This is the month to discover something new at Sender One! Yoga can be a great complement to your climbing routine. Here are 3 ways yoga can help you send your project:
1. Flexibility and Strength. Not flexible enough to reach the high foot chip? A regular yoga practice will help improve your hip flexibility for climbing movement. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) is a great place to start. Here are some other yoga poses you could try to improve your hip mobility and flexibility.
2. Pushing vs. Pulling. Feel like your forearms are burning after a hard climb? Try a few plank to Chaturangas (yoga push ups) to stretch out those muscles. This is why Yoga - a pushing exercise is a great complement to Climbing - a pulling exercise.
3. Focus and Breath. One of the first things we learn in every yoga class is a ujjayi breathing (Completely filling your lungs, while slightly contracting your throat, and breathing through your nose). There is a tendency to hold our breaths when we are really exerting ourselves. Work on this steady and rhythmic breath and it will help you get through difficult sections of your climb.
Check out our yoga schedule for weekly classes and build yoga in to your regular training routine. Be sure to try Monday night's restorative class after a weekend's outdoor climbing session.