Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 30 i Women's Fitness Guide

Heard that yoga could boost your athletic ability? You're not wrong! A wealth of top sports people and sports teams are now using yoga to improve their performance. It stretches and strengthens muscles, ironing out any weaknesses by bringing better balance to the body. It's also a great tonic for the mind, with many athletes swearing by yoga for decreased stress, better clarity of thought and enhanced mental focus. Expert instruction is key, so we've created the ultimate step-by-step Yoga for Fitness guide to help you add some yoga sequences to your training schedule. We'll guide you through the basics and teach you the postures, step by step. Then you can try our exclusive collection of yoga sequences, tailored especially to certain sports. Run faster, cycle harder or swim better…

Once considered the domain of the spiritually-minded, yoga is now firmly on the fitness map. The steady rise in the number of super-fit celebrities and athletes doing yoga in recent years has helped to highlight its many benefits for everyone. Madonna is said to maintain her incredibly youthful physique with regular yoga sessions, while Sting looks leaner and fitter than most men half his age. But yoga is about much more than looking good - although that's an extra benefit! Sports and conditioning coaches are now prescribing it for their athletes and sports people to improve their strength, flexibility and reduce injury risk. Many injured athletes use it to help them recover and make a comeback and others credit sporty Bikram (hot yoga) and Vinyasa yoga for helping them to…

Yoga instructor Sheila Maubec (www.shaktishalayogaguernsey.com) recommends finding a teacher who is focused on you and your abilities, not what they can do. 'Some teachers are amazing practitioners, demonstrating all the "showy" poses with ease,' she says. 'That can be off-putting for the less physically able and physically perfect. If your body image is poor, the last person you want to teach you is a 20-year-old in a skimpy outfit! For me the most important attribute a teacher should have is empathy.' Here's what to look for in a good yoga teacher… Does the teacher ask your name? Do they remember who you are next time you come? Do they take note of any physical limitations or injuries you've had? Does the instructor adjust you gently if you are misaligned and…

BENEFITS Deeply relaxing and restoring. Strengthens and stretches your legs and tones your spine. Start in Mountain pose (A). Inhale and lift your arms up over your head. Exhale, bend your knees slightly and fold forward from your hips. Relax your upper body towards the floor. Place your hands next to or in front of your feet. If your hands don't touch the floor, bend your knees further (B). Take five to 10 breaths. Inhale and slowly roll upwards, uncurling your spine, stacking one vertebra over the other until you're standing straight.…

BENEFITS Strengthens and tones your abdomen and deep core muscles, helps relieve stress and improve digestion. Lie on your back and place a block between your thighs, right up on to your pubic bone. Place your fingertips behind your head. Inhale, and slowly, with control, bring your legs up above your hips, keeping them straight throughout the move. Make sure your lower back doesn't lift off the floor as you bring your legs up. Push through your heels and keep your toes flexed (A). Exhale, pull your belly button in, squeeze the block between your thighs and roll your tailbone off the floor. Stay here for three breaths (B). Lower your back down with control. Repeat three to five times. Exhale, pull your belly button in, squeeze the block between…

BENEFITS Improves your stamina and tones your legs, arms and shoulders. Starting in Mountain pose, step your left leg forward so your feet are a little wider than a leg's-length distance apart. Turn your right foot out 90° and left foot in 15°; make sure your left ankle points towards the arch of your right foot. Keep your hips and torso facing forward (A). Inhale and extend your arms out parallel to the floor, palms down. Extend your fingers and keep your shoulders soft. Lengthen yourtailbone down and straighten yourtorso so your back doesn't overarch. Exhale, and bend your left knee to a right angle, with your shin perpendicular to the floor. Lift your inner arches, root down the outer edges of your feet and pull up the thigh muscle…

BENEFITS Works to improve your balance while strengthening your legs and ankles. The pose stretches your thighs, groins and abdomen, as well as your shoulders and chest. From Mountain pose, inhale and shift your weight on to your left foot. Lift your right heel towards your right buttock as you bend your right knee. To keep your standing leg straight and strong, pull your right kneecap up. Keeping your torso upright, reach back with your right hand to hold the inside of your right foot. Stretch your left arm up towards the ceiling (A). Extend your right foot further up and away from your buttock (B). To avoid compression in your lower back, lift your pubis towards your navel and press your tailbone towards the floor. Lift your right foot…

