| It is becoming more and more popular for professional | | | | healthy, injury free, and better able mentally to be at |
| athletes to use yoga. The Los Angeles Lakers | | | | the top of their game. |
| (basketball), the Miami Dolphins (football) and the | | | | The most effective way to use yoga for athletes is |
| Chicago Cubs (baseball) use yoga as a training tool for | | | | with Sun Salutations. Sun Salutations offer a full body |
| the entire team roster. Individually Pete Sampras | | | | workout achieving greater strength and flexibility. They |
| (tennis), Annika Sorenstam (golf), Sean Burke (hockey) | | | | are ideal as a warm up routine, to use on 'down days' |
| and Evander Holyfield (boxing) along with many others | | | | when there is not a practice or game scheduled, and |
| practice yoga to stay at the top of their game. Truly | | | | during the off season. Simply performing Sun |
| yoga is a perfect cross training technique | | | | Salutations for 10 minutes a day will improve athletic |
| complementing and expanding each athletes abilities. | | | | ability. |
| Yoga extends athletic training by: | | | | A second way to use yoga is through developing |
| - Increasing core strength | | | | mental concentration. Practicing yoga works your mind |
| - Improving pulmonary efficiency | | | | making it stronger, better able to respond and react. In |
| - Reducing performance anxiety | | | | addition, by practicing relaxation, visualisations and yoga |
| - Preventing sports injuries | | | | breathing on game day athletes calm the mind, |
| - Improving concentration | | | | prepare the body, and focus energy and intent. These |
| - Increasing flexibility | | | | skills will take what you have gained through practice |
| - Enhancing range of motion | | | | and provide a competitive edge. |
| - Developing balance and focus | | | | To get the most benefit from yoga, teens should enroll |
| - Increasing endurance | | | | in a Yoga for Teens class. These classes cater |
| - Teaching relaxation | | | | specifically to teens developing physical and mental |
| - Relieving stress | | | | abilities. Alternatively many sports teams now offer |
| Teen athletes can access these same benefits | | | | yoga cross training. If yours does not, talk to the coach |
| through developing a regular yoga practice which | | | | and other team members to see if this can be |
| works with their sport(s) of choice.Teens who | | | | arranged. |
| incorporate yoga into their training will find they are | | | | |