Softball Alumna Reaches Colonials at Home with Yoga
4/17/2020 9:00:00 AM | Softball, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Sandi Gohn hosting twice-weekly sessions for student-athletes
As a GW softball student-athlete, Sandi (Moynihan) Gohn made time to fit yoga sessions into her personal workout regimen. Amid a busy schedule, the Canada native by way of Texas always appreciated the chance to take a breath and recharge.
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"For me, it was a way to counterbalance a lot of the physical stress I dealt with as an athlete," said Gohn, who made 124 starts over three seasons with the Colonials before graduating in 2013. "Just another way to let my body relax and come back to the earth after a lot of intense competition."
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Today, Gohn is a full-time communications professional living in Arlington, Va., with a self-proclaimed "side hustle" as a certified yoga instructor. She's grateful to have the opportunity to share her message with the latest generation of Colonials.
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During the fall, Gohn started working with GW women's soccer on its recovery day between Friday and Sunday matches. Her platform has expanded throughout the department with everyone at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Gohn is hosting optional twice-weekly 45-minute sessions for GW student-athletes from her home via Instagram Live and Twitch. While social distancing regulations have made it difficult for many workouts to continue, her classes are designed to offer an easily-accessible way to address physical and mental wellness during a difficult time.
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"I think it's really great that the athletic department is doing this, taking the time and energy to offer this as a resource," Gohn said. "That's a huge improvement from where it was when I was a student-athlete, and I'm so happy to see this is something that's being offered, incorporated and encouraged by the staff and the teams there."
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Passionate about yoga since she was 12 years old, Gohn teaches in a pair of local studios, in addition to taking on freelance clients. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced her to get creative to continue those sessions.
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She's set up her mat in her kitchen and tackled new challenges like finding the right broadcast platforms and keeping her cats Jean and Rogue in check. She had to pause her student-athlete session last weekend to untangle one of them from her sewing machine.
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"It's a very humbling thing to show the world where you live and the mess of your house, the craziness that goes on, but I also think it makes people almost a little more open to it," Gohn said.
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There's a real difference, she's found, between gazing over a room full of people and staring into a camera for 45 minutes, as well.
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"It's a really different way of teaching, but it's kind of fun for me as a teacher," Gohn said. "It really makes me think."
With the Colonials, Gohn tailors her sessions toward increasing flexibility and decreasing stress. That means deeper stretches and longer holds than a general class. For the well-conditioned student-athletes, it's supposed to be more of a relaxing slowdown than a rigorous workout.
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Gohn, who was the starter at first base on GW softball's run to the Atlantic 10 final in 2012, has drawn on her own experiences in the Buff and Blue in designing the classes.
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"It was a time in my life where I worked probably the hardest physically, mentally, but at the same time, it was some of my best days," Gohn said. "I really loved every moment of it. I just wish I had maybe taken a little bit better care of my body in real time."
Â
More than anything, Gohn is aiming to be inclusive with this, encouraging even those who've never tried yoga before to understand its far-reaching benefits for the body and mind.
Â
"I'm not coming in and trying to be like 'Now, we're going to all breathe together and feel so yogic.' – that's never been my style," Gohn said. "My style is to show people that 'Hey, maybe slowing down a little bit, stretching and really taking the time to breathe and think about how your body feels instead of just powering through all the time might actually make you a better athlete.'"
Â
"For me, it was a way to counterbalance a lot of the physical stress I dealt with as an athlete," said Gohn, who made 124 starts over three seasons with the Colonials before graduating in 2013. "Just another way to let my body relax and come back to the earth after a lot of intense competition."
Â
Today, Gohn is a full-time communications professional living in Arlington, Va., with a self-proclaimed "side hustle" as a certified yoga instructor. She's grateful to have the opportunity to share her message with the latest generation of Colonials.
Â
During the fall, Gohn started working with GW women's soccer on its recovery day between Friday and Sunday matches. Her platform has expanded throughout the department with everyone at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Â
Gohn is hosting optional twice-weekly 45-minute sessions for GW student-athletes from her home via Instagram Live and Twitch. While social distancing regulations have made it difficult for many workouts to continue, her classes are designed to offer an easily-accessible way to address physical and mental wellness during a difficult time.
Â
"I think it's really great that the athletic department is doing this, taking the time and energy to offer this as a resource," Gohn said. "That's a huge improvement from where it was when I was a student-athlete, and I'm so happy to see this is something that's being offered, incorporated and encouraged by the staff and the teams there."
Â
Passionate about yoga since she was 12 years old, Gohn teaches in a pair of local studios, in addition to taking on freelance clients. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced her to get creative to continue those sessions.
Â
She's set up her mat in her kitchen and tackled new challenges like finding the right broadcast platforms and keeping her cats Jean and Rogue in check. She had to pause her student-athlete session last weekend to untangle one of them from her sewing machine.
Â
"It's a very humbling thing to show the world where you live and the mess of your house, the craziness that goes on, but I also think it makes people almost a little more open to it," Gohn said.
Â
There's a real difference, she's found, between gazing over a room full of people and staring into a camera for 45 minutes, as well.
Â
"It's a really different way of teaching, but it's kind of fun for me as a teacher," Gohn said. "It really makes me think."
With the Colonials, Gohn tailors her sessions toward increasing flexibility and decreasing stress. That means deeper stretches and longer holds than a general class. For the well-conditioned student-athletes, it's supposed to be more of a relaxing slowdown than a rigorous workout.
Â
Gohn, who was the starter at first base on GW softball's run to the Atlantic 10 final in 2012, has drawn on her own experiences in the Buff and Blue in designing the classes.
Â
"It was a time in my life where I worked probably the hardest physically, mentally, but at the same time, it was some of my best days," Gohn said. "I really loved every moment of it. I just wish I had maybe taken a little bit better care of my body in real time."
Â
More than anything, Gohn is aiming to be inclusive with this, encouraging even those who've never tried yoga before to understand its far-reaching benefits for the body and mind.
Â
"I'm not coming in and trying to be like 'Now, we're going to all breathe together and feel so yogic.' – that's never been my style," Gohn said. "My style is to show people that 'Hey, maybe slowing down a little bit, stretching and really taking the time to breathe and think about how your body feels instead of just powering through all the time might actually make you a better athlete.'"
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