In the year of Snowmageddon––at least in Northern America––there’s no excuse not to head outside and play in the snow! Whether you’re a diehard skier or boarder or you’re a novice ready to conquer the bunny slope, you can elevate your snow sports experience with yoga. And if the closest you’ll get to snow is watching the Winter Olympics, you can still benefit from these classes!
Winter sports require a strong core, powerful legs, exquisite balance, and focused attention. Enter our Winter Sports Yoga Package, with 7 classes created specifically for pre and post yoga to help you maximize your time on the mountain. Skiing and snowboarding both require a lot of muscular work, and your hips and legs can grow tight and sore after several runs down the slopes. Yoga counteracts all that effort and has a cross-training effect to enable you to recover faster and prevent injury.
Yoga will help strengthen your core, which consists of not just your abdominals but also your back and glutes. A strong center is essential for maintaining your balance, controlling your movement, and protecting your spine. Powerful quads and hamstrings are essential for long days on the slopes. If your muscles tire out too soon, you may be prone to fall or strain your knees and hips. Asanas like Utkatasana (Chair Pose), Virabhadrasana I and II (Warrior I and II), and Vrksasana (Tree Pose) strengthen your lower body and improve your focus and balance.
In addition to helping you gain strength, yoga will stretch out the muscles you use during your winter sports. Your hips and legs are constantly working when you ski or board and over the course of the day, they grow tight. It’s important to keep your hips, hamstrings, quads, and inner thighs supple and flexible to prevent injury. Moving your spine through all the planes of motion, including laterally and rotationally is vital to feeling great before, during, and after you are on the mountain.
Another way yoga gives you an edge is by honing your concentration and focus. Pranayama work is key to staying calm when you’ve accidentally ended up on a Double Black Diamond run when you meant to stay on the blue runs or some out-of-control novice comes tumbling into you when you were minding your own business. Mastering your breath helps you stay energized in higher altitudes, which in turn maximizes the amount of time you can play!
Even if you’re only watching the downhill sports on television, you can benefit from these classes! Who doesn’t want to feel stronger, more flexible, balanced and calm?