These days, yoga is everywhere. Yoga companies like Lululemon, Onzie and Athleta are blowing up. Yoga models are huge hits on Instagram. Virtually everyone has a yoga studio nearby, but what is the benefit behind the hype? Why are athletes following suit and adding yoga to their regular routines? There are myriad reasons to choose yoga as part of a fitness program. It has something for every kind of athlete, even those who have strict limits.
Yoga is a Great Cool-Down
Stretching is a traditional cool-down for cardio athletes. It keeps them active while their heart rates normalize. It keeps the muscles from stiffening after a hard push. Yoga includes some strength and balance poses, but stretching is at the core of all branches of yoga. Yoga asanas (poses) target specific muscles and tendons. Athletes can perform these poses in the form of a sun salutation or their own flow of their favorite asanas after a tough workout until they are cool.
Yoga Can Be a Vigorous Workout
Yes, yoga can be restorative and is a good cool-down, but yoga is also challenging in itself. Moreover, there are many types of yoga, some of which take the workout up a notch. There are many yoga gyms that offer Ashtanga or Vinyasa yoga for an intense workout. The poses move from one straight into the next leaving the body little time for rest until the end of the practice. There is also Bikram yoga, which is done in a hot room so working up a sweat is as simple as showing up.
Yoga is the Ultimate Stretch Routine
There is no workout that will stretch an athlete the way yoga does. Even dancer stretches are essentially asanas done by dancers without a yoga sequence. Everything from the hamstrings to the underarms are stretched in a good yoga routine. People who are proficient in yoga can perform impressive feats of flexibility, such as over splits, scorpion pose and much more. However, athletes do not have to be able to achieve the full expression of any pose to get a good stretch. Yoga is for everyone. Athletes who lack flexibility should not avoid yoga. In fact, yoga stretching can help prevent injuries caused by lack of flexibility.
Yoga Fits Perfectly With a Nutritious Diet
Yoga helps athletes become more in tune with every part of their bodies. When holding a targeted pose for a few minutes, it is hard not to notice how the body reacts. It’s also difficult not to notice when unhealthy foods get in the way of a good practice. When athletes opt for foods like the best protein for lean muscle and healthy fats for the brain, their yoga improves. Workouts that go hand-in-hand with a healthy lifestyle are great for athletes who want to improve their well-being, stamina and physique. So, get in plenty of the best protein for lean muscle, healthy vitamins and water for a yoga-ready body.
Yoga Can Help With Injuries
While athletes must be careful which poses they choose when injured, yoga provides such a range of activity that it is perfect for injured athletes. It is a great part of physical therapy. It can help athletes avoid using injured areas while keeping the rest of the body in shape. It also has varying levels of difficulty, which makes it easy to create slow, careful flows that are gentle and restorative.
Whether an athlete is aiming for increased flexibility, balance or strength, yoga is a great choice. From dancers to football players, yoga is a performance enhancer that is attainable at all ages and skill levels. Use yoga to aim for higher kicks or practice handstands for the half-pipe–it doesn’t matter. No matter the goal, yoga provides a path to it.