Share with Us: How does yoga help you to cross-train?

Yoga and climbing are a match made in heaven. I was a climber long before I started yoga. There are many essential things (common in other sports as well) that make one a good climber. Flexibility, balance, core strength, good breathing and focus are all crucial on difficult climbs. When I started yoga, I found it not only to be an easy transition, but additionally the two play off each other very well. Climbing has more of a strength-training emphasis which would often leave me sore. When I added yoga to my routine, the soreness went away. It was surprising to me that adding another physical activity would actually allow me to climb more often. All of the stretching increased the speed of recovery and decreased the soreness induced from a tough climbing session at the gym.

I weight lift and jog. I do yoga moves throughout the day after my morning routine and I rarely feel the tinges of pain I used to during the "growing panges" that come with muscle growth. I attribute my lack of pain to the deep release of yoga. I love the endurance, balance and a certain level of stealthiness yoga can provide if you have the sticktoitness that is demanded.