For many athletes who are currently in their sports’ off-season, the winter tends to be a pretty discouraging time of year. Between the early sunsets and bone-chilling temperatures (and even more horrifying wind chill conditions), oftentimes the more appealing option is to just go home and forget about it. While in the short term this may seem like a good solution, by the time the regular season rolls around, you might find yourself struggling to recapture last season’s groove. Luckily, yoga can help keep your body retain flexibility and balance, to make your transition into the season perhaps a little more comfortable. So cyclists, tennis players, runners, and golfers… this one’s for you!

An athlete’s respective sport works certain parts of his or her body rigorously, while other parts aren’t worked as intensively. Relatively, they seem weak, tight, or inflexible. During an off season, these differences are exaggerated significantly. We learn the hard way that as quickly as new muscle comes, it’s just as quick to leave if not maintained. Yoga can help any athlete, off season or not, evenly maintain muscle and flexibility. Baron Baptiste, a longtime yoga teacher to professional athletes and veteran of the Philadelphia Eagles’ coaching staff, observes that no matter what the sport, athlete’s bodies tend to have one thing in common: “one-dimensionality”. He says, “There is a lot of overdevelopment in certain areas, and in other areas there is underdevelopment.” A practice such as yoga or Pilates makes it a deliberate point to work one side of the body as much as you do the other. If you do an asana sequence for the right quadriceps, for example, you will follow it with a left-side sequence. Having evenness on both sides of the body is important for athletic ability as well as safety.

We encourage all athletes anxiously waiting for the start of the spring to incorporate a regular yoga practice into their off-season workout regimen. It will help you to connect to your body on a whole new level, and will positively change the way you approach your sport in a couple months. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Also, August is a REALLY dead month in town. We are happy to freeze ALL memberships that month..no one will be charged if you are away. Just let us know 30 days ahead of time. We will be closing for 2 weeks-will keep you updated!

Last but not least…wondering what to do with the kids after school gets out June 15th?! We will be doing a yoga camp for 2 weeks from 9-12pm! Ages 7-13! Kids can come explore yoga, arts/crafts, team building activities, and lunch together!! (bring your own lunch) Please let us know if you are interested!!

Pilates is a full body workout that focuses on the core (abdominals and back) muscles.  For the sake of comparing Pilates and yoga we will just focus on mat Pilates, even though a large component of Pilates also includes equipment. Mat Pilates leaves you with simply the resistance and support of your own body weight, strength, and flexibility. In Pilates, we aim to mobilize the spine in all directions using our core muscles first, and allow the surrounding muscles to either support or challenge those motions.

What does this have to do with yoga? More than you might think! Since Pilates is all about engaging the core, it enhances your ability to go into any yoga pose more safely and effectively. Consider pigeon pose. It’s easy to just “hang out” on your hip and thigh muscles and to just feel the stretch; but without engaging the core, you’re just putting unnecessary weight on those joints and ligaments, risking injury. When you are able to engage your core and pelvic floor muscles, the weight is lifted off of the joints and resistance is transferred to the muscles that should be engaging in order to stretch those quadriceps, open those hips, and keep your chest rotating forward all at the same time. You are, therefore, reaping greater benefits from the pose and reducing chances of injury. A more engaged core can help you stand a little taller in tree pose, have consistently strong chaturanga poses, and stabilize your half moon pose, to name only a few. A lot of yoga is about flexibility, but flexibility is nothing without stability and mobility, which is where the two practices intersect.

by Lexy Stauffer

Why is that? Well, radiant, infrared heat actually heats the object (the object being you) directly, rather than warming just the air around you like conventional heat does. So those warm, enveloping sensations you are experiencing from sunlight (and it’s resulting heat) is actually radiant, or infrared heat.

Radiant, or infrared heat, works differently from conventional heat also in that it does not “transfer” heat from a heating source, but rather it distributes it more evenly because it “radiates” the heat outward. It does not need a secondary transference method to warm an area, a person, a small room, or whatever the purpose might be.

Because the method is much more direct and efficient, it is thought to be a superior pain relief method to conventional heat. It also happens to be a “green” choice when used.

Athletes have been known to use this type of heat to relieve aches, pains and strains, and also to help move along the healing process because it is believed to help make circulation more efficient. As you may know, wounds heal faster with better circulation, and this is also true of muscle and tissue trauma.

Infrared heat has only recently been discovered to have potential health benefits beyond just a relaxing pastime that is used in spas and gyms across the world. Claims have also been made that radiant heat therapy may benefit cancer patients, those with cardiac health problems, stress and anxiety reduction, and even cellulite and skin improvement, which appeals to those with health and appearance interests. Yoga benefits alongside these benefits?! Win-win!

Radiant heat has also shown to be quite beneficial to those with arthritis, providing short term pain relief with no adverse side effects, and providing stimulation to the circulatory system that they can’t otherwise experience because of their physical limitations.

When it comes down to it, you really have to decide for yourself if radiant heat would be of any benefit to you by actually trying it out. If nothing else, it certainly provides excellent warmth to get you sweating in our HOT classes!