Confronting the long-held principle that yoga holds no advantage for performers involved in "hardy" sports such as football, basketball, hockey and even boxing, many institutions are including yoga into their training programs, while some of today's leading sports stars separately have made yoga part of their off-season training as well.
For many decades, athletes have put their faith in weight conditioning and vigorous cardio programs to keep them in top form for the rigors of their particular activity. The relaxed movements of yoga (possibly their only knowledge of the philosophy) apparently lacked the strenuous exertion they feel their bodies needed to get them in game-ready condition.
But that false impression has transformed as sports groups and individual athletes have begun to research more thoroughly into yoga and discover the self-control, of both body and mind, necessary to achieve some of the more complicated yoga stances.
Sports stars such as NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Robert Parrish and Maurice Lucas, tennis legends Yannick Noah, Guillermo Vilas and John McEnroe; former NFL standout Dan Marino and even golfing star Gary Player led the way in the 1970s and 1980s in introducing the positive aspects of yoga to the athletic fields. And that movement continues today as stars such as tennis' Serena and Venus Williams, pro basketball's Shaquille O'Neal, pro football's Shannon Sharp and Jon Kitna, boxer Evander Holyfield and entire franchises such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Cubs have tapped into the knowledge of yoga trainers to add a different and much-desired facet to their regimen.
So why add yoga to your athletic training?
Most likely of most interest to athletes is the evidence that yoga can improve overall strength. Many athletes feel that improving their power is the way to advance their execution in their sport, no matter if that field is football, baseball, track and field or swimming. But weight training, which many athletes put their faith in, only trains one or two muscle groups at a time, demanding long hours in the training room to achieve the results they think they need. Yoga and its connected poses incorporate all of the muscles in the body to attain stability and strengthen the relationship between the muscles as well. The result? An athletes who is stronger and whose body moves as a well-coordinated unit.
Next, yoga helps strengthen the body's core, the area from which almost all of the explosive energy needed in sports originates. In games such as tennis and baseball, the core is where the hitting and throwing power originates. In football, the core helps the body make the sudden turns and twists that are needed in the sport. Getting this section of the body in condition is one of the main advantages to adding yoga to your athletic routine. The movements and stances of yoga served to improve the posture, help align the body and assists in the overall operation of the body, which can make athletes faster, more powerful and toned.
When muscle and balance are combined, the result is better agility, another major benefit to athletes. This combination of strength, balance and mobility, and the agility that results, can benefit athletes in all sports. In addition, improving mobility by means of yoga can help athletes as they try to eliminate the probability of injury by getting the body used to the detrimental effects of continual motions.
And finally, yoga can enhance the relationship between the mind and the body. Many athletes mention the "head games" associated with sports - picturing success, attempting to foresee an opponent's actions, etc. These frequently split-second choices require the clarity of thought that can be acquired through yoga. Through the breathing routines, meditation and mannered postures of yoga, athletes can learn to keep their mind and body working in unison even during the most intense moments of the game, when an emotional state can result in tight muscles, lost flexibility and inferior performance.
Thanks to their discovery of the benefit of yoga, it has now become a welcome part of the training program of many athletes on all skill levels. By doing a bit of research into the many forms and styles of yoga, along with examining their unique features, athletes can discover the yoga practice and workout that can provide benefits to their particular sport.
Lindaa Adams adores all things that have to do with health.
One of the most beneficial yoga and fitness blogs Lindaa has found is yogawithkatrina.com/yoga-kamloops/fitness-boot-camp Yoga Instructors Kamloops, which is a distinctive combination of yoga and exercise.
Here are the top 10 squidoo.com/yoga-kamloops-10-fitness-tips-for-beginners Kamloops Yoga Boot Camp Tips for Beginners.
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