Gym Shorts: To stretch or not to stretch can be mind-bending

Yoga. Yes I am going there.

Yoga is a great exercise option for your body and mind.

Before I started yoga for the first time in 2017, I was a snob about it. I really had no clue what it was about and thought, rather pretentiously, that it was about a bunch of beautiful people getting together to show off their outfits.

Boy, was I wrong. I’ll admit to being totally ignorant and just plain uninformed.

After my first knee-replacement surgery presented a challenging recovery, during the expected painful physiotherapy, my daughter, Rebecca, introduced me to yoga. She told me it would likely assist in a faster recovery from my second knee surgery, which was scheduled one year later. (Sadly, I had stopped biking many months before my first knee surgery because it became too painful to cycle.)

Rebecca was, indeed, correct. I started going to the yoga classes several times per week. It was quite an education, and my knees were also grateful, especially after the second knee surgery.

Now that I am better informed, I am a believer in how yoga can help the body, and also the mind.

In Kincardine, Point Clark, Ripley, and Paisley (and likely many more locations here in the Huron-Bruce region), there are several yoga studios and yoga teachers who offer yoga training, meditation, stress reduction and relaxation.

Eric Cunliffe (right) is a well-known yoga teacher around these parts. He trains in the rhythm or rather magic of yoga. I became familiar with his studio in 2020. (Yep, it was the time of the pandemic lockdown).

I signed up for his on-line video classes. What a find! He had more than 60 videos for all ages and stages of fitness – from a beginner to a yogi (someone proficient in yoga).

Cunliffe took up yoga and meditation at age 14 when he realized it helped him in his own personal journey. He loves it because, “it’s always teaching me.” He has trained in the United States, France and India.

He is not surprised when I ask him why some of us discard yoga so easily. “It’s because yoga is misunderstood. We have modernized it to focus on the exercise branch only. Yoga is really about the mind.”

Cunliffe says it is a great work-out for strengthening and improving balance. “But you should also focus on self-care and compassion. Yoga helps sharpen the lens of your consciousness.”

He encourages people to have an open mind when they try yoga for the first time. “Yoga means you’ll be able to ease your mind and get flexible. Recent studies are also proving that stretching is an anti-inflammatory.” With my arthritis, I can confirm this!

So, next time you’re wondering if you should check out yoga, there are free yoga videos on-line, and you can also likely get DVDs from the library. Better yet, visit a studio near you or join in the annual summer Kincardine Yoga Festival. For a donation, you can take a lesson on the pier and experience yoga at its finest. (This past summer, the Kincardine Yoga Festival raised $1,300 with 100 per cent donated to the Child Activity Assistance Program in Bruce County.)

So what is yoga?

Cunliffe’s definition: “It is the skilful participation and engagement with the work-flow and fluctuations of life.” That’s pretty deep.

My definition: It’s an opportunity to get some great stretching in and slow down your mind since there is such a calming aspect to yoga. That’s something that Cunliffe’s clients comment about all the time.

As a reminder, you should always consult first with a medical professional or coach before starting a fitness program.



At the annual Kincardine Yoga Festival on the north pier