Yoga has the potential to help every athlete strengthen his or her athletic performance, regardless of the sport. I can relate to athletes that may find yoga unnecessary because I felt unproductive when I first took a yoga class. As a track runner, I was used to sweat dripping down my face and gasping for air while wearing workout clothes, not relaxing my mind and body. My time to practice running intervals in preparation for races was limited. I mistakenly thought incorporating yoga into my training routine was unnecessarily taking away valuable time that should be spent on the track. Needless to say, my belief that yoga was useless was misguided. My view of yoga for athletes has drastically changed in the past few years, and I am now a yoga instructor whose passion is to educate and help athletes boost their athletic performance and prevent injuries.

Yoga provides a variation of qualities beneficial for athletes to perform at their optimal level including:

• Flexibility
• Cardiovascular Endurance
• Body Awareness
• Muscular Strength
• Agility
• Active Recovery
• Mental Control
• Balance
• Injury Prevention

Different styles of yoga should be used depending on the athlete’s training schedule. If the athlete’s sport is not in season, then he or she should tailor their yoga practice to be more dynamic and physically demanding in order to enhance their muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance. If the athlete’s sport is in season, he or she should engage in a yoga practice that emphasizes active recovery and relaxation. For competitive athletes (which is most athletes), incorporating a relaxing yoga class into his or her training routine may seem pointless, but cross training through yoga is worthwhile.

Yoga highlights the importance of linking movement with breath, which is vital for athletes because breathing techniques aid respiration and cardiovascular endurance. Focusing on maintaining even inhales and exhales while pausing in an uncomfortable yoga pose also helps athletes practice mental control which can be applied during practice or a game. Balancing postures stimulate body awareness and adjust muscle imbalances. Poses such as Lizard (Utthan Pristhasana) aid flexibility through stretching hip flexors, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Additionally, when the body is tended to, athletes are prepared to execute exercises that demand agility.

A yoga class can be adjusted to benefit goals an individual team or athlete is working to accomplish. With the right approach, yoga is a great option for cross-training both in season and out of season.