Most of the time you do a little warm-up that consist of some running and stretching. Then you dive into the actual practice where you’re working on what ever the coach has planned, and once that’s done, your finished.

As a former high school coach, I can tell you that our practices ran exactly like that. We started off each practice with two laps around the field, the team would make a circle while the captains lead the stretching then begin practice.

Had I known then what I know now, our practices would have run a little differently.

You see there are two types of stretching: dynamic and static. Dynamic stretching would be like “brazilians” (as we called them) where you focus on movement patterns requiring a combination of muscles, joints and planes of motion.

It is best used as a warm-up, which is an important period before any athletic event or performance. An effective warm-up will increase muscle temperature and the body’s core temperature, and improve blood flow through the entire system.

Here’s a great video of some dynamic warm-ups for soccer players:

Static stretching on the other hand, typically focuses on a single muscle group, joint and plane of motion.

Contrary to what many people and coaches believe, static stretching immediately before exercise may impair a person’s strength and power and has no effect on injury prevention. There have been several studies that all support this claim.

So when is the best time to do static stretching?

After practice as part of a cool down period. I know for you coaches that means cutting your practice 15 minutes short, but it’s essential to keeping your team injury free. Studies have shown an increase in strength, jump height, running speed, and range-of-motion/flexibility when done after practice for 15-30 minutes.

If your coach doesn’t have a cool down period, stay after practice for a little bit and stretch. Or on an off-day do some Sports Yoga.

Stretching may not be cool, it can be a little boring and painful at times but it’s absolutely essential to keeping your body healthy and fit.

Here are some stretches you should do during your cool down:

Forward Fold

Downward-facing Dog

Quad Stretch

Bound Angle

Pigeon

Head-t0-Knee

Cooling down after each practice or game is essential if you want to stay injury-free and perform at your best. If you’d like to learn more about how yoga can help improve your flexibility and game, please contact us today!

I decided to go with the awesome design firm Orasi Design and they did an excellent job.

Our new logo is modern, clean and has a refined execution while it takes a much more iconic approach to sports and yoga. The sphere, or “ball” like form is an instant connection with sports. While the majority of sports involve a ball, the intent was to represent sports in an abstract way.

The organic sphere also reads into aspects of yoga and energy. Round sphere like forms also have strong reference to core and inner strength. As in a body, the strength and energy come from within.

The visual dimension of the sphere gives a dynamic and appealing look to the logo.

The placement and orientation of the sphere was intended to suggest motion and progression. That too hints a connection with sports and an active lifestyle.

The overall approach was to symbolize a new, modern style of fitness training and exercise.

Let us know what you think!

Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet
Up Around the Bend – Creedence Clearwater Revival
All 4 Love – Color Me Badd
Black & White – Royal Tailor
Drive – Incubus
Midnight Hour – SDIB
No Place to Run – Gym Class Heroes
It’s Tricky – Run-DMC
Love, Selfish Love – Patrick Stump
If I Had No Loot – Tony! Toni! Toné!
Keep Your Head Up – Andy Grammer
Work It Out – Jurassic 5 & Dave Matthews Band
Smooth – Santana
Fat Bottomed Girls – Queen
Go Your Own Way (Glee Cast Version) – Glee Cast
Water Under the Bridge – Tony Lucca
I Wanna Love You Tonight – Pati
F**kin’ Perfect – P!nk
What I Know – Parachute
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
The Scientist – Coldplay

If you have any music suggestions, please feel free to leave us a comment! We are always looking for new songs to add to out music library.

To make things worse, not only will sitting at your desk all day make your hips tight, there’s new research out by “inactivity researches” that show sitting all day is bad for you.

Sitting not only makes us fat lazy, and weak (all bummers) — it’s shaving precious years off of our desk-bound lifespans: men who sit six hours a day are 20 percent more likely to die than men who sit three hours a day and women who sit six hours a day are 40 percent more likely to die.

Here’s a chart by Medical Coding and Billing that show’s you why:

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

As this chart states, “it’s the extra sitting outside of work that turns a serious problem deadly.”  So what can you do?

How about doing some Sports Yoga after work?  It’s a great low impact activity that will first of all get you off your butt, but it’s also a great way to relieve some stress after a long day.

Or how about doing some “office yoga” when your at work.  All you need to do is get out of your chair and do some stretching that you learn from yoga class.

Whatever you do, I hope this post opens your eyes to the health dangers of sitting down all day.  I really hope you make it a habit of getting out of your chair every so often, doing a little stretching, then coming to yoga a few times a week to get your health back into shape.

Please share this article!

To make a long story short, Martin started off his first pre-season game with a bang but got injured during one of his touchdowns. It was during his time in the training room that he connected with one of his coaches, Coach Ken, who introduced Martin to The Playbook.

