The benefit of yoga to running, cycling and swimming is unarguable. The pain most athletes feel is not from the sport in and of itself, but from imbalances that running, cycling or swimming causes and exacerbates. Yoga postures balance all the muscles in the body while focusing attention on proper alignment. Yoga can help increase longevity in athletics and decrease the chance of injury. If you bring your body into balance through the practice of yoga, you can run and cycle long and hard for years to come. For any sport, yoga can also help increase flexibility and range of motion, which translates into more power.

Yoga’s internal focus centers your attention on your own body’s movements rather than on an external outcome. Athletes can use yoga practice to balance strength, increase range of motion, and train the body and mind. Asanas move your body through gravitational dimensions while teaching you how to coordinate your breath with each subtle movement. The eventual result is that your body, mind, and breath are integrated in all actions.

Whatever sport you choose to practice, yoga can enhance and complement your ability. Most sports build muscular strength and stamina, often in specific areas of the body. Yoga can help to check any imbalance in muscular development and will enable both your body and your mind to function more efficiently. If your body is flexible and supple you will be less prone to sports injuries, as your joints will be kept lubricated.

Visit Monica at The Yoga Center of Santa Rosa on Tuesday evenings at 5:30 pm.

Yoga for Athletes Santa Rosa, Yoga For Runners, Yoga for Triathletes, Yoga for Swimmers