Ryan Leech

Mongolia Yoga Challenge

Ryan Leech — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 23:10:21 +0000

Dear Mongolia Bike Challenge Participants, and those still considering registration,

What are you willing to do in order to maximize your performance and magnify your enjoyment at the Mongolia Bike Challenge? At the end of each 140km riding stage, I’m going to suggest investing in a 30 minute yoga practice to consciously recover rather than passively going with the flow. Committing to this time will give you an edge both physically and mentally, and it is my mission to support you in this process. To give you an idea of what to expect, I’ve provided the rough outline of the physical and mental themes I’ll be exploring each day.

Day 1:

Full Body Gentle Vinyasa Flow. This sequence has some classical sun salutation warm ups to mimick the momentum gained from the first day of riding. We will steadily acknowledge every main body part in a unique and easily accessible stretch. Nothing tweaky, nothing extreme.

I will guide you into an explicit clarification of your:

Intention: What do you most hope for at this event and how?

Dedication: What is the quality of your dedication to this intention?

Motive: Why are you doing this, what is the deepest reason?

Getting clear abut the challenge ahead is crucial in order for your body, mind, and spirit to be aligned in the great mission ahead.

Day 2:

Front Body Openers and Back Bends. After day 2’s ride, you may notice mental barriers arise while on the bike; so rather than continuing to feed them in the closed down biking posture, we will actively release those blocks with careful back bends. With humbleness, we will ground ourselves on the soil of Mongolia and realize honestly that this event ain’t no gimme!

Day 3:

Hip Flexors and Hip Openers. These stretches are KEY by Day 3!! We will do long slow releases of the big muscles surrounding the hip that get so tightly wound from so much time in the saddle, 320kms worth!. We will be kind and loosen up the stuck energy for an easeful rest allowing you to be fully charged for Day 4.

Day 4:

Quad Quality. Even the two big boys of biking need some love. I’ll guide you through a quad stretch and self massage that leave these muscles ready to perform, however, continued honesty is key, knots may have set in, so we will be getting still and quiet in order

to truly tune in to our bodies experience.

Day 5

Breathing. It’s everything, and we’ll do it consciously through long, slow, basic yoga postures. Breathing techniques can be used while on the bike to trigger flow & zone states, or to break free from abusive inner dialogues, or to bring you to the moment for full scenic experience despite your physical exhaustion. We will learn, among others, the ujayi breath, that can be utilized as a tool in the days ahead.

Day 6

Shoulders and Neck. Constant hunching over the bike combined with mental strain will manifest in physical discomfort and tension in the shoulders and neck. Finding and acknowledging those spots intimately rather than with a passing glance will allow for the rejuvenation necessary to prevent that pain in the neck from becoming a pain in the ass!

Day 7:

Forward Folds. This is all about the relationship with the moment, do you trust it? Submission to ‘what-is’ with presence. I will carefully guide you into deep forward folds such that you are radically letting go but still in control, a similar state of mind is may be necessary to complete this incredible race.

Day 8

Full Body Brisk Vinyasa Flow for the Day Off: We will seek refreshment by becoming intimate with our body rather than trying to escape it. This is a chance to celebrate how far you have come, 980km!! You will leave this 60 minutes practice with a positive vibe that will connect you to all your MBC co-pilots. This is a bonding practice you don’t want to miss.

Day 9

Back and Posture with visualizations: We need to optimize our posture on the bike and open the breathing cavity and diaphragm for full breathing. We need all the air we can get to fuel our body and focus; great posture will support this. But what is the inner posture necessary? Exploring acceptance during intensity is the key; I will guide you through this humbling asana exploration.

Day 10

Gentle Inversions: A dizzying preparation for the finish. We will bring attention back to our intention, dedication, and motive. This fluid flushing class will eliminate all needs for compression socks or tights-30 minutes of yoga is 100 times better!

Day 11

Full Body Celebratory Flow. This practice will be designed to deepen the surface exhilaration of finishing and allow it to more freely enter your heart and magnify the bliss exponentially. The more of “you” you got onboard in the celebration, the better the party!! Don’t miss this final flow!!

Red Bull Crashed Ice Gig

Ryan Leech — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:41:47 +0000

To start, check out the 3 minute video clip of my performance at the Red Bull Crashed Ice event in Quebec City…

Unique opportunities present themselves when you have an established reputation in the cycling world for consistency and reliability in a very niche field such as trials riding. However, riding on ice is something that I have limited experience with, so when the request came to jump on and off the Red Bull Crashed Ice course, I was curious, hesitant, but intrigued. I agreed, and within 4 days I was on en route to the romantic heart of Quebec City.

