Sage Rountree: Yoga for Athletes, Training for Running and Triathlon | Blog

Coffee Table Yoga

Today was my last trip of the season to teach yoga to the UNC football team. They've had a good season, which officially ends next Saturday but which will continue to a bowl game. My role is as part of the lift-and-flush workout, in which they do some light weights and running, plus yoga. It's always interesting to see the progression as the season continues. Last week, for example, instead of the usual chatter about who went to what club the night before, I heard some guys talking about who blew what assignment; others were comparing stats. How cool to see a team hit its stride!

Today, we did a variation on the Wall Folds routine from The Athlete's Pocket Guide to Yoga, using the team's lockers. These have a seat-height bench covered in a pad, and they're deep enough that players can rest the entirety of their lower legs on the pad. The bottom of the bench is solid. At home, you can use your coffee table (or, if you're tall, your sofa), then move to the wall for the supported twists. The bent-legged position you take as home base for the sequence is very nice on the lower back and knees—much less stressful than a full straight-legged viparita karani/legs-up-the-wall position. Your legs get the draining effect of the inversion; your back is held by the floor, which keeps it from rounding; your chest gets a gentle stretch; and your whole system—body, mind, and breath—gets calm.

Here are some ideas for you to play with. Sure, this could be yoga for football players, but it could also be great as a relaxing sequence after travel, or after a tough workout.

Come close to the coffee table, calves to its surface, back on the ground. Bring your bottom as close to the table as feels comfortable. Take your hands to a position that feels good: inverted V, goalpost arms, "Touchdown!" arms, "Safety!" arms, or a V overhead. Stay here for a number of breaths, getting settled.
Take your knees closer over your torso and rest your heels on the edge of the table. You'll be in the shape of a squat on your back. Hold for five breaths or more.
From here, shift toward baddha konasana/cobbler pose legs, taking the knees wide into a diamond shape as the soles of your feet come together. Support your knees without forcing them toward the table. Five or more breaths.
Unwind and rest your calves back on the table. Straighten your left leg, reaching your left heel toward the ceiling and your left toes toward your head. After a few breaths, gently circle your foot in one direction, then the other, to stretch the lower leg. Repeat on the right leg.
Lift your left leg, point the left knee to the left, and cross your ankle over the right leg, so that the outer ankle is to the right of the right leg. If you need more stretch for the outer left hip, slide your right knee toward your chest. If your bottom lifts off the ground, scoot your whole body away from the table, so that your entire backside stays in good contact with the floor. Stay for five to ten breaths—a longer hold helps the piriformis release—then repeat for the right leg.
Bring your heels to the edge of the table. If you trust the table will not slip, push into it with your feet and lift your hips in the air. You'll be in a high bridge pose (drawbridge?). From here, you can walk your shoulders toward each other behind the back. If any of this feels iffy for your neck or back, skip it. Otherwise, five breaths or so should do.
This one is for those at a solid couch or with a blocky coffee table; alternatively, move to the wall or a door. Slide six inches or so away from the prop, then drop both knees to the right, taking the soles of your feet to the prop. Open your left arm to the left, and turn your head that way, too. (The players really liked this one; it gives you a slightly deeper twist than the usual knees-down reclining twist in the middle of the room.) For less, move further from the prop; for more, scoot in toward it. After five breaths or more, move to the other side.
Finish as you started, calves to the tabletop, back neutral, chest open. Breathe.

Let me know what you think!

November 22, 2009 02:54 PM | Training and Racing, Yoga | Permalink

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Early Bird Special at Kripalu

Kripalu is offering an early-bird special of a 10-percent discount off my February weekend workshop. If you're wondering, "Who or what is Kripalu?" the answer is that it's a lovely yoga center in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, not far from Albany or Hartford. The grounds are beautiful, especially covered with February snow, and you can see ice fishermen on the lake in the distance as you eat the amazing food and sip hot tea.

My workshop description is as follows:

Improve strength, flexibility, and focus
Increase physical and mental endurance and balance
Avoid injury and recover faster
Many athletes are turned off by yoga because it’s too hard, too easy, or out of sync with their training. Over this weekend, coach and teacher Sage Rountree will demystify yoga and explain exactly how it fits with training and competition. Yoga’s emphasis on form and breath will translate to increased efficiency and focus in your sport and your life.

In this weekend workshop, appropriate for all levels of yoga and athletic experience, we’ll learn poses to increase range of motion and flexibility, especially in the hips and hamstrings. We’ll spend some time cultivating sport-specific core strength and playing with balance, and we’ll examine yoga as mental training, learning how incorporating yoga’s approach to the body and mind can make us better athletes.

Discover how to include yoga in your annual training plan, choosing sequences to complement your training both in season and during the off-season. Practicing the poses and techniques you’ll learn in this workshop will increase your flexibility, core strength, stability, balance, and physical and mental endurance, while lowering your recovery time and risk of injury.

Weather permitting, we’ll head out for a run one or both mornings. Recommended reading: The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga and The Athlete’s Pocket Guide to Yoga, both by Sage Rountree (VeloPress, 2008 and 2009).

This past February, I had the pleasure of joining a wonderful group of yogis and athletes for the first version of the workshop. There were teachers of yoga for athletes, gym teachers, some hardcore runners who'd never done yoga, some fans of gentle yoga who'd never felt very athletic—a wonderful mix of the full range of experience (from much to none) with sports or yoga. If you're wondering whether you'll fit in: yes! You will. You'll learn a lot about your body, mind, and spirit over the weekend, and you'll get to enjoy the wonderful feeling of being on retreat, where someone else takes care of the cooking and the dishes, and where when you are done with practice, you don't have to rush to anywhere.

I hope to see you there. Sign up by January 3 for that early-bird special. (It'd make a great holiday gift for yourself or a friend!) Register via this link.

November 19, 2009 02:02 PM | Training and Racing, Yoga | Permalink

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More Yoga for Athletes in NYC

I had a blast at the New York Marathon—not just during the race itself, but for the whole long weekend. There's a full report at my site, mostly pictorial. Marvel at Joan Benoit Samuelson, the bunny-head runner, and the crowds! Thrill as I pose pretentiously in front of banners! Sigh at the cuteness of my children in Halloween costumes! Find it here.

My workshop at the beautiful Om Factory space went very well. I led the group through eight restorative postures, where they were able to focus on form and breath to prepare for running the race the next day. I was delighted to see my student Emilie Smith there, a reunion after our weekend at Kripalu this February. She's teaching a workshop for athletes at the Reebok Sports Club near Lincoln Center on November 14. The flier's below. Please visit her—she's a lovely person with great energy.

November 5, 2009 02:50 PM | Training and Racing, Family, Yoga, Media | Permalink

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