Sports Yoga

If your sport requires you to have balance, strength, flexibility, focus then you will benefit from yoga.  It is the new best friend of all sport coaches.

Yoga is used to enhance your athletic performance as you rebalance the body by lengthening tight muscles, strengthening weak muscles and developing mental endurance to propel your sports performance beyond what you have so far achieved.

Benefits of Sports Yoga

In Yoga, both the body and mind are exercised. And the focus is on stretching, balancing, breathing and visualisation.

Yoga and Football

Roy Keane - the Manchester United star - when he first started practicing yoga five years ago, he was physically exhausted after the classes. Now he is joined by Ryan Giggs and David Bellion in the regular sessions organized by Old Trafford's physio. Each of them see and feel a huge difference in their bodies.  So what can it do for you?

Benefits of Yoga Compared to Conventional Cross-training

(Source: Health Benefits of Yoga article by Trisha Lamb for the International Association of Yoga Therapists)

Yoga Cross- training
  • Parasympathetic nervous system dominates
  • Sub-cortical regions of brain dominate
  • Slow dynamic and static movements use muscles more effectively and safely
  • Normalization of muscle tone
  • Low risk of injuring muscles and ligaments
  • Lower calorie consumption
  • Effort is minimized and relaxed whilst effects are maximised
  • Energising (breathing is natural or controlled)
  • Balanced activity of opposing muscle groups
  • Non-competitive and process oriented
  • Awareness is internal (focus is on the breath, the moment, and the infinite)
  • Limitless possibilities for growth in self-awareness and self-belief
  • Sympathetic nervous system dominates
  • Good for overall fitness and a crutial part of the regime to built explosive strength.
  • Cortical regions of brain dominate
  • Rapid forceful movements often using momentum
  • Increased muscle tension
  • Higher risk of injury
  • Moderate to high calorie consumption
  • Effort is maximised
  • Fatiguing (breathing is taxed)
  • Imbalanced activity of opposing muscle groups
  • Competitive, goal-oriented
  • Awareness is external (focus is on 'reaching the toes', reaching the finish line, etc.)

 Please contact us to discuss how yoga can contribute to your sports training