Meet Team Athletes for Yoga — Intern Riko Shimizu

Team Athletes for Yoga is growing and we're psyched to welcome our new Intern, Riko Shimizu. Now heading into her senior year on the UW Tennis Team, Riko has been playing tennis since she was 8 years old. Originally from Tokyo, Japan, she has traveled the world (Morocco was her fave!) pursuing her passion, was consistently ranked in the top 20 in the U.S. pre-college, and has won national and international titles.

Lucky for us, she says Seattle was love at first sight. When we first met Riko while helping her UW team #HitReset, we were struck by her passion and her focus. Now,  as our intern, Riko is tweeting, wrangling deets, and helping to support other Athletes for Yoga athletes...

Why have you joined the Reset Revolution?
After years of overtraining, injuries, and physical and mental fatigue, I realized that sometimes your body just needs a break! Just like how training for your sport is important, it's also extremely important to know when your body needs recovery and when to "Hit Reset."

How has Athletes for Yoga helped you as an athlete?
It taught me the importance of taking care of my body, recovering, and de-stressing. As a student-athlete, you feel like you're constantly on the go, and there's so much time management that goes into balancing out the "student" and the "athlete." I knew that when Athletes for Yoga came to work with us, it was the one day out of the week when I felt like I was allowed to totally let go, relax, and refocus. I believe it also helped us prevent injuries from overworking.

Fill in the blank: "Yoga makes me feel __________."
Strong and refocused.

Welcome, Riko!