Twenty years ago it may well have created mirth to say the
world's top athletes would be using yoga as an intrinsic part
of their training.
However, now, it is the norm rather than the exception.
Yoga instructor Lance Schuler, and owner of Inspyre, told the
Queenstown Times he would be surprised if any of the
golfers in action at this week's Michael Hill New Zealand
Open did not have their own personal yoga instructor.
The former Tauranga man, who has been living in Byron Bay,
New South Wales, Australia, for the past 20 years and
established Inspya [Institute of South Pacific Yoga Academy]
about 15 years ago, was in Queenstown at the weekend holding
a yoga workshop at Studio Sangha/Bikram Yoga, organised by
Peggy Preston.
He said yoga was vital for professional athletes'
preparations, teaching them all the skills they needed to
focus, using a holistic approach.
Mr Schuler said he had trained many yoga teachers now working
with individual athletes, including Michael Campbell, or
teams, for example a Gold Coast-based rugby league team.
Other athletes and teams using yoga in their training
included the Australian swim team, rugby teams, surfers,
tennis players and racing car drivers.
"Believe it or not, Michael Campbell's . . . yoga instructor
was trained by me - a guy called Kester Luney."
Following his win in the US Open in 2005, he called Mr Luney
and thanked him, he said.
"[Yoga] has been around for years, but I think it's only the
last decade, many professional people are partaking in it.
"They've seen that it works.
"When anybody's doing yoga . . . they've got to [try to]
balance resilience and relaxation.
"If you're going to swing a golf club, you've got to be
pretty relaxed.
"When you see these guys . . . like Tiger Woods . . . [they]
are totally present.
Two of the main components of yoga were learning focus and
attention - crucial for golfers who needed to concentrate to
play 18 holes, which often took up to five hours.
"Walking towards the next ball you're thinking about your
strategy, what club to use etc. You have to be present.
"People who get a hole-in-one, when you talk to them about
[it], they'll probably say `It was the easiest shot I've ever
taken. It was just like a dream'.
"That's being present."
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