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Yoga
-Mentally
prepares you for the chanllenges you face, improves your concentration and confidence
-Phsically
"paddling friendly" poses teach you correct alignment and strengthen as well as stretch the muscles
-exercises are all based on having a healthy spine which is IMPERATIVE for paddlers
-While kayaking you demand your spine to move in all directions, boof from 20 feet, and
to sit all day in a boat. Boating is terrible for your back!
But if you keep your muscles flexible in the proper areas for prolonged sitting and hucking and you learn proper
boating technique, it will not hurt your back. (Except for squirt boating and boofing 30 footers).
Breathing Exercises (calmer
breath = calmer mind)
breathing exercises help you in both realms. They allow you to be more flexible in your
rib cage for better breathing and they allow you to control your breath which can come in handy above Gorilla (or Bull Sluice or whatever).
It is important for paddlers, as well as all people to choose yoga that is right for them. There are a million
yoga poses out there and all of them are not right for everyone.
So it is importantant that paddlers use poses that properly strengthen and stretch where we need. For example,
no other sector of society uses their shoulders like paddlers, so almost no yoga teacher can fathom why you don't
want to constantly wrench your shoulders into contortions. Paddlers need to avoid those poses. We need shoulder strengnteners
so that when we brace on a rock, our shoulder does not come out of the socket. We also need to stretch
the legs so that our low backs will not be hunched as we sit in our boats. A bonus for
paddlers is that yoga is also great for the liver!
The points above were mentioned by Andria Baldovin on an internet message
board. She is very helpful and willing to explain questions you have while progressing in this realm.
Click Here:
Sacrifice $20 and own Yoga For Paddlers (Wise Decision!) Your back will love you
for this!
Cardio is a good idea for some creeks (ex. Smokey Mtn creeks), especially when
the water is running a little high.
Strength Training can be beneficial as well.
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