Katy Students Run

KSR, Katy Students Run, is a group of kids from a local Katy High School nominated to be a part of this non-profit that teaches them about nutrition and healthy lifestyles while training kids to run a 1/2 marathon. Incredibly resilient, all of them completed the program all the way to the finish line.

During their off season, I was blessed to lead them in yoga twice a week for 8 weeks. To see their progress in such a short time was amazing. We did everything from restorative, sports specific stretching, to 108 sun salutations, pilates/yoga (pi-yo), and even partner yoga. I hoped to give them an overall taste of yoga. Here's some of what they had to say when we finished for the school year. (I gave them a written pop quiz. ; ))

Yoga is... concentrated (workout) series of salutations and breathing patterns.

Ahimsa means... don't injure yourself.

What surprised me about yoga is.... it was harder than I imagined.

The hardest thing I did was... forgetting everything and relaxing.

What I learned about myself.... my mental strength can take my physical strength

further.

My mat is... the reason I don't slip when I'm sweaty.

Lifetime is... AWESOME.

I did my yoga "homework"*....sometimes, well, once or twice. (Each week I would challenge them to do something at home.)

To improve these classes for the next group... I'd like to make them longer (more weeks).

The Best thing about theses past 8 weeks of yoga.... realizing I don't have to worry everything in my life at

once. I've been much less stressed because of it.

A big thank you to some amazing folk! Jenny D (& Luke's Locker)- founder and enabler of all things KSR, many of the coaches that came for classes, including Meg, teacher, coach, yoga student and who was the great communicator to help me rally everyone. And our sponsors: Cinco Ranch Lifetime (thank you Rachel, Alli & Eric for allowing us to use the gorgeous yoga room & Stacha for your youth yoga workshop) and Manduka (for donating a dozen fabulous mats for the kids to have as their own! You make the best mats on the planet.)

This fall, a whole new crop of kids! Side note: I took my son (9) to the informational meeting and he was so excited by the end of it that he's decided he wants to train with them to run the Houston Half Marathon with us in January! Fun begins in August.