While regular activities such as running or swimming keep your body healthy and strong they might also result in uneven wear of muscles and joints, lack of flexibility and ultimately discomfort. Therefore, more and more professional athletes turn to Yoga to complement their workout and to rebalance body and soul.

With Yoga you can prepare your body for the strain that comes with exercise. Deep breathing and stretching stimulate blood circulation and make sore and shortened muscles more flexible. Yoga also helps you avoid injuries, counter physical and emotional stress and open up body areas that are tense or off-balance.

If you are a regular runner your legs’ muscles tend to shorten and you are prone to develop “runner’s knee”, a painful condition where the kneecap gets dislocated and the cartilage around it becomes worn out. Yoga poses such as the dancer’s pose or the warrior poses lengthen and strengthen your muscles for an improved posture. This can be important for swimmers who tend to suffer from shoulder injuries. Cyclists should support their back and hip areas since they spend a lot of time hunched over the handlebar. The cat-cow position relaxes the spine muscles and the pigeon stretch opens up the hips making them more flexible. Doing a few Yoga poses before or after the workouts or during the days in between will not only enhance your fitness level but will also improve your concentration, inner balance and general well-being.