When I was first certified to teach yoga, I was actively going to school in Oregon for Biochemistry and working in various labs around campus. Yoga always felt like the yin to the yang of school and lab work. Through my studies in biochemistry and a strong connection with a community of self-healers, I found it extremely amazing how this practice was not only better for flexibility and relieving stress but also with the day-to-day ailments that we as humans deal with on a cellular level.

Every time I return back to my mat, I immediately go into a child’s pose. Toes together, hips spread, arms stretched forward, head faced down in a relaxed position and within the first 5 breaths my hips feel less achy and I am completely relaxed both mentally and physically. This pose is commonly used in evening Yin classes all across the globe with the assistance of pillows and sometimes alignment suggestions. Although the child’s pose, also known as “Balasana,” has been noted to carry benefits in the realm of better digestion and elongating a curled-up spine over time, it carries the weight in gold when it comes to stepping out of your monotonous work week and daily chores while checking the ego at the door.

As I try to think of this pose and how it affects me both mentally and physically, my mind tends to reflect on surrendering the ego. As humans we have a tendency to get caught up in this aspect of “me,” where a child’s pose accompanied with proper breathing techniques helps remove this ego “shield” that keeps our heads from being present. The aspect of not being present is experienced by almost everyone across the board and can be revealed to most practitioners by symptoms of poor mental health, bad digestion and an improperly aligned spine.

Any yoga practitioner can testify that it’s truly a daily chore to step away from the ego. Although it has a place in our world with how we function in society and who we are as individuals through our unique personalities and levels of confidence. But when we hold on to our egos with every aspect of living, humans have the tendency to lose the ability to maneuver through the quick obstacles that get thrown our way. This can produce dire repercussions with making poor choices from being out of sync with the present moment.

For example, I’ve been playing in the backcountry for the past ten years and one thing that always seems to dictate how the ride evolves is group dynamics. Accidents seem to happen more frequently when we get lost in our heads trying to prove something. This is the ego stepping in and before you know it, a fun day of riding drastically changes to a broken something out in the middle of nowhere. Being present during a technical ride may sound like a simple process but when it comes to staying in the moment, it can be very difficult to master this skill, especially when distractions from other riders and sketchy obstacles come up.

Don’t get me wrong, none of us are able to stop in the middle of a technical ride and go into a child’s pose, although that would be hilarious to witness and probably cause a collision on some gnarly single-track. It’s just so critical to remember in our busy lives and non-stop errands that almost more importantly than finishing the actual task alone; is the soaking up of a well-earned recovery time which can reap a variety of benefits on a molecular level. With that said, may the inner child in you take on the future rides and tasks of tomorrow while your ego goes on vacation!