I’ve posted a few longer pieces lately. So here’s a fairly short one. I will preface it by saying I am certainly not a medical or yoga expert, but I wanted to relate my experience and I figure it might be useful to some of you out there.
Tenkara can be hard work
Wading along a rocky streambed while being pushed by a wall of water, climbing over boulders, ducking under fallen logs – these things we do while fishing are hard. If you’re fishing hard on streams, then you know it’s not just a walk in the park. Any additional pain, weakness or instability can make it even tougher.
Tenkara is not a sedentary sport. When I went to the doctor for my ankle injury and told her that my main concern was fishing, I felt the need to describe to her and show her pictures of what I meant by “fishing”. We’re not sitting in a folding chair on the bank. It can be hard work.
A Little Yoga Can Go A Long Way
I started doing yoga at home as a way to deal with a nagging ankle problem. The ankle is unstable due to an old injury. In addition to the at-home strengthening exercises given to me by my doctor I figured I’d add some yoga to the routine for added strength and fitness benefits.
And wow! I’m here to tell you that my yoga routine has paid dividends beyond what I could have expected. Generally I’d say I manage a 15-20 minute yoga session 3-4 times weekly on average. That’s not a lot to try and fit in to a schedule. But I can feel the difference on the water. Wading, scrabbling, climbing, balancing… they’re all easier and so my tenkara is more fun (and probably a bit safer too).
Winter is a great time to start
I’m sure some of you stay really active all winter. Getting out despite the weather and/or hitting the gym. But I have to admit my activity level generally drops in the winter. And come spring it used to take me a while to get my fishing legs back. I’ve found that my yoga routine has really helped keep me in good fishing shape through the winter. Come spring I’m ready to go.
Attending some classes with a professional instructor is probably a good idea. Or even scheduling some one on one time to get advice directly related to the fitness needed for tenkara. But not everyone has the time, money or inclination to go to a yoga studio. I have to admit I really resist the idea of in person classes.
YouTube can be a good resource
There are plenty of yoga resources on YouTube and with a little searching you’ll find a channel that you like. I tend to favor standing yoga. Though I’ll mix in some other things too. But the standing yoga poses really seem to help with the strength and stability needed for tough wading and fishing conditions.
The channel that I’ve settled on lately is Yoga with Uliana. I like her presentation and I like her playlist of standing yoga workouts. Check out her channel and give yoga a try.
Like I said earlier, a little yoga goes a long way. You don’t need to devote a lot of time to it to feel some real benefits in your tenkara fishing. I’m certainly no expert and I don’t devote a bunch of time to it, but the time I spend doing a little yoga is definitely worth it. Not only will it improve your tenkara but it will improve your well being.
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At the risk of tooting my own horn in an unseemly manner, here is a column I wrote on this topic about this time last year.
https://lakevillejournal.com/downward-facing-dogfish
Since that was published I consulted with a yoga teacher, who instantly diagnosed my supinating feet. That alone was worth the $125. Between that and the stretches she showed me 90% of the lower back pain I was experiencing is gone.
At 76 I’m not as mobile as I use to be so I’ll have to try the standing yoga. Haven’t gotten out to the creek since the end of December due to the suckie Pa weather and med problems. Thank you for this article .
Howdy!
Great article. Yoga has improved my mobility and core body strength. I recommend yoga to everyone.
On fishing trips, I manage a few forward folds before jumping off into the woods or water.
I use and highly recommend this app
https://images.app.goo.gl/hfyocWsy8tsDtfDb9
Wade Well is another good resource.
https://www.lindsaykocka.com/
Having just been to a yoga class this morning… Yes, I can absolutely endorse yoga’s benefits for tenkara. I’ve found yoga to be a particularly good asset for strengthening my balance, my sense of balance, on a stream (which can be a safety boon), and my capacity to focus.