Stretching isn’t an Olympic sport. And neither is yoga.

It’s a great tool to become a better player, but it’s not a competition
against yourself or others. Which is a hard lesson to learn when
you are a driven athlete who always wants to outperform your
opponents.  I have been in many a group yoga class where I found
myself straining and stretching to hold a particular position that
I really had no business being in because some person who looked
much less fit or athletic than me seemed to be able to hold it
effortlessly.  It always makes me laugh because the instructors are
always telling the students in class to listen to their own body,
only go as far in the posture as your body will allow and not
judging yourself against others. Easier said than done when you’re
competitive though.

I highly recommend yoga for all hockey players.  I started doing
yoga back when I was playing NCAA Division 1 hockey in college and
I really believe that it helped to keep me to feel stronger and
stay healthier all season long. I had 2 VHS tapes (yes…I am that
old) that I would challenge myself with 3 times a week. It was only
for about 30 to 45 minutes each session, but it sure wasn’t easy.
I pushed myself to get deeper into each posture every time I
practiced the tapes. My legs would be shaking, I’d forget to
breathe and I’d frequently fall over trying to get into the postures.
And then at some point along the way, I stopped worrying as much about
twisting myself into all kinds of crazy shapes and decided to focus on
breathing and relaxing while holding the positions.  Staying aware of how
my body was feeling and controlling my breathing was actually a lot harder
than holding the postures themselves. It was easier to push the physical
limits than to slow down mentally and focus on what I was doing.

When I teach yoga to my players now, I find that many of them
struggle with the idea of relaxing into the poses.  Like me, they
are more worried about getting as deep as possible into the
position than actually breathing.  That’s when it’s helpful to have
a coach or instructor there to remind you that yoga isn’t
competitive – it’s about going as far as your body will allow on
any given day. Some days you’ll feel sore and tired and barely be
able to get through the session and some days you’ll surprise
yourself by getting into a position that at first seemed impossible
to achieve.

One day, I may put together a Yoga For Hockey video series for
players, parents and coaches like you to use as a resource.  That
will take a little while to get together so in the meantime I have
some recommendations if you’re looking to add yoga to your off-ice
conditioning.

Recommendation #1:  Video or Class?

There are benefits to going to a yoga class and to doing a yoga
video on your own. I like the idea of following along with a video
on your own as you’re less likely to judge your performance
against other people around you.  The instructor on the tape will
obviously be much better than you at the poses – but that’s not
really frustrating since they’re the teacher.  However, when you
find yourself in a class surrounded by other  people, you might
find yourself pushing too hard to try to keep up with them.  The
videos are nice because you can do them anytime you want. In
college, I used my yoga tapes in between classes or in the morning
on game days.  When you are going to a class, you have to rearrange
your schedule to fit that of the studio.  However, the greatest
benefit of going to a class is that there is a qualified instructor
there to talk you through the session and to point out corrections.
It’s kind of like working on your shot in the backyard at home
versus going to a shooting clinic. Both options allow you to work
on your shot but working with the instructor allows you to get more
feedback on what you’re doing right and wrong.

Recommendation #2: Hot or Not?

Hot yoga is all the rage nowadays. I’ve done this type of yoga on
and off for the past 10 years and it is very different than every
other type of yoga practice. First of all, it’s very hot in there –
well over 100 degrees hot.  You pretty much start sweating the
second you walk into the room and are drenched 10 minutes into the
class.  The nice thing about the heat is that it really allows
athletes who are tight or inflexible (every hockey players I’ve
ever worked with is tight) to stretch deeper than they can in a
yoga class where the temperature is normal. The ability to stretch
deeper can increase your flexibility but you also run the risk of
stretching too far and feeling incredibly stiff the next day. This
goes back to the idea of being super competitive in yoga class – if
you try to compete with everyone else in the room when you’re new
to hot yoga, you’ll find yourself more than a little sore the next
day.  I would recommend that players try the hot yoga to see what
it’s all about. But I would suggest trying out “normal” classes as
well where the room is not so hot. Many yoga studios offer specific
yoga for athletes classes.  I would also recommend ashtanga yoga
classes (sometimes listed as “power” yoga) – which tend to be much
more movement based and can be very challenging for every level of
athlete.  You can do more relaxing forms of yoga as well – but in
my experience, athletes tend to want the challenge of the more
movement based classes. Bottom line – you need to try things out
and see what works best for you.

Recommendation #3: How Often?

Hopefully by this point in the article, I’ve convinced you to give
yoga a try.  I recommend athletes do yoga at least once a week all
year around. Like anything, the more you do it, the better you’ll
get at it.  But the goal for hockey players isn’t to become yoga
stars, it’s to become better players.  The biggest benefits I see
with my players from a once a week yoga practice are:

:: Better flexibility and mobility
:: Less injuries
:: Better balance and stability on the ice
:: Increased ability to focus on the ice by practicing focus during yoga class
:: Increased confidence as they progress onto more challenging poses

Even just 20 minutes of yoga a week can make a difference.  In my
opinion, practicing 2 or 3 times a week for 20 minutes might be
the most beneficial of all.  It’s not just a case of the “the more
the merrier” but of keeping the body feeling and moving better throughout
the week. Hockey is not exactly the most natural sport for the human body
so the more flexibility and mobility we can consistently get through
our hips, backs, legs and shoulders, the better.

So whether you try your first yoga class this week or start looking
at videos on-line to use on your own, I definitely recommend that you
give yoga a try. It made a significant impact on my game as a player
and it’s something I still practice today even though my playing days
are long gone.

Work Hard. Dream BIG. Try Yoga.

Your friend and coach,

Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director & Founder, Total Female Hockey