Do athletes really do yoga?
Increasingly yoga for athletes, of all levels, across a wide range of sports has been integrated into the training programmes by coaches and clubs.
Since taking up yoga, Shannon and I have certainly experience the benefits of a stronger core, better balance and increased focus. As keen sports people we have been keen to share our yoga with various sports clubs including Berkshire Tri Squad, Cookham Dean Cricket Club and Cardiff City Rowing Club. We have led yoga classes after half marathons and swim run events.
On our blog we feature a number of posts that combine the use of yoga by athletes that you may find interesting.
Tim is a qualified British Triathlon coach and gym instructor, whilst Shannon is an assistant coach for the U10 age group at a local running club.
Please contact us if you would like us to incorporate yoga into your team/clubs training schedule.
How can yoga help?
Strong, stable and supple muscles are important for doing sports over the long term. Often people have to curtail their active lifestyle due to muscular injuries. This can be helped by adding strength and stretching exercises into their training.
But there is one key element that is often overlooked in training regimens: A strong, disciplined mind. A regular yoga practice helps to improve the ability to concentrate by learning techniques to breathe properly and slow the mind down.
Yoga classes are similar to a training session: Warm up, targeted training activity, cool down. Each class will also integrate breathing, focusing techniques, and mindfulness.
Both Tim and Shannon have been doing various sports for years: Running, swimming, cycling, paddling and skiing (water and snow). Tim played rugby to a university level and still enjoys touch rugby. As a family we love the outdoors and have just started SUP-ing and sailing. Teaching yoga and integrating it into their daily lives ensures we are fit and healthy to continue learning new sports and staying active.
Articles about athletes doing yoga
- Football – Even footballer Ryan Giggs does yoga
- Football – Bend it like Ryan Giggs: how athletes fell in love with yoga
- Golf – How yoga can make you swing faster
- Running – Why all runners should consider adding yoga to their routines
- Running – The simple yoga routine ALL runners should be doing
- Rugby – Why rugby players should do yoga
- Skiing – Why yoga is good for skiing
- Skiing – Stretch your mind, body when it comes to staying in skiing shape
- Tennis – The key to Murray’s success: hot yoga!
- Sports Stars – Famous sports stars that do yoga
- Conditioning – Best yoga asanas for toning your abs
- Sports clothing – Nikes first yoga apparel….
“Basketball is an endurance sport, and you have to learn to control your breath; that’s the essence of yoga, too. So, I consciously began using yoga techniques in my practice and playing. I think yoga helped reduce the number and severity of injuries I suffered. As preventative medicine, it’s unequaled.” ~Kareem Abdul Jabbar