Although the legendary Danica Patrick has officially retired from her career as a full-time racer, she’s still keeping herself busy with a variety of ambitious business projects and wellness initiatives.
She announced her retirement in 2017 but suffered a crash in lap 68 of 2018’s Indy 500. Luckily, she didn’t suffer from any major injuries but has since channeled her competitive drive into a series of new ventures.
She recently launched an inspirational podcast titled ‘Pretty Intense’ where she interviews family, friends, celebrities, musicians, artists, and entrepreneurs on a series of topics. Notable guests include musician Citizen Cope, 15-year-old business mogul Alina Morse, Tom Bilyeu founder of Quest Nutrition, among many more. In her interview with Yoga Journal, she describes how she came up with the idea for a podcast because she wanted actionable tips on how to achieve her goals. Questions like “What did it take to get where they are?” and “What techniques did they use?” can help us grow and make changes to our lives. One of her favorite guests so far was astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, where they talked about what makes us human and what makes us unique.
Along with this empowering initiative, Danica Patrick is known for her inspirational yoga practice, which she documents through her Instagram feed. She explains how yoga has been a powerful force in her racing career through the power of deep breathing. Slowing things down and focusing through the adrenaline has helped her cope with the aftermath of various accidents and collisions on the racetrack. While she notes that these cuts and bruises are an inevitable part of any race car driver’s career, she feels that her flexibility allowed her to bend and not break during these incidents, preventing any major trauma.
In a recent interview with NBC Sports, Danica gives some useful advice for people who are trying to stay active during the lockdown. She’s been offering workouts through her Instagram Live account and recommends people to come up with a routine or schedule that can hold them accountable to their goals. Often, it’s easy to spend the whole day doing nothing, so setting an alarm can get you up and moving. However, she also notes that this is a good time to relax and spend time with your family. Other than racing, she’s discovered a host of new hobbies including yoga, but learning a new skill or passion is something that she recommends for active drivers with a lot of free time. She further emphasizes that “it also gives you some contrast and perspective of being grateful for when you do get back to normal and doing things.”
For anyone that’s currently working from home, Danica Patrick shows off some yoga poses suitable for beginners that can help you unwind. A simple backward bend can help alleviate back and neck pain while stretching out the abdominal muscles. During these poses, a post by Gala Bingo describes how practising mindfulness can help you destress from a difficult workday. This involves being conscious of how your body is feeling and moving, and being fully present in the moment. As she explains, “I’ve realized how important the mental aspect of the practice is — being able to connect with the breath, turn your thoughts off, and return to something repetitive and simple.” For anyone that wants more of a challenge, Danica demonstrates an impressive handstand on a wall while she’s doing the splits at the same time. If you’re new to the practise, you probably shouldn’t risk trying this at home. At least, just not yet.
