Ah, pro sports. Where brawny men plow over each other to run a ball to the other end of the court/field/arena, and then do a dance and/or smack each other on the butt in approval in between timeouts and beer commercials. Is there really any room for softie yoga? Yep. Denver Nuggets Head Coach George Karl thinks so, so much that he’s invested in a Denver based yoga business.
At 61, Coach Karl, a two-time cancer survivor, is over any wussie stigma bullshit, and is ready to find the balance in his life. He’s backing a new studio in the Denver Tech Center called ONE Yoga which offers classes focusing on yoga therapy, with some especially just for cancer patients.
Why is Karl investing in a yoga studio, instead of say, George’s Chicken Fried Nugget House?
“Well, I think it’s a time in my life that, you know, learning to slow down, learning to get balance into your life,” Karl said. “I just think the traditional chemotherapy and radiation needs some other assistant coaches.”
Well put, sir. From a man who’s seen his share of offensive fouls and game day stress, Karl is finding some peace in time out.
“I think sometimes our American world gets wild and crazy and too intense and too sarcastic and critical; and I think slowing down and maybe getting to that place where the real stuff comes forward,” Karl said.
For that we’d smack your butt, George. We live in a world where athletes like Dwyane Wade are doing yoga as part of their training, for others as a supplement to anger management, where ESPN is doing NFL Countdown yoga, so are we surprised? Special shoes be damned, this yoga thing works, even for sports dudes.
[Denver CBS local] [photo via bizjournals]
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