Doing the downward dog
Grand View students, athletes find health benefits in yoga
Molly Hottle
Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: Features
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The pose requires them to bend at the waist, face downward and use their arms for support and is one the team is well accustomed to during their once-a-week yoga session for pre-season training.
"As a team, we're becoming more flexible and it also relaxes our muscles after our hard workouts," said team captain Kelsey Karaidos. "We love it."
What may seem like a health regimen for only the most flexible of athletes, yoga has also proven to benefit college athletes and students especially because of its de-stressing qualities.
According to a study conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine, 84 California State University students who participated in a weekly yoga class for eight weeks showed dramatic increases in concentration, motivation and a decreased anxiety level.
Karaidos, along with her teammates, has been attending yoga classes taught by computer science professor Michelle Ruse for two years to increase flexibility and concentration.
"It's so relaxing," Karaidos said. "People always ask me how I feel afterward. I feel relaxed and taller."
Softball coach Lou Yacinich, Jr. said the yoga not only makes his team better players, but also better students.
"They get into these life-long patterns," Yacinich said. "They can control situations and have clear thinking."
Yoga is a system of physical and mental activities that originated in India more than 3,000 years ago. Different types of yoga focus on cardio, matching breath to movement and doing yoga in a heated room.
No matter the style, most yoga techniques provide the same health benefits.
"You don't necessarily bulk up, but your muscles get toned and longer," said Stephie Clemens, owner and teacher at Studio Om, located at 2815 Beaver Avenue in Des Moines.
Contrary to what some may believe, Clemons said, yoga is more about quieting your mind than putting your foot behind your head.
"Don't be intimidated by yoga," she said. "I think there's a real stereotype out there that all yogis have to be really bendy. That is so not true."
Flexibility, strength and better posture are common benefits. But poses like the "downward dog" and the "ballerina" have been known to alleviate the symptoms of back problems, asthma and for those with multiple sclerosis, according to webmd.com, a health information Web site.
Studies have also proven yoga can create a sharper memory and an increased ability to learn.
"Once you start de-stressing the body and getting the muscles to soften then I think there's a clarity of mind that can happen," Clemens said. "If we're so focused on the tightness of our shoulders, how are people supposed to write papers?"
Too often, Clemens said, drinking alcohol becomes a welcomed release from studying stress when yoga could be a better choice.
"We're all human, but at the same time, [alcohol] might not be as healthy as other options," she said.
Yacinich said his players are able to clear their minds with yoga.
"It's about quieting the body and mentally pushing everything else out," he said. "All that stuff really does a great job in preparing our student athletes."
While the softball team invites anyone to join them in their weekly classes, including a handful of participating football players, Grand View does not offer courses in yoga. Some students would like to see that change.
"We've discussed offering yoga programs at Grand View before," said Jenny Prindle, health promotion junior. "It could be a program for students and faculty to attend to help de-stress."
Prindle has been participating in yoga for seven years. When she was unable to attend yoga sessions with the Ankeny Community School Adult Education because of her class schedule, she started practicing on her own.
"Initially, it was a new way for me to stay in shape," she said. "But I keep doing it because I feel a difference. It's a way to clear your mind and keeps your mind on one moment rather than the thousand things you have to do."
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