Published on April 23rd, 2018 | by Catherine Tingey

Yoga and Your Other Sports

I have never been a yoga snob – and by that I mean someone who believes that yoga is the supreme workout of all workouts and anybody who’s not doing it…yada yada yada. Even though I’ve been practicing yoga for the last 26 years, I’ve also done tons of other stuff with my body – especially when I’ve had yoga-related injuries or just wanted to learn something new.

I do believe though that yoga, unlike any other workout, is a work-in and I know of no other exercise ‘system’ – and I’ve done many – that can simultaneously energize and relax you.

That’s the beauty of yoga. I also know of no other activity besides yoga that actually creates profound balance in the body. And union of the body and mind.

But this article is about how yoga can complement other activities that you do.

I think yoga is phenomenal as an add-on to running, boxing, biking, golf, marathoning, tennis, triathlon, hiking, skiing, surfing, gardening, weightlifting – you name it, your sport and your other activities will get better if you take up yoga.

Recently a client told me that literally EVERYTHING in his life improved after doing yoga twice a week for the past 6 months. He was referring to his flexibility with simple tasks like getting into and out of a car, lifting his legs, lifting things and his other sports like mountain biking.

Another client told me his golf game had massively improved due to the emphasis on trunk rotation, trunk flexibility, core strength and overall flexibility that we focus on in his sessions.

Besides the obvious flexibility gain, yoga teaches you a mindfulness about where your limbs are in space – we call this proprioception. It teaches you how to work hard and yet still be in the moment. It teaches you how to use your breath to stay calm amidst huge performance efforts.

And it teaches you how to calm yourself after a punishing day, race or interaction with someone at work. In short, yoga has so many useful applications in everyday life. Once you start practicing yoga (I recommend twice a week) you’ll soon start to feel a difference in your life.

You may find yourself less reactive. More measured. More balanced. Your body will become more limber and spacious. This new found ease in your body translates into a flow or ease in your life.

You learn to take the ups and downs with equal amounts of nonchalance, I guess. Because this too – whether good or bad – will pass.

Where can you find this magical thing called yoga? Yoga has now fully entered the mainstream so a simple google search will yield a studio near you. And if you are not near a studio, there are so many free yoga videos on YouTube – I’ll be posting one shortly for Low Back Pain – that it’s totally possible to learn yoga from the comfort of your own home without ever having to step foot into a studio.

If private yoga is what you seek, check out this article to find a private yoga instructor near you.

As always, feel free to contact me for any yoga related questions!

Be well, take good care and Namaste.

Catherine

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Catherine Tingey

Entrepreneur, yogini, designer, award-winning filmmaker, personal trainer and former marathon runner. She left a career in finance to start her own business and along the way, became a yoga teacher. She has been practicing yoga for 31 years and teaching privately for 11 years.

About the Author

Catherine Tingey + Entrepreneur, yogini, designer, award-winning filmmaker, personal trainer and former marathon runner. She left a career in finance to start her own business and along the way, became a yoga teacher. She has been practicing yoga for 31 years and teaching privately for 11 years.