Figure 1 Athletes Can Benefit From Taking Up Yoga
Although it might now be common knowledge that yoga can help on a mental and physical level, you may be surprised that so many sports athletes advocate practicing one of the many versions. Fans may feel it is too slow an exercise for a highly skilled athlete to fit into his or her routine.
But athletes who feature on all the nightly sports highlight shows and the vegas betting sites, such as LeBron James and the entire Seattle Seahawks football team, have stated that it is one of the core parts of their health and wellness regime. Yoga has seemingly become integral to staying at the top level of sports.
Obviously, not all of the people reading this article will be professional sports athletes—or play at a level anywhere near that. But we think that if the world’s most talented and skillful athletes practice yoga and recognize its benefits, it might interest the rest of us.
Preventing Injury
One of the main occupational hazards of any sports athlete is the danger of picking up an injury. It doesn’t matter how little contact is allowed in the sport they play; the demands that athletes put on their bodies during training and in games mean that injuries are just part of the job.
Obviously, an athlete would rather not suffer from injuries, and one thing that can help against that is taking up yoga. Improving flexibility and strengthening muscles and tendons combat injuries and help with a swifter recovery time if the athlete is unfortunate enough to pick one up.
Helping with Focus
You will have seen images of athletes walking into stadiums and arenas, eyes on the prize, remaining completely focused on the task. But that focus cannot be conjured up out of thin air – these athletes have to work hard to gain that focus and resist distractions that will affect their game.
Professional athletes are more likely to experience stress than non-athletes, and yoga is a great way of learning how to focus the mind. Yoga is just as much about boosting mental strength as it is about strengthening muscles and improving flexibility. Breathing centers the body, slows everything down, and allows the individual to focus more successfully.
Boosts Movement
Sometimes, yoga movements can exactly replicate the types of movements that an athlete will make on the court or field. In this way, yoga can provide muscle memory and help athletes enhance their performance during a game. It becomes part of the direct training regime for those individuals.
Although any athlete practicing yoga should be encouraged to incorporate more than just sports-related movements into their training routines, the advantages of stretching muscles in the same way they will have to on a match day are obvious. Every little helps, and yoga can definitely make a difference in this way.
Builds Core
We hear a lot from fitness professionals and coaches about the need to strengthen our core, but usually, the details are a little scarce unless you are already involved in a program. Athletes will need to concentrate on the parts of the body that specifically affect their sports, but a strong core is also essential.
The core muscles in our body deal with the trunk of the torso, protect the lower back and help reduce injuries. Yoga specifically helps with the core and builds strength and balance for poses. Relying on the core is a must for yoga devotees and helps athletes enormously.
Improves Sleep
Relaxing is just as important as stretching and staying healthy, so getting a good night’s sleep is crucially important for everyone—including world-class sports athletes. Yoga helps with the ability to relax almost on cue, and that aids athletes in a number of ways.
We have already mentioned the stress levels of sports athletes – and sleeping well helps with that – but our bodies use sleep to recover and replenish from the day’s activities. So, not getting that sleep will impact the body’s ability to be at its best the next day. That is something that a sports athlete cannot risk happening.
Figure 2 Yoga Can Even Help With Jumping
Specific Sports Benefits
We now see that yoga should be indispensable to any sports athlete’s health regime. But they can also narrow down parts of yoga practice to specifically help with the sport they might play. Basketball players need enhanced flexibility and agility and yoga has even been proven to help with jumping – another very important part of the game.
Football players should be especially interested in how practicing yoga can help prevent recovery from a high chance—of suffering in that sport. Balance and coordination, required in soccer, are also greatly helped by regular yoga.
Yoga For All
It does seem as though all sports athletes should consider taking up yoga to help with their careers—and prolong them in many cases. But all the benefits we have outlined here can also apply to us all.
Yoga is for everyone – and everyone can improve their physical and mental states by incorporating it into their lives.
