How could yoga possibly help a sportsperson who already undergoes very specific training?
This is a question that I have come across more than once in my research journeys. And I get it, I really do. Men and women of all sports codes have been training, playing and winning (well, someone has to!) for a long time. Surely nothing is wrong with that!*
When you look at teams and players of a certain level, anywhere from semi-pro basketballers, cricketers and netballers, to the NRL, AFL, Olympic teams and anyone on that calibre (this list is not inclusive by any means), it is clear they are under enormous physical and mental pressure to keep their body in shape to perform.
Look just a little further and you will also hear a multitude of reports of professional athletes injuring themselves into forced retirement and subsequently suffering from depression, or struggling with substance abuse because the stress got too much, or acting out because they are simply under so much pressure. Their bodies are constantly in that one mode of ‘stress’ or ‘fight or flight’, run by the sympathetic nervous system, leaving no space to switch off into that much needed (for anyone with a human body) rest and digest mode, which is the parasympathetic nervous system. While both have their very real and relevant purposes, it is unhealthy for the body to be in one mode only for a prolonged period of time.
There has been a significant amount of research into the physical benefits of yoga not only for the mind, but also for the bodies of sportspeople too. Apart from the more immediately noticeable benefits of stretching leading to greater flexibility, which allows for both a greater range of movement and reach as well as a marked improvement in blood circulation throughout the body, which means muscles get a chance to heal quicker, there are a few more subtle benefits physiologically as well. These benefits neatly work in three-fold with what yoga consists of: Physical poses (asanas, for those playing at home), breath (pranayama), and meditation.
Reduce the risk of injury, improve recovery and brain-body coordination
Imagine this: One footy player gets tackled with his leg at an odd angle. With the weight of other players on top of him, his leg is pulled to a point where the muscle is stretched to capacity. Is it better for that muscle to be strong, yes, but tight and unpracticed in moving in this way? OR would it be more beneficial for the player if the muscle had practiced stretching in this way that his training might not normally offer in a specialised way, therefore avoiding the extent of injury that might have occurred otherwise?
Most muscle injuries I am aware of come from those short, sudden bursts of movement that don’t allow time for the muscle to keep up by stretching (think suddenly running towards a ball from a cold, standstill, reactionary point that is felt in the calf or hamstring muscles). Instead it will often pull or tear, and if you’ve ever received an injury of this kind you will know how painful it can be. Not only that, how frustrating it is when it pulls you out of the game for weeks or more. Whereas if you have taught the muscle that it can open and stretch when moved, the muscle memory keeps it much safer in those moments than what it could do otherwise. The holding strength of a muscle is only so good as the risk of rupturing tendons, joins and ligaments. In Vinyasa (flow) yoga, the poses are moved in to using the breath, in a steady and controlled way, leading to more contractile strength and support around the joints.
The word yoga translates to English as ‘Union’ – the union between the breath and the body. My teachers have often said that without the breathing aspect, it would simply be called ‘stretching’. The yoga flow is specifically planned to take the body on a journey with poses that are complimentary to each other, depending on the area of the body that is the focus for that particular lesson. It involves coordinated movements. This leads to a steady and safe increase in endurance, strength being built on longer muscles, and anaerobic power within the body. What I think might be the coolest part is that the breath matched with these movements in this flow style directly attributes to an enhancement of neuromuscular coordination. We are literally building stronger, better neural pathways for the body and its knowledge of how to move, balance, and oxygenate more effortlessly and effectively every time we practice yoga. This helps us to become more instinctual in our own movements when the occasion calls for it.
You are only as healthy as your mental state
It is definitely more widely accepted these days that our mental position plays a huge role in our physical health, our relationships, and how we show up in the world (to work, to our families, to our teammates). The better we practice breathing, the more oxygenated our blood is (circulatory system 101), which means the more oxygen reaches our brains = better brain firing power. Beyond that, however, is the meditation aspect of yoga. That is, the practice of finding stillness physically where you are just sitting with the breath. No tricks necessary. Just focusing on what our bodies are doing naturally while we’re not paying attention.
It’s often when we are too busy being stressed, in our heads, working out the next steps that our mental state takes a hit. The more mental illness is losing its stigma (hooray!) the more the prominence of it is really starting to show in society. Stress and anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent mental health issues in Australia (at the very least), and impact a huge amount of people, from the occasional to chronic levels. This includes those in positions under high stress to perform – such as athletes. Some studies show that as many as one in five athletes were experiencing significant levels of depressive symptoms or anxiety.
Regular mindfulness meditation, even just five minutes a day, has been shown to improve cognition and dramatically reduce the levels of stress hormones in the body. These stress hormones can contribute to panic attacks and anxiety symptoms being experienced by an individual. By undertaking a regular practice that assists in reducing them allows for a clearer, more focused mental state than previously experienced.
When an athlete is in their head, there can be telling signs. It’s a time when the pressure is so high, that balls get uncharacteristically dropped during a high intensity grand final that makes the whole southern half of an entire state cry out at their televisions. It can also be when reactions to losing a set tend to come off over the top and unnecessary to those watching at home, wondering why that player’s temper is flaring up the way it is. But other times, mental health can be a silent demon. When one of the greater NRL players and team captain checks himself into a mental health facility in the lead up to State of Origin selection, you know that it’s an issue worth standing up and looking at to find a better way.
Anytime the body is under strenuous use, there is a risk of injury. This is a natural and sometimes unavoidable thing, depending on your particular profession. Athletes take this risk every time they step in to their arena. Olympians bust their guts training and competing intensely just to reach that four-year mark. Physical Trainers require a healthy body to share their expertise with their clients. Military personnel take risks every time they perform one of their many necessary training exercises. While the training that exists is certainly at the highest possible calibre, the risk increases where there is only strength-building, and no stretching, lengthening and opening; body-working, and no mindfulness. Yoga is no longer just something for a certain demographic, if that was ever true to begin with. The idea that it is ‘weird’ to connect better with your body and your mind as a way of keeping it as safe and healthy as you can is an oddity in itself. These professionals spend perhaps the most time out of anyone considering their body, what it is doing, where it needs added training. Mitigation of risk and quick recovery of these muscles is pretty close to the forefront of their minds most of the time.
While some of us may need it to be gentle on the body, or restorative for the nervous system, others of us may need it for energising, for flexibility to perform better, for using breath and movement to drop out of the head and truly into an awareness of the body. Whatever it is, on any given day, your yoga is your yoga.