Yoga for sports
Yoga is the ONLY system that looks at the body as a WHOLE. When there are areas of tightness in the body it causes blockages, energy (oxygen/nutrients/hormones etc) is restricted creating a malfunction. If these systems are not in harmony then stress is built up in the body, making the body and all its systems (muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, immune, endocrine, digestive and nervous), unable to function at their prime optimum.
When the physical or emotional body is out of alignment/harmony it causes areas of ‘slumping’, which produces tension in the muscles, the muscles then press onto the bones (which are then vulnerable to injury and osteo-arthritis because the lubrication cannot get through to joints). Oxygen and nutrients can’t get through to feed muscles, so the muscles tire easily (most injuries occur because of muscle fatigue) and contract causing tightness particularly in the shoulders, lower back and legs (yoga releases the muscles not only through the stretching but psychologically by reducing the stress response of the sympathetic nervous system). The brain is also starved of oxygen which manifests itself in tiredness, fatigue and depression, creating tightness in the chest, causing shallow breathing (which leads to not enough oxygen in blood stream, inducing less efficient blood-oxygen exchange which can lead to a lot of physical problems, the body’s organs cannot function properly). So you see it is a domino effect, when one area of the body malfunctions it has a knock on effect for the whole body. When injuries keep occurring it is the body talking to us, we have just lost the ability to listen to our bodies, because where pain manifests itself is not necessarily where it has originated from (for instance, infection in the kidneys can manifest its as back pain, yoga strengthens not just the exterior body but also works on the internal body). So you see the body HAS to be looked at as a WHOLE and yoga is the ONLY system which offers this. Just imagine if yoga could be taken into your sport I wonder how different the outcome would be. Yoga Junky™ focuses on;
1) Core Strength - because without it there is no power in that kick/throw/club/racquet it all comes from the core.
2) Hamstrings - to bring strength and flexibility, preventing injury and building power and length, this increases the stride, stretching out that extra giving it that little bit more which could make all the difference to your game.
3) Psoas and Piriformis - bringing particular focus to these muscles because when they are tight they are a major contributor to most back pain (both originate in the lower back and form one tendon attaching to the back of the femur, not just causing back pain but causing some restriction in striding or kicking).
4) Feet and Ankles - focusing on the muscles, joints and tendons in the feet and ankles, lengthening and strengthening preventing injury and creating mobility for ‘darting’ around the pitch/court.
5) Increasing Stamina - Yoga offers skills to build physical and emotional endurance, increasing stamina avoiding exhaustion. One way yoga aids this is by getting the ‘energy’ moving, using techniques to increase and regulate the supply of oxygen/glucose to the muscles to keep up with the physical demand.
6) Knees - strengthening the surrounding muscles and tendons for protection, increasing lubrication to the joints, preventing injury.
7) Agility - Yoga builds flexibility and strengthens muscles, tendons and joints making them less susceptible to injury. If an injury does occur yoga brings an increased recovery rate, getting you back out at the sport you love quicker.
8) Breathing Techniques - using specialised and unique breathing techniques which energise the brain and increase alertness (reducing tiredness). Yoga offers techniques which can control the nervous system by stimulating the body or calming the body down.
9) Mental Focus - it’s all very well being fit but without focus it can all go horribly wrong, yoga promotes a focused and positive frame of mind and teaches skills in training the mind to ‘being in the moment’ (bringing focus onto the sport in hand).
10) Balance - focusing on increasing stability and strength. Balancing is the foundation of movement, without it, like a building constructed on a poor foundation collapses, so will the body. Yoga brings steadiness.
11) Increased Motor Neuron Skills - Yoga stimulates the brain strengthening the nerve impulses to the muscles, which aid in co-ordination (aiding in hand to eye/foot skills).
Try Yoga Junky™ and 'Get Addicted'.
‘Beware of your boomerang!’..