A recent New York Times article, which has been republished on one of ESPN's healthy living blogs, featured five former NCAA basketball players, four of whom played for Cornell University in the 2010 National Tournament.
Georgia athletes from Atlanta to Zebulon – yes, it's a real town – have been flocking to yoga classes as a way to glean healthy living tips from seasoned instructors. They are not alone, either. College athletes and sports professionals across the U.S. are getting into yoga as a way of managing their mental acumen while staying physically fit.
If you don't believe it, check out the New York Times. A recent article, which has been republished on one of ESPN's healthy living blogs, featured five former NCAA basketball players, four of whom played for Cornell University in the 2010 National Tournament.
Today, these gentlemen – some of whom stand more than seven feet tall, mind you – regularly attend one-and-a-half hour yoga sessions at the 92nd Street YMCA.
They're not the only ones using yoga to stay healthy and limber, either. Tim Thomas, a pro hockey goalie and member of the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning Bruins, recently told NHL.com that he has been taking yoga ever since a hip injury took him out of the game a few years back.
Even retired athletes are diving into the holistic system to stay active. Greg Louganis, former Olympic diver and multiple gold medal winner, practices yoga and stretching exercises as part of a targeted physical fitness regimen, the New York Times reported.
Louganis, who at 51 teaches diving to up-and-coming athletes, retired from diving in 1988, the same year he announced that he is HIV-positive. Today, he takes prescription medications to keep the disease in remission and uses yoga to stay flexible and physically healthy, the newspaper noted.
Why do so many athletes take yoga? It may be because the regimen is so versatile. While some workout systems leave certain muscles strong and largely ignore others, yoga classes can hit all the major muscle groups. Furthermore, stretching exercises can cool the body off and keep muscles and tendons from tightening.
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Tags: healthy living, healthy living blogs, healthy living tips
