Yoga for
Athletic & Active
Lifestyles
Move Better. Feel Better. Sleep Better.™
Heal & Prevent Athletic Injuries
I teach the Classical Postures of Yoga as a way to shift out imbalances in the soft tissues that result from injuries, sports, and other activities that over-emphasize specific parts of the body. When practiced with mindful awareness and an understanding of their functional benefits, they safely build strength around the joints, lengthen shortened muscles, and bring the spine and posture back into healthy postural alignment.
Our bodies have about 750 muscles, and our bodies adapt to how we use them. Typically, athletics target only specific muscle groups, and as these muscles get stronger, they literally shorten, not just tighten. This shortening effect ends up distorting posture, as it pulls the bones out of their ideal alignment. This leads to injuries, pain, and strain, as opposing muscles do their best to pull the body back to a more ideal posture. Another down side of short muscles is that, the entire body receives less circulation since muscles need to be able to fully lengthen and contract to promote circulation. Poor circulation due to short and tight muscles make the heart have to work harder, and raise blood pressure levels.
My goals are to make the postures effective for your personal needs and help you get an understanding of how to move safely so you can effectively stretch and build strength in area where you need to without injury. I speak in clear language with specific cues and incorporate props to establish a supported setup as well as help you connect with the micro-work and feelings of effective muscular activation that leads to a desired stretch.
My sequences employ best-practices to progressively open the body, and I’ve helped clients address physical goals as well as anxiety, insomnia, digestive disorders, and more. I teach both active and restorative postures depending on your specific needs, and as a way to enhance the effectiveness of each session. Whether you’re an experienced practitioner looking to refine and evolve your practice, or a newcomer who wants to see if it’s a fit, I’m here to support you.
Increase Strength, Flexibility & Range of Motion
I also teach Yin Yoga, a form of stretching that helps support the health of the myofascial connective tissues. I recommend this practice be done by all athletes at least once a week to help reduce the tension created through strength training, including traditional yoga asana. This practice helps maintain circulation to the myofascial tissues, and speeds recovery time following intense physical activity.
The myofascial connective tissues surround every cell, muscle, organ, bone, and more. The network is the support structure of the body, and you can think of it as a ‘bodysuit’ that muscles fill into, with linked groups that connect to one another. This means the whole body is literally connected, and what happens in the big toe can affect the top of the head. The fascia becomes tight with too much of any repetitive motion or posture, can become dehydrated and undernourished when muscles are so tight that fluids can’t get to the tissues. Those who have had past injuries and surgeries are prone to adhesions in the fascia that prevent full range of motion and movement, and this practice helps shift those sticky spots out over time.
Obstructions in the fascia require passive stretches, without muscular effort, held for up to several minutes at a time. When done safely, these stretches help dissolve tension, restore joint range-of-motion, and help heal even decades-old injuries. Most students and clients report that they sleep more deeply after these incredibly healing sessions.
These stretches are easy to fall in love with, but keep in mind, they do not build strength, and will not give you the strength you may need in your feet, legs, core, spine, and shoulder blades to support healthy posture. They are meant to be an addition to a physical practice that brings the body into an upright posture that balances the weight of the spine and upper body through the bones that are meant to support them.
Sharpen Mental Focus & Reaction Time
I teach Mindfulness Meditation Methods and incorporate them into all of my teachings to help enhance focus and reaction time, and speed recovery time from workouts and injuries.
Mental focusing methods can help us stay steady and calm, no matter what’s coming our way, so we can perform despite the toughest of competitors or obstacles. When we are able to keep our minds in the present moment, we can operate well despite distractions around us, and respond versus react. Mindfulness meditation also helps elicit a relaxation response, increase dopamine, and shift the body & mind into the calm, restful state required to heal and recover quickly from physical activity and injuries.
Additional benefits include a boosted mood, better energy throughout the day, and a more restful sleep at night.
One-on-One Wellness Coaching
It all starts with an Intention. In my experience, we can heal from anything and make significant shifts in our lives. We’re more likely to be successful when we have the desire, are ready to make a change, and believe in ourselves. As a coach, I help you connect with your inner wisdom to set your own goals, understand your internal motivators, discover tools at your disposal, and bring your dreams to life.
“If you don’t begin your path to wellness now, you’ll just be one year older when you do!”
— Liz Little