The yoga sequences and instruction in this guide have been devised by physiyoga expert Helen O'Neill. A qualified physiotherapist, yoga instructor and athlete, O'Neill has years of experience helping athletes and exercisers perform at their best - from Ironmen and world-class skiers to recreational runners and cyclists. In 2012, O'Neill founded Fix (fixlondon.co.uk), a pioneering rehabilitation clinic in London offering a holistic approach to sports injuries, using physiotherapy, osteopathy, acupuncture, and one-to-one 'physiyoga'. With physiyoga, O'Neill tailors yoga postures and breathing exercises to a patient's injury or weakness to help their body rebalance and recover. Through her work, O'Neill has witnessed first-hand how yoga can improve fitness and sporting performance at every level. 'Yoga works to balance any muscle imbalances created by a sport; improve muscular efficiency; concentrate focus, coordination…

The mental benefits of yoga for athletes can't be underestimated, especially if you're competing. Yoga can reduce anxiety and stress, encourage a more positive mindset, improve concentration and help you learn how to meditate and focus. The skill of meditation can be applied during races, while good visualisation techniques can help you develop the ability to imagine a positive outcome in competition. Many athletes talk about visualising every stage of a race before the event, from starting off to crossing the finish line. POSITIVE MINDSET If you train your body and not your mind, when you compete, your brain goes into overdrive. Jumbled thoughts, some positive, some negative and thoughts of past races or matches that didn't go well, along with the pressure to perform on the day, can be…

Tell a running coach you're training for a race and you can expect to receive a training plan that includes yoga. American ultra runner Scott Jurek (twice winner of the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon) has credited yoga with improving his flexibility, body awareness and mental focus and thousands of other runners are discovering the benefits too. Tight hip flexors, heavy legs and poor technique are all common problems for runners, especially during long runs such as marathons. Yoga helps solve them all. First, yoga helps you learn to engage your core muscles which helps improve your running technique, boost your performance and prevent injury. A weak core is a sure way to waste energy when running. Core strength improves your running posture and gait which, in turn, means more energy is…

BENEFITS Calms a busy mind. Strengthens and stretches your legs and spine. Step your feet about one-and-a-half leg-length's distance apart with your feet parallel. Put your hands on your hips. Lift the inner arches of your feet and press the outer edges of your feet to the floor. Contract your thighs and draw yourtailbone down. Lengthen your spine. Bring your arms behind your back and clasp your hands. Exhale and, keeping your legs strong, hinge forward from your hips bringing your arms up and forward over your head (A). Hang your head, draw your tailbone up towards the ceiling. Take five to 10 deep breaths, keeping your neck relaxed. Inhale, press your feet into the floor, contract your tummy and come up while bringing your hands back down on to…

BENEFITS Opens your spine and stimulates your breathing while stretching the back of your arms and chest muscles. Begin in Staff pose with your legs out in front of you. Bend your left leg and place if over your right thigh so your left heel touches the outside of your right buttock. Bend your right leg and place your right heel beside your left buttock. Try to keep your whole bottom on the floor. Raise your left arm and bend it behind your head, pointing your elbow upwards. Bring your right arm up behind your back from below and intertwine both hands together between your shoulder blades (A). Hold the pose for one minute. Repeat on the other side. VARIATION To increase the stretch, once in position, exhale and gently…

BENEFITS Strengthens and tones your ankles, inner and outer thighs, and your core muscles. From Mountain pose, step your right leg back one leg's length, right toes tucked under, right ankle drawing backwards. Inhale and stretch your arms up over your head, at the same time bending your left knee 90° until your left thigh is parallel to the floor and you're balancing on the ball of your back foot. Sink your hips and pelvis downwards. Point the heel of your back foot behind you and put your weight into your straight back leg. Relax shoulders down, look ahead, take five breaths (A). Inhale and straighten your bent left leg. Exhale and bend your left knee to a right angle again and edge your back knee closer to the floor.…

BENEFITS Improves your focus and balance while strengthening your abdominals, hips, ankles and legs. Start in Mountain pose and lift your arms overhead (A). Step forward on to your left foot. Root the sole of your left foot down, lifting your inner arch. Inhale, transfer your weight to your left leg. Exhale, lift your right leg straight back and, leading with your chest and keeping your abdomen engaged, tilt your torso and arms forward. Rotate the outer edge of your right thigh down so your hips are level. Keep the thigh muscles of your supporting leg strong, direct your right heel back, pointing your toes down. Continue tilting forwards until your arms are straight out in front of you and parallel to the floor, with your palms facing each other…

