Why is yoga good for young athletes?
A regular yoga practice helps prevent injuries and speeds recovery from strenuous workouts.- Yoga helps with breathing, flexibility, strength, confidence, energy, balance, concentration, endurance and injury prevention.
- Yoga also helps young athletes learn how their bodies work. Proper yoga instruction teaches body mechanics and enhances body awareness.
- Yoga teaches players how to harness their breathing and focus on the present. Being able to visualize the next shot in basketball or hit in football can help improve their game.
- Yoga teaches players how to slow down, regenerate from their strenuous workouts and relax. With the intense pressure to do well in school and sports, most kids don’t take the time to reap the benefits of their hard work.
Benefits of Yoga for Young Athletes
- Learn valuable skills for alleviating pre-game/performance jitters
- Enhance body awareness
- Improves strength, flexibility and range of motion to boost overall performance and reduce incidents of injury.
- Develop stability and balance
- Improve coordination and agility
- Cultivate a healthy body image
- Boost confidence and self-esteem
- Improve posture promoting proper alignment and movement
- Review the value of proper nutrition, hydration and rest
- Improve focus and concentration for enhanced performance