What The Playbook does so well is explain to us why the Best are better than everyone else and offers us 11 Traits of the Best of the Best that we can learn to master:

1. The Best know what they truly want.
2. The Best want it more.
3. The Best are always striving to get better.
4. The Best do ordinary things better than everyone else.
5. The Best Zoom-Focus.
6. The Best are mentally stronger.
7. The Best overcome their fear.
8. The Best seize the moment.
9. The Best tap into a power greater than themselves.
10. The Best leave a legacy.
11. The Best make everyone around them better.

What I love about these 11 traits is that it gets you to focus on your mental side of the game that is more often than not, neglected. Not to mention that these 11 traits can easily be translated to the business world as well.

But as athletes majority of us will focus on the body 95% of the time and only devote 5% (if any) to training our mentality. Yet Yogi Berra said it best, “90% of the game is half mental.”

Two of the more profound quotes I found in this book talk about leaving a legacy:

“In your striving to be the best, then, you must ask not what your greatness means to you, but what impact does it make on others? The success you create now is temporary, but the legacy you leave is eternal. Thinking about this legacy fuels you with a bigger purpose.”

“Average players are motivated by the paycheck. The great ones are inspired to leave a legacy. And this doesn’t apply to just football. It applies to every job in the world.”

If you only had enough money to buy one book an entire year I was strongly suggest and recommend that you buy this book. It’s a short quick read but packed with insights that’ll guide you in the direction to be the BEST.

It was during this time I remember being so stressed out because I needed to find a job but no one was hiring and I really didn’t know what to do.

I pondered a lot of different options and one day out of nowhere I came across a post that gave me a new perspective on life and changed my thinking forever.

Bob Levinson was a former Fortune 500 executive who believed that when we get out of bed, we are faced with two choices: to be grumpy and miserable, or to be excited and fired up.

He offered 8 Tips For Starting The Day Ready To Light Up The World:

1. Read the death notices and think about how lucky you are to not be there!
2. Think of all the things you want to do and realize that the clock is ticking and you have a short time to accomplish them.
3. Look at those dear to you and think about how you are going to share in their future life.
4. Listen to good music when you get up in the morning to get your motor going.
5. Exercise every morning when you get up to get your juices flowing.
6. Always plan more than you can finish in a given day so that you cannot wait to start the next one.
7. Laugh a lot and try to be an exciting person.
8. Forget “too old” – “too young” – and go for it!

After I got done reading this, I typed it up, printed it out and taped it on my bedroom wall right by my door, so that every time I left my room, I would always read those eight tips. And believe it or not, had I not stumbled upon these eight tips, I honestly don’t think I would have started Sports Yoga Hawaii.

I was 23 years old at the time, with no business experience and had just gotten into yoga because I was tired and fed up with all the injuries that was I incurring from playing soccer on the weekends.

The odds were stacked against me (and to tell you the truth, I think they still are) but I started every morning full of hope, confidence, and optimism about the future of this company.

I encourage you to do as I did. Type out those eight tips and place it somewhere you’re going to look every single day, and start your day off on the right foot.

Remember when we get out of bed, we are faced with two choices: to be grumpy and miserable and stay home, or to be excited and fired up to go to Sports Yoga Hawaii.

Kay Kusumoto, a Level One, Two and Three Certified YogaFit Instructor will now be bringing this awesome yoga style to Hawaii.

YogaFit is designed to improve the health, performance, and mental acuity of athletes or individuals interested in improving their level of fitness. Based on the ancient fitness science of hatha yoga, it blends balance, strength, flexibility and power in a fitness format. YogaFit overcomes the mystery of yoga by delivering a practical, user-friendly style, which is accessible, understandable, and doable by individuals at any level of fitness. The YogaFit style reduces the risk of injury and augments recovery for ailments including stress, lower back pain and tension.

YogaFit (“Yoga for the Fitness Industry”™) was developed in 1994 by Beth Shaw who discovered that while traditional certifications taught a lot about the history and philosophy of yoga, they did not address the challenges of teaching yoga in a health club: bright lights, cold rooms, bodies of all types and flexibility levels. She created her own style that combined fitness moves such as push-ups, sit-ups and squats with traditional yoga postures linked together in a flowing format. To make practice more “user-friendly,” she eliminated Sanskrit names of postures and avoided the ohming and chanting sometimes associated with traditional yoga practices. YogaFit was born, and Beth’s classes were packed!

Here’s a short video on YogaFit:

We will be offering this class at Sports Yoga Hawaii on Thursday (4:00pm – 5:30pm) and Sunday (10:30am – 11:45pm).

If you are interested in attending a YogFit class please click on the Sign-up for Classes tab and reserve your spot today!

You’ve worked up a little sweat.

While in downward-facing dog, you notice your feet starting to slip but luckily as your feet slide your instructor moves you into a different pose: Warrior II. Just as you think you are safe, your feet begin sliding again and you have to readjust.

Then you take a little breather in child’s pose but there’s another problem…your knees are killing you because of the hardwood floor and a relatively thin mat.

While what you wear to yoga is important, I think it’s just as important to have an amazing yoga mat. Can you imagine what it must be like constantly having to worry about slipping, readjusting, then going onto your knees and feeling the pain of a hardwood floor.

