Yoga Feature for Body Fit

Yoga for your Sport

Many cardio-junkies are quick to dismiss Yoga; they’d rather be building up a sweat than finding their inner peace. Phoebe Doyle looks at how Yoga can actually benefit your sport.

The ancient practice of Yoga has seen a surge in popularity over the last decade and even some exercise-enthusiasts, more at home in the gym or pounding the pavements in running shoes, have been reaping the rewards from Yoga practice. Yoga teacher Ronnie Burgess says there are literally hundreds of poses that can provide a workout for any sportsperson’s needs, she explains why; “The practice of Yoga integrates the mind-body association from which any sports enthusiast can benefit tremendously from. Yoga poses are designed to build core strength – essential for running as well as other activities. The slow, focused movements call for a strong mid-riff and the muscular stretches add a new form of resistance training to your regime.”

Regular Yoga training can enhance flexibility and range of motion and the breathing techniques can improve lung capacity – crucial for high impact training. “Take running as an example”, says Ronnie, “it can often create imbalances in the body – the muscles that move the legs sideways become weak while those that are overused become tight. The continual pounding in running can also compress the spine. Yoga improves the body's suppleness and strength, but it also enhances balance and coordination, increases breathing capacity and hones mental focus.”

Yoga Reduces Injury Risk

Injury is any avid exerciser’s greatest fear as it can leave you unable to train for months at a time. Improved joint and muscle mobility, and better posture – all of which Yoga helps with - can help prevent injuries in those who regularly practice high impact exercise.

Alongside this is the issue of promoting great balance; “Yoga is the ideal way to bring balance exercises into your training regimen”, says Ronnie, adding; “Balance exercises are all too frequently missed out by those who practice high impact exercise regularly. However they are amongst the most efficient ways to rectify any discrepancy in the body, crucial as it’s imbalances that most commonly lead to injury. Most training routines develop some muscle groups but ignore others and Yoga can fix these inconsistencies.”

Yoga expert Mollie McClelland ( www.molliemcclelland.com ) explains how muscular injury can be prevented, “by increasing flexibility, yoga averts injuries that come from pulling muscles, because the athletes range of movement is significantly enhanced.  Some injuries come from impact or force on the body, if you have better mobility in the muscles and improved balance the pressure of the force should be minimised.”

Do Yoga; Be Better

“Whatever sport you practice, yoga can help you improve your performance”, claims Ronnie who says many of her clients have seen an almost immediate improvement in training – both from a psychological and physical perspective; “Pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation can help you focus your mind, regulate your breathing and improve your lung capacity.”

Mollie notes that many high calibre athletes regularly do mind training and the focus aspect of yoga is an extension of this, she says; “one aspect of yoga practice is detachment and being ‘in the moment' - this training for athletes and people who play competitive sports is crucial.  How do you come back and reach a new personal best?  How do you find the power to push through when it seems all power is gone?  How do you negotiate a challenge? As mental clarity and compassion for the self develop, we can become increasingly successful in handling difficult moments in our sport.”

Yoga to Teach Better Stretching

Yoga teaches proper technique so that you can expand the power of the stretches you do for your specific training.  Ronnie says that from her experience with clients, runners can sometimes be the biggest culprits when it comes to not making enough time for stretching, “the very least that Yoga offers them is a time to stretch really well; such a crucial – but often forgotten – part of their training”, she says.

Mollie’s adamant about the benefits of being stretch savvy; “When we stretch without awareness, it is common to compensate for tight places by stretching in places that are already less tight.  When you use proper technique, as taught through Yoga practise, you can learn to target stretches to the appropriate places.  Also, because many yoga poses have an isometric element, stretching is far safer than if you just push into the depth of a stretch.”

BOX OUT

Mollie suggests some sport-specific poses to get you started…

Runners: Runner's lunge, also known as low lunge or Ardha Mandalasana

Start in forward bend and step the left leg back.  Tuck toes under so the back leg is straight.  Hands on the floor, on the fingertips, on either side of the front foot.  

Roll the shoulders backwards.  Try to flatten the upper back, and project the chest forwards, without sticking the chin forwards.  Stay for 5-10 breaths.  Switch legs.

Swimmers : Chest opener on the wall.  

Take our mat close to a wall, and stand about 8 inches away from it, with the wall next to your right shoulder.  Step your right leg forward into a high lunge or warrior 1 position with the feet.  Then take your right arm and put it on the wall, palm facing the wall, at shoulder height, but behind the shoulder as far as possible.  Push the wall away with your hand and spin the chest away from the wall, as you breathe deeply and feel the chest stretching open.  

Stay for 5-10 deep breaths, then turn around and do the other side.  The leg closer to the wall should be forward, and then turn the chest away.  The arm on the wall can be bent or straight.  Experiment to find the deepest stretch for you.

Cyclists:  Ardha Bhekasana (Half Frog pose), Ardha Dhanurasana (half bow pose).  

Lying on your belly on the floor, prop yourself up on your forearms so that the elbows are just underneath the shoulders.  This should be quite an easy position to start.  Then pull your belly away from the floor, like there is a needle on the floor that you need to lift away from.  Next bend your right knee then reach around with your right arm to hold the foot and squeeze the foot into you. This stretches the thigh and the fascia around the knee, (that is the half Bhekasana part).  

Part two is the half Dhanurasana.  Keep hold of the top of the foot then kick the foot back behind you vigorously.  Let the energy pull in the foot back make the arm straight and start to take weight off the other (left) arm.  This will open and stretch the chest as well.  Hold for 5 breaths.  Come back into the half frog, with the foot squeezed in, before releasing and switching legs.