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At the age of 33 I retired from professional basketball. The years of high intensity running, jumping and landing took its toll on my body. I had severe Achilles tendinitis in both ankles. Retirement seemed the only option.
I soon began to miss everything about playing. Approaching my 40’s I decided to look for something low impact that would still challenge my body and give me that similar focus I had on the court. This is when I first found Yoga.
I immediately began to see big improvements. The pain was subsiding and the spring was back in my step but something was still absent for me in these yoga practices. There was a missing soul connection.
Then I discovered Kemetic Yoga™ being presented by another black man, Yirser Ra Hotep. From my time of practising yoga to seeing a black man teach and to be teaching yoga of African lineage was very rare. I was able to relate much more to everything about the practice. This spoke to my MIND, BODY & SOUL.
With this new found life force energy I tried playing basketball again. In 2018 & 2019 we won the GB Masters Tournament The fact I was able to play 8 games in 2 days and still walk the next day was special. It was clear to me the rehabilitation properties of my yoga practice was making this possible.
I was still soul searching. As a full time Basketball Coach, I relocated back to London and put my heart and soul into giving back to the youths facing disadvantage. Yoga and my own well being took a back seat. I was on a mission to help the young people.
In 2021 I attended a GB Basketball trial and after one game my Achilles was gone and I was in agony. To get right again I went back to what had worked previously, Yoga. Of course I began to benefit instantly. Aged 43 I played a full National League season. We went undefeated and got promoted. Then aged 44 I represented GB in the FIMBA European Championships. Claiming a Silver medal
The times when I have dropped yoga is when injuries have occurred or pain has surfaced. I fully believe that if I had found yoga a lot sooner that I could have prolonged my professional basketball career.
Yoga has more than just the physical benefits too, I feel able to regulate my mental and emotional health through breathwork and meditation. I enjoy taking a holistic approach to my health, being more conscious of what I eat and consume, adding longevity and connecting with my spiritual side.
Kemetic Yoga™ is now part of my daily life and I am really looking forward to sharing this practice and its benefits with others.
If you are interested in joining a class please do not hesitate to contact me.
Stay blessed
Lee
(Lee is our latest resident session at the studios and holds Kemetic Yoga classes every Tuesday 8pm-9pm).