How does yoga help Athletes?

Another excellent question we came across!!

It doesnt really matter which sport you are doing, incorporating yoga will help in building focus, concentration and relaxing your body. The simple science behind this is that yoga helps activate your parasympathetic nervous system which helps in the rest and digest function of your body.

What is paramount is consistency. You need to incorporate it in your training.

Now if you are a runner, your lower body tends to be more inflexible, but athletes are mindful enough to stretch it else in the long run you will tend to hurt your hipflexors and hamstrings. Yoga can help greatly - a simple focus on the lower body poses will help enhance performance as the muscles are more relaxed.

Another huge benefit of yoga is that your body learns how to function as one unit. We tend to work our quads, abs, calves, back, shoulders etc however most asanas or poses actually use a combination of muscles and connecting muscles. This builds true strength. For example the dancers pose or natrajasana - pic below for a quick reference

Now here its making one side flexible - your shoulder, obliques, back, stretching your quads while making the other side strong. It opens your chest, straightens your back allowing more space for your lungs.

Most asanas or poses are like this they use a combination of muscle groups and your body learns how to work as a single unit. This improves mobility and is true strength as it works on the connecting muscles and not just the main muscle groups.

Join a gentle hatha or a gentle vinyasa class and most poses covered will be super helpful.

Pranayama is another one that will help in improving lung capacity, deepening your breath.