Emily Cook Biography:
Born in 1979, Freestyle skier Emily Cook was a member of the 2006 Olympic Ski Team after an injury keep her out of the 2002 Olympics. She is also a World Cup winner and US National Champion. I was pleased to have the opportunity to ask her some questions about how her yoga practice complements her training program.
What type of yoga do you do?:
I love any type of yoga, hot, hatha, Iyengar, but my favorite is Anusara. I love all the backbends and inversions and the light-hearted style of it. Plus, I was kind of born to be upside down, so the more handstands and headstands the better.
How often do you practice?:
It depends on what point of training I am in. When I am in an intense training camp, which includes jumping and skill training on a trampoline, lifting weights, bike rides and pilates, I will practice yoga at least two times a week. In the winter, when I am preparing for jumping, I warm up with about 30 minutes of simple yoga before each daily session. And when I am on break or just doing workouts and no specific skill training, I'll practice from once a week to up to five times a week and often look for the most physically and mentally challenging classes I can find.
How did you first get in to yoga?:
I was a gymnast when I was young and always appreciated the value of flexibility. As I began to put on muscle mass as an aerialist, I began to lose that flexibility and experienced more soreness and injury. So, I discovered yoga to help combat those issues. As I practiced more, I realized that it was so much more than just stretching. I love the mind/body component of it and find that by warming up for training and competition with yoga that I am in the best physical and mental state to perform my sport at the best of my ability that day.
Do you practice at home? If you use videos or audio, what is your favorite?:
I practice on the road when traveling for competition all the time. I have Eoin Finn's yoga sessions on my iPod and use them daily. I also travel with Lululemon's Yogitoes mat, so that I don't need to bring a standard mat; it saves a lot of space in the luggage.
Why do you do yoga?:
I do yoga because it is great for my body, but also because it is so important for my mind. Life can be intense and yoga is the perfect balance of challenge and surrender for me. Whether it's a hot Bikram class, a class filled with inversions and back bends or a flow-focused class, I always leave feeling peaceful and strong.
What's your favorite yoga pose?:
I love inversions. It may be surprising to some, but hanging out in headstand is a very peaceful place for me. (I think I was born to be upside down.) I also love the challenge of modifying a pose to the place where I can just about continue to breathe properly... falling over is not a problem for me, not challenging myself is. I think laughter is an important part of yoga at times. It's great to be able to have a sense of humor about yourself and if I can't do a pose, I love to watch my favorite yogis demonstrate and admire and work towards that version myself.
Do you use any yoga techniques to help you prepare for competition?:
I warm up with about 30 minutes of simple yoga daily when I am training and competing on snow. Research shows that a dynamic warmup rather than static stretching is most effective for athletes, so I combine sun salutations with a warmup designed by my strength and conditioning coach to warm my body up for jumping. My sport requires me to think about many small details as I flip through the air, so the effect of yoga on my mind is the perfect mental warm up as well. A bit of quiet yoga time in the morning sets me up to find and continue that mind-set throughout the day. I can often be found bright and early in the morning in hotel hallways or gyms with my iPod and mat getting ready to jump.
