Yoga is an ancient Indian practice made up of physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines with proven benefits for the mind, body, and soul. It combines movement, mindfulness, and deep breathing to calm the mind, improve one's mood, increase flexibility and strengthen muscles.
Here are 4 reasons why regular Yoga sessions should be part of your MMA training schedule
1. IMPROVES FLEXIBILITY & REDUCES THE RISK OF INJURY
Regular yoga practice promotes longer ranges of motion, which in turns helps to maintain joint health, and lower the risk of muscle injuries.
Martial arts training often involves moving the body into awkward positions especially in the grappling arts where wrestling and submissions are involved. This can sometimes lengthen a muscle group past its natural limits causing an injury.
Yoga improves mobility & stability – helping to move in and out of different positions, increasing the body's range of motion & learning how to use your core to generate more power - all contributing to less injuries and providing longevity for your training.
With regular yoga practice you will be able to:
Support our body weight utilising all of the different muscle groups in the body
Move from one movement to the next smoothly by mastering your core control.
Maintain balance and stability under challenging conditions.
2. IMPROVES BALANCE & COORDINATION
Good balance and coordination are necessities for successful MMA practitioners. This is because the sport is naturally demanding on the body & professional MMA athletes require a high level of athleticism from their bodies.
Balance is a crucial component for a well rounded MMA athlete as it allows the fighter to maintain control when faced with an opposing force presenting an array of challenging positions. Coordination is vital for effective self defence and offensive progression, both require effective use of multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
Yoga often is associated with flexibility & relaxation but its benefits run much deeper. Almost all poses and sequences you will learn is designed to improve your balance and coordination while improving your overall strength.
3. STAYING CALM IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS
One of the core principles of yoga revolves around calming the mind, controlling your breathing, and learning how to enhance your focus. In any given yoga class you will be guided to bring your attention to engaging the right muscles, being mindful of your balance and working through the challenge of some of the positions.
Yoga helps its practitioners learn to be calm, collected, and in the moment. This comes in very useful in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts where athletes must consider a many options simultaneously and react quickly/accordingly to the opponents movements. The ability to stay calm also helps an athlete's ability to be proactive and make controlled decisions under duress.
MMA is a dynamic and nuanced sport. The fighter who is capable of remaining calm with controlled nerves and a focused mind, is likely to be the one who comes out on top.
4. IMPROVES YOUR BREATHING
Breathing correctly is essential for any athletic performance including martial arts. The body uses oxygen to produce energy, and with proper breathing techniques it helps the blood circulate through the body and firing on all cylinders.
Mastering deep breathing is the key to peak physical output and getting the most out of your body. It also assists in recovery during the small breaks between bouts of activity (e.g. In between rounds for MMA /Grappling/Boxing/Muay Thai). Deep breathing engages the rib cage to improve lung capacity while engaging core muscle groups. In contrast, shallow and rapid breathing leads to greater fatigue and negatively impacts the body's ability to perform.
Yoga is a great tool that equips athletes with multiple breathing techniques applicable to sport specific scenarios leading to better performance, more energy and a big outcomes in the gym or the cage.
Yoga at the Den
Our Yoga classes are on every Saturday at 8AM. It's the best way to unwind and recover from the week of training and head into the weekend nice & limber with a clear mind.
The class is open to all levels, no prior Yoga experience required!
Protip: Book an infrared sauna session afterwards for that extra bit of recovery 😎
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