Yoga is an ancient physical and mental practice that has spread all over the world thanks to its benefits and to the fact that it guarantees the balance between body and mind. For several decades it has gained popularity in the West, and “yogamania” has experienced a boom in recent years because it provides answers to various problems of our time, including sedentarism or stress.

For many, it is not just a form of physical exercise, but a lifestyle that allows them to find inner peace and commits them to observe healthy habits and proper nutrition. Yoga attracts, and that is why more and more people practice it . This is because it manages to integrate breathing with movement so that the mind and the body stop being two autonomous entities and become one. Yoga allows one to reconnect with oneself, something that is difficult nowadays.

Anyone can learn and practice this discipline, which is also suitable for many athletes, as it provides improved physical condition, greater control of breathing and relaxation, increased flexibility, as well as an ideal mental attitude that favours the state of flow and increases sporting performance. Athletes who practice it gain knowledge about the connection between their mind and body, improve mental clarity and concentration, and are better prepared for the challenges they face.

Yoga in the West: On the Road to Modern Yoga

Etymologically “yoga” means union, and the goal of this discipline is the fusion of the individual soul with the universal spirit. It originated in India thousands of years ago (approximately 3,000 years B.C.), but contemporary yoga did not begin until a little more than a century ago, when it was introduced in the West by English soldiers and officials who were in the Asian country and by numerous teachers who arrived in the West, thus establishing the beginning of the different schools that are known today.

Yoga consists of Asanas (postures), Pranayama (breathing), Savasana (relaxation), Dhyana (meditation), Kriyas (cleanings), Mudras (gestures to channel energy), Kirtan (chants) and Mantras (phrases). Throughout history different types of yoga have emerged, as their practice has been adapted to different cultures. We can find Buddhist, Hindu, Chinese, Tibetan yoga, etc; and through the discoveries made by the yogis different traditional yoga systems have emerged (Astanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Mantra Yoga, etc.).

In the West, “Hatha yoga” is the most popular, and although it is usually taught as a physical practice because of its asanas (postures), its practice involves a holistic experience that also takes into account aspects such as breathing or meditation. Today, Western culture has influenced new forms of modern yoga such as Power Yoga , which originated in the United States in the 1990s. In this way the religious component has been left behind to give more weight to the physical aspect.

The practice of yoga for athletes

Since a few years ago, yoga has begun to be part of the gyms and sports centers in many places . Its benefits applied to both health and sports performance are increasingly engaging athletes, both elite and those who train to improve their overall well-being or physical condition.

Mastering the physical and mental challenges that yoga demands can be a discovery for many athletes who have been used for years to a different concept of training, because this practice is based on the principle of integration of the body as a whole. This new holistic approach can reveal weaknesses and imbalances that have never been exposed before, and integrates the physical and mental element that is so important during competition or training in sport.

More and more athletes are discovering the various ways in which yoga can be used to improve psychological and physical performance and, consequently, sports performance. From increasing mental concentration, improving flexibility and balance, preventing injuries or perfecting technical skills, many athletes have already benefited from this ancient discipline, including basketball player LeBron James , tennis player Maria Sharapova or footballer Ryan Giggs . The latter retired as a professional sportsman at the age of 40, played 23 seasons in the Premier League and made 963 matches with Manchester United . Yoga may have been his big secret.

Reasons why an athlete should practice yoga

But what reasons can lead an athlete to want to add yoga to his training plan? What are the benefits of yoga that contribute to improved sports results? Considering the information provided by different researches, yoga improves sport performance for the following reasons.

1. Greater flexibility

When talking about yoga, the first thing that comes to mind is its asanas (postures). Therefore, it is not difficult to associate his practice with the improvement of flexibility . Asanas help us to increase the ability to move muscles and joints through their full range.

Many studies have shown its usefulness in increasing flexibility. For example, a study from the University Centre Doncaster (UK) showed that one weekly yoga session over 6 weeks was sufficient to notice improvements in this basic quality of physical fitness. Sarah Ramsden, a yoga instructor with Manchester United and Manchester City explains: “Being flexible and having good movement patterns helps to have greater speed, power, clarity of movement and better recovery”. These are all aspects that improve the performance of athletes.

2. Reduces stress

It is not surprising that with the pace of life in today’s society many people suffer from stress, which in turn can lead to psychological health problems such as depression, anxiety, mental exhaustion or hostility, seriously damaging the level of activation of athletes, relevant cognitive processes and sports performance.

Moreover, the very threatening characteristics of competition or the environment of the athletes also make stress a fairly frequent response in the life of an athlete, as stated by José María Buceta, professor and director of the Master’s Degree in Sports Psychology at the National University of Distance Education (UNED).

A study conducted jointly by scientists from Thomas Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia and the Yoga Research Society showed that daily yoga practice lowers levels of cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress . One twenty-minute session per day is enough to notice a significant reduction in stress levels, according to research from Ohio State University in the United States.

3.Increase strength

Following a routine with different asanas on a regular basis increases muscle tone and strength. The yoga postures are maintained for long periods of time, which causes isometric contractions of the muscles, generating a gain in strength.

A study published in the International Journal of Physical Education , Sports and Health showed that asanas strengthen the arms, shoulders, legs, back, buttocks and abdomen .

