So we've all heard that many pros practice yoga for sports training. But who exactly does yoga benefit the most? Does it work better for some sports rather than others? I was quite curious to find out, so I did a little bit of research and found a very impressive (and diverse) list of famous professional athletes who practice yoga to improve their game performance. In no particular order:
- Le Bron James. Perhaps the most well-known player in the NBA, Le Bron attributes his good health to his regular yoga practice.
- Maria Sharapova. Famous for her grace and performance in tennis, she says:" When I travel to tournaments I put the disk in my computer three or four times a week and do yoga for about an hour. It helps my flexibility and gets me more relaxed, especially after a good workout. I enjoy it, and it helps my game tremendously."
- The entire Philadelphia Eagles NFL team. The famous Baron Baptiste yoga guru led the team through their yoga for sports training for four years!
- Tim Thomas. The Boston Bruins and US Olympic goaltender says he "had no idea what [he] was getting [himself] into" and he was sweating within 5 minutes."My whole career has been about proving to people that I can play in the NHL and that I can be very successful in the NHL so yoga's part of that journey."
- Ex-Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabar. He has been quoted saying "There is no way I could have played as long as I did without yoga."
- Daylan Childress, Cincinnati Reds Pitcher. This baseball player uses yoga to relieve stresses in his body and cure back pain.
- The Ottawa Senators NHL team. They reported that the fewer injuries in the 2006-07 season were the fruit of their yoga training.
- Shaquille O'Neal.
Yoga
Wow! What a diverse group of well-known professional athletes! In this list, we have got basketball, tennis, football, hockey, and baseball players who all use yoga for sports training. I think it is safe to say that no matter what sport you are playing, you will benefit from practicing yoga.
Did you know that Le Bron James and Maria Sharapova both practice yoga to enhance their athletic abilities? Don't you ever wish you could dramatically improve your performance? Join the revolution, and find out how yoga for athletes can skyrocket your playing to a new level: http://www.squidoo.com/yoga-for-athletes