Why Yoga for Sports ?

In this rapidly changing world, every day we get a new gym equipment to increase our strength, stamina and overall fitness. On the other hand, yoga is being practised from 5000 years in the eastern countries like India and China. Yoga has the best techniques for all the requirements (both physical and mental) of the body and most importantly with no side effects (if practised properly).

Benefits of practising Yoga for Sports

Flexibility: Yoga gives the best flexibility to the body when compared to any other exercise, All the poses of yoga have the techniques to make you muscles flexible.

Balance: All the outdoor games and some indoor games need a fast response and good balancing power in the game. Lack of balance causes discomfort, leading to failure. All the yoga asanas need a proper balance of the body, and practising them properly will form a balance.

Strength: Yoga increases the overall strength of your body. In the practise of yoga, you will be using a group of muscles at a time to display a posture. Repetition of the asanas increase the strength of all the parts of the body.

Mental Focus: Many athletes complain that they loose concentration in the game at some point. While doing the yoga postures you have to control your breath, this makes you concentrate on the present moment.

Stress: Yoga is the best way to relieve stress of any order. Many asanas refresh the mental and physical nerves that cause the stress.

Most importantly a sports person should have the proper synchronisation between their body and mind (soul). By controlling the breath and mental focus yoga gives the ability to live in the present moment.

Yoga eye pillow
There are many Yoga props like blankets, belts, blocks and wedges that help make the practice of Yoga easier and more comfortable. Yoga eye pillow is one such prop that will make your practice sessions more enjoyable.

They are small pillows, usually made with silk that are kept over the eyes while doing any relaxation Asanas, especially Savasana (Corpse pose). They are filled with different kinds of organic herbs that are known for their relaxing effects on the body. They are a little heavy because of which they also help you keep your eyes shut by keeping light away from your eyes.

Because they are made of herbs and are heavy and uneven, they also help in giving pressure on acupressure points around the eyes, which help you relax even better. They also help rid you of bags under the eyes as well as soreness of the eyes. Other than while doing Yoga, they can also be used while taking a nap for better quality of sleep and relaxation.

They are available in different colors to suit your tastes. You may choose scented ones or if you are allergic to strong smells, you can choose one that is unscented. They are small and hence very easy to carry around wherever you go.

Benefits of Yoga eye pillow

• Better relaxation
• Helps release stress and be calm
• Help you practice Yogic relaxation better and deeper
• Helps your eyes look fresh and rejuvenated

This has led to many of them developing health complications and problems early on in life. It is, therefore, necessary that children have a way to deal with this stress so that they can be healthy, do their work and enjoy their play to the hilt.

Yoga for children
There are many activities and Asanas (postures) in Yoga that can be taught to children so that they can remain healthy and stress-free. These can be used to keep children fit as well as to help them relax and rid themselves of stress.

Many Asanas can be done easily by children without them requiring to pay too much attention or having to stay in one position for too long. Some such Asanas are Bow pose, Cat pose, Dog pose, Eagle pose, Butterfly pose, etc. they will help children stay fit, improve concentration and help them relax and have fun.

Some other Asanas like the Corpse pose and the Child pose help children relax physically and mentally and be rejuvenated. This helps keep their energy levels up and frees them of stress and anxiety.

There are also some Pranayama (Breathing techniques) like deep breathing, abdominal breathing, fast breathing and forceful breathing can also help them relax and concentrate better.

Some tips to keep in mind while making children practice Yoga

• Buy colorful mats or props to make practice more lively.
• Have practice sessions either outdoors or near a window.
• Keep the practice more dynamic.
• Use English names rather than Sanskrit names of postures for better learning and recollection as well as to keep them from getting bored.
• Make stories around various exercises to help them learn better while having fun.

It is a dynamic Yoga style. It has a balance of strength training along with working at the mental and spiritual level for better overall health.

What is a typical core power Yoga session like?
A typical core power Yoga session consists of a balance of vigorous exercising and balanced breathing. The practice sessions are held in conditions similar to that of Hot Yoga.

The room where the session is to be held is heated up to a considerably high temperature and the sessions are then done in this heated room. The higher temperature helps relieve stiffness of muscles and joints and makes you sweat a lot while practicing, thus flushing out toxins from the body. It also helps to alleviate stress and improve concentration.