BENEFITS Strengthens and tones your ankles, calves and thighs, and stretches your shoulders and chest. The pose stimulates your heart, diaphragm and abdominal organs. From Mountain pose, inhale and raise your arms so they're perpendicular to the floor and parallel to each other with your palms facing inwards, or bring your palms together. Hold a block between your hands if that helps your maintain your arm position. Exhale and bend your knees, as though you were going to sit back in a chair. Try to make your thighs as parallel to the floor as possible and press down into your heels. Keep your innerthighs parallel to each other. Adjust your tailbone down to keep your lower back as long as possible (A). Take five to 10 breaths. Keeping your legs…

BENEFITS Builds focus and relieves tension. Tones your abs and thighs, stretches your lower back and Achilles tendons. Start in Mountain pose with your feet hip-distance apart and slightly turned out (A). Inhale, and place your hands in prayer position. Exhale, and lower, bending your knees as if you're trying to sit down in a chair. Keeping your chest and shoulders open and your knees apart, lower your hips down further until your torso is between your knees. Separate your feet as much as you need to keep your ankles on the floor - you might need to turn them out a little more - and sink your heels into the floor. Press your elbows against your inner thighs and your hands together in prayer position (B). Take five to…

More athletes than ever are discovering that yoga is the perfect workout for improved strength, flexibility, and an reduced injury risk. This guide offers all the basics you need to start adding yoga to your weekly workouts, from step-by-step instructions to yoga sequences that are tailored to your chosen sport. To get the full benefits from yoga, it's essential you learn the foundations. So take time to read through the book first to get familiar with the techniques and postures. This way you'll reap all the rewards and enjoy your workouts to the full. Once you've learnt the basics, you can start to build your yoga practice. Mix and match your favourite postures to create your own yoga routines. Or follow the tailored sequences at the back of the book.…

Do you know your Iyengar from your Ashtanga? There are so many types of yoga on offer these days, it can be confusing to know which one is best for you. Yoga is a perfect form of exercise to practise at home but it helps to attend a beginner's class first to get the basics in place. Most experts recommend having a session with a qualified teacher or doing a regular class for six weeks. BEGINNER'S LUCK Some varieties of yoga are particularly suitable for beginners. The slow, deep practice of Hatha yoga is the perfect starting place for any would-be yogi, giving you time to get to know the poses. 'Hatha gives the student a chance to develop each pose before moving on to something more fast-paced, such as…

As any keen cyclist knows, long periods crouched on the bike can lead to tight shoulders, lower back, wrists and hips. First, when doing high mileage, it's easy for your body to slump and your grip on the handlebars to become tighter, which can result in tension and add strain to your shoulders and neck. Second, a cyclist's quadriceps, hamstrings and hip muscles never rest. Riders often have overdeveloped quadriceps and tight hamstrings, which can pull their hips out of alignment. 'Due to having tight hamstrings and glutes, cyclists struggle with many yoga poses,' says yoga instructor Sheila Maubec. 'Iyengar yoga is best for them as it involves holding poses which gradually stretches and lengthens those super-tight areas.' STRETCH IT Through holding poses, yoga can help reduce tension in the…

BENEFITS Stretches your shoulders and upper back, and eases tired legs. Kneel on the floor with your thighs perpendicular to the floor then sit back on your heels with yourtoes tucked under. Stretch your arms forward, parallel to the floor and pull your shoulders back. Cross your arms in front of you so your left arm is above your right, then bend your elbows. Put your left elbow into the crook of your right and rise your forearms perpendicular to the floor. Make sure the backs of your hands are facing each other. Press your right hand to the left and your left hand to the right. Now press your palms together, lift your elbows up, and stretch your fingers towards the ceiling. Stay for 1 5 to 30 seconds,…

BENEFITS Stretches and strengthens your hamstrings, thighs and calves, and stretches your hips and spine. A mild-back-pain reliever, it improves breathing, stimulates your internal organs and improves your balance. From Mountain pose, step your feet a little less than a leg's-length apart with your left foot behind. Turn your left foot out 90° and your right foot in 45°. Align your right heel with your left heel. Square your hips to face the right and turn your torso to face the right. Inhale and lift your left arm over your head (A). Keeping your hips steady and your feet rooted into the floor, exhale and bend forward from your hips, extending your torso out over your right leg. Place your left hand on the outside right shin or ankle, or…