More and more
athletes are turning to
yoga as
a supplementary exercise routine to fix the imbalance in their
body and to improve their performance in their chosen field of
sport. Whether you are a golfer, basketball, tennis, or football
player, the mind body connection in
yoga is
an important element in producing peak performance.
Although proper
breathing technique is the foundation of many sports, it is often
ignored by many athletes.
Yoga
will help fix this lack of breathing skill and develop the correct
breathing technique that is very much required in any game of
sport. The integration of mind and body through correct breathing
patterns helps to build stamina and endurance in an athlete.
Proper breathing techniques also bring more focus and attention to
the mind and sharpens one's intuition. This gives the athlete an
advantage over his rivals.
The various poses in
yoga
helps to build a strong mid-section and the different types of
contractions of these poses and movements act as a form of
resistance training to the typical gym-based workouts. But unlike
in a gym, you can practice
yoga
outdoors without having to bring heavy equipment. Imagine doing
yoga
exercises by a windy beach with the sound of waves in the
background, on a hill top with a great view and fresh air, or in a
zen garden.
Frequent
yoga
practice increases flexibility and range of motion and the slow
movements is perfect for athletes. Many athletes are already using
yoga
movements as a warm up and warm down routines in their sport.
Athletes in sports field such as tennis and golf will notice
improvements in their swing as a result of this flexibility of the
muscles and joints. In any given sport, the addition of
yoga as
a supplementary routine training has been known to improve the
performance of the athletes.
Most athletes are
involved in some form of weight training and other resistance
training that uses repetitive motions that only develop certain
muscle groups, while ignoring others. That creates imbalance in
the body.
Yoga is able to fix this imbalance and help to develop the
muscles that have been ignored through the contraction of these
muscles in the various poses.
Yoga is
also a good workout to relieve boredom in athletes who perform the
same types of exercises year in year out by adding variety. It is
also an important element in recovering the body from hard aerobic
and strength workouts. The numerous poses in
yoga can
be done in a low or high intensity workout according to the
athlete's needs. Overall,
yoga is
not only important in bringing in more strength, balance and
flexibility to an athlete, but also brings more alertness,
attention and focus that is so much needed by athletes in their
very competitive world.
