What do LeBron James, David Beckham and Beyoncé all have in common?
They are all top of their game, but they also, along with many of elite sports stars and celebrities, regularly practice yoga.
Yoga became a fixture of NBA player fitness, publicly credited by LeBron for helping with his endurance on the court. Many athletes practice yoga, not just for its restorative features but also for its ability to improve mindfulness and focus.
Beyond athletic stamina, yoga is widely known to have many positive effects on both physical and mental wellbeing. Researchers have tied regular yoga practice to a number positive health effects including, but not limited to:
- Improved posture
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Boosted immunity
- Improved sleep quality
- Reduced food cravings
As someone who practices yoga regularly, I can attest that the postures, while having the appearance of requiring slow and slight physical movement, can be challenging and rewarding.
Yoga has its origins in ancient India, practiced as a spiritual and philosophical discipline to unite the mind, body, and spirit. There are a variety of styles, including Hatha and Yin which use gentler, relaxing and restorative movements, Vinyasa, encompassing a more dynamic flow with breath and balance and Ashtanga, which is more energetic and rigorous. If you like it hot, Bikram Yoga combines postures and breathing in a 40° heated room, to really get your sweat on.
If rolling out a mat in a yoga studio is not your thing, there are so many online resources that you can bend to your weekly schedule and fit in anywhere any time.
Why not take advantage of a free trial on one of the many yoga platforms listed or scout the many routines available on YouTube and see if yoga is your next healthy hobby?
- Yogaglo – over 3,500 yoga instructional videos for all skill levels and different yoga goals.
- Do Yoga With Me – Hundreds of free yoga videos, perfect for the yoga-curious.
- Gaia Yoga – A brilliant yoga resource of videos and blogs for people interested in the deeper teachings of yoga.
- Yoga Anytime – Fostering a yoga community, yoga anytime features “seasons” of curated videos based on certain themes.
- Codyapp – Unlike subscription models, on Cody you can buy individual instructional videos and keep them for life.
- Yoga for BJJ – Purpose built for people training in Brazillian Ju-Jitsu, this is a great resource for those looking to pair yoga with other sports.
Stretching your mind is just as important and increasing muscle strength can also improve brain function so it’s a great win-win exercise.