GirlsGoneStrong.com
By Alli McKee
November 8,2013
About a year ago, I started practicing yoga two to three times per week on a regular basis. Initially, I sought it out as a departure from my typical training routines but also to learn ways to make my body stronger so I could work towards some of my ultimate bodyweight performance goals, particularly, the human flag.
Meet our friend, Josh and his impressive Human Flag. I’m not there yet, but I’m determined! In addition to the people I love and the game changing perspectives that have I’ve come by through yoga, I’ve gotten better in my body. Yoga offers a lot of benefits from breath work to body awareness, flexibility, mobility, stability, strength and relaxation. While everyone’s interests and needs may vary, when it comes to sports and training, I encourage you to get to know thy fitness neighbor as there’s a lot of benefits from a consistent practice.
Breath work
More and more attention is circulating around diaphragmatic breathing in the strength training community. Girls Gone Strong Co-Founder, Molly Galbraith, uses several breathing practices for herself and clients at her gym. She says:
“We do rockback breathing to help teach clients how to circumferentially expand with air, which will help them to stabilize their core more effectively, and we use a hard exhale to teach them to drive the ribs down. After a workout, you may use something like Crocodile Breathing (lying on the belly with a shorter inhale and a longer exhale) to kick start the recovery process by switching the body over to the parasympathetic nervous system.”