08/09/2025
Mike has a second favorite career as a motorcycle rider safety coach for the Montana Motorcycle Rider Safety Association. MMRS is a national program and an amazing organization and as a coach Mike teaches basic rider courses (BRC) nearly every weekend between April and September in Billings, Bozeman, and on occasion in other parts of the state.
An avid rider himself, a coach referred him to the program and after a rigorous week long training, he certified in 2019 and was mentored by two stellar coaches here in Billings. His passion is obvious and he looks forward to the season each year, coaching hundreds of folks of all ages and abilities through weekend long training courses so they can become more skilled, confident, and safer motorcycle riders. It might not seem like yoga has much overlap but helping novice riders build practical skills on a course with other riders, sequence how to use a clutch/throttle, gauge breaking distances, and focus on how their posture influences the bike they’re managing actually has a lot of overlap with yoga. A rider’s mental posture, or rider character, is an important component to motorcycle rider safety and Mike often finds connections to share with students as they blend the physical task of managing a motorcycle and the mental work of staying calm, breathing, and minimizing distractions … staying in the present moment.
And the coaching philosophy goes both ways. When you’re in a yoga class and Mike says “to it, not through it,” meaning to not go beyond where you’re comfortable in the posture, he’s layering a bit of motorcycle philosophy - to manage the effort, not lose control of posture, and reduce risk.
So here’s to all the ways yoga shows up off the mat, and how our learning, wisdom, and insights can create a connected root system informing all of what we do, and how we approach each moment.
Here’s a link to a BRC in Bozeman at the MSU campus taken in 2022 by Oleks a friend of one the students who shot aerial footage of the BRC.
https://youtu.be/nciQ-edyeJw