The requirements for my time were light, yet the intensity of that time was high. Designing and practicing a 3 minute riding line in cold, wet, icy weather was no free ride. I walked the venue by foot on Thursday night, visualizee at the hotel room; had a design oriented on-bike practice Friday, then more visualization privately; late evening on Friday I did the choreographed run 2 times under show conditions and lights, final step was to nail it on Saturday night without slipping or crashing.

My sponsor Norco set me up with some studded tires, 1.9” pinners, the studs couldn’t be too aggressive otherwise they’d wreck the ice and they’d throw me off when riding on the wood and rock sections. Seemed that they were a bit under-studded though, hence some extra challenge that perhaps is hidden when watching the video. For instance, the crux of the sequence was making a sharp on-ice left turn with enough traction to be poised to bunnyhop an almost 4’ high wall; the take-off had a slight dip in the ice. Counting all my practice attempts, I had about a 50% success rate. Though I didn’t have any commitments on Saturday I wanted to divert some creativity toward the design of a coaching program for a client, however I found my ability to focus drastically jeopardized! The anticipation of a potential mistake in front of 100,000 plus the television audience weighed more heavily than I imagined, so it was an interesting inner experience to work with and understand, have you had similar situations? Another variable that weighed on me was that temperatures had risen overnight Friday and skyrocketed Saturday, so they told me that the ice level may drop, making my bunnyhop higher and the stability of the ice less predicatble. Hmmmm.

Leading up to show time I kept warm with layers and hand warmers in my mitts. With a very small area to warm up in, I just did a bunch of hopping on the bike combined with squats and jumping jacks, and then got the cue that it was go time. With cameras rolling and the audience pumping, I breathed my way into a solid focus on the first balance line; trusting the ice I managed some basic maneuvers and then caught my breath before the bunnyhop, once nailed I could relax and ride smooth along the rock wall and fence, a hop onto the ice, and with a slight slip under speed toward the step up to keep my senses sharp I finished the step up and closing front wheel hops without a lapse. Wtih adrenaline flowing I stayed warm and watched the finals of the race with a prime view.

Cross Training with a Twist

Ryan Leech — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:58:16 +0000

Gone are the days where all I did to train was ride my bike. At a certain stage in my career my body asked for more, thus my yoga journey began, that was nine years ago. But yoga isn’t necessarily enough either, especially for trials riding, and doing so much yoga can also require cross training! So to prepare for a season of riding and teaching yoga, I began a program at Twist Conditioning.

At this stage in my professional riding career, I am seeking to maintain my skill level without harming my body, and after years of yoga practice I am sensitive to when an activity is causing harm. To meet this maintenance goal, I needed a controlled way challenge my body beyond the demands that performing trials shows requires. Lifting weights is great, but having strong muscles that don’t fire when needed isn’t going to protect my spine, shoulders, lower back, or knees. I need functional conditioning so my muscles respond instead of just look good! My coach, Matt Holtzmann B.Kin, the director of athlete conditioning services at Twist Conditioning Port Coquitlam sorted me out!

Utilizing equipment such as exercise balls, TRX suspension system, weights, smart muscle board, bosu trainer, and smart toners, Matt was able to create some unique practices, his goal (which he seems to be deriving much pleasure from!) was to challenge my balance until failure. Last week, he nailed it big time with two exercises. Holding a squat on a smart muscle board without the stoppers with my eyes closed; without visual ability had to rely on my joint proprioception, my stretch receptors have to compensate in an intense way! Secondly, he had me doing squats on the smart muscle board while lifting and tracking a weighted ball in my hand from above me on the top of the squat to down below and to the side on the bottom of the squat. This massively freaked out my vestibular system and had me wobbling all over the place having to react and stabilize throughout my entire body to maintain at least a hint of composure, whew!

Riding trials also requires some explosiveness. One example was a load-to-explode exercise on the bosu trainer. The eccentric loading for increased strength on the way down, and quick concentric contraction promoting force velocity development for all those bunny and side hops.

Though I love doing push ups, the standard style was no longer providing the needed results. I’ve struggled with my feet suspended in TRX suspension straps, hands on a smart muscle board, doing spiderman push-ups, and doing dumbell rows. Love this stuff!

This smart toner isometric hold with modified base jumping practice had me intensely challenged too, to go from a squat to the tall body and outstretched arm position without flinching requires some serious visualization and focus for results, if I wavered in intent, the bungy would pull me off balance in a hurry.

