Almost eight months without performing and no judges to review her programs, 2018 Olympian Madison Hubbell was yearning for something to fill the void.
Hubbell admits it would've been easy to feel trapped and helpless, at home and unable to work on her craft. Instead, she found herself practicing more yoga. It reinforced many of the lessons she had learned from skating during a time when she couldn't be on the ice.
Over quarantine, Hubbell's brother, Keiffer, proposed the idea of taking her yoga practice to the next level: getting certified to instruct. He was a certified instructor himself and was planning to teach the course to a small group.
"I jumped at that chance," she said. Without skating, she had more time on her hands and the energy to fill it up. "It was really the perfect moment to have a goal and to be focused on something."
Keiffer started practicing yoga nine years ago and since then, Hubbell has dabbled in the practice alongside him. She watched as his passion grew and eventually it became more consistent in her life.
Originally, she practiced as an outlet to relieve stress. As a skater, it was also great for mobility and strengthening small muscles. In the last year, she had begun to integrate it into her daily warm-ups and execute different breathing exercises before competitions.
Training to teach, however, altered her perspective from the one she had as a participant. Her attraction moved beyond the physical goals. She began to appreciate the spirituality component of yoga.
Her passion intensified, too, just as she had witnessed with her brother.
"It was one place that I could let my body move by itself and do whatever it could do that day but with no success or failure," she said. "That was really refreshing as a competitive athlete."
So refreshing, in fact, that she applied this mindset to her skating. On the ice, she reminds herself to go with the flow, that some days will be better than others, and to do her best in the moment.
Three and a half months after she began, Hubbell earned her certification. She spent 200 hours dedicated to both lecture and physical practices over Zoom and studied from sections of eight different textbooks. She can't wait to dive into the rest.
Her first time teaching was no easy task. Not one to get tongue tied, Hubbell was nervous even in front of Keiffer. "It's amazing how nervous you get to say things that you know," she said.
The only other place she had experienced such nerves was on the ice. As an instructor, she had to overcome that obstacle again – being confident with what she knows.
It took practice, feedback and attention to detail, like not losing your breath when giving ques, before she gained that confidence and comfortability. It served as another reminder to take a calm approach onto the ice.
Moving forward, Hubbell envisions teaching a series of donation-based classes to support different organizations and charities like COVID-19 relief efforts and a local animal shelter.
Her goal for each of the classes she teaches is to create a grounding experience – something she recognizes a lot of people might need right now. "Yoga for me, is being able to be here in the moment…finding that little moment to just breathe and relax," she said. Â
Hubbell is scheduled to teach a one-hour, beginner yoga class over Zoom benefiting the Memorial Fund on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 5 p.m ET.
"Of course, to me, that's a no brainer because the Memorial Fund was such a big help," she said.
The fund provides financial support for skaters' on and off ice endeavors. Hubbell has received the fund's support throughout her skating career.
Prior to skating with her current partner, Zachary Donohue, Hubbell skated with Keiffer. Their dad decided to return to law school later in life to provide continued support for the family. Hubbell's mother had always worked multiple jobs. The Memorial Fund helped to alleviate some pressure.
 "It's so great to be able to now give back to this foundation." she said.
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