The postures are taken from Ashtanga Yoga but are done very swiftly, without much of a break between two Asanas (Postures). Some postures are held for longer than the normal five counts to increase endurance and stamina, while also helping in improving concentration.

Is core power Yoga suited for you?
This style of Yoga is for you if you are interested in working on your stamina and strength while working on overall health and well being. It is also very beneficial and suitable for those who are into sports or other athletic activities as well as for activities like gymnastics. This is because it improves flexibility and makes body movements more graceful and smooth.

Benefits of core power Yoga

• Increases strength
• Improves flexibility
• Improves concentration
• Helps relax and release stress
• Helps in detoxifying the body
• Gives better balance of mind and clarity of thoughts

Generally, Yogic practices are slow and give emphasis to breathing and holding postures rather than dynamism (although some modern forms of Yoga are very dynamic). Because of this, it is difficult for many people to concentrate well. If this is the case with adults, it is all the more difficult to get children to practice Yoga with patience and have fun in the process.

Things to keep in mind while planning Yoga for toddlers

• The first and most important thing is that kids have fun while you make them do Yoga. If they don’t, it will be next to impossible to make them stay for the whole session.
• The sessions should be done outdoors or near big windows so that children feel free and connect to a lot of the poses that mimic nature.
• Teach Asanas to children using their English names as it will be more amusing and fun for them to do a Dog pose and a Cat pose than to do a Marjarasana.
• Position yourself directly in front of the kid so that he/she can follow you properly while you show them the postures.
• Try to build a story around each posture while teaching kids as this will help them have fun, remember well and you will be able to hold their attention throughout the session.
• You can get them excited about Yoga sessions by getting them Yoga props in bright colors like a colorful Yoga mat.

If you feel that you may not do a good job of teaching Yoga to your kid, you can enroll him/her in Yoga classes that are specifically dedicated to teaching toddlers and small kids.

Plow pose in Yoga
The Plow pose is also known as Halasana. It is an inverted posture in Yoga that is done lying down.

• You can start this posture by lying flat on your back on the floor with your arms straight by your side close to the body and legs together.
• Slowly inhale and while exhaling, bend your knees and bring them close to your chest.
• Then slowly, while inhaling, straighten both your legs up together such that they are perpendicular to your torso.
• Now exhale slowly and while doing so, lift you hips off the floor with the arms supporting the back. Keep your legs straight so that they slowly go over your head to touch the floor behind your head.
• Once you are balanced slowly let the support of your arms go, keep them straight close to your body and clasp your hands or keep the palms flat on the floor.
• Hold this position for five counts while holding breath or in normal breathing.
• Now slowly, inhale, support you back with your arms, bend your knees and slowly rest your hips on the floor again.
• Then straighten your legs perpendicular to the torso and bring them back down on the floor straight to return back to the starting position.

This posture can be repeated three or more times. Either this, or you could repeat it just twice, while holding the posture longer each time.

Benefits of Plow pose in Yoga

• Strengthens legs, especially calves and thighs
• Stretches and loosens the spinal bones and muscles, relieves stiffness
• Helps tone the abdomen
• Massages the thyroid and parathyroid glands, lungs and heart
• Improves blood circulation
• Increases blood circulation to the brain, thereby increasing alertness

Caution
Those with severe back injuries or problems should avoid this Asana. Those with eyesight problems should do this posture very slowly and carefully as it puts immense pressure on the head, especially on the eyes.

It was started by a physician from Mumbai, Dr. Madan Kataria, in 1995. it was started as a laughter club with a few friends which then became popular all over, spreading to over sixty countries. There are more than 60,000 centers all over the world.

What is Laughter Yoga based on?
The principle behind this is that the human brain does not differentiate between natural and forced laughter. The whole system reacts identically to both kinds of laughter. The usual sessions consist of laughter sessions along with breathing exercises.

A typical session starts with simulated laughter with everyone present maintaining eye contact and laughing as a sort of bodily exercise. Some may tell jokes to make the session more jovial. This forced laughter soon turns to natural laughter as the participants get into the mood, let themselves go and start enjoying the feeling of laughing freely like a small child.