If the only time you’ve done any of these exercises is during recovery at the sport physiotherapists office, I’d highly recommend bringing your pro-active practice to a facility such as Twist.

Ride On!

A question of balance?

Ryan Leech — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:48:23 +0000

I love talking about balance. This blog blip is about bike/life balance. Some differences it seems…

Back in the day my mentor Robin Coope designed a mountain bike clinic called “A Question of Balance”. Indeed, riding a bike is all about balance; I pushed the boundaries of balance as a career, and did it in creative and progressive ways. It was a formulaic process that combined passion with practice. And voila, perfect balance!

How about life balance? Same thing right? Spend the right amount of time on each component and voila! Hmmm, to me, it doesn’t seem so linear and straight forward. As our lives grow more complex, as responsibilities increase, as bodies faulter and complain, the classic work/home juggle can become tricky. I’d argue that it’s NOT a question of balance, but rather of Integration. The perfect formula is an ever elusive impossibility because fulfillment can’t be compartmentalized-it needs to ebb and flow, from one part of life to the next, moment by present moment. When talking about balance, Kay Lindahl expressed in her book, ‘The Sacred Art of Listening’, that “Each part nurtures the other instead of competing for my time and attention.” and that “Everything I do is related to the whole.”

Presence is a huge factor. With fast and busy lives, we may be thinking about the next thing while doing another? Thinking ahead and planning is great, but when attention lives in the future, we miss out on the magic moment. Upon graduation as a coach last June, my attention was overly focused on the future vision of a coaching business, so I squeezed in as much marketing and business development as I could, I willed my way into longer hours in front of the computer and began wondering why my life was growing rough around the edges.

It was effortful and straining-no amount of yoga could untie the neck kink I experienced. With the help of a coach, I brought some awareness to the pattern; I still work hard, but my attention isn’t obsessing so I can be present with other responsibilities and other relationships that are so dear to me. The various facets of my life began complementing and contributing to each other in wonderful ways that couldn’t be planned for, measured, or balanced out. Mysteriously cool! Know what I mean?

Mongolia Epic: Is it for you?

Ryan Leech — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:22:18 +0000

The Mongolia Bike Challenge. Is it for you?

This is going to be a deluxe event. The more I learn, the more amped I get about going.

To listen to a chit chat, about 4 minutes long, here’s an audio interview I had yesterday with Chris, one of the organizing partners. His thoughts and mine in compact audio form…

Though I’m not racing, I’ll be providing restorative yoga sessions, doing select riding/photo shoots sessions, and providing personal Integral coaching to those participates who choose in the months leading up to and just after the event. I blogged about the coach offering here: “When Glory Fades Life Invades”.

Also, here’s a written interview I did last week:

Ryan, how did you hear about the Mongolia Bike Challenge and what made you decide to come?

I’ve been fortunate to travel the world as a pro rider, so honestly, and hopefully not sounding too spoiled, exotic destinations don’t turn me on like they once did; though I am stoked to go to Mongolia, there needed to be deeper reason, and that purpose came through my ability to be of service as both a yoga instructor and Integral Coach. Riding Mongolia (not in the race!) will be pure bonus, and I’m still trying to decide which bike(s) to bring! (29″, trials bike, all mtn..?!)

Historically, I always dream of food toward the end of a long ride; after years of yoga practice, yoga is now part of that late ride strive. My body craves the food of course, but it also now yearns for the nourishment of yoga. So upon hearing about this epic Mongolian adventure, I knew my skills as a cycling oriented yoga instructor would be a huge benefit to participants.

The tagline for my coaching at this event is that “When glory fades, life invades”. More below…

You are known primarily as a trials rider – some people might wonder what you are doing at a 10-day xc mountain bike race. Can you fill people in on what you do?

I began my mountain bike career as an xc racer, then downhill, and finally trials. Trials is where I excelled, but my roots are with butt in the saddle suffering…so I can relate. While on tour performing trials shows I know that when focus on my daily performance it’s easy to miss out on the scenery, connecting with other people, and simply enjoying the process. I have been on two month long tours to the most amazing places and discovered some time after that I missed out! So inherent in my yoga flow will be a process of grounding and connecting, of truly feeling and experiencing in preparation for racers to absorb and enjoy the whole process of this adventure in a rich way.

So the plan is to work with few private clients before and during the race. Mongolia is a TOUGH race – physically, mentally, emotionally – how will you help your clients get through this all?

