Yoga can help athletes improve flexibility and focus on problem areas. Vinyasa and Bikram yoga are ideal for cardiovascular activity, while restorative yoga can aid in healing injuries. Poses like One-Legged Pigeon and Hero Pose can help open hips and relieve stress on ankles.
Yoga for athletes helps athletes focus on their problem areas. For example, yoga for basketball players focuses on improving flexibility in the ankles and working to release tension in the legs and shoulders. A yoga class for cyclists will focus on improving flexibility in the hips, while yoga for runners can improve flexibility in the hamstrings. Yoga for athletes includes Vinyasa, or flow, yoga, and Bikram yoga. Injured athletes can benefit from a restorative yoga class.
During a Vinyasa class, an athlete will move through a variety of poses in rapid succession. Vinyasa is ideal for cardiovascular activity and to improve the endurance of an athlete, since there are no breaks between the poses. Sun salutations are common during Vinyasa classes.
Bikram yoga is practiced in a room heated to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit (about 38 degrees Celsius). During this type of yoga for athletes, students move through 26 poses twice during class. The heat in the room can help athletes improve flexibility, but it can also lead to injury, as students don’t know when they’re pushing themselves too hard.
Yoga for injured athletes should focus on improving the athlete’s alignment while avoiding further injury. Athletes must be shown how to properly keep the shoulders and hips in line with the body to reduce the risk of injury and aid in healing. Yoga healing for athletes can be a slow process, so athletes should be warned not to rush things. To help reduce strain and injury to the legs and hips, athletes can try an inverted asana or body position, such as placing the hips and legs against a wall. Bridge pose can help reduce shoulder strain and stretch your upper body.
Poses that can help athletes include One-Legged Pigeon Pose, which opens the hips, and Hero Pose, which relieves stress on the ankles. An athlete gets into a pigeon position starting on all fours. He then slides his left leg behind her as his right leg bends forward. The left leg should remain in line with the hip, while the right knee leans slightly out. The athlete must support herself with her hands resting on the floor. If she can stand without keeping her hands on the ground, she can place them on her hips.
Hero pose, or virasana, is a good restorative pose for improving flexibility in the ankles and calves. An athlete kneels on the ground with his legs slightly wider than hip-width apart. He should sit with his buttocks between his feet, either directly on the floor or on a block, and hold the position for one minute.
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