The concept of The Centered Athlete (TCA) was inspired by the idea that
holistic forms of conditioning – such as yoga designed specifically
for athletes, can help athletes to perform significantly better, recover
quicker, and remain injury-free.
A Centered Athlete is…
An athlete who is able to remain inwardly calm and steady – physically,
mentally, and emotionally, even when the demands of the sport are most challenging.
In collaboration with coaches and sports health professionals, TCA specializes
in designing, consulting, and teaching holistic conditioning programs (group
and private classes, workshops, personalized programs, and sport-yoga retreats)
to amateur and professional athletes.
Whether instruction is provided in a private or group setting, all TCA
programs are based on correct positioning, safety, and efficiency. In this
way, the principles can effectively be applied to athletic performance.
The more freely you can move, the better you can move.
Our hope is that you can combine your dynamic athletic energy with the
subtle refinements of mind/body practices to surpass, and even surprise
yourself.
Sport-Specific Yoga for Athletes
Coaches and exercise scientists acknowledge that yoga and other holistic
forms of conditioning are an integral part of athletic preparation and recovery.
Our greatest responsibility at TCA is to safely guide athletes along the
process of discovering a balance between being strong and competitive, while
remaining healthy and injury-free for as long as possible.
Yoga is a dynamic, three-dimensional movement guided by the breath. Its
purpose is to integrate the physical, mental, and emotional energies. Balancing
these energies optimizes how you think, move, and react. Since there is
a seamless interaction between the mind and body, yoga enhances that connection
and teaches you how to create composure (an inner and outer calmness) and
how to apply it when the demands of your sport are most demanding.
Yoga for Athletes is not only an exercise in stretching; it’s an
approach that teaches you how to manage the flow of energy throughout the
body while steadying the mind. Sport-specific yoga enables you to use your
own ability to concentrate and move – without involving extreme flexibility
and mysticism, to become increasingly aware of your body’s patterns.
In any given yoga posture, attention is given to the front of the body
as well as the back; to the sides, the limbs, the joints, the muscles, and
particularly to the quality of each breath. This information gives you the
ability to consciously explore where you are strong and where you are weak,
where there is freedom of movement and where there is resistance.
The Centered Athlete programs are based on three components:
8-Week Introduction to Yoga for Endurance Athletes (Building a
Strong Foundation)
This introductory group class is offered in the fall, winter, and spring
sessions. It includes a weekly 75-minute class that is specifically designed
for runners, triathletes, and cyclists who have never done yoga before,
but who have an interest in learning how it applies to athletes. The classes
consist of static and dynamic movements that help you to progressively identify
your own strengths and weaknesses. In the process, you will discover how
yoga can be used as a form of active recovery and how to safely release
muscular tension in different areas of the body – particularly in
the hips, legs, and lower back.
No previous yoga experience is required.
10-Week (Post-season) Active Recovery Yoga for Endurance Athletes
This 10-week program is offered in the Fall session and includes a weekly
75-minute class that is designed to help runners, triathletes, and cyclists
reset their minds and bodies. By applying the principles of breath control
with movement, you will be able to safely relieve muscular tension that
has accumulated in different areas of the body over the course of the season.
No previous yoga experience is required.
10-Week (Pre-Season) Yoga Conditioning for Endurance Athletes
This 10-week program is offered in the Winter and Spring sessions. It includes
a weekly 75-minute class that is designed to gradually build strength and
flexibility in preparation for the demands of the competitive season. The
focus of this session is to minimize the potential for injury as the intensity
of pre-season training increases and the race season begins. Through a series
of dynamic sequences, you will learn to conserve energy by becoming more
relaxed in the effort. The more energy you conserve, the better you will
perform, and the quicker you will recover!
No previous yoga experience is required.
Private and Semi-Private Yoga Classes for Endurance Athletes
This program is offered on a 1-to-1 basis or in groups of 3-4 people and
is held at a TCA affiliated studio. It includes a preliminary physical assessment
and a weekly 60-minute session that can vary between 8 to 10 weeks. It is
designed to help an athlete enhance his/her performance by improving a particular
performance component (strength, flexibility, balance, muscular endurance,
and/or concentration).
TCA Performance Capsule (90-minute sport-specific session)
Presented in a 90-minute format, this sport-specific workshop (runners,
cyclists, triathletes) is designed to present athletes with targeted, concise
information about particular muscle groups of the body. In the process,
you will learn how to use the principles and practices of yoga to develop
greater balance, alignment, strength, and flexibility in a particular region
of the body.
TCA Performance Clinic (3-hour sport-specific session)
Presented in a 3-hour format, this half-day program offers a combination
of theory and physical yoga practices that will emphasize injury prevention
by developing greater body-awareness, functional strength, and flexibility.
The session may also include other sports health professionals so that the
session offers athletes an integrative perspective to holistic sports performance.
Personalized Programs
Offered exclusively on a 1-to-1 basis, personalized programs are designed
to compliment your preparation for a specific event, or series of events.
