The Yoga Loft Storybook: Ron Cooper
Why/When/Where did you start practicing yoga?
I started practicing yoga a couple of years ago. I was going through a life transition from being married to not being married, and I was told yoga might be good for me as a place to achieve mindfulness, as well as try a new mode of physicality that has benefited many people. I was told to try the Yoga Loft in Marblehead, that many people in the Marblehead community found it to be a great place with great instructors. I was a little nervous to try, since I'm about as flexible as a bamboo stick. But Jenny Craig was my very first yoga instructor, and she had such a positive overall attitude, encouraged the students to work at their own skill level, and I discovered that I was actually able to do some of the moves! I thought I had to get to know these people better and explore this whole yoga thing a bit more. I've been doing yoga at the Loft since.
How has yoga changed/influenced your life?
I was originally worried that yoga might interfere with my other training. While I am not currently on a world record mission, I have had the good fortune to break several Guinness World Records in various fitness categories, as recently as last year. All of my records were and are in the most in minute category, and would include movements like pull ups, chin ups, push ups and step ups. I thought yoga might tire out some muscles that were already tired from all of the training I was doing, thus I never gave it a shot. But an odd thing happened when I started doing yoga a couple of years ago. I actually got stronger! Not only was I not tiring myself out, but I was strengthening stabilizer muscles, getting less sore, and getting more flexible. I am grateful to have yoga now as a way to further enhance my fitness. But equally important is the idea of mindfulness. I am getting better at this, and some days are better than others, but I like the idea of being present and in the moment. Just trying to be in the flow, following the instructor's directions, and trying to do the movements, all are nice ways to quiet the mind and just be.
What keeps you busy outside of yoga?
I keep busy outside of the studio by being with my two daughters. Family is the most important thing to me. I am a financial advisor, and love my work, so I am very grateful and fortunate to have work that I am passionate about. I also like to keep active doing various physical pursuits, beat an occasional world record, or just creating my own workouts and trying to see if I can make improvements or have fun. I also like to walk, hike, bike, run and explore.
Do you have a Linkedin, Facebook or Instagram page that we can share on our page?
My Instagram page is @roncooper23. My work website is www.cooperfauteux.com.