Kensington Soccer Club Announces Partnership with Monarch Yoga Philadelphia
This past March, instructors from Monarch Yoga Philadelphia hosted Slow Flow Saturdays at Youth Rec. KSC members were invited to McVeigh Recreation Center to participate in yoga flows at a discounted rate. The first session was attended by Director of Travel and Recreational Programming Tim Summiel, Coach River Mason, Cheríf Kamara, Marvin Saint-Jour and Brianna Ayala.
After the 45-minute flow, instructor Natali Sanchez talked about her pathway to yoga and the ways it benefits athletes of all ages. Natali recently graduated from the yoga teacher training program in December. Originally from Jersey, she started her teaching career as a dance instructor.
Natali’s beliefs about inclusivity in yoga are shaped by her own experience developing her yoga practice. She says, “I quickly found hot yoga and power yoga was the thing I wasn’t used to, it was difficult. But I realized the more you do it, the more you see your body transform. I choose to make sure I am teaching everyone yoga. It doesn’t matter what size you are, what color your skin is. We should all be allowed to have yoga in the community at a reasonable price and affordable price so we can all experience this lifestyle.” Overall her comments about the importance of inclusivity in yoga complement our values of providing free and affordable programming for all.
More specifically to soccer, Natali describes the benefits of yoga in athletic stretching routines. “It [stretching] is a requirement and when you’re using your lower body, your legs, or even a full body workout you need to be able to stretch your limbs to be able to perform the best. I feel like it is very important for students to stretch at an early age so you have less issues as you get older even for adults.” This collaboration has the potential to help athletes of all ages and skill levels.
Beyond the physical benefits, the “Slow Flow” can be restorative. In describing her approach, Natali says “slow flow is meant to be restful and restorative. While it can differ between hot and power yoga to fast flow, you want your students to feel rested, and the goal is to move with intention. That is what I try to focus on, what poses can I place into this flow that will leave you feeling rested and refocused.”
Executive Program Director Barbyose Noisette facilitated the partnership with Monarch Yoga, while Tim Summiel incorporated the Slow Flow sessions into the Winter Rec program. Coach River Mason was also appointed to help facilitate the partnership. Barbyose extolled the benefits of incorporating yoga practice led by a local business into our programs. Barbyose says, “I’m excited about bringing in yoga to our KSC youth because yoga is really a great way of helping people feel comfortable and at home in their own bodies. It helps to teach them how to slow down and think before making moves. I am looking forward to cultivating this relationship further and seeing how we can bring it to our older groups.”
If you are interested in learning more about the partnership, email Barbyose@KensingtonSoccer.org.
