5 reasons that you should consider doing yoga if you play sports

In partnership NiQuitin.

It’s not just stretches and Eastern mysticism.

Yoga may once have been viewed as a new age indulgence but more and more people are starting to see why it's been around for over 5,000 years. Everyone from businessmen to professional athletes are now getting into yoga as the benefits of incorporating it into your lifestyle become obvious. This week's challenge in our Quit to Fit campaign is to give yoga a go. Our five teams will be trying it out and showing us how they got on using the hashtag #QuitToFit. You can also check out yoga classes in your area if you want to get involved. Don't forget to update us on your efforts on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #QuitToFit. Aside from taking part in the challenge, anyone who plays a sport should really consider giving yoga a go. You'd be surprised at the benefits it can offer. It can potentially improve all aspects of your performance, your endurance levels and even your longevity in the sport. Here’s why doing yoga could make a major difference if you play sports.

1. You can improve your balance and flexibility

Yoga increases your flexibility and range of movement, which is great for sports that incorporate swinging motions like hurling or golf. It improves your elasticity and helps you achieve a balance between strength and flexibility. Man United legend Ryan Giggs is just one famous sports star who has spoken of its benefits within a sporting regime. “The yoga has definitely helped me," he said towards the end of his playing career. "It helps me train every day because it gives me the flexibility and the strength not only to play the game but to train as well.” Balancing poses train you to be in control of your centre of gravity and help with your physical coordination, which can give you an edge in sport. Regularly practising various postures helps to develop your balance. That ensures that you don’t have to borrow strength from other parts of the body, which can improve your overall sporting performance.

2. It gives you improved core strength

Anyone who thinks that yoga is all about saying “Om” and crossing your legs could get a rude awakening in a class. It’s an intense workout that will use muscles you never knew existed. Yoga is all about consistently holding up your own bodyweight, which sounds simple until you actually try it. Developing your core strength is not about bulking up or gaining mass. It’s about using your own bodyweight to organise your movement, build your strength and develop a core that helps general health. For instance, strong abs and back muscles can support your spine and prevent back pain. One of the benefits of developing your core muscles is that it can improve alignment and lessen imbalances. Core muscles are involved in a lot of sporting movement so, the stronger your core, the less effort and energy you’ll expend on simple movements.

3. You learn to control your breathing and focus

How often do you hear professional athletes or sports people talk about focus, concentration or controlling their breathing? Those are all basic components of yoga. Some yoga techniques also stimulate your brain and nervous system, which can help memory and concentration. Yoga requires you to carry out testing physical routines and this requires good focus and concentration. Breathing techniques can also help you to stay in control, manage stress and regulate your energy levels. It also teaches you to be in the present moment, which can be vital when you’re in a big game scenario or facing a pressurised situation. Part of yoga is meditation, which is all about stilling the mind and blocking out distractions.

4. It aids recovery

For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. In this case, yoga can help you elongate all the muscles that you can spend so long contracting during training or sporting activities. These muscles can tighten over time, causing a painful sensation and limiting your range of motion. Yoga uses static stretching and dynamic stretching to relax these muscles and aid blood flow, which will help recovery.

5. It can help you avoid injury

Unlike some weight lifting or muscle-building exercises, yoga focuses on functional strength and works full muscles groups as opposed to isolated muscles. This means that smaller supporting muscles are also built up and developed. Yoga helps to reveal and address the muscle imbalances that often cause injuries. Increased flexibility obviously helps and improved balance will allow you to avoid falls or collisions. Yoga helps you to control transitions, manage falls and develop the primary balance muscles. It also helps with weight distribution which makes you steadier on your feet. Stretching your muscles with yoga can open them up to allow greater blood flow and oxygen. This allows athletes to perform longer, avoid muscle cramping and decrease the chances of injury. NiQuitin is an unbeatable* way of quitting smoking. Try the NiQuitin 14mg patch for 24-hour craving control and the new NiQuitin Fresh Mint 2mg gum to hit sudden cravings hard with great flavour! NiQuitin 14mg Clear Patches and NiQuitin Fresh Mint 2mg gum are "stop smoking" aids that contain nicotine but you still require willpower. Always read the label. *provides significant improvements in quit rates compared to the patch alone. *No purchase or use of NiQuitin is required. T&Cs apply. In partnership with NiQuitin.