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The same study concludes that yoga increases the strength of underused muscles in different sports such as swimming, cycling or running. These gains improve body stability and prevent injuries, because yoga works on strengthening the muscle fibres that support and surround the muscles most used in these sports. This means that a more balanced and optimally functional overall strength is produced.

4.Assistance in recovery

For optimal sports performance, training is just as important as recovery. To avoid overtraining and to continue to perform at an adequate level, it is necessary for athletes to understand that recovery periods after physical activity are fundamental, Yoga is a form of active rest , which means that, with its practice, the organism employs biological mechanisms and metabolic and cellular processes of tissue repair and the generation of molecules, such as enzymes, that allow us to continue performing at a good level.

According to research in the International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development , yogic breathing helps circulate and detoxify lymph, a fluid that travels through the lymphatic system. This speeds recovery from physical exercise by 15% and eliminates fatigue.

5.Greater balance and coordination

Yoga is different from other exercises because it generates movement without causing tension or imbalance in the body. Therefore, its practice is an ideal complement to different forms of physical exercise and an advantage in any sport. A study carried out by Dawn Boehde and John Porcaridel for the Human Performance Laboratory of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (United States) showed that coordination and balance improve with yoga because the different postures are combined with breathing and movement .

Now, how does this affect sports performance? Better balance and coordination means better control of body movement, which is manifested by more efficient technique.

6.Improves sleep

“The practice of yoga increases serotonin levels so it helps you sleep better,” explains Dr. Murali Doraiswam, author of a Duke University study that included a review of more than 100 research papers on yoga. Serotonin (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter that, in addition to regulating mood or appetite, increases the production of melatonin, a hormone involved in sleep cycles. To achieve a peaceful rest, serotonin is also involved in the control of stress and body temperature .

For this reason, a study by the University of Barcelona and the University of the Balearic Islands published in the Journal of Sports Psychology advises that sportsmen and women should monitor their quality of sleep, due to the importance of its reparative characteristics and its positive relationship with sports performance, training and competition. Dr. Cheri Mah, from Stanford University, showed in an experiment that basketball players who improve their sleep habits increase the effectiveness of their shots by 9%.

7.Improves mood

There are performance-enhancing moods, and generating positive attitudes and emotions is a key element in each person’s sporting performance. Serotonin (5-HT) not only has a positive effect on sleep, but is also involved in mood regulation. In fact, low levels of this neurotransmitter are associated with depressive behaviour.

Research by Cabral, Meyer, and Ames, published in The Primary Care Companion CNS Disorders , concluded that practicing yoga regularly produces significant improvements in patients with depression and anxiety similar to physical exercise.In addition, other research, this time published in The Journal of Complementary Medicine , found that there is an increase in another neurotransmitter in yoga practitioners: GABA. The benefits of GABA are numerous, as it is involved in improving mood, concentration ability, promotes relaxation, and helps control stress.

Since negative moods can be detrimental to sports performance (e.g. by making it difficult to concentrate) it is necessary to control these psychological variables to maintain an optimal performance level .

8.Helps prevent injury

Many sports such as cycling and running are characterized by highly repetitive movements over a long period of time, causing certain muscle groups to develop while ignoring others. Imbalances in the muscles and joints can lead to injuries.

As a study conducted by Teodora Dominteanu, professor of the Department of Physical Education and Sport of the Academy of Economic Studies of Bucharest, shows, like cyclists and runners, tennis players, with whom she conducted her research, experience a tremendous amount of strokes, shortening and hardening their muscles . When these muscles are not restored, they lengthen and stretch, imbalances and injuries occur more often.

Many yoga postures, such as the “Dog face down” (Adho Mukha Svanasana), mobilize and extend the back, shoulders, triceps, buttocks, hamstrings, rectus abdominus, and calves, strengthening the muscles and bringing flexibility to the body. This posture is highly recommended to prevent ankle injuries, so it is especially recommended for runners or triathletes. It also helps prevent elbow and wrist injuries in sports such as tennis.

To protect athletes from possible muscle injuries, research published in the Journal of Strenght & Conditioning Research states that a good level of flexibility is necessary. In this way, a reserve range of joints and muscles is achieved, in case some unexpected or unusual gesture is superior to the working mobility gestures.

9.Improves concentration

Concentration is the ability to keep attention focused on an object or task being performed without distraction, and is key to achieving sporting success. In yoga, concentration is worked on mainly through Tratak (gazing), Nasagra-drishti (nasal contemplation), Brahmadya-drishti (frontal contemplation).

According to the results of a University of Illinois study , the subjects who participated in the research and who practiced yoga had greater ability to concentrate and processed information more quickly and with greater precision. They also learned, maintained and updated information in less time.

10.Improves resistance

Although sports performance is multifactorial, it is clear that endurance plays an important role in sport. According to science, yoga improves both aerobic and anaerobic endurance . A study by Aslan and Livanelioglu concluded that a group of subjects who trained four times a day for six weeks improved by 9.8% on the cooper test, a test that measures aerobic capacity.

It appears that, although yoga is not an aerobic exercise, yogic breathing (pranayama) increases lung capacity by improving the flexibility of the rib cage and allows the lungs to expand fully, as explained in a study published in the Yoga Journal . On the other hand, research by Cowen and Adams, which evaluated the relationship between yoga and anaerobic endurance, showed that both ashtanga yoga and hatha yoga lead to an improvement in this type of endurance.