Five Game Changing Ways Yoga Unlocks Athletic Performance
How an Evidence-Based Approach to Yoga Can Transform Fitness Potential.
An Olympic Special.
With the Paris Olympic Games about to get underway, the world will witness the best of human performance. These athletes and their coaches have dedicated years to unlocking their full fitness potential. Now, it all comes down to those crucial moments – right down to the wire.
In my thirty years as a Yoga Sports Scientist, I've seen a shift in how yoga is perceived in sports. Yet, many in the strength and conditioning field still view it as a set of challenging postures and hour-long vinyasa flows. So how can yoga truly transform athletic performance?
In this article, I share five evidence-based fitness strategies, drawn from seven years of Yoga Sports Science® case study research.
#1 - Awareness: Unlocking Your Nervous System Superpower
"Without paying attention, you miss the chance to change”, quotes Leon Taylor, Olympic medalist, BBC Sports commentator and yoga teacher.
Awareness and the nervous system go hand in hand. Every movement and sensation happens through the nervous system. How you prepare and engage the nervous system, is the essential foundation from which all stable and fluid movement can occur. ¹ The arrival phase of a yoga class, or training session is where the physiological and biomechanical preparation of your clients begins.
By focusing on sensory feedback, you can tap into what we call your nervous system superpower. This involves understanding and feeling the subtle cues your body provides, enhancing your physiological, biomechanical, and biochemical preparation. It's like having an internal guide that optimizes every movement and breath, preparing you for peak performance.
#2 - Breath: Your Performance Advantage
Breathing might seem basic, but in sports-specific yoga, it’s a significant performance enhancer. At the Institute of Yoga Sports Science®, we apply a modern scientific approach to yoga, which is evidence-based and tailored to the demands of modern athletes. Our research shows that breathing impacts athletic performance significantly, yet it’s often overlooked in traditional training.
Each sport has unique respiratory demands. For example, the breathing pattern for swimming differs from that needed for running. Understanding these needs is vital for a safe and effective yoga session. Integrating breathwork into your routine lays a stable foundation for fluid movement and provides athletes with a personalized breathing strategy that boosts performance.
#3 - Movement: Efficient, Safe, Fluid, and Economical
Movement in yoga is more than exercise; it’s a language that integrates the nervous system, connecting mind and body. Adopting a new movement vocabulary through sports-specific yoga adds playfulness and awareness to your training. It involves moving efficiently and safely, using force and control with structural integrity.
The success of the Yoga Sports Science® Methodology is on integrating bite-sized yoga sequences into any gym setting. A fifteen-minute custom yoga session, delivered regularly with a clear performance objective, consistently yields proven results! ²
#4 - Recovery: Where Strength of Mind and Body Flourish
Recovery is crucial—it's when the muscles, nervous system, and overall health rejuvenate and strengthen. Just like interval training needs breaks, so does the brain and body. Recognising the need to rest and recharge is essential for optimal performance.
#5 - Less Strain, More Gain: Your Marginal Advantage
A "less is more" approach through sports-specific yoga promotes a shift towards a more integrated and mindful method. This approach focuses on quality over quantity, respecting the body's limits, and making incremental gains without overstraining.
Dispelling the Myth About Being ‘Good Enough To Do Yoga’
The idea that you need to be flexible to do yoga or that yoga is all about Downward Dog is a myth—and one that often turns athletes off from taking a class.
Our research indicates that the biggest gains often come from those who are less traditionally 'fit,' providing them with unexpected benefits. By integrating these five key areas in easy, bite-sized ways into your practice or training, you will reap unexpected rewards!
Join Leon and I in as we collaborate with the British Wheel of Yoga and the Yoga Alliance for a “Yoga for Sport: Online Game Changers Workshop,” where we share how these five yoga game changers have helped him and the athletes he mentors.
🗓️ Date: Saturday, August 10, 2024
⏰ Time: 3pm - 6pm BST (UK) / 10am - 1pm EDT ( U.S / Canada)
Duration: 3-hours online, live practical session - breaks included.
Experience the Game Changers! To learn more and register for the online workshop, click here and use the discount code YSSGAMES2024 at checkout.
Early bird tickets are available for £50 until the Olympic Opening Ceremony on 26 July, after which the price will be £70.
🌟 BONUSES🌟
🤓 Online Resource: enhance your workshop experience in our online resource - opens on Friday, 26 July 2024 - coinciding with the start of the Olympic Games.
🏅 One-hour Pre-Recorded Session with Leon Taylor: and Hayley discussing the 5 game changing ways yoga unlocks athletic performance.
📙Workbook: to accompany the Workshop.
🙋♀️ Your Questions Answered: by Hayley and members of the YSS team.
🎥 Workshop Recording: and resources available for a month.
Hayley Winter has been applying bite-size yoga sequences into athletic environments since 2001.
References:
Winter, H. & Ferreira A, (2023) 'The Nervous System: Yoga Sequencing Playbook’. Published by the Institute of Yoga Sports Science®. (Page 9) Module 2, Unit 1, ‘The Yoga Sequencing Solution’. 50-Hour Online Course.
Winter, H, (2019) ‘Yoga for Athletes’ 40-Hour Online Course, The Institute of Yoga Sports Science® Unit 2 ‘The Science of Sequencing’.
Hayley Winter (BWY Dip, ERYT-500, YACEP, SYT) is the founder of the Institute of Yoga Sports Science® (YSS - accredited with the BWY). For almost 30 years, she has worked as a yoga educator and Yoga Sports Scientist. Hayley specialises in sports-specific yoga, biomechanics, movement science, and provides continuing education and advanced yoga teacher training.
In 2009, Hayley. pioneered online yoga education, and in 2010, she co-developed a research method to study yoga's impact on athletic performance. This research, conducted over seven years, significantly advanced the field.
Hayley authored the Yoga Sports Science® syllabus and co-created "The Yoga Sequencing Solution" online course, and "The Yoga Sequencing Playbook" with YSS Consultant Physiotherapist, Annelize Ferreira.
She is dedicated to empowering yoga teachers, and fitness professionals with the scientific principles of yoga to effectively apply yoga to athletes, merging ancient yoga with modern exercise science.
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