Welcome to the tribe cyclists, yogis and parents!

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What is "Cycling Yogini"?

Imagine you have just moved to a new town for college, you need a job and are tired of the restaurant server grind. You drive past a cycling and running store and think, "Hey, I am an exercise science major and am good with people thanks to years of waitressing, I could do that!", and you walk right in and apply.

This spontaneous decision to apply for a basic sales job to help get through college changed the entire course of my life. That simple sales position at a bike shop turned into 7 years working in the bike industry. Sales turned into Inventory management, turned into bike mechanic and finally store manager. To say I was obsessed is an understatement. I wanted everything the cycling world had to offer and I fully immersed myself into the lifestyle.

Racing is part of the grind if you talk to anyone working at a bike shop so, obviously I had to try it. Bought my first decent bike with my new discount and started racing mountain bikes (MTB). I was not great but I could make it through the trails well enough. It was exhilarating. Eventually I was able to upgrade to more bikes of different styles. Think of bikes like golf clubs, they each serve a different purpose and terrain. More on the different styles of bikes in my other posts. Long story short I was able to race several different types of bikes and enjoyed the comradery and atmosphere. Not to mention the killer workout.

The crown jewel of my cycling journey so far is "The Bike Trip" as it has come to be known. A cross country journey from Illinois to California via camping and couch surfing. It was just my now husband and I and the open road, pedaling one foot after another. 65 Days ~ 2,170 miles ~ 64,000 feet of climbing. The trip of a lifetime!

You can read all about it in my upcoming post "Bikepacking: Illinois to California".

Sean and I crossing over from Oregon into California.

Okay, Cycling makes sense now but what about Yogini?

In 2016 I had developed severe depression alongside my endometriosis symptoms and was searching for any relief possible. That was when I found the beloved Yoga with Adriene on youtube. I had a cheap Walmart yoga mat that would leave pieces of rubber on my forehead as I rose out of child's pose. I didn't care, however because I was hooked. It had become a sanctuary for me during a really difficult season of life.

I was completely content with my private yoga sessions in front of the T.V when I saw an ad for Yoga Teacher Training in my town. It was the same spontaneity that took over me when I decided to apply at the bike shop and somehow I just felt that I needed to attend. The price was doable with the payment plan and my manager agreed to work with my schedule so I could have 3 days a month for the training. I had never even stepped foot in a yoga studio before that day, I don't know what I was thinking. I think about that time often, how I didn't think, I just listened to my gut and once again jumped head first into a world I knew nothing about and was unprepared for how much it would change my life.

If cycling had changed the course of my life, yoga had forever changed my very being and soul. Teacher Training consisted of a Friday evening, all day Saturday and all day Sunday, once a month for 10 months. With every month I came out of that studio feeling like another piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. It wasn't as though I was changing, even if it seemed that on the outside, but rather, I was finally able to let my true self shine. I was able to relax into my personality instead of fight who I am and it was truly the best decision I have ever made.

So what is this blog even about?

Although you will find much more than just bikes and yoga here, it was the collision of these two worlds in my life that brought me so much knowledge and peace and taught me how to be the best parent I can be.

We will talk about the correct type of bikes for your lifestyle, how biking can bring back a little of that childhood wonder to your life, the feelings you develop for your body after moving on a yoga mat day after day, how to find the right studio and classes for you, different types of meditation and so much more. This is not just bikes and yoga, this is how to live and breathe with intention and joy.

Thank you for being here and I cannot wait to get to know one another better!