Yoga for Athletes: 5 Athletic Yoga Poses to Try

Athletes who practice yoga regularly may experience several mental and health benefits, including:

1. 1. Improved focus: Athletes who incorporate regular yoga sessions into their training programs can improve their mindfulness abilities, positively affecting sports performance in various ways. Yoga workouts train athletes to focus their mental energy on regulating body movements and breathing patterns, enabling them to tune out mental distractions and remain calm while efficiently devoting their energy to the goal at hand.
2. 2. Increases balance and flexibility: Athletes using yoga as part of their training regimens experience considerable improvements in balance and flexibility, which can benefit athletic performance.
3. 3. Injury prevention: By improving flexibility and strengthening the body’s muscles and joints, yoga workouts can lessen the probability of an athlete sustaining overuse or trauma injuries. Yoga also enhances core strength, stabilizing the entire body to prevent other muscle groups from overcompensating for a weak center.
4. 4. Stress relief: Professional athletes often deal with a lot of stress due to demanding training regimens and the pressures of being in the limelight. Additionally, high school and college athletes need to manage school stress on top of athletics. Regular yoga practice is an effective stress reliever for athletes and laypeople, enhancing one’s overall well-being by relaxing the nervous system, improving sleep, and reducing anxiety.

In general, the best types of yoga for athletes emphasize holding poses for longer periods of time or involve smooth transitions from one pose to another. Here’s a breakdown of the three best types of yoga to improve athletic performance.

1. 1. Hatha yoga: Hatha yoga is a broad term encompassing various styles of yoga and breathing techniques, including Ashtanga yoga, Bhakti, and hot yoga. Hatha yoga focuses on the quality of the breath at all times and the physical movement of going from one static pose to another. Every Hatha yoga class ends with a Savasana, or meditation, encouraging yogis to let go of mental chatter. This type of yoga helps athletes increase flexibility, improve spinal mobility, and alleviate stress by targeting areas of the body holding the most tension.
2. 2. Restorative yoga: Restorative yoga is a slow, mindful practice that involves holding relaxing and restorative postures for five to twenty minutes. The common postures of restorative yoga include supported forward fold, child’s pose, reclined cobbler’s pose, sleeping pigeon pose, and supported corpse pose.
3. 3. Vinyasa yoga: Vinyasa yoga, also known as flow yoga, is a practice focusing on transitions between poses and linking breath to movement. Unlike yoga styles that only focus on static postures, the Vinyasa practice is all about flowing from one pose to another. This yoga workout helps athletes improve muscular endurance and range of motion. Common Vinyasa yoga flow poses include Surya Namaskar (sun salutations), standing splits, half-moon, warrior II, and reverse warrior.

As with any exercise, make sure to warm up before beginning a yoga workout. Here are some of the best yoga poses for athletes to practice.

1. 1. Boat pose: This seated yoga pose involves extending your legs and arms so that your body resembles an upside-down capital “A.” It requires core strength, coordination, and balance to help strengthen the torso, stretch the hamstrings, and aid digestion. To perform boat pose, sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, lean back slightly while lifting your legs off the floor (using your glutes to balance), and slowly extend and raise your legs into the air while you flatten your spine (your body should form a V-shape at a forty-five-degree angle). Next, place your hands on the outside of your knees so that your arms are parallel to the floor. Hold the pose while breathing steadily. Boat pose is an effective athletic yoga pose for cyclists, swimmers, rowers, and soccer players.
2. 2. Cobra pose: Cobra pose is a foundational prone backbend that strengthens the back muscles and opens the chest. This pose’s gradual and gentle backbend can broaden the chest and collarbones, alleviate back pain, and strengthen the entire spine and abdominal muscles. To perform cobra pose, start by lying face down in a prone position. Bring your hands underneath the shoulder blades and lift your upper body using your lower back muscles. Rise as high as you comfortably can into a backbend while looking slightly upwards. As you exhale, lower down gently and release the pose. Cobra pose is beneficial for football players, gymnasts, and volleyball players.
3. 3. Downward-facing dog pose: This standing yoga pose involves yogis stretching their whole body on all fours, similar to how a dog stretches. Downward dog is a full-body yoga pose that stretches the hamstrings, calves, ankles, shoulders, arms, and abdominals. To perform downward dog, begin on your hands and knees, then lift your knees, so your body resembles an upside-down “V” shape. Extend your spine by pressing on the palms of your hands and balls of your feet. Hold the pose while breathing in a controlled manner. Downward dog is helpful for basketball players, football players, gymnasts, and runners.
4. 4. Pigeon pose: Yogis perform this classic hip-opening yoga stretch on the floor, usually on a yoga mat or towel. Pigeon pose externally rotates your legs and stretches your psoas, a pair of muscles that run from your lumbar spine to your groin. Performing this posture benefits athletes—especially runners and football players—by stretching the hip flexors and increasing range of motion. To perform this pose, start in either a downward dog or tabletop position. Slowly bend your left knee and draw it towards your chest and left hand, rotating the top of your left foot, so it sits behind the right wrist. Next, straighten your right leg so that it lies flat against the mat and lengthen your spine and neck. Hold the pose while looking forward. After your release, switch legs and repeat the preceding steps with your right leg.
5. 5. Warrior II pose: This standing yoga posture stretches the shoulder, chest, and groin and builds strength in the legs, torso, and spine. Warrior II is one of five other warrior poses in a modern yoga practice, along with warrior I, warrior III, reverse warrior, and humble warrior, all of which you might see in the typical Vinyasa flow class. To perform warrior II pose, begin in mountain pose, standing up straight with your feet planted firmly on the ground. Step your left foot back, extend your arms perpendicular to the mat, and open your hips to the side (not forward). Next, bend your right knee so that it’s directly above your ankle, gaze out over your right middle finger, and breathe deeply as you hold the pose. Step back into mountain pose, and repeat on the other side of your body. Warrior II is a valuable pose for basketball players, runners, and gymnasts.

Proper form and technique are essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of a yoga practice. If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before practicing yoga. Modify postures based on your individual needs.

Unroll your mat, get a MasterClass Annual Membership, and get your om on with Donna Farhi, one of the most celebrated figures in the world of yoga. Follow along as she teaches you the importance of breathing and finding your center as well as how to build a strong foundational practice that will restore your body and mind.