YOGI OF THE MONTH

March 2024 - Dave Godwin

What first brought you to yoga and how long have you been practicing?

Many years ago, my wife, Carol, decided that yoga might complement her regular meditation practice. She dragged me along to a yoga class and I found out that I liked it. We attended weekly classes for around six years. We both stopped when we moved down to the Northern Neck from Arlington, VA but Carol started up again with Susan and InsideOut Yoga. I was dragged along willingly yet again…

What is/are your intention(s) for your yoga practice?

Frankly, as a person who tries to find excuses for not exercising whenever possible, my intention is always to make the class. At the end of the class I am always grateful I went.

What is your favorite pose and why?

I could make the standard joke about Savasana being my favorite pose, but the serious answer is Parivrtta Parsvakonasana/Twisted Lunge Pose. For me it combines a much-needed twist for my spine with a forceful, balancing lunge. Add in the muscular effort in the opposing hands and I find it a very comprehensive and interesting pose. Any balancing poses are favorite challenges for me because I spend a lot of time balancing on boats and motorcycles. Staying on the boat beats falling off the boat!

What is your favorite class at InsideOut Yoga?

No one particular class yet. I attend InsideOut Yoga weekly and we run through differing types of classes. The class is taught in Reedville and it has been Slow Flow and Focus on Form so far. The 150 yard walk from home to the class is a favorite too…

How has the practice of yoga influenced your life?

I remember when I first started yoga, I was instructed to pay attention to my body, breathing, and mental state and how they interacted. Very different from my day-to-day life of focusing on one thing at a time.   

What advice would you have for a beginning yoga student?

As I was reminded throughout the many classes I took, yoga is not a contest. Don’t worry about how you look or if someone is more flexible and agile than you. Just keep doing it. There are no downsides.

What is your occupation?

I’ve been professionally retired for 10 years. Formerly I was a federal government employee in Washington, D.C., working the information technology side of banking regulation.

What activities do you enjoy?

I spent almost 30 years racing sailboats year-round in Annapolis. I loved ocean racing but have aged out of that. I still ride motorcycles on the road locally and off-road in the deserts of Utah, Colorado and Death Valley. I’m aging out of that pastime too, I’m afraid. I work out at the YMCA and ride my bicycle on a regular basis with my wife and friends for exercise and comradery.

What is your favorite thing about living in the Northern Neck or Middle Peninsula?

Oddly, it would be the (very) theoretical idea that I can walk down to our dock, get on our sailboat and sail around the world and end up back at our dock without ever touching land. Shout out to Joshua Slocum!

Is there anything you want to add?

I loved my former yoga instructor back in Arlington, and when we left for the Northern Neck, I thought I would not be able to find another as capable, helpful and friendly. To my great delight, Susan has proven to be every bit of that and more!