To almost all of use, yoga is the opposite of a heart
thumping adrenaline rush, yoga is more like peace, calm and zen, right? Yoga works
to calm the nervous system, yet, more and more people are learning that
yoga is more compatible with skiing, mountain biking, football,
baseball, swimming, or any other form of movement than they may have initially
thought.
So why do the movement practices of yoga translate across
all other sports? And how exactly does yoga work?
Why yoga translates across so many sports and other fields
of movement is easy. Proper movement and body organizing mechanics are
universal. Organizing movement prevents injury, and optimizes physical output potential,
and helps your body express itself
with ease.
How yoga works, is a little bit more complicated. There is now an ever-growing amount of scientific study being conducted
in the field of yoga. So it’s no
surprise that we're starting to get answers to these questions.
Research has shown that yoga may improve symptoms of a variety
of conditions, providing potential relief from depression
and anxiety, diabetes,
epilepsy,
chronic fatigue and even MS. So is yoga only for those of us struggling with health
issues? Absolutely not!
The NFL's Seattle Seahawks who've played in the last
two Super Bowls began having their entire roster participate in yoga
classes in 2012. The Players got so much benefit from the practice, the
Seahawks staff decided to make it a mandated part of player workouts for the
team. Seattle isn’t the only team using yoga either. The New York Giants have incorporated
yoga for the past 12 seasons. The Tennessee Titans, defensive tackle, Shaun
Smith credits his practice for helping him lose 22 lbs., during his off-season and now teaches yoga in is spare time. Yoga can be so beneficial
to athletes, that Troy Polamlu, who has lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to 2 Super
Bowls, and won a SB MVP in 2010, no longer believes in lifting weights and
attributes a great majority of his successes to his yoga practice.
In fact there are way too many athletes doing yoga to name,
but here is a list of some names
you may recognize.
Athletes who are doing yoga aren’t limited to NFL or NBA players
either. MLB Stars like Evan Longoria and Barry Zito, Soccer Players Ryan Giggs and Hope Solo, olympic swimmers like Rebeca Soni and Ariana Kukors all have regular yoga practices. Vibetality is even teaching yoga to 25 NFL offensive lineman every week here in Chandler, and has several professional Athletes taking classes in the studio. Athletes from all sports, and all movement types benefit from yoga, because of its foundation of proper movement principles translates into a healthier body, and it's ability to offer mental space translates into a healthier mind.
So how does the practice of yoga benefit super athletes and
those of us struggling with health problems all at the same time? To start everyone of us would be happier
if our brains worked a little better right? Well, yoga can help with that! According
to a study done
at the University of Illinois, 20 minutes of yoga stimulated brain function and
resulted in better cognitive performance than walking or jogging the same amount of
time. Its not only our brains that get healthier when we do yoga either, we sleep better, have less pain, enjoy a better quality of life , boost our immune system, reduce fatigue, improve our mental outlook, reduce damaging inflammation in our bodies, and much much more. Really when you get down to it, the question isn't why yoga works, but why you aren't doing more yoga!
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