Eight years ago, Ryan Leech realized he needed to make a change.

Known for his appearances in more than 25 mountain biking films as well as his busy live performance schedule, the world-renowned professional mountain biker's body had had enough.

"My body just felt like a wreck. I felt beat up," says Leech, 31, who specializes in trials. A Port Moody resident, Leech is active in the North Shore's mountain biking community.

"I couldn't sleep well because my back was so sore, my wrists were pretty (messed) up from repetitive endos and crashes. I was having some reoccurring shoulder issues . . . Some of it was just kind of mysterious pains that I was experiencing that just didn't seem to go away," he says.

While physiotherapy helped with some of his ailments, Leech was still in a lot of pain, and so began practising yoga. Ever since, he's noticed a tremendous change in his body, both in terms of recovery from injury as well as injury prevention.

While mountain biking and yoga are two vastly different activities, Leech is living proof of the benefits of both. Interested in helping other mountain bikers, he's committed to spreading the word about the benefits of yoga.

"Because I am a personality in the cycling world, I thought I'd try to be one of the people to try to break that barrier a little bit and perhaps influence a few people to give it a try," he says. "I think there's a lot of people who might be just shy to give it a go. That's why I'm hoping to use my image to spark the interest in a few people to grow that possibility."

Leech was taken by yoga right away.

"The style of yoga that I was attracted to was very challenging physically so that was part of what hooked me and I practised quite avidly and certainly my practice grew in depth through those years," he says.

Leech practised yoga wherever he travelled, often alone in his hotel room.

"Eventually I decided that 'Oh man, this is too good just to keep to myself," he says. "There's a lot of other cyclists who are also abusing their bodies and having to take time off of the bike, away from their passion, just due to injury and lack of body awareness."

Leech viewed sharing what he learned through yoga as a great addition to what he does and could offer so underwent training to become an instructor. He completed 200 hours of teacher training with well-known practitioner Eoin Finn in 2009, and is a member of the Blissology Yoga Teacher Collective. He's also a registered teacher with Yoga B.C.

Leech now offers vinyasa flow classes for all levels at a couple of different Lower Mainland locations, including in West Vancouver.

Leech has three classes left before he heads off on tour -- Sunday, Jan. 16, 23 and 30 from 9 to 10:15 a.m. at Different Bikes Cycling Studio. Drop in is $10.

However, he plans to offer yoga wherever he goes, at the various events at which he's set to perform or appear. For instance, March 19-20 he'll be participating in the Vancouver Bike Show at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

"That's, for instance, a place where I'll be offering yoga classes alongside my performance on the bike," he says.

In addition to his local classes and public engagement events around the world, Leech is also gearing up for his next Ride & Reach yoga and mountain biking retreat with Boréale Mountain Biking in the Yukon, July 2-8. Based out of Whitehorse, participants spend five days exploring the area, riding singletrack, improving their skills as well as taking part in yoga workshops.

For more information, visit www.ryanleech.com.