These laughing sessions are accompanied or followed by simple Yogic practices like light stretches. This is followed by some simple and effective breathing techniques for better body and mind health.

Benefits of Laughter Yoga

• Helps to deal with everyday stress
• Lets the body and mind relax
• Calms the mind
• Helps release “feel good” endorphin hormones in the body

Laughter Yoga is one of those workouts that helps relax and heal the mind. It generates goodwill and works at complete wholesome well-being. It is revolutionary in its concept and has gained worldwide popularity and acceptance as more and more people are understanding the benefits of this amazing new style of relaxation in a fun way.

• The starting position of this Asana is where you are on all fours, with knees perpendicular to the hips and hands slightly ahead of the body.
• While inhaling, slowly slide the left leg forward and keep it flat on the floor, with the knee bent. Slide the right leg straight back so that the top of the right foot is on the floor.
• Hold this position for five counts while holding breath or just breathing normally. The body is balanced on the leg that is in front.
• A variation to this posture could be where in the last step, you can slowly bend forward to touch your forehead to the left knee instead of holding the torso upright. The hands could be kept in the same position or clasped behind the back.
• While slowly exhaling, bring the legs back to the starting position.
  Repeat the process on the other side with the right leg forward and the left one behind.

This is an Asana suitable for those who have practices Yoga for sometime. It is ideal for those in the intermediate stage of Yogic practices or those finishing with the beginner’s level.

Benefits of Pigeon pose

• Stretches for the hip and spine
• Knee joints are stretched and made more flexible
• Improves body balance
• Improves flexibility of hip joints and back

Caution
Those with recent spinal injuries should avoid this posture. Even those with injuries to the legs, especially knees and ankles as well as hip injuries should also avoid practicing this posture.

What are Yoga straps?
Yoga straps are props that are used in the practice of Yoga. They make the practice of various Asanas easier and better. They are adjustable belts that help hold postures for longer time durations. They are usually made of cotton and are soft to avoid any abrasions on the skin.

How to use Yoga straps
They are adjustable belts that are used to prolong the holding time of postures. They can be used to support the body or a part of the body and hold it in a certain position steadily as this might be difficult otherwise. This helps in concentrating on the posture and breathing rather than on being able to balance and maintain the posture.

They come in different lengths to suit different needs. They also have buckles to adjust the length for using in various Asanas. These straps can be used by beginners as well as those who are learning higher levels of Yoga.

They can be used for standing, sitting as well as lying down postures. They can be used for better balance as also for greater stretches of various muscles. Straps can also be used for loosening the body just before going into a relaxation posture.

Benefits of using Yoga straps

• Makes Yoga Yoga practice easier and more comfortable
• Increases body flexibility
• Helps in better concentration
• Holding time for Asanas is enhanced
• Makes Yoga easy to practice and threfore accessible to a huge population

It consists of a large number of Asanas for different parts of the body like Chakrasana (Wheel pose), Mandukasana (Frog pose), Halasana (Plough pose), Bhadrasana (Butterfly pose), and so on.

Cobra pose in yoga
The Cobra pose is called Bhujangasana. “Bhujanga” in Sanskrit means “cobra”. It is a posture that is done lying down flat on the stomach. Here is a step by step guide to doing this Asana.

• Lie flat on your stomach on the floor keep the legs and the whole body stretched out straight. Keep the palms of the hand near the shoulders with the elbows close to the body.
• While breathing in, push the upper body up with the help of your arms while pushing the thighs and feet down. The toes should be pointing outwards.
• Hold the breath and try to straighten the arms as much as possible, lifting the upper body till the navel off the ground.
• Arch the back and look towards the roof, pushing the ribs forward and pushing the shoulder blades closer together. Let the back be evenly arched.
• Hold for up to 30 seconds while holding breath or with normal breathing and then slowly return back to the starting position, while exhaling slowly.

Benefits of the Cobra pose

• Increases flexibility of the spine.
• Strengthens back, arm and shoulder muscles.
• Stretches the abdomen, chest and the whole thoracic area.
• Makes the buttocks firm.

Caution and contraindications

Not advisable for those with

• Severe lower back problems.
• Arthritis in the wrists or spine.
• Internal injuries to organs.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
• Those who are pregnant.