Click here for the remainder of the interview…

Yes it’s a loooong off-road mtn bike event, but it’s not technical, roadies would be in fine shape with a some basic mountain bike skills, and any endurance based athlete would be in good shape. If you’re doing fondo’s, triathlons, or any endurance based racing, this epic might be for you!

Life vs Integral Coaching®

Ryan Leech — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:13:24 +0000

A bike industry associate had recently heard that I was a “Life” Coach and commented that it marred his perception of me and significantly tainted the high profile reputation I had built over my 16 years riding bikes professionally. As a proud “Integral” Coach™, I’d like to communicate some distinctions between the two. For the record, these are my opinions and not necessarily representative of Integral Coaching Canada; it is simply a personal attempt to hep justify, educate, and communicate my passion for this new work.

To begin, the potency of service I am now inspired to bring in to this world could no longer be contained solely within the structures I had created as a pro athlete or yoga instructor, my move into coaching was a necessary way to build on the two. It took the rigorous dojo-like training of Integral Coaching Canada to provide me with the robust methodology through which I can now deliver my intuited potential and evolved purpose. Entertaining the idea of working with a coach is a big deal, it takes a certain leap of faith to dive in, so my hope is that these details help to make that leap a little less risky.

Life Coaching isn’t the same as Integral Coaching®. One reason is standards, to call yourself a life coach, little or no training is required. Earning designation as an Integral Coach takes 18-24 months and provides enough training and apprenticeship hours to meet the Master Level standard as set by the International Coaching Federation.

When a client brings forth a meaningful coaching topic, much like most coaching methods that is where the focus is, but with Integral Coaching®, development is not bound or isolated to that one area because all facets of a clients life need to be considered, and are undeniably linked. They can no longer be separated nor is it in our best interest to pretend they are.

Many people will become “Life” Coaches because they believe they are a good model for how to live life. This can be magnified by lists of positive accomplishments and examples of how ‘awesome’ their lives are. But lets be honest, life is messy, even for those that seem to have their sh!t together, my squeaky clean image is no exception. Many “Life” coaching methods (and self help books) are one-size-fits-all, or “My”-size-fits-all, what worked for me will work for you if-you-would-just-follow-these-simple-steps, and if you don’t you just must not want it enough. Thus, I don’t seek to press my wisdom upon clients but instead strive to assist in eliciting the unique wisdom within them.

We are all so hyper unique and complicated individuals, and it is slowly dawning on our culture that quick fix schemes are bogus; lasting change takes practice, patience, and perseverance. I engage in a co-creative process with my clients to help identify where the practice needs to occur for meaningful and lasting results. Rather than leaving the client with only ah-ha moments of insight during a conversation, Integral Coaches™ offer an ever progressive & customized practice set, much like muscles, new competencies are built steadily. An Integral Coach™ spends approximately equal time in private preparation as in dialogue with the client.

Many Life Coaches are advice givers, this is what clients often expect and want, and it provides a clean and simple process for the client, much like mentioned above. However, in a response to a friend about how I manage the weight of responsibility from this coaching work I realized that I don’t give advice (at least not in the typical ‘huckster’ fashion) because it not only leaves the client superficially engaged in a way that can side steps the root issue, but it leaves the coach attached to the outcomes skewing authenticity, or in other words, a coaches unique issues and proclivities sneak in and taint the program. Advice giving approaches can lead to life-long clients whereas if I do my job well, a coaching program lasts between 3-8 months, at which time sustainable progress in their topic has been achieved at a foundational level.

Compassion is another distinguishing factor, many people in the professional healing field (including life coaches, therapists, psychologists, counsellors) manage the weight of this work by keeping a safe wall up, implementing certain word phrases to provide at least the experience of compassion for their clients, this serves to keep them safe from feeling their own wounds but also prevents the client from feeling theirs, which is often a key first step for the desired changes. Doing the personal work is of utmost importance during the ICC training and is of ongoing necessity. Healing and change begins with a shared heart to heart and human to human experience, and this can’t be faked but can easily be missed because we often conspire with one and another to avoid this ‘realness’; not so with an Integral Coach.

With enthusiasm and love I aspire toward humble yet exceptional service,

Ryan

Healthy Relationship to Sport 5 of 5: Spectator Influence

Ryan Leech — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:16:37 +0000

Spectator Influence: The last FEAT speech blog post- 5 of 5.

