you, you know, you're amazing. How did you do it, give me some tips. And it was the weigh-ins, my friends, like we had weekly weigh-ins. I never had to because I was already the example, the shouting example, you know. But my friends had to be weighed every week, so that had a huge influence on me, you know.
I think that, and nobody really knew because I guess I didn't look sick enough. So that was part of my journey for, gosh, I don't know, decade 15 years, you know, trying to then come out of that.
And then all of the changes that took, there wasn't as much talk about those issues back then, you know, you didn't, we didn't talk about anxiety. We didn't know, in the sports psychology realm, it was specifically geared towards performance. It was not about mental health and self care. It was not about that, you know, and so those were some of the bigger influences in my life. And the fact that I lived in one city didn't have a program here had to travel to train, and so it was always kind of one foot in one world and one foot in the other world, you know. So those were some of the bigger influences in my skating at least.
Ericka Thomas 40:50
So, for parents of young athletes, or maybe for those of us who are recovering athletes. What are some healthy ways that you can kind of de train from competition and still be able to find joy in your sport? I think sometimes, especially for sports where you peek so young, like in figure skating, there's a lot of sports like that, and there's a lot of kids who spend their entire youth as soccer players and then are so injured by the time they're a senior in high school they can't play soccer, even if they wanted to ever again after, or they are so, so injured that now they it just takes them completely out of that. So how can you find a way back into a sport or movement that you love in a balanced way, or maybe kind of prepare these athletes for when they're not going to be in the competitive world anymore. Not everybody can compete in every sport after they reach a certain age, so do you have any suggestions or anything that you've seen work well for you or for some of your, your athletes that you work with?
Sarah Neal 42:11
I think that for me the most transformational thing has been, has been yoga. I think just being able to, it has really helped me learn to show up in a space with no judgment. And just listen to my body, and listen to what my gut is telling me. And there's different ways you know some days I'm feeling like doing a more vigorous practice some days I just want to lay in a restorative posture.
And especially now with the stress so high that some days I just wake up and I'm like, I just had to lay here. And, and finally recognizing that that's okay, because we are human and I think that you know a life of achievement can burn us out for a long time.
Reminds me of I had a student who was just a beautiful skater, sweet little girl. I worked with her for many many years and she achieved some really amazing things. One year she set these two incredible goals and she worked, she was, I think, 12 at the time, worked super hard and achieved both of them. And at the end, she's like, Yeah, no thanks. It just didn't give me the feeling I thought it would. I just don't ever want to work that hard again but I don't see a way to enjoy skating without that achievement. So I'm out. And I think she didn't do anything but watch like friends reruns for a year afterwards, you know.
So I think you have to first recognize what or get the help to help you recognize what you are facing. Whether it's burnout or fatigue or the need for a new rhythm, some new rituals. So first face that and yoga can really help with that because it just helps you learn to listen, and it helps you learn to be aware.
And I think, just try lots of different activities, right. For me, the hardest lesson to learn has been letting go of the fear of failure. I skated you know I skated my entire life and I was always pretty good at it and I never really was pushed. I never really had the opportunity to fail, I guess. I mean I didn't reach the heights that I wanted to, but I also didn't really, just my circumstances with the commute and then, when I had to end up retiring,I just never really..I don't think I've ever really was given the chance to fail and then achieve that, then work towards that next goal again after failure, you know. And so one of the hardest things for me to learn was how to learn. If you just try all kinds of different activities and know that you're going to fail, like pottery or learn to paint or take piano and know that you're going to be really bad.
And that's okay because so much of a life is just doing things because it brings us joy. And I think particularly athletes we lose that joyfulness, you know, there comes a point around adolescence where it becomes about achieving our goal, and about being driven and hungry for that, whatever the goal is that we then get off that track.
I think I don't know what an Instagram post I wrote last week before I derailed the happy train, you know. Like at some point it's really joyful and then you switch tracks you know and you and t's hard to notice when that's happening. And so as you get older, and you're retiring you have a chance to reclaim that joy, whether that's with your sport, originally, like for me sometimes it's just before anybody gets on the ice just taking a couple laps and like leaning into the edges, then I'm like oh yeah that's kind of fun. You know, but it's trying other activities too, you know, maybe it's gardening, maybe it's hiking with your friends. Maybe it's. Maybe it's finding a new genre that you want to read. I mean just trying as many different things as possible, and seeing what, seeing what clicks.
Ericka Thomas 46:30
That is so important, especially after age 25 for adults to actually fail at things like it's really remarkably good for our brain to on purpose, not get it right, and then practice being really, really okay with not getting it right. Like, we can actually release our own dopamine surge, by being happy about making mistakes. And if you're doing something completely different and something that you have had absolutely zero experience with, you're going to make many more mistakes than staying in that very comfortable sport or activity that you've grown up in, it's super easy that you can do with your eyes closed, So it's, it's actually great for de stressing the brain, to be able to to do exactly what you're talking about just experiencing as many different things as possible. I love that I love that tip I hope people take it, I make it a point to learn something new every year, like something wonky and weird and new. This year I found a place that will teach me how to weld. So I think that's my next thing, it'll be scary and crazy and different totally different but I'm just gonna go do it.
Sarah Neal 48:00
That's what the journey is about right. That's what the journey is about right. I mean if we're looking to have the full range of the human experience, why not. Yeah, try as many things but I've seen that we, it's scary. It can be scary when you get older to put yourself in that situation when you haven't had to learn something completely new since you were five.
Ericka Thomas 48:23
Right, right, exactly.Yeah, that's true. I would love to know what it is that you are doing with your, with your business now with your online business now, and let people know how they can get in touch with you.
Sarah Neal 48:37
I have a membership for Force started out just for skaters but I am open to working with other former athletes or almost former athletes, anyone that is trying to reframe their relationship with their sport, or trying to begin that transition or is full on in that transition to a life after competitive sports, and so this membership that I have is an online space that helps athletes and former athletes make that transition through yoga and mindfulness and yeah so that's so that's what we do we have live call, live classes discussions, and in the process of kind of reworking the membership, a little bit so the exciting things coming up in the next in the next couple months, and so on my Instagram handle is the skating Yogi with underscore between the and the skating yogi, and my email is Sarah at the skating Yogi calm.
Ericka Thomas 49:40
That's awesome. That's awesome. I will put those in the show notes, and I want to thank you Sarah for taking the time out today to come chat with us. This has been a great conversation, and I will see you on Instagram and around the web.
There's so much to think about here in this interview. So many questions to ask yourself as a parent, as a former or recovering athlete, about how the things that we participate in, when we're young, can influence us throughout our life, excellent ways to cultivate some curiosity about why we choose to do the things that we do and whether or not they're serving us in this moment. I've learned so much from Sarah. This was a great interview. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. And if you're interested in learning a little bit more about Sarah, and the things that she offers to the skating community and beyond. You can visit her on Instagram @the_skating_yogi, or email her at Sarah@theskatingyogi.com
Be sure to check the show notes for links to a five class card for her online space and a free trial for her online membership, she's working on a lot of new things in that membership so the full membership is not quite open for everything just yet, but you can try it out for free.
Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of the work in. If you like what you heard, and you want to learn more, head over to elementalkinetics.com
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
I’m Ericka
Are you ready for something new?
I teach a powerfully effective modality called trauma release exercise that works through the body without the need to relive the story.
Whether your fight is on the frontline or the home front, past or present, personal or professional... chronic stress & stress injury can be a debilitating enemy.
You can step off the battlefield.
I offer online, on demand private sessions, courses & memberships for individuals, small groups and corporate clients looking to build resilience and recover from stress injury.