ITG 2005

Scott Brown, reporter

Richard Illman and Jo Martinie led an early morning session designed to introduce many of the benefits inherent in this ancient form of physical exercise. Yoga has been used for several thousand years for self-development and improvement. It consists of various postures and techniques, primarily designed to help us understand ourselves through awareness of the breath, movement of the body, and meditation. Yoga practice of this type can help improve a player’s breath control, endurance, concentration, ability to relax during performance, and overall health.

Flexibility will be different every day, since some days you will experience more tension than others. Tension manifests itself in different places from day to day, which will make some of the exercises discussed in this session more helpful than others. Expertise in yoga is not required to use some of these techniques. However you chose to apply the stretching exercises, they will help improve your physical state, prepare you to perform at an optimal level, and help recover from the stress of everyday life.

The best way to get a good experience with yoga would be to take a class and learn properly from a trained instructor, but there are a few things to keep in mind in doing yoga if you want to learn to do things yourself. Don’t bounce into any stretch. You should always be able to breathe normally while you are stretching. Don’t try too hard to be flexible, just let it happen.