Over-exercising the same muscle groups and being locked into a routine that isn’t diversified. For example only running. To avoid running related injuries, aim for a balance of strength, stamina, and flexibility.

Not having a holistic plan or being a high performance individual who exercises erratically. Instead, you should create a consistent routine that prepares you for the level of activity that you want to do.

Not understanding your habitual posture patterns. Learning how to align and hold your body in a more optimal way can help to get to the root cause of a problem. For example, addressing foot turn out, forward head carriage, locking knees… etc.

Muscle imbalances are another common cause of exercise-related injuries. We offer feedback on where these places are and specific solutions for how to address them. For example, people with knee problems may have weak inner quadriceps and hamstrings and over activated outer rotators or glutes.

Inflexibility can also be the cause of exercise-related injuries. Isometric stretching is a good solution. We teach how to engage the muscles to align the bones and joints in optimal positioning for a safe balanced stretch.

Lack of strength in certain muscles. We can help you identify the muscles that are not firing and help you “wake up” and strengthen the dull areas. What makes our work so effective is that it is not just about performing a certain action but really breaking down how to do it in the most effective way.

In general, yes. What makes yoga more effective than general stretching is a higher level of awareness of what you’re doing. I like to say “It’s not how far you go, but how you go, that matters.” We teach what I call physical literacy. We help people understand what they need for their particular body. For example, some people have hyper mobility in certain joints, and need to learn specific stabilizing actions. Understanding your own body and developing the skills and awareness of how to best support it is an important aspect of yoga.

Stretching can prevent injury because mobility is very important for healthy movement. Yoga provide athletes with a good range of movement. You’re working toward an overall sense of mobility. This is when it is most effective.

Learning how to manage stress gives athletes an added edge. Stress impacts our overall health and optimal functioning. Yoga offers specific stress reduction techniques that help the athlete be more comfortable, resilient and confident under pressure. These skills are transferrable to managing academic and personal stresses that can also effect an athletes performance.

A guided yoga recovery practice helps to balance out the demands, stress and physical strain of competition and regular training. The non competitive nature of yoga allows athletes to shift from performance mode into a stress free environment of self observation and self care. Unwinding physical tension, breathing deeply, relaxing the mind and being in the moment all help to recharge a depleted state.