Pushing your body to limits that you didn’t know were possible is a huge part of sports. While flexibility and agility are often overlooked, yoga and pilates help us understand our bodies further and assist us in becoming stronger athletes. 

The medical journal defines yoga as a practice that connects the body, breath, and mind. It uses physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation to improve overall health. So this leads to the following question: Why is yoga beneficial for all athletes? 

Mazie Carpentier, a senior at FHC, takes yoga through the school and believes that it is beneficial for student-athletes to get in touch with themselves and become more aware of their flexibility along with other aspects of yoga. 

“I love the yoga class here at FHC. When you walk in, you can tell that it’s a great atmosphere,” Mazie said. “It is a great way to take the stress off of myself and just be in the moment. It helps me understand why it’s important to not be so hard on yourself and that self-love is one of the best things you can do for your body.”

As a student-athlete, Margret English understands what it feels like to push her body to its limits on the field and the importance of recovery off of it. So, she things that having the opportunity to relax her muscles and recover afterwards is beneficial for her overall performance.

“I think yoga has helped me with sports with my flexibility and when having it during the season with injury prevention. My favorite part of yoga is probably when we do meditation and can just lay in the dark to relax.”

Mrs. Stacy Steensma teaches the yoga class at FHC. With tons of love from the student body for both her and her class, she also believes that yoga is a great class to have and a great way to become a stronger athlete. 

“Yoga has many benefits for athletes to gain strength, flexibility, balance, reduce the risk of injury, and improve range of motion, mobility, and coordination,” Mrs. Steensma says enthusiastically. “Yoga benefits strength, balance, and flexibility. Yoga helps with back pain relief. Yoga relaxes you and helps you sleep better. Yoga brightens your mood. Yoga helps you manage stress. Yoga promotes better self-care. Yoga helps you connect the mind-body-breath!”

Becoming more in touch with not only your body but also your mind is another great part of yoga. Clearing your mind and becoming at peace with the world around you is a huge deal to senior Bernice Sam. Though she is not a part of the FHC yoga class, she likes to explore different ways to become in touch with herself. 

“Yoga is important because yoga makes you relax, which I don’t do when I’m in school. I’m always tense or stressed, and yoga helps me feel better. Yoga is an easy and quick way to loosen your mind and muscles. It makes you feel free and stable,” Bernice said. 

Taking a minute to breathe and becoming closer to both yourself and your surroundings is what yoga is all about. So start being flexible with being flexible, and try yoga today!