Not exactly the most enjoyable session right?

If there’s going to be one constant in your yoga practice it’s going to be your mat. It’ll always be there for you no matter what.

A couple weeks ago a client came in with “The Mat” from Lululemon and I was quite intrigued by it because it didn’t looks like your “typical” yoga mat. It had a flat smooth surface which is unlike most yoga mats that have some type of textured surface.

Nevertheless, I went to Lululemon to check it out and ended up making an investment in this mat.

Here are some highlights of the mat:

• Ultra-absorbant, The Mat absorbs sweat and moisture allowing the surface to maintain its grip, even in the hottest and sweatiest classes.
• The super-grippy, PU (polyurethane) top layer is ideal for hot, power, and flow classes.
• The Mat is treated with ultra-fresh, an additive that prevents the growth of bacteria, mold, mildew, and fungi.
• Due to the properties of natural rubber, The Mat will have a strong smell that will gradually fade over time.
• The Mat is reversible, featuring two completely different sides to practice on.
• A serious mat to kick some serious asana.

The Initial Review:

The Bad

• Weight:  The Mat is much heavier than your normal yoga mat.
• Smell:  The rubbery smell of the mat is pretty bad.  You get use to it after a few days…but the smell is strong.
• Thickness:  Not as thick as my other mat and the smooth surface makes the mat feel a little stiff.
• Color:  Was only offered in Black at the store.

The Good

• Grip:  As advertised.  Excellent (nuff-said).
• Absorbance:  When you’re dripping with sweat, The Mat absorbs the sweat very well and maintains the grip.
• Grip:  Did I mention the grip was excellent.

I’ve been only using The Mat for a couple of days but I’m slowly starting to fall in love with it.  After switching mats, I am starting to realize the importance a great make to your yoga practice.

I will have my full review in about a week or two after I start using it more.

Hope the initial review was helpful.  Please let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment.

2011 is here and the team at Sports Yoga Hawaii is very excited for the year to come. Yes, you heard that right…the team at Sports Yoga Hawaii. With the new year comes some new changes and it was time that we brought on board some instructors to teach new classes.

Verena Snively will be teaching a Yoga for Paddlers class:

• Monday: 5:30pm – 6:45pm
• Thursday: 5:30pm – 6:45pm

Tammy Mori will be teaching the SurfYoga class:

• Tuesday: 5:30pm – 6:45pm
• Saturday: 2:00pm – 3:15pm

Kay Kusumoto will be teaching the Yoga for Golfers class:

• Wednesday: 5:30pm – 6:45pm
• Thursday: 4:00pm – 5:15pm
• Sunday: 9:00am – 10:15am

We are also trying to start a GoYoga! movement.  The GoYoga! movement is an initiative by Sports Yoga Hawaii to help individuals live better lifestyles by doing yoga once a week for one hour. It’s a movement to awaken the athlete within.

Many of you may have a new year resolution to get fit, stay fit, etc. and while you may not see yoga as something that will help you with that, let me assure you that yoga is the perfect compliment to any training you’re planning on doing.

Our goal at Sports Yoga Hawaii is to help you keep your resolution.  So please give us a try and allow us the opportunity to help you.

The first element is the yoga aspect.  Now before we move on any further, if you are brand new to yoga, the yoga that you’ve probably seen others do is not really “yoga.”  What you are seeing people do are called asanas.

When you hear people talking about doing downward-facing dog, tree, crow, dancer, etc. they are talking about asanas.  They are the physical exercises/postures that are based on applying controlled pressure on various parts of the body.  The controlled pressure allows the prana to flow through the body.

Yoga in true Eastern philosophy, is meditation and it’s about controlling and channeling the activity/power of the mind.  If one wants a healthy body, they do asanas.  If one wants a healthy mind and spirit, they do yoga.

The Western philosophy has adopted a more “exercise” style to yoga, focusing on the asanas, and it’s the same here at Sports Yoga Hawaii.

I’ve designed Sports Yoga with the athletes in mind. It’s a blend of Hatha (physical), Vinyasa (flowing), dynamic movements, core exercises, and some traditional sports warm-ups.  It’s really like a sports conditioning workout.

Now I’m not just saying this to get people into the studio, but you really need to experience Sports Yoga first hand to truly get a feel for what makes this style unique.  It’s one thing to talk about it but it’s a whole different story once you try it out.

Second element to the yoga aspect that makes Sports Yoga different from the rest, is our focus on a specific sport.  Most yoga studio will offer you sessions based on a certain yoga style, i.e. power, bikram, vinyasa, hatha, iyengar, ashtanga, etc.  Here at Sports Yoga Hawaii we offer session based on various sports.

Each sport demands you to use different parts of your body and our sports centric sessions focus on working those parts that you use most.

In the next post we’ll talk about some other things that make Sports Yoga Hawaii a different yoga experience.

If you’re interested in learning more, come down for a session and we can talk more about it in person.