Team Instruction
Yoga for Athletes
Yoga With Hope has worked with a variety of elite athletes, teams and individual players, consistently achieving profound results. Athletes tend to suffer a variety of injuries and Yoga With Hope works with players on modifying their practice and finding what works for them in a safe and compassionate setting. Please refer to the testimonials below to read more about Yoga With Hope in action.
Yoga is a perfect complement to any competitive athletic program. Yoga With Hope will tailor a yoga program to meet the needs of your specific group (i.e. rep hockey, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse or dance group), with the convenience of an on-site yoga class for your athletes that will include a physical component of stretching and strengthening their bodies and a deep focus on breath awareness. As with all students, the key benefits of yoga are:
• Lengthens the muscles – poses work on rectifying the repetitive movements of certain sports that shorten the muscles and therefore shorten the stride, throw or length of leg
• Enhances the core - focused, balancing postures, correct breathing and core strengthening poses bring awareness to the core
• Strengthens the muscles - strengthening the supportive and under-developed muscles surrounding the more utilized muscles for each sport, thereby reducing overuse injury
• Improves balance - in competitive sports, the smallest edge like enhanced balance can mean the difference between victory and defeat
• Increases functional mobility - improves functional mobility by increasing the range of motion, thereby allowing the body to increase its potential for higher velocity movements leading to greater force in their actions. Yoga also provides the needed flexion in the spine to keep it healthy – gentle spinal twists and back bends bring flexibility back into the spine
• Calms the mind bringing greater focus and clarity – breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation help to still the chattering monkey mind and achieve greater focus. Competitive athletes must have the ability to focus entirely on the challenge at hand, be completely rooted in the present moment and manage their thoughts to the extent that negative thought patterns, fears and doubts are eliminated at will. Consistent practice leads to silencing mental chatter, reduced stress, improved mental function and ultimately, better sleep
A team yoga class can improve communication between players who have different strengths on the mat than elsewhere and can contribute to an overall sense of well-being and calmness; noticeable improvements in teamwork and goal setting can surface from improved clarity of the mind.
Please contact Cynthia at yogawithhope@gmail.com to get further details.
Testimonials
"Mrs. Hope is a phenomenal yoga teacher. She makes yoga a soothing yet challenging activity. She makes sure to test your limits while modifying the poses to your own flexibility, strengths and even injuries or limitations. You will leave her class with your body and mind in a peaceful state." - Matthew Martin
"I have been attending Cynthia Hope's yoga classes and I have found that it has made me more flexible. This has helped greatly with my hockey performance. She is a great instructor, who is very helpful and always thereto answer my questions. A great way to help you in any sport or just good exercise - I have really enjoyed YOGA!" - JC
"Over the last few months I have participated in yoga with my hockey team with Cynthia Hope. Yoga has been an excellent experience for off ice training. It has not only enhanced my flexibility, but also my skating. After each session of yoga I feel I can reach a little further each time when stretching. Yoga is also a good time to relax and be in an environment where no one judges you. It is a good and quiet environment where I can focus on my skills without disturbances. Yoga helps me in many aspects. It is something I love to do and hope to continue doing in the future." - Josh A
"This year, for the first time, I began taking yoga lessons with my hockey team. Yoga has been a very positive experience for me. As a goaltender, learning stretches and exercises to improve my flexibility and focus are key to my game. Yoga With Hope has helped me to move better and exercise muscles in new ways. Yoga has also helped me learn how to clear my mind and focus on myself, not what others are doing. My strength, flexibility, focus, and dedication have all improved thanks to yoga classes with Cynthia." - John Vergeer