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Before Adina Crawford was a yoga teacher and body positivity advocate, she was a runner. And before she was a runner, she spent a lot of time on the couch.
“I was in denial,” she says of the years she spent without a strong sense of well-being. “My husband said, ‘You need to do something. You need to exercise. Find something that you like to do.’”
But even well-intentioned nagging can be difficult to handle. “You know how it can be when we don’t want to hear something,” says Crawford. “I just wasn’t in the space of belief.”
And then one day, at age 46, she decided to move her body—and eventually went on to help others do the same. Since then, she’s learned there are challenges beyond finding the initial motivation—and shared what helped her overcome them.
Find Something You Love
Willing to try running, Crawford researched local options and learned that a running store offered training programs for beginners, complete with coaching and community. She signed up.
It can be humbling and even terrifying to take that initial step, Crawford explains. Her advice to anyone looking to initiate a significant change is to do your research and be ready to ask questions. It was important for her to try and understand whether the running community she was entering would be a fit. When she showed up the first time, she felt more at ease because she already had a sense of what she might encounter.
Then she continued to show up. Within three months of taking up running, Crawford ran her first 5K. She was hooked. Crawford went on to run a few more 5Ks, building up her endurance and confidence, before she leapt straight into a half-marathon and, in 2016, began to train for the Chicago Marathon.
Your Strength is Greater Than Your Struggle
Crawford’s increased mileage led to increased aches and pains. She had practiced yoga a couple times in the past and, hoping it might bring her relief, attended a local class. “I fell in love,” she says. Soon she was there at least three days a week. “I incorporated yoga right into my training program,” she says.
Equally powerful is how her practice was in support not only of her marathon training but her mindset. “It’s all about the mental headspace,” she explains, crediting yoga with teaching her how to close “all the mental tabs” in her head.
Crawford, who turned 60 this year, has remained outspoken about the tremendous benefits of incorporating yoga into marathon training. “Yoga will make you a better runner. You’re able to become more flexible and increase endurance because you’re giving your body a little extra TLC,” she says. She’s also quick to point out that by drawing awareness to your posture, yoga teaches you to slump less and open your lungs for more oxygen. “If you slump you’ll suffocate your breath,” says Crawford.
She finds that yoga and running are each physical challenges that teach resilience again and again. “One thing that I always say is, ‘Your strength is greater than your struggle.’”
Use Your Voice
As she became a regular fixture at the yoga studio, Crawford was encouraged by her teachers to take training in yoga so she could lead others through their practice. She didn’t need to take much time to deliberate. “I was always told by people that I have a voice that is calming and inviting,” she says.
Not long after she graduated yoga teacher training, Crawford decided to explore whether or not she wanted to actually teach by leading free classes for the public. “I wanted feedback from my community,” says Crawford. “The fact that all of these people believed in me not only gave me hope but also gave me encouragement.”
Although teaching has been gratifying, it hasn’t always been easy being in the teacher’s seat. Crawford, who describes herself as curvy and older, was worried about how she would be perceived. “I’ve been questioned so many times being in studios with girls in their crop tops and their short shorts. ‘You’re the yoga teacher!?”
Before others could accept that she was the teacher, Crawford needed to accept that fact herself. “I got to the point where I was like, ‘What you see is what you get. You’re going to get all of this,’” laughs Crawford. She also realized that she could be that mirror for others. “I am so heavily invested, not only in me but in my community. I want to bring people into a space where they feel safe and comfortable and there is no judgment.”
She persevered thanks to irrepressible positivity, continued confidence, and the realization that she could make a difference for others. “People started telling me their stories,” she recalls. “Whether they were cancer survivors or victims of domestic violence, they said it was my voice that helped them through.”
Pay It Forward
Crawford continues to use her voice to help others. She has written a book about meditation, yoga, and self-discovery for all bodies, become certified to teach yoga to first responders in support of processing of stress and building resilience, launched the Fit Black Queens podcast, and worked with the Black Girls Run Foundation. This summer, she also became a grandmother.
She teaches four classes a week for runners and non-runners alike, including one on balance and mobility. “This has been so purposeful because we lose one percent of our muscle mass each year. Adding balance with yoga gives students the best of both worlds,” says Crawford.
She’s also cultivated a keen understanding of what runners need after 14 years of running and practicing yoga. Earlier this year, she was invited by the Boston Athletic Association to lead a yoga practice for runners at the last two Boston Marathons.
“I really had to pinch myself,” says Crawford. “I would never have imagined that in a million years.”
Each time she teaches yoga or meditation, she draws on her life experience. Although her focus remains on respecting the uniqueness of each student and creating community. At the end of class, Crawford likes to leave students with a quote.“I always say, ‘Every moment is a fresh beginning.’ So anytime you move your body, it’s an opportunity,” she says. “Just meet your body where it is.”
