Yoga Mind Connection – A New Mindset For Fitness

Oct. 1, 2008 - PRLog -- The concept of mind and body fitness is being redefined as Yoga Mind Connection co-founders Gail O’Reilly and Susi Hately Aldous launch their new program, Cycling With a Yoga Mind.  By applying a physical and mental awareness to exercising this approach leaves the “no pain, no gain” philosophy behind and demonstrates how a yoga mentality can be applied to any form of exercise with effective results.  

This innovative new approach which, once mastered, can be practiced at home, in the gym or on a ride, begins with the Cycling with a Yoga Mind DVD and Yoga Mind Connection’s interactive website www.yogamindconnection.com, which offers downloads (workouts can be downloaded to an iPod).  Launching October 1, 2008, the DVD will be available on the Yoga Mind Connection website, via a toll-free number (866-229-2645), in retail stores, as well as on Amazon.com for a suggested retail price of $19.95.

The DVD includes two cycling workouts – a 45-minute endurance class and a 30-minute strength and power class.  There are also two meditative style movement yoga sessions of the same length suitable for all yoga abilities.  The classes unwind muscles, release excessive tightness, build stability, balance, and concentration, and improve breathing techniques. Cycling with a Yoga Mind captures the essence of cycling and the foundation of a yoga mentality.  It brings the well-respected philosophies of yoga into modern-day cycling.        

Geared towards women and men who already make fitness an integral part of their life, Cycling with a Yoga Mind is a forward-thinking approach to mastering the world of cycling and fitness through the practice of a yoga mentality. Together, O’Reilly and Aldous aim to bring the fundamental practice and mindset of yoga applied to a modern day fitness program, such as cycling, to achieve one’s top physical and mental potential.  Cycling with a Yoga Mind increases concentration, will-power and focus.  It creates a calm and relaxed mind enabling a sense of ease in challenging drills.  

On the surface, cycling and yoga may seem different, but in fact they are very complimentary.  Cycling is a superior aerobic workout that challenges the body and mind.  Yoga is a demanding physical practice that teaches you how to work in a mindful, deeply satisfying way.  Together they create an innovative and therapeutic fitness experience.  

The program was born as a collaboration between an athlete mindset and a yoga mindset and out of a realization that by combining the two to any exercise there is much to gain as an athlete.  Co-founder and fitness program creator, O’Reilly says, “when applying the Yoga Mind Connection program you will develop awareness to a place that is highly tuned so that your fitness routine becomes an organic flow of inner and outer strength, and you will experience a workout that is much more gratifying, challenging, fulfilling, and personally motivating.”

O’Reilly and Aldous further explain that Cycling with a Yoga Mind is far from “fitness on a couch” – “You will sweat, your legs will work hard and your heart rate will rise like in any traditional activity, says Aldous.” This program exemplifies that pushing the body to its ultimate limits does not have to be synonymous with pain but to learn how to “feel” the exercise rather than suppress it.  While pain tends to be experienced as jaw clenching, knife searing and constricting, discomfort is just lactic acid.  Ultimately participants will learn how to accept discomfort and work through it. Through greater mind awareness the body responds by accepting and recognizing its capabilities in order to achieve a peak performance. The goal is to shift the perception in order to distinguish between pain and discomfort.  O’Reilly and Aldous aim to teach people that if they can be okay with discomfort, many gains can be made.  “We can see the mind games for what they are and can overcome them so that we experience fitness in a different, more fulfilling way and one that leads to better results, and less injury,” says Aldous.

Lorrie Maffey, a leading sports physiotherapist supports Cycling with a Yoga Mind and says, “The best athletic performances, from those who can go the fastest, highest, do the best routine - in other words push themselves to their limits and beyond, come from athletes who have the ultimate efficiency in movement.  They are focused in their mind on the activity and have trained their bodies to perform as an effective and efficient machine.”

The Yoga Mind Connection was founded in 2008 by Gail O’Reilly and Susi Hately Aldous. Together, they started to collaborate to find a new way to approach fitness by incorporating mental training to physical activity.  Their programs encourage participants to enjoy exercise at a deeper, more satisfying level while helping reach a personal best.  As the fitness program designer, O’Reilly brings an impressive background to the company as an accomplished certified cycling, fitness and yoga instructor and personal trainer.  Aldous is a renowned author (Advancing Your Yoga Practice: The Art of Slowing Down, Therapeutic Yoga, Yoga for the Desk Jockey, Anatomy and Asana: Preventing Yoga Injuries Series and the "Deepening Your Practice" series), yoga teacher and presenter.  She has put her distinct stamp on the program through her diverse background which includes a B.Sc. in Kinesiology, yoga certifications, experience in physical rehabilitation, post-graduate training in mind-body medicine and ergonomics and, practical field experience assisting companies with disability management and workplace safety issues.  She is also the facilitator of the Anatomy and Asana workshop series taught internationally. The Yoga Mind Connection provides exceptional resources and tools to help fitness enthusiasts push beyond their limits and elevate their routines for better results, less injuries and more gratification.

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