Our Guest writer this week is Simon Hill, Gracie Yoga instructor and Gracie Sydney Blue Belt, giving you five great reasons to drop into one of our new Yoga classes on Mondays at 8!
1. Flexibility
In yoga, your joints are worked through a full range of motion and the muscles are lengthened bringing suppleness and ease of movement. Yoga also helps to release tension in areas that may be overworked through Jiu Jitsu. The lower back and shoulders are often tight in grapplers.
2. Strength
As well as flexibility, you will also gain strength through the full range of motion of your joints. The combination of stability and mobility is essential for the long term health of your joints.
3. Balance
If you’re tired of being swept or taken to the ground from standing then yoga can help. One legged postures, arm balancing and inversions help develop the muscular conditioning, proprioception and mental focus needed for balance.
4. Relaxation
Are you one of those people who breathe like you’ve just run a 100m sprint after 30 seconds of rolling? Yoga helps develop an awarness of the body and breath so you stay physically relaxed and your breathing stays steady and controlled even in uncomfortable positions.
5. Injury prevention
Through yoga you will learn how to safely move your joints and learn the limits of your mobility. This means you will know which positions are potentially injurious enabling you to move to a safer position or tap before damage occurs. Preventing injury and relieving chronic tension means you get to train more often and for longer. And remember: you’re never too inflexible or too old to start yoga!