I had a minor seasonal attitude disorder last week. It was December 10 and I was not the slightest bit in the holiday mood. In fact, I was dreading all the extra holiday commitments and hoping for a quiet, peaceful celebration with my family sans gifts (yoga-teacher training tends to drain the available disposable income). My problem was solved by strapping on a pair of three-sixteenths-of-an-inch-thick metal blades to the bottom of my feet and attempting to stay vertical on an outdoor man-made ice oval. Yep, going ice-skating with my niece among the shimmering holiday lights and piped in holiday tuneage on a crisp, cool December night did the trick.

As we walked out to the oval with those blades of steel strapped onto our feet, I couldn’t help but think about how weird the concept of ice-skating is. I mean, really, who was the genius who came up with this concept? You really have to love a recreational activity where you freeze your ass off, seriously challenge your sense of balance, and run the risk of serious knee, neck, and ankle injury.

And then I started to think that maybe this is how a lot of yoga students feel the first time they step onto their yoga mats. They are probably thinking, What am I doing here in this darkened studio, in tight, black stretchy pants, about to move and stretch my body in ways it’s never gone before, and chanting stuff in Sanskrit I don’t know the meaning of?

There is always the fear of the unknown in a new activity, but if we don’t take the risk, we’ll never know the reward. There were a lot of parents sitting it out on the sidelines watching their kids whirl around the rink. I have to believe their inner child was dying to get out there and have fun, but their sensible (boring) adult sides pulled them back. I’m here to tell you, the risk of bodily injury was definitely worth the fun I experienced that night.

Both sports require a degree of falling on your face. I’ve fallen out of yoga poses before, and as embarrassing as that may be, it’s the only way to learn. You just gotta get back on that mat, lose the fear, and try again.

Ice Skating at Lock 3 in Beautiful Downtown Akron

While my niece and I were skating, we took a little spill (well, actually it was a pretty damn good biff). I landed hard on my right knee, and my niece came down with an Olympic-size thud on her tush. I thought my newfound balancing skills honed from hours of yoga practice would see me through a few spins around the rink, but all bets are off when you mix ice, inexperience, and those damn rented three-sixteenths-of-an-inch metal blades into the mix. The rink supervisor—who saw our fall and thought I broke my knee—advised us to sit it out for a while to make sure we were okay. While we sat there (me with a pile of snow on my throbbing knee), my niece wanted to call it quits, but I said no way! I was not going to let our skating date end on a bad note. We rested a while and got back out there, facing our fears, my niece going on to master a beautiful circle loop-turn, and me embracing my inner Peggy Fleming.

I’m happy to report that my knee made it through the incident, and I went on to teach yoga the next morning, thanks to a long, hot soak in the tub and a little Tiger Balm. Seriously, I think my practice of yoga helped me bounce back in fine form after a spill like that.

I’m so glad that yoga has taught me to take risks both off and on the mat, to embrace my inner child, and take the time to play.

If you live in northeast Ohio and are looking for a great winter activity, check out the ice skating rink at Lock 3 in downtown Akron.