4 Ways Yoga Can Benefit Athletes

The word ‘yoga’ can suggests a lot of things; something old ladies do before tea and cake perhaps, or the woo-woo art of chanting, religious-heavy chat, or maybe something for people with gurus to do for hours on end. The Yoga Revolution is here to dispel these myths and bring more people the wonderful benefits of truly good yoga classes. So what really is yoga? And how can it help sports people and athletes?

This post is for cyclists, runners, crossfitters, or anyone who throws themselves around in some other interesting way. Because yoga can seriously help you with your main movement activies. Here’s the 4 big reasons to incorporate yoga into your routines:

1. Increased flexibility

Taking gym-goers as an example: all those lifts, squats, pulls, and pushes are obviously amazing for strength, but too many weight lifters and gym-bunnies forget the warm-up and warm-down, ending up stiff and less mobile than ideal. And actually, if you work to gain flexibility, you’ll find the strength comes easier, you’ll get injured less, and you’ll have (surprise surprise) a greater range of movement.

It’s an obvious stereotype that yoga is just stretching, which it isn’t. The practice does, however, have a huge flexibility aspect to it, so it’s perfect to add into any movement routine to get these flexibility benefits.

Want to work on stretching it all out? Try this Twisted Habits class, featuring (you guessed it) twists and plenty of opening up tight places.

2. Increased strength

It comes as a surprise to some, but yes, you’ll get seriously strong with a energetic yoga practice. It’s always a balance between length and strength in yoga, and one without the other more often than not leads to injury. As a consequence, alongside the flexibility we also end up getting stronger, too.

Trust me when I say you’ll work a different set of muscles in yoga than when you’re lifting weights. This means yoga can really support your overall muscle balance, muscle tone, and strength.

Try this class Slowing Down To Get Strong in the TYR library. It’s slow, but not as you might think.

3. Improvement of balance

An obvious one in yoga, balance is one of the best physical benefits. With better ability to balance comes a reduction in injuries, it helps stabilise muscles and joints, and you’ll actually build strength in what can often be weaker joints in your body (meaning you’ll be more able to cope with falls, and you’re less likely to fall in the first place).

Try member favourite Balance & Flow for a challenging and dynamic balancing session.

4. Improved recovery times

Slowing down in yoga isn’t just a mental health thing. Restorative yoga and meditation have been shown to promote healing in the body, which means you’ll be able to jump back into it—whatever your movement discipline is—sooner and stronger. You’ll heal from injuries quicker, and this might just be the edge you need to reach even bigger PBs in future.

If you’re new to restorative yoga, try this 12-minute Mini Restorative to help you get in the zone. Thank me later.

The takeaway

Yoga is a powerful addition to any movement discipline. Whether you’re looking to go further, lift more, or simply be better at what you do, yoga offers a unique physical and mental tune-up to allow you to do just that.

Join The Yoga Revolution’s inner circle to get free resources, yoga classes, and inspiration to help you get to your best.