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Yoga for your life

By Cathy DeLaney

I’m introducing you to Yoga because it’s excellent cross-training for athletes. Cheerleaders, dancers, and drill team members are indeed athletes. Yoga is a great way to condition and tone the body, gain flexibility and strength, build endurance and stamina, increase balance
and concentrated focus, and prevents injuries while energizing the body. You will be amazed at how much Yoga enhances your abilities. I’ve taught Yoga to many athletes, including award winning cheerleaders, at a private school in my hometown. The results are always fantastic and rewarding. In each issue, this column will introduce asanas (exercises) to incorporate in your training and further enhance and cheering and performance.

Here’s a little background on Yoga.......literally translated it means to yoke or union. It is a mind/body connection and that encompasses the union. An individual that performs Yoga is to submerge their mind into what their bodies are experiencing and what they are feeling in their various groups of muscles. At this point, the mind and body began to work as one. The most important thing I can tell you about Yoga is to perform only what you can comfortably, never over do it, and to keep your mind focused on what you are feeling in the movement and the holding period. We hold our positions, either for a few counts or a few breaths, this is when all the action is transpiring. It is not necessary to do a lot of repetitions, 2-3 times is sufficient. The more you work with your body, the more it will give. Consistency reaps the rewards.

Breathing (pranayama) plays a major factor in Yoga. Not only does it calm and tranquilize the mind and emotions, it also energizes the mind and body. This is where your endurance, stamina, nervous system, and focus benefits. Performing can be nerve-racking and now we have a way to deal with it. Your first and foremost exercise you will learn is the Complete Breath Standing. There are many wonderful breathing exercises and we will periodically introduce hem, because they are an important aspect of Yoga. Actually, it is the life-force of Yoga. We can sustain without food and water for a small period of time, but we absolutely can not live without the breath of life- oxygen. Yoga helps circulate the blood and oxygen throughout the body, as if it’s oiling our finely tuned machines.

Here’s a little background on me......I’ve been teaching Yoga for 24 years. I was fortunate enough to have world renowned guru, Richard Hittleman, take me under his wing and he tought me so much. I was one of four he shared his knowledge with. Mr.Hittleman brought Yoga to America through his TV programs that aired for decades. He also wrote numerous books, a couple of which still remain in print today. Mr. Hittleman died in 1991, and to further my education I started collecting books and videos. I’ve learned various styles and techniques and I like to offer a wide variety in my classes. I’m available for seminars, workshops, and competitions. You may contact me at gause@aol.com. A Yoga program should be a part of your team’s practice.

Complete Breath Standing

Proper breathing can help you maintain the physical and mental balance so highly valued in Yoga and in life. The breath is the vehicle of the subtle energy which is the intelligent and creative force at the foundation of our lives. For thousands of years we’ve learned that proper breathing energizes the BODY, and purifies it of waste products. It improves the functioning of the ORGANS (especially the HEART) and all the systems including CIRCULATORY, NERVOUS, and DIGESTIVE. The breath calms the MIND and EMOTIONS. The oxygen purification of the BLOOD results in a healthy and glowing SKIN and COMPLEXION. The breath is an excellent way to overcome fatigue and regain VITALITY. It also improves alertness and clarity of the MIND. All inhalations and exhalations should be through your nostrils. It’s helpful to begin with belly breaths......place your hand on your abdomen,
exhale and contract your abdomen forcing all the old air out, then inhale pushing your abdomen out and pulling the air into the base of your lungs. Continue this pattern watching your hand rise as you inhale, and go down as you exhale. This is the way you should breathe and it may take practice, but, this is the way you breathe when you are asleep. In our awakened state, we walk around with our stomachs held in and take shallow breaths robbing ourselves of oxygen.

  1. Stand with your arms resting at your sides

  2. Exhale, relaxing your neck and contracting your abdomen.

  3. Begin your inhalation by pushing your
    abdomen out and lifting your head and arms up from your sides.

  4. Complete your inhalation by having your palms meet overhead and hold your breath 5-15 counts. Slowly exhale and lower your arms and relax your neck, finishing the breath with your abdomen contracting. Repeat several times and eventually increase your holding counts.