Based on your schedule and your competition goal, a customized program is
prepared with your input, and if applicable, your coaches input. With the
event as the focal point, the objective is to gradually develop the mind
and body in tandem with your training, to maintain peak flexibility and
strength, and to minimize the risk of injury.
For more information, contact The Centered Athlete at info@centeredathlete.com
Sport-Yoga Retreats
The ideal active get-away to train, expand your yoga practice, and relax.
Retreat formats and locations will be developed over the course of the next
few months and they will be presented as follows:
In all cases, the most important considerations will be: Location, accomodations,
and cuisine. Excellent food is always high on the list!
Group sizes will vary and some people may approach it as a training camp,
while others may consider it as a holiday. Regardless of your particular
mind-set, we will make every effort to help you get the most out of your
experience.
In your travels, if you discover a location that might be suitable for
a sport-yoga retreat, please share your thoughts with us at info@centeredathlete.com.
The Athlete
Massage therapists, physiotherapists, osteopaths, and other sports health
professionals are invaluable in the prevention and rehab of sports-related
injuries. But any of these individuals would be quick to point out that
the athlete plays the most important role in the management and prevention
of injuries. Athletes are their own best teachers.
Reducing tension and increasing mobility in key areas of the body can make
a remarkable difference in athletic performance and quality of life. Whether
you choose to incorporate sport-specific yoga as an integral part of your
training program, a form of cross-training, or as an active recovery technique,
there are many benefits of a regular practice. Here are just a few:
A quality of relaxation and efficiency in your movement.
A reduction in recurring aches and pains.
A reduction in your risk of injury.
An ability to breathe better.
A capacity to focus and concentrate better.
Improved posture and form.
An ability to recover much quicker from hard efforts.
Athletes are in the best position to be attentive to the needs of their
own bodies and to notice instabilities and imbalances. In your yoga practice,
you’ll gain the self-awareness to observe your body’s reaction
to your sports training. By carefully ‘listening to your body’,
you might get the early warning signs of overtraining and perhaps avoid
an injury waiting to happen.
An outside observer is also very helpful in identifying how your body is
aligned and positioned. Practicing yoga in a class or a workshop setting
allows the instructor to point out alignment or balance issues that may
not be readily apparent to you. If necessary, the teacher can help you to
adapt or modify a particular posture so that it can be performed safely,
yet effectively.
The Sport
The demands of training and competition differ from one sport to another,
and every movement gradually transforms the body to meet specific athletic
requirements. Over a period of time, these repetitive actions create characteristic
patterns and imbalances that are unique to every athlete.
TCA programs account for the specific movement requirements of each sport
while recognizing the classic imbalances associated with them. A major focus
of the TCA yoga conditioning programs is to bring greater balance and alignment
to the body so that the weaknesses and compensations reduce the risk of
injury. The physical profiles of typical runners and cyclists look like
this:
Runner:
• Well developed cardiovascular system
• Tight and overdeveloped calves
• Relative weakness in the front shin muscles
• Extremely tight hamstrings and weak quads
• Tight lower back
• Tightness in the hip flexors and IT bands
• Weakness in the abdominal muscles
• Minimal musculature in the upper body
Cyclist:
• Well developed cardiovascular system
• Strong but tight quads
• Tight hamstrings and IT band
• Tight shoulders and chest
• Tight lower back
• Tightness in the hip flexors and IT bands
• Weakness in the abdominal muscles
• Minimal musculature in the upper body
Muscle tightness is a key indicator of specific injury patterns. For example,
tight calves can potentially lead to Achilles tendinitis and heel pain.
Tight hamstrings can lead to lower back pain and patellar (knee cap) problems.
Based on the physical profiles of athletes and common injury patterns, TCA
programs are designed to prevent problems by addressing:
It’s a very important question to ask because your yoga program
should compliment where you are in your season and what you’re training
for. It should never throw you out of balance, nor compromise your overall
well-being.
There are many different styles of yoga. Some forms are more physically
demanding than others. An intelligent approach for athletes is to combine
the elements and principles of yoga in a way that supports health throughout
the year and compliments performance during the competitive season.
Post-season
The period immediately after the competitive season is the best time to
begin a yoga program. A gentle, restorative approach will enable the tissues
of your body to repair and recover from the season. Chris Carmichael, Lance
Armstrong’s coach, is quoted as saying, “We treat recovery as
a scheduled workout”.
Pre-season
Determining the focus of your competitive season will determine the nature
of your yoga conditioning. For example, if your goal is Ironman and marathon
distances, the aim of your yoga program could be physical restoration and
mental strength. If you are planning to do shorter races, your program may
involve a more vigorous approach that builds strength and power.
Competitive season
Injury prevention is the main objective in this phase. During the competitive
season, adequate rest and relaxation are very important in helping the mind
and body to properly recover for the next event. Using long, static stretching
techniques to release muscular tension throughout the hips, legs, and back
will help to restore energy levels and reduce the potential for injury.
| 
| 
