• On Feb, 20, 2012
•  Jayne Hembruff
•  General

Improving your Performance Through Yoga?

I am often asked to do “Stretching” talks for runners and walkers of all levels. I begin by reminding people yoga blends poses, breathe work and meditation. Yoga poses help to strengthen and stretch your body. Poses also teach you proper alignment which helps prevent injury and recovery from injury. While the yoga breathe teaches us to do deep belly diaphragmatic breathing to maximize the oxygen coming in to heal and energize the body. Long exhales assist in triggering the relaxation response which aids in releasing tight muscles which results in a great “stretch”. Meditation helps to calm the business in the mind.

3 Performance?Improvers:

?Feel The Breath? While laying on the floor in Savasana/Corpse Pose, place your right little finger on your belly button and thumb heading up to your heart. Place your left thumb on your collar bone.

Where does your breath go naturally?

Now let?s try experimenting with your breath by breathing in and out through the nose. Trying to breath into your diaphragm for the count of 1,2 and make the belly button rise up. For the count 3,4 middle of the chest rises. For the count 5, 6, the upper chest rises to fill the lungs completely feel the left hand rise up. Exhale for 6, allowing the upper chest drop down, then the middle and finally the diaphragm.

?Butt Stretch? While laying on the floor, bring the left knee into the chest. Cross the right shin across the left knee. To lengthen the piriformis/butt muscle more bring the left knee in as close as possible to the chest. While in the pose, remember to breath! In the nose for 6 and out the nose for 6. Switch and try the other side.

?Hamstring Healer? Do you have super tight hamstrings? Try this amazing assisted hamstring lengthener. Bring the right knee into the right shoulder. While keeping the knee in tight to the shoulder, do a big exhale and release the toes down to the floor. Don?t force, just use the breath to do all the work.

Thank you Kitchener and Waterloo Running Room for inviting me to be a speaker at your running and walking clinics to improve performance and allowing photos to be taken too.

Sunday, September 23, 2012, join my family and me at Waterloo Town Square for the 5th Annual Minds in Motion KW Walking Classic. ?Walk 5km, 10km or half marathon for Mental Health. For more information visit?http://www.kwwalkingclassic.com

? 2012 Jayne Hembruff & InnovativeWellness.ca