Have you ever felt pressure to take risks from your friends? For pro athletes, multiply this performance pressure by the number of fans watching, and you can begin to get a picture of the power of spectator influence.

Watching a high performance athlete take a risk instantly frees us from our mind chatter and puts us momentarily into the athletes inner experience, it’s quite a miracle really. The magnitude of what we need to witness to turn us on (or ‘off’ I should say) has moved from death in the Roman days of gladiators battling wild animals for entertainment, to the comparatively safe sports of today. However, carnage still persists, especially the long term kind.

Leech performing a trials show

So there is a lot at stake for the athletes we cheer, and not just physically. As we develop our ability to step into the extended reality of another, we begin to be more selective of what we FB ‘like’ and who we cheer and praise; whether it be hockey fights or dangerous stunts, our influence counts.

To conclude, is your sport engaged as seperate from your life or an integral part of it? How you use sport mysteriously affects all facets of your life. They can no longer be seperated, nor is it in our best interest to pretend they are.

My intention was to provide some brief perspectives on our relationship to sport, a taste. If something resonated, please take a moment and ask why. I would welcome your feedback and am open to conversation.

Finally, next time you go out to play, ask yourself, how is this ride, this trick, or my spectator influence gonig to contribute to the creation of the world I envision and dream of? Every reason for every move you make is a vote. Don’t underestimate the power of sport for our healthy and conscious evolution.

PS: I am re-writing this entire 5 part article based on feedback and additional research. I’ll share it soon!

Beginner Ride & Reach in Whitehorse

Ryan Leech — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:35:50 +0000

Do you love yoga?

Are you a beginner or first time mountain biker intrigued by the sport?

Do you like traveling and exploring new places?

Do you love nature and homemade wholesome food?

Upon inquiry, it seemed that this description fit many! So I teamed up with my good friends at Boreale Mountain Biking to create a version of the Ride & Reach holiday for yogis who are new to Mountain Biking. Who might you know who would groove on mountain biking?

Gradually easing beginner riders onto the trail within a grounded yoga vibe is the plan; repeat for 5 days in a row and I anticipate having some folks who are VERY hooked on mountain biking! The beautiful details of this offering can be found on the Boreale Mountain Biking website.

Healthy Relationship to Sport Part 4 of 5

Ryan Leech — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:28:41 +0000

Inner Wisdom, Part 4 of 5 of my recent FEAT speech…

Pro athletes, who are living their dreams, and idolized by many, are thought to be powerful and in control, but is this true? It can be, but, I’d like to offer another perspective.

Power can be defined as having control over ones life, but fan appreciation, financial reward, and expectation to perform, can leave the pro in a painfully powerless position. When you’re under contract, your job is to take the risk, day in and out, which can slowly skew and over-ride inner wisdom and thus enjoyment of the sport, this I experienced many times.

When my creative expression and contribution in the world through bike tricks was no longer able to sufficiently deliver ‘all of me’, I found myself trapped and longing to contribute to those things in the world I saw as most important, but not knowing how. I began interpreting my job as if I was a monkey who had to jump on cue.

For these reasons, psyching myself up to do something that deep down I knew was a bad idea was often easier than saying no– contributing to the world in new ways based on my inner wisdom could-inner conflict built.

Accessing and acting on this inner wisdom takes courage and mindful practice, and is necessary for the healthy evolution of sport. No longer is it sufficient for pros to pass along just technical skills, their inner experience needs to be communicated so future generations of athletes can integrate this wisdom and build healthier, bodies, minds, and spirit.

Healthy Relationship to Sport 3 of 5

Ryan Leech — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:59:02 +0000

Risk Addiction: Part 3 of 5 from my recent FEAT speech…

With risk, comes fear, and when conquered, there is a high. Similar to addictive drugs, this risk/fear process releases a flood of dopamine into the brain. I know from experience that this temporary riding high can become very addicting. However, as the body adapts to the risk, you’ll have to take a bigger one next time to get the same dopamine and endorphin rush, etc etc.

Along with this temporary high, our conquering of risky adventure brings peer praise and attention; this validates and perpetuates the behavior on a human to human level, we begin to crave the attention.

Risk also can free us from our relentless and often cruel internal dialogues. Without conscious awareness training, this addiction will eventually lead to burnout and injury, short-changing the transformational potential of sport.

Do these types of behaviors qualify as a healthy relationship to sport? Is your engagement in these choices contributing to your ability to serve in the other facets of your life? It is often these other lifestyle patterns and challenges that contribute to the health of our connection with sport.

Next Topic: Inner Wisdom