Yoga has many mental and physical benefits that can enhance an athlete’s performance. It can also help relieve stress, encourage relaxation, and support healthy sleep patterns. These benefits are useful for athletes who are prone to overexertion.
From increasing flexibility to building mental resilience necessary for competition, yoga offers a wealth of benefits for athletes. Read on to learn about some of the research supporting the benefits of yoga for athletes, how to come up with a routine, and the advantages of working with a yoga professional.
Yoga can help improve your flexibility, balance, and coordination, all of which positively affect performance. Plenty of research supports the benefits of yoga for athletes. Let’s take a look at some of the latest research.
A small 2016 study looked at yoga’s effect on performance in 26 male college athletes. The 14 athletes who did yoga twice a week saw significant improvements in their balance and flexibility compared with the 12 who did not do yoga. This suggests that yoga can enhance your performance in sports that require balance and flexibility.
Practicing yoga can help you develop mindfulness through awareness of your body, your breath, and the present moment. This can allow for greater concentration during athletic activity.
A 2017 review of studies found that practicing mindfulness consistently improved mindfulness scores. This had a positive effect on shooting and dart throwing, suggesting that the practice is useful for improving skill in precision sports.
More in-depth research on different types of sports is needed to fully understand the benefits of yoga.
Yoga offers many benefits to athletes who are at risk of injury and overexertion.
Soccer
According to a small 2020 study on 31 male soccer players, those who enrolled in a 10-week yoga program had positive results on fatigue, muscle soreness, and injury prevention.
However, the athletes reported lower levels of well-being 10 weeks after the program’s completion. Researchers hypothesize that this could be a short-term effect of enhancing awareness of distress, which could cause it to seem more frequent.
More in-depth studies are needed to expand upon these findings.
Field hockey
Researchers in a small 2018 study examined the effects of hot yoga as an alternative heat stress technique for 10 elite female field hockey players.
The researchers found that hot yoga can enhance cardiovascular performance and plasma volume percentage, which has a positive effect on how your body regulates temperature during exercise.
It’s best to do yoga for a short time each day rather than only one or two long sessions each week. If you play strenuous sports, it’s best to balance this activity with slow-paced, gentle types of yoga.
Your routine should include plenty of poses that allow you to relax and lengthen your muscles and tissues. This helps to improve flexibility, mobility, and range of motion. This may include yin, restorative, or Hatha yoga.
Yin yoga helps to relieve tension and improve your range of motion. It’s ideal for people who have pain and tightness. Yin yoga also helps to relieve stress, which is common among athletes.
Restorative yoga helps to promote relaxation by relieving stress and alleviating pain.
Hatha yoga is done at a slower pace, but some of the poses are more demanding.
Here are a few yoga poses to try:
Suitable for all levels, this pose helps to align your body and correct any imbalances. It alleviates pain and stiffness, bringing relief to tight glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Plus, it relieves tightness in your shoulders and back.
This gentle backbend relieves spinal compression, improves flexibility, and boosts circulation. To deepen this pose and stimulate your throat chakra, turn to gaze upward and allow your head to drop back.
This restorative pose is an excellent way to replenish energy levels while boosting circulation and allowing for relaxation. You may place a cushion or folded blanket under your head or hips.
If you want to deepen or improve your practice, talk to a yoga professional. Find one whose teachings are in line with your goals. These goals may be related solely to yoga or your sport.
Many yoga teachers have experience working with athletes. Work with them to design a routine that will enhance your athletic performance and prevent injury.
They can help you decide which poses will bring you the most benefit, and help you recover from any injuries. They can also make sure you’re using the correct form and technique.
Yoga has a wealth of benefits for athletes, and it’s worth trying if you want to gain strength, flexibility, and balance. It may help improve your range of motion, mobility, and coordination, all of which can boost your performance and prevent injury.
If you’re new to yoga, start slowly and seek out the guidance of a yoga professional to advance your practice.
