Have you ever done yoga?

[Alexander Oshinsky]

I practiced yoga once during my senior year of undergrad and had a rather interesting experience with it. For the first month it was a great experience, I was able to relax and felt like I was getting stronger. I was also playing rugby at the time and ended up dislocating my shoulder and tearing my labrum during a match which made much of what we were doing in yoga difficult if not impossible. Instead of trying to make adjustments for me and help me through my injury, my professor first tried to convince me to drop the class several times and then started singling me out during class, so instead of being able to relax I started to feel more stressed. one advantage though was that I was able to continue to work on my strength and conditioning a bit and felt more comfortable returning to the game post surgery.

I can see and did experience the relaxation that yoga has to offer, and have considered taking more classes when I find time.

[Rajarshi]

Yoga is the ancient science of human body & Mind. 8 limbs of Yoga- Yama (Self-Discipline), Niyama (Self-Maintenance), Asana (Postures), Pranayama (Breath Control), Pratyahara (Control of Senses), Dharana (Concentration), Dhyan (Meditation), Samadhi (Union with the Divine).
Most people using Yoga do not consider Yama, Niyama & Samadhi for improvement of their immediate personal need. The most popular are Asana & Pranayama’s as physical Exercise along with some mental component whereas Pratyahara, Dharana & Dhyan are considered more of a mental activity. All of these can be used by athletes for relaxation.
Elite athletes involve in hard training sessions more than once-a-day. Fast Recovery is essential for effective training sessions. To promote recovery number of supplements is there. Authenticity of these products, effectiveness and side-effects are questionable. Yogic exercises for relaxation can increase the rate of recovery. Yogic Relaxation techniques activate Parasympathetic Nervous System and reduce the dominance of Sympathetic Nervous System.
In India Yoga is a part culture for us, though it has not been used much in sports. I wish to go deeper with Yogic Science for the benefit of athletes.
As a Track & Field athlete I’ve used some of the relaxation technique such as Breath Control, relaxing asanas. Yoga Nidra is a wonderful activity for relaxation. It promotes complete recovery (both Body & Mind).

[lindarebecka]

I have done Yoga, but instead of it giving me any peace or relaxation, I was just really scared afterwards. Yoga was never meant to be practiced like a sport, it´s a way hindu people pray to their gods.
Most people (including myself) obviously don´t pray to hindu gods during Yoga, but it still has something creepy in it, especially if your supposed to mumble those mantra things, and you have no idea what your actually saying..

That is my thought of Yoga, Have e great weekend everyone! 🙂

[annahemmings]

I have practised yoga and I liked it, it had great benefit for stretching and flexibility. There is a good element of focus and attention control. However, when I was competing as an athlete I much preferred to use the type of techniques described in the module. I worked with Peter Terry and I tried all of the techniques described my favourites were Quiet Place and the 5 breath. I regularly used autogenic training, this gave me a profound relaxation, I would also use it prior to doing some visualisation training so that my mind was calm and open to suggestion and programming the sub-conscious

I always used centred breathing when I was nervous and it was part of my routine when I sat on the start line before a race. I went on to win 6 x world championships in marathon kayak racing.
I have recommended all of the techniques to the athletes that I work with now.
One of my favourites is a simple breathing technique:
inhale for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds repeat for 30-60secs
or
inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 6 seconds repeat for 30-60 seconds. The slightly longer outbreath evokes a great relaxation response.

[Ayan Chatterjee]

Having been born in india, we did do some hatha yoga. The word yoga in sanskrit means somewhat loosely translated to joining. It joins the mind and the body. Personally its a great supplement to exercise, because it keeps you supple in your body as well as in your mind. If done with the right attitude it can be beneficial because it develops focus and concentration to parts of your body which at first might not be willing to bend or stretch in that particular way, however in the course of time and practice the body gets used to it and you learn how to continuously push yourself steadily and you can see formative improvements as the days go by.

[Jennifer Grahame]

I have done yoga, due to very bad nerve damage and could not run. I continue with Yoga to help with flexibility and the bonus is the relaxation I get as well. I look forward to classes and am highly motivated to be there I seldom miss my class.

[Andrew]

I’ve done yoga for my inflexible body.In the beginning it’s hard to me . One month later I can stretch more.And the progress I can feel myself.It’s like my body and my mind are together.

[amenrigh]

I enjoy Bikram Yoga but pretty much only hot yoga. Lights are dimmed. Its just you against you essentially. Clears the head. Practices breathing. Focuses the mind to be in the moment. You do the best you can do for that hour and a half whatever level that may be at physically and mentally that day. It is a great technique to use.

[Conrad Francis]

as a professional athlete my self Yoga helped me heaps in relaxation and flexibility. It made a huge difference in my posture and my mobility to a greater extend. Flexibility is key when it comes to swimming. Yoga plays a key significance in the modern day sport.

[Amecozzisaha]

I have tried different types of yoga and only find it useful when I do short sessions, no more than 15 minutes. As an active meditation, so to speak.

[Rafael Dubois]

Yoga makes me feel relaxed and like a new person everyday!

[jakielaj]

Yoga seems to combine several of the techniques discussed earlier in the module. One of the key concepts of yoga is the ability to own one’s breathe especially when they are in uncomfortable positions. If you can control your breathe, then you have control of your body. The practice of yoga also can help one turn out distractive outside thoughts and noises and focus on the now. This is extremely important for athletes when they are attempting to find their center when performing in front of large crowds or on the road in a hostile environment. If the athlete can control the moment, they can overcome or challenge fears and negative thoughts and tense into the desired actions and movements.

[Mel]

Definitely. I pick up yoga due to the introduction by one of my colleague, grew to love it since day one, and have never stopped practicing it. The whole procedure behind doing the action itself, was to slow your whole breathing rate and to bask in the energies around you, in a certain way, it is also the way to relax yourself and immerse in your surrounding.

However, I don’t think yoga is useful right before a competition or pre-shot routine. The need to calm down rapidly may not be suitable for certain sports which requires arousal to perform certain acts. Probably breathing techniques would be better to temporary calm the nerves of the athlete right before he/she performs the act or sport itself.

[aemax21]

Earlier in the year I went to some yoga classes to help reduce my daily stress. It was challenging but it deepened my mood and mental capacity as well as my physical state. It helps you improve your flexibility, posture, body mechanics, endurance, and so much more.

[aemax21]

I used yoga earlier in the year because I had chest pain for 4 months due to panic attacks and overwhelming anxiety. It helped me really relax and it was very enjoyable to go twice a week and unwind from school and work.

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