By Jasmin Welter

I never considered myself a “yoga person.” Upon many friends’ urging, I’d given it a try, check-ing out several studios (both the fancy and the traditional kind), but none convinced me to keep up a practice. Enter a book that made me change my attitude – Hit Reset by Erin Taylor (Ve-lopress, 2016).

Hit Reset offered the convincing I needed to look at yoga as more than a waste of my time that could be spent running, riding, or swimming. Instead, it’s a way to become more in tune with my body. Without being overly spiritual or lecturing in tone, the book caters to athletes by pointing out the gains in physical balance and efficiencies that a yoga routine can create.

Hit Reset also supports a better understanding of the importance of strength and cross training. Like many fellow athletes, I’ve been through plenty of injuries and physical therapy. Like yoga, PT often requires us to implement routines that seem counter-intuitive to fast moving, competition-driven personalities: Taking a break and listening to your body, focusing on your breath, or noticing imbalances and weaknesses in postures and movements.

I really enjoyed how, throughout the book, Taylor pulls yoga into the real world, i.e. my world. I’m not esoteric, and sometimes I’m not even mindful. But I am an athlete, and as such, I know now that I can benefit from yoga. The book begins by identifying 10 common problems that ath-letes face, and presents specific yoga solutions that can help fix each of them.

Each chapter gives cues on how to self-diagnose imbalances within your body - and how to get back to how your body should work. It reinforces mindfulness and active thinking about your muscle recruitment and use in everyday life activities and training (weak core, anyone?).

Taylor details quick routines that are easy to implement before and after workouts, and explains the immediate benefits alongside them. What I specifically like about Hit Reset is its workbook-style interactivity, allowing you to create a personalized game plan to tackle your inefficiencies and improve your training. There is even an online companion site. Overall, I found this a really nice read, with visually pleasing graphics, and engagingly written prose.

I felt understood as a cyclist, too. Hit Reset was written for athletes with our daily struggles in mind, and featured real-world athletes in it. It definitely helped me be more aware of my body and its weaknesses, and to keep yoga routines in mind.

Hit Reset Revolutionary Yoga for Athletes

Erin Taylor (Velopress)

Paperpack with full-color interior and photographs throughout.

7.5″ x 9.5″, 208 pp., $21.95

9781937715427

About the Author:

Jasmin Welter is a dedicated commuter and competitive cyclist and triathlete, riding her mostly pink bikes around Chicagoland year-round. Jasmin is an Ambassador for The Chainlink and is involved with several other initiatives and brands to get more women on bikes. Jasmin writes regularly about new products, women cycling, commuting and more. Follow her on Instagram: @tri.heart and @princess_layup.