This is a simple and short yoga/stretching sequence I use to open my hips and keep my back lose. I’m FAR from an expert on this stuff, but I’ve learned a few things and I think our training community could do with more restorative stuff and information on how to do it.
I started doing yoga sometime around 2006. It was hugely apparent that I needed a way to nurture my body and coax it along in recovery as opposed to just taking a rest day, eating more and laying on the couch. That strategy worked in my 20’s but it was working less and less well in my 30’s. Beyond the physical aspect, I was becoming more and more aware that I needed to do something to rest my mind. Yoga excels at that and there is a huge body of evidence that shows can have fantastic effects on mental health in addition to its physical benefits.
I knew I was on the right track with the whole “nurturing the body” thing when I met Steve Cotter and Ken Blackburn in 2008 for the IKFF Kettlebell Certification I did. Steve and Ken are incredible athletes – and Ken is an expert in joint mobility and Steve is a Qi Gong Master. That – not to mention the work I did with them that weekend – convinced me that there was more to training and athletics than just going harder and faster. That there needed to be as much effort put into restoring the body as there was to pushing it hard and demanding more and more from it. That’s Ken up above at the Cert I did. When was the last time you saw a guy that size in a full split?
Incidentally, most of my yoga practice is STILL based on the Yoga for Dummies DVD I got ages ago by Sara Ivanhoe. If you want an easy and effective yoga routine that doesn’t take a lot of time to learn or master – that’s the one! BTW, if you’re a guy and are a little hesitant about watching something as silly as a yoga DVD, let me tell you: Sara is a major babe and you’ll have no problem staying “interested” in what’s on the screen. She does a great job too… 🙂
Seriously, this is a good place to start if you want some more flexibilty and a quieter mind.
ttys
Adam
If only the beer worked for me, Alison! Between the gluten and the alcohol…
Adam
Yoga, in my opinion, is something EVERY athlete should practice. If done on a regular basis it can totally put you in touch with your body, where you are holding tension, what needs to be worked on etc. Great stuff!
The mind connection that can be made with yoga can be amazing.
You’re absolutely right, Carrie!
Adam
I really like Gaiam’s AM/PM Yoga. It’s got a quick 15 min workout you can do in 15 mins right out of bed. A 20 min PM workout with a lot of great strectches for your shoulders & back; ideal for people like me who spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer.
I think I have that DVD, Irene…
Adam