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Benefits of Yoga for Athletes

Not many athletes are blessed with perfect biomechanical balance since birth. Most of the time, there are unnoticeable discrepancies in our body may cause injuries, due to repetitive endurance exercise. When we swim, bike and run, our body is in a constant state of imbalance. When we move, our muscles tighten and relax repeatedly. The…

Not many athletes are blessed with perfect biomechanical balance since birth. Most of the time, there are unnoticeable discrepancies in our body may cause injuries, due to repetitive endurance exercise. When we swim, bike and run, our body is in a constant state of imbalance. When we move, our muscles tighten and relax repeatedly. The intensity can be higher for professionals athletes who rely on intense physical activities. However, repeated movements could put stress to our muscles, making injuries more likely to happen. Yoga is an exercise that can help professionals athletes to achieve balance, ensure peak performance and prevent injuries. During yoga movements, we coordinate movements, yoga poses and breathing techniques to achieve goals.

Many athletes find that balance poses are actually quite challenging to do when performed correctly. However, contracting various muscle groups in an isometric manner can be a great way to ensure that your muscle strength is perfectly balance. A well-planned yoga session is focused on multiple body movements. Running and other endurance sports require athletes to move in one direction with repetitive motions. Eventually, this may contribute to overuse injuries and imbalance. Yoga sessions allows your body to move to all directions, ensuring a symmetry in your muscle strength. A symmetry is essential to helps you to achieve balance. In a yoga class, you may notice that the instructor is deliberate and careful in replicating poses and movements on each side of the body.

Through yoga, you can be more mindful about the movements of your body. It is a factor that can help to improve the endurance of any athlete. When doing yoga, your focus must be directed inward, instead of outward. So, you don’t have to think about external outcomes, such as running for a certain distance or time. It will be helpful, if you have internal focus during triathlon or running event. Through yoga, you can tune in to your body. Each yoga session is often different. Some poses can be easy, but in other times, they can be quite difficult. When we are tired, our sense of balance can be impaired. By practicing yoga, you can create acceptance and awareness. It is a good idea to find an instructor who provides you exercise sessions that greatly vary from day to day.

For athletes transferring their mindfulness and awareness to their regular training programs can bring many benefits. This will make their sports career more enjoyable. By being aware, we can begin to accept the limitations of our body. Awareness will allow us to become more honest about ourselves. In yoga, the term pranayama means yoga breathing and it’s the art of controlling our breathing. This will help to bring fresh oxygen to our muscles and brain. Pranayama is about deep and slow breathing, which is very different compared to shallow and fast breathing that we do during aerobic training. When performed regularly, pranayama allow for healthier heart and stronger lungs. Deep breathing exercises also help to lower blood pressure and bring relaxation.