When we think about sports preparation and training, the first thing that comes to mind is intense cardio workouts and specific gym equipment. We don’t often associate athletes’ muscles and toned physiques with yoga's fluid movements.
However, the benefits of yoga for athletes are innumerable; it’s great for both physical and mental health. Sports yoga can help athletes have an edge over their competition by improving recovery, flexibility, balance and concentration.
Yoga practised under expert guidance can help you better prepare for your sporting events, or just improve your day-to-day life. Our expert yoga coaches at The Somatic Clinic can help you unleash your full potential with personalised sessions focusing on flexibility, balance, strengthening poses and overall holistic wellbeing.
This blog explores the many benefits of yoga for athletes.
1. Prevents Injury
Injuries are common among athletes and can have a far-reaching impact on their performance and professional careers. Coaches and physiotherapists are increasingly aware of the benefits of yoga for athletes, especially during the preparation and recovery phases.
Sports yoga helps to enhance flexibility, strengthen muscles and increase the range of motion in joints and bones. Yoga helps in the oxygenation of the core muscles, improving recovery. It is particularly effective for runners who train extensively and experience muscle overuse or strain.
Yoga techniques enhance balance, which is shown to prevent injury. Additionally, the different breathing techniques taught during yoga sessions help manage elevated cortisol levels, stress and anxiety.
2. Better Stress Management
Stress and sports often go hand-in-hand, especially for those participating in competitive sporting events. Yoga can help with stress management through different poses and breathing techniques, which can help you feel more relaxed by helping to control your parasympathetic nervous system and cortisol and adrenaline levels.
Yoga is an ancient science that helps practitioners understand the relationship between mind, body and soul. This spiritual enlightenment can help promote emotional balance and better manage the wins and losses associated with the sporting profession.
Stress can often cloud the judgement of athletes, especially in high-stakes competitions. Meditation, a part of yoga practices, helps with mental clarity, focus, determination and concentration.
3. Develop Core Strength
Whether you are a runner, wrestler or swimmer, core stability is necessary.
Core-strengthening exercises such as crunches and situps are beneficial. However, sports yoga targets the abdominal muscles along with muscles in the back, hip and legs, allowing for a more comprehensive approach.
During yoga practices, the deepest layer of the muscles is involved and strengthened. This helps improve muscle extension, relaxation and flexibility. Our yoga experts at The Somatic Clinic can help you learn and practice poses that target your core muscles.
Sports yoga focuses on breathing and alignment, further helping to stabilise the core muscles. This can be advantageous for gymnasts who need a strong core to perform their routine.
4. Improved Recovery and Rehabilitation
Another important aspect of sports preparation is recovery and rehabilitation. Yoga for recovery is one of the greatest benefits of yoga for athletes. Yoga can help improve blood flow and oxygenation of muscles, which is important to fight inflammation, muscle strain and injuries.
During intense sporting events and practices, a significant amount of lactic acid is formed in the muscles. Different yoga poses allow you to rejuvenate and rehabilitate the muscles more easily. We also encourage proper hydration and nutrition can help to flush the toxins out of your body.
Sporting injuries are extremely common, and strenuous exercises and attending the gym are a no-go when recovering from injury or surgery. Yoga for recovery can come to your assistance during these times. It helps to heal and strengthen your musculoskeletal frame while managing stress better.
One of the top benefits of yoga for athletes is that it can help you feel relaxed and get proper sleep. Sleep is key to muscle relaxation, recovery and rehabilitation and managing stress, anxiety and depression.
Choose The Somatic Clinic for a Bespoke Sports Yoga Experience
Whether you’re looking to practise yoga to manage stress before a major sporting event, improve strength and endurance or recover from an injury, the experts at The Somatic Clinic can guide you. We have collaborated with the Tree of Life Northants to offer personalised yoga sessions.
We offer a holistic approach to your well-being, and you can also choose to consult us for nutritional advice, sports massage, physiotherapy and osteopathic treatments. Sports yoga benefits athletes and non-athletes alike, and when done under expert guidance, you can enjoy the relaxation benefits for your physical and mental well-being.
Get in touch with us today to experience the multiple benefits of yoga for athletes.