hay is for horses | yoga hikes dc

For a few years in elementary school, I would get off the school bus on the opposite side of the neighborhood from my house with two of my best friends who lived next door to one another. My friend Meghan's mom babysat me every week day until my mom came to pick me up after she got off work. Every so often, Meghan, Tiffany, and I would complement our mud pie appetizers in the woods with dinner at the Smith family's table. Meghan's dad had a ritual of asking every person to talk about the best part of their day. I don't know why, but the thing I most remember about those dinners is how much Meghan's dad hated when we - the kids - used the word "hey." We'd start our stories with it - "Hey Tiffany, remember when..." or "Hey Daniel, how'd you do on your spelling test?" And every single time, Meghan's dad would calmly say, "Hay is for horses." It became such a rote response that we would try to catch each other saying "hey" and beat him to the punch line.

I thought about the Smith family dinner table this weekend when I went on my first Yoga Hike. Yoga Hikes is a small, new DC company led by Danielle, who is awesome. She's an urban hiking enthusiast, runner, and yogi who thought, "Why not combine my loves and share them with the rest of the city?" I love that about our generation - we seem to have this willingness to go after and create our own career paths. It's brave and bold, and often the result is incredibly cool - like Yoga Hikes is. 

The hikes start at a couple of different locations in DC. Sonia and I signed up for a nature hike in Rock Creek Park. We hiked for 45 minutes and did 45 minutes of yoga. 

We started off in a large field at Pierce Mill with about 15 minutes of yoga. Danielle carried small mats, but we started off with just our bodies and the cool earth. It was a perfect morning for a yoga hike - in the 60s and slowly climbing to reach the mid-70s by afternoon, sun shining, and a nice breeze. One thing I noticed right away about this yoga is that even with simple poses and sun salutations, my arms were more engaged. Keeping your stomach, chest, and thighs off the ground means really working those arms. I can feel it today. 

The hike led us on trails through RCP that I'd never experienced. We wound our way uphill to a second field, where we were delighted to see a horse grazing. It was an incredible backdrop for the second set of yoga.

Before we reached the second yoga stop, in the first, ohhhh, 5 minutes of the hike - I stepped wrong on a paved path with a small drop off to a gravel and dirt one, twisted my ankle, and fell. I distinctly remember my view from the ground - nothing but pavement and embarrassment - only me! I tried to quickly jump back up - I've rolled my ankles in the past and been able to walk it off - but this was different (except for the time when I fell the same exact way on stage performing in a beauty pageant in 11th grade, but that's an embarrassing story for another time). I was in pain, but I didn't want to quit so early. I managed to finish the hike, but there wasn't a chance in hell my ankle could support yoga poses. 

Danielle was great about it. She asked me how I was feeling and how badly it was hurt after I stood back up. She tossed me an ice pack while I sat out the next yoga session and engaged me in taking a few photos while she offered other members of my group small adjustments. I loved how laid back she was and how I knew that while she was concerned, she trusted me to know my limitations.

I'm typing this now with my ankle still propped up with ice more than 24 hours later - I probably shouldn't have continued. But I'm stubborn, and I'm glad I did. It was a stunner of a morning, it felt great to see another part of this beautiful city I call home, and I can't believe I made such a novice mistake as not paying attention to my footing. Although, hey - it's easiest to get hurt when the trail seems simplest.

But then again, hay is for horses. 

if you go...

  yoga hikes dc

$25/yoga hike (great deals on packages)

length: 1.5-2.5 miles (need to use gps next time)

hike difficulty: easy

yoga difficulty: moderate/difficult (for me with no upper body strength!)