Snow boarders are some of my favorite people. They smile easily. They look at nature as a carvable space. They come in different packages from all over the world. And good vibes is a tangible thing that they believe in wholeheartedly.
I offered a morning session of yoga to the instructors at Big Bear Mountain. It was perfect conditions for snow. We all knew that we would be under a soft falling sky soon. The only thing that would stop us would be if it rained before it snowed. But for the moment, the sky was just drifting quietly.
The mountain itself was loud with the sounds of machinery warming up for a full day. Chair lift belts beginning to move, delivery trucks unloading enough ingredients to cook for a few thousands of your coolest friends and ski boots trudging in the fresh powder.
There we began, fully suited to continue on to the slopes. Our mission was to warm the legs and backs. To keep off the snow by staying mostly on our feet with standing poses. To meditate together and stoke the snow boarding/skiing fire within us in preparation to share that spark with new and returning faces.
Together we did some standing tree pose (Vrksasana), standing camel (Ustrasana), chair pose (Utkatasana) and warrior 1, 2 and 3 (Virabhadrasana).
It was only a quarter hour warm up session but it felt thorough and refreshing. Moments later it began to snow.
