Member Spotlight - Valerie and Rick Ells
One of the early founding Members of iHeartYoga Studio, Val and Rick Ells practice yoga every day…and sometimes twice!
Val and Ric Ells are everything Dana Point represents…an active health and wellness lifestyle supported by the beach, waves, yoga, and community. An extremely energetic couple, they have been practicing yoga at iHeartYoga Studio since we opened and often take 2-3 classes per day! Check out their story!
Rick and Val moved to Dana Point from Lake Arrowhead when they retired in the beginning of 2016. Rick ran the local police station in Arrowhead, and Val worked at the high school. They decided to leave the mountains and move to their week-end getaway condo as their three kids had all graduated college and moved away.
Both had competed in marathons and triathlons, Val having finished the grueling Hawaii Ironman World Championship in the year 2000. As they began the transition into retirement Val started attending Yoga in the Park and after much begging and cajoling convinced Rick to join her. This would prove to be something she would later come to regret as Rick’s enthusiasm for yoga annoys her beyond belief. When Elsa opened the iHeartYoga Studio the two became early members. “While Yoga in the Park is wonderful, the Studio is where your practice is refined,” says Rick. The pair attend five or six classes a week, often together. “At iHeartYoga, Elsa created a true community where kindness and encouragement are core values,” he said.
“In both yoga and surfing the focus is on the moment and the task at hand. Yoga teaches you mindfulness”
Rick and Val started surfing in retirement, spending five mornings a week down at San Onofre. Rick’s knees are worn out from years of running and surfing and yoga is much kinder to them. Val is still able to run but limits her running to a couple of days a week. They find the parallels between surfing and yoga to be numerous; both require strength, flexibility and balance. “As we age we naturally lose flexibility and balance. These are essential for surfing and a yoga practice will improve both,” he said. Val believes the biggest benefit and correlation between surfing and yoga is mental focus. “In both yoga and surfing the focus is on the moment and the task at hand. Yoga teaches you mindfulness,” she said.
In addition to yoga and surfing Rick and Val are extensively involved in community service. Both belong to Welcome INN, a local organization which provides a free hot meal 365 days-a-year to homeless and working poor at Doheny Beach. They cook and distribute meals on Thursdays and Rick is on the Board of Directors of the organization. Val also volunteers at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, CA. PMMC rehabilitates injured seals and sea lions and releases them back into the ocean. Rick teaches recovery at the Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope on Friday nights and at Saddleback Church on Mondays. Both Rick and Val are members of Saddleback Church and serve at the Sunday service at the Dana Point Yacht Club.
