Athletes of all kinds are adding yoga to their lives to help improve their performance with gains in strength, flexibility, focus and breathing. It can sometimes be hard to find the time to fit a regular practice into a heavy training schedule, but a regular practice doesn’t necessarily need to be a formal class. You can cultivate your personal practice and focus on some key areas that can be beneficial, specifically for rowers and injuries commonly associated with rowing.
Rowing is like moving meditation to me, whether solo or team based. The fluidity of movement, the connection to nature… I think you’ll be surprised the similarities in yoga.
The basis of a successful yoga practice starts by cultivating the breath, and it’s one of the fastest ways to boost your performance. By learning to breath properly, you become more efficient, calmer, and focused. I could talk about this for hours, but I’ll spare you, and instead try to give some key points, starting with some quick anatomy.
Alveoli are air sacs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. There are more blood capillaries surrounding the alveoli in the lower portion of the lungs, allowing for a greater exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide there. If you never learn to tap into that section of your lungs, you’re not as efficient as you could be. Most people breath only into their chests, never bringing the breath deep. It takes some practice to become prolific in this, and with the number of times you take a breath over the course of they day, improper breathing is a hard habit to break!
Proper breathing will also help your core strength and help prevent back injury – from what I understand, the foremost injury in your sport — in a couple different ways. The muscles that facilitate proper breathing are the same muscles you need to keep strong. The main breathing muscle is the diaphragm, and its only purpose is to do just that breath, but because of its attachment to the lumbar vertebrae, when it descends (upon a FULL inhale) there is a slight decompression on the inter-vertebral discs. This allows the discs to experience more fluid exchange, which helps to combat disc degeneration. You don’t reap this benefit if you aren’t breathing fully. The other major muscles in breathing are the intercostals (muscles around the ribs) and the abdominals. You can strengthen these muscles just through breathing exercises. Really! We will start with the basic three-part breath exercise.
Three-Part Breath
Placing hands on belly, just below the navel, inhale, allowing belly to expand in hands, and then exhale while the navel moves toward the spine assisting in emptying the lungs. Repeat “belly breath” five times.
Place hands on sides of rib cage, just below the nipple line. Initiate the inhale in the belly and then allow rib cage to expand sideways in their hands, exhaling while the rib cage resumes its original shape, and the navel draws to the spine to empty the lungs. Repeat five times, focusing on the rib cage expansion.
Place hands on upper chest, below collarbones. Initiate the inhale in the belly and ribs, and then allow chest to expand into hands, exhaling while the chest falls, and the ribs and belly release to empty the lungs. Repeat five times, focusing on the chest expansion.
Place one hand on belly and one hand on chest. Inhale, allowing the belly to expand, then the rib cage, and finally the chest for a complete inhalation. Exhale, allowing the chest to fall, then the rib cage to release, and finally the navel draws to the spine for a complete exhalation. Repeat five times, focusing on linking the three parts of the breath.
You will want to try and keep this basic three-part breath throughout the posture (asana) portion of the practice. Focus on your body working as one unit, even when you are emphasizing the strength or stretch of certain muscles. I often ask my students to try and breath with their whole body and to think of all movement originating from their center. Keeping the breath mindful keeps you clear and present, which obviously has a huge translation to your performance athletically. The following postures will help open areas that are overworked or tight, and build strength in muscles that support your joints and spine.
Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
This pose helps to open the entire backside of the body, especially the hamstrings, calves and Achilles tendons. It creates strength in the shoulder girdle and upper back among other things.
Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
This pose will help to open the hip flexors and quadriceps, stabilize the back and core, and challenge balance. It is the building block for many standing poses, including twists, which help keep the back supple and flexible.
Side Plank Pose (Vasisthasana)
This is a great pose for building total body strength with a focus in your core, wrist and shoulder. If you have any pre-existing wrist issues, you can practice on your forearm.
Intense Side Stretch Pose (Parsvottanasana)
I love this pose for opening your hamstrings and spine. Focus on staying long through your spine as opposed to rounding the back for best results.
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
I often use this pose as a platform for practicing the three-part breath with intensity. In this position you are able to feel the full capacity of breath expansion. Be very mindful of your lumbar spine and keep it long, finding the space in the upper (thoracic) spine.
Corpse Pose (Savasana)
This is my favorite pose, and by far, the most challenging. Many yoga students think this is the one they should leave out if they are pressed for time, but I think it ranks as one of the most important. It is how you allow the physical practice to create pathways in your mind. It is the culmination of this mind/body journey we partake in as we practice yoga.
Above all else, be patient with your practice and let it be fun. The carryover into your performance will happen naturally. Enjoy!
Maeve McCaffrey is a yoga instructor and Personal Trainer at The Sports Club/LA in West Los Angeles.
Here is a message from Los Angeles Rowing Club’s Coaching Coordinator, Chris Reins:
