Team Spirit

Miranda- Last Thursday evening I got the opportunity to give the Oxford University Netball Team a pre-varsity yoga class! As yoga is about balance, a stretchy/restorative class to even out all the intense training they have been putting in recently was requested!

I lead them through a Yin Yang flow – starting out with some stretches, and then using the heat building properties of sun salutations (the Yang) to warm the body up and get out of the mind, to be able to release more physically and mentally in the Yin poses we ended the class in! Yin poses are being used more and more for competitive athletes as injury rehabilitation because they work on and nourish the deeper tissues of the body – including the ligaments and tendons (as well as bones and fascia) – which can require long periods of rehab if damaged, and asks for complete muscle relaxation allowing these tissues to lengthen and stretch in the longer hold (anywhere for 3 minutes + for a Yin pose). Anyone who is interested in trying out some Yin should definitely check out Cassie’s LOVELY Long and Luscious class on Tuesday evenings! 
 
There was such a great feel about teaching to a sports team because, as I commented on during the class, they were a team – a community – used to interacting and working together. Yoga straddles the interaction between the individual and the community. We practise for ourselves, connecting inwards with our bodies and whatever we have going on at that moment, yet we move as a group, cultivating and establishing a community energy!

And I hope your match went well this weekend!!!