Yoga – 5 Reasons to Add it to your Sports Performance Training

What do you think about when you hear the words, “yoga”? If you think of lots of breathing, fit women in yoga pants and crunchy hippies, then you’re missing the point of yoga — as well as its many benefits. Today, more athletes are jumping on the yoga bandwagon because they know how much it helps with their performance — both on the field and off. Here’s what you need to know about it.

1. Control

Yoga training provides the opportunity to practice better control of your body. You’ll constantly hear phrases that tell you to pull your belly button to your spine and to slowly roll down one vertebra at a time. This hyper-vigilance on your body will provide you with an exceptional amount of control as you continuously work on building those neurological connections between your body and your brain.

2. Power

Keeping your joints safe hinges on the flexibility that you are able to build. Flexibility provides supple muscles and more elastic joints which recover more quickly and move efficiently. You also enjoy an expanded range of motions with gives you more options for power.

3. Increased Mental Resources

A laser-sharp focus is something that every athlete wants to attain. While it can be a challenge to get there, yoga helps you on that road. Keeping your mind on your body, as well as what it is doing and trying to accomplish, are huge goals of yoga. Forging those connections by holding tough poses for an extended time or clearing your mind for meditation build your focus and your mental tenacity.

4. Recovery and Repair

Overworking certain groups of muscles is pretty much a normal course of events for most athletes. Unfortunately, that usually means a slow day of exercise while you are in recovery mode. Using yoga on those days can aid the repair and recovery of those stressed-out muscle groups by the repeatedly stretching and relaxing your muscles. The increase in blood flow to your tissues that results can help facilitate their repair.

5. Improved Muscle Function

A central focus of yoga is breathing in a particular way as you perform each pose. This focus on your breathing also helps tame an excited mind and bring your stress level down a notch. Concentrating on the correct breathing patterns for yoga means that you can access reservoirs of functionality, control, and power that you never knew you had access to. As you learn to be more efficient in your breathing, you’ll find that your other bodily functions fall into place as well.

Yoga in Kansas City is a featured service at AYC Health & Fitness. We have classes and personal session. Call AYC Health & Fitness today at 913-642-4437 or click to book a consultation and we will help find the right option for you.