FITNESS AUTHOR
Alora Jones
PHOTOGRAPHY
Courtesy of Christopher Howell
PRACTICING MINDFULNESS THROUGH YOGA HIKE n An experience created by Christopher Howell, Yoga Hike, is a fun, unique adventure that invokes a deeper connection to nature.
W
ater ripples slowly, leaves flow in the breeze and the view of the Texas Hill Country is breathtaking as a group of yogis completes a mindfulness exercise on the rocky terrain— welcome to Yoga Hike. “The mission of Yoga Hike, one, is to get people connected to that source to let them know that they’re perfect, they’re whole and they’re complete,” says Christopher Howell, Yoga Hike founder. Yoga Hike is a 2.5 to 4-hour experience set on hiking trails ranging from two to five miles round trip throughout Central Texas. Howell began this mix of
SEPTEMBER 2020
hiking and yoga in 2015 after taking his first yoga class at 51 years old and feeling what he describes as “at home” in the practice. “I came out of class—I didn’t think anybody would want to go to hashtag-old-guy yoga,” Howell says. “So, I started inviting people that I trusted to hike with me, and then I would sneak in a little yoga to just practice teaching.” Yoga Hike typically has a group of 12 to 25 people and increases to 30 to 35 at its full moon events. During a full moon hike last year, poet Victoria Erickson came along and read her pieces. Kristen Ude, a participant of that particular hike, described it as very peaceful.
74
