The Birdcamp Balance

We were thrilled to partake in our fave combo — yoga and running — for the second summer in a row at Oiselle Birdcamp last month! Our gals Bree and Lulu took the #resetrevolution to Leavenworth, WA, for a long weekend of running, training, teamwork, laughs, food, and of course plenty of unstiffening hips and hamstrings with our running hOMegirls. As usual, there was no shortage of inspiration...

By Bree Dillon
When you think "athlete," what comes to mind? For me, the word evokes: disciplined, competitive, daring, driven, strong, and committed. When it comes to athletes, these qualities tend to be a given. I'm an athlete, and I'll admit to sometimes being consumed by my competitive and driven nature, edging on agro.

What unfolded over those four days at Birdcamp was serious! But, it was a different kind of serious. Dozens of women from all over the country (and world) flocked to the Northwest. They're serious athletes! They're also serious mothers and friends, serious goal-setters and trend-setters, serious artists and engineers, serious pool-side beer drinkers, serious hikers (can you say "Colchuck"), and serious yogis! Over the weekend, "serious" — that fierce commitment to diverse passions — really started to feel like balance. We laughed and sweat. We shared our dreams over an unrivaled buffet. We ran hard and rested easy. We even ran easy and rested hard. And when it was over I didn't want to leave. As a yoga coach, I talk to people all the time about the benefits of balance — Oiselle Volée gets it!  

Until next year... keep up the SERIOUS balance! 

By Lulu Hays
To be honest, I was a little nervous about going to Birdcamp. While my memories of high school and college running camps include many warm, fuzzy moments of teammate camaraderie, I also have flashbacks of rushed weeks of heavy training and frantically scarfing down endless PB&Js between workouts. The intensity (and cuisine) of past training camps past gave me pause while I was getting ready for Birdcamp.

However, Birdcamp impressed and surprised me by what I can sum up in one word: balance. The Oiselle women reflect the entire competitive spectrum, from those gunning for Olympic qualifying times, to those who love getting out for a daily easygoing run. The women Oiselle supports not only identify as runners, but also as mothers, career women, and friends. And, yes, there was plenty of training at camp, but that vigorous work was balanced and supported by daily yoga and meditation. Oiselle’s unique approach to supporting the whole woman, not just the athlete, is incredibly refreshing. And the women I met at Birdcamp serve as a sustaining inspiration to me in both running and life. Not to mention, the meals were about a million steps up from PB&J!

Big thank you to Oiselle for making Athletes for Yoga part of the balance equation!

To see what the birds have been up to with us, head to Oiselle’s blog — Bird is the Word — for our monthly yoga for runners tips…

Behind the ScenesTeam Athletes for Yogayoga for runnersComment