An Ancient Secret To Improved Athletic Performance

Every athlete is seeking out ways to improve in their chosen sport be it running, snowboarding or their weekly game of unicycle hockey. As previously stated I am a runner so I will develop this post from the perspective of a runner. Hours upon hours of blood, sweat and tears (sorry to sound cliché) on the track will always grant excellent results - Hard work and dedication do pay off. However, you can supplement that to kick-start your athletic performance and take it further than just running alone can do without the use of performance enhancing drugs, of which I am whole heartedly against. No, I am talking about the ancient practice of Yoga.

Yoga has been around for centuries and regardless of whether or not you are an athlete, the instantaneous and long term benefits are astronomical. See HERE for the short and long term benefits. Here is a list of 10 professional male Football and Basketball athletes who practice Yoga, including the likes of Lebron James, for the male skeptics who think it is too feminine.  But I am here to tell you why us athletes should practice it - regardless of gender. Here are my findings:

• Greater Strength - If you stick to one form of exercise only your are going to over train and under train different muscles in your body. Yoga helps to utilize those muscles that may not be getting attention in your workout schedule, especially those that are supportive to the larger muscle groups giving you an overall level of strength.
• Balance - Yoga Asanas (Poses) require coordination with all of your body at once, giving you an improved sense of how your body moves which in turn allows your running technique and form to benefit.
• Flexibility - Undoubtedly one of the most known benefits of Yoga is its ability to improve flexibility. Increased flexibility means more structural soundness, and a better range of motion in both the joints and muscles. For a runner an improved range of motion for the hips mean a greater and more efficient stride
• Mental Focus - Yoga allows you to gain a greater sense of control over your mind. It gives you the skills necessary to quieten your thoughts, reduce anxiety, relax your mind and be in the moment. A skill unfathomably beneficial to an athlete who is 5 minutes away from the start of a race.
•  Breathing - One of the main aspects of a Yoga session is the breathing along with the poses. These breathing exercises undertaken alongside physical poses increase the lung capacity overtime and aid the body's ability to transport oxygen to the working muscles. An invaluable asset to have for an athlete who needs to get oxygen to the muscles as effectively as possible.
• Reduced Recovery Time - Yoga also helps in flushing out the lactic acid build up that occurs after rigorous exercise. Reduced recovery time means your fresh and ready for the workout the next day.

...and last but certainly not least,

• Injury Prevention - The most common injuries in running are illiotibial band (ITB), knee, hamstrings, hip flexors and shoulders. The majority of these are  directly linked to a lack of flexibility, poor core strength and misalignment. Yoga fixes all of these and more. So what better reason to try it out than being safe in the knowledge that it will allow you do your beloved sport to the best of your abilities for longer.

Now, obviously these are just some of the benefits of Yoga and yet these alone were enough to get me to jump on board. But if you are not looking for all this technical reasoning, well I do Yoga most mornings now and it is a fantastic way for me to wake up my mind and body to greet the day.

Hope you all give it a try and reap the benefits I am. Good luck and Namaste!